Architect of the Image: Argumentation, Economy and Translation in Gregory of Nyssa’s On the Human Image

In this contribution to a book symposium on Gregory of Nyssa’s On the Human Image, Morwenna Ludlow reflects on John Behr’s attention to the literary structure and argumentative flow of the book, its interplay with the similarly structured Timaeus of Plato and the difficulties of translating a work of such rhetorical and pastoral sophistication as Gregory’s. Appreciative of the perceptive care with which Behr follows the sometimes dizzying tracks of Gregory’s thought, Ludlow also raises questions about Behr’s comparison of the Human Image with the Timaeus, especially in the context of the similar oft-made comparisons of Gregory’s On the Soul and the Resurrection with Plato’s Phaedo. Finally, Ludlow highlights the particular challenges of translating Gregory’s work, especially as we think about the differences between translating ancient texts for modern scholars versus the kinds of audiences whom Gregory would have been aiming to reach.<p></p>