Gregory of Nyssa reads the Psalms soteriologically.
Abridged excerpt from Ronald E. Heine, Gregory of Nyssa’s Treatise on the Inscriptions of the Psalms (Oxford, 1995), 43. [note: emphases and brackets mine]
For Gregory of Nyssa, the skopoV[aim] of the Psalter is to lead one to the attainment of blessedness[beatitude], and the latter is further defined as ‘likeness to God.’ What Gregory means when he defines ‘human blessedness’ as ‘like to God’ is the attainment of salvation, which he also calls ‘true being’ or ‘true humanity.’ True humanity bears ‘the imprint imposed on our nature from the beginning.’ Gregory [following the Psalter] contrasts those who are ‘fleshly, earthly and irrational’ with those ‘who are being saved and have an impress of human nature in themselves. Now likeness to the divine is the distinguishing impress of humanity.’ Salvation understood in this way is the goal to which ascent through the five stages of the Psalter leads.
Gregory takes the Psalter as descriptive of the way of salvation for all humanity, for he anticipates the possibility, at least, of ‘the complete return of humanity to the Good. The final division of the Psalter, which represents for Gregory ‘the mountain peak’ of the stages discussed in the Psalter, has for its subject ‘the complete consummation and recapitulation of human salvation. The final achievement of blessedness will occur in the eschatological unity of all creation in praising God when all evil has perished.
From Brad Jersak:
This passage clarifies how Gregory conceived “ascent” in his Life of Moses and in the ladder of the Beatitudes. The ladder analogy (cf. also John Climacus) often triggers Protestant sensibilities regarding grace alone, concerned as they are that human participation in a soteriological ascent compromises the gospel with works righteousness. But a millennium prior to these worries, the synergism of the Eastern Fathers is perfectly in sync with James (2:22), who says, “You see that [Abraham’s] faith was working together with his works and his faith was perfected by works. [βλέπεις ὅτι ἡ πίστις συνήργει τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐκ τῶν ἔργωνἡ πίστις ἐτελειώθη].
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