On Illustrious Men

117. Gregory, another bishop

CXVII. GREGORY, ANOTHER BISHOP regory of Nazianzus, a bishop, a man of outstanding eloquence,1 was my teacher, and I learned the Scriptures at his school.2 He composed all his works in about thirty thousand verses3 and they include the following: 2. On the death of his brother, Caesarius;4 Peri; filoptwciva~, On the Love of Poverty;5 In Praise of the Maccabees;6 In Praise of Cyprian;7 The Praises of Athanasius;8 The Praises of Maximus the Philosopher upon his return from exile , to whom some gave the pseudonym Hero,9 because there is another satirical book by the same Maximus, as if it were not permissible to praise and criticize the same person , depending on the circumstances; 3. and a book in hexameter verse, On Virginity and Marriage, in which the pair debate each other; two books, Against Eunomius;10 one book, On the Holy Spirit;11 one book, Against Julian the Emperor.12 4. He followed the oratorical style of Polemon13 and ordained another bishop in his own place while he was still alive.14 He embarked on the monastic life and died almost three years ago, in the reign of the emperor Theodosius.15 notes 1. P. Gallay, Grégoire de Nazianz (Paris, 1993); F. Trisoglio, “San Gregorio di Nazianzo scrittore e teologo in quaranta anni di ricerche (1925–1965),” RSLR 8 (1972): 341–74; idem, San Gregorio di Nazianzo in un quarantennio di studi (1925–1965), Rivista Lasalliana 40 (Turin, 1974); idem, San Gregorio di Nazianzo, l’uomo attraverso all’oratore (Genoa, 1987); A. Benoit, Saint Grégoire de Nazianze,archévêque de Constantinople et docteur de l’Église. Sa vie, ses oeuvres et son époque (Marseille and Paris, 1876; reprint, Hildesheim, 1973). 2. praeceptor meus: Jerome declares, “Could I not have mentioned in that ON ILLUSTRIOUS MEN 151 letter [ep. 83] Gregory, a very eloquent man? Who among the Latins is his equal? I glory and exult in him as my master” (Adv. Rufinum 1.13, trans. Hritzu, FOTC 53, 76). Jerome was in Constantinople from 379 to 381. He gives a good example of Gregory’s style as praeceptor in ep. 52 (CSEL 54, 429): the elegantly playful reply (eleganter lusit) Gregory gave him when he too eagerly asked for an explanation of deuterovprwton in Luke (Lk 6.1). See C. Moreschini, “Praeceptor meus: Tracce del’insegnamento di Gregorio di Nazianzo in Gerolamo,” Jérôme entre l’Occident et l’Orient, ed. Duval, 129–38. On Gregory and Scripture, see P. Gallay, “La Bible dans l’oeuvre de Grégoire de Nazianz le Théologien,” Le monde grec ancien et la Bible, ed. Mondésert, 313–34; for Philo’s influence, F. Trisoglio, ANRW II, 21, 1, 588–730. 3. triginta milia versuum: see Saint Gregory of Nazianzus: Three Poems, trans. D. Meehan, with notes by T. Halton, FOTC 75 (1987); on his poetry, see Dihle, Greek and Latin, 572; RAC 12 (1983), 793f.; Q 3, 244–46. 4. On the death of his brother, Caesarius = or. 7. Text: SC 405, 180–245, ed. M.-A. Calvet-Sebasti. Trans.: Leo P. McCauley, FOTC 22, 5–25. And, in the same volume, On St. Basil the Great, 27–99; On his sister, St. Gorgonia, 101–18; On his Father, 119–56. See also C. Nardi, “Echi dell’ Orazione funebre su Basilio di Gregorio Nazianzo nel De Sacerdotio di Giov. Crisostomo,” Prometheus 2 (1976): 175–84. 5. Peri; filoptwciva~, On the Love of Poverty = or. 14. Text: PG 35: 857–909. 6. The Praises of the Maccabees = or. 15. Text: PG 35: 911–934. 7. The Praises of Cyprian = or. 24. Text: SC 284, 40–85. 8. The Praises of Athanasius = or. 21. Text: SC 270, 86–193. 9. The Praises of Maximus the Philosopher = or. 25. Text: SC 284, 156–205. See Norris, Faith Gives Fullness, 8 and n. 42, and 10 n. 51, citing J. Mossay, “Note sur Héron-Maxime, écrivain ecclésiastique,” AnBoll 100 (1982): 229–36. The pseudonym, Hero, occurs in or. 25; see D. R. Dudley, A History of Cynicism (London, 1937). See also DVI 127. 10. “two books, Against Eunomius” = or. 28–29; Norris, Faith Gives Fullness, 224–61. 11. “one book, On the Holy Spirit” = or. 31; Norris, Faith Gives Fullness, 279–99. See also Grégoire de Nazianze, Les 5 Discours sur Dieu, trans. and notes by P. Gallay, intro. and comm. by A.-G. Hamman, Les Pères dans la foi...