Hofer's study is a detailed overview of Gregory's christology. The main aim of the book is to argue that Gregory's autobiography and teaching on Christ is intimately connected with his personal relationship with Christ and his life. Hofer calls this blend an ‘autobiographical Christology’ and sets out to support it in the six chapters which comprise his study.

The first chapter, on Gregory's theology of the Word, is an effort to bridge the gap between doctrinal and rhetorical studies of Gregory, by paying attention to both his rhetorical strategies and his doctrinal perspectives. Hofer looks at the meaning of logos in Gregory's writings and also examines the tension between philosophy and rhetoric in Gregory's thought. The second chapter is a very original (though frequently overlooked, as Hofer argues) attempt to find what is particularly distinctive about Gregory's conception of Christ and his presence in his own life. It begins with a theme which everyone who has ever read Gregory encounters: his unique autobiographical focus, which allows Hofer to say that all of his writings are in some sense autobiographical. Hofer contextualises Gregory's focus by comparing it with four Christian and non-Christian models: Basil of Caesarea, Marcus Aurelius, Julian and Libanius. He contrasts the self-reflections of these authors with the Nazianzen, and identifies some interesting similarities, as well as differences. The second part of the chapter is a study of Christ's presence in Gregory's life, while the end of the chapter is a close reading of the didactic epic De rebus suis.

The following three chapters are titled, ‘Autobiographical Christology I to III’, respectively. The first one, and the third chapter of the book overall, is about Gregory's use of mixture language as a vehicle for the expression of his closeness with Christ. It includes a useful study of the philosophical background, and goes beyond the usual Stoic attribution of mixture terms, analysing authors such as Aristotle, Philo and Plotinus. The fourth chapter is an analysis of Ep. 101 in the context of the christological controversy, with a focus on its rhetorical context and a pertinent exegesis of the ten anathemas against the Apollinarians, which Hofer sees as both an attack against Apollinarian ideas and as general statements on christological principles. Chapter 5 examines Gregory's spirituality of the mysteries (liturgical celebrations) and includes a fascinating account of Gregory's intermingling of Christ's near stoning with experiences from his own life. Hofer also reviews a scholarly debate about the meaning of feast days and their function as anamnesis. Throughout the study Hofer emphasises that Gregory's constant identification with Christ serves a pastoral purpose, with him serving as a role model for the believers to emulate as he emulates Christ. Finally, the sixth and final chapter of the book examines Gregory's ideas about the Christian priesthood through a textual study of Or. 2. The ideal Christian ministry is also seen in individual exemplary lives, such as Athanasius or Basil. The chapter also considers anti-models of Christian ministry, particularly Gregory's episcopal rivals. The chapter ends with a discussion of the pastoral themes of marriage, virginity, wealth and poverty as used in Gregory's rhetoric to prove that different ways of life can lead into the one way, the unity of the Body of Christ.

Hofer's monograph emphasises points which have been overlooked in Gregorian scholarship and manages to fulfil its aim: to show Gregory's intense and uncompromising devotion to Jesus as God incarnate. In the context of this effort, Gregory's personal writing style gains a sympathetic reading from Hofer, who rightly argues that judgements of Gregory as too ambiguous or too narcissistic for our tastes have more to do with modern biases than the literary conventions of his time.