St. Gregory Nazianzen: The Voice of Contemplation and Orthodoxy

Fr. Scott A. Haynes

St. Gregory Nazianzen, born around 329 A.D. in the town of Arianzus near Nazianzus in Cappadocia (modern-day Turkey), stands among the greatest Fathers and Doctors of the Church. Alongside his close friends, St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory of Nyssa, he forms part of the Cappadocian Triad—those early champions of Trinitarian theology and mystical spirituality. Among the Church Fathers, Gregory is known especially as the Theologian, a title shared only with St. John the Evangelist in Eastern tradition, due to his profound and poetic articulation of the mystery of God.

The Early Life of a Contemplative Soul

From his youth, Gregory was marked by a spirit of prayer and an intellectual bent. His mother, St. Nonna, consecrated him to God from birth. She herself was a woman of profound piety. St. Gregory writes of her:

"She led me to the knowledge of God before others led me to the knowledge of things" (Oration 18, In Praise of His Sister Gorgonia).

Gregory studied in Caesarea, Alexandria, and finally in Athens, where he met Basil, forming a friendship that would change the course of theology in the Church. In Athens, their bond deepened into a holy brotherhood. Speaking of Basil, Gregory writes:

"We seemed to be two bodies with a single spirit... The same aspiration inspired us both: the pursuit of learning and spiritual growth" (Oration 43: In Praise of Basil, 15).

Their shared life became a template for Christian friendship rooted in virtue, theological pursuit, and ascetical discipline.

A Reluctant Bishop and Defender of Orthodoxy

Gregory never desired public ecclesial office. His heart inclined more toward the life of the desert hermits, in contemplative silence with God. Yet he was pulled into the maelstrom of ecclesiastical service out of obedience and necessity. His father, also named Gregory and bishop of Nazianzus, ordained him a priest against his will. Though initially retreating from public life, he returned, writing:

“I was fleeing from the priesthood as from a fire... and yet I was forcibly dragged back to it” (Oration 2, In Defense of His Flight, 92).

During one of the darkest hours in Church history, Gregory was summoned to Constantinople (379 A.D.) to preach the orthodox faith in the face of rampant Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ. From a small chapel called the Anastasia (meaning Resurrection), he began preaching powerful sermons upholding the Nicene faith and the co-equal divinity of the Son and the Spirit with the Father. These discourses, later known as the “Five Theological Orations,” earned him the title The Theologian.

In one of these orations, he writes movingly of the Trinity:

“No sooner do I conceive of the One than I am illumined by the splendor of the Three; no sooner do I distinguish them than I am carried back to the One” (Oration 40.41).

His clarity, logic, and poetic grace helped solidify the doctrine of the Trinity, paving the way for the Council of Constantinople in 381, which reaffirmed the Nicene Creed and condemned heresies against the Holy Spirit.

A Man of Sorrows

Despite his theological brilliance, Gregory suffered immensely throughout his life. He endured slander, betrayal, and ecclesiastical conflict. Even among allies, politics and envy were constant trials. He voluntarily resigned from the patriarchate of Constantinople after the Council of 381 to return to solitude. Before stepping down, he famously declared:

"Let me be as the Prophet Jonah, who caused the storm but was thrown out and brought calm to the sea. I will be cast out, if it means the Church will be at peace" (Oration 42.17).

Here was a bishop not clinging to power, but letting go of it for the sake of unity and peace—an example all churchmen should remember.

A Saint of Miracles

Though Gregory is most revered for his theological contributions, his life was also adorned by miracles. Perhaps one of the most striking miracles involved his sister, St. Gorgonia. She fell gravely ill, and no physicians could heal her. According to Gregory, she turned to Christ alone. He recounts:

“She lay before the altar, bathing it with her tears... and with faith greater than that of the woman who touched the hem of His garment, she reached out to the Lord and was healed” (Oration 8, On His Sister Gorgonia, 18).

The healing was instantaneous and complete, a testimony to the power of sacramental faith and prayer.

Gregory himself was known to have cured a possessed woman during his ministry in Constantinople. In one account preserved in later hagiographies, the woman was tormented by an unclean spirit and brought to the small chapel of Anastasia. Gregory prayed over her, and the demon departed, confessing Christ as Lord. This miracle drew attention to Gregory’s sanctity and the truth of his teachings.

There are also traditions that say he prophesied the downfall of certain heretical leaders who resisted the Nicene faith. Some manuscripts describe a vision he had of the Theotokos (Mother of God) comforting him during his darkest hours in Constantinople, assuring him of divine support amidst his trials.

A Mystic's Heart and a Poet's Voice

Gregory’s meditations reveal a man deeply immersed in mystical union with God. He writes:

“God is the only reality; all else is but shadow. To know Him is to step beyond the veil of this life” (Oration 28.13).

In another oration, he marvels at the humility of Christ:

“He who gives riches became poor; He who is goodness itself suffered; the immortal died; the infinite became finite. All this to lift us from sin to glory” (Oration 45.9).

His writings elevate the soul. They do not merely explain doctrine—they ignite the heart with awe and longing. In fact, many of his works read more like poetry than theology, blending classical education with Christian mystery.

His funeral oration for Basil is one of the most tender and exalted examples of Christian eulogy. Of Basil he said:

“His words were like thunder to the heretics and honey to the faithful. He ruled souls with meekness and vanquished demons with the sign of the Cross” (Oration 43.35).

Legacy and Veneration

St. Gregory Nazianzen died around 390 A.D., likely in solitude, having renounced the world and even the admiration of his peers. He desired to be hidden in Christ. Yet the Church did not forget him. In 1568, Pope St. Pius V declared him a Doctor of the Church. The Eastern Church venerates him on January 25 and also on January 30, alongside Basil the Great and John Chrysostom as the “Three Holy Hierarchs.”

Pope Benedict XVI described Gregory as:

“One of the greatest orators in the history of Christianity, a man of profound theological insight and spiritual depth, who made God the center of his life and thought” (General Audience, August 22, 2007).

Lessons for Today

What can the modern Christian learn from St. Gregory Nazianzen?

• Love of Truth: Gregory teaches us that truth is worth suffering for. He endured exile, slander, and loneliness, yet never wavered in preaching the consubstantial divinity of Christ and the Spirit.

• Prayer and Silence: Despite his brilliance, Gregory cherished silence. He once said:

  “It is better to remain silent and be with God, than to speak and lose Him” (cf. Oration 27.1).

• Humility in Service: Gregory reminds us that greatness in the Church is not in power, but in self-giving. He resigned from the highest ecclesiastical office for the sake of peace.

• Friendship in Christ: His holy friendship with Basil reveals how Christian companionship can elevate the soul toward holiness and theological clarity.

• Poetic Theology: In an age of utilitarianism and pragmatism, Gregory’s mystical and poetic theology invites us to wonder—to be drawn into beauty, not just utility.

Conclusion

St. Gregory Nazianzen’s life was a paradox of brilliance and sorrow, of public acclaim and private suffering, of bold proclamation and deep contemplation. Yet through it all, his gaze never wavered from the Triune God. May his words ignite in us a deeper hunger for the truth and a greater reverence for the mystery of God, who reveals Himself not only to the intellect but to the humble heart.

“Let us seek to be like Christ, because Christ became like us. Let us become gods for His sake, since He became man for ours” (Oration 1.5).

May St. Gregory Nazianzen pray for us, that we might walk in the light of the Trinity and speak with the wisdom that comes from God.