St. Basil and St. Gregory

Questions to think about during this lesson…

  • Where were St. Basil the Great and St. Gregory of Nyssa from?
  • Around what year was St. Basil the Great probably born?
  • What do we know about their family and how they were brought up?
  • What influenced St. Basil the Great to become a monk?
  • What is the “Rule” of St. Basil the Great?
  • Why did St. Basil the Great leave the monastery and return to Caesarea?
  • What were some examples that demonstrate St. Basil the Great’s dedication to the poor and the needy?
  • Why did many of St. Basil the Great’s friends turn against him?
  • How old was St. Basil the Great when he died? What year was it?
  • Perhaps when St. Basil the Great died he felt he had not accomplished much. Why may he have felt this way?
  • After St. Basil the Great died, who picked up the fight against Arianism?
  • What is one way that St. Basil the Great defended the equality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son?
  • In regard to his contribution to the study of the Bible, what is St. Basil the Great’s most famous exegetical work? (Hint: In the area of biblical studies, it’s unparalleled in the way he handles the text of Genesis.)
  • What was St. Basil the Great’s view of interpreting the Bible with allegory?
  • What do we know about the life of St. Gregory of Nyssa?
  • What did St. Gregory of Nyssa experience that led him to reaffirm his faith?
  • When did St. Gregory of Nyssa die?
  • What was St. Gregory of Nyssa’s view of interpreting the Bible with allegory?
  • In regard to his contribution to the study of the Bible, what are some of St. Gregory of Nyssa’s writings?
  • How can we see in St. Gregory of Nyssa the strong influence of Origen’s method of biblical interpretation?
  • What do we mean when we say that St. Basil the Great seemed to reflect more of an Antiochian method of biblical interpretation (as opposed to the allegorical method offered by the School of Alexandria)?
  • Why did the School of Antioch reject the use of allegory? What did it emphasize instead?
  • In relation to the School of Antioch, what does “theoria” mean?
  • In what century did the School of Antioch emerge?

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