Thinking the World: Gregory of Nyssa on the Definitive Calling of Humanity
International Journal of Systematic Theology November 5, 2025 DOI: 10.1111/ijst.70003 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Theoretical or philosophical paper Peer reviewed |
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| Key points | Williams argues that Gregory of Nyssa's account of nous presents it not as a faculty of intellect or soul but as the body's responsive and coherent life, the presence of unified divine activity within the diversity of creation. He contends this reading opens key lines of inquiry for modern theological anthropology, including questions about human consciousness and divine imaging in relation to intelligible communication and speech. |
Abstract
Abstract In this response essay to John Behr’s Gregory of Nyssa: On the Human Image of God , Rowan Williams highlights Gregory’s exposition of the complex account of nous and its meaning in relation to sensory embodiment. Nous , in Gregory’s treatise, is the presence of unified divine activity in the diversity of creation. Created nous , in turn, refers to how the creature harmonizes a diversity of experiences and is thus intrinsic to the life of the senses. Its immateriality and ‘non‐locatability’ suggest that it cannot be described as a faculty of the intellect or soul but rather exists as the body’s responsive and coherent life. Several implications follow: some concerning physical growth and the unfinished character of human life, other questions about the differentiation of the sexes, and still others concerning the intricacies of unity and identity in the divine nature. Through these intersections, Gregory’s writing opens up key lines of inquiry for modern theological anthropology, not least the possibility of seeing anew contemporary questions about human consciousness and the relation of the human creature's divine imaging to intelligible communication and speech.