From persecution to persecution

Inspiring Men of the Early Church:

St. Gregory the Wonderworker (216-270)

 

 

Our second man is Mr. Wonderworker, being a literal translation of Thaumaturgus: a worker of wonders or miracles.  Of course it was not Gregory himself performing supernatural feats, but God using his life and ministry. Signs and wonders have been a subject of debate during recent decades.  Let’s not get too much into the modern debate as such. Perhaps the wisest thing would be to acknowledge God’s sovereignty, but to be careful to check and double check before we honour claims to this effect.  We live in an age where some mistake mass manipulation for religion and attempts to make believe for the truth.  Having said this, it is very hard to deny the testimony of the Early Church on this topic. Some have tried to explain it away or ignore the matter.  But if one allows for some credulity on its part and some embellishment in transmission, it is very hard to avoid one of two conclusions. 

 

 

One should either agree with nineteenth century liberalism that we should not take the witness of the Early Church seriously on the supernatural, as they were an ignorant and superstitious people of a different age.  Sooner or later this will also affect one’s attitude towards the miraculous aspects of the Holy Scriptures who were preserved and transmitted by the same simple-minded folk. 

Or, the other position would be to acknowledge that there is sufficient evidence in preserved Early Church history to indicate that the Lord continued to operate in special ways: from the early days of St. Irenaeus to the latter days of St. Augustine in the fourth century. One should also reckon with the possibility of decline in genuine events, and the desire to fake as the Church grew worldlier and embarked on “bones of the saints” strategies, perhaps to relive and substitute for the real thing of the past or to mask its own spiritual void ness. 

 

Certainly in Irenaeus’ days the mediaeval occultism and having a talk with dead saint so and so above and see what he or she can do for me was not associated with our theme. Just as the apostolic Church had seen miracles, Ireneaus continued to see them in his day. The events were perhaps not as frequent or outstanding, but very much in continuance with the events during the days of the Apostles. In the century after Irenaeus we meet with our man, our miracle-man, Master Gregory.  He lived during an era that is also referred to as the age of persecutions. Born around 216 AD, he lived to circa 270.  He was the child of noble pagan parents in neo-Caesarea, situated in Pontus, which is North East Turkey, or thereabout in our day.  He was well educated and studied both law & rhetoric.  In this Gregory was no exception, as many a leader in the Early Church had done exactly that.  It is amazing to see that great men like Tertullian and Augustine in North Africa, and John Chrysostom in Syria studied rhetoric before their conversion or entering the ministry.

 

Gregory continued his education in the old Caesarea alongside the Mediterranean in Palestine.  This must have been c. 233 AD.  He stayed there for five years and was influenced by the great Christian scholar Origin.  The pagan boy became a Christian himself and went back to his hometown.  On his return he became the bishop of seventeen Christians.  He took lodgings with a local magnate, Musonius, started street preaching on the very first day and before nightfall a small congregation. Next day crowd of sick people arrived or crossed his path, many of whom he cured. Soon they also built a church through contributions of money and labour. Among the more the miracles accredited to him or his agency are:

* Altering course of river

* Drying up a swamp

* Moving a mountain.

 

Later Church leaders, Basil and Gregory of Nyssa give accounts of his miracles. Records and testimony of his ministry has been preserved in an interesting way.  The major source is a lady called “Macrina the elder”, implying that there would have been a young one around as well. One may draw comparisons with Flemish Master Painter Pieter Breughel.   Macrina the Elder was a disciple during Gregory’s ministry in Neo Ceasarea.  Taking their minister’s sound advice that it was better to flee rather than to risk apostasy; she went into exile together with her husband when persecution struck.   They suffered great material loss, but saved their lives and testimony. This probably happened under emperor Decius around 250 AD.  In her old age she passed on the stories of Gregory’s ministry to their grandchildren, two of whom would become very influential leaders in the Church: Basis and Gregory of Nyssa.  Like Timothy they had a grandmother with an impressive testimony, teachings and ideals that would stay with them as a lasting heritage.

 

Basil tells us that Gregory the Wonderworker must have been of striking Christian demeanour.   His characteristics: reverence and recollection in prayer, simplicity and modesty in speech, elimination of lies, falsehood, anger and bitterness.  In other words: he was a saint.  Of course there would have been embellishments like any loving grandmother would highlight to teach the lesson and preserve the most precious memories. But still, Gregory was a Christian leader who lived and led the Church through many a danger, toil and snare. Imagine one’s ministry neatly established, the hard days and struggling beginnings of just seventeen Christians are over.  When you are least eager for a challenge one of the greatest persecutions of all times strikes and you have got to lead your flock through it.  During this period Gregory showed himself to be a sensible man, not somebody walking with his heads in the clouds waiting for a miracle because he want to believe in one, like some modern day faith healers. Gregory advised to flee rather than to risk life or faith; and just after the local church was established so nicely.  Joseph ran when he was confronted with the potential weaknesses of his own heart. The life of Gregory teaches that Christians do not have a permanent city, and that they can be open minded to God’s sovereignty and wise at the same time.

