Introduction to the Historical Setting of the Cappadocian Fathers

Click to see our Guide to the Cappadocian Fathers Homepage where you will find all of our posts on this subject.

To understand the Cappadocian Fathers it is necessary to know the context and times in which they lived. Let us take a look at the cultural milieu in which the Cappadocian Fathers entered the scene.


Socrates of Constantinople (not to be confused with the great Classical Greek Athenian philosopher) records in his early Church History an encounter of 80 Christian clergy with the Roman Emperor Valens (364-378 AD) over a theological dispute. Valens was apparently so angered by these 80 men’s complaints of ill-treatment, because they did not hold the same theological view as Valens, that he ordered them to board a ship immediately. Assuming that they were being led away to join their other like-minded friends who had been systematically exiled under the rule of Valens, they must have been more than surprised when the crew carried out their secret orders to set the vessel afire and then jump ship to secure their own safety, while effectively killing all 80 clergy! (Ecclesiastical History 4.16)


When we read of such ludicrous and inhumane acts perpetrated by insecure and downright evil rulers it may cast a doubt in the reader’s mind as to the importance of the subject of debate. The way these “grown, mature men” handled these issues makes me think of my 3 year old son and 2 year old daughter as they struggle for possession of a stuffed animal, which neither of them wanted until they saw the other one reach for it.

But, you are coming to Cappadocia (or, at least interested in it) and in your initial research you find out that there are three important early Christian church leaders, all venerated by both Eastern and Western Christianity, who hailed from this area: St. Basil of Caesarea (Kayseri), St. Gregory of Nazianzus and St. Gregory of Nyssa – the Cappadocian Fathers. You do a little research on the internet to figure out what these guys did to make them so important in church history, and you feel like the article writers are speaking a different language (that’s because they are – it’s called Koine or patristic Greek!). You might have seen words like homoousian, homoian, homoiousian, Arian, Nicene, hypostatis, ousia, and to top it all off, one of my personal favorite words, Sabellianism.

How do we make sense of the day when leaders of a religion who purportedly follow the teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who commanded his followers to love their enemies, instead kill those who believe something different from them?

I want to quickly present three things that we need to keep in mind as we seek to understand the importance of each of the Cappadocian Fathers, who we will take a look at in successive posts.

4th Century Cappadocian Culture

By the time the Cappadocian Fathers come on to the scene Christianity had been legalized for almost 20 years (Edict of Milan, 313 AD). Up until this time Christians had been experiencing sporadic and localized persecutions for the past two and a half centuries at the hands of the state. Basil and his brother Gregory of Nyssa grew up knowing the cost of following Jesus as they were told stories of their own grandfather and his martyrdom.

Because of the state’s increasingly favorable position toward this “cult”, culminating in it becoming the official state religion of the Roman Empire by 380 AD, every theological debate became a concern of the state as the emperor’s role was to bring “divine favor” and protection to the empire and her citizens.

So, when we read of emperors exiling (and in some cases murdering) bishops, and empire-wide church councils (e.g. Nicea [325 AD], Constantinople [381 AD]) being called to discuss heretical ideas, we must understand that politics and spirituality were interwoven leading to a mixed bag of conclusions.

This mingling of “religion and state” does not negate the rightness of what they were trying to do, which was to preserve and better understand the Gospel, the central message of the Old and New Testaments. “Who is Jesus?” was the question on the lips of his initial 12 disciples as they witnessed him calming the wind and seas with a single command (Mark 4:35-41); it was the question the early church wrestled with; and it comes to us today in the 21st century. Their inability (not that we would do much better) to navigate these turbulent waters in a way that reflects the spirit of Jesus, actually proves the truth of His words.

He said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5) The politicians of the day offered their own versions of what would bring life and hope (still true today). When the religious leaders were torn between following Jesus and the emperor, life became ugly for many.

Formation of Institutionalized Religion

Not only were these church leaders trying to come to agreement on what the Bible revealed, but they were also trying to create a standard language for Christians that could withstand the vast distances within the Roman empire. They could now legally assemble in public places; they were no longer on the run from state authorities. They had the luxury of becoming the “majority” in their communities, and they could now communicate with Christians from different regions of the empire.

The church was not “centralized” yet and as time went on, there were more and more heretical threats to the understanding of the Gospel, which was passed down from the apostles and their disciples. Thus, letters and treatises were being written to not only clarify their understanding of the Biblical text, but also to solidify alliances between church leaders. No one wanted to be “hung out to dry” in that day and age when emperors were very eager to “protect” the empire’s citizens from false teaching.

PROGRESS

In the West, our present-day education system is based on innovation. Originality and creativity are the two foundations upon which we are to construct a better, more enlightened culture. In the 4th century, however, cultural progress was founded upon the truths and interpretations discovered in the classic books and texts. Thus, exploring, clarifying, studying and interpreting the texts of the canonized Christian scriptures were the “Christian” counterpart to the Roman empire’s attempt at cultural development.

CONCLUSION

These three cultural realities, which were the air the Cappadocian Fathers breathed, hopefully bring a bit of “color” to the “black & white” world of the 4th century as we attempt to not only understand “what” they did, but “why” they did it. These are the sociological factors that contributed to the actions of the players during this time. But I believe life consists of more than sociological factors and St. Basil agrees. He would have put more stock in the idea that what was propelling the establishment of orthodox belief, of which he was just a small part, was the Holy Spirit. He wrote that the Holy Spirit brings illumination to souls from which then comes “foreknowledge of the future, understanding of mysteries, apprehension of what is hidden, distribution of good gifts, the heavenly citizenship, a place in the chorus of angels, joy without end, abiding in God, the being made like to God, and highest of all, the being made God.” (On the Holy Spirit 9.23)

Disclaimer: I do not pretend to be an expert in church history, as I am but one who is on a journey to better understand the religious history of the great area that I have lived in for the past 8 years. Many of my thoughts have been influenced by two introductory works that I would highly recommend if you want to learn more about the people and events of the 4th century in Cappadocia.

The Cappadocians (Outstanding Christian Thinkers) by Anthony Meredith

Basil of Caesarea: A Guide to His Life and Doctrine (Cascade Companions) by Andrew Radde-Gallwitz

Do you believe in anything enough to be exiled/killed for it?


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