Basil of Caesarea‎

Basil was born into the wealthy Cappadocian Greek{{Cite book |last1=Perry |first1=Marvin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NIMJzgEACAAJ |title=Western Civilization: Ideas, Politics, and Society, Volume I: To 1789 |last2=Chase |first2=Myrna |last3=Jacob |first3=James R. |last4=Jacob |first4=Margaret C. |last5=Von Laue |first5=Theodore H. |publisher=Wadsworth Cengage Learning |isbn=978-1-111-83170-7 |edition=10th |publication-date=2013 |page=184 |language=en |quote=Saint Basil ({{circa|329|379}}), a Greek who was bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia (eastern Asia Minor), established the rules that became the standard for monasteries in the East.}} family of Basil the Elder,Quasten (1986), p. 204. and Emmelia of Caesarea, in Cappadocia, around 330. He was one of ten children, and his parents were known for their piety.Oratio 43.4, PG 36. 500B, tr. p.30, as presented in Rousseau (1994), p.4 His maternal grandfather was a Christian martyr, executed in the years prior to Constantine I's conversion.Davies (1991), p. 12.Rousseau (1994), p. 4. His pious paternal grandmother, Macrina, a follower of Gregory Thaumaturgus (who had founded the nearby church of Neocaesarea),Rousseau (1994), p. 12 & p. 4, respectively raised Basil and four of his siblings who also are now venerated as saints: Macrina the Younger, Naucratius, Peter of Sebaste, and Gregory of Nyssa.

Basil received more formal education in Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia (modern Kayseri) around 350–51.Hildebrand (2007), p. 19. There he met Gregory of Nazianzus.

{{Cite book

| last =Norris

| first =Frederick

| contribution =Basil of Caesarea

| year =1997

| title =The Encyclopedia of Early Christianity

| editor-last =Ferguson

| editor-first =Everett

| place=New York

| publisher =Garland Press

| edition =second

}} Gregory went to Alexandria, while Basil went to Constantinople for further studies, including the lectures of Libanius. The two later met again in Athens and became fast friends. There they met a fellow student who would become the emperor Julian the Apostate.Ruether (1969), pp. 19, 25.Rousseau (1994), pp. 32–40. Basil left Athens in 356, and after travels in Egypt and Syria, he returned to Caesarea. For around a year he practiced law and taught rhetoric.Rousseau (1994), p. 1.

Basil's life changed radically after he encountered Eustathius of Sebaste, a charismatic bishop and ascetic.Hildebrand (2007), pp. 19–20. Abandoning his legal and teaching career, Basil devoted his life to God. In a letter, he described his spiritual awakening:

{{blockquote|I had wasted much time on follies and spent nearly all of my youth in vain labours, and devotion to the teachings of a wisdom that God had made foolish. Suddenly, I awoke as out of a deep sleep. I beheld the wonderful light of the Gospel truth, and I recognized the nothingness of the wisdom of the princes of this world.Basil, Ep. 223, 2, as quoted in Quasten (1986), p. 205.}}

File:Basil of Caesarea icon.jpg

After his baptism, Basil travelled in 357 to Palestine, Egypt, Syria and Mesopotamia to study ascetics and monasticism.Quasten (1986), p. 205.Encyclopædia Britannica (15th ed.) vol. 1, p. 938. Eustathius of Sebaste, a prominent anchorite near Pontus, mentored Basil.{{cite CE1913|last= McSorley|first= Joseph|wstitle=St. Basil the Great|volume= 2}} Basil distributed his fortunes among the poor and went briefly into solitude near Neocaesarea of Pontus (modern Niksar), on the Iris River. He eventually realized that, while he respected the ascetics' piety and prayerfulness, the solitary life did not call him.Merredith (1995), p. 21. He and Eustathius also eventually differed over dogma.{{cite CE1913|last= McSorley|first= Joseph|wstitle=St. Basil the Great|volume= 2}}

Basil instead felt drawn toward communal religious life, and by 358 he was gathering around him a group of like-minded disciples, including his brother Peter. Together they founded a monastic settlement on his family's estate near Annesi (modern Sonusa or Uluköy, near the confluence of the Iris and Lycos riversmod. Yeşilırmak and Kelkit Çayi rivers, see Rousseau (1994), p. 62.). His widowed mother Emmelia, sister Macrina, and several other women, joined Basil and devoted themselves to pious lives of prayer and charitable works (some claim Macrina founded this community).The New Westminster Dictionary of Church History: The Early, Medieval, and Reformation Eras, vol.1, Westminster John Knox Press, 2008, {{ISBN|0-664-22416-4}}, p. 75.

Here Basil wrote about monastic communal life. His writings became pivotal in developing monastic traditions of the Eastern Church.Attwater, Donald and Catherine Rachel John. The Penguin Dictionary of Saints. 3rd edition. New York: Penguin Books, 1993. {{ISBN|0-14-051312-4}}. In 358, Basil invited his friend Gregory of Nazianzus to join him in Annesi.Rousseau (1994), p. 66. When Gregory eventually arrived, they collaborated on Origen's Philocalia, a collection of Origen's works.Merredith (1995), pp. 21–22. Gregory decided to return to his family in Nazianzus.

