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GREGORY THE THEOLOGIAN, ST. (330-390) This great ecumenical doctor of the Church is also known as Gregory Nazianzen, after the town of his birth. The saint was born through the prayers of his mother, who relentlessly prayed for a son. Being inquisitive by nature, Gregory first studied at Caesarea, then in Palestine, Alexandria and finally in Athens, becoming philosopher and rhetorician. In Athens he studied with St. Basil the Great. The two friends had natural tendency to asceticism, delighting the locals with their monastic feats.  Kobayr monastery, mural fragment, apse of the main church. Source: I.R. Drampyan, Frescoes of Kobayr, Yerevan, 1979. At the age of thirty Gregory returned to his homeland, was baptized and made a vow of celibacy. Studying the Scripture day and night, he received the gift of clear contemplation of Christ. Consecrated in 361 by his father in priesthood, he became head of Nazianzen Church, and twenty years later - the bishop of Constantinople. For twelve years the saint taught the people in Orthodox faith and fought against heretics. He participated in the Second Ecumenical Council of Constantinople (381). Literary heritage of St. Gregory includes numerous sermons and letters. |
