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The Classics of Western Spirituality
The Life of Moses
Here is an award-winning, new translation that brings to light Gregory's complex identity as an early mystic. Gregory (c. 332-395) was one of the Greek Cappadocian Fathers, along with St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory Nazianzen. �
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 390
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About the author
Gregory of Nyssa
153Ìýbooks111ÌýfollowersGregory of Nyssa was a Christian bishop and saint. He was a younger brother of Basil the Great and a good friend of Gregory Nazianzus. His significance has long been recognized in the Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox, and Roman Catholic branches of Christianity.
Gregory along with his brother Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianzus are known as the Cappadocian Fathers. They attempted to establish Christian philosophy as superior to Greek philosophy.
Gregory along with his brother Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianzus are known as the Cappadocian Fathers. They attempted to establish Christian philosophy as superior to Greek philosophy.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 135 reviews
June 15, 2021
I find myself approaching books written by the early church fathers with a certain amount of fear...will I even understand them? This book (really letter) by St Gregory of Nyssa delighted me from the very first pages. St Gregory’s humility, wisdom, and love are deeply evident as he encourages the letter’s recipient to pursue a life of obedience to God using Moses as an example. This is NOT AT ALL an obscure commentary on an Old Testament character! Instead, it lays out the essential FOUNDATION for a life of faith. Very practical and a very understandable example of how the whole Old Testament clearly points to Christ.
He concludes: This is true perfection: not to avoid a wicked life because, like slaves, we servilely fear punishment, nor to do good because we hope for rewards, as if cashing in on the virtuous life by some businesslike and contractual arrangement. On the contrary, disregarding all those things for which we hope and which have been reserved by promise, we regard falling from God’s friendship as the only thing dreadful, and we consider becoming God’s friend the only thing worthy of honor and desire. This, as I have said, is the perfection of life.
He concludes: This is true perfection: not to avoid a wicked life because, like slaves, we servilely fear punishment, nor to do good because we hope for rewards, as if cashing in on the virtuous life by some businesslike and contractual arrangement. On the contrary, disregarding all those things for which we hope and which have been reserved by promise, we regard falling from God’s friendship as the only thing dreadful, and we consider becoming God’s friend the only thing worthy of honor and desire. This, as I have said, is the perfection of life.
November 10, 2020
Gregory’s “theoric� reading of scripture, looking beyond a literal and historical interpretation to find the mystical teachings hidden in the text for the discerning eye, produces such a thick web of allegorical meanings, extracted from even the most seemingly-prosaic verses, that I at first wondered whether I was reading incredibly insightful mystical exegesis or the fourth-century equivalent of a Star Wars fan theorist who makes all sorts of implausible connections to argue that Jar Jar Binks is the real main character of the saga.
Nevertheless, I find the portrayal of the Exodus story as an allegory for the spiritual journey of each Christian, from the sensual mundanity of Egypt to the mystical contemplation of God in darkness that can only be achieved after freeing oneself from the adversaries of the spiritual life, a compelling one.
Nevertheless, I find the portrayal of the Exodus story as an allegory for the spiritual journey of each Christian, from the sensual mundanity of Egypt to the mystical contemplation of God in darkness that can only be achieved after freeing oneself from the adversaries of the spiritual life, a compelling one.
February 16, 2017
Gregory of Nyssa was one of the Cappadocian Fathers, three Christian thinkers whose work was tremendous in the solidification of orthodoxy int he late 300s. But they did not just write heady theological tomes, they also wrote profound works on spiritual life. One of the best is the Life of Moses by Gregory.
If you want a great example of allegorical interpretation then you have to read this book. Nearly every event in Moses� life is shown to point to something deeper and more profound. For early Christians like Gregory there was a literal sense of scripture, what it said. But this was just the beginning, the real meat of scripture came in the spiritual sense through allegorical interpretation. When we learned about this in seminary many seemed to scoff, as if allegorical interpretation meant anything goes. The fear, or stereotype, was that the only limit here was the author’s imagination.
Truly, some interpretations can be a bit wacky. But what holds this together is the focus on Jesus Christ. Down to this day many Christians speak of Jesus on every page of scripture. Writers like Gregory take the step to show how Jesus is on every page of scripture. So if you want a glimpse of how this interpretation works, check out Gregory.
The other value of this book is Gregory’s idea of eternal progress. For Gregory, only God is perfect and infinite What this means, for us, is that our growth towards perfection � towards being like God, the process of sanctification � lasts forever. We never arrive. We are constantly growing for all eternity, As Gregory puts it:
“The Divine One is himself the Good…whose very nature is goodness�.Since, then, it has not been demonstrated that there is any limit to virtue except evil, and since the Divine does not admit of an opposite, we hold the divine nature to be unlimited and infinite. Certainly whoever pursues true virtue participates in nothing other than God, because he is himself absolute virtue. Since, then, those who know what is good by nature desire participation in it, and since this good has no limit, the participant’s desire itself necessarily has no stopping place but stretches out with the limitless. It is therefore undoubtedly impossible to attain perfection, since as I have said, perfection is not marked off by limits: The one limit of virtue is the absence of a limit�
One of my students stumbled on to this idea years ago, comparing our growth in Christ as to as asymptote in mathematics. This idea is strongly put forth in one of my all-time favorite books, David Bentley Hart’s The Beauty of the Infinite. It is moving and challenging. I find it to be a true account of things, and incredibly encouraging. It is encouraging because every little baby step we take today puts us further along the path towards God, a path, an adventure, we will be on forever.
