# On the Christian Profession

- Author: [Gregory of Nyssa](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/gregory-of-nyssa/)
- Latin title: *De professione Christiana*
- Date: ca. 379-394 (approximate)
- Source: J.-P. Migne, ed., Patrologiae cursus completus, Series Graeca 46 (Paris: Migne, 1863), cols. 237-249 (OCR by the Bavarian State Library / Google Books; lines extracted for this site)

- Translation: Claude, from the original text, unless a passage says otherwise; each passage below gives the translator
- Editions and translations: Virginia Woods Callahan, ed., Gregorii Nysseni Opera Ascetica, Gregorii Nysseni Opera 8.1 (Leiden: Brill, 1952) (cited only; not reproduced)
- Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-professione-christiana/
- Passages: 7

## On the Christian Profession, Migne cols. 237–238

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-professione-christiana/237/#p-237
- Source: PG 46:237–238
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: Gregory opens a long letter to a friend, meant to repay many missed letters, by recalling their conversations about virtue.

### Greek text

Ὅπερ ποιοῦσι πρὸς τοὺς κρατοῦντας οἱ τοῖς ἡμερινοῖς ὑποκείμενοι φόροις, εἰ πλειόνων ἡμερῶν ἐλλειφθείη τὸ χρέος, ἀθρόως τῶν κατὰ μέρος ὀφλημάτων ἀποτιννύντες ἐν κεφαλαίῳ τὸ ὄφλημα, εἴ τινος ἐπιτύχοιεν εὐπορίας, τοῦτο ποιήσω καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπὶ τῆς σεμνότητός σου. Χρεωστῶν γάρ σοι τὸ συνεχῶς ἐπιστέλλειν (διότι τοῖς Χριστιανοῖς ἡ ἐπαγγελία χρέος ἐστὶ), τὴν ἐν τῷ παρελθόντι χρόνῳ τῶν γραμμάτων ἔλλειψιν, ἣν ἀκουσίως πεποίημαι, νῦν ἀποπληρῶσαι βούλομαι, τοσοῦτον ἐκτείνας τῆς ἐπιστολῆς τὸ μέτρον, ὥστε καὶ πρὸς τὰ συνήθη μέτρα τῶν γραμμάτων διαιρουμένην, ἀντὶ πολλῶν νομισθῆναι. Ὡς δ᾽ ἂν μὴ μάτην ἀδολεσχοίην τῷ μήκει τοῦ γράμματος, καλῶς ἔχειν ἡγοῦμαι διὰ τῆς ἐπιστολιμαίου ταύτης φωνῆς τὴν κατὰ πρόσωπον ἡμῶν συνουσίαν μιμήσασθαι. Μέμνησαι γὰρ πάντως, ὅτι τῶν πρὸς ἀλλήλους πάντοτε ἡμῖν λόγων αἱ ἀφορμαὶ, μελέται πρὸς ἀρετὴν καὶ γυμνασίαι πρὸς θεοσέβειαν ἦσαν, σοῦ μὲν ἐπιστατικῶς

### English translation (Claude)

What people subject to daily taxes do toward those who rule them, when the debt of many days has been left unpaid (they pay off the separate dues all at once as one lump sum, if they come upon some means), I too will do toward Your Reverence. For I owe you constant letters (since for Christians a promise is a debt), and I now wish to make up for the lack of letters in the past, which was not my choice, by stretching the length of this letter so far that, if divided into the usual lengths of letters, it may count for many. But so that I may not babble idly through the length of what I write, I think it good to imitate, through this letter's voice, our conversation face to face. For you surely remember that the starting points of our talks with one another were always exercises in virtue and training in godliness, you always attentively

### Translation notes

- The friend is not named in this text; later editions title the letter “To Harmonius”. The word ἐπιστατικῶς (“attentively”, “critically”), split across the page break, is joined here; the sentence continues in the next passage.

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Prof. Chr. 237 (PG 46:237–238; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-professione-christiana/237).

## On the Christian Profession, Migne cols. 239–240

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-professione-christiana/237/#p-239
- Source: PG 46:239–240
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: Gregory proposes to ask what the Christian profession is, so that Christians may truly be what they are called, and begins the story of a dancing ape in Alexandria.

