born с 335, Caesarea, Cappadocia, Asia Minor
died с 394; feast day March 9
Eastern Orthodox theologian and mystic.
Initially a teacher of rhetoric, he turned to religion under the influence of his brother, Arian opposition in 376, he was restored to office in 378 after the death of the Arian emperor Valens . An associate of Gregory of Nazianzus , he became a leading defender of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. His writings include The Great Catechesis , a classic outline of Orthodox theology that examines the place of the sacraments in the church. A Christian Platonist, he shared {{link=Origen">Origen 's hope for ultimate universal salvation.