When examining the work of Saint Gregory, it can be seen that his work delves deeply into philosophical introspection rather than pure doctrinal analysis as compared to a large portion of many of today’s theological text examining the New Testament.
From a certain perspective, it can be stated that the work of Saint Gregory was more “liberal” in that it delved deeply into the message of the various religious text he examined (i.e. the spirit of the work rather than its literal meaning) rather than the superficial elements that resulted in a far too “literal” application utilized in Christianity at the time. One way of looking at this would be to compare it to the work of Saint Paul.
When reading through the work of Saint Paul, it can be seen that his style of writing/ delivery of certain aspects of religious introspection were somewhat “limited” in that he placed a greater degree of importance towards miracles, set interpretations of the works and the message of Christ (i.e. lacking in abstract interpretation or deeper introspection) and focused more on practical applications of the Gospel message of Christ (i.e. salvation, atonement, forgiveness) rather than focusing on aspects related to deeper theological interpretations (i.e. acceptance of all types of people, gender equality, good works rather than prayer etc.).
Thus, when examining the perspective of Fee in this regard, I can state that I regard St. Gregory rather than the Apostle Paul as being far more helpful. The reason behind this is quite simple, based on the work of Kieran (2012) which examined the development of various aspects of religious theology, it was stated that one of the inherent problems with religious doctrines at the present is connected to a lack of sufficient philosophical introspection in an examination of the gospel as well as many religious works.
Kieran (2012) even states that while the more “literal” interpretations of the gospel had worked in the past due to the manner in which society existed at the time, with the rapidly changing and evolving nature of society at the present (i.e. greater acceptance of homosexuality and the need for better methods of birth control to limit rapid population growth), it has become more essential than ever to delve into the more philosophical rather than the literal aspects of the bible and the gospel message of Christ.
Some of my colleagues in this regard agree to a certain extent with my perspective, as such, it is necessary to be more flexible, become more introspective and focus more on the essential philosophy of the gospel rather than literal interpretations. The rapidly evolving nature of society at the present makes such a strategy essential in order to continue spreading the gospel message of Christ.
This, I believe, is where the current church fails at since, as of late, there has been a promotion of literal rather than philosophical interpretations of the gospel. On the other hand, it should be noted that when examining the work of Kariatlis (2011) which delves into Saint Gregory’s teachings, it is seen that the more straightforward interpretations of the gospel message have helped to reduce the apparent confusion in relation to proper interpretations of church teachings.
It is based on this that when examining the work of Fee and the assigned readings, it is more or less based on an individual’s personal inclination towards how they believe the teachings of the gospel should be implemented.
Reference List
Behr, John. 2002. “On God and Christ: the five Theological Orations and Two letters to Cledonius, St Gregory of Nazianzus.” ST Vladimir’s Seminary Press, New York.
Fee, Gordon D. 1998. “Paul the Spirit and the People of God.” Baker Academic, California.
Harakas, Stanley S. 2010. “Presuppositions for Ethical Method in St. Gregory the Theologian’s Five Theological Orations.” Greek Orthodox Theological Review 55, no. 1-4: 89-126. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost.
Kariatlis, Philip. 2011. “What then? is the spirit god? certainly!” St Gregory’s teaching on the holy spirit as the basis of the world’s salvation. (cover story).” Phronema 26, no. 2: 81-102. Academic Search Premier, EBSCOhost.
Kieran, Patricia. 2012. “Striving for the obtainable? Creative Religious Education and Catechesis.” Pastoral Review 33. MasterFILE Complete, EBSCOhost.
Erickson, Millard J. 2007. “Christian Theology.” Baker Academic, Grand Rapids.