Gregory of Antioch was the

Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch The patriarch of Antioch is one of the Eastern Orthodox patriarchs, the leader of the autocephalous Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch. The term "Greek" does not refer to ethnic origin; the majority of these patriarchs were not ethnic Greeks. It ...

from 571 to 593. Gregory began as a monk in the monastery of the Byzantines in

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

, or so we learn from

Evagrius Scholasticus Evagrius Scholasticus ( el, Εὐάγριος Σχολαστικός) was a Syrian scholar and intellectual living in the 6th century AD, and an aide to the patriarch Gregory of Antioch. His surviving work, ''Ecclesiastical History'' (), compris ...

. He was transferred by the

emperor An emperor (from la, imperator, via fro, empereor) is a monarch, and usually the sovereignty, sovereign ruler of an empire or another type of imperial realm. Empress, the female equivalent, may indicate an emperor's wife (empress consort), ...

Justin II Justin II ( la, Iustinus; grc-gre, Ἰουστῖνος, Ioustînos; died 5 October 578) or Justin the Younger ( la, Iustinus minor) was Eastern Roman Emperor from 565 until 578. He was the nephew of Justinian I and the husband of Sophia, the ...

(565-578 ) to Sinai. He was

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the male head of a monastery in various Western religious traditions, including Christianity. The office may also be given as an honorary title to a clergyman who is not the head of a monastery. The ...

there when the monastery was attacked by

Arabs The Arabs (singular: Arab; singular ar, عَرَبِيٌّ, DIN 31635: , , plural ar, عَرَب, DIN 31635: , Arabic pronunciation: ), also known as the Arab people, are an ethnic group mainly inhabiting the Arab world in Western Asia, ...

John Moschus John Moschus ( el, Ἰωάννης Μόσχος, c. 550 – 619; name from the grc, ὁ τοῦ Μόσχου, o tou Moschou, (son) of Moschos, was a Byzantine monk and ascetical writer. Biography He was born about 550 probably at Damascus. He ...

mentions he was also abbot of Pharan in Palestine. In 569-70 he became Patriarch of Antioch after Justin II deposed the Patriarch Anastasius I of Antioch. In 578, Anatolius accused Gregory of being a crypto-pagan involved in the sacrifice of a boy, but recanted "on being subjected to extreme of torture" Evagrius Scholasticus (1846), Book 5, Chapter 18 (XVIII) In another account, but by John, Bishop of Ephesus a contemporary of Gregory, we are informed that the latter was a pagan and had attended the sacrifice of a boy held by night at Daphne. In learning this the populace were after Gregory who was besieged in his palace and was unable to celebrate the Chrism Mass on Maundy Thursday. The King and his advisors thought “that for the honour of Christianity, and that the priesthood might not be exposed to scorn and blasphemy, the matter must be hushed up”, and the riot was quelled. Through the intercession of others he was able to ingratiate himself with the Patriarch of Constantinople; John the Faster, and retained his See, although he had lost respect of the populace (226-227).Smith, The Rev'd Professor Robert Payne (trans), "The Third Part of the Ecclesiastical History of John Bishop of Ephesus", Oxford, 1860, pp. 226-227. Gregory was an influential figure, who quarrelled with the '' Count of the East'' and was subjected to official harassment and "enquiries" in consequence, including his appearance in court in

Constantinople la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه , alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...

some time before 588, but he was acquitted through the intercession of others (supra). When Roman troops fighting the Persians mutinied in the time of the emperor

Maurice I Maurice ( la, Mauricius or ''Mauritius''; ; 539 – 27 November 602) was Eastern Roman emperor from 582 to 602 and the last member of the Justinian dynasty. A successful general, Maurice was chosen as heir and son-in-law by his predecessor Ti ...

, Gregory was asked to mediate. When Chosroes II of

Persia Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

was obliged to flee to the Romans for safety early in his reign, Gregory of Antioch and the Metropolitan Domitian of Melitene, were sent to meet him. His services were evidently acceptable; when Chosroes regained his kingdom, he sent Gregory the cross which had been earlier carried off from

Sergiopolis Resafa ( ar, الرصافة Reṣafa), also sometimes spelled Rusafa, and known in the Byzantine era as Sergiopolis (in greek Σεργιούπολις, Σεργιόπολις, "city of Saint Sergius") and briefly as Anastasiopolis (Αναστασ� ...

by Chosroes I. After this, Gregory made a tour of the border lands to convert

Monophysites Monophysitism ( or ) or monophysism () is a Christological term derived from the Greek (, "alone, solitary") and (, a word that has many meanings but in this context means "nature"). It is defined as "a doctrine that in the person of the incar ...

to the Chalcedonian definitions. He died in 593-4 from taking a drug, intended to relieve

gout Gout ( ) is a form of inflammatory arthritis characterized by recurrent attacks of a red, tender, hot and swollen joint, caused by deposition of monosodium urate monohydrate crystals. Pain typically comes on rapidly, reaching maximal intens ...

. His predecessor Anastasius I of Antioch then become Patriarch once more. Five

homilies A homily (from Greek ὁμιλία, ''homilía'') is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture, giving the "public explanation of a sacred doctrine" or text. The works of Origen and John Chrysostom (known as Paschal Homily) are considered ex ...

have reached us.

References

Sources

* * Angelo di Berardino (ed.), Adrian Walford (tr.), ''Patrology: The Eastern Fathers from the Council of Chalcedon (451) to John of Damascus (+750)''. Cambridge: James Clarke & Co. 2006. Hbk. Pp. xxxiii + 701. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Gregory Of Antioch 593 deaths Greek Orthodox Patriarchs of Antioch 6th-century Byzantine bishops Year of birth unknown 6th-century archbishops