Paschal theme in the orations of St. Gregory the theologian

This paper illustrates the comprehension of Christian Easter in the fourth century through the works of St. Gregory the Theologian - one of the great Cappadocian Fathers. The paper analyses the text of St. Gregory paschal orations. The analysis reveals one special feature that the theme of Easter is closely connected with divine economy, and Pascha, spiritually regarded as passing over «from things below to things above», is, from the point of view of St. Gregory, the process of our salvation, the ultimate purpose of which is deification of the human. The paper explores the significance that St. Gregory attached, firstly, to the unity of the Old and New Testaments in God’s economy, and secondly, Christ’s Sacrifice for our salvation. The image of this Sacrifice is revealed by St. Gregory through the Old Testament establishment of the Passover and this establishment is interpreted in the light of the Christocentric understanding of all the Holy Scriptures. The paper clarifies the distinction between Easter and a weekly celebration of the resurrection of Christ through the example of the theological difference between Pascha and Antipascha (Second Sunday of Easter). Three aspects of Easter are highlighted in the orations of St. Gregory: sacrifice, event and feast.