Gregorius
(Γρηγόριος). Historical.
1. Praefectus Praetorio, apparently in Italy, having Africa also subject to him, near the close of the reign of Constantine the Great, A. D. 336 and 337. The heresiarch Donatus wrote to him a most insolent letter, calling him " the stain of the senate," " the disgrace of the prefects," and similar names; to which abuse Gregory replied "with the patience of a bishop." (Optatus, De Schismate Donatist, 3.3. ed. Dupin; Cod. Theodos. 11. tit. 1. s. 3; 3. tit. 1. s. 2, with the note of Gothofredus ; Gothofred. Prosopog. Cod. Theodos.)
2. Praefectus Annonae under Gratian, A. D. 377. Gothofred is disposed to identify him with the Gregory to whom Symmachus wrote several of his letters, and who had borne the office of quaestor. (Cod. Theod. 14. tit. 3. s. 15; Gothofred. Prosopog. Cod. Theodos. ; Tillemont, Hist. des Emp. vol. v. p. 147.)
3. Praefectus Praetorio Galliarum under Gratian, A. D. 383. His prefecture extended over all the provinces (Gaul, Spain, and Britain) which remained under the immediate government of Gratian [Gratianus, Augustus]. When Ithacius was obliged, by the persecution of Priscillian and his party, to flee from Spain, he went to Gregory, who, after inquiring into the matter, caused the authors of the disturbance, apparently Priscillian and the other leaders of his party, to be arrested, and sent an account of the affair to the emperor; but his purpose of rigour was rendered unavailing by the venality of the emperor's other ministers, whom the Priscillianists had corrupted. It is doubtful whether this person is or is not the same person as No. 2. The pseudo Flavius Dexter identifies this Gregory with Gregorius of Baetica [Gregorius, Literary, No. 9]. (Sulp. Sever. Hist. Sacra. 2.63. ed. Hornii; and editor's note in loco; Flav. Dex. Omnimodae Hist. ad ann. 388, 423; Tillemont, Hist. des Emp. vol. v. pp. 171, 722.)
4. Patrician, as Theophanes calls him, of the Byzantine province of Africa at the time of its first invasion by the Saracens. By the aid of the "Africans" (by which term we are probably to understand the Moors), Gregory revolted from the Byzantine empire, and made himself " tyrannus," or independent sovereign of the province. This was in A. D. 646, in the reign of Constans II. [Constans II.] Perhaps his insurrection suggested or encouraged the purpose of invading the province ; for the next year (A. D. 647), the Mohammedan army advanced westward from Egypt, and Gregory was entirely defeated by them. We gather from Theophanes only the bare facts of Gregory's revolt and defeat; but Arab or Moorish writers afford various particulars of a very romantic and improbable character, which have been embodied in the work of Cardonne, and copied at length by Gibbon. (Theophan. Chronog. vol. i. p. 525, ed. Bonn; Cardonne, Histoire de de l'Afrique et de l'Espagne sous la Domination des Arabes, vol. i. p. 11, &c.; Gibbon, 100.51.)
5. A pretender to the purple in the time of the emperor Leo III., the Isaurian. Intelligence of the siege of Constantinople by the Saracens, soon after Leo's accession, having reached Sicily, Sergius, general of the Byzantine forces in that island, revolted, and appointed Gregory, who had been one either of his servants or his soldiers, emperor, changing his name to Tiberius (A. D. 718). Theophanes and Cedrenus call this puppet emperor not Gregory, but Basil the son of Gregory Onomagulus, and state that he was a native of Constantinople; but Zonaras calls him Gregory, though he agrees with the other historians as to his taking the name of Tiberius. When the intelligence of these transactions reached Constantinople, Leo, who was already relieved from the pressure of the Saracens, sent one of his officers, Paul, who had held the office of "Chartularius," to put down the revolt. Paul landed at Syracuse with the intelligence of the deliverance of Constantinople, and with letters to the troops, who immediately returned to their allegiance, and seizing Gregory and those whom under Sergius's direction he had appointed to office, delivered them up in bonds to Paulus. Sergius himself fled to the Lombards on the borders of Calabria. Paul put Gregory to death, and sent his head to the emperor, and punished his supporters in various ways. (Theophanes, Chronog. vol. i. p. 611-613, ed. Bonn; Cedren. vol. i. p. 790, &c., ed. Bonn; Zonar. 15.2.) [J.C.M]
(Γρηγόριος). Literary and ecclesiastical.
1. Acindynus. [Acindynus.]
2. Agrigentinus, or of Agrigentum, one of the most eminent ecclesiastics of the sixth century.
Gregorius was born near Agrigentum about A. D. 524. His father, Chariton, and his mother, Theodote, were pious people, by whom, from his twelfth year, he was destined to the priesthood, his precocity of mind having attracted great attention. After going through his course of education, he visited Carthage, and from thence proceeded to Jerusalem, where he was ordained deacon, according to Symeon Metaphrastes, by the patriarch Macarius II.; but this is an anachronism, as Macarius occupied that see from A. D. 563 to 574. He stayed at Jerusalem at least four years, studying grammar, philosophy, astronomy, and eloquence. From Jerusalem he proceeded to Antioch, and from thence to Constantinople, exciting very general admiration. According to Nicephorus Callisti, he was esteemed to be superior in holiness and eloquence and learning to nearly all the ecclesiastics of his day. From Constantinople he proceeded to Rome, and was by the pope advanced to the vacant see of Agrigentum, the nomination to which had been referred to the pope in consequence of disputes about the succession. This appointment was, however, the source of much trouble to Gregory; for two of the ecclesiastics, who had been competitors for the see, suborned a prostitute to charge him with fornication. This accusation led the bishop to undertake a journey to Constantinople, where he was favourably received by the emperor Justinian I., and obtained an acquittal from the charge against him; after which he returned to Agrigentum, where he died 23d of Nov., about A. D. 564. Lives of Gregorius by Leontius and Symeon Metaphrastes
His life was written in Greek by Leontius, presbyter and abbot of St. Saba, and by Symeon Metaphrastes. A Latin version of the latter is given by Surius: it ascribes many miracles to him. Editions
The life by Leontius is given, we are not informed whether in the Greek or in a Latin version, in the Sancti Siculi of Caetanus, vol. i. p. 188, &c. Works Orationes, Conciones, Commentary on Ecclesiastes
The works of Gregory of Agrigentum comprehend,-- 1. Orationes de Fidei dogmatibus ad Antiochenos, extant in the work of Leontius. 2. Orationes tum ad docendum tum ad laudandum editae Constantinopoli, extant in the work of Leontius. 3. Conciones ad Populum de Dogmatibus, extant in the work of Leontius. 4. Commentarius in Ecclesiasten. The MS. of this was left by Possinus at Rome with Jo. Fr. de Rubeis that it might be translated and published ; but it never appeared, and it is not known what became of it. Further Information
Niceph. Callisti, H. E. 17.27; Mongitor. Biblioth. Sicula, vol. i. p. 262; Cave, Hist. Litt. vol. i. p. 517, ed. Oxford, 1740-43; Surius, De Probatis Sanctor. Vitis. Nov. p. 487, &c.
