The Teaching of Saint Gregory Essay

The Pope is the head of the Church: he represents the ultimate religious authority. However, as a Bishop of Rome, the Pope is also in command of certain secular affairs, including some military aspects. Certainly, the Pope is a link between the earthly and the divine realms. Problems arise when the imperfect world the Pope physically lives in interferes with his heavenly objectives. Taking Pope Gregory I as an example, I am going to look at his letters to analyze how he reconciled his political and spiritual goals, whether he valued one category over the other, and how he justified it.

According to Genesis 1:1 (New Living Translation)”In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”. This states that God is the creator of the universe and all living things. Not only was he the creator of the Universe, but it is vital to have the knowledge that he was the sole creator in this act. By God being the sole creator this shows that he is a sovereign God (Diffey, 2015). The Trinitarian, also known as the Trinity, the understanding of God is a crucial part when it comes to the Christian worldview (Diffey, 2015). The doctrine of the Trinity refers to the Godhead- God the Father, God the Son (Jesus Christ who is fully God and fully man), and God the Holy Spirit- three persons, same substance, one God (Jesus Christ, 2015). Regarding the Trinity, God is the first person in the Trinity, which is the Godhead-God the

The first four chapters of Genesis indicate that God is the eternal Creator the universe; that God communicates with His creation and evaluates his own work, and that God is sovereign, exercising “supreme authority and absolute power over all things” (Lecture 2, para. 5). There is but one true God, who exists as a Triune Being and is three Persons in one essence; a Divine essence which exists wholly, invisibly, simultaneously and eternally, within three members of the one Godhead—God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (Lecture 2, para. 7). Harmoniously linked, “each divine figure of the Trinity exercises dominion over creation and is involved in the biblical narrative in its own unique, yet cooperative, way” (Johnson, p. 178). The unity of the Trinity not only illustrates the full divinity of God, the immeasurable power, benevolence, wisdom and omnipresence distinctly setting Him apart from His creation, but also shows that He is the source of all that is good, true, beautiful, loving, just, and

Over the centuries, Christianity has organised its beliefs into a systematic theology that draws from its sacred writing and tradition. While the main beliefs of Christianity are shared by all Christian variants, there are degrees of different in the interpretation of these beliefs and how they are lived out in everyday life. This can be seen in the important of sacred text, principle belief of the concept of salvation in John 3:16, principle belief of divine and humanity in ‘John 1:14’, principle belief of resurrection in ‘Mark 16:1-8’, principle belief of revelation in ‘1 corinthians14:6’, and beliefs through the Trinity in ‘2 Corinthians 13:14’. This essay will explain the important of the sacred text and the principal beliefs of Christianity.

Acts of the Apostles chronicles the rapid advancement of the Gospel by way of the gift of the Holy Spirit. “The Holy Spirit in the Acts of the Apostles: The Charismatic Community in Mission” takes into account the narratives succeeding Pentecost including Spirit Baptisms from Samaria to Ephesus (Acts

Difficulty 41 was written by St. Maximos the Confessor during the seventh century and was part of a larger body of work titled, The Ambigua. The Ambigua answered difficult theological questions faced by the early church fathers, such as St. Gregory Nazianzus, using Greek philosophical methods. Difficulty 41 explains how the incarnation of Christ restores man to his proper function granted to him before the fall, for Christ unites all of creation in him by overcoming the divisions of being. St. Maximus’ writing draws on St. Gregory Nazianzus’ homily on the Theophany and on Gregory of Nyssa’s writings concerning the divisions of being. St. Maximus’ Christology would forever influence Christian doctrine and thought and as the last link between the theology of the East and West, as he is considered the last church father accepted in both churches.

The word “trinity” is used to describe the relationship of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Though all three are used in scripture there is no description of the “trinity.” Throughout this paper the concept of the “trinity” will be examined. First, the paper will have a summary of relevant sections from three sources: the New Catholic Encyclopedia, the older Catholic Encyclopedia, and a peer-reviewed theological article from a contemporary journal. Two concise analyses will follow the summary. In the first analysis there will be a comparison between the older and newer Catholic encyclopedias to see how over time theological reflection has changed. In the second analysis there will be a comparison between the New Catholic Encyclopedia and a contemporary theological article to show the differences between the two theological perspectives.

