'Theological Orations' Summary

In the late 4th century, the Christian church was divided by the Arian controversy. The Arians, led by the bishop of Alexandria, Arius, denied the full divinity of Christ, arguing that he was a created being who was subordinate to the Father. The Nicene Creed, which affirmed the full divinity of Christ, was adopted by the Council of Nicaea in 325, but the controversy continued for decades afterward. Gregory of Nazianzus was one of the leading defenders of the Nicene Creed. He was born in Cappadocia in about 329 and studied in Athens and Alexandria. He was ordained a priest in 361 and became the bishop of Sasima in 372. In 379, he was invited to Constantinople by the emperor Theodosius I to help restore order to the church there. The city was divided between Arians and Nicenes, and Gregory's task was to bring them back into communion with each other. Gregory delivered his Theological Orations in the Anastasia chapel, which he had built on the site of a former Arian church. The orations were a powerful defense of the Nicene Creed and helped to convince many Arians to return to the orthodox faith. Gregory's orations are considered to be some of the most important theological works of the early church and have had a significant influence on Christian thought throughout history.