If you want a great example of allegorical interpretation then you have to read this book. Nearly every event in Moses� life is shown to point to something deeper and more profound. For early Christians like Gregory there was a literal sense of scripture, what it said. But this was just the beginning, the real meat of scripture came in the spiritual sense through allegorical interpretation. When we learned about this in seminary many seemed to scoff, as if allegorical interpretation meant anything goes. The fear, or stereotype, was that the only limit here was the author’s imagination.
Truly, some interpretations can be a bit wacky. But what holds this together is the focus on Jesus Christ. Down to this day many Christians speak of Jesus on every page of scripture. Writers like Gregory take the step to show how Jesus is on every page of scripture. So if you want a glimpse of how this interpretation works, check out Gregory.
The other value of this book is Gregory’s idea of eternal progress. For Gregory, only God is perfect and infinite What this means, for us, is that our growth towards perfection � towards being like God, the process of sanctification � lasts forever. We never arrive. We are constantly growing for all eternity, As Gregory puts it:
“The Divine One is himself the Good…whose very nature is goodness�.Since, then, it has not been demonstrated that there is any limit to virtue except evil, and since the Divine does not admit of an opposite, we hold the divine nature to be unlimited and infinite. Certainly whoever pursues true virtue participates in nothing other than God, because he is himself absolute virtue. Since, then, those who know what is good by nature desire participation in it, and since this good has no limit, the participant’s desire itself necessarily has no stopping place but stretches out with the limitless. It is therefore undoubtedly impossible to attain perfection, since as I have said, perfection is not marked off by limits: The one limit of virtue is the absence of a limit�
One of my students stumbled on to this idea years ago, comparing our growth in Christ as to as asymptote in mathematics. This idea is strongly put forth in one of my all-time favorite books, David Bentley Hart’s The Beauty of the Infinite. It is moving and challenging. I find it to be a true account of things, and incredibly encouraging. It is encouraging because every little baby step we take today puts us further along the path towards God, a path, an adventure, we will be on forever.
April 6, 2025
Even though The Life of Moses is one of Gregory’s more mature writings, near the end of his life, and that he was the more philosophical of the Cappadocian trio, he doesn’t seem completely careful here. However where he shines he shines, and his points of departure from Origen are interesting. Maybe it would have looked presumptuous, but I would have liked to read Gregory reflect on his own life against the backdrop of his thought here. I can’t help but think that connections are there.
Perfection is never complete (it is limitless) nor is it a linear progression upward. It is a yes and no because there is always something ‘beyond� in the fullness of the divine encounter. God dwells in light. He is approached in darkness. He is both seen and unseen. Heard and not heard. Such is the life and experience of Moses. He is both alienated and united in his movement toward God and among the congregation. He is every person who God calls and presses into the divine mystery.
Contra Origen, Gregory doesn’t posit creaturely return to an eschatological stasis or rest in the beatific vision. There is eternal movement or progression toward God. Contra Maximus, creaturely duality and self-determination are safeguarded. Gregory is somewhere in between the thought of both on eschatological movement and rest, which makes sense given his historical situatedness between them. It’s fascinating to see where each picks up and comments in the ‘conversation.�
Favorite selections:
“The history all but cries out to you not to be presumptuous in giving advice to your hearers in your teaching unless the ability for this has been perfected in you by a long and exacting training such as Moses had.�
* The church would be supremely benefited if learned Christians practiced this piece of advice today.
“This truly is the vision of God: never to be satisfied in the desire to see him. But one must always, by looking at what he can see, rekindle his desire to see more. Thus, no limit would interrupt growth in the ascent to God, since no limit to the Good can be found nor is the increasing of desire for the Good brought to an end because it is satisfied.�
* Amen.
Perfection is never complete (it is limitless) nor is it a linear progression upward. It is a yes and no because there is always something ‘beyond� in the fullness of the divine encounter. God dwells in light. He is approached in darkness. He is both seen and unseen. Heard and not heard. Such is the life and experience of Moses. He is both alienated and united in his movement toward God and among the congregation. He is every person who God calls and presses into the divine mystery.
Contra Origen, Gregory doesn’t posit creaturely return to an eschatological stasis or rest in the beatific vision. There is eternal movement or progression toward God. Contra Maximus, creaturely duality and self-determination are safeguarded. Gregory is somewhere in between the thought of both on eschatological movement and rest, which makes sense given his historical situatedness between them. It’s fascinating to see where each picks up and comments in the ‘conversation.�
Favorite selections:
“The history all but cries out to you not to be presumptuous in giving advice to your hearers in your teaching unless the ability for this has been perfected in you by a long and exacting training such as Moses had.�
* The church would be supremely benefited if learned Christians practiced this piece of advice today.
“This truly is the vision of God: never to be satisfied in the desire to see him. But one must always, by looking at what he can see, rekindle his desire to see more. Thus, no limit would interrupt growth in the ascent to God, since no limit to the Good can be found nor is the increasing of desire for the Good brought to an end because it is satisfied.�
* Amen.
