Gregory of Nazianzus


Gregory of Nazianzus
Icon of St. Gregory the Theologian, fresco from Kariye Camii in Istanbul, Turkey
Bornc. 329
Arianzus, Cappadocia, Roman Empire
Died25 January 390 (aged c. 61)
Arianzus, Cappadocia, Roman Empire
Venerated in
CanonizedPre-Congregation
Major shrinePatriarchal Cathedral of St. George in the Fanar
Feast
AttributesVested as a bishop, wearing an omophorion; holding a Gospel Book or scroll. Iconographically, he is depicted as balding with a bushy white beard.

Theological work
EraPatristic age
LanguageGreek language
Tradition or movement
Notable ideas

Gregory of Nazianzus (Greek: Γρηγόριος ὁ Ναζιανζηνός, romanizedGrēgorios ho Nazianzēnos; c. 329[4] – 25 January 390),[4][5] also known as Gregory the Theologian or Gregory Nazianzen, was an early Roman Christian theologian and prelate who served as Archbishop of Constantinople from 380 to 381. He is widely considered the most accomplished rhetorical stylist of the patristic age.[6] As a classically trained orator and philosopher, he infused Hellenism into the early Church, establishing the paradigm of Byzantine theologians and church officials.[6]

Gregory made a significant impact on the shape of Trinitarian theology among both Greek and Latin-speaking theologians, and he is remembered as the "Trinitarian Theologian". Much of his theological work continues to influence modern theologians, especially in regard to the relationship among the three Persons of the Trinity. Along with the brothers Basil the Great and Gregory of Nyssa, he is known as one of the Cappadocian Fathers.

Gregory of Nazianzus is a saint in both Eastern and Western Christianity. In the Catholic Church he is numbered among the Doctors of the Church; in the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Eastern Catholic Churches he is revered as one of the Three Holy Hierarchs, along with Basil the Great and John Chrysostom. He is considered one of the Great Fathers in both Eastern and Western Christianity. He was considered the patron saint of Kotromanić dynasty and medieval Bosnia during the first half of the 15th century, while Saint George, the miracle-worker, has been the patron saint since at least mid-13th century, although confirmed by the papacy much later in 1461. Saint Gregory the Great was also considered the patron of both the state and dynasty in the late 15th century.[7][8]

He is also one of only three men in the life of the Orthodox Church who have been officially designated "Theologian" by epithet,[9] the other two being John the Theologian (the Evangelist), and Symeon the New Theologian.

  1. ^ Saint Gregory of Nazianzus at the Encyclopædia Britannica
  2. ^ "The Calendar". Church of England. Retrieved 2 January 2020.
  3. ^ "Commemoration of St. Gregory the Theologian". Archived from the original on 26 September 2021. Retrieved 31 July 2021.
  4. ^ a b Liturgy of the Hours Volume I, Proper of Saints, 2 January.
  5. ^ "Ορθόδοξος Συναξαριστής :: Άγιος Γρηγόριος ο Θεολόγος". Saint.gr. 25 January 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
  6. ^ a b McGuckin, John (2001) Saint Gregory of Nazianzus: An Intellectual Biography, Crestwood, NY.
  7. ^ Lovrenović, Dubravko (2008). "Sv. Grgur čudotvorac – zaštitnik Kotromanića i srednjovjekovne Bosne". In Karamatić, Fra Marko (ed.). Zbornik o Marku Dobretiću (pdf) (in Serbo-Croatian). Sarajevo: Franjevačka teologija. pp. 9–32. ISBN 978-9958-9026-0-4. Retrieved 17 May 2021.
  8. ^ Housley, Norman (17 June 2016). The Crusade in the Fifteenth Century: Converging and competing cultures. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-317-03688-3. Retrieved 3 March 2019 – via Google Books.
  9. ^ Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek) Ὁ Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος ὁ Θεολόγος Ἀρχιεπίσκοπος Κωνσταντινουπόλεως. 25 Ιανουαρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.