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

312 GREGORIUS. GREGORIUS.
of his brother CAESARIUS, A. D. 368 or 369. His to have remained till 379, but where he was still
panegyric on Caesarius is esteemed one of his best disappointed of the rest he sought; for his own
discourses. (Orat. x.) A few years later, A. D. ardent spirit and the claims of others compelled
374, he lost his sister Gorgonia, for whom also he himstill to engage in the ecclesiastical controversies
composed a panegyric. (Orat. xi.) which distracted the Eastern Church. The defence
The election of Basil to the bishopric of Cae- of orthodoxy against the Arians seemed to rest
sareia, in 370, was promoted by Gregory and his upon him more than ever, after the death of Basil,
father with a zeal which passed the bounds of on the 1st of January, A. D. 379, and in that year
seemliness and prudence. One of Basil's first acts he was called from his retirement, much against his
was to invite his friend to become a presbyter at will, by the urgent request of many orthodox
Caesareia; but Gregory declined the invitation, bishops, to Constantinople, to aid the cause of Caon grounds the force of which Basil could not tholicism, which, after a severe depression for forty
deny. (Orat. xx. p. 344.) An event soon after- years, there seemed hopes of reviving under the
wards occurred, which threatened the rupture of auspices of Gratian and Theodosius. At Constantheir friendship. Basil, as metropolitan of Cappa- tinople Gregory had to maintain a conflict, not only
docia, erected a new see at the small, poor, unplea- with the Arians, but also with large bodies of Nosant, and unhealthy town of Sasima, and conferred vatians, Appollinarists, and other heretics. His
the bishopric on Gregory, A. D. 372. The true success was great, and not unattended by miracles.
motive of Basil seems to have been to strengthen So powerful were the heretics, and so few the orhis authority as metropolitan, by placing the person thodox, that the latter had no church capable of
on whom he could most rely as a sort of outpost containing the increasing numbers who came to
against Anthimus, the bishop of Tyana; for Sasima listen to Gregory. He was therefore obliged to
was very near Tyana, and was actually claimed by gather his congregation in the house of a relation;
Anthimus as belonging to his see. But for this and this originated the celebrated church of Anasvery reason the appointment was the more unac- tasia, which was afterwards built with great splenceptable to Gregory, whose most cherished wish dour and sanctified by numerous miracles. Some
was to *retire into a religious solitude, as soon as of his discourses at Constantinople are among his
his father's death should set him free. He gave extant works; the most celebrated of them are the
vent to his feelings in three discourses, in which, five on the divine nature, and especially on the
however, he shows that his friendship for Basil Godhead of Christ, in answer to the Eunomians
prevails over his offended feelings (Orat. v. vi. vii.), and Macedonians, entitled AMyol ~eoAoyclro. (Oral.
and he never assumed the functions of his epis- xxxiii.-xxxvii.) It cannot be said that these
copate. Finding him resolved not to go to Sasima, discourses deserve the reputation in which they
his father, with much difficulty, prevailed upon him were held by the ancients. They present a clear,
to share with him the bishopric of Nazianzus; and dogmatic, uncritical statement of the Catholic faith,
Gregory only consented upon the condition that he with ingenious replies to its opponents, in a form
should be at liberty to lay down the office at his which has far more of the rhetoric of the schools
father's death. On this occasion he delivered the than of real eloquence. Moreover, his, perfect
discourse (Orat. viii.) entitled,, Ad Patrem, qaum Nicene orthodoxy has been questioned: it is alNAazianzenae ecclesiae curam fidio commisisset, leged that in the fifth discourse he somewhat sacriA. D. 372. To the following year are generally fices the unity to the trinity of the Godhead. The
assigned his discourse De plaga grandinis, on the success of Gregory provoked the Arians to extreme
occasion of a hailstorm which had ravaged the hostility: they pelted him, they desecrated his
country round Nazianzus (Orat. xv.), and that Ad little church, and they accused him in a court of
Nazianzenos, timore trepidantes, et Pr2aefecturm justice as a disturber of the public peace; but he
iratumr (Orat. xvii.), the occasion of which seems to bore their persecutions with patience, and, finally,
have been some popular commotion in the city, many of his opponents became his hearers. The
which the praefect was disposed to punish severely. weaker side of his character was displayed in his
Gregory Nazianzen, the father, died in the year relations to Maximus, an ambitious hypocrite,
374, at the age of almost a hundred years, and his whose apparent sanctity and zeal for orthodoxy so
son pronounced over him a funeral oration, at which far imposed upon Gregory, that he pronounced a
his mother Nonna and his friend Basil were panegyrical oration upon him in his presence.
present. (Orat. xix.) He was now anxious to (Orat. xxiii.) Maximus soon after endeavoured, in
perform his purpose of laying down the bishopric, 380, to seize the episcopal chair of Constantinople,
but his friends prevailed on him to retain it for a but the people rose against him, and expelled him
time, though he never regarded himself as actually from the city. This and other troubles caused
bishop of Nazianzus, but merely as a temporary oc- Gregory to think of leaving Constantinople, but, at
cupant of the see (Epist. xlii. p. 804, 1xv. p. 824, the entreaties of his people, he promised to remain
(rn,71 de VLi. sua, p. 9, Orat. viii. p. 148). It is with them till other bishops should come to take
therefore an error of his disciple Jerome (Tir. charge of them. He retired home, however, for a
Illucst. ] 17), and other writers, to speak of Gregory short time to refresh his spirit with the solitude he
as bishop of Nazianzus. From a discourse delivered loved.
about this time (Orat. ix.), we find that he was In November, 380, Theodosius arrived at Constill as averse from public life, and as fond of stantinople, and received Gregory with the highest
solitary meditation, as ever. HIe also began to favour, promising him his firm support. He comfeel the infirmities of age, which his ascetic life had pelled-the Arians to give up all the churches of the
brought upon him, though he was not yet fifty. city to the Catholics, and, in the midst of the imI'rom these causes, and also, it would seem, in perial guards, Gregory entered the great church of
order to compel the bishops of Cappadocia to fill up Constantinople, by the side of Theodosius. The
the see of Nazianzus, he at last fled to Seleuceia, excessive cloudiness of the day was interpreted by
the capital of Isauria (A. D. 375), where he appears the Arians as a token of the Divine displeasure, but