Listed 8 sub titles with search on: Religious figures biography for wider area of: "TOKAT Province TURKEY" .
NEOKESARIA (Ancient city) TURKEY
d.c. 269, feastday: October 18
Styled Thaumaturgus, from his miracles, was born at Neocaesarea in Cappadocia, of heathen parents. He was converted to Christianity by Origen about A.D. 234, and subsequently became the bishop of his native town. He died about the year 265. His celebrated Ekthesis, or confession of faith, is a summary of the theology of Origen. It is said to have been divined by him through a revelation from the Virgin Mary and the Apostle John. Other treatises of doubtful authenticity are attributed to him. His works are printed in vol. x. of the Patristic collection of the Abbe Migne.
This text is from: Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities. Cited Nov 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
Gregorius Thaumaturgus or Theodorus, St., received the surname of Thaumaturgus
from his miracles. He was a native of Neocaesareia in Cappadocia, and the son
of heathen parents. He pursued his studies, chiefly in Roman law, at Alexandria,
Athens, Berytus, and unally at Caesareia in Palestine, where lie became the pupil
and the convert of Origen, about A. D. 234. At the end of five years, during which
Origen instructed him in logic, physics, mathematics, ethics, and the whole circle
of philosophy, as well as in the Christian faith and biblical science, Gregory
returned to his native place, where he soon received a letter from Origen, persuading
him to become a minister of the church. Gregory, however, withdrew into the wilderness,
whither he was followed by Phaedinms, bishop of Amaseia, who wished to ordain
him to the bishopric of Neocaesareia. Gregory for a long time succeeded in evading
the search of Phaedimus, who at last, in Gregory's absence, performed the ceremony
of his ordination, just as if he had been present. Upon this Gregory came from
his hiding-place, and undertook the office, in the discharge of which he was so
successful, that whereas, when he became bishop, there were only seventeen Christians
in the city, at his death there were only seventeen persons who were not Christians,
notwithstanding the two calamities of the Decian persecution, about A. D. 250,
and the invasion of the northern barbarians, about A. D. 260, from which the church
of Neocaesareia suffered severely during his bishopric. In the Decian persecution
he lied into the wilderness, not, as it really appears, from fear, but to preserve
his life for the sake of his flock. He was a warm champion of orthodoxy, and sat
in the council which was held at Antioch in A. D. 265, to inquire into the heresies
of Paul of Samosata. He died not long afterwards. The very probable emendation
of Kuster to Suidas, substituting the name of Aurelian for that of Julian, would
bring down his life to A. D. 270.
This is not the place to inquire into the miracles which are said
to have been performed by Gregory at every step of his life. One example of them
is sufficient. On his journey from the wilderness to his see he spent a night
in a heathen temple. The mere presence of the holy man exorcised the demons, so
that, when the Pagan priest came in the morning to perform the usual service,
he could obtain no sign of the presence of his divinities. Enraged at Gregory,
he threatened to take him before the magistrates; but soon, seeing the calmness
of the saint, his anger was turned to admiration and faith, and he besought Gregory,
as a further proof of his power, to cause the demons to return. The wonder-worker
consented, and laid upon the altar a piece of paper, on which he had written,
"Gregory to Satan:--Enter." The accustomed rites were performed, and
the presence of the demons was manifested. The result was the conversion of the
Pagan priest, who became a deacon of Neocaesareia, and the most faithful follower
of the bishop. The following are the genuine works of Gregory Thaumaturgus :--1.
Panegyricus ad Origeneml, a discourse delivered when he was about to quit the
school of Origen. 2. Metaphrasis in Ecclesiasten. 3. Expositio Fidei, a creed
of the doctrine of the Trinity. 4. Epistola canonica, de iis, qui in Barbarorum
Incursione idolothyta comederant, an epistle in which he describes the penances
to be required of those converts who had relapsed into heathenism through the
fear of death, and who desired to be restored to the church. 4. Other Letters.
The other works ascribed to him are either spurious or doubtful.
The following are the editions of Gregory's works:--1. That of Gerardus
Vossius, Greek and Latin, Lips. 1604, 4to. 2. The Paris edition, in Greek and
Latin, which also contains the works of Macarius and Basil of Seleuceia, 1622,
fol. 3. In Gallandii Biblioth. Patrum, Paris, 1788, folio. There are several editions
of his separate works. (Gregorius Nyssen. Vit. S. Greg. Thaum.; Suid. s. v.; the
ancient ecclesiastical historians; Lardner's Credibility; Cave, Hist. Lit. sub.
ann. 254; Fabric. Bibl. Graec. vol. vii. p. 249; Schrockh, Christliche Kirchengeschichte,
vol. iv.; Hoffmann, Lex. Bibl. Script. Graec.)
This text is from: A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, 1873 (ed. William Smith). Cited Nov 2005 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
d.c. 340, feastday: January 14
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