3. Of Alexandria. The Arian prelates who formed the council of Antioch, A. D. 341, appointed Gregory to the patriarchal see of Alexandria, which they regarded as vacant, though the orthodox patriarch, Athanasius, was in actual possession at the time. They had previously offered the see to Eusebius of Emesa, but he declined accepting it. The history of Gregory previous to this appointment is obscure. He is said to have been a Cappadocian; and some identify him with the person whom Gregory Nazianzen describes as a namesake and countryman of his own, who, after receiving kindness from Athanasius at Alexandria. had joined in spreading the charge against him of murdering Arsenius: it is not unlikely that this Gregory was the person appointed bishop, though Bollandus and Tillemont argue against their identity. His establishment at Alexandria was effected by military force, but Socrates, and Theophanes, who follows him, are probably wrong in making Syrianus commander of that force: he was the agent in establishing Gregory's successor, George of Cappadocia [Georgius, No. 7.] Athanasius escaped with considerable difficulty, being surprised in the church during divine service.
Very contradictory accounts are given of the conduct and fate of Gregory. If we may trust the statements of Athanasius, which have been collected by Tillemont, he was a violent persecutor, sharing in the outrages offered to the solitaries, virgins, and ecclesiastics of the Trinitarian party, and sitting on the tribunal by the side of the magistrates by whom the persecution was carried on. That considerable harshness was employed against the orthodox is clear, after making all reasonable deduction from the statements of Athanasius, whose position as a party in the quarrel renders his evidence less trustworthy. The Arians had now the upper hand, and evidently abused their predominance; though it may be judged from an expression of Athanasius (Encyc. ad Episcop. Epistola, 100.3), and from the fact that the orthodox party burnt the church of Dionysius at Alexandria, that their opponents were sufficiently violent. The close of Gregory's episcopate is involved, both as to its time and manner, in some doubt. He was still in possession of the see at the time of the council of Sardica, by which he was declared to be not only no bishop, but no Christian. A. D. 347; but according to Athanasius, he died before the return of that prelate from his second exile, A. D. 349. He held the patriarchate, according to this account, about eight years.
Socrates and Sozomen agree in stating that he was deposed by the Arian party, apparently about A. D. 354, because he had become unpopular through the burning of the church of Dionysius, and other calamities caused by his appointment, and because he was not strenuous enough in support of his party. The account of Theodoret, which is followed by Theophanes, appears to have originated in some confusion of Gregory with his successor. (Athanasius, Encyc. ad Episcop. Epistola; Histor. Arian. ad Monachos, 100.11-18, 54, 75; Socrat. H. E. 2.10, 11, 14; Sozom. H. E. 3.5, 6, 7; Theodoret. H. E. 2.4, 12; Phot. Bibl. Codd. 257, 258; Philostorg. H. E. 2.18; Theophanes, Chronog. vol. i. p. 54, 56, ed. Bonn ; Tillemont, Mémoires, vol. viii.)
4. Aneponymus. [GEORGIUS PERIPATETICUS, No. 41]
5. Of Antioch, was originally a monk in one of the convents of Constantinople, or in a convent called the convent of the Byzantines, which Valesius supposes to have been somewhere in Syria. Here he became eminent as an ascetic at an early age, and was chosen abbot of the convent. From Constantinople, he was removed by the emperor Justin II. to the abbacy of the convent of Mount Sinai. Here he was endangered by the Scenite (or Bedouin) Arabs, who besieged the monastery; but he succeeded in bringing them into peaceable relations to its inmates. On the deposition of Anastasius, patriarch of Antioch, about A. D. 570 or 571 (Baronius erroneously places it in 573), he was appointed his successor; and in that see, according to Evagrius, he acquired, by his charity to the poor and his fearlessness of the secular power, the respect both of the Byzantine emperor and the Persian king. When Chosroes I., or Khosru, invaded the Roman empire (A. D. 572), he sent the intelligence of his inroad to the emperor.
Anatolius, an intimate friend of Gregory, having been detected in the practice of magic, in sacrificing to heathen deities, and in other crimes, the populace of Antioch regarded the patriarch as the sharer of his guilt, and violently assailed him. The attention of the emperor Tiberius II. was drawn to the matter, and he ordered Anatolius to be sent to Constantinople, where he was put to the torture: but the culprit did not accuse Gregory of any participation in his crimes, and was, after being tortured, put to death, being thrown to the wild beasts of the amphitheatre, and his body impaled or crucified.
Though delivered from this danger, Gregory soon incurred another. He quarrelled with Asterius, count of the East; and the nobles and populace of Antioch took part against him, every one declaring that he had suffered some injury from him. He was insulted by the mob; and though Asterius was removed, his successor, Joannes or John, was scarcely less hostile. Being ordered to inquire into the disputes which had taken place, he invited any who had any charge against the bishop to prefer it; and Gregory was in consequence accused of incest with his own sister, a married woman, and with being the author of the disturbances in the city of Antioch. To the latter charge he expressed his willingness to plead before the tribunal of count John, but with respect to the charge of incest, he appealed to the judgment of the emperor, and of an ecclesiastical council. In pursuance of this appeal he went to Constantinople, taking Evagrius, the ecclesiastical historian, with him as his advocate. This was about A. D. 589. [Evagrius, No. 3.] A council of the leading prelates was convened; and Gregory, after a severe struggle with those opposed to him, obtained an acquittal, and returned to Antioch, the same year. When the mutinous soldiers of the army on the Persian frontier had driven away their general Priscus, and refused to receive and acknowledge Philippicus, whom the emperor Maurice had sent to succeed him [Germanus, No. 5], Gregory was sent, on account of his popularity with the troops, to bring them back to their duty: his address, which is preserved by Evagrius, was effectual, and the mutineers agreed to receive Philippicus, who was sent to them. When Chosroes II. of Persia was compelled to seek refuge in the Byzantine empire (A. D. 590 or 591), Gregory was sent by the emperor to meet him. Gregory died of gout A. D. 593 or 594, having, there is reason to believe, previously resigned his see into the hands of the deposed patriarch Anastasius. He was an opponent of the Acephali, or disciples of Severus of Antioch, who were becoming numerous in the Syrian desert, and whom he either expelled or obliged to renounce their opinions. The extant works of Gregory are, 1. Δημογορία πρὸς τὸν Στρατόν, Oratio ad Exercitum, preserved, as noticed above, by Evagrius, and given in substance by Nicephorus Callisti. 2. Λόγος εἰς τὰς Μυροφόρους Oratio in Mulieres Unguentiferas, preserved in the Greek Menaeu, and given in the Novum Auctarium of Combefis, Paris, 1648, vol. i. p. 727. Both these pieces are in the twelfth vol. of the Bibliotheca Patrum of Gallandius. Various memorials, drawn up by Evagrius in the name of Gregory, were contained in the lost volume of documents collected by Evagrius. [Evagrius, No. 3.] (Evagr. H. E. 5.6, 9, 18, 6.4-7, 11-13, 18, 24; Niceph. Callist. H. E. 17.36, 18.4, 12-16, 23, 26; Fabric. Bibl. Gr. vol. xi. p. 102 ; Cave, Hist. Litt. vol. i. p. 534, &c.; Galland. Bibl. Patr. vol. xii. Proleg. cxiii.)
