Synonymous with Christ: Gregory of Nyssa on Biblical Language and Credal Orthodoxy

This article considers a particular text from Gregory of Nyssa as a way to reflect on the role of Nicaea in discussions of ecumenism and orthodoxy. Against a dogmatically minimalist approach that sees the creed figuring insignificantly and with a limited scope, the approach suggested here appeals to a late fourth-century attempt to contend with anti-Nicene theology that focuses on the meaning of credal language and spiritual practice. Opposed to a confession of faith written by Eunomius of Cyzicus in 383, two years after the Council of Constantinople in 381, Gregory’s Refutation of Eunomius’s Confession lays out a biblical framework for understanding how and why credal language is germane to the Christian life. The implication of this project is that considering the broader implications of credal language can help encourage a more capacious role for the creed in ecumenical discussion.