Gregory of Nyssa and the Absurdity of Political Justice
Gregory of Nyssa (c 335 – after 394) was a bishop in the Roman region of Cappadocia (in what is now Turkey), and, along with his brother Basil and his friend Gregory Nazianzus, he is considered one of the so-called “Cappadocian Fathers”. Gregory of Nyssa is perhaps most famous for his defence of the doctrine of the Trinity, as well as his speculative thoughts on metaphysics and moral perfection. He was the first clearly to claim the infinity of God – a notion which led him to his celebrated idea of epektasis (eternal progress in virtue). In his views on human nature Gregory emphasized freedom, and for this reason Nikolai Berdyaev (Orthodox philosopher and critic of state power), held that Gregory came closest to formulating a true Christian anthropology in his time. While political thought did not have a very prominent place in Gregory’s work, he does have some interesting reflections on the issue of justice – reflections that seem to distance him from his almost