George of Laodicea, one of the Semi-Arian load- ers in the theological controversies of the 4th century. He was born at Alexandria, and was presbj'ter of the church there before the Council of Nica^a in 325, when his Arian opinions caused him to be deposed. He then removed to Syria, where he became bishop of Laodicea. He attended the Council of Antioch in 3'29 or 330, and the Council of Tyre in o3o. He failed to be present at the Council of Sardica in 347 (his ene- mies said through fear), and, while absent, was deposed and exconnnunicated, but the sentence was never car- ried into effect. He was in great favor during the reign of Constantius II, and took part in many matters of importance ; among others, in the elevation of Mile- tins to the bishopric of Antioch. Basil of xVncyra (q. v.) and George of Laodicea were the heads of the so- called Semi-Arians, who adopted the Eusebian doctrine that the Son is of similar essence with the Father. They published, "in conjunction with other bishops assembled in a S3'nod at Ancyra, A.D. 358, a long and copious document, of a doctrinal and polemical nature, in which the doctrines of this party concerning the re- semblance of essence, as well in opposition to the Ni- cene as to the Eunomian articles, were fully unfolded ; at the- same time that the Church was warned against the artifices of those who, by expunging the term ov- ala, were seeking to suppress the doctrine of the re- semblance of essence itself. It was here very clearly shown tliat true resemblance in all other things pre- supposed resemblance of essence, and that without this the notion of a Son of God, essentially different from created existences, could not be nuiintained" (Neander, Ch. IJistori/, ii, 405). This creed was adopt- ed by the emperor Constantius and by the S^'nod of Sirmium, A.D. 358. We know nothing of him after the death of Constantius. His works are. Letters to A le.ranchr, bishop of Alexandria : — 'EyKoipiov uq ¥J"7'i- ftwv riiv 'Efiinijvov : — A work against the Manichasans, now lost. — Hooter, Noup. Bioff. Gewrale, xx, IIG; Ne- ander, Church History, Torrey's transl., ii, 405 ; Baur, Trinitiitslthre, i, 471 ; Herzog, Ileal-EwyTclop . v, 30 ; Lardner, Works, iii, 590.
George of Polf.xz, the first regular Roman Cath- olic bishop who embraced the lielbrmation, was born
at Meissen in 1478. He studied theology in Italy, was licensed there, and, having gone to Koine, liecame pri- vate secretary to pope Julius II. Having been admit- ted to the order of Teutonic Knights, he went to Prus- sia, where, in 1518, the grand master, Albrecht, mar- grave of Brandenburg, appointed him bishop of Sambia. His diocese was tlie first in which the Keformation strongly established itself. Brissman, a pupil of Lu- ther, who had prcviouslj' been a Franciscan, came to Konigsberg, and the bishop invited him to preach the first evangelical sermon in the cathedral, Sept. 24, 1523. The bishop himself soon openly adopted the lieformed doctrines. In January, 1524, he ordered that all ser- mons and baptisms should take place in the vernacu- lar throughout Prussia, and at the same time recom- mended Luther's Bible and writings. Luther wrote to Spalatin (Feb. 1, 1524), Episcopus tundtm nnus Chris- to nomen dedit et evangelizat in Prussia, nempe Sambi- e7isis, and in the following year, 1525, he dedicated to Dr. Georgio a Polentis, vere episcopo Sambiensis eccle- sia;, his Latin commentary on Deuteronomy. In 1525 bishop George resigned all secular government. He then retired to the jialace of Balga, and died April 28, 1550. — Herzog, Real-Encylclop. v, 2G.
George of Trebizond was reall}- a native of Crete, but as that island has a bad name, especially unfit for a priest, he took that of Trebizond, whence his ancestors had come. In 1420 he came to Italy — first to Venice, afterwards to Kome, where he lectured on rhetoric and philosophy. He was made secretary to Nicholas V, but lost the favor of the pope by his fierce advocacy of Aristotle against Bessarion, Pletho, and other learned Greeks. Alphonso, king of Naples, received him at his court and gave him a pension. H3 died at Rome in 1480, aged 91. He was undoubt- edly a man of talent and learning, but quarrelsome and vain. He translated some of Plato's writings, and Eusebius's, but inaccurately. He published also a treatise De Rhetorica (Venice, 1523, fob); controversial pieces against the Greek Church, to be found in AUa- tius, Grwcia Orthodoxa (Rome, 1052, vol. i) ; Comjiara- tio Aristotelis et Platonis (Ven. 1523, 8vo). See Bruck- er, Hist. Phil, iv, 05 ; Herzog, Real-EncyMopddie, v, 23 ; Cave, Hist. Lit. ii, App. p. 49 ; Fabricius, Eihl. Grceca, iii, 102; Niceron, 3fem. jwtir Sereir, etc., torn, xix; Hoefer, Xour. Biog. Generale, xx, 127,
George, prince of Anhalt and bishop of Merse- burg, was born at Dessau Aug. 13, 1507, and educated at Leipsic. In 1525 he was made subdcacon, and in 1520 cathedral provost at Magdeliurg. AVhcn twenty- two years of age his attainments were such that he was chosen by Albert, elector of Mentz, to be one of his council, and gained his highest confidence. About this time the Reformation attracted the attention of all men, and Luther's writings concerning the dif- ference between the law and gospel, etc., were dis- persed and read everywhere. Prince George was no idle spectator. At first he diligently opposed the so-calle(f "novelties," and devoted himself specially to the study of Church history and to the Scriptures, the better to defend the "Church." He began all his investigations with prayer. The result was that he openly embraced the doctrines of the Reformation, and renounced all connection with popery. He put down superstition and set up seminaries of learning — the surei-t way, under God, of exterminating the er- rors which superstition had engendered. All, how- ever, was done with Christian mildness, and multi- tudes were soon brought by divine grace to rejoice expcrimentall}' in the light of the Gospel. Hy 1534 Aniialt nia_y be said to have become Lutheran. In 1545, l)y the persuasion of Luther, he consented to give himself to the "work of the ministry, and was made bisjiop of ^Merseliurg — an ofiice full of danger and dif- culty, which no worldly man would covet. He was ordained by Luther, Melancthon, and other divine^