Christian History Home > Issue 57 > The Exile and the Slave Girl
The Exile and the Slave Girl
Two of the least known but most effective early evangelists.
Gregory P. Elder | posted 1/01/1998 12:00AM
Gregory the Illuminator
(c. 240-c. 332)
Converted a nation—before Constantine
As an infant, Gregory was whisked away from his homeland—Armenia—by his nurse. His father, it seems, had murdered a member of the king of Armenia's family, and Gregory's family was slaughtered in revenge. Gregory was taken to Cappodocia, already a largely Christian province in what is now central Turkey. There he was raised in the Christian faith.
When it was safe, Gregory returned to Armenia with his wife and two sons. He used his connections to gain admission to the ruler, met King Tiridates, whom he converted out of Zoroastrianism to Christianity, but not without many difficulties.
Gregory's story is encrusted with legend. In one telling, the king imprisoned Gregory for 15 years in a pit full of rotting corpses, and the evangelist was kept alive only because a devout widow bought him food. After killing another missionary, Tiridates became a wild boar. His sister was told that only the prayers of Gregory would ...
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