Self-Knowledge and the Knowledge of God according to St Gregory the Theologian, Georgios Mantzarides

Abstract: This paper argues that even though the first step to knowledge is knowledge of self, even that, left on its own, leaves a vacuum within the person. According to St Gregory the Theologian it was truth understood in its connection with Christ that alone was liberating and able to offer the fullness of life. Self-knowledge was but a first step to knowledge of God. This article explores the path to true knowledge, as understood by this Cappadocian father with the view of demonstrating its perennial significance for human persons living in the twenty-first century.

Bio: George Mantzarides is Emeritus Professor of the School of Theology at the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

 

Introducing the Master of Greek Philosophy

Greek philosophy remains foundational to the history of ideas in the Western and Eastern traditions. It has shaped disciplines as diverse as theology, ethics, politics, science, and metaphysics. In particular, the writings of Plato, Aristotle, and the later Hellenistic and Byzantine philosophers have exercised enduring influence on Christian theology, especially in the Patristic and medieval Byzantine periods.

The Master of Greek Philosophy cultivates advanced capacity for critical engagement with the key figures, texts, and ideas of the ancient and Byzantine Greek philosophical tradition, preparing graduates to integrate these insights in further scholarly research, higher education, ministry, or other cultural and professional spheres.

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