Holy Hierarch Grēgorios I, Patriarch of Antioch

Antioch in the sixth century

The twentieth of April is also the feast-day of Saint Grēgorios I, the holy sixth-century head of the Antiochian Church. He served as Patriarch of Antioch, unwillingly, during the exile of Saint Anastasios I of Sinai at the behest of the Docetist Emperor Justin II. His life and spirituality, however, strongly reflect those of Anastasios.

Saint Grēgorios [Gr. Γρηγόριος, Ar. Ġrîġûr غريغور] was, like Saint Anastasios, first recorded as a monk in Palestine, in the ‘monastery of the Byzantines’. Emperor Justin II later transferred him to the monastery on Mount Sinai and made him abbot there. These facts of Saint Grēgorios’s early life are recounted by Evagrius, in Book V of his Ecclesiastical History:

NEXT in succession, Grēgorios is elevated to the episcopal see: “wide whose renown,” according to the language of poetry; a person who had devoted himself from the earliest period of life to the monastic discipline, and had wrestled therein so manfully and stoutly, that he arrived at the highest elevation when scarcely past his boyhood, and became superior of the monastery of the Byzantines, in which he had assumed the bare mode of life, and subsequently, by the orders of Justin, of the monastery of Mount Sinai. Here he encountered extreme danger, having sustained a siege by the Scenite Arabs.

Having, nevertheless, secured the complete tranquillity of the spot, he was thence summoned to the archiepiscopal dignity. He was unrivalled in every excellence of intellect and virtue, and most energetic in accomplishing whatever he resolved upon, uninfluenced by fear, and incapable of shrinking before secular power. So noble was his expenditure of money, in a general system of liberality and munificence, that whenever he appeared in public, crowds, besides his ordinary attendants, followed him; and all gathered round him who saw or heard of his approach. The respect shewn to so high a dignity, was but second to the honour bestowed upon the individual, in the generous desire of persons to obtain a near view of him and to hear his words; for he was possessed of singular power to inspire with attachment towards himself all who held converse with him, being a person of most imposing aspect and sweet address, especially quick of perception and prompt in execution, a most able counsellor and judge, both in his own matters and in those of others. On this account it was that he accomplished so much, never deferring anything till to-morrow. By dealing with matters with unfailing promptitude, according as either necessity required or opportunity favoured, he tilled with admiration not only the Roman but the Persian sovereigns, as I shall set forth the particulars in their proper place. His character was strongly marked by vehemence, and at times by indications of anger; while, on the other hand, his meekness and gentleness were not confined, but were exceedingly abundant; so that to him was admirably fitted the excellent expression of Gregory Theologus, “austerity tempered with modesty,” while neither quality was impaired, but each rendered more striking by the other.

We can see even from this brief account by Evagrius that Saint Grēgorios was marked on the one hand by an indefatigable energy and dynamism of action, and on the other by a sincere approach to the monastic life. His determination and protean vitality served him in good stead when defending his Sinaite monastery from attack by Arabic raiders, despite the fact that monks in general forswear all military action. Saint Grēgorios had a reputation for hospitality, and was kind to his guests. As such, he was held in high esteem by the bishop of Nisibis, who trusted him so far that he sent privileged information about the movements of the Persian troops directly to Grēgorios.

In 578, there was an incident with a certain sorcerer named Anatolius of Osroene. Anatolius was a social climber who had attained to several posts of public prominence by unspecified means. He even attained to the title of prætorian præfect in Edesa. As a prominent public figure he naturally sought to cultivate a relationship with the Patriarch of Antioch, Saint Grēgorios, in order to expand his prominence. Anatolius, however, was soon discovered to have engaged in ‘sacrificial rites’, by which he was ‘implicated in innumerable enormities’. The rumours grew so dire that they reached the ears of Emperor Tiberius II, who sent the regional governor to begin investigating Anatolius.

