Gregory the Elder or Gregory of Nazianzus the Elder ( – 374) was the bishop of the see of

Nazianzus Nazianzus or Nazianzos ( grc, Ναζιανζός), also known as Nandianulus, was a small town of ancient Cappadocia, and in the late Roman province of Cappadocia Tertia, located 24 Roman miles to the southeast of Archelais. In the Jerusalem It ...

in Roman province of

Cappadocia Cappadocia or Capadocia (; tr, Kapadokya), is a historical region in Central Anatolia, Turkey. It largely is in the provinces Nevşehir, Kayseri, Aksaray, Kırşehir, Sivas and Niğde. According to Herodotus, in the time of the Ionian Revo ...

. However, he is better remembered as the patriarch of an important family of ecclesiastics.

Career

A member of the

Hypsistarians Hypsistarians, i.e. worshippers of the ''Hypsistos'' ( el, Ὕψιστος, the "Most High" God), and similar variations of the term first appear in the writings of Gregory of Nazianzus (''Orat''. xviii, 5) and Gregory of Nyssa (''Contra Eunom''. ...

, a distinct Jewish-pagan sect worshiping Hypsistos, the "Most High" God, Gregory was convinced to convert to

Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...

by his wife Nonna in 325. Both Gregory and Nonna came from wealthy families, and Gregory was able to personally finance the construction of a church in the region. In 328, Gregory was selected as bishop of

, a position he held until his death. At one point, Gregory subscribed to an

Arian Arianism ( grc-x-koine, Ἀρειανισμός, ) is a Christological doctrine first attributed to Arius (), a Christian presbyter from Alexandria, Egypt. Arian theology holds that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, who was begotten by God t ...

understanding of the

Trinity The Christian doctrine of the Trinity (, from 'threefold') is the central dogma concerning the nature of God in most Christian churches, which defines one God existing in three coequal, coeternal, consubstantial divine persons: God the F ...

. However, this was for a very brief time and he quickly renounced that position.Frederick Norris, "Gregory of Nazianzus" in ''The Encyclopedia of Early Christianity,'' ed. Everett Ferguson (New York: Garland Publishing, 1977).

Family

Three children were born to Gregory and Nonna. One daughter, Saint Gorgonia outlived her parents by only a year, and was lauded in the eulogy given by her brother as a model Christian wife. Their younger son,

Caesarius of Nazianzus Caesarius of Nazianzus (also spelled Cæsarius ronounced "Kesarios"and Caesarios r.) (c. 331 – 368) was a prominent physician and politician. He is best known as the younger brother of Gregory of Nazianzus. He is recognized as a saint in the E ...

, studied in

Caesarea Mazaca Caesarea ( /ˌsɛzəˈriːə, ˌsɛsəˈriːə, ˌsiːzəˈriːə/; el, Καισάρεια, Kaisareia) also known historically as Mazaca ( el, Μάζακα) was an ancient city in what is now Kayseri, Turkey. In Hellenistic and Roman times, the ...

and at

Alexandria Alexandria ( or ; ar, ٱلْإِسْكَنْدَرِيَّةُ ; grc-gre, Αλεξάνδρεια, Alexándria) is the second largest city in Egypt, and the largest city on the Mediterranean coast. Founded in by Alexander the Great, Alexandria ...

and became a physician. He served in Constantinople as the court physician for both

Constantius II Constantius II (Latin: ''Flavius Julius Constantius''; grc-gre, Κωνστάντιος; 7 August 317 – 3 November 361) was Roman emperor from 337 to 361. His reign saw constant warfare on the borders against the Sasanian Empire and Germani ...

and

Julian the Apostate Julian ( la, Flavius Claudius Julianus; grc-gre, Ἰουλιανός ; 331 – 26 June 363) was Roman emperor from 361 to 363, as well as a notable philosopher and author in Greek. His rejection of Christianity, and his promotion of Neoplato ...

, and died in 368. Their elder son, also named Gregory (and sometimes known as "the Younger"), served alongside his father first as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

, and then as

coadjutor The term coadjutor (or coadiutor, literally "co-assister" in Latin) is a title qualifier indicating that the holder shares the office with another person, with powers equal to the other in all but formal order of precedence. These include: * Coadj ...

. Gregory the Younger would later become the

Patriarch of Constantinople The ecumenical patriarch ( el, Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης, translit=Oikoumenikós Patriárchēs) is the archbishop of Constantinople (Istanbul), New Rome and '' primus inter pares'' (first among equals) among the heads of th ...

References

External links

*''Catholic Encyclopedia'', articles o
Caesarius
an

*Patron Saints Index article o

*Catholic Online article o
Saint Gorgonia
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gregory Of Nazianzus (The Elder) 374 deaths Byzantine saints 4th-century bishops in Roman Anatolia Saints from Roman Anatolia 4th-century Christian saints People from Aksaray Province