Farewell Oration

In the Farewell Oration, St Gregory the Theologian gives an account of his ministry in Constantinople and explains why he is ready to step aside. He recalls the small Nicene Christian community he found, its growth through persecution and controversy, and the faith he labored to teach. At the heart of the oration is a clear confession of the Holy Trinity, joined to a plea for peace, humility, and integrity among church leaders. The work is both a defense of Gregory’s ministry and a deeply personal farewell to the people, churches, and city he loved.

Gregory came to Constantinople in 379 to strengthen the city’s Nicene Christian community. In 381 he became bishop of the capital and briefly presided over the Council of Constantinople. When disputes over his position intensified amid wider episcopal tensions, he chose to step down rather than allow his office to become a further cause of division. Oration 42 looks back on that ministry and his departure from Constantinople. It is traditionally associated with his farewell in 381, though Jean Bernardi argues that the surviving literary form was composed around 383.

Across twenty-seven sections, Gregory first reviews the condition of the Constantinopolitan church and the growth of the Nicene Christian community during his ministry. He then defends his teaching and gives a concentrated confession of faith in the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The later sections turn to his weariness with ecclesiastical rivalry, his refusal to answer persecution with retaliation, and his criticism of ambition and luxury among church leaders. The oration closes with his request to be released from office and an extended farewell to the churches, clergy, people, city, angels, and Holy Trinity.

The Greek text follows Oration 42 as printed in J.-P. Migne, Patrologia Graeca 36 (1853), cols. 457–492. The Voices of the Fathers Modern English translation was prepared directly from this Greek text. A public-domain English translation by Charles Gordon Browne and James Edward Swallow, published in 1894, is also provided for historical comparison.