185 



GREGORIUS (PARDUS) OF CORINTH. 



GREGORY I. 



188 



GREGORIUS (PARDUS) OP CORINTH, an archbiahop of Corinth 

 in the 12th century, ia chiefly known by a work on dialects (riepl 

 Sio\tKTui>), the latest edition of which is by Gf. H. Schafer, Leipzig, 

 1811, Svc, 



GREGORIUS OP NAZIANZUS, one of the fathers of the church, 

 was born in the early part of the fourth century, at Arianzus, a village 

 near the town of Nazianzus in Cappadocia, of which town his father 

 was bishop. He studied first at Ciesarea in Cappadocia, afterwards at 

 Alexandria, and lastly at Athens, where he became the friend and com- 

 panion of Basilius, and where he also met Julian, afterwards emperor. 

 At a subsequent period ho joined Basilius, who had retired to a soli- 

 tude in Pontus during the reign of Julian. [BASIL.] When Basilius 

 was made archbishop of C'sesarea, he appointed his friend bishop of 

 Zazime, a place of which Gregorius gives a dismal account, and which 

 he soon after left to joiu his father, and assist him in the administra- 

 tion of the church of Nazianzus. He there made himself known for 

 his eloquence in the orations which he addressed to his father's nock. 

 These compositions are remarkable for a certain poetical turn of imagery, 

 and for their mild persuasive tone. Above all things he preaches peace 

 and conciliation ; peace to the clergy agitated by the spirit of contro- 

 versy ; peace to the people of Nazianzus distracted by sedition ; peace 

 to the Imperial governor who had come to chastise" the towu, and whose 

 wrath he endeavours to disarm by appealing to the God of mercy. 

 In an age of sectarian intolerance he showed himself tolerant. He 

 had suffered with his brethren from Arian persecution under the reign 

 of Valens ; and after that emperor had taken by violence all the churches 

 of Constantinople from the orthodox, or Nicaeans, the inhabitants, who 

 had remained attached to that faith, looking about for a man of superior 

 merit and of tried courage to be their bishop, applied to Gregorius, who 

 had left Nazianzus after his father's death and had retired into Isauria. 

 Gregorius came to Constantinople and took the direction of a private 

 chapel, which he named Anastaaia, and whither his eloquence soon 

 attracted a numerous congregation, to the great mortification of the 

 Arians. Theodcsius having assumed the reins of government, and 

 triumphed over his enemies, declared himself in favour of the orthodox 

 communion, retook the churches which the Arians had seized, and 

 came himself with soldiers to drive them from Santa Sophia, an act 

 which Gregorius says looked like the taking of a citadel by storm. 

 Gregorins being now recognised as metropolitan, did not retaliate upon 

 the Arians for their past persecutions, but endeavoured to reclaim them 

 by mildness and persuasion. In the midst of the pomp of the im- 

 perial court he retained his former habits of simplicity and frugality. 

