Gregory Worked Wonders
When Gregory became bishop of Neocaesarea in the region of Pontus (modern Turkey) in the year 239, there were only seventeen Christians . When he died (which tradition says happened on this day, November 17, 270), there were only seventeen pagans. That transformation was owing largely to his faithful efforts. But before Gregory could lead people to Christ , he needed to know Him himself. Gregory was born into a prosperous pagan home and named Theodore (Gift of God). His parents expected him to become a lawyer. It was to fulfill that expectation that he and his brother planned to attend the famous law school at Beirut (in modern Lebanon). Their brother-in-law became an official in the government of Palestine, and before they headed off to law school, they escorted their sister to Caesarea so that she could rejoin her husband. At that time, the famous Origen, a Christian theologian and scholar taught in Caesarea. Out of curiosity, the boys went to hear him. Immediately they were h