Gregory of Nyssa - Background

Background

Christianity arose in Cappadocia relatively late, with no evidence of a Christian community before the late second century AD. Alexander of Jerusalem was the first bishop of the province in the early to mid third century, a period in which Christians suffered persecution from the local Roman authorities. The community remained very small throughout the third century: when Gregory Thaumaturgus acceded to the bishopric in c. 250, according to his namesake the Nyssen there were only seventeen members of the Church in Caeserea. However, Christianity became predominate during the fourth century due to the conversion of Constantine I, and Cappadocian bishops were among those at the Council of Nicaea. Due to the broad distribution of the population, rural bishops were appointed to support the Bishop of Caeserea; during the late fourth century there were around fifty of them. In Gregory's lifetime the Christians of Cappadocia were devout, with the cults of the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste and Saint George being particularly significant and a considerable monastic presence. However, there were some adherents of heretical branches of Christianity, most notably Arians, Encratites and Messalians.