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[Gregory,] bishop of Nazianzus (this is a way-station in Cappadocia),[1] a most famous man, and a close friend of Basil, bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia.[2] This man was not only well-versed in the arts of grammar and poetry but excelled even more in philosophy, and was an accomplished rhetor. This man wrote many prose works; for his compositions count together approximately 30000 lines. Amongst them are the following: On the death of his brother Caesarius,[3] Funeral Oration for his father, another one for his sister Gorgonia, On loving the poor, Praises of the Maccabaeans, Praises of Cyprian, Praises of Athanasius, Praises of the philosopher Heron, two orations Against the Emperor Julian, two orations Against Eunomius, one oration On theology, two orations On the Son, one oration On the Holy Spirit, ten Festival orations; also many others that are known to everybody. In this he followed the example of Polemon of Laodicea, who lectured in Smyrna and became the teacher of Aristides the rhetor.[4] He wrote another book in hexameters, discussing in this mode virginity and marriage as well as several other subjects in all sorts of different metres, all together approximately 30000 lines. The Arian Philostorgius, too, mentions this Gregory in his history of his own times, and says: "For in those days Gregory was flourishing in Nazianzus (this place is a way-station in Cappadocia) and Basil in Caesarea in Cappadocia and Apollinarius in Laodicea in Syria. These three men, of course, were then fierce defenders of consubstantiality against difference of substance, completely overshadowing all those who previously, or subsequently up to my own time, had stood up for that heresy; Athanasius could be judged a child by comparison with them. For they were very advanced in the so-called 'external' education, and they had great proficiency in everything that contributes to the study and prompt recollection of Holy Scripture, and Gregory most of all of them. Each of them was very well able to write in his own manner. At any rate Apollinarius far excelled in the style that suits commentaries; Basil was most brilliant in panegryic; but Gregory, compared with the two of them, had the soundest basis for written composition. Apollinarius was more powerful, Basil weightier, in speech. Such was their ability in speech and written composition; and in the same degree these men presented a character attractive to the public gaze. So all who saw them or heard them or received their writings were drawn into their communion, if they could easily be caught by any of their arguments." That is what Philostorgius the Arian wrote about them in passing.[5] After having been for some time in his home-town, Gregory appointed a bishop in the church community which he was assigned to but chose for himself a solitary life in a barren desert. Having run ninety years and more, he left this life in the thirteenth year of Theodosius, suffering from the fact that it had been unworthy to his talents: he was knocked off the (episcopal) seat of the imperial city and preference was given to persons more common than this man who on the basis of his talent and splendour of his life surpassed them all.

