Olympe De Backer: Struggling for the Divine Crown: Agonistic Imagery and Perfection in Gregory of Nyssa’s In inscriptiones Psalmorum

My research examines how Patristic Greek authors between 200 and 400 AD utilised agonistic imagery taken from the world of the stadium to create an attractive discourse on Christian perfection. This paper will specifically focus on the use of agonistic imagery in the context of virtue ethics. Patristic authors frequently drew on this repertoire of metaphors and comparisons to incite their audience to strive for perfection on a daily basis. However, the existing studies on Christian athletic imagery, which offer a mostly descriptive approach, only seldom elaborate on the connection between these images and the rise of a Christian discourse on perfection. The paper will investigate this multifaceted connection by means of Gregory of Nyssa’s In inscriptiones Psalmorum, since the rich agonistic metaphors in this work have never been analysed. In accordance with cognitive-linguistic metaphor theory, the agonistic metaphors will not be considered as mere rhetorical icing on the cake, but as essential elements of Gregory’s discourse. The following questions will be answered: (1) Which agonistic metaphors does Gregory use and how do the different metaphors relate to one another? (2) How does this network of metaphors both reflect and shape Gregory’s thinking on perfection? (3) How do the metaphors enable Gregory to deal with the tension between theoretical and practical perfection? Special attention will be paid to the different athletic characters in the metaphors, such as the gymnastic trainer and the opponent, and to their role in the pursuit of Christian perfection.