VU Research Portal Preaching the Gospel to the Hellenes: the Life and Works of Gregory the Wonderworker Celia, F. 2017 document version Publisher's PDF, also known as Version of record Link to publication in VU Research Portal citation for published version (APA) Celia, F. (2017). Preaching the Gospel to the Hellenes: the Life and Works of Gregory the Wonderworker. General rights Copyright and moral rights for the publications made accessible in the public portal are retained by the authors and/or other copyright owners and it is a condition of accessing publications that users recognise and abide by the legal requirements associated with these rights. • Users may download and print one copy of any publication from the public portal for the purpose of private study or research. • You may not further distribute the material or use it for any profit-making activity or commercial gain • You may freely distribute the URL identifying the publication in the public portal ? Take down policy If you believe that this document breaches copyright please contact us providing details, and we will remove access to the work immediately and investigate your claim. E-mail address: [email protected] Download date: 23. Sep. 2021 VRIJE UNIVERSITEIT PREACHING THE GOSPEL TO THE HELLENES: THE LIFE AND WORKS OF GREGORY THE WONDERWORKER ACADEMISCH PROEFSCHRIFT ter verkrijging van de graad Doctor aan de Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, op gezag van de rector magnificus prof.dr. V. Subramaniam, in het openbaar te verdedigen ten overstaan van de promotiecommissie van de Faculteit der Godgeleerdheid op woensdag 29 maart 2017 om 13.45 uur in de aula van de universiteit, De Boelelaan 1105 door Francesco Celia geboren te Catanzaro, Italië promotoren: prof.dr. H. Amirav prof.dr. P.J.J. van Geest SUMMARY Gregory Thaumaturgus (‘Wonderworker’) is one of the most charismatic figures in the history of Early Christianity. For centuries he has been considered the pupil of Origen who later became the bishop of Neocaesarea and evangelised Pontus. His evangelical activity was considered to be supported by his works and by the large number of miracles which eminent figures such Basil of Caesarea and Gregory of Nyssa and many other hagiographies attributed to him. In the last forty years, however, scholars have radically called into question the foundations of his biographical and literary profiles to the extent that the figure of Gregory seems to be groundless to many. This dissertation has a twofold structure, for it aims to verify the degree of reliability of Gregory’s traditional identity on the basis of the reconsideration of the ancient sources concerning him and of the main works handed down under his name. The first part of this study deals with three issues related to the biographical problem: a short outline of the cultural context of Neocaesarea will introduce the scrutiny of the ancient accounts on Gregory, which will be followed by a section concerning chronological problems. The second part includes four chapters focusing on the In Origenem Oratio Panegyrica (CPG 1763), Metaphrasis in Ecclesiasten (CPG 1766), Ad Theopompum de passibili et impassibili in Deo (CPG 1767), Confessio fidei (CPG 1764) and Ad Gelianum. It is argued that Gregory’s traditional figure is substantially reliably attested because the ancient biographical accounts are to a large extent trustworthy and because the main works ascribed to him are indeed authentic and corroborate Gregory’s engagement in confronting and evangelising pagans. ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS My first debt of gratitude goes to my supervisors, Prof. Dr. Hagit Amirav and Prof. Dr. Paul van Geest, for their encouragement and insights throughout this research. Without their confidence in my work, this thesis would have never seen the light of day. I would like to thank also Dr. Marco Zambon, Prof. Michael Slusser, Dr. Emiliano Fiori and Prof. Paolo Bettiolo for their valuable comments on different parts of this dissertation. Special thanks go to Maya Goldberg. Her friendship during these years and her guidance when I had to deal with Syriac texts have been a source of great help. TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION ……………………………………………………………………... 1 I. The traditional biography and its critics ...………………………………………... 2 II. The writings attributed to Gregory ...…………………………………………….. 8 III. Delimitation of the research …………………………………………………… 16 PART I. THE BIOGRAPHICAL PROFILE CHAPTER 1. A RE-EXAMINATION OF THE ANCIENT SOURCES I.1. Gregory’s homeland ...………………………………………………………… 21 I.2. Gregory from Cappadocia? ……………………………………………………. 24 II. Introduction to ancient sources …………………………………………………. 27 II.1. In Origenem oratio panegyrica ...………………………………...…………… 32 II.2. Epistula ad Gregorium .......