### Greek text

ἀεὶ τοῖς λεγομένοις ἀνθυποφέροντος, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀνεξετάστως παραδεχομένου τῶν λεγομένων ἡμῶν δὲ διὰ τὸ προήκειν τῷ χρόνῳ τὰ ἑκάστοτε παρὰ τῆς τοῦ λόγου ἀκολουθίας ἐπιζητούμενα διαλυόντων. Εἰ μὲν οὖν ἦν δυνατὸν καὶ νῦν γίνεσθαι οὕτως, ὥστε παρὰ τῆς σῆς συνέσεως δίδοσθαι λόγῳ τὴν ἀφορμὴν, τῷ παντὶ κρεῖττον ἂν ἦν τὸ τοιοῦτον. Διχόθεν γὰρ ἂν ὑπῆρχεν ἀμφοτέροις τὸ κέρδος, ἔκ τε τοῦ προσορᾶν ἀλλήλους, (οὗ τί γλύκιον τῶν κατὰ τὸν βίον ἐμοί;) καὶ ἐκ τοῦ παρὰ τῆς σῆς φρονήσεως, πλήκτρου δίκην, τὴν γηραιὰν ἡμῶν ἀνακινεῖσθαι κιθάραν. Ἐπεὶ δὲ ἡ τοῦ βίου ἀνάγκη διεστάναι ἡμᾶς παρασκευάζει τῷ σώματι, κἂν εἰ τὰς ψυχὰς συναπτώμεθα, ἀναγκαῖον ἂν εἴη, καὶ τὸ σὸν πρόσωπον ὑποδύεσθαι, εἴ πού τις ἀντίῤῥησις πρὸς τὸν λόγον, κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον, ἡμῖν ἀναφανείη. Καλῶς δ᾽ ἂν ἔχοι ὑπόθεσίν τινα τῶν ψυχωφελῶν προθεῖναι τῷ τῶν γραμμάτων σκοπῷ, εἶθ' οὕτω πρὸς τὸ προκείμενον ἀσχοληθῆναι τῷ λόγῳ. Οὐκοῦν, ὡς ἐν προβλήματι, ζητείσθω παρ᾿ ἡμῶν· Τί τοῦ Χριστιανοῦ τὸ ἐπάγγελμα; Τάχα γὰρ οὐκ ἔξω τοῦ λυσιτελοῦντος ἡ περὶ τούτου σκέψις γενήσεται. Εἰ γὰρ ἀκριβῶς εὑρεθείη τὸ διὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος τούτου δηλούμενον, πολλὴν ἂν λάβοιμεν πρὸς τὸν κατ᾿ ἀρετὴν βίον συνεργίαν ἀληθῶς, ὅπερ ὀνομαζόμεθα, τοῦτο καὶ εἶναι διὰ τῆς ὑψηλῆς πολιτείας σπουδάζοντες. Ὥσπερ γὰρ εἴ τις ἰατρὸς, ἢ ῥήτωρ, ἢ γεωμέτρης καλεῖσθαι ποθήσειεν, οὐκ ἂν δέξαιτο τῇ ἀπαιδευσίᾳ τὴν ἐπωνυμίαν ἐλέγχεσθαι, μὴ εὐρισκόμενος ἐπὶ τῆς πείρας ὁ ὀνομάζεται, ἀλλ᾿ ὁ κατὰ ἀλήθειάν τι τούτων προσαγορεύεσθαι θέλων, ὡς ἂν μὴ ψευδώνυμος ἡ κλῆσις ἐλέγχοιτο, αὐτῷ τῷ ἐπιτηδεύματι τὴν προσηγορίαν πιστώσηται· τὸν αὐτὸν καὶ ἡμεῖς τρόπον, εἴπερ τὸν ἀληθῆ σκοπὸν τοῦ Χριστιανοῦ ἐπαγγέλματος ἐξετάζοντες εὔρομεν οὐκ ἂν ἑλοίμεθα μὴ εἶναι τοῦτο, ὅπερ τὸ ὄνομα ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν ἐπαγγέλλεται ὡς ἂν μὴ τὸ περὶ τοῦ πιθήκου διήγημα τὸ παρὰ τοῖς ἔξω περιφερόμενον καὶ ἡμῖν ἐφαρμόσειε. Φασὶ γάρ τινα τῶν θαυματοποιῶν ἐπὶ τῆς ᾿Αλεξάνδρου πόλεως ἀσκήσαντα πίθηκον διά τινος εὐστροφίας ὀρχηστικῶς σχηματίζεσθαι, καὶ περιθεῖναι αὐτῷ πρόσωπον ὀρχηστικὸν, καὶ ἐσθῆτα τῷ ἐπιτηδεύματι πρόσφορον· καὶ χορὸν αὐτῷ περιστήσαντα, ἐνευδοκιμεῖν τῷ πιθήκῳ πρὸς τὸν τοῦ μέλους ῥυθμὸν ἑαυτὸν ἐκλυγίζοντι, καὶ διὰ πάντων ἐπικρυπτομένῳ τὴν φύσιν, οἷς ἐποίει τε καὶ ἐφαίνετο. Κατεχομένου δὲ τοῦ θεάτρου πρὸς τὸ καινοπρεπὲς τοῦ θεάματος, παρόντα τινὰ τῶν ἀστειοτέρων παιδιᾷ τινι δεῖξαι τοῖς προσκεχηνόσι τῷ θεάματι, πίθηκον ὄντα τὸν πίθηκον. Ἐπιβοώντων γὰρ πάντων, καὶ ἐπικροτούντων ταῖς τοῦ πιθήκου περιστροφαῖς, εὐρύθμως πρὸς τὴν ᾠδὴν καὶ τὸ μέλος συγκινουμένου, ῥίψαι φασὶν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τῆς ὀρχήστρας τῶν τραγημάτων ἐκεῖνα ὅσα τὴν λιχνείαν τῶν τοιούτων θηρίων ἐφέλκεται τὸν δὲ μηδὲν μελλήσαντα, ἐπειδὴ διασπαρέντα εἶδε πρὸ τοῦ χοροῦ τὰ ἀμύγδαλα, ἐκλαθόμενον τῆς τε ὀρχήστρας, καὶ τῶν

### English translation (Claude)

raising objections to what was said and accepting nothing we said without examination, while we, because we were older, resolved, by following the argument, whatever was asked each time. If it were possible for it to happen so now too, so that your understanding gave the occasion for the discussion, that would be better in every way. For the gain would come to us both from two sides: from seeing one another (what in life is sweeter to me than that?) and from having my old lyre struck up by your wisdom, as by a plectrum. But since the necessities of life keep us apart in body, even if we are joined in soul, it will be necessary for me to take on your part as well, in case some objection to the argument should appear to us as it proceeds. It would be good to set before the purpose of this letter a subject profitable for the soul, and then to busy the discussion with what has been proposed. Let us, then, inquire as with a problem: What is the profession of the Christian? Perhaps the inquiry into this will not be without profit. For if what this name signifies were found precisely, we would receive much help toward the life of virtue, striving through our lofty way of life to be truly what we are named. For if someone longed to be called a physician or an orator or a geometer, he would not accept having the title exposed by his lack of training, being found in practice not to be what he is named; but one who wishes to be addressed truly by any of these names confirms the title by the practice itself, so that the name may not be exposed as false. In the same way we too, if by examining the true aim of the Christian profession we have found it, would not choose not to be what the name professes on our behalf, so that the story of the ape that circulates among outsiders may not fit us as well. For they say that one of the showmen in the city of Alexander trained an ape by a certain nimbleness to strike dancing poses, put on it a dancer’s mask and a costume suited to the art, and, setting a chorus around it, won fame with the ape as it twisted itself to the rhythm of the song and, in all that it did and showed, hid its nature. While the theater was held fast by the novelty of the spectacle, one of the wittier men present showed those gaping at the spectacle, by a joke, that the ape was an ape. For while all were shouting and clapping at the ape’s turns, as it moved in rhythm to the song and the tune, they say he threw onto the stage those sweets that draw the greed of such animals; and the ape, without a moment’s hesitation, when it saw the almonds scattered in front of the chorus, forgot the dancing and the

### Translation notes

- The “city of Alexander” is Alexandria. The fable of the dancing ape exposed by thrown nuts circulated among pagan writers (a version is in Lucian, Fisherman 36); Gregory's source is uncertain.

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Prof. Chr. 239 (PG 46:239–240; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-professione-christiana/239).

## On the Christian Profession, Migne cols. 241–242

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-professione-christiana/237/#p-241
- Source: PG 46:241–242
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: As the ape was exposed by sweets, so false Christians are exposed by the devil's enticements; the name Christ means king and gathers up all the names that describe God.

