ABSTRACT
St Gregory of Nyssa (c. 332-after 385),1 often referred to as Nyssen, was one of the three representatives of the Cappadocian theological school, the other two being Basil of Caesarea, 'the Great' (his older brother), and Gregory Nazianzus (his friend). Like Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianzus, Nyssen offers equal status to the Trinity. It would be correct to affirm that, at least in part, Gregory's Christology took shape in his dialogue with Apollinarius (c. 310-390) and, paradoxically, with one of the latter's opponents, the Arian/Anomoean Eunomius of Cyzicus (d. c. 393). As evident from his debate with Eunomius and underlined above, Nyssen thought that God's essence cannot be known, hence the human efforts to express the notion of the Creator through various approximating definitions that rely on observation of how God's 'energies' manifest. Nyssen's knowledge and appreciation of Plato and Origen's writings, of Greek literature, and of the science of his time instilled in him an open-mindedness.
