Jerome. Lives of Illustrious Men 117
117 Gregory another bishop PL 23, 707
Gregory, bishop of Nazianzen, a most eloquent man, and my instructor in the Scriptures, composed works, amounting in all to thirty thousand lines, among which are On the death of his brother Cæsarius, On charity, In praise of the Maccabees, In praise of Cyprian, In praise of Athanasius, In praise of Maximus the philosopher after he had returned from exile. This latter however, some superscribe with the pseudonym of Herona, since there is another work by Gregory, upbraiding this same Maximus, as if one might not praise and upbraid the same person at one time or another as the occasion may demand. Other works of his are a book in hexameter, containing, A discussion between virginity and marriage, two books Against Eunomius, one book On the Holy Spirit, and one Against the Emperor Julian. He was a follower of Polemon in his style of speaking. Having ordained his successor in the bishopric, during his own life time, he retired to the country where he lived the life of a monk and died, three years or more ago, in the reign of Theodosius.
Gregorius, primum Sasimorum, deinde Nazianzenus episcopus, vir eloquentissimus, praeceptor meus, quo Scripturas explanante, didici, ad triginta millia versuum omnia opera sua composuit. E quibus illa sunt: de morte fratris Caesarii, Φερὶ Φιλοπτωχίας, laudes Machabaeorum, laudes Cypriani, laudes Athanasii, laudes Maximi philosophi, post exsilium reversi, quem falso nomine quidam Heronis superscripserunt (quia est et alius liber vituperationem ejusdem Maximi continens; quasi non licuerit eumdem et laudare et vituperare pro tempore); et liber, hexametro versu, Virginitatis et Nuptiarum, contra se disserentium; adversum Eunomium liber unus, 945 de Spiritu sancto liber unus. Contra Julianum imperatorem libri duo. Secutus est autem Polemonem dicendi charactere, vivoque se episcopum in loco suo ordinans, ruri vitam monachi exercuit. Decessitque ante hoc ferme triennium sub Theodosio principe.
Γρηγόριος, Σασίμων πρότερον, εἶτα Ναζιανζοῦ ἐπίσκοπος, ἀνὴρ ἐλλογιμώτατος, ὁ ἐμὸς διδάσκαλος, οὗ ἐξηγουμένου τὰς θείας ἔγνων Γραφὰς, εἰς τρεῖς μυριάδας στίχων πάντα τὰ συντάγματα αὐτοῦ συνέθηκεν, ἀφ' ὧν εἰσι τάδε· περὶ τῆς τελευτῆς τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ Καισαρίου, περὶ Φιλοπτωχίας, ἐπαίνους τῶν Μακκαβαίων, ἐπαίνους Κυπριανοῦ, ἐπαίνους Ἀθανασίου, ἐπαίνους Μαξίμου φιλοσόφου μετὰ τὴν ἐξορίαν ἀναζεύξαντος, ὅντινα ψευδῶς τινες Ἥρωνος ἐπέγραψαν (ἔστι γὰρ καὶ ἄλλη βίβλος, κατάγνωσιν τοῦ αὐτοῦ Μαξίμου περιέχουσα, ὡς μὴ ἐξὸν εἶναι τὸν αὐτὸν καὶ ἐπαινέσαι καὶ ψέξαι ἐν καιρῷ)· καὶ βίβλος, δι' ἑξαμέτρον, Παρθενίας, καὶ Γάμου, καθ' ἑαυτῶν διαλεγομένων· κατὰ Εὐνομίου λόγος εἷς, περὶ Πνεύματος ἁγίου λόγος εἷς, κατὰ Ἰουλιανοῦ τοῦ βασιλέως λόγος εἷς. Ἠκολούθησε δὲ τῷ Πολέμωνος χαρακτῆρι 946 καὶ περιὼν εἰς τὸν οἰκεῖον τόπον ἐπίσκοπον καταστήσας, ἐν ἀγρῷ βίον μοναδικὸν ἀπηνέγκατο, καὶ ἐτελεύτησε πρὸ τριετοὺς χρόνου βασιλεύοντος Θεοδοσίου.