Saint Gregory

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Saint Gregory

• The three Gregory's mentioned in the
  commemoration of the Saints .
• Saint Gregory the Theologian
• Saint Gregory the wonderworker
• Saint Gregory the Armenian

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St. Gregory ThaumaturgusThe Wonder-worker
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St. Gregory Thaumaturgus

• Saint Gregory of Neo-Caesarea, the capital of
  Pontus in Asia Minor Modern day Turkey
• One of the 3rd century fathers.
• Born 213 AD and died 270 AD.
• Originally he was known as Theodore (the gift of
  God)
• Ordained bishop in his 40.
• believed to have been gifted with a power of
  working miracles, which he was constantly
  exercising.

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St. Gregory Thaumaturgus

• Biography and Conversion
• Born to Pagan parents, after the death of his
  father at age 14, his mother send him to Beirut
  to study Roman law.
• While he was in Palestine , he learned about
  Origen head of the Cat-e-chet-i-cal school of
  Alexandria. Who he met and converted to
  Christianity.

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St. Gregory Thaumaturgus

• Teaching and Consecration
• Pantænus begat Clement, and Clement begat Origen.
  So Origen begat Gregory.
• He was ordained in absence by Phoedimus, Bishop
  of Amasea and Metropolitan of Pontus.
• Finally he accepted and returned to Pontus to
  serve for 30 years.

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St. Gregory Thaumaturgus

• One strange story told of him by Gregory of Nyssa
  is to the effect that, as Gregory was meditating
  on the great matter of the right way to worship
  the true God, suddenly two glorious personages
  made themselves manifest in his room, in the one
  of whom he recognized the Apostle John, in the
  other the Virgin. They had come, as the story
  goes, to solve the difficulties which were making
  him hesitate in accepting the bishopric. At St.
  Marys request, the evangelist gave him then all
  the instruction in doctrine which he was seeking
  for and the sum of these supernatural
  communications being written down by him after
  the vision vanished, formed the creed which is
  still preserved among his writings.

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St. Gregory and Origen

• Gregory describes the method employed by that
  master to win the confidence and esteem of those
  he wished to convert how he mingled a persuasive
  honesty with outbursts of temper and theological
  argument put cleverly at once and unexpectedly.
  Persuasive skill rather than bare reasoning, and
  evident sincerity and an passionate conviction
  were the means Origen used to make converts.
• Before leaving Palestine, Gregory delivered in
  presence of Origen a public farewell oration in
  which he returned thanks to the illustrious
  master he was leaving. This oration is valuable
  from many points of view. As it exhibits the
  excellent training given by Origen, and his skill
  in developing literary taste. It contains,
  moreover, much useful information concerning the
  youth of Gregory and his master's method of
  teaching.

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I-Acknowledged Writings

• A Declaration of Faith.
• A Metaphrase of the Book of Ecclesiastes
• Canonical Epistle
• The Oration and Panegyric Addressed to Origen

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II-Dubious or Spurious Writings

• A Sectional Confession of Faith.
• On the Trinity
• Twelve Topics on the Faith.
• On the Subject of the Soul
• Four Homilies
• 3 On the Annunciation to the Holy Virgin Mary
• 1 On the Holy Theophany, or on Christs Baptism
• On All the Saints
• On the Gospel According to Matthew

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A Declaration of Faith.

• THERE is one God, the Father of the living Word,
  who is His subsistent Wisdom and Power and
  Eternal Image19 perfect Begetter of the perfect
  Begotten, Father of the only-begotten Son. There
  is one Lord, Only of the Only,20 God of God,
  Image and Likeness of Deity, Efficient Word,21
  Wisdom comprehensive22 of the constitution of all
  things, and Power formative23 of the whole
  creation, true Son of true Father, Invisible of
  Invisible, and Incorruptible of Incorruptible,
  and Immortal of Immortal and Eternal of
  Eternal.24 And there is One Holy Spirit, having
  His subsistence25 from God, and being made
  manifest26 by the Son, to wit to men27 Image28
  of the Son, Perfect Image of the Perfect29 Life,
  the Cause of the living Holy Fount Sanctity,
  the Supplier, or Leader,30 of Sanctification in
  whom is manifested God the Father, who is above
  all and in all, and God the Son, who is through
  all. There is a perfect Trinity, in glory and
  eternity and sovereignty, neither divided nor
  estranged.31 Wherefore there is nothing either
  created or in servitude32 in the Trinity33 nor
  anything superinduced,34 as if at some former
  period it was non-existent, and at some later
  periodit was introduced. And thus neither was the
  Son ever wanting to the Father, nor the Spirit to
  the Son35 but without variation and without
  change, the same Trinity abideth ever.36

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Elucidation

• There is one God, the Father of the living Word
  and of the subsisting Wisdom and Power, and of
  Him who is His Eternal Image, the perfect
  begetter of Him that is perfect, the Father of
  the only-begotten Son. There is one Lord, the
  only Son of the only Father,God of God, the
  character and image of the Godhead, the powerful
  Word, the comprehensive Wisdom, by which all
  things were made, and the Power that gave being
  to the whole creation, the true Son of the true
  Father, the Invisible of the Invisible, the
  Incorruptible of the Incorruptible, the Immortal
  of the Immortal, and the Eternal of Him that is
  Eternal. There is one Holy Ghost, having its
  subsistence of God, which appeared through the
  Son to mankind, the perfect Image of the perfect
  Son, the Life-giving Life, the holy Fountain, the
  Sanctity, and the Author of sanctification, by
  whom God the Father is made manifest, who is over
  all, and in all and God the Son, who is through
  all. A perfect Trinity, which neither in glory,
  eternity, or dominion is divided, or departed
  from itself.35

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The Creed (381)

• We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker
  of heaven and earth, and of all things visible
  and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the
  only-begotten Son of God, begotten of the Father
  before all worlds (?ons), Light of Light, very
  God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one
  substance with the Father by whom all things
  were made who for us men, and for our salvation,
  came down from heaven, and was incarnate by the
  Holy Ghost of the Virgin Mary, and was made man
  he was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and
  suffered, and was buried, and the third day he
  rose again, according to the Scriptures, and
  ascended into heaven, and sitteth on the right
  hand of the Father from thence he shall come
  again, with glory, to judge the quick and the
  dead whose kingdom shall have no end. And in the
  Holy Ghost, the Lord and Giver of life, who
  proceed from the Father, who with the Father and
  the Son together is worshiped and glorified, who
  spake by the prophets. In one holy catholic and
  apostolic Church we acknowledge one baptism for
  the remission of sins we look for the
  resurrection of the dead, and the life of the
  world to come. Amen.