ON T H E D A T E OF GREGORY OF NYSSA'S

F I R S T H O M I L I E S ON T H E FORTY
M A R T Y R S OF SEBASTE (ΙΑ AND IB)
THE precise chronology of Gregory of Nyssa's writings is difficult
to establish because of t h e lack of references to datable events.
His sermons are n o exception to the rule. I n this note I propose,
against the traditional date established by Daniélou, an alternative
date for G r e g o r y ' s so-called First Encomium on the Forty Martyrs
of Sebaste. In fact it consists of two homilies {Mart. la and lb),
delivered on consecutive days in Armenian Sebaste. T h e first
was preached on 9 M a r c h (the m a r t y r s ' feast day) in the martyrium,
the second on 10 M a r c h in a church. Daniélou's dating of these
homilies in 383 has found general acceptance. Yet, in my opinion,
his argument is far from conclusive, since it rests entirely on the
assumption that the homilies m u s t have been delivered in either
380 or 383, the only two years for which Gregory's presence in
Sebaste is attested. His choice for 383 is determined by the fact
that Gregory arrived in Sebaste in 380 at the earliest during the
m o n t h of April. I n my opinion, however, 380 and 383 are not
the only possible dates. O u r knowledge about Gregory's where-
abouts during a life which was filled with quite some travel is
far too fragmentary to exclude the possibility that he preached
Mart. la and lb d u r i n g a visit to Sebaste that otherwise left no
trace in the sources.
I n what follows I argue for an earlier date for these homilies.
T h e basis for m y a r g u m e n t is a passage in the captatio benevol-
entiae of Mart. la that so far has not been taken into account.
Gregory enumerates as possible sources of inspiration for his
homily, because of their enigmatic character, J o b , Paul, and the

J. Daniélou, 'La chronologie des sermons de Grégoire de Nysse', RevSR

2
9 (1955), PP. 346-72, esp. 362-3.
The location in Armenian Sebaste is sure: see Mart. la ( O. Lendle (ed.), GNO
X, 1/2, p. 140, 1.27-141, 1.8). For the location in the martyr's sanctuary and in
a church respectively, see Mart. lb (op. cit., p. 145, 11.5-6).
E.g. J. Bernardi, La prédication des Pères Cappadociens. Le prédicateur et son
auditoire (Publications de la Faculté des lettres et sciences humaines de l'Université
de Montpellier, 30; Paris: P U F , 1970), p. 303; A. Olivar, La predicación cristiana
antigua, Bibliotheca Herder. Sección de Teologia y filosofia, 189 (Barcelona:
Herder, 1991), p.97.
4
Mart. la (GNO X, 1/2, p. 137, 1.19-p. 138, 1.6).
' Oxford University Press 2000
[Journal of Theological Studies, NS, Vol. 52, Pt. ι, October 2000]
94 N O T E S AND S T U D I E S
Book of P r o v e r b s as well as ' t h e mysteries of t h e P s a l t e r ' . 5 T h e
latter are m o r e specifically indicated: τα βκ της φαλμωδίας μυστήρια,
αναμν^σί?, καί στηλογραφία, καί βπιλήνιος. T h e w o r d s ανάμνησις
( ' r e m e m b r a n c e ' ) a n d στηλογραφία ('inscription on a stone') refer to
t h e p s a l m s in whose inscriptions these w o r d s occur. F o r ανάμνησις
these are Psalms 37 and 69, for στηλογραφία P s a l m s 15, 55, and 5c).6
Έπιλήνιος ('of a winepress') occurs n o w h e r e verbatim in an inscrip­
tion of a psalm, b u t certainly refers to t h e υπέρ των ληνών of P s a l m s 8,
80, and 83. T h e n G r e g o r y goes on:

Ταύτα γαρ εν ταις επιγραφαΐς των ύπαναγνωσθεντων ημίν φαλμών κατανοήσαν-

τες, ου μικράν ορώμεν άφορμην τω λόγω Sia των αϊνιγμάτων διδομένην. '^4λλ'
εμοί το μεν τοις είρημενοις επεξελθειν, εΰκαιρον είναι δοκεϊ δευτερω ταμιεύσα-
σ#αι χρόνω' επιθυμώ δε της παρούσης χάριτος πρόσφορόν τίνα κα\ κατάλληλον
εζευρεϊν την φωνήν.