Basil attended the Council of Constantinople (360). He at first sided with Eustathius and the Homoiousians, a semi-Arian faction who taught that the Son was of like substance with the Father, neither the same (one substance) nor different from him.Meredith (1995), p. 22. The Homoiousians opposed the Arianism of Eunomius but refused to join with the supporters of the Nicene Creed, who professed that the members of the Trinity were of one substance ("homoousios"). However, Basil's bishop, Dianius of Caesarea, had subscribed only to the earlier Nicene form of agreement. Basil eventually abandoned the Homoiousians, and emerged instead as a strong supporter of the Nicene Creed. His ability to balance his theological convictions with his political connections made Basil a powerful advocate for the Nicene position.

File:MHS ojcowie ks Bazyli Wlk Jan Chryzostom Grzeg Wlk XVII Lipie p.jpg of the Three Holy Hierarchs: Basil the Great (left), John Chrysostom (center) and Gregory the Theologian (right)—from Lipie, Historic Museum in Sanok, Poland.]]

In 362, Bishop Meletius of Antioch ordained Basil as a deacon. Eusebius then summoned Basil to Caesarea and ordained him as presbyter of the Church there in 365. Eusebius needed him as an assistant because of his intellectual gifts. Ecclesiastical entreaties rather than Basil's desires thus altered his career path.

Basil and Gregory Nazianzus spent the next few years combatting the Arian heresy, which threatened to divide Cappadocia's Christians. In close fraternal cooperation, they agreed to a great rhetorical contest with accomplished Arian theologians and rhetors.McGuckin (2001), p. 143. In the subsequent public debates, presided over by agents of Valens, Gregory and Basil emerged triumphant. This success confirmed for both Gregory and Basil that their futures lay in the administration of the Church. Basil next took on functional administration of the city of Caesarea. Eusebius is reported to have been jealous of Basil's quickly developed reputation and influence. He allowed Basil to return to his earlier solitude. Later, however, Gregory persuaded him to return, and Basil became the administrator for the Diocese of Caesarea.[http://www.newmanconnection.com/faith/saint/saint-basil-the-great "Saint Basil the Great", Newman Connection]

In 370, Eusebius died. Basil was chosen to succeed him and was consecrated as a bishop on 14 June 370.Meredith (1995), p. 23 His new post as Bishop of Caesarea also gave him the powers of exarch of Pontus and metropolitan of five suffragan bishops, many of whom had opposed him in the election for Eusebius's successor. It was then that his great powers were called into action. Hot-blooded and somewhat imperious, Basil was also generous and sympathetic. He personally organized a soup kitchen and distributed food to the poor during a famine following a drought.

His letters show that he actively worked to reform thieves and prostitutes. They also show him encouraging his clergy not to be tempted by wealth or the comparatively easy life of a priest and taking care in selecting worthy candidates for holy orders. He also had the courage to criticize public officials who failed in their duty of administering justice. At the same time, he preached every morning and evening in his own church to large congregations. In addition to all the above, he built a large complex just outside Caesarea, called the Basiliad,{{cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=cxAuAAAAYAAJ&q=%22Basiliad%22&pg=PA326| title= The Living Age| volume=48| publisher = Littell, Son and Company| year = 1856| page = 326}} which included a poorhouse, hospice, and hospital. It was compared by Gregory of Nazianzus to the wonders of the world.{{cite book|last1=Gregory of Nazianzus|title=Oration 43: Funeral Oration on the Great S. Basil, Bishop of Cæsarea in Cappadocia|page=63|url=http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/310243.htm|access-date=20 February 2016}}

His zeal for orthodoxy did not blind him to what was good in an opponent; and for the sake of peace and charity, he was content to waive the use of orthodox terminology when it could be surrendered without a sacrifice of truth. The Emperor Valens, who was an adherent of the Arian philosophy, sent his prefect Modestus to at least agree to a compromise with the Arian faction. Basil's adamant negative response prompted Modestus to say that no one had ever spoken to him in that way before. Basil replied, "Perhaps you have never yet had to deal with a bishop." Modestus reported back to Valens that he believed nothing short of violence would avail against Basil. Valens was apparently unwilling to engage in violence. He did however issue orders banishing Basil repeatedly, none of which succeeded. Valens came himself to attend when Basil celebrated the Divine Liturgy on the Feast of the Theophany (Epiphany), and at that time was so impressed by Basil that he donated to him some land for the building of the Basiliad. This interaction helped to define the limits of governmental power over the church.{{cite book|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=XIEAD2MC1YkC&q=%22Basiliad%22+%22Valens%22+%22modestus%22&pg=PA14| title = Butler's Lives of the Saints| volume = 1|author1=Alban Butler |author2=Paul Burns | publisher = A&C Black |year = 1995| page = 14| isbn = 9780860122500}}

Basil then had to face the growing spread of Arianism. This belief system, which denied that Christ was consubstantial with the Father, was quickly gaining adherents and was seen by many, particularly those in Alexandria most familiar with it, as posing a threat to the unity of the church.{{Cite book

|last = Foley, O.F.M.

|first = Leonard

|contribution = St. Basil the Great (329–379)

|year = 2003

|title = Saint of the Day: Lives, Lessons and Feasts

|editor-last = McCloskey, O.F.M.

|editor-first = Pat (rev.)

|place = Cincinnati, Ohio

|publisher = St. Anthony Messenger Press

|isbn = 978-0-86716-535-7

|url = http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintOfDay/default.asp?id=1248

|access-date = 15 December 2007

|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20071223104532/http://www.americancatholic.org/Features/SaintOfDay/default.asp?id=1248

|archive-date = 23 December 2007

|url-status = dead

|edition = 5th Revised

}} Basil entered into connections with the West, and with the help of Athanasius, he tried to overcome its distrustful attitude toward the Homoiousians. The difficulties had been enhanced by bringing in the question as to the essence of the Holy Spirit. Although Basil advocated objectively the consubstantiality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son, he belonged to those, who, faithful to Eastern tradition, would not allow the predicate homoousios to the former; for this he was reproached as early as 371 by the Orthodox zealots among the monks, and Athanasius defended him.

