GEORGE OF CAPPADOCIA, some times called GEORGE THE ARIAN, also GEORGE THE FULLER OF CAPPADOCIA. His father was a fuller by occupation. The date of his birth is not known• d. Alexandria, Egypt, A.D. 361. He belonged to the Arian party in the Church, and is credited by the opposite party with having been a despicable parasite and vagabond, ex ceedingly corrupt, vile and ignorant. He was for a time a subaltern in the Commissariat De partment of the army and embezzled funds and had to flee. He then became a low vaga bond. Of his ignorance it was said by his enemies that he had °no knowledge of letters and still less of the Holy Scriptures." The Emperor Constans favored the Arian party, and when an assembly of 30 Arian bishops met at Antioch in the year 356, George was sent to Alexandria to govern the Church and to see Athanasius. George was given a bodyguard of soldiers commanded by Sebastian, Duke of Egypt, who was a Manichxan. All sorts of sacred places were entered in search for Athanasius and a reign of terror ensued. Six teen bishops are said to have been banished and others fled or submitted. The Alexan
drians rose against George and he was obliged to fly from the city. Later he returned backed up by the authority of Constans. The pagans were his enemies because he had pillaged their temples. They arose against him and mal treated him. The next day they paraded him about the city on the back of a camel, and finally threw him and the animal upon a blaz ing pile of combustibles. His ashes were thrown to the winds and his house plundered. The Emperor Julian wrote to the rioters, con demning them seriously, hut let them go with out punishment. George had an extensive library which the Emperor Julian tried to re cover. He may have been as bad a man as represented, but the fact that he owned a large library was certainly not in keeping with the claim that he was ignorant. All the writings that survive that time are from the pens of members of the other party, and were written in the white heat of partisanship. We shall probably never learn the exact truth concern ing him.