………………………………...…………………. 41 II.3. Problems of interpretation ……………………………………………………. 47 II.4. Eusebius of Caesarea …………………………………………………………. 52 II.5. The Cappadocian tradition …………………………………………………… 59 II.6. Gregory of Nyssa ……………………………………………………………... 65 II.7. Jerome ………………………………………………………………………… 75 II.8. Socrates of Constantinople …………………………………………………… 84 III. Elements of chronology ……………………………………………………….. 91 CONCLUSIONS TO PART I ………………………………………………………. 108 PART II. THE LITERARY PROFILE CHAPTER 2. IN ORIGENEM ORATIO PANEGYRICA I. Introduction ……………………………………………………………………. 111 II. Genre, audience, strategy ……………………………………………………... 116 III. Summary ……………………………………………………………………... 122 IV. A calculated discourse of propaganda ……………………………………….. 141 CHAPTER 3. METAPHRASIS IN ECCLESIASTEN I. Status quaestionis ……………………………………………………………… 144 II. The work ……………………………………………………………………… 156 II.1. The title ……………………………………………………………………... 157 II.2. The author …………………………………………………………………... 157 II.3. Summary of the first three chapters ………………………………………… 158 II.4. On nature, providence and final judgment ………………………………….. 162 II.5. The protreptic aim …………………………………………………………... 175 III. Final considerations ………………………………………………………….. 179 CHAPTER 4. AD THEOPOMPUM I. Status quaestionis ……………………………………………………………… 181 II. Influence ………………………………………………………………………. 184 III. Summary ……………………………………………………………………... 189 IV. An attempt at philosophical apology ………………………………………… 202 CHAPTER 5. TWO EXPOSITIONS OF FAITH ATTRIBUTED TO GREGORY IN THE LATE FOURTH CENTURY: CONFESSIO FIDEI AND AD GELIANUM I. Status quaestionis ……………………………………………………………… 211 II. The historical context …………………………………………………………. 222 II.1. Basil’s Letters ……………………………………………………………….. 222 II.2. The De Spiritu Sancto ………………………………………………………. 236 III. The articles 4 and 3 of the Confessio ………………………………………… 240 IV. The last objection: articles 1 and 2 …………………………………………... 251 V. Conclusions …………………………………………………………………… 255 CONCLUSIONS TO PART II ……………………………………………………… 256 BIBLIOGRAPHY I. Primary sources: editions and translations …………………………………….. 259 II. Primary and secondary sources until 1857 ……………………………………. 271 III. Secondary sources ……………………………………………………………. 275 III.1. Collective works …………………………………………………………… 275 III.2. Other studies ……………………………………………………………….. 276 INTRODUCTION Gregory of Neocaesarea, better known as Thaumaturgus (‘Wonderworker’), is one of the most charismatic and enigmatic figures in the history of Early Christianity. For centuries Gregory has been considered the author of the famous In Origenem Oratio Panegyrica (=Pan. Or.) and the revered third-century bishop who evangelised Pontus, and whose prodigious deeds were collected by Basil of Caesarea, Gregory of Nyssa, Rufinus and a large number of oriental hagiographies. This identification was considered authoritatively corroborated by Eusebius’ Historia ecclesiastica, which provides the earliest external testimony on Gregory, by Jerome’s De viris illustribus, where the Pan. Or. is explicitly mentioned, and by Socrates of Constantinople’s Historia ecclesiastica, where it is said that the Pan. Or. was edited in Pamphilus’ Apologia pro Origene. Indeed, all of them reported some pieces of biographical information contained in the Pan. Or. and referred to the episcopal activity of Gregory. However, all the elements that constitute the foundations of Gregory’s biographical and literary profiles have been strongly called into question by scholars in the last forty years to the extent that Manlio Simonetti has recently written that ‘the whole issue should be still considered sub iudice’1. The state of uncertainty surrounding the figure of Gregory of Neocaesarea is such that two basic questions confront the researcher: is Gregory’s traditional figure historically reliable? Can the principal writings of his corpus be ascribed to the same person? Another essential question is closely bound up with these: to what extent do these writings confirm that Gregory of Neocaesarea was a pupil of Origen? The aim of this research is to understand the degree of reliability of the traditional identity of Gregory of Neocaesarea on the basis of the study of the main ancient accounts concerning him and of a selection of the main works attributed to him. Both the biographical and the literary facets of the issue are linked to the reliability of the attribution to Gregory of the Pan. Or., but need to be treated and introduced separately. The first part of this thesis will cover three aspects of the biographical issue. A short overview of the geographical and cultural context of Neocaesarea will precede the study of the most significant ancient accounts about Gregory, while a final section will be dedicated to some problems of chronology. The second part will include four chapters focusing on the Pan. Or., Metaphrasis