Anatolius was detained along with his notarius Theodore, and their private apartments in Antioch searched. The soldiery discovered an icon of Jesus Christ in that apartment, which had a pagan image of Apollo impressed on the reverse side – but cleverly hidden so that it could be detected only by careful examination. Anatolius was delivered up for trial. In order to save himself he implicated Saint Grēgorios and Eulogios of Alexandria as having officiated at these human-sacrificial rites, including the sacrifice of a young boy in Daphnē. On account of public opinion which associated him closely with Anatolius, the agents of the Roman state were forced to bring him to Constantinople to stand trial.

Apparently some bribery was involved in the trial as well, as the sentence of Anatolius for his crimes was commuted to banishment. This led to a riot in Constantinople, with the rioters demanding that Anatolius and his co-conspirators be slain. Emperor Tiberius reacted by convoking a Senatorial commission to try Anatolius. During the questioning at this trial, which apparently involved the use of torture, Anatolius again tried to implicate Saint Grēgorios, but was unable to produce a cogent story of his involvement. Ultimately – with the court under pressure from the rioters to hand down a death sentence – Anatolius was executed by being thrown to wild beasts in the Hippodrome. Saint Grēgorios was exonerated.

Saint Grēgorios also foretold by various signs the accession of Emperor Maurice. Evagrius recounts that as Maurice was offering incense before the altar dedicated to the Holy Theotokos, Saint Grēgorios beheld the altar-cloth being enveloped in flames which gave light but no heat, and also did not consume it. The saintly bishop told Maurice that it was a sign from God, and a chastened Maurice was filled with awe and holy dread.

Saint Grēgorios was also involved in a quarrel with a certain governor of the East named Asterius. Asterius had managed to whip up the animosity of both ‘the higher ranks of the city’ along with ‘those who were engaged in trades’ against the archbishop, and again Grēgorios was compelled to come to Constantinople to appear at trial. At Asterius’s prompting, a moneychanger came forward at this trial and outrageously accused Grēgorios of sleeping with his own sister, a married woman. Others came forward at his trial and accused Saint Grēgorios of disturbing the peace. The charges grew so numerous and so increasingly ludicrous that at the insistence of Saint Grēgorios and a legal advisor, the Emperor convoked a court of all the Patriarchs of the Church, the bishops and the metropolitans. This court found him innocent of all the charges. Asterius was stripped of his rank, flogged and sent into exile.

The Emperor had reason to call upon Saint Grēgorios again, when a legion of Roman troops in battle against Persia had mutinied and chased off their commanders. The Emperor moved for clemency, but the deserters were not prepared to hear terms. Because Saint Grēgorios was well-regarded within the military, Emperor Maurice sent him to speak to the deserters. Saint Grēgorios obeyed the charge laid on him, though at that time he was old and suffering from a painful arthritis that prevented him from standing for long periods of time. He met the mutinous armies at Litarba, three hundred stadia removed from Antioch. He had to address them sitting down because he could not stand. Here, according to Evagrius, is what he said:

