GREGORY, Saint of Neocasarea, known as THAUMATURGUS (6 BoultaTomPrOS, THE WONDER-WORKER) : b. Neocsesarea in Pontus, about 210; d. there about 270. Originally bear ing the name of Theodorus, he grew up in his native city in a thoroughly pagan atmosphere. On the advice of his Latin tutor, he decided to devote himself to the study of law and, for that purpose, to proceed with his brother, Athenodorus, to the famous schools at Beirut in Phoenicia. However, the naming of their brother-in-law as assessor to the Roman gov ernor of Palestine took them as far as Caesarea, where they were so charmed by the personality and teaching of Origen that they abandoned their original plan and became wholeheartedly attached to their admired instructor. The latter cleverly won over these distinguished pupils to the study of the Holy Scriptures and thereby, little by little, to the Christian faith. The first meeting of the youthful Gregory with Origen probably took place in 231. His studies under the illustrious scholar continued until 238 or 239, perhaps with the exception of the years 235 to 237 or 238, namely during the persecu tion of Maximinus Thrax, when it is said that Origen sought refuge in Cappadocia and his disciple at Alexandria. In 238 or 239 Gregory said farewell to Origen and to Caesarea in a pub lic discourse entitled
of the Faith' now generally attributed to Gregory. The divers miracles which won for him the title of "wonder-worker" are related at length by Gregory of Nyssa and it is certain that his influence was potent and his renown more than ordinary. In 265, he took part, to gether with his brother, who likewise held an episcopal see in Pontus, in the great synod of Antioch against Paul of Samosata and perhaps also in the synod held in 269 at the same place against the same heresiarch. Besides the (Panegyricus' mentioned above, Gregory is the author also of an (Epistola Canonica' addressed to a bishop in Pontus and treating of the dif ferent questions raised on the occasion of the Gothic incursions in Asia Minor (253-258) ; 'Metaphrasis in Ecclesiasten,' which is only a free paraphrase of the Greek text; 'Dialogus cum Aeliano,' apparently lost; and many other apocryphal writings. Critics have been unani mous in attributing to Gregory the 'Tractatus ad Theopompum' on the divine passibility and impassibility, written in the form of a dialogue and treating of the question whether divine im passibility necessarily supposes that God is in different to everything done among men. Gregory's complete works, including the frag ments attributed to him, have been published in Migne's 'Patrologia Graeca,' and an English translation of most of them in the 'Ante Nicene Fathers.' His feast in the Roman Church is observed 17 November.
Henry R., 'Grego rius (3), surnamed Thaumaturgus' (tn Smith and Wace, 'A Dictionary of Christian Biog raphy,' Vol. II, London 1880); Ryssel, V., (Gregorius Thaumaturgus, sein Leben and seine Schriften) (Leipzig 1880) ; Bardenhewer, Otto, 'Les Peres de l'Eglise: leurs Vies et leurs Oeuvres' (tome 1, Paris 1898? ; Chevalier, Ulysse, (Paris 1905).