### Greek text

κρότων, καὶ τῶν τῆς ἐσθῆτος καλλωπισμῶν, ἐπίδραμεῖν τε αὐτοῖς, καὶ ταῖς τῶν χειρῶν παλάμαις συλλέγειν τὰ εὑρισκόμενα· καὶ ὡς ἂν μὴ ἐμποδὼν εἴη τὸ προσωπεῖον τῷ στόματι, περιαιρεῖσθαι κατὰ σπουδὴν ἑαυτοῦ τοῖς ὄνυξι τὴν σεσοφισμένην μορφὴν περιθρύπτοντα, ὥστε αὐτὸν ἀθρόως γέλωτα κινῆσαι τοῖς θεᾶταῖς, ἀντὶ τῶν ἐπαίνων τε καὶ θαύματος, εἰδεχθῶς καὶ γελοίως ἐκ τῶν τοῦ προσωπείου λειψάνων διαφαινόμενον. Ὥσπερ οὖν οὐκ ἐξήρκεσεν ἐκείνῳ τὸ σεσοφισμένον σχῆμα πρὸς τὸ νομισθῆναι ἄνθρωπον, ἀπελεγχθείσης ἐν τῇ λιχνείᾳ τῶν τραγημάτων τῆς φύσεως· οὕτως οἱ μὴ ἀληθῶς αὐτὴν τὴν φύσιν ἑαυτῶν τῇ πίστει μορφώσαντες, ῥᾳδίως ἐν ταῖς τοῦ διαβόλου λιχνείαις ἀπελεγχθήσονται ἄλλο τι ὄντες παρ' ὅ ἐπαγγέλλονται. Αντὶ γὰρ ἰσχάδος, ἢ ἀμυγδάλης, ἢ τῶν τοιούτων τινὸς, τὸ κενόδοξον καὶ φιλότιμον, καὶ τὸ φιλοκερδὲς καὶ φιλήδονον, καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα τοιαῦτα ἡ κακὴ τοῦ διαβόλου ἀγορὰ, τοῖς λίχνοις τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀντὶ τραγημάτων προτιθεῖσα, ῥᾳδίως εἰς ἔλεγχον ἄγει τὰς πιθηκώδεις ψυχὰς, οἳ διὰ μιμήσεως ἐσχηματισμένης τὸν Χριστιανισμὸν ὑποκρίνονται, τὸ τῆς σωφροσύνης ἢ τὸ τῆς πραότητος, ἤ τινος ἄλλης ἀρετῆς προσωπεῖον ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῶν παθημάτων ἑαυτοῖς ἀφανίζοντες. Οὐκοῦν ἀναγκαῖον ἂν εἴη νοῆσαι τοῦ Χριστιανισμοῦ τὸ ἐπάγγελμα· τάχα ἂν τοῦτο γενοίμεθα, ὅπερ τὸ ὄνομα βούλεται, ἵνα μὴ ψιλῇ τῇ ὁμολογίᾳ, καὶ τῷ προσχήματι τοῦ ὀνόματος μόνου καταμορφούμενοι, ἄλλο τι παρὰ τὸ φαινόμενον ὄντες, τῷ τὰ κρυπτὰ καθορῶντι ἐπιδειχθείημεν. Τί τοίνυν ὁ Χριστιανισμὸς ἐξ αὐτῆς τῆς προσηγορίας νοεῖται, πρῶτον ἐπισκεψώμεθα. Ἔστι μὲν οὖν παρὰ τῶν σοφωτέρων μείζονά τινα καὶ μεγαλοφυεστέραν πάντως ἐξευρεθῆναι διάνοιαν, συνεπηρμένην τῷ ὑψηλῷ τοῦ ὀνόματος. "Α δὲ ἡμεῖς χωροῦμεν περὶ τούτου τοῦ ὀνόματος, ταῦτά ἐστι· Τὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὄνομα, εἰ πρὸς τὸ σαφέστερόν τε καὶ γνωριμώτερον ῥῆμα μετενεχθείη, τὸν βασιλέα σημαίνει, τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς τὴν βασιλικὴν ἀξίαν τῇ τοιαύτῃ φωνῇ κατά τινα ἰδιάζουσαν χρῆσιν ἐνδεικνυμένης. ᾿Αλλ' ἐπειδὴ, καθώς φησιν ἡ Γραφὴ, ἄφραστόν ἐστι τὸ Θεῖον καὶ ἀκατάληπτον, πάσης ὑπερκείμενον καταληπτικῆς ἐπινοίας, ἀναγκαίως οἱ τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι θεοφορούμενοι προφῆται καὶ ἀπόστολοι, πολλοῖς ὀνόμασί τε καὶ νοήμασιν ἐπὶ τὴν σύνεσιν τῆς ἀφθάρτου φύσεως ἡμᾶς χειραγωγοῦσιν· ἄλλου πρὸς ἄλλο τι τῶν θεοπρεπῶν νοημάτων ἡμᾶς διευθύνοντος, ὥστε τὴν μὲν ἐπὶ πάντων ἐξουσίαν τῷ τῆς βασιλείας ὀνόματι παραδηλοῦσθαι τὸ δὲ πάθους παντὸς καὶ κακίας πάσης ἀμιγὲς καὶ ἐλεύθερον τοῖς τῆς ἀρετῆς ὀνόμασιν όνομάζεσθαι, ἑκάστης πρὸς τὸ κρείττον νοουμένης τε καὶ λεγομένης· ὥστε τὸ αὐτὸ δικαιοσύνην τε εἶναι, καὶ σοφίαν, καὶ δύναμιν, καὶ ἀλήθειαν, ἀγαθότητά τε, καὶ ζωὴν, καὶ σωτηρίαν, καὶ ἀφθαρσίαν, καὶ τὸ ἀμετάβλητόν τε καὶ ἀναλλοίωτον, καὶ πᾶν ὅ τί πέρ ἐστιν ὑψηλὸν νόημα διὰ τῶν τοιούτων ὀνομάτων δηλούμενον,

### English translation (Claude)

applause and the finery of its costume, ran to them and gathered what it found with the palms of its hands; and so that the mask would not be in the way of its mouth, it hastily pulled it off, tearing the contrived face apart with its claws, so that all at once it stirred laughter in the spectators instead of praise and wonder, showing through, ugly and ridiculous, from the remains of the mask. Just as the contrived figure was not enough for that animal to be thought a human being, once its nature was exposed by its greed for sweets, so those who have not truly formed their very nature by faith will easily be exposed by the devil’s enticements as something other than what they profess. For instead of a fig or an almond or some such thing, vainglory and ambition, love of gain and love of pleasure, and all the other such things that the devil’s evil market sets before greedy human beings in place of sweets, easily bring to exposure the apish souls who play at Christianity by a contrived imitation, and who destroy for themselves the mask of self-control or meekness or some other virtue in the moment of passion. It is necessary, then, to understand the profession of Christianity; perhaps we may become what the name means, so that we may not, shaped only by a bare confession and the outward show of the name alone, be shown up before him who sees what is hidden as something other than what appears. First, then, let us consider what Christianity is understood to be from the name itself. Wiser people may well discover a greater and more magnificent meaning, raised to the loftiness of the name. But what we are able to grasp about this name is this. The name of Christ, if translated into a clearer and more familiar word, signifies the king, since holy Scripture, by a usage of its own, indicates royal dignity by such a word. But since, as Scripture says, the Divine is unutterable and incomprehensible, surpassing every comprehending thought, the prophets and apostles, inspired by the Holy Spirit, necessarily lead us by many names and concepts toward an understanding of the incorruptible nature, one directing us to one of the concepts that befit God, another to another. So authority over all things is indicated by the name of kingship, while its being unmixed with and free from every passion and all evil is named by the names of the virtues, each of them understood and spoken of in its higher sense; so that the same one is righteousness and wisdom and power and truth, goodness and life and salvation and incorruption, the unchangeable and unalterable, and whatever lofty concept is signified by such names:

### Scripture references

- 1 Tim 6:15: echo, low confidence
- 1 Tim 6:16: echo, low confidence

### Translation notes

- “Christ” (anointed) is explained as “king”, since kings were anointed. The statement that “the Divine is unutterable” is presented as Scripture's teaching but is not a quotation; perhaps an echo of 1 Tim 6:16 (uncertain).

