GEORGE OF CAPPADOCIA

born , Lydda?, Palestine [now Lod, Israel] died Dec. 24, 361, Alexandria, Egypt opponent of and controversial successor (357) to Bishop Athanasius the Great of Alexandria, whom the Roman emperor Constantius II had exiled for attacking Arianism. As an extreme Arian, George was detestable both to the orthodox and to the Semi-Arians. A violent and avaricious man, he insulted, persecuted, and plundered orthodox and pagan alike. The death on Nov. 3, 361, of his protector, Constantius, made him vulnerable to insurrection, and he was murdered by an Alexandrian mob.