The previous description of the trinity does not occur in the bible. The specialized language describe the trinity was developed in the fourth century and expressed in various creeds issued by church councils of that time. I believe that many words were not found in the bible; even bible is not even stated in the bible. But, that doesn’t mean that we don’t use them to describe the attributes of God. We can’t say that because trinity is not stated in the bible, it can’t be

Just when there’s no hope for Humanity, The Holy Spirit (the third Godhead in the trinity) sent from the father as a promise to aid humankind to inspire and empower Theophilus (The ones who loves God) to spread the “Good News” on the Salvation of Jesus Christ. The necessity of the Holy Spirit is to increase effectiveness of churches and personal testimony and become witnesses in all the Earth. In addition, it gave the disciples a power to perform miracles and healing.

Rather understandably, Christianity has tended to focus primarily on the Jesus Christ, titular savior and most concretely comprehendible of God’s Persons, though dogma of the Trinity names two other Persons, of whom the Father is at least given credit as Creator and Sustainer, while the Holy Spirit has traditionally been assigned only an ancillary role, occasionally intervening to guide the Curia. In fact, the Holy Spirit, offered freely as the Paraclete to all men and women, regardless of merit is quite possibly the most active of the three in the inner lives of all seekers of truth today. It is His guidance we seek and find in the discernment process.

He hailed from a noble and devout family. Gregory upheld his family tradition by the nobility and devotion of his religious life (83). By God's effortlessness, Pope Gregory the Great utilized his perceived common position exclusively to win the heavenliness of unceasing honor, for he soon resigned from mainstream life and looked for admission to a cloister. There he entered upon a life of such flawlessness in effortlessness that in later years he used to review with tears how his brain was situated on high things, taking off over all that is brief, and how he found himself able to commit himself totally to the profound life. Staying in the body, he could yet transcend its constraints in pondering, and anticipated demise, which most men view as a discipline, as the door to life and prize of his works. Gregory used to specify this, not keeping in mind the end goal to point out his increment in temperance, yet regretting the loss of ideals maintained in his otherworldly life through his pastoral obligations. In a conversation with his Deacon, Peter; Gregory described his former state, then sadly continued by expressing that his pastoral responsibilities now compel him to have dealings with worldly men, and when he recalls his former peace, it seems that his mind is bespattered with the mire of daily affairs. He also explained how he was wearied by attention to the worldly affairs of numberless people and wish to meditate on

It is important to note the defined goals of the Trinity. One being that God sent His Son, Jesus did not send God. Jesus tells us in John 6, that He came to do the will of His Father. Jesus was not doing His own selfish will but everything He did was for His Father. Jesus and God sent the Holy Spirit according to Jesus’ words in John 14:26, “But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you”. It is necessary to recognize the distinctions of the roles of the Trinity as if the roles were not distinctive there would be no Trinity.

Gregory the Great was born as Gregory, sometime between 540 and 545, to parents of good station. He grew up in Rome, and was educated as best as was possible. At the time, the (College of Rome?) had fallen from prominence into ruin after losing all of its grants and incomes from the Emperor Justinian and the educational culture of Rome was diminishing quickly as the city was torn between wars and invasions. Still, Gregory was educated to the educational standards that remained and it is important to remember that he was gifted with intellect and acumen and always showed the highest prowess at his studies.

As a result, fellowship, prayer, Bible study, worship, and most importantly salvation in its purest form can be discerned and acted upon correctly. In addition, a further understanding can be thus gained regarding the person of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Finally, heresies and heretical groups or beliefs can lead God’s followers astray from the truth and create an improper understanding, and thus relationship with God. Positions past and present have, and are, attempting to mislead Christians about the Trinity. A skewed view of the Trinity can result in a view of God as either divinely apart from creation or simply a better version of all the best attributes of humans. Some positions even take away from the Divinity of Jesus Christ. All of these views severely diminish who God is and alters a proper and true relationship and worship. It is a necessity that these errant views be exposed as a hindrance to God in order not to mislead God’s followers. Likewise a Biblically sound explanation of the Trinity is needed. As a result, a true and pure knowledge of the concept of the Trinity is crucially needed to understand God and be obedient to the Bible.

Opening his narrative of St. Macrina, St. Gregory begins with the justification of why her story is being told. St. Gregory, St. Macrina’s brother, sets out to create an account that is both “artless and simple,” but rather, produces a rich, detailed expression of admiration and praise (77). According to St. Gregory, Macrina was the spiritual leader in their family, using her knowledge of Scripture and philosophy to motivate her family and others to cast off the illusion of a material life. With a wealth of knowledge and the ability to persuade others, Macrina rose to the position of Superior. Saint Gregory, in his work The Life of St. Macrina utilizes lofty diction, tone, and a clear characterization of Macrina, which enables us to see how through Christianity, women of the 3rd century had the freedom to establish an identity outside of the secular, patriarchal world, and the respect that identity yielded.