Gregory of Nazianzus: Autobiographical Poems (Cambridge Medieval Classics)

TheautobiographicalpoemsofGregoryofNazianzus,fourth-centuryFatheroftheGreekchurch,areremarkablenotonlyforahighlyindividualpictureoftheByzantineworldbutalsoformomentsthatareintimate,passionate,andmoving.ThebookcontainsGreektextandfacingEnglishtranslationofaselectionfromhisonehundredorsosurvivingpoems.GregoryisbestknownforthefiveorationshegaveinConstantinoplebut,DeVitaSuaapart,hispoemscanonlybereadinanineteenth-centuryGreekeditionandhaveneverbeforebeentranslatedintoEnglish.TheselectedpoemshighlightGregory'sspiritualoutlookandalsohispoetics;Gregoryshowshisexpertiseinavarietyofmetresandliterarydialects,derivingfromhisknowledgeofclassicalGreekliterature.Thesubstantialintroductionprovidesbiographicalinformationagainstwhichtosetthepoems,focusingparticularlyontheyearswhichGregoryspentinConstantinople.