Basil corresponded with Pope Damasus in the hope of having his aid and encouragement against triumphant Arianism; the pope, however, cherished some degree of suspicion against the Cappadocian Doctor.[http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04613a.htm Shahan, Thomas. "Pope St. Damasus I." The Catholic Encyclopedia] Vol. 4. New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908. 23 September 2021{{PD-notice}}

file:(Venice) San Basilio - Jacobello di Bonomo - Museo Correr.jpg Venice]]

Basil died before the factional disturbances ended. He suffered from liver disease; excessive ascetic practices also contributed to his early demise. Historians disagree about the exact date Basil died.Rousseau (1994), pp. 360–363, Appendix III: The Date of Basil's Death and of the Hexaemeron The great institute before the gates of Caesarea, the Ptochoptopheion, or "Basileiad", which was used as poorhouse, hospital, and hospice became a lasting monument of Basil's episcopal care for the poor. Many of St. Basil's writings and sermons, specifically on the topics of money and possessions, continue to influence modern Christianity.{{Citation|title=No. 48: St. Basil Wants You To Be Charitable|url=https://soundcloud.com/bruderhof/no-48-st-basil-wants-you-to-be-charitable|language=en|access-date=29 November 2017}}

File:Meister der Sophien-Kathedrale von Ohrid 001.jpg of Basil the Great in the cathedral of Ohrid, showing the saint as a priest during the Divine Liturgy.]]

The principal theological writings of Basil are his On the Holy Spirit, an appeal to Scripture and early Christian tradition to prove the divinity of the Holy Spirit, and his Refutation of the Apology of the Impious Eunomius, which was written about in 364 and comprised three books against Eunomius of Cyzicus, the chief exponent of Anomoian Arianism. The first three books of the Refutation are his work; his authorship of the fourth and fifth books is generally considered doubtful.[http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf208.vi.ii.ii.html Jackson, Blomfield. "Basil: Letters and Select Works", Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, (Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, eds.) .T&T Clark, Edinburgh]

File:Basilii Magni Opera.tif.]]

He was a famous preacher, and many of his homilies, including a series of Lenten lectures on the Hexaemeron (also Hexaëmeros, "Six Days of Creation"; {{langx|la|Hexameron}}), and an exposition of the psalter, have been preserved. Some, like that against usury and that on the famine in 368, are valuable for the history of morals; others illustrate the honour paid to martyrs and relics; the address to young men on the study of classical literature shows that Basil was influenced by his own education, which taught him to appreciate the propaedeutic importance of the classics.Deferrari, Roy J. "[https://books.google.com/books?id=_bFJAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA579 The Classics and the Greek Writers of the Early Church: Saint Basil.]" The Classical Journal Vol. 13, No. 8 (May 1918). 579–91. In one of his Homilies, he describes, in one of the earliest descriptions of desalination, how sailors in his time obtain fresh water by hanging sponges over a vessel with boiling seawater and collecting and condensing the water vapour.{{cite journal |last1=Nebbia |first1=Giorgio |last2=Menozzi |first2=Gabriella Nebbia |title=A Short History of Desalination |journal=Acqua Dolce Dal Mare |date=April 1966 |volume=Inchiesta Internazionale, Milano |pages=129–172 |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301328310 |access-date=21 January 2021 |publisher=Federazione delle Associazioni Scientifiche e Tecniche |language=English}}

In his exegesis Basil was an admirer of Origen and the need for the spiritual interpretation of Scripture. In his work on the Holy Spirit, he asserts that "to take the literal sense and stop there, is to have the heart covered by the veil of Jewish literalism. Lamps are useless when the sun is shining." He frequently stresses the need for Reserve in doctrinal and sacramental matters. At the same time, he was against the wild allegories of some contemporaries. Concerning this, he wrote:

"I know the laws of allegory, though less by myself than from the works of others. There are those, truly, who do not admit the common sense of the Scriptures, for whom water is not water, but some other nature, who see in a plant, in a fish, what their fancy wishes, who change the nature of reptiles and of wild beasts to suit their allegories, like the interpreters of dreams who explain visions in sleep to make them serve their own end."{{Cite book

| last =Basil

| contribution =Hexameron, 9.1

| title =Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers (2nd Series)

| editor-last =Schaff

| editor-first =Philip

| volume =8 Basil: Letters and Select Works

| page =102

| place=Edinburgh

| publisher =T&T Clark (1895)

| url = http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf208.viii.x.html

| access-date = 2007-12-15

}}. Cf. [http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf208.viii.iv.html Hexameron, 3.9] (Ibid., pp. 70–71).

His ascetic tendencies are exhibited in the Moralia and Asketika (sometimes mistranslated as Rules of St. Basil), ethical manuals for use in the world and the cloister, respectively. There has been a good deal of discussion concerning the authenticity of the two works known as the Greater Asketikon and the Lesser Asketikon.

