Orthodox Review of Spirituality and Theology
Orthodox Review of Spirituality and Theology
Monique Alexandre
Monique Alexandre. Professor of Greek Patristic Literature at the University of Paris-IV Sorbonne.
Published articles (1)
Christ the master of prayer in Gregory of NyssaThis article by Monique Alexandre focuses on the figure of Christ as master of prayer in Gregory of Nyssa's *Homilies on the Our Father*. The study adopts an exegetical and historical approach, situating the Cappadocian's work within the long tradition of patristic commentaries on the *Pater*, from Origen to Maximus the Confessor. The central idea is that Gregory articulates in an original way the teaching of Christ, virtuous life, and ascent toward God: prayer is not fulfilled in words, but in the moral and spiritual existence of the one who prays. The article highlights Gregory's distinctive contribution: his use of symbolic and philosophical language, the inscription of the petitions of the Our Father within a theology of the fall and restoration, the anti-Pneumatomachian polemic concerning the Lukan variant, and a concrete insistence on the inseparable link between prayer and life that gives these homilies their distinctive pastoral tone.
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