n.
born 0441; 335, Caesarea, Cappadocia, Asia Minor
died 0441; 394; feast day March 9
Eastern Orthodox theologian and mystic.
Initially a teacher of rhetoric, he turned to religion under the influence of his brother, Basil the Great , and was consecrated bishop of Nyssa in 372. Deposed by Arian opposition in 376, he was restored to office in 378 after the death of the Arian emperor Valens . An associate of Gregory of Nazianzus , he became a leading defender of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. His writings include The Great Catechesis , a classic outline of Orthodox theology that examines the place of the sacraments in the church. A Christian Platonist, he shared Origen 's hope for ultimate universal salvation.