Gregory Bishop of Nyssa is known as “the philosopher and mystic” and was born at Caesarea in the year 335. Gregory is the brother of the famous Basil the Great of Caesarea. He was ordained as a lector; a minor order of the church as a reader of scripture; but left this vocation and became a rhetorician (a persuasive speaker) like his father.

Gregory was married but shortly after his wife’s death, he was quickly convinced to enter the monastery founded by Basil. Basil, was very influential in Gregory’s life and joining the monastery was only the beginning. In 371, at Basil’s persistence, Gregory was consecrated as the bishop of Nyssa. Because of Gregory’s inability to see to the financial matters he was removed by an Arian-dominated synod in 376. Two years later after the death of Arian emperor Valens he returned to Nyssa. The following year his brother Basil died and Gregory continued his brother’s work and became a leader of the church.

Gregory was part of the trio known as Cappadocian Fathers. This trio included his older brother Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nazianzus. The three together advanced the development of early Christian theology including the doctrine of the Trinity and responses to Arianism and Apollinarianism.

- Doctrine of the Trinity is the Christian doctrine that “Father, Son and Holy Spirit” are “one God in three Divine Persons”.

- Arianism was named after the proclamation made by Alexandrian Arius that Jesus was more man but less than God.

- The first great Christian heresy which included the claim that perfect manhood was not accomplished by Christ is called Apollinarianism.

Gregory attended several councils of the early church. These were formal meetings where bishops and representatives of other churches came together to regulate points of the doctrine or disciple. Gregory’s accomplishments and arguments over the above controversies were noted during his attendance at the Council of Antioch in 379 and the Council of Constantinople in 381. He has also been acknowledged as being a pillar of orthodoxy; right thinking.

Gregory has an extensive list of writings which disproved heresies and clarified the position of the Holy Trinity. Being a philosopher, he strived to explain Genesis in regards to the formation of the world; bringing together scripture, philosophy and mysticism. Gregory died after attending the Council of Constantinople in 394.