RT Review
T1 Gregory of Nyssa: In Canticum Canticorum, Analytical and Supporting Studies. Proceedings of the 13th International Colloquium on Gregory of Nyssa (Rome, 17–20 September 2014). Edited by Giulio Maspero, Miguel Brugarolas, and Ilaria Vigorelli
JF The journal of theological studies
VO 71
IS 2
SP 908
OP 912
A1 Orton, Robin
LA English
YR 2020
UL https://ixtheo.de/Record/1761642456
AB Gregory of Nyssa’s 15 homilies on the first six and a half chapters of the Song of Songs (it is unclear why he stopped where he did) were probably delivered to his congregation at Nyssa between 391 and 394. They are almost certainly his last surviving work, and are in many ways his most fascinating and elusive. This collection of 29 papers (the majority in English, but some in German, Italian, French, or Spanish) provides an excellent introduction to their mysteries.As the late Manlio Simonetti discusses in his contribution, the Homilies on the Song of Songs (in Canticum Canticorum, henceforth cant) follow the principle established by Origen that the erotic lyrics of the Song should be interpreted allegorically: the Bride, in her passionate desire for the Bridegroom, represents either the human soul or the Church and the Bridegroom represents Christ (or God—see later). On the face of it, this might suggest that cant should be regarded as a ‘spiritual’ or ‘mystical’ work in contrast with the rigorously argued ‘theology’ to be found, for example, in Gregory’s earlier polemical works where he initially hammered out his characteristic Trinitarian and Christological doctrines in controversy with Eunomius and Apollinarius.
K1 Rezension
DO 10.1093/jts/flaa060