According to Orosius, Basil taught apocatastasis entailing the restoration of all sinners to Christ after purification. This doctrine is most evident in his Commentary on Isaiah, although there is some scholarly dispute whether this commentary should truly be attributed to him. On the other hand, Basil vehemently opposed the view that hell has an end in his short Regulae, even claiming that the many people who hold it are deceived by the devil. However, the notion of a finite hell was also espoused by his siblings Macrina and Gregory of Nyssa and potentially by his dear friend Gregory of Nazianzus, which is one of the reasons to think that the relevant passage in Regulae was interpolated. The passage also seems to include ideas that could be considered in opposition to ideas in Basil's undisputed writings, for example the notion of physical punishments in hell and of hell itself as a physical place with different locations. It is potentially in contradiction to most of Basil's linguistic use as well.{{cite web |last1=Ramelli |first1=Ilaria L.E. |title=BASIL AND APOKATASTASIS: NEW FINDINGS |url=https://afkimel.files.wordpress.com/2020/02/st-basil-and-apokatastasis.pdf |website=Eclectic Orthodoxy |publisher=WordPress.com |access-date=12 May 2023}}

In his book De Spiritu Sancto, Basil lists some who for him are illustrious men of the church and quotes them; these are Irenaeus of Lyon, Clement of Rome, Dionysius of Rome, Dionysius of Alexandria, Eusebius, Julius Africanus, Gregory Thaumaturgus, Firmilian and Origen.{{cite wikisource|wslink=Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers: Series II/Volume VIII/De Spiritu Sancto/Chapter 29|De Spiritu Sancto Chapter 29|author=Basil the Great|translator=John Henry MacMahon}}

Basil also stresses the complete equality of both genders, deriving from the same human 'lump' (φύραμα), both in the image of God, endowed with the same honour and dignity (ὁμοτίμως), in perfect equality (ἐξ ἴσου). Men even risk being inferior in piety (Homily on Julitta 241B). Likewise, in Homilies on Psalms 1, PG 29.216–17, he insists on the Socratic and Stoic tenet, here Christianized, that man and woman have 'one and the same virtue' and 'one and the same nature' (φύσις). Their common creation was of equal honour and dignity (ὁμότιμος); they have the same capacity and activity (ἐνέργεια), and will be given the same reward. Similarly, in Letter to Amphilochius 188, Basil again uses ἐξ ἴσου in reference to the equality of women and men.Ilaria L.E. Ramelli. (2016). Social Justice and the Legitimacy of Slavery: The Role of Philosophical Asceticism from Ancient Judaism to Late Antiquity.

Basil faced the slavery issue in De Spiritu Sancto 20 in the context of a Trinitarian debate. Basil recognizes that no human is "a slave by nature". This principle countered Aristotle's conviction and was consistent with Gregory of Nyssa's view and with that of many other patristic thinkers; even Augustine and Theodoret conceded this. Basil, indeed, viewed slavery as a result of the Fall, a principle that was shared by Augustine, Theodoret, and many other Fathers.Ilaria, 2016Kontoulis, Problem, 132–53, 186–91; De Wet, 'Sin as Slavery'. Sometimes slavery is a boon to the enslaved person, Basil maintained (in Moral Rules 75 he recommended, that Christian slaves work harder than non-Christian slaves). This view is opposed to Gregory of Nyssa, and is reminiscent of Aristotle's argument and of Theodoret's.

It is in the ethical manuals and moral sermons that the practical aspects of his theoretical theology are illustrated. So, for example, it is in his Sermon to the Lazicans that we find Basil explaining how it is our common nature that obliges us to treat our neighbour's natural needs (e.g., hunger, thirst) as our own, even though he is a separate individual.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

Basil's three hundred letters reveal his character. They show his observant nature, which, despite the troubles of ill-health and ecclesiastical unrest, remained optimistic, tender and even playful. Basil is honoured as the chief architect of monastic life in the Greek Church.[https://oxfordre.com/classics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199381135.001.0001/acrefore-9780199381135-e-1058 Rousseau, Philip. "Basil of Caesarea", ''Oxford Classical Dictionary', OUP, 2015]

Most of his extant works, and a few spuriously attributed to him, are available in the Patrologia Graeca, which includes Latin translations of varying quality. Several of Basil's works appeared in the late twentieth century in the Sources Chrétiennes collection.{{cite web |title=SOURCES CHRÉTIENNES, LISTE DES PUBLICATIONS |url=https://www.sources-chretiennes.mom.fr/upload/doc/Liste_numerique.pdf |website=Sources Chrétiennes|date=November 2018|accessdate=16 February 2019 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20071026074205/https://www.sources-chretiennes.mom.fr/upload/doc/Liste_numerique.pdf |archivedate=26 October 2007 |url-status=live |language=French}}

A famous quote of Basil is the below:Περὶ τῆς πλεονεξίας, καὶ τοῦ ρητοῦ τοῦ κατὰ Λουκᾶν Εὐαγγελίου «Καθελῶ μου τὰς ἀποθήκας, καὶ μείζονας οἰκοδομήσω», 7 (

Patrologia Graeca [https://scholarios.graeca.org/phd/scholarios/pgfront/?vol=31&page=277 31, 277A 3-8]):

τοῦ πεινῶντός ἐστιν ὁ ἄρτος, ὃν σὺ κατέχεις· τοῦ γυμνητεύοντος τὸ ἱμάτιον, ὃ σὺ φυλάσσεις ἐν ἀποθήκαις· τοῦ ἀνυποδέτου τὸ ὑπόδημα, ὃ παρὰ σοὶ κατασήπεται· τοῦ χρῄζοντος τὸ ἀργύριον, ὃ κατορύξας ἔχεις. ὥστε τοσούτους ἀδικεῖς, ὅσοις παρέχειν ἐδύνασο.

