As has been already said, Gregory Nazianzen was extremely influential throughout the whole of the Byzantine era. Speaking of his influence, one must first of all mention St Maximus the Confessor, a great monastic writer of the seventh century.[1] Maximus regarded St Gregory’s writings as authoritative as Holy Scripture: in fact, one of his major works, Quaestiones et Dubia, is nothing but a collection of commentaries on the passages from either the Bible or the writings by St Gregory.

A direct link between the two authors is clearly seen in Maximus’ major theological work, Ambigua (The Difficulties),[2] where certain passages from Gregory Nazianzen are not only thoroughly analyzed from the theological point of view, but also become starting points for Maximus’s own theological and mystical insights. Thus, Maximus comments on a passage from Gregory’s 21st Discourse, whose theme is the liberation from matter through mystical ascent to God, deification and the union with the divine light.[3] Maximus’s commentary develops into a protracted theological treatise (100 columns in Migne’s edition).[4]

            Gregory Nazianzen exerted a great influence on St John Damascene, who was once upon a time referred to as ‘the last father of the Church’. Gregory’s writings were the main source for John Damascene’s Exact Exposition of the Orthodox Faith, a monumental work that sums up the whole of early Byzantine theology.

            Gregory was the only author who influenced St Symeon the New Theologian, one of the greatest mystics of all times. His mystical theology will be a subject of our discussion in the future.