Movement, perpetual progress and straining according to St. Gregory of Nyssa

Abstract

In this paper, we will explore how and on what basis the idea of progression underwent its transformation in Neoplatonism and Christian theology. We will show that the elements of this idea appear in Plotinus and some patristic authors, but that it was finally shaped and elaborated primarily in the work of St. Gregory of Nyssa, which is recognized as the most deserving for its postulation.