Manuscripts, Translations and Printed Editions of De hominis opificio by St.Gregory of Nyssa

The Problem of Its Title and Its Translation

Abstract

Most of St. Gregory of Nyssa’s works have been issued in critical editions of the Greek text in the series Grigorii Nysseni opera, renowned for its precision. The text most widely known and read under the traditional title De hominis opificio is also the most popular and most frequently copied of his works, yet until recently it lacked a modern critical edition. The distinguished scholar John Behr has now published a new critical edition of the Greek text with an English translation. In his edition Behr questions the traditional title assigned to this treatise, composed in 379, and proposes an alternative. This article surveys the manuscripts, early printings, and translations of Gregory’s work in order to assess the grounds for changing the title. The author argues for a particular Bulgarian rendering of the recently proposed Greek title and gives reasons supporting that translation choice.