W h a t we learn is t h a t d u r i n g t h e liturgical service on t h e occasion of

the yearly feast of t h e F o r t y M a r t y r s of Sebaste s o m e psalms were
read, t h e inscriptions of w h i c h c o n s t i t u t e d for G r e g o r y n o small
possible source of inspiration for a homily. I believe t h a t G r e g o r y
i n d e e d took, as he p r o m i s e d , at a m o r e suitable t i m e a second chance
to develop some t h o u g h t s on t h e m e a n i n g of t h e t h r e e m e n t i o n e d
(and of m a n y other) βπιγράφαι of p s a l m s . T h e q u o t e d passage reveals
t h a t at t h e time of Mart. la he clearly saw t h e p o t e n t i a l of this m a t e r ­
ial b u t only awaited a m o r e suitable o p p o r t u n i t y to exploit it. I t is
not clear at what t i m e or occasion he developed the exegetical p o t e n ­
tial of t h e psalm inscriptions. W h a t e v e r this o p p o r t u n i t y m a y have
been, it seems t h a t he laid d o w n t h e final result of this exegetical

For other Gregorian passages illustrating the enigmatic character of the

Scriptures, see F Mann (ed ), Lexicon Gregorianum, vol 1 (Leiden Brill, 1999),
p p 98-100, S ν αίνιγμα
6
GNO X, 1/2, ρ 1 3 8
7
This is confirmed by other patristic authors designating these psalms by a word
from the root 'λήνος' Eusebius of Caesarea indicates Psalms 8, 80, and 83 as τών
ληνών φαλμοί {Commentarla in Psalmos {PG 23, 968, D1-7) Elsewhere he speaks
about επιληνιοι φαλμοί (ibid , col 973_4> 1 3) o r επιληνιοι ύμνοι (Commentarius in
Isaiam 2 53 ( J Ziegler (ed ), GCS, 56, ρ 387, 1 16-17) Έτηληνια άσματα occurs
in Basil of Caesarea {Commentarla in Isaiam prophetam, 5 142, PG 30, 349, Β13-14)
and Theodoret of Cyrus {Commentarla in Isaiam 2, 1 475 (J. Guinot (ed ),
SChr, 276, ρ 230), Idem, op cit , 5, 1 545 (J Guinot (ed ), SChr, 295, ρ n o )
Athanasius uses the substantive ετηληνιον to indicate Psalms 8 and 83 {Epistula ad
Marcelhnum, 16, PG 27, 29, A8-11)
8
Mart la {GNO X, 1/2, ρ 138, 1 4-8) 'Indeed, in the reflection on these things
in the inscriptions of the Psalms which were read aloud to us, we see because of the
enigmas no small resource for the homily given But I think it is better to come
back on these words on a more opportune moment and to store it up for a second
time Because now I want to find a text that is fitting and appropriate for the
present celebration '
 N O T E S AND S T U D I E S 95
activity in his treatise In Inscriptiones Psalmorum. T h i s work
addresses questions such as the aim of t h e Psalter and how this
aim is reached; t h e division of the Psalter; the meaning of the tech­
nical t e r m diapsalma; w h y t h e order of the psalms is at variance with
the historical sequence. As the title reveals, however, a large part of
the In Inscriptiones is precisely devoted to an exegetical exploration
of t h e enigmas of t h e psalm inscriptions (part 2, chapters 1-9).
It seems n o t too far-fetched, therefore, to assume that t h e In
Inscriptiones is t h e final outcome of the exegetical work Gregory
showed a strong inclination to carry out in the q u o t e d passage of
Mart. la. A second element undergirding this identification is
that he explores in this p a r t of In Inscriptiones the meaning of all
three inscriptions referred to in Mart. Ια {ανάμνησις, στηλογραφία,
and επιλήνιος). M o r e o v e r , the three m e n t i o n e d inscriptions occur
in n o other writing of G r e g o r y b u t in the In Inscriptiones. Finally
one can, albeit hesitantly, p u t forward an argumentum e silentio:
if Gregory h a d already written his In Inscriptiones, would he not
then have referred to it in such an explicit context, where he m e n ­
tions t h e μυστήρια of t h e Psalter? F o r these reasons, I would
propose to consider t h e passage in Mart. la as an a r g u m e n t that
this homily was delivered at a time when Gregory was already
considering t h e idea to devote a treatise to the inscriptions of the
psalms, b u t h a d n o t yet executed this plan. T h e fact that 'to store
it u p for a second t i m e ' (δβυτέρω ταμιβύσασοαι χρόνψ) seems to refer
to a homily r a t h e r than to a treatise does n o t diminish the value
of t h e a r g u m e n t : it is by no means excluded that one or m o r e
homilies formed t h e basis of a larger work. T h i s was t h e case
for Gregory's Vita Gregorii Thaumaturgi, which started life as an
encomiastic oration p r o n o u n c e d on t h e saint's feast day. All in
all, I think t h e q u o t e d passage from Mart. la can substantiate m y
claim that these homilies were delivered before t h e composition
of the treatise on t h e inscriptions of the psalms.

