Gregory Thaumaturgus, Saint

Gregory Thaumaturgus, Saint

▪ Greek Christian apostle
born c. 213, , Neocaesarea, Pontus Polemoniacus [now Niksar, Turkey]
died c. 270, , Neocaesarea; feast day November 17

      Greek Christian apostle of Roman Asia and champion of orthodoxy in the 3rd-century Trinitarian (nature of God) controversy. His Greek surname, meaning “wonder worker,” was derived from the phenomenal miracles, including the moving of a mountain, that he reputedly performed to assist in propagating Christianity.

      A law student, Gregory was introduced to Christianity through studies with the leading Christian intellectual of his time, Origen, at Caesarea (near modern Haifa, Israel). On his return to Neocaesarea, Gregory was made a bishop and committed his life to Christianizing that largely pagan region. The Roman emperor Decius' persecution (250–251) compelled Gregory and his community to withdraw into the mountains, and with the return of normal conditions he instituted liturgical celebrations honouring the Decian martyrs.

      Manifesting an ecclesiastical role more of a practical, pastoral nature than of a speculative theologian, Gregory mostly catechized and administered the church. His Canonical Epistle (c. 256) contains valuable data on church discipline in the 3rd-century East, resolving moral questions incident to the Gothic invasion of Pontus (modern northwest Turkey), with the rape, pillage, and apostasy that attended it. With his brother, a fellow bishop, Gregory assisted at the first Synod of Antioch (c. 264), which rejected the heresy of Paul of Samosata. The Exposition of Faith, Gregory's principal work, was a theological apology for Trinitarian belief. The Exposition incorporated his doctrinal instructions to Christian initiates, expressed his arguments against heretical groups, and was the forerunner of the Nicene Creed that was to appear in the early 4th century. An Eastern tradition records that the Exposition was given to him in a vision of St. John the Evangelist with the intercession of the Virgin Mary, the first instance noted of a Marian apparition. A letter “To Theopompus, on the Passible and Impassible in God,” which responds to the Hellenistic theory of God's incapacity for feeling and suffering, and Panegyric to Origen, a florid eulogy, constitute the remainder of Gregory's significant writings. Several other moral works, sermons, and letters bearing Gregory's name are not authentic.

* * *


Universalium. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем написать реферат

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Gregory Thaumaturgus — Infobox Saint name= Saint Gregory of Neocaesarea birth date= 213 AD death date= 270 AD feast day= 17 November venerated in= Roman Catholic Church; Eastern Orthodox imagesize= 250px caption= Saint Gregory the Wonderworker 14th century icon birth… …   Wikipedia

  • Gregory Thaumaturgus — (c. 213–c. 270)    Saint, Bishop, Theologian and Missionary.    Gregory was a pupil of origen in Caesarea and had trained as a lawyer. In c. 238, he was consecrated Bishop of Neocaesarea in Pontus. There are many legends about his miracles –… …   Who’s Who in Christianity

  • Saint Gregory (disambiguation) — Saint Gregory can also refer to one of a number of Christian saints with the given name Gregory:*Pope Gregory I *Gregory of Nazianzus the Elder, bishop of Nazianzus, father of Gregory the Theologian and Caesarius of Nazianzus *Gregory of… …   Wikipedia

  • Gregory of Neocaesarea, Saint — • Also known as Gregory Thaumaturgus, converted to Christianity by Origen, became a bishop, d. between 270 and 275 Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • Gregory — Infobox Given Name Revised name = Gregory imagesize= caption= pronunciation= gender = Male meaning = watchful, alert region = worldwide origin = Latin, Greek related names = Greg, Gregg, Gregor, Grigori footnotes = Gregory is a common masculine… …   Wikipedia

  • Alexander, Saint \(Bishop of Comana\) — • Called The Charcoal Burner. Made bishop of Comana at the recommendation of St. Gregory Thaumaturgus. St. Alexander was martyred in the Decian persecution Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006 …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • St. Gregory of Tours —     St. Gregory of Tours     † Catholic Encyclopedia ► St. Gregory of Tours     Born in 538 or 539 at Arverni, the modern Clermont Ferrand; died at Tours, 17 Nov., in 593 or 594. He was descended from a distinguished Gallo Roman family, and was… …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • patristic literature — Body of literature that comprises those works (excluding the New Testament) written by Christians before the 8th century. It refers to the works of the Church Fathers. Most patristic literature is in Greek or Latin, but much survives in Syriac… …   Universalium

  • Origen — Origenian, adj., n. Origenism, n. Origenist, n. Origenistic, adj. /awr i jen , jeuhn, or /, n. (Origenes Admantius) A.D. 185? 254?, Alexandrian writer, Christian theologian, and teacher. * * * orig. Oregenes Adamantius born с 185, probably… …   Universalium

  • Thaumaturgy — Miracle worker redirects here. For the works about Helen Keller, see The Miracle Worker. Part of a series on Eastern Christianity …   Wikipedia

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”