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

228 PETRUS. PEUCESTAS.
narrowed, his morals were preserved pure; and if treatise and in the Explicatico zn lIexad7neron,
he fell short of his more eminent brothers in speaks of him in the highest terms. A work exvariety of attainments, he equalled them in holiness tant in Arabic, bearing the title of Demnonstratio,
of life. The place of his education appears to have cited by Abraham Echellensis (Eutyclh. Vindic. Pars
been a nunneryat Annesi or Annesa on the river Iris, ii. p. 486, and Not. ad Catalog. flebedjesu, p. 51),
in Pontus, established by his mother arnd sister: and is ascribed to the three brothers, Basil, Gregory,
with them, or in the monastery which his brother and Peter; but its genuineness is, to say the least,
Basil had established on the other side of the river, very doubtful. (Greg. Nyssen. De Vita S. Ml~amuch of his life was passed. In a season of scarcity crinae; Basil. ll. cc.; Theodoret, II. cc.; Tillemont,
(A. D. 367, 368?) such was his benevolent exertion llemoir-es, vol. ix. p. 572, &c.; Le Quien, Oriens
to provide for the destitute, that they flocked to him Christianus, vol. i. col. 424; Cave, I-list. Litt. ad
from all parts, and gave to the thinly-peopled neigh- ann. 370,-vol. i. p. 246.)
bourhood in which he resided the appearance of a 31. SIcvLvs. [No. 7.] [J. C. M.]
populous town. He had the satisfaction of being PEUCESTAS (EIIEVK'as). 1. Son of Mapresent with his sister at his mother's death-bed, cartatus, a Macedonian officer in the service of
and received her dying benediction. Her death Alexander, who was appointed by the king to comappears to have occurred about the time of Basil's mand the troops left in Egypt, B. c. 331. (Arr.
elevation to the bishoprick of the Cappadocian Anab. iii. 5. ~ 6; Curt. iv. 8. ~ 4.)
Caesareia, about A. D. 370: soon after which, appa- 2. Son of Alexander, a native of the town of
rently, Peter received from Basil ordination to the Mieza, in Macedonia, was a distinguished officer
office of presbyter, probably of the church of Cae- in the service of Alexander the Great. His name
sareia; for Basil appears to have employed his is first mentioned as one of those appointed to
brother as his confidential agent in some affairs. command a trireme on the Hydaspes (Arr. Ind.
(Basil. M~aritimis Episcopis Epistola lxxvii. editt. 18). Previous to this we do not find him holding
vett., cciii. edit. Benedictin.) Peter, however, re- any command of importance; but it is evident
tained a house, which Basil describes as near Neo- that he must have distinguished himself for his percaesareia (Basil, Mlleletio Epistola cclxxii. editt. sonal valour and prowess, as he was the person
vett., ccxvi. edit. Benedictin), but which was pro- selected by Alexander to carry before him in battle
bably at or near Annesi, where he had been brought the sacred shield, which he had taken down from
up, and where his sister Macrina still resided. the temple of Athena at Ilium. In this capacity
It was probably after the death both of Basil and he was in close attendance upon the king's person
Macrina, about the year 380, as Tillemont judges, in the assault on the capital city of the Malli; and
that Peter was raised to the bishopric of Sebaste, all authors agreed in attributing the chief share in
(now Siwas) in the Lesser Armenia. A passage saving the life of Alexander upon that occasion to
of Theodoret (H. E. iv. 30) has been thought to Peucestas, while they differed as to almost all the
imply that he was raised to the episcopate during other circumstances and persons concerned (Arr.
the reign of Valens, which terminated in A.. D. Aab. vi. 9, 10, 11; Plut. Alex. 63; Diod. xvii.
378; but the passage only implies that he took an 99; Curt. ix. 5. ~ 14). For his services on this
active part in the struggle carried on during that occasion he was rewarded by the king with almost
reign by the bishops of the orthodox party against every distinction which it was in his power to
Arianism, which he might very well do, though not confer. On the arrival of Alexander at Persepolis,
himself a bishop. His elevation preceded the second he bestowed upon Peucestas the important satrapy
general council, that of Constantinople, A.D. 380- of Persia, but, previous to this, he had already
381, in which he took part. (Theodoret, H. E. v. 8.) raised him to the rank of somatophylax, an honour
In what year he died is not known: but it was rendered the more conspicuous in this instance by
probably after A.D. 391; and certainly before the the number of those select officers being augmented
death of his brother, Gregory of Nyssa (who sur- on purpose to make room for his admission. At
vived till A. D. 394, or later), for Gregory was pre- Susa, also, Peucestas was the first of those rewarded
sent at Sebaste at the first celebration of his bro- with crowns of gold for their past exploits (Arr.
ther's memory, i. e. the anniversary of his death, ib. vi. 28, 30, vii. 5). After this he proceeded to
whiich occurred in hot weather, and therefore could take possession of his government, where he connot have been in January or March, where the ciliated the favour of the Persians subject to his
martyrologies place it. (Greg. Nyssen, Epistol. rule, as well as that of Alexander himself, by
ad Flhavian. Opera, vol. iii. p. 645, &c. ed. Paris, adopting the Persian dress and customs, in exchange
1638.) for those of Macedonia. (Id. vi. 30, vii. 6; Diod.
The only extant writing of Peter is a letter pre- xix. 14.)
fixed to the Contra Eunomium Libri of Gregory of In the spring of B. C. 323, Peucestas joined the
Nyssa, and published with the works of that father. king at Babylon, with an army of 20,000 Persian
It is entitled Toi'v? cyfoss 7rcirpdo rtibLv eiTpov troops; and is mentioned as one of those in
a'erlo'Trov:LEsaG-elas e7rTo-oA?) 7-rpus -r-V a'eyLov attendance upon him during his last illness. It
rprjyopliov Nvro-ols T-iv al-'-oe d5aeXphv, Sancti does not appear that he took any leading part in
Patris nostri Petri Episcopi Sebasteni ad S. G-ego- the discussions that ensued upon the death of Alexrium Nysseeznm frsatremz suum Epistola. Peter ander, but in the division of the provinces that
does not appear to have been ambitious of author- followed, he obtained the renewal of his governship, and probably felt the disqualification arising ment of Persia, which he also retained in the
from his restricted education. Some of the works second partition at Triparadeisus, a.c. 321 (Arr.
of his brother Gregory were, however, written at Anao). vii. 23, 24, 26, ap. Phlot. p. 69, b. 71, b.;
his desire, such as the above-mentioned treatises Diod. xvii. 110, xviii. 3, 39; Dexipp. ap. P/hot. p.
against Eunomius and the Explicatio Apoloyetica 64, b.; Justin. xiii. 4). All his attention seems to
in Hexaemeron. T.he De Iolominis Opificio is also have been directed to the strengthening. himself in
addressed to him by Gregory, who, both in this this position, and extending hIis power and in