What does this research mean for the field?

Gregory of Nyssa's theory of matter in his Apologia in Hexaemeron is not merely the coming-together of intelligible qualities, but rather a nuanced appropriation of Plotinus's natural philosophy in which qualities come to matter through the agency of ordering logoi. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.CONTRADICTORY. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.CHALLENGES_CONSENSUS.

What question did this study set out to answer?

To re-evaluate Gregory of Nyssa’s theory of matter in the Apologia in Hexaemeron and assess his engagement with Plotinus's natural philosophy.

August 28, 2026Journal of early Christian studies

Word as Work : A Plotinian Natural Philosophy in Gregory of Nyssa’s Apologia in Hexaemeron

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To re-evaluate Gregory of Nyssa’s theory of matter in the Apologia in Hexaemeron and assess his engagement with Plotinus's natural philosophy.
Conducted a textual and conceptual analysis of Gregory of Nyssa's Apologia in Hexaemeron beyond isolated passages on material qualities.
Compared Gregory's interpretation of Genesis creation commands with Plotinian and Origenian frameworks of nature and ordering principles (logoi).
Demonstrates that Gregory appropriated Plotinus’s model, wherein physical qualities inform matter through ordering logoi to compose sensible bodies, rather than treating matter as a mere bundle of qualities.
Establishes that divine speech in Genesis is interpreted as imparting artistic logoi into creation, rendering divine wisdom constitutive of the cosmos's physical substance.

Authors

THTimm HeinbokelUniversity of Notre Dame

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Implication

Textual analysis uncovers Plotinian natural philosophy in Gregory of Nyssa’s cosmology, indicating that divine ordering principles constitute the physical substance of the cosmos.

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Timm Heinbokel (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a916ea0d15324a1df3aa7b9 https://doi.org/10.1353/earl.2026.a997483

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Implication

Textual analysis uncovers Plotinian natural philosophy in Gregory of Nyssa’s cosmology, indicating that divine ordering principles constitute the physical substance of the cosmos.

Word as Work : A Plotinian Natural Philosophy in Gregory of Nyssa’s Apologia in Hexaemeron

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Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

Word as Work : A Plotinian Natural Philosophy in Gregory of Nyssa’s Apologia in Hexaemeron

Key Points

Discussion

Implication

Cite This Study

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