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Prof. Chr. 241 (PG 46:241–242; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-professione-christiana/241).

## On the Christian Profession, Migne cols. 243–244

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-professione-christiana/237/#p-243
- Source: PG 46:243–244
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: Christians share the name of Christ and so must share all the qualities it contains; Christianity is defined as an imitation of the divine nature, a return to the image in which man was made.

### Greek text

πάντα τὸν Χριστὸν καὶ εἶναι καὶ λέγεσθαι. Εἰ τοίνυν περίληψις παντὸς ὑψηλοῦ νοήματος ἐν τῷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ νοεῖται ὀνόματι (τῷ γὰρ ὑψηλοτέρῳ τῶν σημαινομένων καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ περιέχεται, ὡς ἕκαστον τῶν ἄλλων τῇ ἐννοίᾳ τῆς βασιλείας ἐνθεωρεῖσθαι), τάχα δι' ἀκολούθου γένοιτο ἄν τις ἡμῖν τῆς τοῦ Χριστιανισμοῦ ἑρμηνείας ἡ κατανόησις. Εἰ γὰρ τῷ ὑπερέχοντι τῶν τῆς ἀφθάρτου φύσεως ἑρμηνευτικῶν ὀνομάτων συνονομαζόμεθα οἱ διὰ τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν πίστεως πρὸς αὐτὸν συναπτόμενοι, ἀνάγκη πᾶσά ἐστι, καὶ ὅσα μετὰ τοῦ ὀνόματος τούτου περὶ τὴν ἄφθαρτον ἐκείνην θεωρεῖται φύσιν νοήματα, καὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνα ἡμῖν τὴν ὁμωνυμίαν κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον γίνεσθαι. Ὡς γὰρ τῇ μετοχῇ τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὴν τοῦ Χριστιανοῦ προσηγορίαν ἐσχήκαμεν, οὕτω προσήκει κατὰ τὸ ἀκόλουθον, καὶ πάντων ἡμᾶς τῶν ὑψηλῶν ὀνομάτων τὴν κοινωνίαν ἐφέλκεσθαι. Καὶ καθάπερ ἐπὶ ἀλύσεως ὁ τὴν κατὰ τὸ ἄκρον ἀγκύλην ἐπισπασάμενος, τὰς συμφυῶς ἐχομένας ἀλλήλων διὰ τῆς μιᾶς ἂν ἐφελκύσαιτο οὕτως, ἐπειδὴ τῷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὀνόματι συμφυῶς ἔχει καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῶν ἑρμηνευτικῶν τῆς ἀφράστου καὶ πολυειδοῦς ἐκείνης μακαριότητος, ἐπάναγκες ἂν εἴη τὸν τοῦ ἑνὸς δραξάμενον, καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ τῷ ἑνὶ συνεφέλκεσθαι. Εἰ τοίνυν τὸ μὲν ὄνομά τις τοῦ Χριστοῦ ὑποδύοιτο, ὅσα δὲ τῷ ὀνόματι τούτῳ συνθεωρεῖται μὴ δεικνύοι τῷ βίῳ, καταψεύδεται τοῦ ὀνόματος ὁ τοιοῦτος, κατὰ τὸ προτεθὲν ἡμῖν ὑπόδειγμα, προσωπείον ἄψυχον, ἀνθρωπίνῳ χαρακτῆρι μεμορφωμένον, περιθεὶς τῷ πιθήκῳ. Οὔτε γὰρ τὸν Χριστὸν ἔστι μὴ δικαιοσύνην εἶναι, καὶ καθαρότητα, καὶ ἀλήθειαν, καὶ κακοῦ παντὸς ἀλλοτρίωσιν, οὔτε Χριστιανὸν ἔστιν εἶναι (τόν γε ἀληθῶς Χριστιανὸν), μὴ κἀκείνων τῶν ὀνομάτων τὴν κοινωνίαν ἐν ἑαυτῷ δεικνύοντα. Οὐκοῦν, ὡς ἄν τις ὅρῳ τοῦ Χριστιανισμοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν ἑρμηνεύσειεν, οὕτως ἐροῦμεν, ὅτι Χριστιανισμός ἐστι τῆς θείας φύσεως μίμησις. Καὶ μηδεὶς ὡς ὑπέρογκον καὶ ὑπερβαίνοντα τὴν τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν ταπεινότητα διαβαλλέτω τὸν ὅρον· οὐ γὰρ ἐξέβη τὴν φύσιν ὁ ὅρος. Εἰ γάρ τις τὴν πρώτην κατάστασιν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου λογίσαιτο, εὑρήσει διὰ τῶν Γραφικῶν διδαγμάτων, ὅτι οὐκ ἐξῆλθε τὰ μέτρα τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν ὁ ὅρος. Ἡ γὰρ πρώτη τοῦ ἀνθρώπου κατασκευὴ κατὰ μίμησιν τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ ὁμοιότητος ἦν (οὕτω τοῦ Μωϋσέως περὶ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου φιλοσοφήσαντος, ἐν οἷς φησιν, ὅτι Ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἄνθρωπον· κατ' εἰκόνα Θεοῦ ἐποίησεν αὐτόν) καὶ ἡ τοῦ Χριστιανισμοῦ ἐπαγγελία ἐστὶ τὸ εἰς τὴν ἀρχαίαν εὐκληρίαν ἐπαναχθῆναι τὸν ἄνθρωπον. Εἰ δὲ τὸ ἀρχαῖον Θεοῦ ὁμοίωμα ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἦν, τάχα οὐκ ἔξω τοῦ σκοποῦ τὸν ὁρισμὸν πεποιήμεθα, μίμησιν θείας φύσεως τὸν Χριστιανισμὸν εἶναι ἀποφηνάμενοι. Ἡ μὲν οὖν ὑπόσχεσις τῆς προσηγορίας

