The Nicene Age · AD 313–400

Gregory of Cappadocia

d. AD 345 · Arian intruder-bishop of Alexandria (339–345) · Alexandria

The Nicene Age

Who Gregory of Cappadocia was

Installed on Athanasius's throne by imperial force in 339 amid riots, scourgings, and the burning of a church — the first of the two Cappadocian intruders whose violence Athanasius broadcast to the whole episcopate in his encyclical letter.

Also listed in the bishops of Alexandria and heretics & schismatics.

Common questions

When did Gregory die?

Gregory of Cappadocia is dated d. AD 345 in the archive, which places Gregory in the Nicene Age (AD 313–400).

Which early sources mention Gregory?

Gregory of Cappadocia is named in 3 primary-source passages catalogued here, drawn from Athanasius of Alexandria and Socrates Scholasticus. Every passage is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.

Where was Gregory from?

The archive associates Gregory of Cappadocia with Alexandria.

Who were Gregory’s contemporaries?

The archive links Gregory of Cappadocia to 3 other figures, including Athanasius of Alexandria, Eusebius of Nicomedia and Emperor Constantius II. Each connection is drawn from a source that places them together, not from inference.

Primary-source mentions (3)

Every passage below is quoted from a named public-domain translation, earliest first.

Encyclical Letter 3–5

c. AD 350
Gregory was sent by the emperor with a military force… the church was set on fire, virgins were stripped, monks trodden underfoot — that Gregory might be introduced by the prefect into the church.
Athanasius of Alexandria · source text

History of the Arians 9–14 (the first intrusion into Alexandria)

c. AD 358
Athanasius of Alexandria · History of the Arians 9 · source text

Ecclesiastical History II.11 (installed by force)

c. AD 440
Socrates Scholasticus · Ecclesiastical History II.11 · source text

Connected in the archive

People

Events in this lifetime

Place

Places served

The one place the sources put Gregory.

  1. 1Alexandria

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