6. Of Armenia. The memory of Gregory of Armenia is held in great reverence in the Eastern (i. e. Greek, Coptic, Abyssinian, and Armenian) churches; and he is one of the saints of the Roman Calendar.
His festival is 30th Sept.; and the Armenians commemorate him also on certain other days. There is every reason to believe that Gregory was the principal agent in the conversion of the Armenians to Christianity, though it is known that others had preached Christianity in the Greater Armenia before him, and had made converts; but until his labours the bulk of the nation continued to be heathens. We have, however, no authentic account of him. A prolix life, professing to be written by Agathangelus, a contemporary, but which internal evidence shows to be spurious, is given in the Acta Sanctorum of the Bollandists, Sept., vol. viii. An abridgment of this life, by a Latin writer of the middle ages, is given in the same collection. The work of Agathangelus was also abridged by Symeon Metaphrastes, a Latin version of whose account is given in the De Probatis Sanctorum Vitis of Surius. In these accounts Gregory, whose place of birth is not stated, is said to have been educated at Caesareia, in Cappadocia, where he was instructed in the Christian religion. Having entered into the service of the Armenian king, Teridates or Tiridates (apparently Tiridates III.), then an exile in the Roman empire, he was, on the restoration of that prince, subjected to severe persecution because he refused to join in the worship of idols. A calamity, which was regarded as a punishment for this persecution, induced Tiridates to place himself and his people under the instruction of Gregory. The result was the conversion of many people, and the erection of churches, and Gregory, after a journey to Caesareia to receive ordination, returned as metropolitan into Armenia, baptized Tiridates and his queen and many other persons, built new churches, and established schools. He afterwards quitted the court, and retired to solitude, frequently, however, visiting the Armenian churches. Some modern authorities style him martyr, but apparently without any foundation. The conversion of the Armenians took place about the beginning of the fourth century, and Gregory was still living at the time of the first Nicene council, A. D. 325, to which one of his sons was sent, apparently as representing the Armenian churches. Works
Many discourses, professedly by Gregory, are given in the work of Agathangelus: they are for the most part omitted by Symeon Metaphrastes. Homilies in Armenian probably spurious
It is there said that there are several homilies extant in the Armenian tongue, ascribed to Gregory, but in all probability spurious. Encomium Sancti Gregorii Armenorum Illuminatoris
A discourse, extant in the Armenian tongue, and entitled Encomium Sancti Gregorii Armenorum Illuminatoris, is ascribed to Chrysostom; but is regarded as spurious by nearly all critics, and among them by Montfaucon, who has, however, given the Latin version of it in his edition of Chrysostom's works, vol. xii. p. 822, &c. Further Information
In the Biographie Universelle, a pretty full account of Gregory is given, but the sources are not stated. Agathangelus, Vita S. Gregorii, with the Prolegomena of Stillingus, in the Acta Sanctor. Sept. vol. viii. p. 295, &c. Comp. Sozom. II. E. 2.8; Theophan. Chronog. vol. i. p. 35; Cedren. Compend. vol. i. p. 498, ed. Bonn.
7. Of Armenia. A second Gregory was patriarch of Armenia about the end of the thirteenth and commencement of the fourteenth century. He was disposed to unite with the Roman rather than the Greek church. A letter of his to Hayton, king of Armenia, is given in the Conciliatio Ecclesiae Armeniae cum Romano of Galenus. (Cave, Hist. Litt. vol. ii. p. 337.)
8. Asbestas. [See below, No. 35.]
9. Of Baetica, otherwise of Illiberis, so called because he was bishop of Illiberis or Illiberi (now Elvira, near Granada), in the province of Baetica (now Andalusia), in Spain, was an ecclesiastical writer of the fourth century. Jerome, who mentions him in his Chronicon (ad Ann. 371), describes him as a Spanish bishop, a friend of Lucifer of Caralis (Cagliari), and a strenuous opponent of the Arians, from whom, in the time of their ascendancy, he suffered much. The emperor Theodosius the Great addressed an edict to Cynegius, praefect of the praetorium, desiring him to defend Gregory and others of similar views from the injuries offered to them by the heretics. Works De Fide
Gregory was the author of divers treatises, among which was one De Fide, which Jerome characterises as " elegans libellus." This work is supposed by Quesnel, editor of the Codex Canonum Romanus, to be the third of the " tres Fidei Formulae" contained in that work, and which bears an inscription ascribing it improperly to Gregory Nazianzen. The work De Fide contra Arianos given in some editions of the Bibliotheca Patrum, under the name of Gregory of Baetica is really by Faustinus. [Faustinus.] The pseudo Flavius Dexter identifies this Gregory of Baetica with Gregory, praefect of the praetorium in Gaul. [See above, Gregorius, historical, No. 3.] Further Information
Hieronymus, Chronicon, 1. c., De Viris Illustr. c. 105; Cave, Hist. Litt. vol. i. p. 235; Tillemont, Mémoires, vol. 10.727, &c.
10. Of Caesareia. Gregory lived about A. D. 940, at the Cappadocian Caesareia: he was a presbyter, apparently of the church there. Works
He wrote,-- 1. Vita Sancti Gregorii Nazianzeni.
A Latin version of this life (which is chiefly derived from notices in the works of Nazianzen himself). Editions
This was made by Billius, and prefixed to his edition of the works of Nazianzen. Billius cites an ancient MS. in the library of St. Denis as an authority for the statement that a Latin version, which he characterises as barbarous, was made by a certain Anastasius, about A. D. 960; and considers that if this statement is correct, the authorship of the work must be ascribed to an earlier Gregory; but this inference seems hardly necessary. The version of Billius is given in the De Probatis Sanctorum Vitis, of Surius, Maii, p. 121, &c. Some of our authorities state that the Greek original is given in the Acta Sanctorum of the Bollandists, Maii, vol. ii. p. 766 ; but this is a mistake, the piece given there is not the Life by Gregory, but an anonymous panegyric. 2. Scholia in Orationes XVI. Nazianzeni
The author of the Life wrote also Scholia in Orationes XVI. Nazianzeni, which are quoted by Elias of Crete; but the age of Elias himself [Elias, No. 5], which is variously fixed from the sixth to the twelfth century, is too uncertain to aid in determining that of Gregory. 3. In Patres Nicaenos
A panegyric on the Nicene Fathers Editions
This panegyric is given with a Latin version in the Novum Auctarium of Combefis, vol. ii. p. 547, &c.; the Latin version is given by Lipomannus in his De Vitis Sanctorum; and by Surius in the De Probatis Sanctorum Vitis, 10 Julii. Further Information
Fabric. Bibl. Gr. vol. viii. pp. 386, 432, vol. x. pp. 233, 296; Cave, Hist. Litt. vol. ii. p. 99.
