The Problem of the Devil in Cappadocian Thought - Hardcover

Thomas, Gabrielle

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1009750755 ISBN 13: 9781009750752

Publisher: Cambridge University Press, 2026

Synopsis

In The Problem of the Devil in Cappadocian Thought, Gabrielle Thomas questions the popular assumption that the devil served as the primary explanation for evil, sin, and suffering as early Christians grappled with all that is wrong in the world. Interrogating the status of the devil in the teachings of the Cappadocians – Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nazianzus, Gregory of Nyssa, and Macrina the Younger – she identifies their points of agreement, that the devil is a fallen angel, and disagreement, notably how Christ defeated him, his continued existence, and his ultimate end. In her investigation, Thomas engages fourth-century Christian thought in conversation with ancient philosophy, ancient history, classics, and biblical studies. She demonstrates how the Cappadocians negotiated myriad philosophical, theological, and spiritual problems with the devil. Thomas argues that the devil is not simply a strategy for explaining the problem of evil. Rather, the devil himself is the problem.

About this title

About the Author

Gabrielle Thomas is Associate Professor of Early Christianity and Anglican Studies at Emory University. She is the author of The Image of God in the Theology of Gregory of Nazianzus (2023) and For the Good of the Church: Unity, Theology, and Women (2021) and co-editor of Women and Ordination in the Orthodox Church (2020).

Edition details

• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Publication date: 2026
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1009750755
• ISBN 13: 9781009750752
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 275