The bread you store belongs to the hungry. The clothes you accumulate belong to the naked. The shoes that you have in your closet are for the barefoot. The money you bury deep into the ground to keep it safe, belongs to the poor. You were unfair to as many people as you could have helped and you did not.

File:StBasilGreat.JPGs of a Roman Catholic bishop, at the 18th-century Church of St. Nicholas in Prague, Czech Republic.]]

Basil of Caesarea holds a very important place in the history of Christian liturgy. That St. Basil composed a liturgy, or rather reformed an existing liturgy, is beyond doubt, since besides the constant tradition of the Byzantine Church there are many testimonies in ancient writings to establish the fact. Basil's liturgical influence is well-attested in early sources.{{CathEncy |wstitle=Liturgy of St. Basil| author=Goggin, John}}

Most of the liturgies bearing the name of Basil are not entirely his work in their present form, but they nevertheless preserve a recollection of Basil's activity in this field in formularizing liturgical prayers and promoting church songs. Patristic scholars conclude that the Liturgy of Saint Basil "bears, unmistakably, the personal hand, pen, mind and heart of St. Basil the Great".Bebis (1997), p. 283

One liturgy that can be attributed to him is The Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, a liturgy that is somewhat longer than the more commonly used Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. The difference between the two is primarily in the silent prayers said by the priest, and in the use of the hymn to the Theotokos, All of Creation, instead of the Axion Estin of John Chrysostom's Liturgy.

The Eastern Churches preserve numerous other prayers attributed to Basil, including three prayers of exorcism, several morning and evening prayers, and the "Prayer of the Hours" which is read at each service of the Daily Office.{{citation needed|date=December 2020}}

{{Further|Eastern Christian monasticism#Byzantine monasticism}}

Through his examples and teachings, Basil effected a noteworthy moderation in the austere practices which were previously characteristic of monastic life.Murphy (1930), p. 94. He is also credited with coordinating the duties of work and prayer to ensure a proper balance between the two.Murphy (1930), p. 95.

Basil is remembered as one of the most influential figures in the development of Christian monasticism. Not only is Basil recognized as the father of Eastern monasticism; historians recognize that his legacy extends also to the Western church, largely due to his influence on Saint Benedict.K. E. Kirk, The Vision of God: The Christian Document of the summum bonum (London, 1931), 9.118, (as quoted in Meredith) Patristic scholars such as Meredith assert that Benedict himself recognized this when he wrote in the epilogue to his Rule that his monks, in addition to the Bible, should read "the confessions of the Fathers and their institutes and their lives and the Rule of our Holy Father, Basil.Meredith (1995), p.24 Basil's teachings on monasticism, as encoded in works such as his Small Asketikon, were transmitted to the West via Rufinus during the late 4th century.Silvas (2002), pp. 247–259, in Vigliae Christanae

As a result of Basil's influence, numerous religious orders in Eastern Christianity bear his name. In the Roman Catholic Church, the Basilian Fathers, also known as the Congregation of St. Basil, an international order of priests and students studying for the priesthood, is named after him.{{cite book|last1=Hanrahan|first1=James|title=The Basilian Fathers (1822–1972)|date=1973|publisher=The Basilian Press|location=Toronto|pages=1–8}}

Basil was given the title Doctor of the Church in the Western Church for his contributions to the debate initiated by the Arian controversy regarding the nature of the Trinity, and especially the question of the divinity of the Holy Spirit. Basil was responsible for defining the terms "ousia" (essence/substance) and "hypostasis" (person/reality), and for defining the classic formulation of three Persons in one Nature. His single greatest contribution was his insistence on the divinity and consubstantiality of the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son.{{sfn|Tan|2013}}

In Greek tradition, Basil brings gifts to children every 1 January (St Basil's Day). It is traditional on St Basil's Day to serve vasilopita, a rich bread baked with a coin inside. The tradition is attributed to St. Basil, who when a bishop, wanted to distribute money to the poor and commissioned some women to bake sweetened bread, in which he arranged to place gold coins. Thus the families in cutting the bread were pleasantly surprised to find the coins.{{Cite web |url=https://stbasil.goarch.org/about/vasilopita |title="The Vasilopita (Saint Basil's Bread)", St. Basil's Academy, Garrison, New York |access-date=24 September 2021 |archive-date=24 September 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210924014225/https://stbasil.goarch.org/about/vasilopita |url-status=dead }}

It is customary on his feast day to visit the homes of friends and relatives, to sing New Year's carols, and to set an extra place at the table for Saint Basil. Basil, being born into a wealthy family, gave away all his possessions to the poor, the underprivileged, those in need, and children.{{cite web| title = Santa Claus| publisher = Eastern-Orthodoxy.com| url = http://www.eastern-orthodoxy.com/claus.htm| access-date = 2 January 2008| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080118170326/http://www.eastern-orthodoxy.com/claus.htm| archive-date = 18 January 2008| url-status = dead}}

