Primary source · Koine Greek
The Life of Moses
Gregory of Nyssa · c. AD 390
What this text is
Moses's story read twice — history, then mystery — ending in the doctrine of perpetual progress: perfection is never standing still, but stretching forward without end into God.
Public-domain translations
Literal gloss of the Greek (II.239, 305)
This is truly to see God: never to find satiety of the desiring… The one thing dreadful is to fall from God's friendship; the perfection of life is to be God's friend. Always stretching out to what lies ahead — this is the soul's likeness to the ever-flowing Good.
Manuscript witnesses
Gregory-of-Nyssa corpus manuscripts
10th c. onwardDe vita Moysis in the mystical-works tradition.
Patrologia Graeca, vol. 44 (Migne)
1858Standard pre-critical text of the corpus.
Provenance
Cappadocia, c. AD 390 — perfection as unending ascent
Editions & scholarship
Critical editions and standard translations behind the text above.
- Grégoire de Nysse: La vie de Moïse (SC 1 ter)Jean Daniélou, 1968The critical edition with French translation.
- Gregory of Nyssa: The Life of Moses (CWS)A. J. Malherbe & E. Ferguson, 1978Standard English translation.