"The concept of personhood is central to a wide range of contemporary issues, ranging from reproductive rights to the death penalty and euthanasia. We may think that the concept of person is a modern development. However, this idea does not originate with our discovery of human rights, consciousness, and individuality." "In this study Lucian Turcescu shows that the fourth-century theologian Gregory of Nyssa developed a very sophisticated concept of the person in the context of Gregory's attempts to clarify the paradox of the Trinity: a single God comprising three distinct persons. Turcescu offers the first in-depth analysis of Gregory's writings about the divine persons."--BOOK JACKET