 His conduct soon drew upon him the dislike of the courtiers and of 

 the fanatical zealots. Theodosius convoked a council of all the bishops 

 of the East to regulate matters concerning the vacant or disputed 

 MM which had been for many years in possession of the Arians. The 

 council at first acknowledged Gregorius as archbishop, but soon after 

 factions arose within the assembly, which disputed his title to the 

 see, and stigmatised his charity towards the now persecuted Arians as 

 lukewarmness in the faith. Qregorius, averse to strife, offered his 

 rexignation, which the emperor readily accepted. Having assembled 

 the people and the fathers of the council to the number of 150, in the 

 church of St. Sophia, he delivered his farewell sermon, which is a fine 

 specimen of pulpit eloquence. After recapitulating the tenour of his 

 post life, his trials, the proof* of attachment be bad given to the ortho- 

 dox faith in the midst of dangers and persecution, he replies to the 

 charge of not having avenged that persecution upon those who were 

 now persecuted in their turn, by observing that to forego the oppor- 

 tunity of revenging ourselves upon a fallen enemy is the greatest ol 

 all triumphs, lie then pleads guilty to the charge of not keeping up 

 the splendour of his office by a luxurious table and a magnificent retinue, 

 saying that he wa< not aware that the ministers of the sanctuary were 

 to vie in pomp with the consuls and commanders of armies. After 

 rebuking the ambition and rivalry of his colleagues, which he compares 

 to the factions of the circus, he terminates by taking an affectionate 

 leave of all those around him, and of the places dear to his memory 

 This valedictory address u a touching specimen of the pathetic style 

 dignified and unmixed with querulousness. The orator salutes for 

 the last time the splendid temple in which he is speaking, and then 

 turns towards his humble but beloved chapel of Anastasia, to the 

 choirs of virgins and matrons, of widows and orphans, so often gatherec 

 there to bear his voice ; and ho mentions the short-hand writers who 

 used to not* down his words. He next bids " farewell to kings am 

 their palaces, and to the courtiers and servants of kings, faithful, ~ 

 trust, to your master, but for the most part faithless towards God 

 farewell to the sovereign city, the friend of Christ, but yet open to 

 correction and repentance; farewell to the Eastern and Western world 

 for whose sake I have striven, and for whose sake I am now slighted.' 

 He concludes witli recommending his flock to the guardian angels o 

 pe ice, in hopes of hearing from the place of his retirement that it i 

 daily growing in wisdom and virtue. (S. Gregorii Nazianzeni, ' Opera, 

 Billy's edition, 'Oratio' xxxii.) 



This oration wa delivered in June 381, and a few days after Gregoriui 

 was on his way to his native Cappadocia. Arrived at Csesarea he 

 delivered an impressive funeral oration to the memory of his frienc 

 Kwiliiw, who had died there some time before, in which he recals U 

 mind their juvenile' studies at Athens, their long intimacy, and th 

 events of their chequered lives (' Oratio ' xx., in Billy's edition] 



.fter paying this last tribute to the memory of his friend he withdrew 

 o his native Arianzus, where he spent the latter years of his life, far 

 rom the turmoil of courts and councils, busy in the cultivation of 

 is garden and in writing poetry, a favourite occupation with him from 

 is youth. Gregorius died in 339. Most of his poems are religious 



meditations. Occasionally the poet attempts to dive into the myste- 

 ious destiny of man, and sometimes appears lost in uncertainty and 

 loubt as to the object of humau existence, but he recovers himself to 

 io homage to the Almighty wisdom whose secrets will become revealed 

 n another sphere. The adept in the philosophy of ancient Greece is 

 lere seen striving with the submissive Christian convert. St. Jerome 

 ,nd Suidas say that Gregorius wrote no less than 30,000 lines of poetry, 

 'art of his poems were published in the edition of his works by the 



Abbe" de Billy, Paris, 1609-11, which contains also his orations and 

 pistles ; twenty more poems, under the title of ' Carolina Cygnea,' 



were afterwards published by J. Tollius in his 'Insignia Itiuerarii 



'talici,' 4to, Utrecht, 1696, and Muratori discovered, and published iu 

 lis ' Anecdota Grseca,' Padua, 1709, a number of Gregorius's epigrams. 

 )f his orations some few turn upon dogmas, especially on that of the 



Trinity, but most of them are upon morality. He is a soberer writer 

 ,hau his successor Chrysostom, and has more of the calm impressive 



eloquence of conviction. He and his friend Basilius brought the 



oratorical arts of ancient Greece into the service of Christian preach- 

 ng, and one of Gregory's greatest complaints against Julian is that 

 hat emperor had forbidden Christians the study of Greek literature. 

