INTRODUCTION

Lifel Gregory N azianzen never lacked privilege. He was born at Arianzus into a wealthy, land owning, curial family that was established within the Hellenized upper class of . 2 The exact date of his birth is difficult to ascertain, although sometime between 325-330 are the years most fully accepted.3 We do not know as much about the other siblings as we wish. His younger brother Caesarius received advanced education. According to Gregory's comments in the funeral oration for Caesarius, the young man excelled in geometry, astronomy and mathematics, but chose medicine as his profession. At one time he was a physician in the court of the emperor at Constantinople, at another treasurer of Bithynia; yet he died in mid-life without achieving much that had been hoped for him. 4 His death left N azianzen with both sorrow and time-consuming in­ convenience. When his brother was alive, Gregory did not worry with matters concerning family property. Upon the death of Caesarius, however, Nazianzen was faced not only with the personal loss but also

1 For the purposes of this commentary an abbreviated sketch of Gregory Nazianzen's life suffices. The finest compact treatment is in Hanson, pp. 699-707. P. Gallay's biogra­ phy, La Viuie Saint Gregoire de Nazio.nu (Paris, 1943) and J. Szymusiak' s adjustment of the chronology, "Pour une chronologie des discours deS. Gregoire de Nazianze," VC 20 (1966), pp. 183-199 will aid those who demand more. C. Ullmann, Gregorius von Nazianz der Theologe (Gotha, 1867) is still useful as is A. Benoit, S. Gregoire de Nazio.nu. Sa vie, ses oeuvres et son ipoque (Marseille, 1876 [reprint Hildesheim, 1973]). For the interrelationships of family, friends and acquaintances see M.-M. Hauser-Meury, Prosopographie zu den Schrifttn Gregors von Nazianz, "Theophaneia, 13" (Bonn, 1960). 2 In Or. 7 .8, PG 35, 764A-D Gregory notes that his brother Caesarius had been offered "a Sel!t in the Constantinopolitan senate," an offer that suggests the family may not have attained senatorial rank previously. Ep. 7, PG 37, 32C-33C and Gallay (1969), pp. 8-9 and Ep. 249, Gallay (1969), pp. 177-183 - Gregory of , Ep. 1, PG 46, 999C-1009A give evidence of the curial status. See T. Kopecek, "The Social Class of the Cappadocian Fathers," CH 42 (1973), pp. 453-466. Or. 18.39, PG 35, 1037A-1038C states that Gregory the Elder almost singlehandedly provided the funds for the church building at . 3 J. Mossay, "Gregor von Nazianz," TRE, Bd. 14 (Berlin, 1985), p. 165, notes on the basis of the Suda and the Byzantine tradition that Gregory might have died in 390 at about ninety years of age, but he setdes on the dates 329/330 as more likely. Hanson, p. 701, n. 94, faults Benoit for preferring the earlier date of birth in order to make certain that Gregory the elder was not a married bishop begetting children. 4 Even though Or. 7, PG 35, 756A-788C is a panegyric and thus contains many stan­ dard comments, underneath the usual form one can discover a number of things about the young man and the family. For a fuller description of Caesarius, see 0. Seeck, "Caesarius von Nazianz," PW 3.1, 1298-1300. 2 INTRODUCTION

with the need to look after the family estate and that of his brother. People whom he did not know pestered him unmercifully for some part of that inheritance.5 Gregory's sister, Gorgonia, also described in a funeral ser­ mon, was virtuous, particularly long-suffering and both a good wife and mother.6 Nazianzen does not often speak of her as he did his brother, but her death left him as the only child and thus put an added burden on the relationship with his parents by leaving him alone to care for his parents in their old age. His mother, Nonna, had a strong Christian influence on his life and that of the entire family. 7 She came from a Christian home and was in­ strumental in her husband's conversion. 8 Gregory's father had belonged to the Hypsistarii, a religious sect whose worship involved what Gregory called "a mixture of Hellenic error and jewish legal fantasy." Its mem­ bers in some way employed fire and lamps in their liturgy, observed the Sabbath, kept certain food laws, yet rejected circumcision. 9 Their sole object of veneration was the Almighty; they apparently refused to call God "the Father. " 10 The elder Gregory's family had been a part of the sect and evidently found its tenets important, for Nazianzen's paternal grand­ mother disinherited his father when the Elder became a Christian. Later, however, she changed her mind. 11 Before the Elder's family become in­ volved with the Hypsistarii, they may have worshipped various Hellenis­ tic deities, since in at least one place Nazianzen refers to the previous "wandering" of his father. 12 Yet as bishop of Nazianzus Gregory the Elder held doctrinal positions that were similar to those of the so-called Cappadocian fathers. He once was gulled into accepting an Arian confes-

5 Carmen de vita sua II, 367-385, PG 37, 1053-1056. For a new English translation of this poem see D. Meehan's Saint : Three Poems: Concerning His Own Af­ fairs, Concerning Himself and the Bishops, Concerning His Own Life, "The Fathers of the Church, Vol. 75" (Washington, DC, 1987). C. Jungck, Gregor von Nazianz: De vita sua (Heidelberg, 1974) provides an excellent introduction to, German translation of, and commentary on the one poem. 6 Or. 8, PG 35, 789-817 A. 7 Carmen de vita sua II, 57-81, PG 37, 1033-1035. 8 Or. 7.4, PG 35, 757D-760B. Or. 18.7-12, PG 35, 973B-980B, devoted to his father, further describes her piety and virtue. For a fuller description, see F. Dolger, "Nonna. Ein Kapitel iiber christlichen Folksfrommigkeit des 4. Jahrhunderts," AC 5 (1936), pp. 44-73. 9 Or. 18.5, PG 35, 989B-992B. 10 Gregory of Nyssa, Against Eunomius 2.5, Jaeger 2.327. 11 Or. 18.5, PG 35, 989C-992B. Kopecek, "The Social Class of the Cappadocian Fathers," CH 42 (1973) pp. 455-456 correctly notes that an Iranian-Persian background of the Hypsistarii has not been demonstrated. Thus the thesis of E. lvanka, Hellmistisches und Christliches imjrii.hbyzantinischen Geistesleben (Vienna, 1948) that the family belonged to an Iranian-Persian "country aristocracy" is most probably faulty. 12 Carmen de vita sua II, 51-56, PG 37, 1033.