11. Of Cappadocia. [See above, No. 3.]
12. Cerameus. Nicephorus of Constantinople gives the name of Gregory to the archbishop of Tauromenium, better known as Theophanes (but called in some MSS. George) Cerameus. [Cerameus.]
13. Chioniades lived in the reign of Alexius I. Comnenus (A. D. 1081-1118.) There are extant in MS. in the Imperial Library at Vienna sixteen letters of Gregory Chioniades, addressed, some to the emperor, others to the patriarch or nobles of Constantinople, the publication of which is desirable from the light which it is supposed they would throw on that period of Byzantine history. (Fabric. Bibl. Gr. vol. xi. p. 631; Cave, Hist. Litt. vol. ii. p. 164.)
14. Of Constantinople. [Georgius, literary, No. 20.]
15. Of Constantinople. [Mammas.]
16. Of Corinth. [Pardus.]
17. Of Cyprus. [Georgius, No. 20.]
18. Of Illiberis. [See above, No. 9.]
19. Mammas. [Mammas.]
20. Melissenus. [Mammas.]
21. Monachus, the Monk. Gregory is not accurately described by the title Monk, as he lived on the proceeds of his own property, a farm in Thrace, though much given to ascetic practices and entertaining a great reverence for religious persons. His spiritual director having died, he attached himself to St. Basil the younger, the ascetic, who lived during and after the reign of Leo VI. the Philosopher (A. D. 886-911), and is supposed to have survived as late as A. D. 952. After his death, Gregory composed two memoirs of him; the more prolix appears to have perished, the other is given by the Bollandists in the Acta Sanctorum, Martii, vol. iii.; the Latin version in the body of the work, p. 667, &c., and the original in the Appendix, p. 24, &c. This memoir, though crammed with miraculous stories,contains several notices of contemporary public men and political events: and a considerable extract of it is given by Combefis in the Historiae Byzantinae Scriptores post Theophanem, fol. Paris, A. D. 1685. It precedes, in that work, the Chronicon of Symeon Magister. (Fabric. Bibl. Gr. vol. x. p. 206; Cave, Hist. Litt. ii. p. 69; Acta Sancttor., Martii, vol. iii., Proleg. ad Vit. S. Basilii.)
22. Of Mytilene. A homily, In Jesu Passionem, by Gregory of Mytilene, is given by Gretser, with a Latin version, in his collection, De Cruce. (Fabric. Bibl. Gr. vol. x. p. 245.)
23, 24. Nazianzenus. [See below.]
25. Of Neocaesareia. [See below, Gregorius Thaumaturgus.]
26. Of Nicaea. [See below, No. 35.]
27. Of Nyssa. [See below.]
28. Palamas. [Palamas.]
29. Pardus. [Pardus.]
30. Patzo. Nicolaus Comnenus Papadopoli cites the exposition of the Novellae of the later Byzantine emperors, by Gregorius Patzo, who held the office of Logotheta Dromi (or Logotheta Cursus), and whom he regards as one of the most eminent of the jurists of the Byzantine empire, inferior to Harmenopulus alone. The time at which Gregorius Patzo lived is not known, but he must have been later than Alexis I. Comnenus (A. D. 1081-1118), some of whose Novellae he has expounded. Assamanni would make him a modern Greek. (Fabric. Bibl. Gr. vol. xi. p. 632.)
31. Peripateticus. [Georgius, No. 41.]
32. Presbyter. [See above, No. 10.]
33. Of Sicily. [See below, No. 35.]
34. Of Sinai. [See above, No. 5.]
35. Of Syracuse, sometimes called of Sicily. Gregory, surnamed Asbestas, was made bishop of Syracuse about A. D. 845.
He went to Constantinople, apparently soon after his appointment to the see, for he appears to have been there in A. D. 847, where Ignatius was chosen patriarch, whose election he strenuously opposed. He was, in return, deposed by Ignatius in a council held A. D. 854, on the ground, as Monitor affirms, of his profligacy; and his deposition was confirmed by the Pope, Benedict III. When, on the deposition of Ignatius, Photius was placed on the patriarchal throne, A. D. 858, he was consecrated by Gregory, whose episcopal character, notwithstanding his deposition, was thus recognised. Gregory was anathematised, together with Photius, at the council of Rome A. D. 863: and his connection with the Greek patriarch is a reason for receiving with caution the assertions of Romish writers as to his immoral character. Photius promoted him A. D. 878 to the bishopric of Nicaea, in Bithynia. He died soon after. Works Oratio longa in S. Methodium.
He is perhaps the "Gregorius archiepiscopus Siciliae" mentioned by Allatius in his tract De Methodiorum Scriptis (published in the Convivium decem Virginum Sti Methodii Martyris, Rome, 1656), as the author of an Oratio longa in S. Methodium.
The age of Gregory, who lived in and after the time of Methodius, favors this supposition, but there is some difficulty from the term "Archiepiscopus Siciliae." Further Information
Mongitor, Bibl. Sicula, vol. i. p. 263; Cave, Hist. Litt. vol. ii. pp. 40, 76.
