Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series • VOLUME 8
Basil — Letters and Select Works
SECTION 1
A SELECT LIBRARY
Title: NPNF2-08. Basil: Letters and Select Works Creator(s): Schaff, Philip (1819-1893) (Editor) Print Basis: Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1895 Rights: Public Domain CCEL Subjects: All; Early CHurch; Classic; Proofed A SELECT LIBRARY OF THE NICENE AND POST-NICENE FATHERS OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. SECOND SERIES TRANSLATED INTO EN…
757 wordsSECTION 2Council of Tyana.
Council of Tyana. 368. Semiarian Council in Caria. Famine in Cappadocia 369. Death of Emmelia. Basil visits Samosata. 370. Death of Eusebius of Cæsarea Election and consecration of Basil to the see of Cæsarea. Basil makes visitation tour. 371. Basil threatened by arian bishops and by modestus. Valens, travelling slowly fr…
2,265 wordsSECTION 3If the Libanian correspondence be accepted as genuine, we may add Celsus, a pupil of Libanius, to the group. [47] But if we except Basil's a
If the Libanian correspondence be accepted as genuine, we may add Celsus, a pupil of Libanius, to the group. [47] But if we except Basil's affection for Gregory of Nazianzus, of none of these intimacies is the interest so great as of that which is recorded to have been formed between Basil and the young prince Julian. [48] One i…
2,346 wordsSECTION 4At the Pontic retreat Basil now began that system of hard ascetic discipline which eventually contributed to the enfeeblement of his health
At the Pontic retreat Basil now began that system of hard ascetic discipline which eventually contributed to the enfeeblement of his health and the shortening of his life. He complains again and again in his letters of the deplorable physical condition to which he is reduced, and he died at the age of fifty. It is a question whe…
2,203 wordsSECTION 5[96] The most important instance being that of Athanasius, who, on his return to Alexandria after his third exile, held a synod which condem
[96] The most important instance being that of Athanasius, who, on his return to Alexandria after his third exile, held a synod which condemned Macedonians as well as Arians. cf. Newman's Arians, v. 1. [97] Soz. v. 4. [98] Or. iv. § 92. [99] Epp. c., cclii. Soz. v. 11. cf. also Epp. xxxix., xl., and xli., with the notes on pp…
2,433 wordsSECTION 6Basil may or may not have taken Gregory's advice not to put himself forward. But Gregory and his father, the bishop, from this time strained
Basil may or may not have taken Gregory's advice not to put himself forward. But Gregory and his father, the bishop, from this time strained every nerve to secure the election of Basil. It was felt that the cause of true religion was at stake. "The Holy Ghost must win." [140] Opposition had to be encountered from bishops who wer…
2,224 wordsSECTION 7Nevertheless, so far as the civil power was concerned, Basil, after the famous visit of Valens, was left at peace. [184] He had triumphed. W
Nevertheless, so far as the civil power was concerned, Basil, after the famous visit of Valens, was left at peace. [184] He had triumphed. Was it a triumph for the nobler principles of the Gospel? Had he exhibited a pride and an irritation unworthy of the Christian name? Jerome, in a passage of doubtful genuineness and applicati…
2,268 wordsSECTION 8[191] Ep. xcviii., but see note, p. 182, on the doubt as to this allusion.
[191] Ep. xcviii., but see note, p. 182, on the doubt as to this allusion. [192] Greg. Naz., with grim humour, objects to be sent to Sasima to fight for Basil's supply of sucking pigs and poultry from St. Orestes. Ep. xlviii. [193] "Nyssa was more clearly than either Sasima or Doara a part of Cappadocia Secunda; it always reta…
2,265 wordsSECTION 9[207] Ep. ccxiii. § 3. He had been in early days a disciple of Arius at Alexandria.
[207] Ep. ccxiii. § 3. He had been in early days a disciple of Arius at Alexandria. [208] Id. § 5. [209] Ep. cxxx. § 1. [210] cf. Ep. ccxliv. § 9. Fialon, Et. Hist. 128. [211] Ep. ccxii. § 2. cf. Newman, Hist. Sketches, iii. 20. [212] Ep. ccxliv. § 9. [213] Epp. cxxi., ccxliv. [214] Ep. ccxliv. [215] Ep. cxxviii. [216] …
2,393 wordsSECTION 10In fact the appeal of Basil seems to have failed to elicit the response he desired, not so much from the independent tone of his letters, wh
In fact the appeal of Basil seems to have failed to elicit the response he desired, not so much from the independent tone of his letters, which was only in accordance with the recognised facts of the age, [275] as from occidental suspicions of Basil's orthodoxy, [276] and from the failure of men, who thought and wrote in Latin, …
2,231 wordsSECTION 11II. Works.
