Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century/Procopius Gazaeus, a Christian sophist

Procopius (8) Gazaeus, Christian sophist, temp. Justin and Justinian (518–565). Of his life we know only that he was the preceptor of Choricius the sophist. His fame rests on his Scripture commentaries. These, though diffuse, are but abridgements of the collections he had made (see his Prolog. to the commentary on Gen.); his profession of belief as to the nature of the Triune God, and the importance, authority, and interpretation of Scripture, is very satisfactory. His style is highly polished and concise. He must be distinguished from his contemporary sophist, (9) . His collected works are pub. by Migne, ''Patr. Gk.'' lxxxvii. in 3 parts, but his commentaries have also appeared separately. Of more doubtful authenticity and probably belonging to Procopius Caesarensis, though commonly attributed to P. Gazaeus is ''Panegyricus in Imp. Anastasium (Gk. and Lat.) in Corp. Script. Hist. Byz.'' (Bonnae, 1829), pp. 489 seq. and Migne u.s. pt. iii.; Descriptio Basilicae Sanctae Sophiae (Gk. and Lat.) Migne, ib.; and Menodia in S. Sophiam terraemotu collapsum (Gk. and Lat.) in Migne, ib. pt. ii. (Cellier, Aut. Sacr. xi. 176 seq.; Cave, Hist. Lit. i. 504; Fabricius, Bibl. Graec. vi. 258; vii. 535; viii. 375; ix. 447; L. Eisenhofer, Procopius von Gaza, Freiburg i/Br. 1897.)

[J.G.]