Earliest Greek patristic orations on the Nativity: A study including translations
Abstract
The celebration of the Nativity on December 25 originated in the West, and spread to Eastern Christendom in the late fourth century. The four orations included in this study are: Gregory of Nazianzus' For Gods Appearing , preached in Constantinople on December 25, 380; Gregory of Nyssa's On the Nativity of the Savior , preached c.386; John Chrysostom's On the Day of the Birth of our Savior Jesus Christ , preached in Antioch c.387; and Amphilochius of Iconium's On the Nativity of Our Great God and Savior Jesus Christ , probably preached several years later. This dissertation contains a new translation of these four homilies, two of which had not been translated into English previously. The homily of Gregory Nazianzus, which existed in an English translation from Patrologia Graeca , is translated from a critical edition in the present study. Five extensive introductory chapters to these translations explore the historical background of the new Nativity celebration, and the particular circumstances of these orations, placing them in their proper context. While the development of the emerging festal cycle forms the backdrop for the preaching of these orations, the present study focuses on the historical circumstances and rhetorical methods of their preaching. This dissertation applies rhetorical analysis to aid in the understanding of these festal sermons, focusing on the genre of each oration. Following the rhetorical analysis of each oration, a section on theological content explores the Christology, soteriology and Mariology of each. A concluding section in each of these introductory chapters presents an ethical analysis. This dissertation utilizes some of the methods of rhetorical analysis that can be gleaned from New Testament and classical studies, and applies them to Patristics.
Recommended Citation
Beth Elise Dunlop,
"Earliest Greek patristic orations on the Nativity: A study including translations"
(January 1, 2004).
Boston College Dissertations and Theses.
Paper AAI3122121.
http://escholarship.bc.edu/dissertations/AAI3122121
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