Rest and Motion.
The earth is in a state of both rest and motion. The
combination of these two opposing principles is responsible for the harmony of
the world. Rest can appear in motion and movement can occur in immobility. "All
things exist in each other and support each other. There is a cyclical force in
the world which transforms everything from one state to another and constantly
brings things back to what they were before. This force forms a circle which
rotates around itself and constantly makes the same revolutions so that nothing
diminishes and nothing is added but everything abides as it was in the
beginning." This is the harmony of the world, a "musical proportionateness,"
"the first, archetypal, truest music." The world is a "harmonious and
wonderfully composed song of praise to all the powers which govern it," and this
music is accessible to the hearing of the intellect.
Time and Space in Incorporeal Being.
Angels have a special place in creation. The angelic world is
spiritual and incorporeal but nevertheless it is contained by time and space,
since "nothing which comes into being through change can exist other than in
time and space." This does not mean that angels occupy space in the same way
that material bodies do, but only that their sphere is limited. Angels are not
omnipresent, even though they can instantly appear wherever they choose. Gregory
departs from Basil the Great by emphasizing the restriction of angelic being by
time. Gregory considers that angelic nature is mobile and calls it "vigilant"
because in his conception everything should constantly and without interruption
be striving towards God. This is especially true of spiritual life, which by its
nature is a path of ascent to God. This life is realized in time and is
therefore subject to succession and sequence. Perpetual motion is especially
evident in the world of angels. "The nature of angels is in a constant state of
development. It changes because the good things which angels enjoy are always
becoming greater and no limits have been set to the unceasing growth of their
bliss."
Gregory admits that the world of angels originated gradually,
through a mysterious form of multiplication. The number of angels was
established but was later diminished by the fall. At this time the hierarchy of
angelic ranks, which is determined by relative degrees of perfection, came into
being. Gregory comments on the number of angels by referring to the parable of
the lost sheep: "He leaves the ninety-nine for the sake of one." In Gregory's
interpretation this means that God leaves the angels and comes to man.
Gregory describes angelic being as an endless hymn of praise.
He adds that angels are not omniscient. Their knowledge is limited by the very
fact that they are immaterial, and the Gospel has revealed that the only way
these incorporeal beings know about the mystery of the Incarnation is through
the Church (Ephesians 3:10-12). Gregory considers that the Church enables
angels to "better see the Invisible One." Men are able to form a conception of
angelic nature because "we are of the same tribe as they." We are related by
virtue of our souls, even though human souls are clothed in flesh.
Man as the Culmination of the Creation of the World.
The creation of the world culminates in the creation of man.
This is its fulfillment and completion. Man is not only a part of the world but,
by having been brought into the world last, he is its lord and sovereign. God
orders and adorns the world like a royal palace for the sake of man, and man is
introduced into this completeness "not to acquire what is not in the world but
to enjoy the things that are," partly as an observer and party as a ruler.
Man's nature is double. On one hand he is the center of the
universe, a complete microcosm of nature, a "small world containing all the
elements which fill the great world." God creates man last so that "man can
encompass every type of life within himself." However, this is not man's chief
dignity. "What do we gain by considering man the image and likeness of the
world?" Gregory asks. "After all, the earth is transient and the heavens change,
and everything they contain passes with them." He makes an ironic comment on
pagan philosophers: "They say that man is a microcosm of the world but, in
glorifying human nature with this resounding praise, they do not notice that
they are endowing man with the properties of gnats and mice."
Gregory considers that man is sovereign because he is created
in the image of God. Man is the medium through which God's works are
accomplished in the world. Man contains both an intellectual nature and a nature
which depends on the senses for perception. In commenting on the formation of
man from the dust of the earth Gregory writes that the breath of God gave life
to this dust "so that the earth could ascend to the Divinity and be united with
It. Grace was given to the whole of creation when this earthly substance was
mingled with the nature of the Divinity." Through man all the elements of the
earth participates in spiritual life, and in this sense man contains the whole
world. For this reason man did not originate by a single Divine word or command
but God created Him solemnly and "with circumspection."
God creates man through His love for him and so that he can
become a participant in Divine bliss. This is why God makes man in His own image
and likeness: "so that man is an animate likeness of the eternal Divinity."
Everything recognizes that which is similar to it and, "in order for us to
become participants in the Divinity, there must be something in our nature which
we have in common with the nature of God." God has thus given man the
possibility of enjoying ineffable and infinite bliss. Gregory sees the greatest
significance of the being of humanity in his conception of man as the image of
God. This is what distinguishes man from the rest of earthly creation.
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