Listed 17 sub titles with search on: Religious figures biography for wider area of: "IZMIR Province TURKEY" .
KYMI (Ancient city) TURKEY
Alexander, Carbonarius (Alexandros ho Anthrakeus), flourished in the third century.
To avoid the dangers of a handsome person, he disguised himself and lived as a
coal-heaver at Cumae, in Asia Minor. The see of this city being vacant, the people
asked St. Gregory Thaumaturgus to come and ordain them a bishop. He rejected many
who were offered for consecration, and when he bade the people prefer virtue to
rank, one in mockery cried out, " Well, then ! make Alexander, the coal-heaver,
bishop!" St. Gregory had him summoned, discovered his disguise, and having arrayed
him in sacerdotal vestments, presented him to the people, who, with surprise and
joy, accepted the appointment. He addressed their in homely but dignified phrase,
and ruled the church till the Decian persecution, when he was burnt, A. D. 251
(S. Greg. Nyssen. Vit . S. Greg. Thaumaturg. 19, 20).
This text is from: A dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology, 1873 (ed. William Smith). Cited Oct 2005 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
SMYRNI (Ancient city) TURKEY
Cyrus, an Egyptian, belonging to the fifth century, afterwards bishop of Smyrna, according to the testimony of Theophanes. His poetical talents procured him the favour of the empress Eudocia. Under Theodosius the Younger he filled the office of governor of the praetorium, and exarch of the city of Constantinople. When Eudocia withdrew to Jerusalem, A. D. 44.5, he fell under the emperor's displeasure. This led to his retirement from civil offices and his joining the clerical order. It is the express testimony of Theophanes that, by order of Theodosius, he was made bishop of Smyrna. After he was elevated to the episcopal dignity, he is said to have delivered a discourse to the people on Christmas day, in which he betrayed gross ignorance of divine things. He lived till the time of the emperor Leo. Suidas says, that on his retirement from civil authority he became episkopos ton hieron en Koruaeioi tes Psrugias; but whether this means bishop of Cotyaeia in Phrygia is uncertain. It is not known whether he wrote anything. (Cave, Histor. Literar. vol. i.; Suidas, s. v.)
d. 956, feastday: December 15
Polycarpus, (Polukarpos). One of the Apostolic Fathers, was a native of Smyrna. The date of his birth and of his martyrdom are uncertain. He is said to have been a disciple of the Apostle John, and to have been consecrated by this apostle bishop of the church at Smyrna. It has been conjectured that he was the angel of the church of Smyrna to whom Jesus Christ directed the letter in the Apocalypse; and it is certain that he was Bishop of Smyrna at the time when Ignatius of Antioch passed through that city on his way to suffer death at Rome, some time between 107 and 116. Ignatius seems to have enjoyed much this intercourse with Polycarp, whom he had known in former days, when they were both hearers of the Apostle John. The martyrdom of Polycarp occurred in the persecution under the emperors Marcus Aurelius and Lucius Verus. As he was led to death the proconsul offered him his life, if he would revile Christ. "Eighty and six years have I served him," was the reply, "and he never did me wrong: how then can I revile my King and my Saviour?" We have remaining only one short piece of Polycarp, his Letter to the Philippians, which is published along with Iguatius and the other apostolical writers.
This text is from: Harry Thurston Peck, Harpers Dictionary of Classical Antiquities. Cited Oct 2002 from The Perseus Project URL below, which contains interesting hyperlinks
d. 1st century, feastday: April 22
d.c. 250, feastday: February 1
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