Gregory of Nyssa on Human Body

Gregory of Nyssa on Human Body

Francis Ching-wah YIP

Gregory of Nyssa was an important father of the Eastern church. Faithful to the biblical tradition while critically adopting Greek thought, he affirmed the significance and goodness of the body. He stressed the close relationship between the soul and the body. The human body can express and reflect the image of God. Gregory proposed a theory of the twofold creation of humans. On the one hand, God created the whole humanity in his image. On the other hand, as he foresaw the fall of human beings, he implanted in human nature the way of sexual reproduction pertaining to animals, in order that the number of human beings would not diminish. In God's providence, even bodily death has positive, salvific significance.