### English translation (Claude)

Christ both is, and is called, all of these. If, then, a summing up of every lofty concept is understood in the name of Christ (for the rest are contained in the highest of the things signified, so that each of the others is seen within the idea of kingship), perhaps it would follow that we could come to understand what “Christianity” means. For if we who are joined to him through faith in him are named together with the name that surpasses the names expressing the incorruptible nature, it is wholly necessary that, consequently, we should also come to share the names of all the concepts that are contemplated in that incorruptible nature along with this name. For as by participation in Christ we have received the title of Christian, so it is fitting that, consequently, we should also draw to ourselves a share in all the lofty names. And as with a chain, whoever pulls the link at the end draws through that one link the others that are naturally joined to one another, so, since the other names that express that unutterable and manifold blessedness are naturally joined to the name of Christ, whoever grasps the one must necessarily draw the rest along with the one. If, then, someone puts on the name of Christ but does not show in his life what is contemplated together with this name, such a person belies the name, putting, as in the example set before us, a lifeless mask shaped with human features on the ape. For it is not possible for Christ not to be righteousness and purity and truth and estrangement from every evil, nor is it possible to be a Christian (a true Christian, that is) without showing in oneself a share in those names as well. So if one were to state the meaning of Christianity by a definition, we will say this: Christianity is an imitation of the divine nature. And let no one find fault with the definition as excessive and beyond the lowliness of our nature; for the definition has not gone beyond nature. For if one considers the first state of man, he will find from the teachings of Scripture that the definition did not exceed the limits of our nature. For the first making of man was in imitation of the likeness of God (so Moses taught as a philosopher about man, where he says, “God made man; in the image of God he made him”), and the promise of Christianity is that man should be brought back to his original good fortune. If man was originally a likeness of God, perhaps we have not made our definition beside the mark in declaring that Christianity is an imitation of the divine nature. The promise of the title, then, is

### Scripture references

- Gen 1:27: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- The definition “Christianity is an imitation of the divine nature” is the letter's thesis. Several lines are out of order in the digitized page; they are restored by logged corrections.

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Prof. Chr. 243 (PG 46:243–244; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-professione-christiana/243).

## On the Christian Profession, Migne cols. 245–246

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-professione-christiana/237/#p-245
- Source: PG 46:245–246
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: A Christian who lives badly misrepresents God as a bad painter misrepresents a king; Christ's command to be perfect like the Father means imitating God's good activities by keeping free from evil.

### Greek text

οὕτω μεγάλη. Καιρὸς δ᾽ ἂν εἴη διασκοπῆσαι, εἰ τὸ μὴ οὕτως ἔχειν κατὰ τὸν βίον, ἀκίνδυνόν ἐστι τῷ προβαλλομένῳ τὸ ὄνομα. Γένοιτο δ᾽ ἂν ἐξ ὑποδειγμάτων σαφὲς τὸ ζητούμενον· Ὑποκείσθω τις γραφικὴν ἐπαγγελλόμενος τέχνην, γενέσθω δὲ τούτῳ πρόσταγμα τοῦ κρατοῦντος, τοῖς πόῤῥωθεν ἀπῳκισμένοις χαράξαι τὴν τῆς βασιλείας μορφήν. Εἰ τοίνυν εἰδεχθές τι καὶ δύσμορφον εἶδος ἐπὶ τοῦ πίνακος διαχαράξας, εἰκόνα βασιλέως τὴν ἀσχήμονα ταύτην μορφὴν ὀνομάσειεν· ἆρα οὐκ εἰκὸς ἀγανακτῆσαι τὴν ἐξουσίαν, ὡς τοῦ ἀρχετύπου κάλλους διὰ τῆς κακῆς ἐκείνης γραφῆς ἐν τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσιν ὑβριζομένου; Οἷον γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς εἰκόνος τὸ εἶδος δείκνυται, τοιαύτην ἀνάγκη καὶ τὴν ἀρχέτυπον νομισθῆναι μορφήν. Εἰ οὖν Θεοῦ μίμησιν τὸν Χριστιανισμὸν ὁ ὅρος φησὶν, ὁ μήπω δεξάμενος τοῦ μυστηρίου τὸν λόγον, οἷον ἂν ἡμῖν ἴδῃ τὸν βίον τὸν κατὰ μίμησιν Θεοῦ κατορθοῦσθαι πεπιστευμένον, τοιοῦτον ἡμῶν καὶ τὸ Θεῖον οἰήσεται. Ὥστε εἰ μὲν παντὸς ἀγαθοῦ ὑποδείγματα βλέποι, ἀγαθὸν τὸ Θεῖον εἶναι πιστεύσει τὸ παρ᾿ ἡμῶν σεβαζόμενον· εἰ δέ τις ἐμπαθὴς εἴη καὶ θηριώδης, ἄλλοτε πρὸς ἄλλα πάθη μεμορφωμένος θηρίων ἐν τῷ ἤθει μορφὰς (θηρία γὰρ ἄντικρυς ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ταῖς τῆς φύσεως ἡμῶν παρατροπαῖς ἐμμορφούμενα), ἔπειτα Χριστιανὸν ἑαυτὸν ὁ τοιοῦτος ὀνομάζοι, φανεροῦ πᾶσιν ὄντος, ὅτι ἡ ὑπόσχεσις τοῦ ὀνόματος μίμησιν Θεοῦ ἐπαγγέλλεται· ψεκτὸν ἐν τῷ ἰδίῳ βίῳ τὸ πεπιστευμένον παρ' ἡμῶν Θεῖον ἐν τοῖς ἀπίστοις ποιήσει. Διὸ καὶ ἀπειλήν τινα φοβερωτέραν ἡ Γραφὴ τοῖς τοιούτοις ἐπαγγέλλεται, λέγουσα· Οὐαὶ, δι᾽ οὓς τὸ ὄνομά μου βλασφημείται ἐν τοῖς ἔθνεσι! Καί μοι δοκεῖ πρὸς ταύτην μάλιστα τὴν διάνοιαν ὁδηγῶν ἡμᾶς ὁ Κύριος, τοῦτο πρὸς τοὺς ἀκοῦσαι δυναμένους εἰπεῖν, ὅτι Γίνεσθε τέλειοι, ὡς καὶ ὁ Πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος τέλειός ἐστιν. Ὁ γὰρ Πατέρα τῶν πεπιστευκότων, τὸν ἀληθινὸν ὀνομάσας Πατέρα, βούλεται πρὸς τὴν ἐν ἐκείνῳ θεωρουμένην τῶν ἀγαθῶν τελειότητα καὶ τοὺς δι' αὐτοῦ γεννηθέντας ὁμοίως ἔχειν. Ἐρεῖς οὖν μοι· Καὶ πῶς ἂν γένοιτο ἀνθρωπίνην ταπεινότητα πρὸς τὴν ἐν τῷ Θεῷ καθορωμένην μακαριότητα ἐπεκτείνεσθαι, ὡς αὐτόθεν τῷ προςτάγματι τῆς ἀμηχανίας προφαινομένης; Πῶς γὰρ ἂν γένοιτο δυνατὸν, πρὸς τὸν ἐν οὐρανοῖς ὁμοιωθῆναι τὸν γήϊνον, αὐτῆς τῆς κατὰ τὴν φύσιν διαφορᾶς δεικνυούσης τὸ ἀνέφικτον τῆς μιμήσεως; Ἐπ᾽ ἴσης γὰρ εἶναι ἀμήχανον, τῷ τε οὐρανίῳ μεγέθει καὶ τοῖς ἐν αὐτῷ κάλλεσι τὴν ὄψιν παρισάζεσθαι, καὶ τὸν ἐκ γῆς ἄνθρωπον τῷ οὐρανίῳ ὁμοιοῦσθαι Θεῷ. Ἀλλὰ σαφής ὁ περὶ τούτου λόγος· ὅτι οὐ τῇ φύσει τῇ θείᾳ τὴν φύσιν τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην συγκρίνεσθαι κελεύει τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, ἀλλὰ τὰς ἀγαθὰς ἐνεργείας, καθὼς ἂν ᾗ δυνατὸν, μιμεῖσθαι τῷ βίῳ. Τίνες οὖν εἰσιν αἱ παρ' ἡμῶν ἐνέργειαι πρὸς τὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐνεργείας ὁμοίως ἔχουσαι; Τὸ πάσης κακίας ἀλλοτριοῦσθαι, καθὼς ἂν ᾗ δυνατὸν, ἔργῳ τε καὶ λόγῳ καὶ διανοίᾳ τῶν παρ' αὐτῆς μολυσμῶν καθαρεύοντας· τοῦτο μίμησίς ἐστιν ὡς ἀληθῶς τῆς θείας τε καὶ τῆς περὶ τὸν οὐράνιον

