Gregory, a saint from the 200s, was a very serious scholar. He was raised by very education-oriented parents, and began by mastering Latin, Roman law, and oratory. After this, he traveled to Alexandria, Egypt, by way of Palestine. In Alexandria, he studied with the leading scholars of the day, and moved fully and freely in one of the world’s most cosmopolitan centers. A Christian who held himself to a strict set of moral values and who simultaneously excelled academically, Gregory fell afoul of some of his fellow students who, jealous of him, came up with a plan to embarrass Gregory publicly through leading people to believe that this goody-two-shoes Christian not only frequented whorehouses, but was late in paying his bills.

Here’s Butler’s description of the plot:

His (Gregory’s) morals at Alexandria were so strict and regular, that the young students grew jealous of his virtue, and looked upon his behaviour as a tacit censure of their own irregularities. To be revenged, they instructed an infamous prostitute to affront him in the following manner: While Gregory was engaged in serious discourse with some of his learned particular friends, she impudently went up to him and made a demand of arrears due to her, as she falsely pretended, upon contract for criminal familiarities [what a euphemism!].

And here is how Gregory responded:

Those who knew his (Gregory’s) virtues were fired with resentment at so base a calumny and aspersion; but he, without the least emotion, desired one of his friends to satisfy her demands that she might be gone, and their conversation might suffer no interruption by her importunities.

And then what happened?!

This easy compliance made some of his friends suspect him guilty, and begin to reproach him: but God rewarded his patience and meekness by clearing his innocence; for no sooner had the strumpet received the money, but she was seized with an evil spirit, howled in a frightful manner, and fell down tearing her hair, foaming at the mouth, and staring with all the fury and distraction of a fiend.

How did it end?

Gregory’s charity prompted him to call upon God in her favour; and she immediately recovered.

And, presumably, Gregory and his friends went back to their scholarly discussion!

For better or worse, there was some serious tunnel vision at work there: Gregory prioritized his passion–the synergy of learning with his friends–ahead of responding to attempts to discredit him. The only question he considered in this situation was “how can I get back to my discussion?” and if giving a stranger some money (under whatever pretext) could fix the situation, he was in favor of doing so.

Unlike the current POTUS–who has been accused of paying women who were in a position to accuse him of sexually cavorting with them–Gregory’s alleged consort was never forced into silence, was seized with distress upon payment (under presumably false pretenses), and received kindness and not neither denial nor ridicule from the male at the center of it all.

What is more, Gregory’s personal moral code did not include any words of condemnation for this woman, her participation in this scheme, or even her profession…only kindness.

Oh, for more like Gregory in our world!