A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

GREGORIUS. GREGORIUS..307
Gratian: [GPRATIANUS, AuIJ.. When Ithacius GREGO'RIT S (rpnqy6pios). Literary and ecclewas obliged, by the persecution of Priscillian and siastical.
his party, to flee from Spain, he went to Gregory, 1. ACINDYNtS. [AcINDYNyUS.]
who, after inquiring into the matter, caused the 2. AGRiGENTINUS, or of AGRIGENTUM, one of
authors of the disturbance, apparently Priscillian the most eminent ecclesiastics of the sixth century,
and the other leaders of his party, to be arrested, was born near Agrigentum about A. D. 524. His
and sent an account of the affair to the emperor; father, Chariton, and his mother, Theodote, were
bhut his purpose of rigour was rendered unavailing pious people, by whom, from his twelfth year, he
by the venality of the emperor's other ministers, was destined to the priesthood, his precocity of
whom the Priscillianists had corrupted. It is mind having attracted great attention. After going
doubtful whether this person is or is not the same through his course of education, he visited Car,
person as No. 2. The pseudo Flavius Dexter iden- thage, and from thence proceeded to Jerusalem,
tifies this Gregory with Gregorius of Baetica [GRE- where he was ordained deacon, according to Symeon
CoORIVs, Literary, No. 9]. (Sulp. Sever. Hist. Metaphrastes, by the patriarch Macarius II.; but
Sacra. ii. 63. ed. Hornii; and editor's note in this is an anachronism, as Macarius occupied that
loco; Flav. Dex. Omnimodae Hist. ad ann. 388, see from A. D. 563 to 574. He stayed at Jeru423; Tillemont, Hist. des Emp. vol. V. pp. 171, salem at least four years, studying grammar, philo722.) sophy, astronomy, and eloquence. From Jeru4. Patrician, as Theophanes calls him, of the salem he proceeded to Antioch, and from thence to
Byzantine province of Africa at the time of its Constantinople, exciting very general admiration.
first invasion by the Saracens. By the aid of the According to Nicephorus Callisti, he was esteemed
"Africans " (by which term we are probably to to be superior in holiness and eloquence and learnunrderstand the Moors), Gregory revolted from the ing to nearly all the ecclesiastics of his day. From
Byzantine empire, and made himself " tyrannus," Constantinople he proceeded to Rome, and was by
or independent sovereign of the province. This was the pope advanced to the vacant see of Agrigentum,
in A. D. 646, in the reign of Constans II. [CON- the nomination to which had been referred to the
STANS II.] Perhaps his insurrection suggested or pope in consequence of disputes about the succession.
encouraged the purpose of invading the province This appointment was, however, the source of much
for the next year (A. D..647), the Mohammedan trouble to Gregory; for two of the ecclesiastics, who
-army advanced westward from Egypt, and Gregory had been competitors for the see, suborned a prostiwas entirely defeated by them. We gather from tute to charge him with fornication. This accusaTheophanes only the bare facts of Gregory's revolt tion led the bishop to undertake a journey to Con-and defeat; but Arab or Moorish writers afford stantinople, where he was favourably received by
various particulars of a very romantic and impro- the emperor Justinian I., and obtained an acquittal
bable character, which have been embodied in the from the charge against him; after which he rework of Catdonne, and copied at length by Gibbon. turned to Agrigentum, where he died 23d of Nov.,
(Theophan. Cltronog. vol. i. p. 525, ed. Bonn; Car- about A. D. 564. His life was written in Greek by
donne, Histoire de l'Afi'iqe et dde'Espagne sous la Leontius, presbyter and abbot of St. Saba, and by
Domination des Arabes, vol. i. p. 11, &c.; Gibbon, Symeon Metaphrastes. A Latin version of the
c. 51.) latter is given by Surius: it ascribes many miracles
5. A pretender to the purple in the time of the to him. The life by Leontius is given, we are not
emperor Leo III., the Isaurian. Intelligence of informed whether in the Greek or. in a Latin
the siege of Constantinople by the Saracens, soon version, in the Sancti Siculi of Caetanus, vol. i.
after Leo's accession, having reached Sicily, Ser- p. 188, &c. The works of Gregory of Agrigentum
gius, general of the Byzantine forces in that comprehend, 1. Orationes de Fidei dogmatibeus ad
island, revolted, and appointed Gregory, who had Antiochenos. 2. Orationes itum ad docendum tum
been one either of his servants or his soldiers, em- ad laudandum editae Constandtinopoli. 3. Conciones
peror, changing his name to Tiberius (A. D. 718). ad Populum de Doginatibus: all extant in the work
Theophanes and Cedrenus call this puppet emperor of Leontius. 4. Commentarius in Ecclesiasten. The
not Gregory, but Basil the son of Gregory Ono- MS. of this was left by Possinus at Rome with Jo.
magulus, and state that he was a native of Con- Fr. de Rubeis that it might be translated and pubstantinople; butZonaras calls him Gregory, though lished; but it never appeared, and it is not known
he agrees with- the other historians as to his-taking what became of it. (Niceph. Callisti, H. E. -xvii.
the name of Tiberius. When the intelligence of 27; Mongitor. Bibliotk. Sicula, vol. i. p. 262;
these transactions reached Constantinople, Leo, Cave, Hist. Litt. vol. i. p. 517, ed. Oxford, 1740who was already relieved from the pressure of the 43; - Surius, De Probatis Sanctor. Vitis. Nov.
Saracens, sent one of his officers, Paul, who had p. 487, &c.)
held the office of " Chartularius," to put down the 3. Of ALEXANDRIA, The Arian prelates who
revolt. Paul landed at Syracuse with the intel- formed the council of Antioh, A. D. 341, appointed
ligence of the deliverance of Constantinople, and Gregory to the patriarchal see of Alexandria, which
with letters to the troops, who immediately re- they regarded as vacant, though the orthodox paturned to their allegiance, and seizing Gregory and triarch, Athanasius, was in actual possession at the
those whom under Sergius's direction he had ap- time. They had previously offered the seeto Eusebius
pointed to office, delivered them up in bonds to of Emesa, but he declined accepting it. The history
Paulus. Sergius himself fled to the Lombards of Gregory previous to this appointment is obscure,
on the borders of Calabria. Paul put Gregory to He is said to have been a Cappadocian; and some
death, and sent his head to the emperor, and identify him with the person whom Gregory Napunished his supporters in various ways. (Theo- zianzen describes as a namesake and countryman of
phanes, COlronog. vol. i. p. 611-613, ed. Bonn; his own, who, after receiving kindness from AthaCedren. vol. i. p. 790, &c., ed. Bonn; Zonar. xv. nasius at Alexandria, had joined in spreadingthe
2.). [J.C.M.] charge against him of murdering Arsenilus: it is
x2