The Didactic Nature of Gregory Nazianzen’s Poemata Arcana and the Theme of Continual, Gradated Progress
In this essay, I provide a holistic reading of Gregory Nazianzen’s Poemata Arcana, eight poems providing a coherent and systematic account of the elements of Christian theology. I explore in particular the reflexive didactic poetics of the work, arguing that one of the most recurring themes is that...
| Main Author: | |
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| Format: | Electronic Article |
| Language: | English |
| Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
| Journals Online & Print: | Drawer...
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| Interlibrary Loan: | Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany) |
| Published: |
2024
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| In: |
Vigiliae Christianae
Year: 2024, Volume: 78, Issue: 4, Pages: 385-409 |
| Further subjects: | B
apophatic theology
B Gregory Nazianzen B theōsis B Moral Progress B Didactic Poetry B Poemata Arcana |
| Online Access: |
Presumably Free Access Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) Volltext (lizenzpflichtig) |
| Summary: | In this essay, I provide a holistic reading of Gregory Nazianzen’s Poemata Arcana, eight poems providing a coherent and systematic account of the elements of Christian theology. I explore in particular the reflexive didactic poetics of the work, arguing that one of the most recurring themes is that of continual and gradated spiritual progress toward God and that Gregory takes care to position himself as an instructor and exemplar for his readers in their own individual, gradual self-perfective journeys. Over the course of this argument, I critically reconsider prior judgements concerning the poem’s theological content (especially on the issue of apophasis and theōsis), literary technique and textual constitution. |
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| ISSN: | 1570-0720 |
| Contains: | Enthalten in: Vigiliae Christianae
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| Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.1163/15700720-bja10074 |