Hagiography and History: The Life of Gregory Thaumaturgus Author(s): Raymond Van Dam Source: Classical Antiquity, Vol. 1, No. 2 (Oct., 1982), pp. 272-308 Published by: University of California Press Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25010774 Accessed: 29-08-2016 15:32 UTC REFERENCES Linked references are available on JSTOR for this article: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25010774?seq=1&cid=pdf-reference#references_tab_contents You may need to log in to JSTOR to access the linked references. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact
[email protected]. Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://about.jstor.org/terms University of California Press is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Classical Antiquity This content downloaded from 128.83.205.78 on Mon, 29 Aug 2016 15:32:08 UTC All use subject to http://about.jstor.org/terms RAYMOND VAN DAM Hagiography and history: the life of Gregory Thaumaturgus AT ABOUT the time, in the early third century, when Gregory Thaumaturgus was born in the remote northeastern region of Asia Minor called Pontus, the em peror Caracalla was issuing the Constitutio Antoniniana, which conferred Roman citizenship upon practically everyone in the empire. As with so much else about his life and activities, we can hardly know what effect this edict had on the making of Gregory.' The grant of citizenship may not have been the most significant aspect, for Gregory was apparently born into a wealthy family and may reason ably have expected eventually to attain sufficient local eminence for him to be awarded Roman citizenship.