Theologies under Persecution: Gregory of Nazianzus and the Syntagmation of Aetius

The five “Theological Orations” of Gregory of Nazianzus represent at once Gregory's public response to his theological opponents as well as the most sustained and systematic presentation of his own Trinitarianism. They begin with an explicit address to the "Eunomians," the Neo-Arian followers of Eunomius of Cyzicus. Composed on the eve of the Nicenes' return to power in Constantinople after forty years in the ecclesiastical wilderness, the Theological Orations are presented as a vade mecum for a community still under persecution.
This paper demonstrates how the set of Theological Orations constitute a response to another handbook compiled for a different theological community under persecution: the Syntagmation of Aetius. This short text begins with an address by Aetius to his persecuted "Anomoean" followers and takes the form of a list of questions and answers for use in theological disputes. Gregory's orations should be read in conjunction with the Syntagmation, as Gregory responds point-for-point to the concerns raised by Aetius and positions himself against the followers of Eunomius, the disciple and successor of Aetius himself.