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Although the reception of the Eastern Father Gregory of Nyssa has varied over the centuries, the past few decades have witnessed a profound awakening of interest in his thought. The Body and Desire sets out to retrieve the full range of Gregory’s thinking on the challenges of the ascetic life by examining within the context of his theological commitments his evolving attitudes on what we now call gender, sex, and sexuality. Exploring Gregory’s understanding of the importance of bodily and spiritual maturation for the practices of contemplation and virtue, Raphael A. Cadenhead recovers the vital relevance of this vision of transformation for contemporary ethical discourse.
Raphael A. Cadenhead holds a doctorate in Theology and Religious Studies from the University of Cambridge.
AcknowledgmentsIntroductionSetting the SceneThe Structure of the StudyResisting the Charge of Anachronism: Semantic andTerminological ClarificationsThe Renaissance of Scholarly Interest in Gregory of Nyssa:From Obscurity to Approbation to EisegesisPreludeChristianity after Constantine’s ConversionThe Burgeoning Monastic MovementThe Asceticism of Gregory’s FamilyConclusionpart one. the early phase, 371–september 378:the integrative significance of the body in the life of virtue1. Marriage, Celibacy, and PederastyMarriage and CelibacyPederasty and CelibacyConclusion2. The Integration of the VirtuesSexual Lust in the De virginitateThe Reciprocity of the VirtuesThe Proliferation of Vice and the Example of Gluttony3. Gregory’s Emerging Theory of DesireErotic DesireThe Criterion of NeedThe PassionsModerationSatiety versus FulfillmentThe Moral Evocations of Male and Female CharacteristicsConclusionpart two. the middle phase, september 378–387:the ascetical and eschatological mixtureof male and female4. A Worldly Life of Desire: Marriage, Children, Money, and SexThe Problems of MarriagePhysical FecundityThe Particular Challenges of Sexual ViceThe Moral Evocations of Male and Female Characteristics5. The Death of Siblings“No Longer Male and Female . . . in Christ Jesus”Sexual Morphology: Anthropological and Eschatological PerspectivesRefinements in Gregory’s Theory of Desire6. Doctrinal Controversies: Christological and TrinitarianThe Diachronic Unfolding of the Spiritual Life: Christological ReflectionsGregory’s Doctrine of God: Intra-Trinitarian Relationships and the Ascetic LifeConclusionpart three. the late phase, 387–394: erotic intimacywith Christ and the maturation of desire7. Spiritual Maturation: Virginity and the Narrative of ProgressRecasting VirginityThe Diachronic Train of Moral and Spiritual Progress8. Male and Female: Diachronic ExchangesMale and Female in the Late PeriodIntimacy with ChristConclusionConclusionOverviewThe Challenges Posed to Contemporary Ethical DiscourseAppendixAbbreviationsNotesBibliographyIndex