*grhgo/rios, *nazianzou= e)pi/skopos [staqmo\s de/ e)stin ou(=tos *kappadoki/as], a)nh\r e)llogimw/tatos, a)nagkai=os de\ fi/los *basilei/ou tou= th=s *kaisarei/as e)pisko/pou th=s e)n *kappadoki/a|. ou(=tos ou) mo/non grammatiko\s kai\ ta\ e)s th\n poi/hsin decio/s, a)lla\ pollw=| plei=on kai\ e)s filosofi/an e)ch/skhto, kai\ r(h/twr h)=n a)mfide/cios. ou(=tos e)/graye kataloga/dhn polla/: ei)s ga\r trei=s muria/das sti/xwn ta\ sunta/gmata au)tou= sune/qhken: a)f' w(=n ei)si ta/de: *peri\ th=s teleuth=s tou= a)delfou= *kaisari/ou, *)epita/fios ei)s to\n e(autou= pate/ra, e(/teros ei)s th\n a)delfh\n *gorgoni/an, *peri\ filoptwxi/as, *)epai/nous tw=n *makkabai/wn, *)epai/nous *kuprianou=, *)epai/nous *)aqanasi/ou, *)epai/nous *(/hrwnos filoso/fou, *kata\ *)ioulianou= tou= basile/ws lo/goi b#, *kata\ *eu)nomi/ou lo/goi b#, *peri\ qeologi/as a#, *peri\ *ui(ou= lo/goi b#, *peri\ tou= a(gi/ou pneu/matos lo/gos a#, *panhgurikoi\ lo/goi i#: kai\ e(/teroi plei=stoi kai\ pa=si gnw/rimoi. h)kolou/qhse de\ tw=| *pole/mwnos xarakth=ri tou= *laodike/ws, tou= sofisteu/santos e)n *smu/rnh|: o(\s e)gego/nei dida/skalos *)aristei/dou tou= r(h/toros. e)gra/fh de\ au)tw=| kai\ e(te/ra bi/blos di' e(came/trwn, parqeni/as kai\ ga/mou kaq' e(autou\s dialegome/nwn: kai\ ei)s e(te/ras u(poqe/seis e)n pantoi/ois kai\ diafo/rois me/trois, a(/tina suna/gontai ei)s e)pw=n muria/das trei=s. tou= de\ *grhgori/ou tou/tou kai\ *filosto/rgios o( *)areiano\s e)n th=| kat' au)to\n i(stori/a| mnh/mhn pepoi/htai kai/ fhsi: *grhgo/rios ga\r h)/kmaze kat' e)kei/nous tou\s xro/nous e)n th=| *nazianzw=| [staqmo\s de\ ou(=tos o( to/pos *kappadoki/as] kai\ *basi/leios e)n *kaisarei/a| th=s *kappadoki/as kai\ *)apolina/rios e)n th=| *laodikei/a| th=s *suri/as. trei=s dh\ ou(=toi a)/ndres to/te tou= o(moousi/ou prouma/xoun kata\ tou= e(teroousi/ou, makrw=| pa/ntas parenegko/ntes tou\s pro/teron kai\ u(/steron a)/xris e)mou= th=s au)th=s ai(re/sews prosta/ntas, w(s pai=da par' au)toi=s kriqh=nai to\n *)aqana/sion. th=s te ga\r e)/cwqen kaloume/nhs paideu/sews e)piplei=ston ou(=toi proelhlu/qeisan kai\ tw=n i(erw=n grafw=n, o(po/sa ei)s a)na/gnwsin kai\ th\n pro/xeiron mnh/mhn e)te/lei, pollh\n ei)=xon th\n e)mpeiri/an, kai\ ma/lista/ ge au)tw=n o( *grhgo/rios. kai\ mh\n kai\ suggra/fein e(/kastos au)tw=n e)s to\n e(autou= tro/pon h)=n i(kanw/tatos. tw=| me/n ge *)apolinari/w| to\ u(pomnhmatiko\n ei)=dos th=s le/cews makrw=| a)/rista ei)=xe, *basi/leios de\ panhguri/sai lampro/tatos h)=n, tw=| de/ ge *grhgori/w| kai\ par' a)mfote/rois e)cetazome/nw| mei/zw ba/sin ei)s suggrafh\n ei)=xen o( lo/gos. kai\ h)=n ei)pei=n *)apolinari/ou me\n a(dro/teros, *basilei/ou de\ staqerw/teros. tosau/ths de\ au)toi=s e)n tw=| le/gein kai\ gra/fein duna/mews ou)/shs, kai\ to\ h)=qos ou)de\n h(=tton oi( a)/ndres parei/xonto pro\s th\n tw=n pollw=n qe/an e)pagwgo/taton: w(/ste kai\ oi(=s w(rw=nto kai\ oi(=s e)/legon kai\ o(po/sa gra/fontes diedi/dosan, dia\ pa/ntwn h(/|roun ei)s th\n e(autw=n koinwni/an tou\s kaq' o(tiou=n au)tw=n eu)mare/steron a(li/skesqai duname/nous. tosau=ta peri\ au)tw=n w(s e)n paradromh=| *filosto/rgios kai\ tau=ta *)areiano\s w)\n e)/grayen. e)/ti gou=n periw\n ei)s to\n oi)kei=on to/pon o( *grhgo/rios e)pi/skopon katasth/sas e)n th=| laxou/sh| au)to\n e)kklhsi/a|, au)to\s e)n a)grw=| tini bi/on monadiko\n a)phne/gkato. e)la/sas de\ peri\ ta\ e)nenh/konta e)/th kai\ e)pe/keina, *qeodosi/ou tri/ton kai\ de/katon e)/tos a)/gontos, katalu/ei to\n bi/on, a)na/cion tou=to th=s au)tou= paqw\n a)reth=s, to\ th=s kaqe/dras a)pokrousqh=nai th=s basileuou/shs tw=n po/lewn, kai\ prokriqh=nai ma=llon tou\s faulote/rous h)\ to\n e)p' a)reth=| kai\ lampro/thti bi/ou pa/ntwn ma=llon u(perane/xonta.

Catharine Roth (modified translation slightly, added notes, link, keywords) on 16 January 2002@00:38:30.
David Whitehead (modified translation; augmented notes and keywords; cosmetics) on 3 September 2002@10:02:10.
David Whitehead (added x-ref) on 12 June 2003@06:05:22.
Catharine Roth (augmented reference in note 5) on 28 November 2004@23:32:40.
Catharine Roth (added keyword) on 3 October 2005@00:54:40.
David Whitehead (augmented n.1) on 25 July 2006@08:34:38.
David Whitehead (more) on 25 July 2006@08:38:00.
David Whitehead (added bibliog) on 10 March 2008@03:55:02.
David Whitehead (more keywords; cosmetics) on 11 June 2012@07:59:03.
Catharine Roth (typo) on 6 October 2012@21:51:30.
Catharine Roth (tweaked punctuation) on 16 September 2015@23:19:00.
Catharine Roth (coding) on 15 April 2016@01:49:04.
Catharine Roth (typo) on 24 April 2024@19:03:19.

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