Catena Fidei

Gregory of Nyssa, The Great Catechism. Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, series 2, vol. 5 (Schaff and Wace, 1893), public domain.

Passages · 42

The Great Catechism Chapter 1 — Summary. The Trinity. Prologue and Chapter 1.—The belief in God rests on the art and wisdom displayed in the order of the world: the belief in the Unity of God, on the perfection that must belong to Him in respect of…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 2 — Prologue. The presiding ministers of the “mystery of godliness” have need of a system in their instructions, in order that the Church may be replenished by the accession of such as should be saved, through the…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 3 — But since our system of religion is wont to observe a distinction of persons in the unity of the Nature, to prevent our argument in our contention with Greeks sinking to the level of Judaism there is need again of a…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 4 — As, then, by the higher mystical ascent from matters that concern ourselves to that transcendent nature we gain a knowledge of the Word, by the same method we shall be led on to a conception of the Spirit, by…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 5 — And so one who severely studies the depths of the mystery, receives secretly in his spirit, indeed, a moderate amount of apprehension of the doctrine of God’s nature, yet he is unable to explain clearly in words the…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 6 — But should it be the Jew who gainsays these arguments, our discussion with him will no longer present equal difficulty, since the truth will be made manifest out of those doctrines on which he has been brought up.…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 7 — That there is, then, a Word of God, and a Breath of God, the Greek, with his “innate ideas”, and the Jew, with his Scriptures, will perhaps not deny. But the dispensation as regards the Word of God, whereby He became…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 8 — But you will perhaps seek to know the cause of this error of judgment; for it is to this point that the train of our discussion tends. Again, then, we shall be justified in expecting to find some starting-point which…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 9 — Yet let no one ask, “How was it that, if God foresaw the misfortune that would happen to man from want of thought, He came to create him, since it was, perhaps, more to his advantage not to have been born than to be…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 10 — Nevertheless one who regards only the dissolution of the body is greatly disturbed, and makes it a hardship that this life of ours should be dissolved by death; it is, he says, the extremity of evil that our being…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 11 — Up to this point, perhaps, one who has followed the course of our argument will agree with it, inasmuch as it does not seem to him that anything has been said which is foreign to the proper conception of the Deity.…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 12 — “But the nature of man,” it is said, “is narrow and circumscribed, whereas the Deity is infinite. How could the infinite be included in the atom?” But who is it that says the infinitude of the Deity is comprehended…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 13 — Should you, however, ask in what way Deity is mingled with humanity, you will have occasion for a preliminary inquiry as to what the coalescence is of soul with flesh. But supposing you are ignorant of the way in…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 14 — If a person requires proofs of God’s having been manifested to us in the flesh, let him look at the Divine activities. For of the existence of the Deity at all one can discover no other demonstration than that which…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 15 — But, it is said, to be born and to die are conditions peculiar to the fleshly nature. I admit it. But what went before that Birth and what came after that Death escapes the mark of our common humanity. If we look to…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 16 — “Then why,” it is asked, “did the Deity descend to such humiliation? Our faith is staggered to think that God, that incomprehensible, inconceivable, and ineffable reality, transcending all glory of greatness, wraps…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 17 — Even to this objection we are not at a loss for an answer consistent with our idea of God. You ask the reason why God was born among men. If you take away from life the benefits that come to us from God, you would…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 18 — XVI. “But,” it is said, “this change in our body by birth is a weakness, and one born under such condition is born in weakness. Now the Deity is free from weakness. It is, therefore, a strange idea in connection with…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 19 — XVII. But it will be said that the objection which has been brought against us has not yet been solved, and that what unbelievers have urged has been rather strengthened by all we have said. For if, as our argument…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 20 — XVIII. And yet it is perhaps straining too far for those who do believe that God sojourned here in life to object to the manner of His appearance, as wanting wisdom or conspicuous reasonableness. For to those who are…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 21 — Nevertheless, since neither those who take the Greek view, nor yet the leaders of Jewish opinions, are willing to make such things the proofs of that Divine manifestation, it