Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume VII/Orations of Gregory Nazianzen/Prolegomena/Literature

Division III.&#8212;Literature.

There are perhaps more MSS. of the works of Gregory than of any other Father.&#160; The great Benedictine Edition of his works contains long lists of MSS., and of Versions, and previous Editions.&#160; The most famous of these is that of the Abbat Jacobus Billius in 1589, which was accompanied by the Scholia of Nicetas, etc.&#160; In 1571 Leuvenklavius published an edition at Basle containing the Scholia of Elias Cretensis and others.&#160; In 1778 appeared the first volume of the great Edition of the Benedictine Fathers of the Abbey of S. Maur near Paris, which had been in preparation ever since 1708.&#160; But the Monks were driven away by

the French Revolution, and the second volume did not appear till 1842.&#160; It has been reprinted in Migne&#8217;s &#8220;Patrologia Gr&#230;ca,&#8221; vols. 35&#8211;38.&#160; Of modern works on the life and writings of our Saint, the best are those of Dr. Ullmann, and that of the Abb&#233; Beno&#238;t.&#160; A valuable comparison of Gregory and Basil is to be found in Newman&#8217;s &#8220;Church of the Fathers,&#8221; and last, but not least in value, may be mentioned the long biographical article by Professor Watkins in Smith&#8217;s &#8220;Dictionary of Christian Biography,&#8221; and a useful short summary in Schaff&#8217;s Church History (311&#8211;600, vol. ii.).