The STUDIA UNIVERSITATIS BABEŞ-BOLYAI issue article summary

The summary of the selected article appears at the bottom of the page. In order to get back to the contents of the issue this article belongs to you have to access the link from the title. In order to see all the articles of the archive which have as author/co-author one of the authors mentioned below, you have to access the link from the author's name.

  
       
         
    STUDIA THEOLOGIA%20ORTHODOXA - Issue no. 2 / 2007  
         
  Article:   L’USAGE DE L’ÉCRITURE DANS LA RÉFLEXION SUR L’INFINITÉ DIVINE ET SUR LE PROGRÈS SPIRITUEL SANS FIN CHEZ GRÉGOIRE DE NYSSE / THE USE OF SCRIPTURE IN GREGORY OF NYSSA’S REFLECTIONS UPON DIVINE INFINITY AND ENDLESS SPIRITUAL PROGRESS.

Authors:  OVIDIU SFERLEA. 		 
       
         
  Abstract:  Starting from contradictory theses issued by St. Gregory of Nyssa exegetes on scriptural inspiration of divine infinity and endless spiritual progress doctrine, we tried to analyze how the Bible is present in the preparation of this complex of ideas. We proposed a distinction within the reflection of two aspects of St. Gregory´s divine infinity, "adiastematic infinity " and " fullness infinity ". In the light of this distinction, we identified the scriptural texts that St. Gregory invokes and the manner in which they and interpreted. It showed up an asymmetry between the abundance of texts mobilized in support of the first aspect of the divine infinity and the relatively small number of scriptural citations in favor of the latter. We find, however, the same abundance of texts to illustrate the correlative doctrine of endless spiritual progress ("epectasis"). The first aspect of the divine infinity (adiastematic infinity) is how Gregory understands to illustrate the ontological difference between creation and Creator, and he explains why a conceptual knowledge of the Creator is impossible. In a Trinitarian context, this aspect of divine infinity can also explain the co-eternity of the Persons of the Holy Trinity.  
         
     
         
         
      Back to previous page