According to some sources, Basil died on 1 January, and the Eastern Orthodox Church celebrates his feast day together with that of the Feast of the Circumcision on that day.{{Cite web |title=Lives of the Saints: Monday, January 1, 2024 |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/01/01 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241103103557/https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/01/01 |archive-date=3 November 2024 |access-date=3 November 2024 |website=OCA}} This was also the day on which the General Roman Calendar celebrated it at first; but in the 13th-century it was moved to 14 June, a date believed to be that of his ordination as bishop, and it remained on that date until the 1969 revision of the calendar, which moved it to 2 January, rather than 1 January, because the latter date is occupied by the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. On 2 January Saint Basil is celebrated together with Saint Gregory Nazianzen.Calendarium Romanum, Libreria Editrice Vaticana 1969, p. 84 Novus Ordo services use the revised calendar while traditionalist Catholic communities continue to observe pre-1970 calendars.{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/motu_proprio/documents/hf_ben-xvi_motu-proprio_20070707_summorum-pontificum.html|title=Motu Proprio Summorum Pontificum on the "Roman liturgy prior to the reform of 1970" (7 July 2007) | BENEDICT XVI|website=www.vatican.va}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/en/letters/2007/documents/hf_ben-xvi_let_20070707_lettera-vescovi.html|title=Letter to the Bishops that accompanies the Apostolic Letter "Motu Proprio data" Summorum Pontificum on the Roman liturgy prior to the reform of 1970 (7 July 2007) | BENEDICT XVI|website=www.vatican.va}}

The Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod commemorates Basil, along with Gregory of Nazianzus and Gregory of Nyssa on 10 January.{{cite web |title=Commemorations – Church Year – The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod |url=https://www.lcms.org/sslpage.aspx?pid=506 |website=www.lcms.org |publisher=Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod |access-date=24 December 2021}}

The Church of England celebrates Saint Basil's feast (Lesser Festival) on 2 January, but the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada celebrate it on 14 June.{{cite web|url=http://prayerbook.ca/the-prayer-book-online/57-the-calendar-ix |title=The Calendar [page ix] |access-date=3 November 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131104172841/http://prayerbook.ca/the-prayer-book-online/57-the-calendar-ix |archive-date=4 November 2013 }}{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bEq7DwAAQBAJ |title=Lesser Feasts and Fasts 2018 |date=17 December 2019 |publisher=Church Publishing, Inc. |isbn=978-1-64065-235-4 |language=en}}

In the Byzantine Rite, 30 January is the Synaxis of the Three Holy Hierarchs, in honor of Saint Basil, Saint Gregory the Theologian and Saint John Chrysostom.{{cite web |title=Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, and John Chrysostom |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2021/01/30/100350-synaxis-of-the-ecumenical-teachers-and-hierarchs-basil-the-great |website=www.oca.org |publisher=Orthodox Church in America |access-date=24 December 2021}} There is also a commemoration on 19 January for the miracle performed by Saint Basil in the city of Nicaea.{{Cite web |title=Commemoration of the miracle of Saint Basil the Great at Nicaea |url=https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/01/19/100204-commemoration-of-the-miracle-of-saint-basil-the-great-at-nicaea |url-status=live |archive-url=https://archive.today/20241103104137/https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2024/01/19/100204-commemoration-of-the-miracle-of-saint-basil-the-great-at-nicaea |archive-date=3 November 2024 |access-date=3 November 2024 |website=OCA}}

The Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria celebrates the feast day of Saint Basil on the 6th of Tobi{{cite web |title=- 6 Tubah – Topa Month – Coptic Synaxarium {{!}} St-Takla.org |url=https://st-takla.org/books/en/church/synaxarium/05-topah/06-toba-basil.html |website=st-takla.org |publisher=St. Takla Haymanout Coptic Orthodox |access-date=24 December 2021}} (6th of Terr on the Ethiopian calendar of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church). At present, this corresponds to 14 January (15 January during leap year.){{citation |last=Gabra |first=Gawdat |title=The A to Z of the Coptic Church |contribution=Coptic Calendar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UaYdpfAZDBMC |contribution-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UaYdpfAZDBMC&pg=PA70 |pages=[https://books.google.com/books?id=UaYdpfAZDBMC&pg=PA70 70–1] |series=A to Z Guide Series, No. 107 |date=2008 |publisher=The Scarecrow Press |location=Plymouth |isbn=9780810870574 }}.

There are numerous relics of Basil throughout the world. One of the most important is his head, which is preserved to this day at the monastery of the Great Lavra on Mount Athos in Greece. The mythical sword Durandal is said to contain some of Basil's blood.{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/outlinesprimiti01keargoog|page=[https://archive.org/details/outlinesprimiti01keargoog/page/n539 512]|quote=durendal basil.|title=Outlines of Primitive Belief Among the Indo-European Races|first=Charles Francis|last=Keary|date=1882|publisher=C. Scribner's Sons|via=Internet Archive}}

• Basilian monk
• Pseudo-Basil

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin|30em|indent=yes}}

• Basil of Caesarea, Hexaemeron, London, 2013. limovia.net {{ISBN|9781783362110}} (digital version – ebook)
• Basil the Great, On the Holy Spirit, trans. David Anderson (Crestwood, NY: St Vladimir's Seminary Press, 1980)
• Basil the Great, On Social Justice, trans. C. Paul Schroeder (Crestwood, NY: St Vladimir's Seminary Press, 2009)
• Basil the Great, Address to Young Men On Greek Literature, trans. Edward R. Maloney (New York: American Book Company, 1901)
• {{cite journal

| last = Bebis

| first = George

| title = Introduction to the Liturgical Theology of St Basil the Great

| journal = Greek Orthodox Theological Review

| volume = 42

| issue = 3–4

| pages = 273–285

| date =Fall–Winter 1997

| issn = 0017-3894

}}

• {{cite book|title =Basil of Caesarea, christian, humanist, ascetic: a sixteen-hundredth anniversary symposium, Part 1|year=1981|publisher=Pontifical Institute of Mediaeval Studies|isbn=978-0-88844-412-7|editor=Paul Jonathan Fedwick}}
• {{cite book|title=Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World |url=https://archive.org/details/lateantiquity00brow|url-access=registration |year=1999|publisher=Harvard University Press|isbn=978-0-67451-173-6|editor1=Bowersock, Glen Warren |editor2=Brown, Peter |editor3=Grabar, Oleg }}
• {{cite book

| title = The New Encyclopædia Britannica, 15th edition, v. 1

| publisher = Encyclopædia Britannica

| location = London

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Hildebrand

| first = Stephen M.

