Saint Gregory of Nyssa, one of the Cappadocian Fathers, was born into a deeply rooted Christian family. His mother, Emmelia, was the daughter of a martyr. His brothers, Basil the Great and Peter of Sebaste, were bishops; Basil of Cappadocia is revered among the Greek Fathers as “the Great.” His elder sister, Macrina the Younger, is venerated as a saint upon the altar. Gregory’s first teacher was his elder brother Basil, whom he affectionately called “my father and my master.”
Basil desired that Gregory, like himself, should be trained in theology and grow in Christian spirituality. Yet Gregory first pursued the art of rhetoric, began a teaching career, and married a young woman named Theosebia, entering family life.
In A.D. 371, when Basil became Bishop of Cappadocia, he appointed Gregory as Bishop of Nyssa, consecrating him by the laying on of hands. Later testimony from Gregory of Nazianzus affirms that Gregory lived with his wife thereafter in a manner akin to that of a brother and sister.
Upon assuming episcopal office, Gregory took a firm stand against the Arian heresy and emerged as a courageous defender of the true faith. Opposition from Arian circles made peaceful governance of his diocese difficult. He travelled to Arabia and Palestine, where he continued to proclaim orthodox teaching against Arianism.
Though he did not possess the same administrative skill as his elder brother, Gregory was distinguished by the depth and clarity of his theological insight. In A.D. 376, he was deposed from his episcopal office by Emperor Valens, but was reinstated in 378 during the reign of Gratian.
At the Council of Constantinople in A.D. 381, convened to oppose Macedonianism, which denied the full divinity of the Holy Spirit, Gregory was among the principal theologians. His discourse on the full divinity of the Son and of the Holy Spirit drew wide attention. He offered the Council theological clarity in affirming that the Holy Spirit proceeds “from the Father through the Son.” Historians also attest to his presence at a local synod held in Arabia in A.D. 394.