T h i s is t h e s t r u c t u r e of t h e w o r k according to R. E. H e i n e {Gregory of Nyssa's

Treatise on the Inscriptions of the Psalms. Introduction, Translation and Notes,
Oxford Early C h r i s t i a n T e x t s (Oxford: C l a r e n d o n , 1995), p p . 11-20).
I list h e r e all t h e passages of In Inscriptiones in which o n e of t h e t h r e e psalm
titles occur. All references are t o J . M c D o n o u g h ' s edition in GNO V. ανάμνησις: 2,i
(p. 69, I.21); 2,6 (p.88, I.21-9). στηλογραφία: 2.,ι ( p . 70, I.15); 2,4 (p. 80); 2,6 (p.89,
I.14-27); 2,14 ( p p . 146-7); 2,14 ( p . 154, I.15-23); 2,15 (p. 159, LIT,).'ΕπώήνLOS as
such does n o t occur, b u t its equivalent νπ€ρ τών ληνών does: 2,1 ( p . 70, I.13); 2,5
(p. 84, I.13-85, I.23); 2,11 ( p . 122, I.14; 16-21).
11
A c c o r d i n g to t h e TLG database, H . R. D r o b n e r , Bibelindex zu den Werken
Gregors von Nyssa ( P a d e r b o r n : Selbstverlag, 1988), passim, a n d t h e fifth v o l u m e of
the Biblia Patristica series.
96 NOTES AND STUDIES
N o w , what is the date of the In Inscriptiones} Daniélou pro-
posed to place the composition of the work during G r e g o r y ' s exile
in 3 7 6 - 8 . His argumentation rests on two pillars. First he points
to thematic parallels between the De Virginitate, which can be
quite solidly dated in 371, on the one hand, and some early writings,
among which is the In Inscriptiones, on the other. T h e strength
of this argument lies in the fact that it concerns precise themes
which disappear or were modified in works composed after 379.
T h e latter are characterized by an anti-Origenistic tendency
not present before 379. Secondly, Daniélou argues that the In
Inscriptiones was the first work in which Gregory applied the
akoulouthia-prmciple, which was to become his key hermeneutical
principle. Despite Alexandre's and Canévet's doubts regarding
the In Inscriptiones as the first work in which Gregory employed
the akoulouthia-prmcipie and M a y ' s reserve on the possibility to
achieve precise dates for Gregory's works anyhow, 4 the few
scholars who studied the treatise thoroughly place its composition,
in the wake of Daniélou, among his early works. 5 H e i n e , moreover,
points to the abrupt ending and unfinished character of the work.
H e assumes that, if one accepts with Daniélou that Gregory com-
posed the In Inscriptiones during his exile b u t somehow was not
able to finish it, his return to Nyssa and his busy life afterwards
(the death of Basil, engagement in theological controversies, travels,
the death of Macrina, and the intensification of the Origenist
controversy after 379) explain why he never finished it. 1 6