| title = The Trinitarian Theology of Basil of Caesarea

| publisher = Catholic University of America Press

| year= 2007

| location = Washington, D.C.

| isbn = 978-0-8132-1473-3

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Hildebrand

| first = Stephen M.

| title = Basil of Caesarea

| publisher = Baker Academic

| year= 2014

| location = Grand Rapids

| isbn = 978-0-8010-4907-1

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Keary

| first = Charles Francis

| title = Outline of Primitive Belief Among the Indo-European Races

| publisher = C. Scribner's Sons

| year = 1882

| location = New York

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Meredith

| first = Anthony

| title = The Cappadocians

| publisher = St. Vladimir's Seminar Press

| year = 1995

| location = Crestwood, NY

| isbn = 978-0-88141-112-6

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Migne

| first = Jacques Paul

| author-link = J.P. Migne

| title = Cursus Completus Patrologiae Graecae

| publisher = Imprimerie Catholique

| date= 1857–1866

| location = Paris

| title-link = Patrologia Graeca

}}

• {{cite book

| last = Murphy

| first = Margaret Gertrude

| title = St. Basil and Monasticism: Catholic University of America Series on Patristic Studies, Vol. XXV

| publisher = AMS Press

| year= 1930

| location = New York

| isbn = 978-0-404-04543-2 }}

• {{cite book

| last = Rousseau

| first = Phillip

| title = Basil of Caesarea

| publisher = University of California Press

| year= 1994

| location = Berkeley

| isbn = 978-0-520-08238-0 }}

• {{cite book

| last = Quasten

| first = Johannes

| title = Patrology, v.3

| publisher = Christian Classics

| year = 1986

| isbn = 978-0-87061-086-8 }}

• {{cite book

| last = Ruether

| first = Rosemary Radford

| title = Gregory of Nazianzus

| publisher = Oxford University Press

| year= 1969

| location = Oxford

}}

• {{cite journal

| last = Silvas

| first = Anna M.

| title = Edessa to Cassino: The Passage of Basil's Asketikon to the West

| journal = Vigiliae Christianae

| volume = 56

| issue = 3

| pages = 247–259

| date=September 2002

| issn = 0042-6032

| doi = 10.1163/157007202760235382 | url = https://rune.une.edu.au/web/bitstream/1959.11/323/3/open/SOURCE03.pdf

}}

• {{cite book

| editor-last = Corona

| editor-first = Gabriella

| title = Aelfric's Life of Saint Basil the Great: Background and Content

| publisher = D.S. Brewer

| year= 2006

| location = Cambridge

| isbn = 978-1-84384-095-4 }}

• {{Schaff-Herzog|title=Basil, Saint, The Great}}
• {{cite journal

| last = Costache

| first = Doru

| title = Christian Worldview: Understandings from St Basil the Great

| journal = Phronema

| volume = 20

| pages = 21–56

| date=2010

}}

• {{cite journal

| last = James

| first = John L.W.

| title = An Examination of Homotimia in St Basil the Great's on the Holy Spirit, and Contemporary Implications

| journal = Westminster Theological Journal

| volume = 74

| issue = 2

| pages = 257–276

| date=2012

}}

• {{cite journal

| last = LeMasters

| first = Philip

| title = Philanthropia in Liturgy and Life: The Anaphora of Basil the Great and Eastern Orthodox Social Ethics

| journal = St Vladmir's Theological Quarterly

| volume = 59

| issue = 2

| pages = 187–211

| date=2015

}}

• {{cite journal

| last = Ruscu

| first = Dan

| title = St. Basil the Great and the Church of Gothia

| journal = Studi Sull'Oriente Cristiano

| volume = 15

| issue = 1

| pages = 75–80

| date=2011

}}

• {{cite journal

| last = Bebis

| first = George S

| title = Introduction to the Liturgical Theology of St Basil the Great

| journal = Greek Orthodox Review

| volume = 42

| issue = 3–4

| pages = 273–285

| date=1997

}}

• {{cite journal

| last = Rusch

| first = William

| title = Basil the Great's Views on the Unity of the Church: A Possible Contribution from His Correspondence

| journal = Mid-Stream

| volume = 35

| issue = 3

| pages = 283–289

| date= 1996

}}

• {{cite journal

| last = Holder

| first = Arthur G

| title = Saint Basil the Great on Secular Education and Christian Virtue

| journal = Religious Education

| volume = 87

| issue = 3

| pages = 395–415

| date= 1992

| doi = 10.1080/0034408920870307

}}

• {{cite journal

| last = Leb

| first = Ioan-Vasile

| title = Saint Basil the Great (329–379) and Pope Damasus of Rome (366–384): A Moment of the Relations between the Eastern and the Western Christianity

