Gregory of Antioch

Our father among the saints Gregory of Antioch was the patriarch of the Church of Antioch from 571 to 593. St. Gregory is remembered on April 20.

Life

Little is known of the early life of Gregory. He was a monk at the Monastery of the Byzantines in Jerusalem. He was later transferred by emperor Justin II to the monastery at Mount Sinai that was attacked by Arabs while he was the abbot. Later, he was abbot of a monastery at nearby Pharan.[1]

In 571, emperor Justin II deposed the Patriarch of Antioch, Anastasius I. Gregory was then enthroned as his successor.

In 578, Anatolius (Osroene), a crypto-pagan, accused Patr. Gregory of being a crypto-pagan and of being involved in the sacrifice of a boy. However, Anatolius recanted "on being subjected to extreme of torture".

Before 588, Gregory became involved in a quarrel with the Comes Orientis (Count of the East of the Roman Diocese of the East) that resulted in his being harassed and required to appear before a court in Constantinople. In the end, he was acquitted. the Monastery During the reign of emperor Maurice I, Patr. Gregory was asked to mediate when Roman troops fighting the Persians mutinied. Soon after Chosroes II of Persia assumed the Persian throne in 590, he was forced to flee to safety in Syria. Patr. Gregory and Metropolitan Domitian of Melitene, a cousin of emperor Maurice[2], were sent to meet him as Chosroes traveled to ask help of emperor Maurice. After Chosroes regained his throne, he sent Gregory the cross that earlier had been carried off from Sergiopolis by Chosroes I.

Subsequently, Patr. Gregory toured the border lands in an attempt to encourage non-Chalcedonians to accept the Chalcedonian definitions. He appears to have been a gifted preacher, of which a few of his homilies have been preserved.

Patr. Gregory died in 593 after having taken a drug intended to relieve gout. He was succeeded by his predecessor Anastasius I of Antioch.

Reference

Succession box: Gregory of Antioch
Preceded by: Anastasius I	Patriarch of Antioch 571-593	Succeeded by: Anastasius I

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Sources

• Wikipedia:Gregory_of_Antioch
• Sainted Gregory, Patriarch of Antioch