E01883: Gregory of Nyssa in his Life of *Gregory the Miracle-Worker (bishop and missionary in Pontus, S00687), of the late 370s or the 380s, reports that, after the end of a persecution in the mid 3rd century, the saint established yearly celebrations for the martyrs in Neocaesarea of Pontus (northern Asia Minor), as a novel practice, aimed to facilitate the transition from paganism to Christianity. Written in Greek in Asia Minor.

Gregory of Nyssa, Life of Gregory the Miracle-Worker (CPG 3184, BHG 715-715b), 94

For the context of this passage, see $E01878

94. Tῆς δὲ τυραννίδος ἐκείνης ἤδη κατὰ θείαν συμμαχίαν λυθείσης καὶ πάλιν εἰρήνης τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην διαδεξαμένης ζωὴν καθ᾽ ἣν ἄνετος ἦν κατ᾽ ἐξουσίαν προκειμένη πᾶσιν ἡ περὶ τὸ θεῖον σπουδή, καταβὰς πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν πόλιν καὶ πᾶσαν περινοστήσας ἐν κύκλῳ τὴν χώραν προσθήκην ἐποιεῖτο τοῖς ἁπανταχοῦ λαοῖς τῆς περὶ τὸ θεῖον σπουδῆς τὰς ὑπὲρ τῶν ἐνηθληκότων τῇ πίστει πανηγύρεις νομοθετήσας. καὶ διαλαβόντες ἄλλος ἀλλαχῇ τῶν μαρτύρων τὰ σώματα κατὰ τὴν ἐτήσιον τοῦ ἐνιαυσιαίου κύκλου περίοδον συνιόντες ἠγάλλοντο τῇ τιμῇ τῶν μαρτύρων πανηγυρίζοντες. καὶ γὰρ δὴ καὶ τοῦτο τῆς μεγάλης αὐτοῦ σοφίας ἀπόδειξις ὅτι πρὸς καινὸν βίον μεταρρυθμίζων πᾶσαν ἀθρόως τὴν κατ᾽ αὐτὸν γενεὰν οἷόν τις ἡνίοχος ἐπιστὰς τῇ φύσει καὶ τοῖς τῆς θεογνωσίας χαλινοῖς ἀσφαλῶς αὐτοὺς ὑποζεύξας ἐνεδίδου μικρόν τι τῷ ζυγῷ τῆς πίστεως δι᾽ εὐφροσύνης ὑποσκιρτᾶν τὸ ὑπήκοον. συνιδὼν γὰρ ὅτι ταῖς σωματικαῖς θυμηδίαις τῇ περὶ τὰ εἴδωλα πλάνῃ παραμένει τὸ νηπιῶδες τῶν πολλῶν καὶ ἀπαίδευτον, ὡς ἂν τὸ προηγούμενον τέως ἐν αὐτοῖς μάλιστα κατορθωθείη τὸ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἀντὶ τῶν ματαίων σεβασμάτων βλέπειν, ἐπαφῆκεν αὐτοῖς ταῖς τῶν ἁγίων μαρτύρων ἐμφαιδρύνεσθαι μνήμαις καὶ εὐπαθεῖν καὶ ἀγάλλεσθαι ὡς χρόνῳ ποτὲ κατὰ τὸ αὐτόματον πρὸς τὸ σεμνότερόν τε καὶ ἀκριβέστερον μετατεθησομένου τοῦ βίου καὶ πρὸς ἐκεῖνο καθηγουμένης τῆς πίστεως. ὅπερ δὴ καὶ ἐν τοῖς πολλοῖς ἤδη κατώρθωται πάσης θυμηδίας ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ σώματος ἡδέων πρὸς τὸ πνευματικὸν τῆς εὐφροσύνης εἶδος μετατεθείσης.


After the end of persecution, Gregory returns from his hiding place to Neocaesarea:

‘94. When that tyranny had been broken by God’s help and peace returned to human affairs, under which religion was free for all to practice as they pleased, he [Gregory] came again down to the city and, visiting all the surrounding countryside, he made an addition to the religious life of congregations everywhere, by establishing festivals for those who had contested [as martyrs] for the faith. And they distributed the bodies of the martyrs – one here, one there – and on a yearly basis held joyful gatherings, feasting in honour of the martyrs. Indeed, this was also a proof of his great wisdom, because, as he converted to a new way of life his whole generation at once, he took charge of their nature, as it were, like a charioteer, and having harnessed them safely by the reins of the knowledge of God, he allowed his subjects to cavort a little in the yoke of the faith through merriment. For he was aware that, on account of bodily pleasures, the immature and undisciplined part of the multitude remained stuck in the error of idolatry. Therefore, in order that at least the main goal might be achieved in them, namely to look to God rather than to vain objects of worship, he allowed them to delight on the memorial days of the holy martyrs, and indulge and amuse themselves, so that, at some point, with the passage of time and by the power of habit, their ways would be transformed towards greater decency and discipline, as the faith would be leading them to that. And this has indeed been achieved already for the majority, since all delight has been shifted from the pleasures of the body to the spiritual form of joy.’

Text: Heil 1990 (paragraph numbers Maraval 2014).
Translation: Efthymios Rizos (using Slusser 1998).