Fathers of the Church

6 primary works • 7 total works

Funeral Orations

by Saint Gregory of Nazianzus and Saint Ambrose

Published December 1992

Letters

by Saint Ambrose

Published 1 January 1954

Hexameron

by Saint Ambrose

Published 1 October 1961

Theological and Dogmatic Works

by Saint Ambrose

Published 1 October 1963

These four essays of Ambrose, the forceful and scholarly Bishop of Milan and the metropolitan of the churches of northern Italy in the late fourth century, expound upon both sacramental and Trinitarian theology. The two essays on "the mysteries" and on "the sacraments" provide a window into the liturgical practices of the ancient Italian church, for which Ambrose-ever the Scripture scholar par excellence-explains the biblical basis. Two other essays, one a response to Arianism and the other a refutation of the contentions of those who opposed the full divinity of the Holy Spirit, together constitute a robust defense of the doctrine of the Trinity, influenced by Greek Christian theological writings and grounded on Scripture.

Seven Exegetical Works

by Saint Ambrose

Published 15 January 1970

Three Poems

by Saint Gregory of Nazianzus

Published 1 January 1987

Select Orations

by Saint Gregory of Nazianzus

Published 23 February 2017

This translation makes available nineteen orations by the fourth-century Cappadocian father Gregory of Nazianzus. Most are appearing here in English for the first time. These homilies span all the phases of Gregory's ecclesiastical career, beginning with his service as a parish priest assisting his father, the elder Gregory, in his hometown of Nazianzus in the early 360s, to his stormy tenure as bishop of Constantinople from 379 to 381, to his subsequent return to Nazianzus and role as interim caretaker of his home church (382-83). Composed in a variety of rhetorical formats such as the lalia and encomium, the sermons treat topics that range from the purely theological to the deeply personal.

Up until now, Gregory has been known primarily for his contributions as a theologian, indifferent to the social and political concerns that consumed his friend Basil. This view will change. It has been due in large measure to the interests and prejudices of the nineteenth-century editors who excluded the sermons translated here from the Select Library of Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers of the Church. This new translation will help the English-speaking reader appreciate just how deeply Gregory was engaged in the social and political issues of his day.

Exemplifying the perfect synthesis of classical and Christian paideia, these homilies will be required reading for anyone interested in late antiquity. The introduction and notes accompanying the translation will assist both the specialist and the general reader as they seek to navigate the complex environment in which Gregory lived and worked.