### English translation (Claude)

this great. It is time to consider whether failing to live this way is without danger for the one who bears the name. What we are seeking may become clear from examples. Suppose someone professes the art of painting, and he receives an order from the ruler to portray the royal form for those who live far off. If, then, he paints some ugly and misshapen figure on the panel and calls this unsightly form the image of the king, would the ruling power not have reason to be angry, since the original beauty would be insulted, through that bad painting, among those who do not know it? For whatever form is shown in the image, such the original form too must be thought to be. If, then, the definition says that Christianity is an imitation of God, one who has not yet received the word of the mystery will think that our Divine is like the life he sees in us, who are believed to accomplish it in imitation of God. So if he sees examples of every good, he will believe that the Divine we worship is good; but if someone is passionate and bestial, shaped in his character now toward one passion, now toward another, into the forms of beasts (for one can see beasts outright taking form in the perversions of our nature), and then such a person calls himself a Christian, when it is plain to all that the promise of the name professes imitation of God, he will make the Divine we believe in blameworthy among unbelievers through his own life. This is why Scripture also proclaims a more fearful threat against such people, saying, “Woe to those because of whom my name is blasphemed among the nations!” And it seems to me that it was above all to lead us to this thought that the Lord said to those who could hear, “Become perfect, as your heavenly Father also is perfect.” For he who named the true Father the Father of those who have believed wishes those born through him to be like the perfection of good things seen in him. You will say to me, then, “And how could human lowliness stretch out to the blessedness seen in God, when the impossibility shows itself at once in the command? For how could it be possible for the earthly one to be made like the one in heaven, when the very difference of nature shows that the imitation is out of reach? For it is equally impossible to make one's sight match the heavenly magnitude and its beauties, and for man, who is from the earth, to be made like the heavenly God.” But the answer to this is clear: the Gospel does not command that human nature be compared with the divine nature, but that we imitate its good activities in our life as far as possible. Which of our activities, then, are like the activities of God? To be estranged from all evil as far as possible, keeping pure from its defilements in deed and word and thought: this is truly an imitation of the divine [perfection], and of [the perfection] that surrounds the heavenly

### Scripture references

- Isa 52:5: quotation, medium confidence
- Rom 2:24: quotation, high confidence
- Matt 5:48: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- “Woe to those because of whom my name is blasphemed among the nations”: Isa 52:5, as quoted in Rom 2:24, with “woe” added; the same form is found in Ignatius (Trall. 8.2) and Polycarp (Phil. 10.3). The sentence breaks off at the page end and the next page begins with a displaced line; some words appear to be lost, and the bracketed words are supplied by sense.

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Prof. Chr. 245 (PG 46:245–246; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-professione-christiana/245).

## On the Christian Profession, Migne cols. 247–248

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-professione-christiana/237/#p-247
- Source: PG 46:247–248
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: Heaven is not God's separate dwelling, since God is everywhere; to imitate the heavenly Father is to be free of earthly passions, which is done by choice, not by changing place, and so is easy for one who wishes.

