Macrina the Younger, Philosopher of God »

This book presents St Macrina the Younger (c. 327-379), eldest sister of Ss Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa. All the sources of Macrina's life are gathered together, translated afresh into English, and provided with up-to-date introductions and notes. Documents include: Testimonies of St Basil, St Gregory Nazianzen's epigrams on Macrina and her siblings; Gregory of Nyssa's letter 19 which appears in English for the first time; The Life of Macrina, a jewel of fourth-century Christian biography; and the dialogue On the Soul and Resurrection in which Macrina appears as the Teacher expounding Christian doctrine with reasoned argument. The introductory shows how Macrina gradually changed the family household of Annisa into the proto-monastic community that became model of the monasticism that has come down under Basil's name. A specially commissioned icon, a map of Central Anatolia, and a report of the author's expeditions to ancient Pontus are included.

Preface and Acknowledgments ix

Abbreviations xii

General Introduction 1

Testimonies of St Basil the Great 55

Epigrams of St Gregory the Theologian 79

Gregory of Nyssa, Letter 19 83

The Life of Macrina, Introduction 93

Gregory of Nyssa, The Life of Macrina 109

On the Soul and the Resurrection, Introduction 149

Gregory of Nyssa, On the Soul and the Resurrection 171

Macrina, A Letter Writer? 247

Bibliography 249

General Index 257

Index of Scriptural Citations and Allusions 260