Preaching the Gospel to the Hellenes: The Life and Works of Gregory the Wonderworker

Over the past forty years, major Patristic scholars have radically

called into question the biographical and literary profiles of Gregory

Thaumaturgus (the “Wonderworker’), considered for centuries the famous

pupil of Origen and the charismatic bishop of Neocaesarea. Presenting a

thorough reconsideration of the ancient sources on Gregory and the main

works ascribed to him, Preaching the Gospel to the Hellenes

demonstrates that the doubt cast on his traditional figure is

unwarranted. The book re-establishes solid ground on which this

important actor in Early Christianity can be placed and corroborates his

engagement in confronting and evangelising pagans. Moreover, by taking a

fresh look at information provided on Gregory by key Patristic authors

and scrutinising the addressees of his works, this study sheds new light

on the Christian cultural and social environment in Palestine and Asia

Minor, as well as on the history of Christian theology between the third

and fourth centuries.