36. Thaumaturgus. [See below.]
37. Theologus. [See below, Gregorius Nazianzenus, 2.]
38. Thessalonicensis. [Palamas.]
There were several Gregorii among the old Syriac or Arabic writers, who may be traced in the Bibliotheca Orientalis of Assamanni. [J.C.M]
the elder, was bishop of Nazianzus in Cappadocia for about forty-five years, A. D. 329-374, and father of the celebrated Gregory Nazianzen. He was a person of rank, and he held the highest magistracies in Nazianzus without increasing his fortune. In religion, he was originally a hypsistarian, a sect who derived their name from their acknowledgment of one supreme God (ὕψιστος), and whose religion seems, from what little is known of it, to have been a sort of compound of Judaism and Magianism with other elements. He was converted to Christianity by the efforts and prayers of his wife Nonna, aided by a miraculous dream, and by the teaching of certain bishops, who passed through Nazianzus, on their way to the council of Nicaea, A. D. 325. His baptism was marked by omens, which were soon fulfilled in his elevation to the see of Nazianzus, about A. D. 329. He governed well, and resisted Arianism. His eldest son, Gregory, was born after he became bishop. In 360 he was entrapped by the Arians, through his desire for peace, into the signature of the confession of Ariminum, an act which caused the orthodox monks of Nazianzus to form a violent party against him. The schism was healed by the aid of his son Gregory, and the old bishop made a renewed public confession of his orthodoxy, which satisfied his opponents, 363. In the year 370 he, with his son, used every effort to secure the elevation of Basil to the bishopric of Caesareia; indeed, the intemperate zeal of the two Gregories seems to have embittered the Arians against Basil. All the other events of his life, of any importance, are related in the next article. (Greg. Nazianz. Orat. xix.) [P.S]
surnamed θεόλογος, from his zeal in the defence of the Nicene doctrine * In the Arian controversy, the terms θεολογία and θεόλογος were used by the orthodox with reference to the Nicene doctrine, which they believed to be contained in the passage of Scripture, θεὸς ἦν ὁ λόγος. It was in this sense that they called the apostle John ὁ θεόλογος, was one of the most eminent fathers of the Greek Church. He was born at Arianzus, a village in Cappadocia, not far from Nazianzus, the city of which his father was the bishop, and from which both father and son took the surname of Nazianzen. There is some doubt about the date of his birth. The statement of Suidas (s. v.) is directly at variance with several known facts in his life. In all probability he was born in, or very shortly before, the year 329. His mother Nonna, a zealous and devout Christian, had devoted him even in the womb to the service of God, and exerted herself to the utmost in training his infant mind to this destiny. In that age of miracles and visions, we are not surprised to find that Gregory, while yet a boy, was visited by a dream, which excited in him the resolution, to which he was ever stedfast, to live a life of asceticism and celibacy, withdrawn from the world, and in the service of God and the church. Meanwhile, his father took the greatest care of his education in the sciences and arts. From the care of able teachers at Caesareia he proceeded to Palestine, where he studied eloquence; thence he went to Alexandria, and finally his zeal for knowledge led him to Athens, then the focus of all learning. On his voyage, the vessel encountered a tremendous storm, which excited in him great terror, because he had not yet been baptized.
The time of his arrival at Athens seems to have been about, or before A. D. 350. He applied himself ardently to the study of language, poetry, rhetoric, philosophy, mathematics, and also of physic and music. At Athens Gregory formed his friendship with Basil. [Basilius] Here also he met with Julian, whose dangerous character he is said to have discerned even thus early. On the departure of Basil from Athens, in 355, Gregory would have accompanied his friend; but, at the urgent request of the whole body of students, he remained there as a teacher of rhetoric, but only till the following year, when he returned home, 356. He now made an open profession of Christianity by receiving baptism; and, declining to exercise his powers as a rhetorician, either in the courts or in the schools, he set himself to perform his vows of dedication to the service of God. He made a resolution, which he is said to have kept all his life, never to swear. His religion assumed the form of quietism and ascetic virtue. It seems that he would have retired altogether from the world but for the claims which his aged parents had upon his care. He so far, however, gratified his taste for the monastic life, as to visit his friend Basil in his retirement, and to join in his exercises of devotion, A. D. 358 or 359. [Basilius] But he never became a regular monk. His fiery temper and the circumstances of the age prevailed over the resolves of his youth; and this quietist, who replies to the remonstrances of Basil on his inactivity, by the strongest aspirations for a life of fest and religious meditation (Epist. xxxii. p. 696), became one of the most restless of mankind. (Comp. Orat. v. p. 134.)
In the year 360 or 361, Gregory was called from his retirement to the help of his father, who, as the best means of securing his support, and probably also to prevent him from choosing the monastic life, suddenly, and without his consent, ordained him as a presbyter, probably at Christmas, 361. Gregory showed his dislike to this proceeding by immediately rejoining Basil, but the entreaties of his father and of many of the people of Nazianzus backed by the fear that he might be, like Jonah, fleeing from his duty, induced him to return home, about Easter, 362. At that feast he preached his first sermon (Orut. xl.), which, as it seems, he afterwards expanded into a fuller discourse, which was published but never preached (Orat. i.), in which he defends himself against the charges that his flight from Nazianzus had occasioned, and sets forth the duties and difficulties of a Christian minister. It is called his Apologetic Discourse. He was now for some time engaged in the discharge of his duties as a presbyter, and in assisting his aged father in his episcopal functions, as well as in composing the differences between him and the monks of Nazianzus, the happy termination of which he celebrated in three orations. (Orat. xii.--xiv.)
In the mean time Julian had succeeded to the throne of Constantius (A. D. 361), and Gregory, like his friend Basil, was soon brought into collision with the apostate emperor, from whose court he persuaded his brother Caesarius to retire. [Caesarius, St.] Whether the unsupported statement of Gregory, that lie and his friend Basil were marked out as the first victims of a new general persecution on Julian's return from Persia, can be relied upon or not, it is certain that the passions of the emperor would soon have overcome his affectation of philosophy, and that his pretended indifference, but real disfavor, towards Christianity, would have broken out into a fierce persecution. The deliverance from this danger by the fall of Julian (B. C. 363) was celebrated by Gregory in two orations against the emperor's memory (λόγοι στηλιτευτικοί, Orat. iii. and iv.), which are distinguished more for warmth of invective than either for real eloquence or Christian temper. They were never delivered.
In the year 364, when Basil was deposed by his bishop, Eusebius, Gregory again accompanied him to his retreat in Pontus, and was of great service in effecting his reconciliation with Eusebius, which took place in 365. He also assisted Basil most powerfully against the attacks of Valens and the Arian bishops of Cappadocia. For the next five years he seems to have been occupied with his duties at Nazianzus, in the midst of domestic troubles, the illness of his parents, and the death of his brother Caesarius, A. D. 368 or 369. His panegyric on Caesarius is esteemed one of his best discourses. (Orat. x.) A few years later, A. D. 374, he lost his sister Gorgonia, for whom also he composed a panegyric. (Orat. xi.)
The election of Basil to the bishopric of Caesareia, in 370, was promoted by Gregory and his father with a zeal which passed the bounds of seemliness and prudence. One of Basil's first acts was to invite his friend to become a presbyter at Caesareia; but Gregory declined the invitation, on grounds the force of which Basil could not deny. (Orat. xx. p. 344.) An event soon afterwards occurred, which threatened the rupture of their friendship. Basil, as metropolitan of Cappadocia, erected a new see at the small, poor, unpleasant, and unhealthy town of Sasima, and conferred the bishopric on Gregory, A. D. 372. The true motive of Basil seems to have been to strengthen his authority as metropolitan, by placing the person on whom he could most rely as a sort of outpost against Anthimus, the bishop of Tyana; for Sasima was very near Tyana, and was actually claimed by Anthimus as belonging to his see. But for this very reason the appointment was the more unacceptable to Gregory, whose most cherished wish was to retire into a religious solitude, as soon as his father's death should set him free. He gave vent to his feelings in three discourses, in which, however, he shows that his friendship for Basil prevails over his offended feelings (Orat. v. vi. vii.), and he never assumed the functions of his episcopate. Finding him resolved not to gd to Sasima, his father, with much difficulty, prevailed upon him to share with him the bishopric of Nazianzus; and Gregory only consented upon the condition that he should be at liberty to lay down the office at his father's death. On this occasion he delivered the discourse (Orat. viii.) entitled, Ad Patrem, quum Nazianazenae ecclesiae curam filio commisisset, A. D. 372. To the following year are generally assigned his discourse De plaga grandinis, on the occasion of a hailstorm which had ravaged the country round Nazianzus (Orat. xv.), and that Ad Nazianzenos, timore Trepidantes, et Praefectum iratum (Orat. xvii.), the occasion of which seems to have been some popular commotion in the city, which the praefect was disposed to punish severely.
