Gregory of Nazianzus wrote that God may lead the believer through
this changeable world to a more enduring one. In his orations, that
changeable world is described as a sojourn, whether in the shadow of
death, which must be distinguished from home, or within which some
fixity might be found in asceticism. Believers are located in the role
of sojourners who must decide between the country of their true home and
the alienation into which evil has cast them. Such believers should
view passage out of the sojourn to their true home with relief. Although
this theme does not appear often in Gregory's writings, occurrences are
not bound to specific occasions, such as in funeral speeches, but range
more broadly. This short communication will examine Gregory's use of
the theme of life as sojourn in the context of his soteriology.
Particular focus will be given to his exegesis of relevant texts, and to
comparison of Gregory's use with that found in other writers of the
period.
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