Christ, the Spirit, and Human Transformation in Gregory of Nyssa's In Canticum Canticorum

This book investigates the writings of Gregory of Nyssa, one of the most important figures in Christian history. Gregory wrote in two different genres--doctrinal and spiritual--but how these two genres are related has been little explored by scholars. Author Alexander Abecina addresses this issue by showing how Gregory''s early doctrinal thought underpins his spiritual interpretation of the Song of Songs in his final written work, In Canticum Canticorum. The author discusses such topics as baptismal theology, trinitarian theology, Christology, pneumatology, and allegorical exegesis. He also engages with the latest contemporary scholarship on Gregory of Nyssa.

This book provides a comprehensive literary and theological analysis of Gregory of Nyssa''s theology of union with God, culminating in a fresh reading of his final written work, In Canticum Canticorum (c.391), a collection of fifteen allegorical homilies on the Song of Songs. Part I gives the essential background for the study of In Canticum Canticorum by analysing several of Gregory''s earlier works (c.370--385), tracing the main contours of his account of the human transformation and union with God. Author Alexander Abecina explores topics such as Gregory''s theology of virginity and spiritual marriage, his theology of baptism, his trinitarian theology, and his Spirit-based Christology. In Part II Abecina builds on his key findings in Part I to structure a detailed analysis of In Canticum Canticorum. Engaging with the latest contemporary scholarship on Gregory of Nyssa, the author shows how Gregory''s allegorical interpretation of the Song of Songs represents a corresponding account of human transformation and union with God from the perspective of subjective experience of this reality. Rather than marking a new development in Gregory''s mature thought, Abecina demonstrates that the subjective experience gained from Gregory''s reading of the Song of Songs recapitulates the key elements of his objective account and therefore renders coherent his earlier soteriological doctrine.