The Legacy of Origen in Gregory of Nyssa's Theology of Freedom

This essay will argue that what I call Gregory of Nyssa's 'theology of freedom' (which gave rise, among other things, to his powerful theological arguments against slavery and social injustice) is grounded in Origen's own theology of freedom. I will first introduce the uniqueness of Gregory's arguments against slavery and social injustice, and their theological bases, pointing out how these, more broadly, are part and parcel of Gregory's theology of freedom. I shall then investigate briefly Origen's own all-important theology of freedom-how freedom is at the centre of Origen's Trinitarian theology, cosmology, and anthropology. Finally, I shall trace Gregory's theology of freedom and his arguments against slavery and socio-economic injustice back to Origen's influence. Indeed, the main reason why Gregory was able to develop such a theology of freedom and use it against slavery and social iniquity is, I will argue, due to his commitment to the Origenian theology of freedom.