134 Chapter 3 moreover obeys it. Essential to the construction of sainthood is that Gregory is presented to have a close and special connection to God, so he may function as a mediator between God and people on earth. This close connection is also the basis of his miraculous power. The connection is presented to be established from both directions: God takes a special interest in Gregory, but also Gregory – through perfecting his virtues and devotion to God – attempts to come close to God through his lifestyle/politeia. We will see a similar construction of sainthood and the representation of travel motivation in the Life of Elias. Another strategy to construct Gregory as a holy man in the representation of travel motivation is to associate Gregory with biblical figures. By comparing Gregory to Abram, the honourability of Abram may be reflected on Gregory. The voice coming from heaven, the hagiographer indicates, is the same voice that Abram heard. This not only leaves no doubt as for the source of the voice (God), but also recalls that Abram received direct messages from God. Gregory thus is placed in this biblical tradition in which God communicated directly with a few privileged individuals. The message is almost a direct citation of God’s message to Abram, according to the Septuagint: Ἔξελθε ἐκ τῆς γῆς σου καὶ ἐκ τῆς συγγενείας σου καὶ ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πατρός σου εἰς τὴν γῆν, ἣν ἄν σοι δείξω.436 Reminding the audience of this biblical passage thus places Gregory and in general the monastic ‘ideal’ of xeniteia in a biblical tradition.437 Moreover, as observed earlier, a parallel is drawn between the many journeys of Gregory that will follow in the narrative and the journey of Abram and his descendants to Canaan. Makris has suggested that Ignatius used another model for Gregory’s motivations, namely the journeys of Paul in Acts. In Makris’ edition of the Life of Gregory of Decapolis, he suggests that Paul’s journeys would be the model for the itinerary of Gregory’s following journeys.438 I do not find this hypothesis plausible. Firstly, the hagiographer makes no specific connection between Gregory’s itineraries and Paul’s, whereas other biblical models, such as Abram, are specifically recalled and biblical citations are often signalled by phrases such as ‘the Lord said…’ or here ‘for God judged that…’ (γὰρ ἔκρινε θεός).439 The hagiographer may also have modelled Gregory’s itinerary more subtly on Paul’s by a clear correspondence between their itineraries. In my view the correspondence is not close enough to assume that hagiographer consciously modelled the narrative on Paul’s 436 Gen 12:1. Septuagint edition: Rahlfs (1935a). ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you’ (NIV). 437 Ignatius is not unique in citing this biblical passage and linking it to a monastic journey in hagiography. The usage of this passage in specifically this Life does acquire an extra layer of meaning in the case of Gregory, because he is exceptional in the number of journeys he is supposed to have made. The audience may therefore specifically associate these journeys over a longer period of time with the long wanderings of the people of Israel before finally being able to settle in Canaan. 438 See the critical apparatus in Makris (1997), p. 82. 439 There is one explicit reference to Paul in the narrative, in chapter 76: Gregory is very ill but starts on a journey to Constantinople nonetheless, on the request of his uncle Symeon. However, the comparison between Paul and Gregory does not concern travels, but the passage refers to Paul’s teaching that one has to be strong in face of hardship, for the sake of Christ (‘For when I am weak, then I am strong’). Life of Gregory 76.15-20; 2 Corinthians 12:10.
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