Gregory of Nazianzusa

Gregory of Nazianzusa (~329 AD - ~390 AD), who is also known as Gregory the Theologian and Gregory Nazianzen, was born sometime between 326 and 330 CE to Greek parents near to the town of Nazianzus in southwest Cappadocia (Daley, 2012:1 and wikipedia). Gregory pursued his studies at a variety of locations including Caesarea in Cappadocia, Caesarea in Palestine, Alexandria, and Athens ( Daley, 2012:4-5). On the way to Athens, he almost died in shipwreck off the coast of Cyprus. During this incident, he dedicated his life to "God's service" as a Christian ( Daley, 2012:6). In Athens he formed a lifelong friendship with Basil of Caesarea and probably encountered future Emperor Julian the Apostate who was also studying in Athens at the time (Daley, 2012:6-7). After returning home, probably between 356 and 358 CE, Gregory went on to hold a variety of ecclesiastical positions before becoming the Bishop of Constantinople in ~380 CE ( Daley, 2012:7,2 and wikipedia). Gregory wrote a variety of influential theological works and is noted for his work on the Trinity. His two part invective against Emperor Julian the Apostate was composed during Julian's reign and was probably finished by 364 CE ( Daley, 2012:32-33). This invective included a description of the 363 CE earthquake, an account which, according to Cain and Lenski (2009), was written within a year of the event. Gregory died in ~390 CE.