### Greek text

Οὐ γάρ μοι δοκεῖ τὸ στοιχεῖον τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καθάπερ τι κεχωρισμένον ἐνδιαίτημα Θεοῦ λέγειν τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, ἐν οἷς προστάσσει τελειοῦσθαι ἡμᾶς, κατὰ τὸν ἐπουράνιον Πατέρα διότι τὸ Θεῖον κατὰ τὸ ἱσον ἐν πᾶσίν ἐστι, καὶ διὰ πάσης ὡσαύτως διήκει τῆς κτίσεως, καὶ οὐδὲν ἂν χωρισθὲν τοῦ ὄντος ἐν τῷ εἶναι μένοι, ἀλλ᾽ ὁμοτίμως ἑκάστου τῶν ὄντων ἡ θεία φύσις ἐφάπτεται, πάντα τῇ περιεκτικῇ δυνάμει ἐντὸς ἑαυτῆς περιείργουσα· καθάπερ καὶ Προφήτης τοῦτο παιδεύει λέγων, ὅτι Κἂν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ γένωμαι τῇ διανοίᾳ, κἂν τὰ ὑπόγεια τῷ λογισμῷ καταδυεὶς ἐξετάσω, κἂν ἐπὶ τὰ πέρατα τῶν ὄντων τὸ διανοητικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς ἐπεκτείνω, πάντα ὁρῶ τῇ δεξιᾷ σου περικρατούμενα. Ἔχει δὲ ἡ λέξις τοῦτον τὸν τρόπον Ἐὰν ἀναβῶ εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν, σὺ εἶ ἐκεῖ· εἰ καταβῶ εἰς τὸν ᾅδην, πάρει. Εἰ ἀναλάβοιμι τὰς πτέρυγάς μου κατ' ὄρθρον, καὶ κατασκηνώσω εἰς τὰ ἔσχατα τῆς θαλάσσης καὶ γὰρ ἐκεῖ ἡ χείρ σου ὁδηγήσει με, καὶ καθέξει με ἡ δεξιά σου. Οὐκοῦν ἐκ τούτων ἔστι μαθεῖν, τὸ μὴ ἀφωρίσθαι κατ᾿ ἐξαίρετον τῷ Θεῷ τὴν οὐράνιον οἴκησιν. ᾿Αλλ' ἐπεί γε ἐπίσταται καθαρεύειν κακίας ἡ ἄνω λῆξις (τοῦτο πολλαχῆ τῆς ἁγίας Γραφῆς παρασημηναμένης ἡμῖν δι' αἰνίγματος), καὶ τῇ κάτω ταύτῃ τῇ ὑλωδεστέρᾳ ζωῇ τὰ κατὰ κακίαν ἐνεργεῖται πάθη, ὧδε τοῦ εὑρέτου τῆς κακίας ὄφεως περὶ τὸν γήΐνον βίον ίλυσπωμένου καὶ ἔρποντος, καθώς φησιν ὁ λόγος περὶ αὐτοῦ ἐν αἰνίγματι, ὅτι ἐπὶ τὸ στῆθος καὶ τὴν κοιλίαν πορεύεται, καὶ γῆν σιτεῖται διαπαντός. Τοῦτο δὲ τὸ τε σχῆμα τῆς κινήσεως ἡμῖν ἑρμηνεύει, καὶ τὸ τῆς βρώσεως εἶδος· ὅτι γήϊνος οὗτος καὶ κατῳκισμένος βίος ἐστὶν, ὃς τὴν ἑρπηδόνα τῆς πολυτρόπου κακίας ἐφ᾽ ἑαυτοῦ δέχεται, καὶ τροφὴ τοῦ ἐφέρποντος αὐτὸν θηρίου γίνεται. Οὐκοῦν ὁ τὸν οὐράνιον μιμεῖσθαι κελεύων Πατέρα, τῶν γηΐνων παθῶν καθαρεύειν κελεύει, ὧν ἡ ἀπόστασις οὐ διὰ τοπικῆς μεταβάσεως, ἀλλὰ διὰ προαιρέσεως ἐνεργεῖται μόνης. Εἰ οὖν ἐν μόνῃ τῆς διανοίας ὁρμῇ κατορθοῦσθαι πέφυκεν ἡ τοῦ κακοῦ ἀλλοτρίωσις, οὐδὲν ἐπίπονον ἡμῖν ὁ εὐαγγελικὸς ἐγκέλεύεται λόγος. Οὐδὲ γὰρ συνέζευκται κόπος τῇ τῆς διανοίας ὁρμῇ, ἀλλ᾽ ἔξεστιν ἡμῖν ἀπραγματεύτως, ὅπουπερ ἂν θέλοιμεν, δι' ἐνθυμήσεων παραγίνεσθαι· ὥστε τὴν οὐράνιον διαγωγὴν ῥάδιον εἶναι τῷ βουλομένῳ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς ἔχειν, καθὼς ὑφηγεῖται τὸ Εὐαγγέλιον, ἐν τῷ φρονεῖν τὰ οὐράνια, καὶ τοῖς ἐκεῖ θησαυροῖς τὸν τῆς ἀρετῆς πλοῦτον ἐναποτίθεσθαι. «Μὴ θησαυρίζετε, γὰρ, φησί, θησαυροὺς ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ἀλλὰ θησαυρίζετε θησαυροὺς ἐν οὐρανοῖς, ὅπου οὔτε σὴς, οὔτε βρῶσις ἀφανίζει, οὔτε κλέπται διορυσσουσι καὶ κλέπτουσιν.» Ἐνδείκνυται δὲ διὰ τούτων, τὸ μηδεμίαν τῇ ἄνω ζωῇ φθαρτικὴν τῆς μακαριότητος ἐμπολιτεύεσθαι δύναμιν. Ὁ γὰρ ἐπὶ λύμῃ τοῦ τῇδε βίου πολυειδῶς τὴν ποικίλην ἑαυτοῦ κακίαν κατὰ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ζωῆς

### English translation (Claude)

For I do not think that the Gospel, when it commands us to be made perfect after the heavenly Father, means the element of heaven, as though it were some separate dwelling of God, since the Divine is equally in all things and pervades all creation alike, and nothing cut off from Being could remain in being; rather, the divine nature touches each of the things that exist in equal measure, enclosing all things within itself by its encompassing power. So the Prophet also teaches this, saying that even if I go up to heaven in thought, even if I sink down in reasoning and search out the regions under the earth, even if I stretch the thinking power of the soul to the ends of what exists, I see all things held fast by your right hand. The wording runs like this: “If I go up into heaven, you are there; if I go down into Hades, you are present. If I take up my wings at dawn and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there your hand will lead me, and your right hand will hold me.” From these words, then, we can learn that the heavenly dwelling is not set apart for God as his special place. But since it is understood that the realm above is pure of evil (holy Scripture indicates this to us in many places through enigmas), while the passions of evil are at work in this lower and more material life (here the serpent, the inventor of evil, wriggles and creeps about earthly life, as the word says of him in an enigma, that he goes on his breast and belly and eats earth continually; this explains to us both the form of his movement and the kind of his food, that this earthly, settled life is what receives the creeping of many-shaped evil upon itself and becomes food for the beast that creeps over it), he who commands us to imitate the heavenly Father commands us to be pure of earthly passions, departure from which is effected not by moving from place to place but by choice alone. If, then, estrangement from evil is naturally achieved by the impulse of the mind alone, the word of the Gospel commands nothing toilsome of us. For no toil is yoked to the impulse of the mind; we can arrive without trouble wherever we wish through our thoughts, so that it is easy for whoever wishes to have the heavenly way of life even on earth, as the Gospel teaches, by minding the things of heaven and storing up the wealth of virtue in the treasuries there. “For do not store up,” he says, “treasures on earth, but store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, nor thieves break in and steal.” By these words he shows that no power destructive of blessedness dwells in the life above. For the one who, for the ruin of life here, works his varied evil in many forms against human life

### Scripture references

- Ps 139:8 (138:8 LXX): quotation, high confidence
- Ps 139:9 (138:9 LXX): quotation, high confidence
- Ps 139:10 (138:10 LXX): quotation, high confidence
- Gen 3:14: allusion, high confidence
- Col 3:2: echo, low confidence
- Matt 6:19: quotation, high confidence
- Matt 6:20: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- The Psalm is first paraphrased, then quoted (Ps 139:8-10 [LXX 138:8-10]). The serpent “goes on his breast and belly and eats earth”: Gen 3:14 LXX. A line describing the serpent stood displaced at the top of this page and has been restored to its place.

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Prof. Chr. 247 (PG 46:247–248; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-professione-christiana/247).

