Cynegius (, ''Kunegios''), as he is known in the Greek text of

Mark the Deacon Mark the Deacon (; Greek: Μάρκος ό Διάκονος) was a Roman Christian hagiographer. A native of the province of Asia, he was the companion of Bishop Porphyrius of Gaza from 395 until 420, a deacon in his church and his biographer. Mar ...

's ''Life of Porphyry'', or Ğeniḡos (from Greek Γενικός, ''Genikos''), as he is known in the Georgian, was a

Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...

counsellor of the Roman emperor

Arcadius Arcadius ( ; 377 – 1 May 408) was Roman emperor from 383 to his death in 408. He was the eldest son of the ''Augustus'' Theodosius I () and his first wife Aelia Flaccilla, and the brother of Honorius (). Arcadius ruled the eastern half of ...

(395–408).Raymond Van Dam (1985), "From Paganism to Christianity at Late Antique Gaza", ''Viator'' 16: 1–20, at 14n. Paul Peeters (1941), "La Vie géorgienne de Saint Porphyre de Gaza", ''Analecta Bollandiana'' 59: 65–216, at 83. According to the Greek text of the ''Life'', Cynegius was a member of Arcadius' ''

consistorium The ''sacrum consistorium'' or ''sacrum auditorium'' (from , "discuss a topic"; , "sacred assembly") was the highest political council of the Roman Empire from the time of Constantine the Great on. It replaced the '' consilium principis'' that had ...

'' with the rank of ''

clarissimus The constitution of the late Roman Empire was an unwritten set of guidelines and principles passed down, mainly through precedent, which defined the manner in which the late Roman Empire was governed. As a matter of historical convention, the lat ...

'', although the expected rank for a ''comes consistorianus'' is '' spectabilis''. The Georgian text says explicitly that he was a ''

comes ''Comes'' (plural ''comites''), translated as count, was a Roman title, generally linked to a comitatus or comital office. The word ''comes'' originally meant "companion" or "follower", deriving from "''com-''" ("with") and "''ire''" ("go"). Th ...

'' (count). He was sent by Arcadius to

Gaza Gaza may refer to: Places Palestine * Gaza Strip, a Palestinian territory on the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea ** Gaza City, a city in the Gaza Strip ** Gaza Governorate, a governorate in the Gaza Strip Mandatory Palestine * Gaza Sub ...

in 402 to close down the

pagan Paganism (, later 'civilian') is a term first used in the fourth century by early Christians for people in the Roman Empire who practiced polytheism, or ethnic religions other than Christianity, Judaism, and Samaritanism. In the time of the ...

temple known as the

Marneion Dagon or Dagan (; ) was a god worshipped in ancient Syria, across the middle of the Euphrates, with primary temples located in Tuttul and Terqa, though many attestations of his cult come from cities such as Mari and Emar as well. In settlemen ...

. This mission came at the request of a group of bishops led by

Porphyry of Gaza Porphyrius (; , ''Porphyrios''; Slavonic: Порфирий, ''Porfiriy''; –420) was bishop of Gaza from 395 to 420, known, from the account in his ''Life'', for Christianizing the recalcitrant pagan city of Gaza, and demolishing its temples. ...

. Cynegius was chosen for the task by the Empress

Aelia Eudoxia Aelia Eudoxia (; ; died 6 October 404) was Eastern Roman empress by marriage to the Roman emperor Arcadius. The marriage was arranged by Eutropius, one of the eunuch court officials, who was attempting to expand his influence. As Empress, sh ...

. In his successful mission, he was assisted by both the ''

dux ''Dux'' (, : ''ducēs'') is Latin for "leader" (from the noun ''dux, ducis'', "leader, general") and later for duke and its variant forms (doge, duce, etc.). During the Roman Republic and for the first centuries of the Roman Empire, ''dux'' coul ...

'' and the ''

consularis ''Consularis'' is a Latin adjective indicating something pertaining to the position or rank of consul. In Ancient Rome it was also used as a noun (plural ''consulares'') to designate those senators who had held the office of consul or attained con ...

'' of

Palaestina Prima Palaestina Prima or Palaestina I was a Byzantine province that existed from the late 4th century until the Muslim conquest of the Levant in the 630s, in the region of Palestine. It was temporarily lost to the Sassanid Empire (Persian Empire) in ...

. Paul Peeters, the editor of the Georgian text of Mark's ''Life'', and Raymond Van Dam argue that the name Cynegius is likely an error in the Greek text and that the authentic name is Genikos. The Georgian text is based on a Syriac original. On the basis of the Greek text, most scholars have concluded that the official who closed down the Marneion was a relative of

Maternus Cynegius Maternus Cynegius (died 388) was a Roman bureaucrat and close confidant of the emperor Theodosius I. He held the offices of praetorian prefect of the East (384–388) and consul (388), and has been widely blamed by historians for instigating the w ...

, perhaps his son. John F. Matthews (1967), "A Pious Supporter of Theodosius I: Maternus Cynegius and His Family", ''The Journal of Theological Studies'' 18(2): 438–446, at 441–442. The elder Cynegius is known for closing temples in

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

and

Syria Syria, officially the Syrian Arab Republic, is a country in West Asia located in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant. It borders the Mediterranean Sea to the west, Turkey to Syria–Turkey border, the north, Iraq to Iraq–Syria border, t ...

, leading John Matthews to see the selection of the younger Cynegius as indicating a common religious zeal. On the other hand, Van Dam and Peeters see the selection of the name Cynegius by a later editor of the Greek ''Life'' as indicating the name's association with temple closures.Giulia Sfameni Gasparro (2009), "Porfirio di Gaza, un «uomo santo» fra pagani, eretici e maghi: modelli retorici di propaganda religiosa e realtà storica", in Mariangela Monaca (ed.)
''Problemi di storia religiosa del mondo tardo-antico: tra mantica e magia''
(Edizioni Lionello Giordano), p. 201–294, at 241n. If the name Cynegius is authentic, then he may be identified with the addressee of a letter of Bishop Firmus of Caesarea dated to 438. Firmus calls him a ''comes'' and the language of the letter is that between two aged friends.

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