Catechesis and Episcopal Authority in the Life of Gregory Thaumaturgus

In a seldom discussed episode from Gregory of Nyssa’s Life of Gregory Thaumaturgus, the wonderworking bishop converts a pagan temple custodian using the written word and a miracle. Physical proofs seem essential for teaching this outsider about divine power. Yet in the very next episode the narrator praises Thaumaturgus for disregarding physical appearances and for keeping silent. A close reading of the Life 34-47 demonstrates that Gregory of Nyssa models, within the narrative, a progression from basic catechesis through signs to the more complex work of interpreting signs, making inferences from what is seen to that which remains unseen. Contextualizing this paradoxical sequence of Thaumaturgus vignettes in Cappadocian discussions of divine condescension and principles of fourth-century Christian paideia, I show that Gregory of Nyssa uses the juxtaposition between Thaumaturgus’ teaching and conduct to model the flexible approach required for bishops to communicate the nature of divine power to varied audiences.

Pastoral Visitations in the First World Empires (Spain and Portugal in the 16th and 17th Centuries): A Comparative Approach

Using a comparative approach, attentive to the assumptions of global history, this paper undertakes a comprehensive and holistic survey of the role of pastoral visits in the Christianization of Spanish America and in the Portuguese empire. It argues that the models and practices of visits in Spain and Portugal were replicated in their extra-European territories (adapted in accordance with the particularities of the local context), though the visits realized in the Hispanic world were not absolutely identical to those carried out in the regions under Portuguese domination. It concludes that pastoral visits were an important tool of Christianization, and a way of disciplining the behavior of clerics and laity through the application of preventive and punitive forms of justice, as well as being a means of negotiation that sought to affirm the episcopal authority before other powers.

Memorias del arzobispado de Tarragona (siglos XII-XIII)

These pages explain the making of an episcopal identity story. The medieval archbishopric of Tarragona wove a specific memory on episcopal authority, that defined a sacred identity, linked to the first Peninsular Christianization and with singular mechanisms of power. This tradition of the episcopal see was constructed contemporary and reinforced in subsequent times. Some key elements of these memories were: the restoration of the late-Roman Church, the sacred nature of the seat and of some bishops, the vindication of metropolitan and ‘first’ see, the religious authority in the region and against other powers, the recognition of pontifical support and patronage, the links with the major political powers, the religious charismae and the features of lordly power. In short, the archbishop's power was supported by the tradition of the see and drew on a set of iconic images that became a story of legitimacy and authority. Key words: memory, church history, historiography, archbishopric of Tarragona, 12th-13th centuries. Resumen: El arzobispado medieval de Tarragona tejió una memoria sobre su autoridad, revestida de una identidad sagrada, que difundió los caracteres específicos de su potestad y de la realidad dominical. Las tradiciones sobre la sede tarraconense fueron establecidas durante los siglos xii y xiii, con aportaciones destacadas como la del prelado Benet de Rocabertí. Algunos elementos laudatorios y reivindicativos de sus mensajes fueron: la vinculada a la primera cristianización peninsular, la restauración de la Iglesia romana tardía, la reclamación de la primacía, la naturaleza sagrada de algunos obispos, la preminencia en la jurisdicción religiosa y dominical, el reconocimiento del apoyo y patrocinio pontificio y los carismas religiosos. En resumen, el poder del arzobispo se dotó de una ideología que se apoyó en un conjunto de imágenes icónicas al servició de una narrativa legitimadora y para la afirmación de los poderes y las proyecciones de la mitra. Palabras clave: memoria, historia de la iglesia, historiografía, arzobispado de Tarragona, siglos xii-xiii.