Gregory Nazianzen, the father, died in the year 374, at the age of almost a hundred years, and his son pronounced over him a funeral oration, at which his mother Nonna and his friend Basil were present. (Orat. xix.) He was now anxious to perform his purpose of laying down the bishopric, but his friends prevailed on him to retain it for a time, though he never regarded himself as actually bishop of Nazianzus, but merely as a temporary occupant of the see (Epist. xlii. p. 804, lxv. p. 824, Carm. de Vit. sua, p. 9, Orat. viii. p. 148). It is therefore an error of his disciple Jerome (Vir. Illust. 117), and other writers, to speak of Gregory as bishop of Nazianzus. From a discourse delivered about this time (Orat. ix.), we find that he was still as averse from public life, and as fond of solitary meditation, as ever. He also began to feel the infirmities of age, which his ascetic life had brought upon him, though he was not yet fifty. From these causes, and also, it would seem, in order to compel the bishops of Cappadocia to fill up the see of Nazianzus, he at last fled to Seleuceia, the capital of Isauria (A. D. 375), where he appears to have remained till 379, but where he was still disappointed of the rest he sought; for his own ardent spirit and the claims of others compelled him still to engage in the ecclesiastical controversies which distracted the Eastern Church. The defence of orthodoxy against the Arians seemed to rest upon him more than ever, after the death of Basil, on the 1st of January, A. D. 379, and in that year he was called from his retirement, much against his will, by the urgent request of many orthodox bishops, to Constantinople, to aid the cause of Catholicism, which, after a severe depression for forty years, there seemed hopes of reviving under the auspices of Gratian and Theodosius. At Constantinople Gregory had to maintain a conflict, not only with the Arians, but also with large bodies of Novatians, Appollinarists, and other heretics. His success was great, and not unattended by miracles. So powerful were the heretics, and so few the orthodox, that the latter had no church capable of containing the increasing numbers who came to listen to Gregory. He was therefore obliged to gather his congregation in the house of a relation; and this originated the celebrated church of Anastasia, which was afterwards built with great splendour and sanctified by numerous miracles. Some of his discourses at Constantinople are among his extant works; the most celebrated of them are the five on the divine nature, and especially on the Godhead of Christ, in answer to the Eunomians and Macedonians, entitled Αόλοι Θεολογικοί. (Orat. xxxiii.--xxxvii.) It cannot be said that these discourses deserve the reputation in which they were held by the ancients. They present a clear, dogmatic, uncritical statement of the Catholic faith, with ingenious replies to its opponents, in a form which has far more of the rhetoric of the schools than of real eloquence. Moreover, his perfect Nicene orthodoxy has been questioned; it is alleged that in the fifth discourse he somewhat sacrifices the unity to the trinity of the Godhead. The success of Gregory provoked the Arians to extreme hostility: they pelted him, they desecrated his little church, and they accused him in a court of justice as a disturber of the public peace; but he bore their persecutions with patience, and, finally, many of his opponents became his hearers. The weaker side of his character was displayed in his relations to Maximus, an ambitious hypocrite, whose apparent sanctity and zeal for orthodoxy so far imposed upon Gregory, that he pronounced a panegyrical oration upon him in his presence. (Orat. xxiii.) Maximus soon after endeavoured, in 380, to seize the episcopal chair of Constantinople, but the people rose against him, and expelled him from the city. This and other troubles caused Gregory to think of leaving Constantinople, but, at the entreaties of his people, he promised to remain with them till other bishops should come to take charge of them. He retired home, however, for a short time to refresh his spirit with the solitude he loved.
In November, 380, Theodosius arrived at Constantinople, and received Gregory with the highest favour, promising him his firm support. He compelled the Arians to give up all the churches of the city to the Catholics, and, in the midst of the imperial guards, Gregory entered the great church of Constantinople, by the side of Theodosius. The excessive cloudiness of the day was interpreted by the Arians as a token of the Divine displeasure, but when, at the commencement of the service, the sun burst forth and filled the church with his light, all the orthodox accepted it as a sign from heaven, and called out to the emperor to make Gregory bishop of Constantinople. The cry was with difficulty appeased for the time, and shortly afterwards Gregory was compelled to accept the office. As the head of the orthodox party, Gregory used their victory with a healing moderation, at least according to the ideas of his time, for the suppression of the public worship of the heretics by the edicts of Theodosius was not regarded by him as an act of persecution. On the other hand, many of the Arians regarded him with the deepest enmity, and he relates a romantic story of an assassin, who came with other visitors into his room, but was conscience-stricken, and confessed his guilt: Gregory dismissed him with his benediction. The affairs of the church were administered by him with diligence and integrity, and he paid no more court to the emperor than the etiquette of his rank required. Several of his sermons belong to the year of his patriarchate.
At the beginning of the year 381, Theodosius convoked the celebrated council of Constantinople, the second of the oecumenical councils. One of its earliest acts was to confirm Gregory in the patriarchate of Constantinople, and soon after, in consequence of the sudden death of Meletius, he became president of the council. He soon found, however, that he had not the power to rule it. He was too good and moderate, perhaps also too weak and indolent, to govern a general council in that age. His health also was very infirm. He gradually withdrew himself from the sittings of the council, and showed a disposition to lay down his bishopric. His chief opponents, the Egyptian and Macedonian bishops, seized the opportunity to attack him, on the ground that he could not hold the bishopric of Constantinople, as he was already bishop of Nazianzus, and the church did not permit translations. Upon this he gladly resigned his office. His resignation was accepted without hesitation by the council and the emperor, and he took leave of the people of Constantinople in a discourse which is the noblest effort of his eloquence. He returned to Cappadocia, and, the course of his journey leading him to Caesareia, he there delivered his admirable funeral oration upon Basil. Finding the bishopric of Nazianzus still vacant, he discharged its duties until, in the following year, 383, he found a suitable successor in his cousin Eulalius. He now finally retired to his long-sought solitude, at his paternal estate at Arianzus, where the enjoyment of quiet philosophical meditation was mingled with the review of his past life, which he recorded in an Iambic poem. This work breathes a spirit of contentment, derived from an approving conscience, but not unmixed with complaints of the ingratitude and disappointment which he had encountered in the discharge of duties he had never sought, and lamentations over the evil times on which he had fallen. He draws a melancholy picture of the character of the clergy of his time, derived chiefly from his experience of the council of Constantinople. He also wrote other poems, and several letters, in his retirement. He died in 389 or 390. After the account given of his life, little remains to be said of his character. His natural disposition partook of the two qualities, which are often found united, impetuosity and indolence. The former was tempered by sincere and humble piety, and by a deep conviction of the benefits of moderation; the latter was aggravated by his notions of philosophic quietism, and by his con tinual encounters with difficulties above his strength. He was a perfectly honest man. His mind, though highly cultivated, was of no great power. His poems are not above mediocrity, and his discourses, though sometimes really eloquent, are generally nothing more than favourable specimens of the rhetoric of the schools. He is more earnest than Chrysostom, but not so ornamental. He is more artificial, but also, in spirit, more attractive, than Basil. Biblical theology has gained but little from either of these writers, whose chief aim was to explain and enforce the dogmas of the Catholic church. Works
The works of Gregory Nazianzen are, 1. Orations or Sermons; 2. Letters; 3. Poems; 4. His Will. Editions
The following are the most important editions of the works of Gregory Nazianzen:--An editio princeps, Basil. 1550, folio, containing the Greek text, and the lives of Gregory by Suidas, Sophronius, and Gregory the presbyter. A Latin version was published at the same place and time, in a separate volume.