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February 10, 2022I love Moses but I am allergic to virtue ethics
January 15, 2023
Always a classic.
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March 31, 2025rest in peace gregory of nyssa you would've loved non-denom youth pastors
October 14, 2017
This is an incredible treatise of patristic theology. This was my first full dive into the writings of the ancient Church. The brief preface by John Meyendorff very helpfully contextualises the work. The book's title makes it sound a bit limited in scope, but the preface explains that the work is actually quite pivotal, a bridge between the categories of Greco-Roman philosophical tradition and those of the Judaeo-Christian theological imagination. If Thomas Aquinas 'Christianised' Aristotle in the 13th century, here is the Christianising of Plato in the 4th century (preceded, of course, by earlier neo-Platonic Christian thinkers).
Gregory was a gifted rhetorician and thus this work is quite literary as well as rigorously philosophical and theological. There are many memorable images and phrases (and rhapsodic lists!). One of the main recurring motifs that struck me in particular was that of natural or creational or ecological imagery, from the effects of sin being described as making one an ambiguous frog-human (70) to the extended metaphor of Moses being placed into a cleft in the rocky desert mountain (112-118). This is significant given that Gregory is considered a progenitor of the Church's strand of mystical theology, which in part consists of progressing through and beyond physical life and matter in our meditations. But even in these mystical realms of prayer and spiritual growth, the panoply of material creation comes vividly to the aid of embodied mortal souls, thus preserving theology from dualism and escapism. (Theresa of Avila's Interior Mansions is another great example of ecologically rich mystical theology.)
The theme of The Life of Moses is essentially that of mortals participating in the unlimited and unending divine nature of the Good/Virtue/God. A central concept in this regard is that, given that the divine nature is unlimited and infinite, and we were made with (and redeemed for) a desire and capacity to participate in that divine nature, it follows that 'the participant's desire itself necessarily has no stopping place but stretches out with the limitless' (p. 31). This sense of ever-expanding, ever-growing, ever-progressing participation of the human in the divine (doctrinally known as theosis, divinisation, or deification) is the heart of Gregory's meditation. The section titled 'Eternal Progress' (111-120) is the crown and summation of this theme and could be consulted as a separate passage, an encapsulation of Gregory's theology of theotic progressivism. But I can tell you that it won't have nearly the powerful impact without having read the cumulative treatise up to that point.
Another key passage for me was the short section titled 'The Darkness' (94-97). This book was actually recommended to me some years ago when I was interested in trying to begin to develop a 'theology of darkness'. It is indeed a seminal work for thinking about darkness as a theological category, especially (the aspect of a theology of darkness that perhaps most interests me) Divine Darkness. Moses' experience of a dark theophany on Mt Sinai is our guide to pressing into the 'luminous darkness' (95) of God's invisible incomprehensibility. This ontological darkness is the surest sign of true deity, for 'what is divine is beyond all knowledge and comprehension' and thus any understanding we obtain of God is 'the seeing that consists in not seeing' (95). (Gregory is a remarkable practitioner of paradox.) Here, of course, one can see roots of apophatic or 'negative' theology.
The book is, in keeping with Gregory's Alexandrian flavour of Christianity, friendly and incorporative toward the hard-won insights of philosophy, though also uncompromising in challenging aspects of philosophy that needed theological correction and transformation (a relationship to philosophy continued in Roman Catholicism, but widely broken with in Protestantism - and I'm not exactly sure in regard to Orthodox Christianity). Perhaps the most radical correction of philosophy in Gregory's theology is the affirmation that the continual change involved in theosis is actually the way of/to perfection rather than the Platonic conviction that change was the sign and path of imperfection (31, 150). The book is also a great schooling in the tradition of allegorical or spiritual exegesis of Scripture, not in competition with 'literal' or historical readings, but seen as the greater purpose of Spirit-inspired biblical writings (cf. p. 5 ff.).
This review only scarcely touches upon the book's many rich insights and arguments, and my quotes and references don't make clear how thoroughly Christological and Incarnational Gregory's theology is, or its emphasis on recurring themes such as human freewill and universal salvation. (Nor have I mentioned its various potential flaws, which, of course, must be teased out also.) This is genuinely a profound, soul-searching work of devotional theology that I will be returning to again and again. (And a reasonably short one at 137 pages!) One way, perhaps, of encapsulating a central insight of this book, for me at least, is to say that it prepares us by desire and growth to enter into a sort of hole in creation where divinity can be glimpsed in darkness, a cleft where grace allows us to 'slip in where God is' (97).
Gregory was a gifted rhetorician and thus this work is quite literary as well as rigorously philosophical and theological. There are many memorable images and phrases (and rhapsodic lists!). One of the main recurring motifs that struck me in particular was that of natural or creational or ecological imagery, from the effects of sin being described as making one an ambiguous frog-human (70) to the extended metaphor of Moses being placed into a cleft in the rocky desert mountain (112-118). This is significant given that Gregory is considered a progenitor of the Church's strand of mystical theology, which in part consists of progressing through and beyond physical life and matter in our meditations. But even in these mystical realms of prayer and spiritual growth, the panoply of material creation comes vividly to the aid of embodied mortal souls, thus preserving theology from dualism and escapism. (Theresa of Avila's Interior Mansions is another great example of ecologically rich mystical theology.)