 

But his troubles were not over yet.  The plague visited the region, wiping out many. If you read the stories of ministers who served during the flue epidemic after the Great War, you will get the picture.  They faced the dreadful and daunting task of burying many friends and loved ones.  Just the emotional strain of taking this!  Perhaps it is this episode of Gregory’s life that so much gives an authentic ring to his ministry.  Not all were healed, many died and all died eventually, but in the midst of mortal life God granted signs and wonders that pointed to a better future and kingdom to come, confirming the reality of those promises.  Even the wonderworker ministered to the sick and dieing. God’s special providence operated under some of the worst of life’s circumstances.

 

An invasion of barbarous Goths was also to be part of Gregory’s experience, a ravaged country under turmoil and threat!  A great responsibility indeed: to lead the Church in days like that, facing life’s worst and keeping the faith. 

 

It would not be over yet, because Gregory should face not only the worst the world could throw at him.  The people of the church had to do their bit as well.  Their methods have been with us since Sinai’s desert. It usually comes in one of two forms: rebellion or wrong worship.  The murmurings against Moses and Aaron to the overt threats to finish Moses off ring the rebellion sounds of old.  The golden calf continues to invite the Church of each and every century.  Wrong doctrine seems even less wrong or important if it doesn’t affect the worship service or Christian behaviour as such, but seems to encourage Christian living and self-esteem.  The devil hit the Church with such a doctrine in Gregory’s days.  It was a doctrine about God, Jesus and man that used the same words as the catholic faith, and seemed to be the same thing at a superficial glance.  But was not, neither was the difference trivial.  Many evangelicals in our day would be wondering what the fuss was all about.  Paul of Samosata believed in Jesus as Lord.  He even believed that he was Son of God.  He believed in the Holy Spirit as well.  He confessed that both Word and Spirit existed in the Godhead.  He confessed that Jesus came to save us from our sins. 

 

But in a seemingly plausible way this Paul was very wrong and his teachings a grave danger.  This man saw the Spirit and the Logos, the Word, merely as attributes of God, progressively entering the life of Jesus and deifying him as son of God.  What would be formulated as the orthodox faith of one person and two natures seemed to be there, but was not.  It was Gregory the Wonderworker of all Church leaders who realised the both the danger and its wicked source.  The Church would end up with a Jesus that sounded the same, but was no more able to save than the golden calf of Sinai’s desert. Not only was the spiritual well being of the Church at stake, but also the core of its doctrine. Many in our day would not have realised this. But we live in different times.  Many Christians don’t worry about doctrine at all as long we believe in some supreme being and lead a reasonably decent life.  Some of the more enthusiast are satisfied, as long as some of the right words are there, preferably accompanied by some visible indications of what they consider to be the work of the Spirit.  For Gregory truth and Spirit were about one and the same thing.   His leadership invites us to be spiritually alive not only with our will and strength, but with our mind as well.  The special grace so necessary is not to loose the connection between each of the three of them.  Only in this way will we be able to distinguish between useless petty dogmatising on subjects that are areas of growth and core doctrines that rock the very foundations of Christian living and existence.  “Gregory Thaumaturgus defended the orthodox faith against heresy Paul Samosata at the synod of Antioch in 265 AD.”  It could be just a factual line from some church history book, but there is a great story and a great life behind it.

 

Shortly before death Gregory was asked how many non-Christian were left in town. Remember that this question is posed after great persecution, barbarian invasion, plague and heresy.  The answer was: seventeen.  Gregory had started his ministry with only seventeen Christians.  Now his beloved Neo Caesarea boasted only seventeen pagans!  It wasn’t a one hundred percent successful polished ministry outcome, but anything less or more than seventeen would not have pointed to God’s involvement in such a striking fashion.  God’s providence amidst transient ministry in a fallen world, God’s grace!  Apparently conscious of who provides faith and imparts grace, Gregory prayed for the salvation of the remaining seventeen, requested to have no special burial site and went to be with his Lord.  What happened to the seventeen, we do not know.  In a way it leaves us with the impression that Gregory’s life and testimony are still open to response today. Perhaps you are one of seventeen.