A Syriac pneumatological tradition in the writings of Gregory Nazianzen

Book section

In Hex. 2.6, Basil of Caesarea cites an unnamed Syrian in support of his account of the Spirit’s creative activity. As several scholars have noted, this passage represents a rare example of the transmission Westwards of theological motifs originally developed within a Syriac-speaking milieu. This paper will argue that another such example can also be found in the writings of Gregory Nazianzen. My argument focusses Gregory’s comparison of the Spirit’s generation to the generation of Eve from Adam’s side in Or. 31.11. In this passage, I argue, Gregory exhibits awareness of a Pneumatological themes of Syriac provenance which identifies the Spirit as (in some sense) ‘feminine’. While Alexander Golitzin has already suggested that Gregory’s argument in Or. 31.11 may reflect his familiarity with Syriac traditions regarding the ‘feminine Spirit’, he fails to identify the closest parallel to Gregory’s argument, which is to be found in Ephrem’s Commentary on the Diatessaron. I argue that Ephrem is most likely Gregory’s source in Or. 31.11, suggesting Ephrem’s (now no longer extant) treatise On the Holy Spirit as a possible source of transmission.

Authors: Harris, B

• Publication status: Accepted
• Peer review status: Peer reviewed
• Publisher: Peeters Publishers
• Series: Studia Patristica
• Acceptance date: 2025-07-18
• Edition: 1
• ISSN: 0585-542X
• Language: English