may be as well, as regards these…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 22 — It is, then, universally acknowledged that we must believe the Deity to be not only almighty, but just, and good, and wise, and everything else that suggests excellence. It follows, therefore, in the present…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 23 — What, then, is justice? We distinctly remember what in the course of our argument we said in the commencement of this treatise; namely, that man was fashioned in imitation of the Divine nature, preserving his…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 24 — What, then, under these circumstances is justice? It is the not exercising any arbitrary sway over him who has us in his power, nor, by tearing us away by a violent exercise of force from his hold, thus leaving some…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 25 — What, then, was it likely that the master of the slave would choose to receive in his stead? It is possible in the way of inference to make a guess as to his wishes in the matter, if, that is, the manifest…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 26 — But possibly one who has given his attention to the course of the preceding remarks may inquire: “wherein is the power of the Deity, wherein is the imperishableness of that Divine power, to be traced in the processes…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 27 — That Deity should be born in our nature, ought not reasonably to present any strangeness to the minds of those who do not take too narrow a view of things. For who, when he takes a survey of the universe, is so…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 28 — Still, in his examination of the amount of justice and wisdom discoverable in this Dispensation a person is, perhaps, induced to entertain the thought that it was by means of a certain amount of deceit that God…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 29 — It is, then, completely in keeping with this, that He Who was thus pouring Himself into our nature should accept this commixture in all its accidents. For as they who wash clothes do not pass over some of the dirt…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 30 — But they deride our state of nature, and din into our ears the manner of our being born, supposing in this way to make the mystery ridiculous, as if it were unbecoming in God by such an entrance into the world as…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 31 — But they change their ground and endeavour to vilify our faith in another way. They ask, if what took place was not to the dishonour of God or unworthy of Him, why did He delay the benefit so long? Why, since evil…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 32 — If, however, any one thinks to refute our argument on this ground, that even after the application of the remedial process the life of man is still in discord through its errors, let us lead him to the truth by an…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 33 — Yet, even in their reply to this, or the like, they are not at a loss for a contentious rejoinder. For they assert that God, if He had been so pleased, might have forcibly drawn those, who were not inclined to yield,…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 34 — What other objection is alleged by our adversaries? This; that (to take the preferable view) it was altogether needless that that transcendent Being should submit to the experience of death, but He might…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 35 — For when they have heard from us something to this effect—that when the mortal passes into life it follows necessarily that, as that first birth leads only to the existence of mortality, another birth should be…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 36 — But they ask for proof of this presence of the Deity when invoked for the sanctification of the baptismal process. Let the person who requires this evidence recall to mind the result of our inquiries further back.…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 37 — But the descent into the water, and the trine immersion of the person in it, involves another mystery. For since the method of our salvation was made effectual not so much by His precepts in the way of teaching as by…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 38 — For common sense as well as the teaching of Scripture shows that it is impossible for one who has not thoroughly cleansed himself from all the stains arising from evil to be admitted amongst the heavenly company.…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 39 — But since the human being is a twofold creature, compounded of soul and body, it is necessary that the saved should lay hold of the Author of the new life through both their component parts. Accordingly, the soul…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 40 — There is now, I think, wanting in these remarks no answer to inquiries concerning the Gospel mystery, except that on Faith; which we give briefly in the present treatise. For those who require a more elaborate…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 41 — For, while all things else that are born are subject to the impulse of those that beget them, the spiritual birth is dependent on the power of him who is being born. Seeing, then, that here lies the hazard, namely,…vatican.va
The Great Catechism Chapter 42 — But, as far as what has been already said, the instruction of this Catechism does not seem to me to be yet complete. For we ought, in my opinion, to take into consideration the sequel of this matter; which many of…vatican.va

Scripture cited · 62 verses

Passages · 42

Scripture cited · 62 verses

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