THE THEOPHANY OF “THE BACK” OF GOD IN THE CAVE (EXODUS 33) ACCORDING TO ISAAC OF NINEVEH IN REFERENCE WITH “DE VITA MOYSIS” (GREGORY OF NYSSA)
THE THEOPHANY OF “THE BACK” OF GOD IN THE CAVE (EXODUS 33) ACCORDING TO ISAAC OF NINEVEH IN REFERENCE WITH “DE VITA MOYSIS” (GREGORY OF NYSSA)

Summary/Abstract: The vision of God has always been the goal of the spiritual life. One of those who had seen God is the prophet Moses. He became a symbol of human encounter with God. This study will be dedicated to the theophany that Moses had in the cleft of the rock (Exit 33), according to the interpretation St. Isaac of Niniveh gives, in reference to Gregory of Nyssa’s mystical commentary on this biblical extract (Life of Moses). It focuses on three aspects: firstly, a short bio-bibliography of Saint Isaac the Syrian; then I will deal with Saint Gregory of Nyssa’s presence in the East-Syriac theology, respectively in that of St. Isaac of Niniveh; and thirdly, a theological analysis of the mystical interpretations these authors give to the theophany that Moses had on Mount Sinai, in the cleft of the rock (Exodus 33, 18-23). The last part will be dedicated to some conclusions around the methodological approaches used by the authors while interpreting this biblical account.

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