J Daniélou, 'La chronologie des oeuvres de Grégoire de Nysse', in F L Cross

(ed ), Studia Patristica, 7 (TU, 92, Berlin Akademie Verlag, 1966), pp 159-69,
esp pp 159-62
13
M Alexandre, 'La théorie de l'exégèse dans le de hominis opificio et l'in
Hexaemeron', in M Harl (ed ), Ecriture et culture philosophique dans la pensée de
Grégoire de Nysse Actes du Colloque de Chevetogne {22-26 septembre 1969) (Leiden
Brill, 1971), pp 87-111, esp ρ 95, M Canevet, Grégoire de Nysse et
l'herméneutique biblique, Etudes augustiniennes Série Antiquité, 99 (Paris
Etudes augustiniennes, 1983), pp 269-72
14
G. May, 'Die Chronologie des Lebens und der Werke des Gregor von Nyssa',
in M Harl (ed ), Ecriture et culture philosophique, pp 51-67, esp. ρ 56 and passim
15
So M J Rondeau, Les commentaires patristiques du Psautier (IIIe-Ve siècles)
I Les travaux des Peres Grecs et Latins sur le Psautier Recherches et bilan, Onentaha
Christiana Analecta, 219 (Rome Pontificium institutum onentahum studiorum,
1982), p. 115, A Le Boulluec, 'L'unite du texte la visée du Psautier selon Grégoire
de Nysse', in M Constantim et al (eds ), Le texte et ses representations, Etudes de
littérature ancienne, 3 (Paris Ecole normale supérieure, 1987), pp 159-66 So also
J Gribomont, 'Gregory of Nyssa', in A Di Berardino et al. (eds ), Encyclopedia of
the Early Church, vol 1 (Cambridge J Clarke & Co, 1992), pp 363-5, esp ρ 364
16
R E Heine, Gregory of Nyssa's Treatise on the Inscriptions of the Psalms,
pp 8-11
 N O T E S AND S T U D I E S 97
So, a date between 376-8 for the In Inscriptiones seems
defensible. If Gregory was planning to write such a treatise at
the time he delivered his Mart. la (and lb), as the quoted passage
shows, then these two homilies must be dated m u c h earlier than
383. A date c.375 then seems plausible enough. T h e chrono-
logical link between Mart. la and the In Inscriptiones, however,
opens u p the intriguing possibility that this encomium was
delivered during G r e g o r y ' s period of exile. T h i s would, in turn,
mean that Gregory spent part of his exile in Armenian Sebaste,
which is important because we do not have any direct information
on Gregory's whereabouts during his exile. T h e strong ties he
would have established at that time with the Sebastan community
help explain why they invited him in 380, only a few years later, to
mediate in the difficulties caused by the succession of Eustathius
and on that occasion even elected him their bishop.

JOHAN LEEMANS

Cf. Gregory of Nyssa, Letter 19.13-19 (P. Maraval (ed.), SChr, 363,
pp. 252-7).
 ^ s
Copyright and Use:

As an ATLAS user, you may print, download, or send articles for individual use
according to fair use as defined by U.S. and international copyright law and as
otherwise authorized under your respective ATLAS subscriber agreement.

No content may be copied or emailed to multiple sites or publicly posted without the
copyright holder(s)' express written permission. Any use, decompiling,
reproduction, or distribution of this journal in excess of fair use provisions may be a
violation of copyright law.

This journal is made available to you through the ATLAS collection with permission
from the copyright holder(s). The copyright holder for an entire issue of a journal
typically is the journal owner, who also may own the copyright in each article. However,
for certain articles, the author of the article may maintain the copyright in the article.
Please contact the copyright holder(s) to request permission to use an article or specific
work for any use not covered by the fair use provisions of the copyright laws or covered
by your respective ATLAS subscriber agreement. For information regarding the
copyright holder(s), please refer to the copyright information in the journal, if available,
or contact ATLA to request contact information for the copyright holder(s).

About ATLAS:

The ATLA Serials (ATLAS®) collection contains electronic versions of previously

published religion and theology journals reproduced with permission. The ATLAS
collection is owned and managed by the American Theological Library Association
(ATLA) and received initial funding from Lilly Endowment Inc.

The design and final form of this electronic document is the property of the American
Theological Library Association.