The theme of The Life of Moses is essentially that of mortals participating in the unlimited and unending divine nature of the Good/Virtue/God. A central concept in this regard is that, given that the divine nature is unlimited and infinite, and we were made with (and redeemed for) a desire and capacity to participate in that divine nature, it follows that 'the participant's desire itself necessarily has no stopping place but stretches out with the limitless' (p. 31). This sense of ever-expanding, ever-growing, ever-progressing participation of the human in the divine (doctrinally known as theosis, divinisation, or deification) is the heart of Gregory's meditation. The section titled 'Eternal Progress' (111-120) is the crown and summation of this theme and could be consulted as a separate passage, an encapsulation of Gregory's theology of theotic progressivism. But I can tell you that it won't have nearly the powerful impact without having read the cumulative treatise up to that point.
Another key passage for me was the short section titled 'The Darkness' (94-97). This book was actually recommended to me some years ago when I was interested in trying to begin to develop a 'theology of darkness'. It is indeed a seminal work for thinking about darkness as a theological category, especially (the aspect of a theology of darkness that perhaps most interests me) Divine Darkness. Moses' experience of a dark theophany on Mt Sinai is our guide to pressing into the 'luminous darkness' (95) of God's invisible incomprehensibility. This ontological darkness is the surest sign of true deity, for 'what is divine is beyond all knowledge and comprehension' and thus any understanding we obtain of God is 'the seeing that consists in not seeing' (95). (Gregory is a remarkable practitioner of paradox.) Here, of course, one can see roots of apophatic or 'negative' theology.
The book is, in keeping with Gregory's Alexandrian flavour of Christianity, friendly and incorporative toward the hard-won insights of philosophy, though also uncompromising in challenging aspects of philosophy that needed theological correction and transformation (a relationship to philosophy continued in Roman Catholicism, but widely broken with in Protestantism - and I'm not exactly sure in regard to Orthodox Christianity). Perhaps the most radical correction of philosophy in Gregory's theology is the affirmation that the continual change involved in theosis is actually the way of/to perfection rather than the Platonic conviction that change was the sign and path of imperfection (31, 150). The book is also a great schooling in the tradition of allegorical or spiritual exegesis of Scripture, not in competition with 'literal' or historical readings, but seen as the greater purpose of Spirit-inspired biblical writings (cf. p. 5 ff.).
This review only scarcely touches upon the book's many rich insights and arguments, and my quotes and references don't make clear how thoroughly Christological and Incarnational Gregory's theology is, or its emphasis on recurring themes such as human freewill and universal salvation. (Nor have I mentioned its various potential flaws, which, of course, must be teased out also.) This is genuinely a profound, soul-searching work of devotional theology that I will be returning to again and again. (And a reasonably short one at 137 pages!) One way, perhaps, of encapsulating a central insight of this book, for me at least, is to say that it prepares us by desire and growth to enter into a sort of hole in creation where divinity can be glimpsed in darkness, a cleft where grace allows us to 'slip in where God is' (97).
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April 19, 2025I loved the first half where he retells the story of Moses. The second half where he interprets the life of Moses allegorically was hit or miss for me.
February 12, 2024
Challenging and paradigm-shifting.
March 1, 2022
The first book of this treatise gives us the literal sense of the life of Moses; the second book gives us the mystical sense. The former book was pretty good and contains some useful doctrinal observations. Whereas the latter book had various good things to say, but few of which had anything to do with the text.
July 18, 2020
“What does it mean that Moses entered the darkness and then saw God in it?�
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March 12, 2021just an immensly great book
February 6, 2024
Gregory rn:
February 2, 2019
The Life of Moses by Gregory of Nyssa was the second book (of ten) that I am reading for a class on the “Classics of Christian Spirituality� at Regent College. Gregory wrote this work during the Constantinian era, a time in which Christianity was growing in popularly amongst the intellectual elites. In this period, Christianity sought to define itself in continuity with the Hebrew Bible, as well as in a world dominated by Greek philosophy. Gregory himself was a Neoplatonist, and the work certainly bears evidence of this, and yet those with greater philosophical learning than I will note the moments in which Gregory not only borrows but at times actually diverges from his Neoplatonist background.
The book itself is a rather interesting experiment: a Hellenistic biography tracing the life of Moses for the purpose of “gaining benefit for the virtuous life.� Moses is held up as a model of the spiritual life. He is portrayed in an overwhelmingly positive light, and much of the negative aspects of Moses� life are left out, such as his Midianite marriage, his anger and fear, and eventual exclusion from Promised Land. This fits with the aim of presenting those aspects of Moses� life which are worthy of imitation. The book is split into two parts: the first (shorter) part is a retelling of the literal history, followed by an extended spiritualized commentary on Moses� life. The theme of Gregory’s work is never-ending growth in perfection towards God.
Hermeneutically, Gregory employs an allegorical and typological approach, which is certainly practiced and legitimized by the NT writers, and yet at times his interpretations seem quite farfetched, such as the case of the Promised Land grapes prefiguring the Passion (123). Admittedly, Gregory does appear quite humble at times, often writing “I think� and seeming to leave room for alternative interpretations.
