Gregory of Nyssa’s Teaching on Indivisible Monad and its Philosophical Context

P. 87–100.

Biriukov D.

I believe that in analyzing the historical and philosophical background of the premises appearing in Gregory of Nyssa’s Ad Ablabium and Letter 38 as regards his discussion of the general and the particular, there is no need to look for the sources of Gregory’s inspiration either in Alexander of Aphrodisias or in Neoplatonic authors as it was done by Johannes Zachhuber. Instead, it can be argued that in his general treatment of these subjects Gregory
relies on the Peripatetic philosophical context, manifested, for example, in his use of the principle of “greater–lesser” and the concept of the participation of individuals in their natural species. The main source of the Peripatetic ideas for Gregory was Porphyry’s Isagoge, which is especially evident in the concepts of “indivisible monad” as well as the association of the individual with “divisibility” and the general with “unity,” although Gregory might also have been aware of other writings belonging to the tradition of commentaries on Aristotle’s The Categories.

Keywords: Monadologie, монада, древо Порфирия, Григорий Нисский, Gregory of Nyssa, Porphyry, Порфирий

In book

Aristotle in Byzantium

Alhambra: Sebastian Press, 2020.