Volker Drecoll - Workshop: The Impact of Basil of Caesarea on the Theology of Gregory of Nyssa (Cassin/Drecoll) Paper belonging to the workshop: Volker Henning Drecoll: Basil and Gregory on Psalms

In the past, Basil’s Homilies on the Psalms have not been the subject of intensive scholarly discussion. The reason for this may be the fact that there is only the (not very reliable) Migne-edition (a new edition is in preparation for the Sources chrétiennes). Therefore, the character of the Homilies is quite unclear (real homilies, revised versions or literary works?). The beginning of the Homily on Psalm 1 is a general introduction on how to read psalms. Of course, we could imagine that this is simply the opening of a series of homilies on psalms – or we could assume that this introductory part was added before a later publication. In any case, this part is very important for determining Basil’s approach to the psalms. Gregory of Nyssa wrote two exegetical works on the Psalms: a) a (very short) exegesis of Psalm 6, and b) the Work “On the inscriptions of the Psalms”. In the last two decades, this work has received several translations and much scholarly attention (Heine, Reynard, Traverso, Rondeau). The work consists of two parts. The first part is a general analysis of the aim and the spiritual meaning of the Psalms (that deals especially with the five-parts-division of the Book of Psalms). The beginning of this part is an address to an unnamed person who asked Gregory for an exegesis of the inscriptions of the Psalms. Even if the identity of this person is unclear and perhaps only fictional or rhetorical (Gregory would presumably not have hidden the name of Macrina or Basil), this opening leads to the question of the identity the possible addressee of the work. 

The question of whether Gregory in his approach to the psalms was influenced by Basil’s Homilies has not yet been intensively discussed. This paper will compare a) the introductory parts that explain the aim of the exegesis of the psalms in general, their impact on ethics and spiritual ascent, and b) Basil’s explanations of the inscriptions with those of Gregory (Bas., Hom. Ps. VII,1 cf. Greg., GNO V/1, p. 121; Bas., Hom. Ps. XXVIII and XXIX cf. Greg., GNO V/1, p. 87f.; Bas., Hom.Ps. XXXII cf. Greg., GNO V/1, p. 94; Bas., Hom.Ps. XLIV cf. Greg., GNO V/1, p. 82; Bas., Hom.Ps. XLV cf. Greg., GNO V/1, p. 126; Bas. Hom. Ps. LIX cf. Greg., GNO V/1, p. 80). In this way it will be shown not only that Gregory was familiar with the approach of his elder brother, but also how he (considerably) modified it.