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Saint Porphyry of Gaza
Image: http://www.ruicon.ru/arts-new/fresco/1x1-dtl/dionisiat_gretciya/svt_porfirij_gazskij/?1=&p_f_12_63=1&ref-cat= · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons

Saint Porphyry of Gaza

Bishop of Gaza from 395 to 420, witness to the destruction of the Marnas temple in 402

Rank
Saint
Kind
Bishop
Life
~347 – 420
Era
5th century
Feast
26 February
Countries
Greece, Palestinian Territories
Palestinian TerritoriesGreece

Life story

According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, Porphyry was born about 347 at Thessalonica. He spent five years in the Egyptian desert of Scete and five more in a cave near the Jordan, and despite poor health often visited the site of the Resurrection. He was ordained a priest in 392 and the relic of the Holy Cross was placed in his care. In 395 he became bishop of Gaza, a stronghold of paganism with a small Christian community.

The pagan population of Gaza was hostile, so he repeatedly asked the emperor for protection and for the destruction of the temples. The Catholic Encyclopedia says he obtained an order to destroy the pagan sanctuaries at Gaza. The temple of Marnas, the Marneion, was burned and demolished in May 402 on imperial orders, and a large church called the Eudoxiana was later built on the site and dedicated in 407. The Catholic Encyclopedia says he attended the Council of Diospolis in 415, although a bishop of that name there may have been another man.

The main source for him is the Life of Porphyry written by his deacon Mark. Mark met him at Jerusalem and later travelled to Thessalonica to sell his property, with the proceeds going to monasteries and the poor. Scholars disagree about how reliable the work is: some find a historical core, others stress its hagiographic stereotypes, and one even doubts that both men existed. Porphyry died on 26 February 420, which is also his feast day.

Works and witness

  • Lived as a hermit in Scete and near the Jordan
  • Ordained a priest in 392 and made bishop of Gaza in 395
  • Sought imperial orders to close the pagan temples of Gaza
  • The Marneion was destroyed in May 402; the Eudoxiana church was dedicated in 407
  • Died on 26 February 420

Saints from the same country

Saints Cyril and Methodius, Saint Dionysius the Areopagite, Saint Demetrius of Thessaloniki, Pope Saint Telesphorus

References

  • Catholic Encyclopedia (New Advent): 'St. Porphyrius' and 'Gaza'
  • Orthodox Church in America, Lives of the Saints: Saint Porphyrius, Bishop of Gaza (via search summary)
  • Wikipedia article on Porphyry of Gaza (read in full; Mark's Life, dating of 402)

Written by Anawim from documented history. Some details about ancient saints rest on tradition and are marked as such.