Saint Porphyrius

Saint

Porphyrius of Gaza
Saint; Porphyrius of Gaza
	16th century fresco in a monastery of Mount Athos, Greece
Bishop and Confessor
Born	c. 347; Thessalonica, Roman Empire
Died	February 26, 420; Gaza, Eastern Roman Empire
Venerated in	Catholic Church; Eastern Orthodox Church; Oriental Orthodox Churches
Major shrine	Church of Saint Porphyrius
Feast	February 26
Attributes	vested as a bishop with omophorion, often holding a Gospel Book, with his right hand raised in blessing

Porphyrius (Latin: Porphyrius; Greek: Πορφύριος, Porphyrios; Slavonic: Порфирий, Porfiriy; c. 347–420) was bishop of Gaza from 395 to 420, known, from the account in his Life, for Christianizing the recalcitrant pagan city of Gaza, and demolishing its temples.^[2]

Porphyrius of Gaza is known only from a vivid biography by Mark the Deacon and from a reference made by John II, Bishop of Jerusalem. The Vita Porphyrii appears to be a contemporary account of Porphyrius that chronicles in some detail the end of paganism in Gaza in the early fifth century. However, the text has been viewed by some in the 20th century as hagiography rather than history, and some elements of it are examples of the stereotyped fictional events characteristic of this literary form.^[3] On the other hand, the author was certainly intimately familiar with Gaza in late Antiquity,^[4] and his statements are of interest for reflecting 5th-century attitudes. The German librarian Lucas Holstenius wrote a biography of the subject and attempted to locate his manuscripts.^[5]

His body is said to be buried underneath the ruins of Saint Porphyrius' Church, in Gaza City, in Palestine.

A street in Zejtun, Malta, bears the saint's name.

^ ^a ^b Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek) Ὁ Ἅγιος Πορφύριος Ἐπίσκοπος Γάζης. 26 Φεβρουαρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.
^ "Saint Porphyrius, Bishop of Gaza". www.oca.org. Retrieved 2022-11-29.
^ Apparent use of Theodoret and other later sources convinced P. Peeters that it was actually written after 534. (P. Peeters, "La vie géorgienne de Saint Porphyre de Gaza" Analecta Bollandiana 59 1941, pp 65–216.
^ Helen Saradi-Mendelovici, "Christian Attitudes toward Pagan Monuments in Late Antiquity and Their Legacy in Later Byzantine Centuries" Dumbarton Oaks Papers 44 (1990, pp. 47–61) pp 53f instances as history the destruction of the temples in Gaza in Vita Porphyrii.
^ Rietbergen, Peter. “Lucas Holste (1596–1661), SCHOLAR AND LIBRARIAN, OR: THE POWER OF BOOKS AND LIBRARIES.” Power and Religion in Baroque Rome: Barberini Cultural Policies, Brill, 2006, p. 264. Retrieved 27 February 2023.

[SYNAX-1] Great Synaxaristes: (in Greek) Ὁ Ἅγιος Πορφύριος Ἐπίσκοπος Γάζης. 26 Φεβρουαρίου. ΜΕΓΑΣ ΣΥΝΑΞΑΡΙΣΤΗΣ.

[2] "Saint Porphyrius, Bishop of Gaza". www.oca.org. Retrieved 2022-11-29.

[3] Apparent use of Theodoret and other later sources convinced P. Peeters that it was actually written after 534. (P. Peeters, "La vie géorgienne de Saint Porphyre de Gaza" Analecta Bollandiana 59 1941, pp 65–216.

[4] Helen Saradi-Mendelovici, "Christian Attitudes toward Pagan Monuments in Late Antiquity and Their Legacy in Later Byzantine Centuries" Dumbarton Oaks Papers 44 (1990, pp. 47–61) pp 53f instances as history the destruction of the temples in Gaza in Vita Porphyrii.

[5] Rietbergen, Peter. “Lucas Holste (1596–1661), SCHOLAR AND LIBRARIAN, OR: THE POWER OF BOOKS AND LIBRARIES.” Power and Religion in Baroque Rome: Barberini Cultural Policies, Brill, 2006, p. 264. Retrieved 27 February 2023.

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