The book itself is a rather interesting experiment: a Hellenistic biography tracing the life of Moses for the purpose of “gaining benefit for the virtuous life.� Moses is held up as a model of the spiritual life. He is portrayed in an overwhelmingly positive light, and much of the negative aspects of Moses� life are left out, such as his Midianite marriage, his anger and fear, and eventual exclusion from Promised Land. This fits with the aim of presenting those aspects of Moses� life which are worthy of imitation. The book is split into two parts: the first (shorter) part is a retelling of the literal history, followed by an extended spiritualized commentary on Moses� life. The theme of Gregory’s work is never-ending growth in perfection towards God.
Hermeneutically, Gregory employs an allegorical and typological approach, which is certainly practiced and legitimized by the NT writers, and yet at times his interpretations seem quite farfetched, such as the case of the Promised Land grapes prefiguring the Passion (123). Admittedly, Gregory does appear quite humble at times, often writing “I think� and seeming to leave room for alternative interpretations.
May 21, 2018
This was very interesting and enjoyable to read. It was good that this copy also included an introduction, because otherwise I might have stopped reading in the beginning, because he turns the biblical history into such a polished story. Knowing that that was common in those times was helpful for me.
This booklet is a very friendly and elaborate answer by Gregory to a question of a young friend who wanted to know how to live virtuosly.
In answer to that question he describes the life of Moses, and explains how we can apply all his history allegorically to the whatever happens in our souls during our spiritual journey.
Very much in the beginning, he defines perfection as growth in goodness. That is: humans can never be perfect, because we are finite, so there will always be something greater, but we can always be in the process of becoming better.
This idea comes back in his explanation of the event when Moses asked to see God, and was granted to see his back. He says it means we should always be following God, and also that we will always desire to see more.
For me personally, this idea that perfection is in the ongoing process of spiritual growth, is very reassuring and helpful. It gives a certain rest that God is not asking the impossible (perfection), and also a wide perspective into a future that will never become boring.
He ends with a beautiful summary:
"Since the goal of the virtuous way of life was the very thing we have been seeking, and this goal has been found in what we have said, it is time for you, noble friend, to look to that example and, by transferring to your own life what is contemplated through spiritual interpretation of the things spoken literally, to be known by God and to become his friend."
This booklet is a very friendly and elaborate answer by Gregory to a question of a young friend who wanted to know how to live virtuosly.
In answer to that question he describes the life of Moses, and explains how we can apply all his history allegorically to the whatever happens in our souls during our spiritual journey.
Very much in the beginning, he defines perfection as growth in goodness. That is: humans can never be perfect, because we are finite, so there will always be something greater, but we can always be in the process of becoming better.
This idea comes back in his explanation of the event when Moses asked to see God, and was granted to see his back. He says it means we should always be following God, and also that we will always desire to see more.
For me personally, this idea that perfection is in the ongoing process of spiritual growth, is very reassuring and helpful. It gives a certain rest that God is not asking the impossible (perfection), and also a wide perspective into a future that will never become boring.
He ends with a beautiful summary:
"Since the goal of the virtuous way of life was the very thing we have been seeking, and this goal has been found in what we have said, it is time for you, noble friend, to look to that example and, by transferring to your own life what is contemplated through spiritual interpretation of the things spoken literally, to be known by God and to become his friend."
February 4, 2020
St Gregory's interpretation of the life of Moses as representing the development of the virtuous life in Christ is remarkable. He shows, with great dexterity, the spiritual significance of Israel moving out of Egypt, led by Moses, as an account of salvation and growth in spiritual understanding and maturity. In doing so, he gives great practical import to an account that would otherwise be regarded as only historical. Historical accounts generally lend themselves to the generation of pragmatic advice: the consequences of doing x are y, historically speaking, so x is not a good idea. Gregory takes the text beyond this rather flat, moralistic/pragmatic interpretation. He sees in Moses the steps that one must take to ascend the mount of God and speak with him, and from there proceed to the promised land.
This was not a long book, but it was a highly concentrated one, and I will need to read it several times to come to grips with all that St Gregory is saying.
This was not a long book, but it was a highly concentrated one, and I will need to read it several times to come to grips with all that St Gregory is saying.
February 1, 2025
In an intimate and wise tongue, St. Gregory illumines the books of Moses into a beautiful and never-ceasing journey toward God, or what he simply calls perfection. He and Fathers like him give stunning clarity to the scriptures with timeless prose and wisdom, connecting Old Testament and New into a harmonious whole. As he says in the beginning, he’s cheering us on to follow Christ the way Moses did, and his words carry a personal, friendly tone that can be felt 17 centuries later.
EDIT: Nyssa was a product of his time. An Alexandrian through and through, Nyssa and his ilk pigeon-holed the Bible into Greek and Roman metaphysics and philosophy at every turn. Completely lopsided view of God’s word. I’d struggle to call this commentary “Christian.�
EDIT: Nyssa was a product of his time. An Alexandrian through and through, Nyssa and his ilk pigeon-holed the Bible into Greek and Roman metaphysics and philosophy at every turn. Completely lopsided view of God’s word. I’d struggle to call this commentary “Christian.�
October 29, 2018
Life of Moses is my first attempt at reading a work by the early church fathers. It was written by St. Gregory of the small town of Nyssa in Cappadocia, a region in present day Turkey. Gregory lived during the last days of the Roman empire (born AD 335, died AD 395). The Christian emperor at the time, Theodosius, was the last emperor to rule over a united Western/Eastern Roman empire. Gregory participated in many of the church councils to settle doctrinal disputes. Gregory was one of the voices that ultimately established the orthodoxy of the Trinity.
