Epektasis and Perpetual Growth in Gregory of Nyssa's Eschatology: a Relational Perspective

Abstract This article examines Gregory of Nyssa's doctrine of epektasis , defining it as the perpetual growth of the soul in relationship with the infinite God. The argumentation illustrates how Gregory transforms the classical Greek concept of theoria into contemplation of the divine oikonomia , shifting focus from intellectual conformation towards God's actions in history. Central to this transition is a trinitarian ontology where ‘relation’ ( schesis ) evolves from a category of being into a personal reality, since the source of being is trinitarian, and directly impacting Christian anthropology. This hermeneutical shift brings new considerations: here we will focus on how human mutability is reinterpreted not as a defect, or as necessity, but as a growing desire, a ‘wing fit for flight’ towards the good. The study highlights also a ‘mysticism of darkness’, where faith, that is a relationship, serves as the epistemological criterion for encountering the incarnate Logos. Ultimately, Gregory's eschatology is presented within a relational anthropology: perfection is a dynamic communion driven by eros rather than a static intellectual achievement. Human knowledge is depicted then as union with the schesis of Christ, who is the wisdom of God being the eternal Son of God.