I HAVE been expecting, O Romans—Romans both in name and deeds—that your visit to me would have been made long ago, for the purpose of communicating to me your present circumstances, and of receiving that friendly counsel of which you have an assurance in my kindliness towards you, so unequivocally evinced by past occurrences, at the time when I relieved, by a supply of necessaries, your tempest-struck and wave-tost plight. Since, however, this course has not hitherto been taken—it may be that Providence has not permitted it, in order that the Persians, having been utterly defeated by men without a leader, might be thereby thoroughly taught the prowess of the Romans, and that your pure loyalty might be completely proved, in having been tested by the juncture and testified by your deeds; for you shewed that, notwithstanding your quarrel with your officers, you do not regard any thing as more important than the good of the commonwealth—let us accordingly now deliberate what ought to be your conduct. Your sovereign invites you with a promise of an amnesty of all past transactions, receiving the display of your loyalty to the commonwealth and your prowess in the field as emblems of supplication. While bestowing upon you these most certain pledges of pardon the emperor thus speaks: ‘Since God has given victory to their loyalty, and, on the abandonment of their errors, a signal display has been granted to their prowess as a clear intimation of forgiveness, how can I do otherwise than follow the judgment of heaven? A king's heart is in the hand of God, and He sways it whithersoever He will.’ Yield, therefore, to me at once, O Romans. Let us not wilfully forfeit the present opportunity, nor allow it to elude our grasp: for opportunity, when it has once slipped from us, is most unwilling to be seized, and, as if it were indignant at having been neglected, is ever after intolerant of capture. Shew yourselves the heirs of the obedience of your fathers, as ye are of their courage; in order that ye may appear altogether Romans, and no taunt may touch you or point at you as degenerate. Your fathers, under the command of consuls and emperors, by obedience and courage became masters of the whole world. Manlius Torquatus, though he crowned, yet also put to death his son, who had placed a valiant part but in disobedience of orders. For by skill on the part of the leaders, combined with obedience in those whom they lead, great successes are ordinarily achieved; but either, when bereaved of the other, is lame and unsteady, and is utterly overthrown by the separation of the excellent pair. Be not, therefore, tardy, but at once obey my call, while the priestly office mediates between the emperor and the army; and shew that your proceedings were not the establishment of a rival sovereign, but a transient display of just indignation against commanders who had wronged you: for unless you immediately embrace the offer, I shall at once consider myself as quit of the service laid upon me in this matter by my duty to the commonwealth and my regard for you. Consider too yourselves, what has been the fate of pretenders to the sovereignty. What too will be the termination of your present position? To continue concentrated is impossible: for whence will you derive your provision of ordinary fruits, or those supplies which the sea furnishes to the land, except by war between Christians, and the mutual infliction of the most disgraceful treatment? What too will be the final result? You will live in dispersion, and haunted by Justice, who will henceforward disdain to bestow forgiveness. Let us therefore give pledges of amity, and consider what course will be for the benefit of ourselves and the state, at a time too when we shall have the days of the saving Passion and of the most holy Resurrection conspiring with the deed.

The troops were moved to tears on hearing this, for Saint Grēgorios spoke with conviction as well as with that divine grace that accompanies the truth of the Gospel and the love of a father for a prodigal son. After some deliberation, the leaders of the mutiny placed themselves in Saint Grēgorios’s hands, and he successfully pleaded with Emperor Maurice for a general amnesty for the soldiers, allowing them to return to their duties.

Perhaps a little ironically, Saint Grēgorios was also a pivotal figure in helping the amorous Sasanian šâh Khosrow II Parvêz to take the throne in Persia. After his betrayal at the hands of the general Bahrâm Chôbîn – who subsequently proclaimed himself šâh – Khosrow sought refuge together with a small band of followers including his wives and family with Emperor Maurice in Syria.

Emperor Maurice sent a truly royal welcoming committee to meet him: a whole division of the Roman army; his kinsman, the saintly Bishop Domitian of Melitēne; and Saint Grēgorios. The last of these was particularly well-received by Khosrow, who in the words of Evagrius ‘on all points filled [the Persian šâh] with amazement, by his conversation, by his munificence, and by his suggestion of seasonable measures’.

Khosrow was ultimately able to use the army that Emperor Maurice had loaned him, along with those Persians who had remained loyal to the Sasanian line, to overthrow Bahrâm and retake the Persian throne. This having been accomplished, he sent to Grēgorios a marvelous golden cross in honour of Saint Sergius which had been dedicated by Saint Theodōra the wife of Emperor Justinian, and which had subsequently been carried off into Persia during the wars.

Saint Grēgorios was a gifted preacher, and he spent the last years of his life using those skills to tour the borders of the Eastern Roman Empire in an attempt to sway the Monophysites back to Chalcedonian Orthodoxy. Several of his homilies on the subject remain. Saint Grēgorios reposed in the Lord in 593, being poisoned by a medication he was taking for his arthritic attacks. After his repose, Saint Anastasios was restored to his see in Antioch. Holy hierarch Grēgorios, gifted orator and peacemaker, pray unto Christ our God that our souls may be saved!