2. Morell's edition, after the text of Billius, 2 vols. fol. Paris. 1609-1611; a new and improved edition, 1630; a careless reprint, Colon. (Lips.), 1690.
3. Another edition, after Billius, by Tollius and Muratorius, Venet. 1753.
4. The Benedictine edition, of which only the first volume was published: it was commenced by Louvart, continued by Maron, and finished by Clemencet. It contains only the discourses, preceded by an excellent life of Gregory, Paris. 1778. The discourses are placed in a new order by Clemencet. The numbers used in this article are those of Billius. The edition of Billius only contains a part of Gregory's poems.
The principal edition of the remainder is by Tollius, under the title of Carmina Cygnea, in his Insignia Itinerarii Italici, Traj. ad Rhen. 1696, 4to., reprinted, 1709.
Muratori further discovered several of Gregory's epigrams, which he published in his Anecdota Graeca, Patav. 1709, 4to. These epigrams form a part of the Palatine Anthology, and are published more accurately in Jacobs's edition of the Palatine Anthology, b. viii. vol. i. pp. 539-604; and in Boissonade's Poet. Graec. Sylloge, Paris, 1824, &c. There are many other editions of parts of his works. Further Information
The authorities for Gregory's life, besides those already quoted, are the lives of him by Nicetas and by Gregory the presbyter, the Ecclesiastical Histories of Socrates and Sozomen, the works of Baronius, Tillemont, Fleury, Du Pin, Lardner, Le Clerc; Cave, Hist. Lit. vol. i. p. 246 ; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. viii. p. 383; Schröckh, Christliche Kirchengeschichte, vol. xiii. p. 268; Ullmann, Gregorius von Nazianz, der Theologe, ein Beitrag zur Kirchen und Dogmengeschichte des vierten Jahrhunderts, Darmst. 1825, 8vo.; Hoffmann, Lexicon Bibliographicum Scriptorum Graecorum. [P.S]
bishop of Nyssa, in Cappadocia, and a father of the Greek church, was the younger brother of Basil the Great. He was born at Caesareia, in Cappadocia, in or soon after A. D. 331. Though we have no express account of his education, there is no doubt that, like his brother's, it was the best that the Roman empire could furnish. Like his brother also, he formed an early friendship with Gregory Nazianzen. He did not, however, share in their religious views; but, having been appointed a reader in some church, he abandoned the office, and became a teacher of rhetoric. Gregory Nazianzen remonstrated with him on this step by letter (Epist. 43), and ultimately he became a minister of the church, being ordained by his brother Basil to the bishopric of Nyssa, a small place in Cappadocia, about A. D. 372. As a pillar of orthodoxy, he was only inferior to his brother and his friend. The Arians persecuted him; and at last, upon a frivolous accusation, drove him into banishment, A. D. 375, from which, on the death of Valens, he was recalled by Gratian, A. D. 378. In the following year he was present at the synod of Antioch; and after visiting his dying sister, Macrina, in Pontus [Basilius], he went into Arabia, having been commissioned by the synod of Antioch to inspect the churches of that country. Front this tour he returned in 380 or 381, visiting Jerusalem in his way. The state of religion and morality there greatly shocked him, and he expressed his feelings in a letter against the pilgrimage to the holy city. In 381 he went to the oecumenical council of Constantinople, taking with him his great work against the Arian Eunomius, which he read before Gregory Nazianzen and Jerome. In the council he took a very active part, and he had a principal share in the composition of the creed, by which the Catholic doctrine respecting the Holy Ghost was added to the Nicene Creed. On the death of Meletius, the first president of the council, Gregory was chosen to deliver his funeral oration.
He was present at the second council of Constantinople in 394, and probably died shortly afterwards. He was married, though he afterwards adopted the prevailing views of his time in favour of the celibacy of the clergy. Hiswife's name was Theosebeia. Assessment
The reputation of Gregory Nyssen with the ancients was only inferior to that of his brother, and to that of Gregory Nazianzen. (See especially Phot. Bibl. 6.) Like them, he was an eminent rhetorician, but his oratory often offends by its extravagance. His theology bears strong marks of the influence of the writings of Origen. Works
His works may be divided into: 1. Treatises on doctrinal theology, chiefly, but not entirely, relating to the Arian controversy, and including also works against the Appollinarists and the Manichaeans. 2. Treatises on the practical duties of Christianity. 3. Sermons and Orations. 4. Letters. 5. Biographies. Editions
The only complete edition of Gregory Nyssen is that of Morell and Gretser, 2 vols. fol. Paris, 1615-1618; reprinted 1638.
There are several editions of his separate works. Further Information
Lardner's Credibility; Cave, Hist. Lit. vol. i. p. 244; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. ix. p. 98; Schröckh, Christliche Kirchengeschichte, vol. xiv.; F. Rupp, Gregors von Nyssa Leben und Meinungen, Leipz. 1834, 8vo.; Hoffmann, Lexicon Bibliograph. Script. Graec. [P.S]
or Theodo'rus, St., received the surname of Thaumaturgus from his miracles. He was a native of Neocaesareia in Cappadocia, and the son of heathen parents. He pursued his studies, chiefly in Roman law, at Alexandria, Athens, Berytus, and ünally at Caesareia in Palestine, where lie became the pupil and the convert of Origen, about A. D. 234. At the end of five years, during which Origen instructed him in logic, physics, mathematics, ethics, and the whole circle of philosophy, as well as in the Christian faith and biblical science, Gregory returned to his native place, where he soon received a letter from Origen, persuading him to become a minister of the church. Gregory, however, withdrew into the wilderness, whither he was followed by Phaedimus, bishop of Amaseia, who wished to ordain him to the bishopric of Neocaesareia. Gregory for a long time succeeded in evading the search of Phaedimus, who at last, in Gregory's absence, performed the ceremony of his ordination, just as if he had been present. Upon this Gregory came from his hiding-place, and undertook the office, in the discharge of which he was so successful, that whereas, when he became bishop, there were only seventeen Christians in the city, at his death there were only seventeen persons who were not Christians, notwithstanding the two calamities of the Decian persecution, about A. D. 250, and the invasion of the northern barbarians, about A. D. 260, from which the church of Neocaesareia suffered severely during his bishopric. In the Decian persecution he fled into the wilderness, not, as it really appears, from fear, but to preserve his life for the sake of his flock. He was a warm champion of orthodoxy, and sat in the council which was held at Antioch in A. D. 265, to inquire into the heresies of Paul of Samosata. He died not long afterwards. The very probable emendation of Kuster to Suidas, substituting the name of Aurelian for that of Julian, would bring down his life to A. D. 270.
