This collection honors Frederick W. Norris, whose studies and commentary over the past forty years have been fundamental to a renaissance in English language scholarship on Gregory of Nazianzus. Contributions from an impressive roster of Gregorian scholars include essays on Gregory's theology, biography, and legacy. Articles on Gregory's theology address topics ranging from Biblical interpretation (Ben Fulford and Brian Matz), the influence of Origen (Everett Ferguson), to Cynic asceticism (Claudio Moreschini). Verna Harrison's discussion of how the rhetorical concept of antimony shaped Gregory's Trinitarian thinking is especially thoughtful. Vasiliki Limberis and Neil McLynn, in contrast, analyze the reality of Gregory's career as bishop in two cases of episcopal intrigue and competition for influence. Some of the most interesting articles discuss Gregory's centrality in later Orthodoxy, when the Orations were read in services and quoted in hymns. Andrea Serk demonstrates how Gregory's words were used by St. Constantine, the apostle to the Slavs, to defend translation of the gospel; Susanna Elm shows why Gregory's orations on the Emperor Theodosius were adopted by both the ninth century Patriarch Photius and Emperor Constantine VII as models; and Andrew Louth describes how difficult passages in Gregory's theological orations were puzzled over and commented on in Byzantium for centuries, as his festal orations provided the words for its hymns. In tribute to Professor Norris's sense of humor, John McGuckin closes with a catalog of Gregory's jokes. The collection is more integrated than many festschrifts, and provides a valuable overview of current approaches to Gregorian scholarship.
No CrossRef data available.
