A Comparative Analysis of Gregory of Nazianzus's Apologeticus and Gregory the Great's Pastoral Care

This thesis contributes to the scholarly field by providing a detailed analysis of how the intertextual expression of dimensions of pastoral care was undergirded by a shared framework. I concentrate on the eastern thought of Gregory Nazianzen who lived during the fourth century, and the western thought of Gregory the Great who lived during the sixth/early seventh centuries. The specific question which my analysis addresses is that of the extent to which there was a shared world of pastoral thought between the East and the West as expressed through the pastoral treatises of Gregory Nazianzen and Gregory the Great. I focus on how intertextuality is expressed through biblical analogy in Gregory Nazianzen’s and Pope Gregory’s pastoral treatises. In stressing the deeper connotations which these two men express through their deployment of what are predominantly biblical analogies, my investigation explores an area which has not been considered with the same degree of attention by other scholars. Moreover, my analysis identifies how Gregory Nazianzen’s and Gregory the Great’s similar treatments of what are predominantly biblical analogies are undergirded by a shared notion of a multifaceted pastoral framework. I aim to show that although pastoral thought did evolve over the time which elapsed between when Gregory Nazianzen and Gregory the Great lived, there was a certain degree of shared and consistent thought pertaining to the discharge of pastoral care. Moreover, I aim to show that there is a framework for understanding the degree of similarity between the two men’s literary styles as they pursued their shared literary agenda. My methodology focuses predominantly on exploring Gregory Nazianzen’s and Gregory the Great’s use of biblical analogy. I demonstrate how the seemingly complex web of analogies, which shows Gregory Nazianzen’s and Gregory the Great’s rich intertextual approaches to conveying pastoral care, is fortified by certain shared understandings of a pastoral framework. My findings present a spiritual understanding of the pastoral endeavour which is very much contextualised by reference to God. At the same time, my investigation invites other scholars to apply my findings to other late antique Christian authors who wrote about pastoral care or, more broadly, about Christian leadership.<p></p>

Author dc:creator

• Gearóid Fitzgerald (21040037)

• Gregory Nazianzen
• Gregory the Great

Statement dc:rights

• All rights reserved

Identifier

10779/exe.32228907.v1

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:figshare.com:article/32228907