INTRODUCTION.

These men, in their wish to avoid controvertible terms, objected to the statement that the Holy Ghost is God, on the same ground on which the insertion of the ὁμοούσιον (consubstantial) in the Creed had been objected to. They said, with some show of reason, that it was going beyond the words of Scripture. After dealing with some difficulties raised by the more determined antagonists of the Catholic doctrine, Gregory defends himself against the charge of Tritheism—which even more moderate opponents did not hesitate to level against it—and then proceeds to examine the testimony of Scripture. In an interesting passage, he gives what he believes to be the reason for the reticence of Scripture with regard to the deity of the Holy Spirit, showing that there is a gradual development of the divine revelation to suit the advancing capacities of those to whom it is given.

The doctrine of Gregory is of course not novel. Ullmann rightly declares that his want of originality in this respect is one of his chief merits. The Orations of Athanasius against the Arians were, in particular, well known to him, and he frequently makes use of them, especially in clearing up objections drawn from Scripture. He was also familiar with the works of his friend Basil on the same subjects; though the Theological Orations owe a more direct debt to Basil’s Hexaemeron than to his more dogmatic compositions. From the Hexaemeron Gregory derives much of the fine description of the wonders of nature which occupies the latter part of the second Oration.

The exegesis of Holy Scripture was considered in his own time to be one of Gregory’s strongest points.