Your hosts dig into Gregory of Nyssa like babes in a garden —only to find they’ve stumbled upon a mountain. Or have they plummeted into an ocean? Do metaphors mean anything at all?

Gregory’s essay on biblical interpretation distills the patristic allegorical approach while his vision of divine ascent is hazy with nuptial wine: the soul’s journey to God is not only an enlightening but also an erotic union.

With Origen hovering like a familiar ghost and Song of Songs as the textual vineyard, your hosts light some candles in Nyssa.

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We discussed the text in this edition with a new translation and notes: Richard A. Norris, Gregory of Nyssa: Homilies on the Song of Songs (SBL)