I have always wanted to go back to source documents when it comes to Church history. As a Latter-Day Saint, we often claim the Reformation as our heritage praising the efforts of Luther and Wycliffe, but all the intervening history is brushed off as apostasy. After returning from my mission to Germany, I began reading deeply by LDS authors, including James E. Talmage's The Great Apostasy. It is a stunning book, but the lens through which is interprets the history of the early Christian church is very pessimistic. When the Church became "wrapped in the legitimacy of the state", the forces of wealth and power ultimately brought the Church to an irreconciliable low from which it could not recover its lost purity. I also read the works of Hugh Nibley including Temple and Cosmos and Tinkling Cymbals and Sounding Brass. Nibley has this amazing ability of synthesis, pulling together texts from multiple eras and religious traditions to reconstruct the unity of the faith. Nibley seems to take very seriously the Mormon belief in dispensations, that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been on the earth since the days of Adam, and every religious tradition preserves elements of that ur-faith.
I have made previous attempts at reading works by the Church fathers, starting with Clement, but was never able to make it all the way through. I'm coming back to try again.
My overview
With Life of Moses, Gregory takes the Old Testament account of Moses, his youth in Egypt, his sojourn in the wilderness, the ten plagues, and the freeing of the Israelites, as a spiritual metaphor for the Christian life. In Mormon lingo, it's one big object lesson. Perhaps a scholar today might cringe a little at some of his interpretations? But most Mormons are very familiar with efforts like these: if the scriptures are the lodestone of revelation, then I need to be pulling personal meaning out of every verse. To Gregory, every single element of Moses's life is a symbol. Take for example the army of the Egyptians chasing the Israelites towards the Red Sea:
For who does not know that the Egyptian army-- those horses, chariots, and their drivers, archers, slingers, heavily armed soldiers, and the rest of the crowd in the enemies' line of battle--are the various passions of the soul by which man is enslaved? For the undisciplined intellectual drives and the sensual impulses to pleasure, sorrow, and covetousness are indistinguishable from the aforementioned army. Reviling is a stone straight from the sling and the spirited impulse is the quivering spear point. The passion for pleasures is to be seen in the horses who themselves with irresistible drive pull the chariot.
I found this got a little tedious in places. It's was a little difficult to get through the whole thing, and I tend to avoid interpretations of the text similar to Gregory's (although The Hidden Christ: Beneath the Surface of the Old Testament is an amazing book by an LDS author who pretty much does the same thing). It was also interesting to see where our theology diverged. For instance, Gregory goes to great lengths in clarify the passages where Moses supposedly saw God. It was actually just code for how he came to know the mystery that no one can see God. After finishing the book, I can't say I appreciated the book for any devotional content. The book feels a little too didactic. But as a historical work, it is a fascinating piece into the development of Christian theology. I will continue to try my hand at reading original texts from early Christian fathers.
Do not be surprised at all if both things-- the death of the firstborn and the pouring out of the blood-- did not happen to the Israelites and on that account reject the contemplation which we have proposed concerning the destruction of evil as if it were a fabrication without any truth. For now in the difference of names, Israelite and Egyptian, we perceive the difference between virtue and evil. Since the spiritual meaning proposes that we perceive the Israelite as virtuous, we would not reasonably require the firstfruits of virtue's offspring be destroyed but rather that those whose destruction is more advantageous than their cultivation.
For who does not know that the Egyptian army-- those horses, chariots, and their drivers, archers, slingers, heavily armed soldiers, and the rest of the crowd in the enemies' line of battle--are the various passions of the soul by which man is enslaved? For the undisciplined intellectual drives and the sensual impulses to pleasure, sorrow, and covetousness are indistinguishable from the aforementioned army. Reviling is a stone straight from the sling and the spirited impulse is the quivering spear point. The passion for pleasures is to be seen in the horses who themselves with irresitible drive pull the chariot.
I have always wanted to go back to source documents when it comes to Church history. As a Latter-Day Saint, we often claim the Reformation as our heritage praising the efforts of Luther and Wycliffe, but all the intervening history is brushed off as apostasy. After returning from my mission to Germany, I began reading deeply by LDS authors, including James E. Talmage's The Great Apostasy. It is a stunning book, but the lens through which is interprets the history of the early Christian church is very pessimistic. When the Church became "wrapped in the legitimacy of the state", the forces of wealth and power ultimately brought the Church to an irreconciliable low from which it could not recover its lost purity. I also read the works of Hugh Nibley including Temple and Cosmos and Tinkling Cymbals and Sounding Brass. Nibley has this amazing ability of synthesis, pulling together texts from multiple eras and religious traditions to reconstruct the unity of the faith. Nibley seems to take very seriously the Mormon belief in dispensations, that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been on the earth since the days of Adam, and every religious tradition preserves elements of that ur-faith.