 ;n his two orations against Julian, he somewhat departs from his usual 



style, and assumes that of a powerful invective in reply to the paue- 

 jyries of Libanius, Euuapius, and other admirers of that emperor, 

 jregorius of Nazianzus has been styled the ' Theologian of the Eastern 

 Jhurch;' he might with as much truth be styled its most poetical 



writer. (Suidas v. Gregorius; Gregorii, 'Opera.' There are several 

 ives of Gregorius; one of which is prefixed to the handsome edition of 

 ais ' Orations ' by the Benedictines of St. Maur, 2 vols. folio, Paris, 

 1778. The Abbe de Bellegarde published a French translation of 

 Gregorius's 'Orations,' 2 vols 8vo, Paris, 1693.) 



GHEGOKIUS, BISHOP OF NYSSA, tho younger brother of 

 Basilius the Great, was born at Caesarea, in Cappadocia, about the 

 year 331. As an earnest supporter of orthodox opinions, he was 

 bitterly assailed by the Arians. In 375 he was driven into baniah- 

 ment, but on the death of Valens, he was recalled by Gratiau in 878. 

 He was sent on a mission to inspect the churches of Arabia, by the 

 synod of Autioch, and he attended and took an active part in the first 

 and second oecumenical councils of Constantinople iu 331 and 394. 

 He died about 396. He distinguished himself in the Ariau contro- 

 versy, and wrote besides several Sermons, Orations, Letters, and Bio- 

 graphies. A complete edition of his works was published by Morell 

 and Gretzer, 2 vols. folio, Paris, 1615-18, reprinted in 1638. 



GREGORIUS, called THAUMATUKGUS, a native, and afterwards 

 bishop of Neo-Cesarea, iu Cappadocia, and a disciple of Origen. We 

 have by him a ' Metaphraais in Ecclestastem,' a ' Brevis Expositio 

 Fidei,' an 'Epistola Canonica,' and a panegyrical oration to his master 

 Origen, on leaving his school ; to which the latter replied by an inte- 

 resting letter, which is printed in his works. He was compelled, by 

 the Becian persecution, to conceal himself in the wilderness. He 

 appears to have died soon after the Council of Autioch, which he 

 attended A.U. 264. Numerous miracles are ascribed to him by his 

 early and mediaeval biographers whence his surname. He is other- 

 wise known as St. Theodorus. 



GREGORY OF TOURS, born in 544, of a family of Auvergne, was 

 nephew to Gallus, bifhop of Clermont, who took care of his education. 

 He was made bishop of Tours in 573, attended several councils, aud 

 distinguished himself by his courage and firmness in denouncing the 

 guilty conduct of Chilperic and Fredegonda, who reigned over France. 

 His boldness exposed him to a sort of persecution, aud he retired to 

 Rome, where he died in the year 595. He wrote in Latin a history of 

 France from the first establishment of Christianity till the year of his 

 death. Gregory is the father of the French historians, and the only 

 one who has left us an account of the early Merovingian kings. He is 

 evidently sincere, but very credulous ; he is often ungrammatical and 

 rude in his style and expressions, and he neglects dates. He spares 

 not his enemies : Chilperic ho calls the Nero of his age, and speaks in 

 no milder terms of his queen Fredegonda. The best edition of Gre- 

 gory's history is that of Paris, 1699, foL He also wrote a legendary 

 account of the virtues and miracles of saints, and other works of a 

 similar nature, a notice of which is given in Rivet's ' Histoire Litoraire 

 de la France,' vol. iii. 



GREGORY I., (POPE), styled the Great, was born about 550, of a 

 noble Roman family. He distinguished himself for his learning, and 

 was made prefect of Rome in 573. His ascetic turn of mind made 

 him give up that office and retire to a monastery, from which he was 

 recalled by Pope Pelagius II., who sent him on an embassy to Constan- 

 tinople to request assistance against the Longobards. Ou his return 

 to Rome, after the death of Pelagius, in 590, the clergy and people 

 elected him as his successor. Gregory earnestly wished to decline that 

 dignity ; he wrote to the emperor Maurice entreating him not to con- 

 firm his election, and he even concealed himself; but all was iu vain, 

 and he was obliged at last to fill the pontifical chair. He showed great 

 zeal for the reformation of the abuses and corruptions which had crept 



