Gregory IV, ( el, Γρηγόριος Αργυροκαστρίτης, sq, Grigor Gjirokastriti; died 1828) was an

Albanian Albanian may refer to: *Pertaining to Albania in Southeast Europe; in particular: **Albanians, an ethnic group native to the Balkans **Albanian language **Albanian culture **Demographics of Albania, includes other ethnic groups within the country ...

scholar and cleric who became

Metropolitan of Athens The Archbishopric of Athens ( el, Ιερά Αρχιεπισκοπή Αθηνών) is a Greek Orthodox archiepiscopal see based in the city of Athens, Greece. It is the senior see of Greece, and the seat of the autocephalous Church of Greece. Its ...

in 1827–1828. Gregory was born in

Gjirokastër Gjirokastër (, sq-definite, Gjirokastra) is a city in the Republic of Albania and the seat of Gjirokastër County and Gjirokastër Municipality. It is located in a valley between the Gjerë mountains and the Drino, at 300 metres above sea le ...

(Aryrokastro) in the mid to late-18th century. In ca.1784 he was a teacher in the

New Academy The Academy (Ancient Greek: Ἀκαδημία) was founded by Plato in c. 387 BC in Athens. Aristotle studied there for twenty years (367–347 BC) before founding his own school, the Lyceum. The Academy persisted throughout the Hellenistic p ...

, a famous educational institution in

Moscopole Moscopole or Voskopoja ( sq, Voskopojë; rup, Moscopole, with several other variants; el, Μοσχόπολις, Moschopolis) is a village in Korçë County in southeastern Albania. During the 18th century, it was the cultural and commercial ...

, a leading center of Greek culture at the time. In 1799 he was appointed Bishop of Paramythia but remained in this position for only a few months. In 1799, while Patriarch of Constantinople was Gregory V, he was appointed Archbishop of

Euboea Evia (, ; el, Εύβοια ; grc, Εὔβοια ) or Euboia (, ) is the second-largest Greek island in area and population, after Crete. It is separated from Boeotia in mainland Greece by the narrow Euripus Strait (only at its narrowest poin ...

, also called "Bishop of Evripos". In the summer of 1821, when the

Greek War of Independence The Greek War of Independence, also known as the Greek Revolution or the Greek Revolution of 1821, was a successful war of independence by Greek revolutionaries against the Ottoman Empire between 1821 and 1829. The Greeks were later assisted by ...

spread to Euboea, the Turks put him under detention until January 1823. When freed, he immediately put himself at the disposition of the Greek Revolutionary Government. In his letter to the High Parliament he thanks God for saving him from the hands of the "''tyrants of the Nation''", expresses his will to "''do his best effort for everything for the benefit of Greece and especially for the people of this island (Euboea)''" and requests the Parliament to use him "''for everything that may be beneficial to the Homeland''". It seems though, that before his detention Gregory had already been involved in the Revolution, because a good number of Epirots, and indeed many from Argyrokastro, had been fighting in Euboea. It is assumed by the historians that this is the reason that the Turks had arrested him. Gregory kept on informing the central government on the situation in Euboea, but the government did not use him for the Revolution. By July 1823 the failure of Revolution in Euboea as well as the usurpation of his position by Bishop Neophytos of North Euboea, forced Gregory, among many others, to flee to Corfu retaining his title. In Corfu he translated the New Testament from ancient Greek to Albanian along with

Vangjel Meksi Vangjel Meksi (1770–1823) was an Albanian physician, writer, and translator. One-time personal physician to Ali Pasha, the 19th-century Albanian ruler of the Pashalik of Yanina, Meksi produced the first translation of the New Testament into Alb ...

. This work was partially published in

Corfu Corfu (, ) or Kerkyra ( el, Κέρκυρα, Kérkyra, , ; ; la, Corcyra.) is a Greek island in the Ionian Sea, of the Ionian Islands, and, including its small satellite islands, forms the margin of the northwestern frontier of Greece. The isl ...

in 1824 and fully in 1827. It contains both the Greek and the Albanian text, the latter printed in Greek letters, too. Gregory divided the originally one volume edition of 839 pages into two volumes, considering it a more suitable solution because "Albanians kept the holy scriptures close to their chest". it For this work one of his biographers Kourilas considers Gregory as "''the founder of the Albanian philology''" adding that ''"...albanologists use this translation as basic text but they only mention his (Gregory's) name ... but nothing about his home country and life''" (Kourilas, p. 349). In 1827 he returned to Euboea and on 16 September he was appointed

and remained so until his death, in March 1828. He was buried in

Chalkis Chalcis ( ; Ancient Greek & Katharevousa: , ) or Chalkida, also spelled Halkida (Modern Greek: , ), is the chief town of the island of Euboea or Evia in Greece, situated on the Euripus Strait at its narrowest point. The name is preserved from ...

, Euboea, in accordance to his will. Eulogios Kourilas, "''Gregorios Argyrokastritis''" in the ''Encyclopedia of Religion and Ethics'', Ath. Martinos (Ed.), Athens, 1964, vol. 4, p.348-363, in Greek language.

References

External links

The New Testament
(in Greek and Albanian) {{DEFAULTSORT:Gregory 04 Of Athens 18th-century births 1828 deaths People from Gjirokastër Albanian writers Bishops of Athens Albanian translators Greek–Albanian translators Translators of the Bible into Albanian 19th-century Eastern Orthodox bishops Greek clergy Albanian people of the Greek War of Independence