I have made previous attempts at reading works by the Church fathers, starting with Clement, but was never able to make it all the way through. I'm coming back to try again.
My overview
With Life of Moses, Gregory takes the Old Testament account of Moses, his youth in Egypt, his sojourn in the wilderness, the ten plagues, and the freeing of the Israelites, as a spiritual metaphor for the Christian life. In Mormon lingo, it's one big object lesson. Perhaps a scholar today might cringe a little at some of his interpretations? But most Mormons are very familiar with efforts like these: if the scriptures are the lodestone of revelation, then I need to be pulling personal meaning out of every verse. To Gregory, every single element of Moses's life is a symbol. Take for example the army of the Egyptians chasing the Israelites towards the Red Sea:
For who does not know that the Egyptian army-- those horses, chariots, and their drivers, archers, slingers, heavily armed soldiers, and the rest of the crowd in the enemies' line of battle--are the various passions of the soul by which man is enslaved? For the undisciplined intellectual drives and the sensual impulses to pleasure, sorrow, and covetousness are indistinguishable from the aforementioned army. Reviling is a stone straight from the sling and the spirited impulse is the quivering spear point. The passion for pleasures is to be seen in the horses who themselves with irresistible drive pull the chariot.
I found this got a little tedious in places. It's was a little difficult to get through the whole thing, and I tend to avoid interpretations of the text similar to Gregory's (although The Hidden Christ: Beneath the Surface of the Old Testament is an amazing book by an LDS author who pretty much does the same thing). It was also interesting to see where our theology diverged. For instance, Gregory goes to great lengths in clarify the passages where Moses supposedly saw God. It was actually just code for how he came to know the mystery that no one can see God. After finishing the book, I can't say I appreciated the book for any devotional content. The book feels a little too didactic. But as a historical work, it is a fascinating piece into the development of Christian theology. I will continue to try my hand at reading original texts from early Christian fathers.
Do not be surprised at all if both things-- the death of the firstborn and the pouring out of the blood-- did not happen to the Israelites and on that account reject the contemplation which we have proposed concerning the destruction of evil as if it were a fabrication without any truth. For now in the difference of names, Israelite and Egyptian, we perceive the difference between virtue and evil. Since the spiritual meaning proposes that we perceive the Israelite as virtuous, we would not reasonably require the firstfruits of virtue's offspring be destroyed but rather that those whose destruction is more advantageous than their cultivation.
For who does not know that the Egyptian army-- those horses, chariots, and their drivers, archers, slingers, heavily armed soldiers, and the rest of the crowd in the enemies' line of battle--are the various passions of the soul by which man is enslaved? For the undisciplined intellectual drives and the sensual impulses to pleasure, sorrow, and covetousness are indistinguishable from the aforementioned army. Reviling is a stone straight from the sling and the spirited impulse is the quivering spear point. The passion for pleasures is to be seen in the horses who themselves with irresitible drive pull the chariot.
January 11, 2022
“Again Scripture leads our understanding upward to the higher level of virtue. For the man who received strength from the food, showed his power in fighting with his enemies, and was the victor over his opponents is then led to the ineffable knowledge of God. Scripture teaches us by these things the nature and the number of things one must accomplish in life before he would at some time dare to approach in his understanding the mountain of the knowledge of God, to hear the sound of the trumpets, to enter into the darkness where God is, to inscribe the tablets with divine characters, and, if these should be broken through some offense, again to present the hand-cut tables to God and to crave with the divine finger the letters which were damaged on the first tables.�
“In the same manner as the sea, those who are swept away from the course leading to the harbor correct their aim by a clear mark, looking for a lighthouse on high, or a certain mountain appearing. In the same manner Scripture by the example of Abraham and Sarah will direct us once more to the safe harbor of the divine will for those who have drifted out in the sea of life with a mind lacking a navigator.�
“In the same manner as the sea, those who are swept away from the course leading to the harbor correct their aim by a clear mark, looking for a lighthouse on high, or a certain mountain appearing. In the same manner Scripture by the example of Abraham and Sarah will direct us once more to the safe harbor of the divine will for those who have drifted out in the sea of life with a mind lacking a navigator.�
Read
October 29, 2022After a month of slow trekking, my journey has come to its close for The Life of Moses.
It is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the Church Fathers and spiritual interpretation in the early church. Gregory’s insight and care of looking at the life of Moses is one to be strived for on this side of eternity. I think very few Christians today would be able to make the New Testament connections to the Old Testament like Gregory can. This is man who knows his Bible incredibly and stirs a desire for me to do the same.
Gregory’s use of vices and virtues is incredibly insightful, especially in a society that greatly ignores virtues or treats them as hostile to living a good life in today’s world. His use of virtues helps one to see the beauty and necessity of pursuing virtues to live a godly life as demonstrated in the life of Moses and perfected/fulfills in the life of Jesus.
I would highly recommend to all who would welcome a challenging read.
It is a fascinating read for anyone interested in the Church Fathers and spiritual interpretation in the early church. Gregory’s insight and care of looking at the life of Moses is one to be strived for on this side of eternity. I think very few Christians today would be able to make the New Testament connections to the Old Testament like Gregory can. This is man who knows his Bible incredibly and stirs a desire for me to do the same.
