Translation of Abbot Leontios’ Life of Saint Gregory, Bishop of Agrigento

“This annotated translation of Leontios’ hagiography of the little-known Saint, Bishop Gregory of Agrigento, adds immeasurably to the history of medieval church history in the mid-sixth to the mid-seventh centuries…..This is an important resource for students and researchers alike interested in the field of medieval church history. More than simply another hagiography, it is one of the primary sources, apart from Pope Gregory’s letters, to comment on political machinations and intrigues during that enduring pontificate. In addition, Martyn, for the first time, contextualizes Leontios’ work in light of events in Western church history, a corrective to the Byzantine and hagiographical emphases that have dominated this field of scholarship. He is to be commended for bringing to light the figure of Gregory of Agrigento, a saint long under-appreciated for the key role he played in Gregory the Great’s pontificate. More broadly, Martyn’s achievement is to synthesize accounts of church life and thought in the 6th and 7th centuries which have traditionally been balkanized between Byzantine and Western European scholarship.” – Dr. Jason Taliadoros, Department of History, University of Melbourne

1. Preface
2. Introduction
3. New Approach in Berger’s Edition
4. Bishop Gregory’s Looks, Daily Life and Parents
5. Miracles performed by or affecting Bishop Gregory
6. Criticism of Pope Gregory the Great
7. Links Between the Biography and the Pope’s Letters
8. Bishop Gregory’s Education
9. The Synods in Constantinople and Rome
10. Bishop Gregory’s freeing of the Logs
11. Monastic Life as experienced by Bishop Gregory
12. Church and State Government in Sicily
13. The Sainthood of Bishop Gregory
14. The Life and Work of Leontios
15. The Vocabulary and Style of Leontios
16. Dates in the Vita and poem on Gregory
17. Annotated translation of the Greek
18. Appendices A (Death of Maurice) and B (Monasteries)
19. Select Bibliography
20. Index to Proper Names