Gregory of Nyssa, The Life of Moses - Christian Spirituality

In our Foundations of Spirituality course we are studying Saint Gregory of Nyssa, Capadocian Father and spiritual mystic. His work, The Life of Moses, among many other things, defines his qualitative views of Christian spirituality. The figure of Moses has a premier place in the Hebrew and Christian faith. St. Gregory outlines his spirituality by using Moses, a prefigurement of Christ, as a model.

He identifies choices in Moses’ life when he took himself away from the “affairs of men.” Where might this place be that mankind’s affairs occur? Ancient Greeks might imagine this place as the agora, the place of commerce or assembly. Today we could think of it as the shopping center. Gregory points out that Moses went up the mountain to pray and encourages a solitary life for the Christian. This life, however, should be accompanied by a life of returning service to God. Moses gained much from his time alone in prayer and discernment, only to return to the people and preach on what he had uncovered and seen. In this we can see that Gregory provides a healthy complementarity of a contemplative life and practical living—all based on the Moses’ life.

Gregory of Nyssa also focused on asceticism. Asceticism limits the satisfaction of physical desires so as to bring about religious and spiritual growth. This practice is connected to virtue in that it helps the person distinguish between the appetites of the body and of the mind. Gregory believed that a life of virtue demands “austerity and intensity.”

He also wrote on controlling the passions—connected to asceticism. He refers to Old Testament examples of “washing the garments” and keeping the animals away from the mountain in preparation for the “Sinai theophany.” This is an allegorical means of interpretating the Scriptures for moral principles. Spiritually, we can interpret this to mean that keeping the body and soul clean and controlling the sensory aspects of life is healthy.

Gregory’s main concern is with the moral virtues and the traits of the soul that bring us closer to God. In Book II, n. 318 of The Life of Moses he writes:

“For he who has truly come to be in the image of God and who has in no way turned aside from the divine character bears in himself its distinguishing marks and shows in all things his conformity to the archetype; he beautifies his own soul with what is incorruptible, unchangeable, and shares in no evil at all.”

Gregory’s spirituality is aimed at following God. This has profound meaning for me right now. I identify areas in my Christian life that need further improvement. Progress is being made, yet further development and improvement is needed. This will be the case for my entire life. As I pray about choosing to do what God asks of me, I do not always see the path ahead of me. I take great comfort in praying that I trust God always; progress is an ongoing development. I seek to choose the good relative to the greatest good—God!

This is not easy and I often stumble. Gregory’s general theology is directly related to his spirituality. First, man was made in the image of God. Second, by man’s fall into sin, this image lost its perfection, which is based on God's perfection. Third, Christ came to restore us to our original state with God. So, conversion repairs man’s ability to live a life in accord with that previous state. This is an ongoing process that can last for infinity—eternal progress. Gregory’s message is that eternal life can begin here and now and progress itself is seeking perfection. He connects this to virtue. We seek to be in union with God, who is infinite. So there is no stopping point in life. Therefore, a virtue-driven life, which orients our will towards that infinite journey, has no stopping point.

I keep praying.

Thanks for listening.