Gregory’s use of vices and virtues is incredibly insightful, especially in a society that greatly ignores virtues or treats them as hostile to living a good life in today’s world. His use of virtues helps one to see the beauty and necessity of pursuing virtues to live a godly life as demonstrated in the life of Moses and perfected/fulfills in the life of Jesus.
I would highly recommend to all who would welcome a challenging read.
January 31, 2019
"The Divine One is himself the Good, whose very nature is goodness... Certainly whoever pursues true virtue participates in nothing other than God, because he is himself Absolute Virtue."
This book is considered the bedrock of Orthodox spirituality and mysticism as well as the prototype of allegorical biblical interpretation for both the Western and Eastern Church. Gregory utilizes the literal life of Moses to paint an allegorical picture of the goals of the spiritual life: climbing the mountain of the knowledge and love of God, living a life of ever-increasing virtue toward perfection, becoming a friend of God. The spiritual life can be neither stagnant nor static; as one travels further and higher on the road of virtue, one paradoxically attains an unattainable perfection. This paradox is rooted in the God who is Perfect Virtue yet whose Perfect Virtue is utterly limitless.
This book is considered the bedrock of Orthodox spirituality and mysticism as well as the prototype of allegorical biblical interpretation for both the Western and Eastern Church. Gregory utilizes the literal life of Moses to paint an allegorical picture of the goals of the spiritual life: climbing the mountain of the knowledge and love of God, living a life of ever-increasing virtue toward perfection, becoming a friend of God. The spiritual life can be neither stagnant nor static; as one travels further and higher on the road of virtue, one paradoxically attains an unattainable perfection. This paradox is rooted in the God who is Perfect Virtue yet whose Perfect Virtue is utterly limitless.
January 16, 2023
Excellent. Basically an extended spiritual reading of the life of Moses, applying the details of his life metaphorically to a life of Christian virtue. Especially encouraging was 1) Gregory's discussion of the infinite journey into God, or the idea that human life will involve eternally experiencing God in deeper and more intimate ways, and 2) his emphasis on developing virtue as a means to experience God. This emphasis on the mystical and practical aspects of the life of faith--rather than merely the intellectual--was both a comfort and a challenge.
May 25, 2020
Short but powerful reflection on the life of Moses. This is an excellent example of what David Steinmetz called “the superiority of pre-critical exegesis.� Nyssa’s allegorical reading has stood the rest of time for a reason. He also demonstrates how classical virtue theory maps on well to the biblical ascent to God.
April 6, 2023
This book is an examination how to live a Christian life from the example of Moses. The first book is a long summary of Moses’s life. The second walks through his life more slowly and dissects it looking for spiritual truth.
The allegorical tradition is at the forefront of this book. He will find spiritual truths that you would never have imagined or guessed. I did appreciate his humility. There are moments where he hedges his interpretation and mentions it could be wrong. There are also moments where he is right now. The instance of Moses seeing God’s backside is necessary to interpret less “literally.� Otherwise we fall into the danger of giving God a body.
Overall, this work was fine. It is not my favorite of the fathers. The primary strength of this work is that it is a deep examination of Moses. I would recommend it if you want to study his life on a deeper level.
I don’t love allegorical interpretations but I’m fascinated by them when they lead to unique insights. I didn’t always find these interpretations particular compelling.
The allegorical tradition is at the forefront of this book. He will find spiritual truths that you would never have imagined or guessed. I did appreciate his humility. There are moments where he hedges his interpretation and mentions it could be wrong. There are also moments where he is right now. The instance of Moses seeing God’s backside is necessary to interpret less “literally.� Otherwise we fall into the danger of giving God a body.
Overall, this work was fine. It is not my favorite of the fathers. The primary strength of this work is that it is a deep examination of Moses. I would recommend it if you want to study his life on a deeper level.
I don’t love allegorical interpretations but I’m fascinated by them when they lead to unique insights. I didn’t always find these interpretations particular compelling.
January 4, 2023
Like many, I found this an inspiring read even if I find Gregory of Nyssa making some wild allegorical interpretations of Moses' life and its relation to our own spiritual pilgrimage.
February 26, 2023
This was a great read! Happy to move it to the ‘read� shelf by way of the Center for Baptist Renewal 2023 reading challenge.
April 10, 2024
A game changer in approaching the Bible and reality itself. St. Gregory may be one of, if not, the greatest mystical thinkers of all time.
February 14, 2022
One of the best I read in some time.
Extremely profound, takes a short story (life of moses) and adds layers upon layers of meaning. Beautifully done.
Extremely profound, takes a short story (life of moses) and adds layers upon layers of meaning. Beautifully done.
March 25, 2022
São Gregório de Nissa, que viveu no século IV, explica a vida de Moisés em duas chaves: a narração de seus feitos e o significado simbólico de suas ações. O que se percebe é que Moisés foi o maior dos profetas, o "amigo de Deus" e a mais perfeita pré-figuração do Cristo. Não se trata de intelectualizar a fé, mas dar-lhe uma dimensão mÃstica, por entender que o conhecimento perfeito de Deus está além da capacidade da razão humana. Uma obra prima.
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