Gregory the Theologian
c. 329 – 25 January 390
Archbishop of Constantinople and master theologian of the Holy Trinity.
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Our Father among the Saints Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople
Life
Saint Gregory the Theologian, also known as Gregory of Nazianzus, was a fourth-century Cappadocian bishop and one of the most influential theologians of the early Church. Born around 329 at Arianzus, near Nazianzus in Cappadocia, he served briefly as Archbishop of Constantinople and is celebrated above all as a master expositor of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity.
Together with Basil the Great and John Chrysostom he is honored as one of the Three Hierarchs, and he numbers among the Cappadocian Fathers. He received the rare epithet "the Theologian" — an honor shared in the Orthodox tradition only with John the Apostle and Symeon the New Theologian — in recognition of his defense of Nicene orthodoxy against Arianism.
His five great discourses on the Trinity, delivered at Constantinople, are regarded as having summed up and closed the theological controversies of his century. His orations were later cited as authoritative by the Council of Ephesus in 431, and the Council of Chalcedon in 451 formally designated him "the Theologian."
A Greek name-day for Grigorios; as one of the Three Hierarchs, his Synaxis on Jan 30 is the patronal feast of education and Greek letters, kept in schools and universities with a doxology, student speeches, and cultural programs.
Timeline10 momentsReadHide
- c. 329Birth at ArianzusGregory is born around 329 at Arianzus, near Nazianzus in Cappadocia, into a wealthy Christian family.
- mid-4th centuryStudies at AthensHe spends about a decade studying rhetoric at Athens under Himerius and Proaeresius, befriending Basil the Great and encountering the future emperor Julian.
- c. 361Ordained presbyterHe is ordained presbyter of Nazianzus at his father's request, initially against his will.
- 372Consecrated Bishop of SasimaBasil the Great consecrates Gregory Bishop of Sasima, a posting Gregory dismisses and largely declines to occupy.
- 379Arrives in ConstantinopleAt the request of the synod of Antioch he comes to Constantinople to defend Nicene orthodoxy, preaching at the Anastasia church.
- 380Enthroned at ConstantinopleWith the arrival of Emperor Theodosius I he is enthroned as bishop of Constantinople, replacing the Arian Demophilus.
- 381First Council of ConstantinopleHe presides over the Second Ecumenical Council, then resigns when the canonicity of his transfer is challenged, delivering his farewell address.
- 25 January 390Repose at ArianzusAfter years of poetry and theological writing at Arianzus, Gregory dies on 25 January 390.
- 950Translation of relicsHis relics are transferred to Constantinople and enshrined in the Church of the Holy Apostles.
- 2004Relics returned to IstanbulPope John Paul II returns the relics to St. George's Cathedral, the seat of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Works & Further ReadingReadHide
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Family4 relativesShowHide
Gregory was born into a saintly family of Nazianzus; his father, mother, brother, and sister are all commemorated in the Church.
Companions16 figuresShowHide
Related Saints12 saintsShowHide
Saints connected to his life, mission, and place in Orthodox tradition.
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Ideas for Celebrating This Day5 ideasShowHide
On the Synaxis of the Three Hierarchs (Jan 30), the feast of Christian learning, ways families honor the three great teachers.
- Ask your priest for a blessing of studies and school supplies, honoring the three great teachers of the Church.
- Hold a family "day of letters": each child copies out a favorite verse or saying in their best handwriting.
- Bake three small treats, or one cake marked for the three saints, and read a short kid-friendly life of each.
- Tie almsgiving to St Basil, who built the Basiliad to shelter and feed the poor — collect for a food pantry or children's charity.
- Pray by name for the family's teachers, students, and godchildren, and sing the troparion.
Ideas gathered and adapted from Orthodox family resources — Orthodox Motherhood. These are optional, inviting ideas, not liturgical requirements.