## On the Christian Profession, Migne cols. 249–250

- URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/gregory-nyssa-professione-christiana/237/#p-249
- Source: PG 46:249–250
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-11-12

Summary: The devil ruins the soul like moth, rust and thieves, but treasure stored with God is safe and multiplied, for God repays small gifts with great and eternal ones; the letter closes with a greeting.

### Greek text

ἐνεργῶν, ἤτοι σητὸς τρόπον ταῖς διανοίαις ἐντίκτεται, ἀχρειῶν τὸ μέρος ᾧπερ ἂν ἐμφυῇ· ἤτοι διὰ τῆς βρωτικῆς τε καὶ ἀφανιστικῆς δυνάμεως, εἰ μὴ ταχέως ἀποτιναχθείη τοῦ μέρους, πρὸς τὰ παρακείμενα μεθέρπων, διαφθορᾶς ἔχνος, οἷς ἂν ἐμπελάσῃ, διὰ τῆς κινήσεως ἐνσημαίνεται ἢ, εἴπερ τὰ ἐντὸς ἀσφαλῶς ἔχοι, διὰ τῶν ἔξωθεν περιστάσεων ἐπιβουλεύει. Ἢ γὰρ δι' ἡδονῆς τὸν θησαυρὸν τῆς καρδίας ἐτοιχωρύχησεν, ἢ δι᾽ ἑτέρου πάθους κενὸν τῆς ἀρετῆς τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς δοχεῖον ἐποίησε, θυμῷ ἢ λύπῃ ἢ ἄλλῳ τινὶ τοιούτῳ πάθει τὸν λογισμὸν ὑποκλέψας. Ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐν τοῖς ἄνω θησαυροῖς, οὔτε σῆτά φησιν, οὔτε βρῶσιν ὁ Κύριος γίνεσθαι, οὔτε τὴν ἀπὸ τῆς κλεπτικῆς κακίαν διδάσκουσαν ταῦτα, ἅπερ ὑπενοήσαμεν• ἐκεῖ μεταθετέον τὴν ἐμπορίαν, ἐν ᾗ τὸ θησαυρίσαι οὐ μόνον ἄσυλόν τε καὶ ἀμείωτον εἰς ἀεὶ διαμένει, ἀλλὰ καὶ σπερμάτων δίκην, ἐπὶ τὸ πολλαπλάσιον κατεργάζεται τὴν ἐπαύξησιν. Χρὴ γὰρ πάντως τῇ φύσει τοῦ τὴν παρακαταθήκην δεχομένου μεγαλύνεσθαι τὴν ἀντίδοσιν. Ὥσπερ γὰρ ἡμεῖς κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτῶν ἐνεργοῦμεν φύσιν, πτωχὰ προσάγοντες διὰ τὸ πεφυκέναι τοιοῦτοι· οὕτως εἰκὸς, τὸν ἐν παντὶ πλούσιον ὄντα, πέφυκεν ἔχειν, ταῦτα τοῖς προδεδωκόσιν ἀντιχαρίζεσθαι. Μηδεὶς οὖν ἀθυμείτω, τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ δύναμιν τοῖς θείοις θησαυροῖς συνεισφέρων, ὡς πρὸς τὸ μέτρον, ὧν δέδωκε, κομιούμενος, ἀλλ᾽ ἀναμενέτω, κατὰ τὴν ἐπαγγελίαν τοῦ εἰπόντος ὅτι μεγάλα τῶν μικρῶν ἀντικαταλλάξεται, οὐράνια μὲν τῶν γήΐνων, ἀΐδια δὲ τῶν ὠκυμόρων διαμειβόμενος ἃ τοιαῦτα τῇ φύσει ἐστὶν, ὡς μήτε διανοίᾳ δυνατὸν εἶναι ληφθῆναι, μήτε εἰς ἑρμηνείαν λόγου ἐλθεῖν, περὶ ὧν ἡ θεόπνευστος διδάσκει Γραφὴ, ὅτι Οὔτε ὁ ὀφθαλμὸς εἶδεν, οὔτε οὖς ἤκουσεν, οὔτε ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου ἀνέβη, ἃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν. Ταῦτά σοι, ὦ τιμία κεφαλὴ, οὐ μόνον ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐλλειφθέντων γραμμάτων ἀνεπληρώσαμεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ μετὰ ταῦτα γινόμενα ἐλλείμματα προεξητάσαμεν. Σὺ δὲ μοι πράττοις ἐν Κυρίῳ καταθυμίως. Τοῦτο δὲ σοι εἴη διαπαντὸς καταθύμιον, ὃ καὶ τῷ Θεῷ κεχαρισμένον ἐστὶ, καὶ ἡμῖν καταθύμιον.

### English translation (Claude)

either breeds in the mind like a moth, making useless whatever part it grows in; or, by its consuming and destroying power, unless it is quickly shaken off from that part, it creeps on to what lies near and leaves a trace of corruption by its movement on whatever it comes close to; or, if things within are secure, it lays its plots through circumstances from outside. For either it has broken into the treasury of the heart through pleasure, or it has made the soul's vessel empty of virtue through some other passion, stealing away the reasoning by anger or grief or some other such passion. Since, then, the Lord says that in the treasuries above there is neither moth nor rust nor the evil of thieving (these things teaching what we have surmised), we must transfer our trading there, where what is stored up not only remains forever safe and undiminished but also, like seeds, yields a manifold increase. For the return must surely be magnified in keeping with the nature of the one who receives the deposit. Just as we act according to our own nature, offering poor things because we are such by nature, so it is fitting that he who is rich in everything should repay those who have given to him beforehand with what he naturally has. Let no one, then, lose heart when he contributes to the divine treasuries what lies within his power, as though he will receive back only in proportion to what he has given; let him wait instead, according to the promise of him who said that he will exchange great things for small, heavenly things for earthly, eternal for short-lived, things of such a nature that they can neither be grasped by thought nor come into the expression of speech, about which the God-inspired Scripture teaches, “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor has it entered the heart of man, what God has prepared for those who love him.” These things, dear friend, we have filled up for you, not only for the letters that were lacking; we have also paid in advance for the shortfalls that will come later. May you fare in the Lord as you desire. And may your desire always be what is pleasing to God and what we desire too.

### Scripture references

- Matt 6:19: allusion, high confidence
- Matt 6:20: allusion, high confidence
- Matt 19:29: echo, low confidence
- 1 Cor 2:9: quotation, high confidence

### Translation notes

- “Eye has not seen …”: 1 Cor 2:9 (cf. Isa 64:4). The promise to exchange great things for small is not quoted exactly; perhaps an echo of Matt 19:29 (uncertain).

### Citation (SBL)

Gregory of Nyssa, Prof. Chr. 249 (PG 46:249–250; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/p/gregory-nyssa-professione-christiana/249).