Gregory was born around AD 330 at Arianzuz in Cappadocea. His father was Gregorios who was the Bishop of Nazianzus [In those days there were Bishops who led family life]. His mother, Nonna, was an ideal woman. Gregory says in one of his speeches about the profound influence his mother had on him. “My mother dedicated me to God even before I was born”. Gregory was educated first at Caesarea in Cappadocea and later at Caesarea in Palestine, Alexandria and Athens. He became acquainted with Basil for the first time when he was studying language and literature at Caesarea in Cappadocea. They kept that warm and intimate friendship until the end of their lives. When Gregory returned to his native place after completing his education, Basil invited him to his hermitage on the bank of river Iris in Pontus. The time Gregory spent there with Basil forms the priceless moments of their spiritual life. There both together codified Philokalia and rules for hermits. When Gregory returned from Pontus, his father invited him to serve the Church and to help him in his works. Probably, at Christmas 361, his father Gregorios, the bishop of Nazianzus, ordained him priest and it was because of the insistence of the people. Once he was ordained, Gregory started thinking seriously about his calling. He did not have the courage to remain where he was and do his duties. He again went back to Pontus and renewed his acquaintance with Basil there. After some times, he returned to Nazianzus and helped his father in Church affairs. His fame began to spread everywhere. He was a deep scholar who led a meek, ideal and simple life. All liked him. His father died in 374. His mother died soon afterwards and his brother Caecerus and sister Georgonia had already died. After his father’s death, he became the administrator of Nazinzuz. However, in 375, due to his great bodily sufferings, he resigned the administration of Nazianzus and retired to Selucia. There, in 379, there in he heard with great grief the news of Basil’s death. His calm life was interrupted again by a summons to the active life. In 379, the believers of Constantinople invited him and he went there. At that time, most of the believers in Constantinople were the followers of Arius. He lived in a small house, which he turned into a church, and from here in the space of two years, he restored the real Orthodox ascendancy ao all obstacles and perils. Gradually circumstances became favourable to him. Emperor Theodosius gave him the important churches of Constantinople, including the Cathedral. It was when he was serving as the bishop of Constantinople that Emperor Theodosius convened the second Universal Council in 381.The tissle for authority is always there. Some opposition cropped up about Gregory’s position in the Church. He gladly abandoned his position and returned to Nazianzus, which he directed until its bishop Eulalius was appointed in 383. After he lived at Arianzuz, he devoted to literary works and to the cherished life quiet asceticism. He died in 389. Literary Contributions Gregory is one of the great Church Fathers, and one of the greatest orators of Christian antiquity. He alone, among the Fathers is given St.John’s title, The Theologian. That appellation applies to Gregory because, it was he who dealt authoritatively with God; who is the Word. 1. Orations The greater part of Gregory’s orations, the collection of which numbers forty five items, belongs to the years 379 to 381 AD, five theological orations which are the most perfect of his orations. They have won for him the title Theologian, i.e., defender of Godhead. They were delivered against Eunomians and Macedonians. He treated of the existence, nature and attributes of God, Unity of Nature in the three Divine Persons, Divinity of the Son, reply to objections, and refutation to the objections against the Divinity of the Holy Spirit. 2. Discourses on special occasions The most important among the discourses on special occasions are the funeral speeches he made when Basil dead and about priesthood. (In defence of my flight to Pontus). 3. Letters The letters, about 243, are model of clarity and brevity. Valued in general for their autobiographical details, a few of them have also a considerable theological importance. The most famous are the letters number 101 and 102 to the priest Cledonius, which deal with the Christological doctrine. The Ephesus Council of 431 highly praised the letter number 101 and published a lengthy extract from this letter. 4. Poems Gregory’s poems belong mostly to the late years of his life when he was in retirement at Arianzuz. The collection numbers 507 items arranged in different sections. a) Theological poems, subdivided into dogmatic and moral, and b) Historical poems, subdivided as about him and about others. There are also numerous epitaphs and epigrams, and a drama entitled Christ Suffering. Main teachings of Gregory of Nazianzus Gregory declared that the doctrine of Trinity is the heart of true Christian faith and of all religion. He professed his faith in the essential unity of Three Divine hypostasis. The Godhead is worshipped in the Trinity and the Trinity is gathered into a Unity. Trinity has a royal power, sharing a single throne and a single glory, supernatural, uncreated, invisible, untouchable and incomprehensible. Against Macedonians and Eunomians, Gregory stressed the Divine status of the Son and the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God must liberate human spirit from its earthly fetters and the ultimate goal of the Christian life is some day to become wholly Divine. In his Christological teaching, Gregory was mainly concerned the human nature of our Lord Jesus Christ against the teaching of Apollinarianism. Apollinarius denied the human nature of Christ in order to strengthen his relation with the Godhead. Against this, Gregory stressed the complete humanity of our savior along with His complete divinity. According to Gregory, the union between the Godhead and perfect humanhood is very necessary for the perfect redemption of humanity. In the beginning, God existed alone. Although God existed in three Persons, the three Persons are not treated as three gods, these three exist as alone. Gregory attributes the first creation the heavenly and angelic powers. According to Gregory, the creation is an overflow of Goodness or the springing out of spontaneous Divine love. Creation is the manifestation of God’s will, not of His essence. His infinite goodness and purpose to make all creatures participants in Him with delight and so He Himself might enjoy His work. Although God is absolute Creator, creation is not eternal, but ex nihilo, since it is the product of God’s will and not of His substance. According to the creation account of Gen.1:26, man was created after the deliberation of the Trinity’s Council. On the sixth day, after the creation of the animals, God said, let us make man in our own image and and in our likeness. It seems that God talked Himself and the Persons of the Trinity were in consort. This was a unique style of creation, since not even the angels were created in the image of God. This is because man is the centre of Creation.