Book contents
- The Problem of the Devil in Cappadocian Thought
- The Problem of the Devil in Cappadocian Thought
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Problematising the Devil
- 2 The First Fallen Angel
- 3 Know Thine Enemy by Name
- 4 Christ’s Defeat of the Devil
- 5 The Church’s War Against the Devil
- 6 Becoming Diabolic in Gregory of Nyssa’s Homilies On the Beatitudes and On the Lord’s Prayer
- 7 The Devil in Gregory of Nyssa’s Homilies On the Song of Songs
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
6 - Becoming Diabolic in Gregory of Nyssa’s Homilies On the Beatitudes and On the Lord’s Prayer
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 20 May 2026
Book contents
- The Problem of the Devil in Cappadocian Thought
- The Problem of the Devil in Cappadocian Thought
- Copyright page
- Dedication
- Contents
- Acknowledgements
- Abbreviations
- Introduction
- 1 Problematising the Devil
- 2 The First Fallen Angel
- 3 Know Thine Enemy by Name
- 4 Christ’s Defeat of the Devil
- 5 The Church’s War Against the Devil
- 6 Becoming Diabolic in Gregory of Nyssa’s Homilies On the Beatitudes and On the Lord’s Prayer
- 7 The Devil in Gregory of Nyssa’s Homilies On the Song of Songs
- Conclusion
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
Chapter 6 explores how those who do not live according to the way of faith take on the devil’s characteristics to the extent that they are known by him and claimed as his own. As scholarly work on Gregory of Nyssa’s vision of the spiritual life has proliferated, commentators have focused on virtue, participation, and how human beings become like God. In contrast, Chapter Six argues that Gregory’s vision of the spiritual life is concerned not only with how human beings can become divine, but also with how they can become diabolic. Here we come to a central problem with the devil. According to Gregory of Nyssa’s teaching in On the Beatitudes and On the Lord’s Prayer, just as children of the ‘Heavenly Father’ become like God, children of the ‘Subterranean Father’ become like the devil.
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- The Problem of the Devil in Cappadocian Thought , pp. 161 - 188Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2026
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