Gregory the Wonder-Worker

Because the names are alike, and because of the titles of the books attributed to Gregory, people are apt to confuse quite different men. So it is important to point out that Gregory of Pontus is a different person. He was a native of Neocaesarea in Pontus, and lived earlier than the Gregory spoken of above, since he was a disciple of Origen. This Gregory’s fame was celebrated at Athens, at Berytus, throughout the whole diocese of Pontus, and I might almost add in the whole world. When he had finished his education in the schools of Athens, he went to Berytus to study civil law. There he heard that Origen was expounding the holy Scriptures at Caesarea, and he quickly went there. Once his understanding had been opened to see the grandeur of these divine books, he said goodbye to any further study of Roman law, and from then on he would not be parted from Origen. From Origen he gained a knowledge of the true philosophy. Soon afterward his parents called him back, and he returned to his own country. There, while still a layman, he performed many miracles, healing the sick and casting out demons even by his letters, so that the pagans were drawn to the faith no less by his deeds than by his words. [a]

Pamphilus the martyr mentions him in the books he wrote in defense of Origen, and to these is added a speech of Gregory’s in praise of Origen, which he composed when he had to leave him. To be brief, then, there were several Gregories. The first and oldest was the disciple of Origen; the second was the bishop of Nazianzus; the third was Basil’s brother; and there was another Gregory, whom the Arians made bishop while Athanasius was in exile. But enough has been said about them.