This is not the place to inquire into the miracles which are said to have been performed by Gregory at every step of his life. One example of them is sufficient. On his journey from the wilderness to his see he spent a night in a heathen temple. The mere presence of the holy man exorcised the demons, so that, when the Pagan priest came in the morning to perform the usual service, he could obtain no sign of the presence of his divinities. Enraged at Gregory, he threatened to take him before the magistrates; but soon, seeing the calmness of the saint, his anger was turned to admiration and faith, and he besought Gregory, as a further proof of his power, to cause the demons to return. The wonder-worker consented, and laid upon the altar a piece of paper, on which he had written, "Gregory to Satan:--Enter." The accustomed rites were performed, and the presence of the demons was manifested. The result was the conversion of the Pagan priest, who became a deacon of Neocaesareia, and the most faithful follower of the bishop. Works
The following are the genuine works of Gregory Thaumaturgus :-- 1. Panegyricus ad Origenem
A discourse delivered when he was about to quit the school of Origen. 2. Metaphrasis in Ecclesiasten
3. Expositio FideiA creed of the doctrine of the Trinity. 4. Epistola canonica, de iis, qui in Barbarorum Incursione idolothyta comederant
An epistle in which he describes the penances to be required of those converts who had relapsed into heathenism through the fear of death, and who desired to be restored to the church. 5. Other Letters
Other WorksThe other works ascribed to him are either spurious or doubtful. Editions
The following are the editions of Gregory's works:--
1. That of Gerardus Vossius, Greek and Latin, Lips. 1604, 4to.
2. The Paris edition, in Greek and Latin, which also contains the works of Macarius and Basil of Seleuceia, 1622, fol.
3. In Gallandii Biblioth. Patrum, Paris, 1788, folio. There are several editions of his separate works. Further Information
Gregorius Nyssen. Vit. S. Greg. Thaum.; Suid. s.v. the ancient ecclesiastical historians; Lardner's Credibility; Cave, Hist. Lit. sub. ann. 254; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. vii. p. 249; Schröckh, Christliche Kirchengeschichte, vol. iv. p. 351; Hoffmann, Lex. Bibl. Script. Graec. [P.S]
(Γρηγόριος), a veterinary surgeon, who may perhaps have lived in the fourth or fifth century after Christ. Works Fragments on Veterinary Surgery
Some fragments are all that remains of his writings. Editions
These are are to be found in the collection of writers on veterinary surgery, first published in Latin by John Ruellius, Paris, 1530, fol., and in Greek by Simon Grynaeus, Basil. 1537, 4to. [W.A.G]
(Γρηγόριος). (1) Surnamed Nazianzēnus, and usually called Gregory Nazianzen. He was born in a village near Nazianzus in Cappadocia about A.D. 329, and prosecuted his studies at Athens, where he earned a great reputation for his knowledge of rhetoric, philosophy, and mathematics. Among his fellow students was Julian , the future emperor, and Basil, with the latter of whom he formed a most intimate friendship. Gregory remained at Athens about six years (350-356), and then returned home. Having received ordination, he continued to reside at Nazianzus, where he discharged his duties as a presbyter, and assisted his father, who was bishop of the town. In A.D. 372 he was associated with his father in the bishopric; but after the death of the latter in 374, he refused to continue Bishop of Nazianzus, as he was averse to public life and fond of solitary meditation. After living some years in retirement, he was summoned to Constantinople in 379, in order to defend the orthodox faith against the Arians and other heretics. In 380 he was made Bishop of Constantinople by the emperor Theodosius; but he resigned the office in the following year (381), and withdrew altogether from public life. He lived in solitude at his paternal estate at Nazianzus, and died there in 389 or 390. His extant works are about 45 orations or sermons, 243 letters, and 407 poems of a very varied description, comprising hymns, prayers, epitaphs, epigrams, etc. His discourses, though sometimes really eloquent, are generally little more than favourable specimens of the rhetoric of the schools, more earnest than Chrysostom, but less attractive. The Benedictine edition was published at Paris (1778-1842). See the monographs by Ullmann (Eng. trans. 1851); and by A. Benoît (Paris, 1876).
(2) Nyssēnus, bishop of Nyssa in Cappadocia, was the younger brother of Basil, and was born at Caesarea in Cappadocia, about A.D. 331. He was made bishop of Nyssa about 372, and, like his brother Basil and their friend Gregory Nazienzen, was one of the pillars of orthodoxy. He died soon after A.D. 394. Like his brother, he was an eminent rhetorician, though his oratory often offends by its extravagance. His works are printed in Migne's Patrologia, vols. xliv.-xlvi.
(3) Styled Thaumaturgus, from his miracles, was born at Neocaesarea in Cappadocia, of heathen parents. He was converted to Christianity by Origen about A.D. 234, and subsequently became the bishop of his native town. He died about the year 265. His celebrated Ἔκθεσις, or confession of faith, is a summary of the theology of Origen. It is said to have been divined by him through a revelation from the Virgin Mary and the Apostle John. Other treatises of doubtful authenticity are attributed to him. His works are printed in vol. x. of the Patristic collection of the Abbé Migne. See Ryssel, Gregorius Thaumaturgus: sein Leben und seine Schriften (Leipzig, 1880); and Harnack, Dogmengeschichte, vol. i. (Freiburg im Breisg. 1888).
(4) Of Tours, called “the Father of Frankish History,” was born at Arverna (Clermont), about A.D. 540, his baptismal name being Georgius Florentius. He became Bishop of Tours in 573, and after the death of Chilperic, whom Gregory calls “the Nero and the Herod of our times,” and by whom he was much harassed, he enjoyed general esteem and consideration down to the end of his life in 594. He is best known by his Historiae sive Annalium Francorum Libri X., which is the chief authority for the history of Gaul in the sixth century, beginning with an epitome of universal history, and developing the narrative with greater fulness as he proceeds. In it the author shows himself unskilled in literary composition, and his Latinity is especially interesting as a specimen of the gradual blending of the classic Latin into the rustic Latin from which the Romance languages emerged. His works are printed in vol. lxxi. of the Abbé Migne's collection. There is a French translation by Bordier, 2 vols. (1859-61), and Jacobs, 2 vols. (1861). See Löbell, Gregor von Tours und seine Zeit (2d ed. 1869); Pattison, Essays, vol. i. (1889); and on his language, Bonnet, Le Latin de Grégoire de Tours (1891).