Giulio Maspero: Re-thinking Gregory of Nyssa's Christology in the light of its use (chrêsis) in the 2nd Council of Constantinople?

The 2nd Council of Constantinople was characterized by a dialectic approach to the previous Christological positions which had led to the condemnations of Origen and of the Three Chapters. At the same time, Justinian's theologians had recourse to Gregory of Nyssa's doctrine on the possibility of distinguishing the hypostatic union of the two natures only through reason (theôria). This shows that the formal insufficiency generally ascribed to the Cappadocian’s Christology should be reconsidered from the perspective of the dogmatic development of the 6th century. However, such a conclusion depends on the question of the correctness of the use of Gregory's theology. This paper analyses this point in the light of the method of the “right use” (usus iustus, chrêsis orthê, chrêsis dikaia) which was typical of the Fathers according to Christian Gnilka.