| journal = Orthodoxes Forum

| volume = 23

| issue = 2

| pages = 155–162

| date= 2009

}}

• {{cite journal

| last = Salapatas

| first = Anastasios

| title = 'Ὅροι κατά πλάτος' and 'Ὅροι κατ' ἐπιτομήν': The contribution of St. Basil the Great to the founding of Early Christian Monasticism

| journal = Orthodoxes Forum

| volume = 23

| issue = 2

| pages = 133–145

| date= 2009

}}

• {{cite journal

| last = Constantelos

| first = Demetrios J

| title = Basil the Great's Social Thought and Involvement

| journal = Greek Orthodox Theological Review

| volume = 26

| issue = 1–2

| pages = 81–86

| date= 1981

}}

• {{cite journal

| last = Aghiorghoussis

| first = Meximos Metr

| title = Applications of the Theme 'Eikon Theou' (Image of God) according to Saint Basil the Great

| journal = Greek Orthodox Theological Review

| volume = 21

| issue = 3

| pages = 265–288

| date= 1976

}}

• {{cite journal

| last = Tan

| first = Loe-Joo

| title = Ousia, Hypostasis and Epinoia: St Basil's Contribution to the Development of Trinitarian Doctrine

| journal = Trinity Theological Journal

| volume = 21

| issue = 1

| pages = 1–15

| date= 2013

}}

• {{cite journal

| last = Gillooly

| first = David W.

| title = The Divinity of the Holy Spirit in the Theory of Basil the Great

| journal = Journal of Theta Alpha Kappa

| volume = 1

| issue = 1

| pages = 13–16

| date= 1978

}}

{{refend}}

{{refbegin}}

• Adam Rasmussen, Genesis and Cosmos: Basil and Origen on Genesis 1 and Cosmology, Brill 2019.
• {{cite book|last=Dumitrascu|first=Nicu |title=The Ecumenical Legacy of the Cappadocians|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w5KkCgAAQBAJ|date= 2016|publisher=Springer|isbn=978-1-137-50269-8}}
• St. Basil the Great, On the Holy Spirit, London, 2012. limovia.net {{ISBN|978-1-78336-002-4}}.
• Karahan, Anne. "Beauty in the Eyes of God. Byzantine Aesthetics and Basil of Caesarea", in: Byzantion. Revue Internationale des Études Byzantines 82 (2012): 165–212.

{{refend}}

{{EB1911 poster|Basil (Caesarea)|Basil of Caesarea}}

{{commons category}}

• [https://web.archive.org/web/20060925043550/http://www.ccel.org/fathers2/NPNF2-08/TOC.htm Christian Classics Ethereal Library, Early Church Fathers, Series II, Vol. VIII] contains the treatise On the Holy Spirit, the Hexaemeron, some of the homilies and the letters
• [http://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/fathers/st-basil-thegreat.asp St. Basil the Great] in English and Greek, Select Resources
• [http://pagez.ru/lsn/ The Heritage of the Holy Fathers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060101074609/http://pagez.ru/lsn/ |date=1 January 2006 }} has a more complete collection of his homilies (and some other works, but only a few of his letters)—in Russian
• [https://www.franciscanmedia.org/saint-of-the-day/saint-basil-the-great Franciscan Media: St. Basil the Great]
• [http://ocafs.oca.org/FeastSaintsViewer.asp?SID=4&ID=1&FSID=100003 St. Basil the Great the Archbishop of Caesarea, in Cappadocia] Orthodox icon and synaxarion
• [http://bible.org/seriespage/appendix-1-basil%E2%80%99s-sermons-about-fasting St. Basil's Sermons About Fasting], translated by Kent Berghuis
• [http://www.christianiconography.info/basil.html St. Basil] at the [http://www.christianiconography.info Christian Iconography] web site.
• {{Internet Archive author |search=( "St. Basil" OR "Saint Basil" OR "Basil, Saint" OR "Basil of Caesarea" OR "329–379" )}}
• [http://openn.library.upenn.edu/Data/0023/html/lewis_e_025.html Lewis E 25 De forma honestae vitae; De institutione monachorum at OPenn]
• [http://openn.library.upenn.edu/Data/0023/html/lewis_e_237.html Lewis E 237 Ad adolescentes de legendis libris gentilium (Address to young men on the right use of greek literature) at OPenn]
• [http://openn.library.upenn.edu/Data/0023/html/lewis_e_251.html Lewis E 251 Enarratio in prophetam Isaiam at OPenn]
• {{Librivox author |id=5755}}
• {{DNB-Portal|118637797}}
• {{DDB|Person|118637797}}
• {{Hl-Lex|b|Basilius_der_Grosse.htm}}

{{Navboxes

|list=

{{Coptic saints}}

{{Cappadocian fathers}}

{{Catholic saints}}

}}

{{Subject bar |portal1=Saints |portal2= Biography |portal3= Christianity |commons=y |q=y }}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Basil, Caesarea Of}}

Category:4th-century births

Category:379 deaths

Category:4th-century bishops in Roman Anatolia

Category:4th-century Christian mystics

Category:4th-century Christian saints

Category:4th-century Christian theologians

Category:Ancient letter writers

Category:Anglican saints

Category:Byzantine saints

Category:Cappadocian Greeks

Category:Christmas gift-bringers

Category:Church Fathers

Category:Desert Fathers

Category:Doctors of the Church

Category:Greek Christian mystics

Category:Greek folklore

Category:Opponents of Arianism

Category:People from Kayseri

Category:Roman-era students in Athens

Category:Saints from Roman Anatolia

Category:Saints from Roman Egypt