II. Works. The extant works of St. Basil may be conveniently classified as follows: I. Dogmatic. (i) Adversus Eunomium. Pros Eunomion. (ii) De Spiritu Sancto. Peri tou Pneumatos. II. Exegetic. [302] (i) In Hexæmeron. Eis ten Exaemeron. (ii) Homiliæ on Pss. i., vii., xiv., xxviii., xxix., xxxii., xxxiii., xliv., xlv., xlvi…
2,741 wordsSECTION 12If not of the essence of God, the Son could not be held to be eternal. "How utterly absurd," exclaims Basil, "to deny the glory of God to ha
If not of the essence of God, the Son could not be held to be eternal. "How utterly absurd," exclaims Basil, "to deny the glory of God to have had brightness; [351] to deny the wisdom of God to have been ever with God!...The Father is of eternity. So also is the Son of eternity, united by generation to the unbegotten nature of t…
2,213 wordsSECTION 13On John v. 19. The Son can do Nothing of Himself.
On John v. 19. The Son can do Nothing of Himself. "If freedom of action [395] is better than subjection to control, [396] and a man is free, while the Son of God is subject to control, then the man is better than the Son. This is absurd. And if he who is subject to control cannot create free beings (for he cannot of his own wil…
2,487 wordsSECTION 14On Matt. xx. 23. Is not Mine to give, save for whom it is prepared.
On Matt. xx. 23. Is not Mine to give, save for whom it is prepared. "If the Son has not authority over the judgment, and power to benefit some and chastise others, how could He say, The Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son'? [453] And in another place, The Son of man hath power on earth to forgive…
2,276 wordsSECTION 15[403] John vi. 64.
[403] John vi. 64. [404] John i. 14. [405] 1 Cor. ii. 8. [406] Ps. xxiv. 7. [407] i.e. of the incarnation, cf. pp. 7, 12. [408] On Photinus cf. Socrates, Ecc. Hist. ii. 29, and Theodoret, Hær. Fab. iii. 1, and Epiphanius, Hær. lxxi. § 2. The question as to what Synod condemned and deposed him has been thought to have been s…
2,227 wordsSECTION 16It is remarked by Gregory of Nazianzus in his memorial oration [485] that Basil used a threefold method of enforcing Scripture on his hearer
It is remarked by Gregory of Nazianzus in his memorial oration [485] that Basil used a threefold method of enforcing Scripture on his hearers and readers. This may be understood to be the literal, moral, and allegorical. Ceillier points out that this description, so far as we know, applies only to the Homilies on the Psalms. Th…
2,364 wordsSECTION 17"After he has got his money, at first a man is bright and joyous; he shines with another's splendour, and is conspicuous by his altered mode
"After he has got his money, at first a man is bright and joyous; he shines with another's splendour, and is conspicuous by his altered mode of life. His table is lavish; his dress is most expensive. His servants appear in finer liveries; he has flatterers and boon companions; his rooms are full of drones innumerable. But the mo…
2,281 wordsSECTION 18[481] p. 118.
[481] p. 118. [482] 2 Cor. v. 4. [483] Im Allgemeinen und im Grundsatze aber ist Basil gegen die allegorische Erkärungsweise, so oft er sie dann auch im Einzelnen anwendet. Böhringer, Basil, p. 116. [484] cf. Gieseler i. p. 109. [485] Or. xliii. § 67. [486] Ceillier. [487] The English reader is reminded of Congreve's "musi…
2,800 wordsSECTION 19XL. deals with the abuse of holy places and solemn assemblies. Christians ought not to appear in places sacred to martyrs or in their neighb
XL. deals with the abuse of holy places and solemn assemblies. Christians ought not to appear in places sacred to martyrs or in their neighbourhood for any other reason than to pray and commemorate the sacred dead. Anything like a worldly festival or common-mart at such times is like the sacrilege of the money changers in the Te…
2,508 wordsSECTION 20Homily III. on Deut. xv. 9, [574] is one of the eight translated by Rufinus. Section 2 begins:
IV.--Homiletical. Twenty-four homilies on miscellaneous subjects, published under St. Basil's name, are generally accepted as genuine. They are conveniently classified as (i) Dogmatic and Exegetic, (ii) Moral, and (iii) Panegyric. To Class (i) will be referred III. In Illud, Attende tibi ipsi. VI. In Illud, Destruam horrea, e…
1,015 wordsSECTION 21Homily VI., on Luke xii. 18, is on selfish wealth and greed.
Homily VI., on Luke xii. 18, is on selfish wealth and greed. Beware, says the preacher, [580] lest the fate of the fool of the text be thine. "These things are written that we may shun their imitation. Imitate the earth, O man. Bear fruit, as she does, lest thou prove inferior to that which is without life. She produces her fru…
1,761 wordsSECTION 22Homily XII. is "on the beginning of the proverbs." "The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel." [601]
Homily XII. is "on the beginning of the proverbs." "The proverbs of Solomon, the son of David, king of Israel." [601] "The name proverbs (paroimiai) has been by heathen writers used of common expressions, and of those which are generally used in the streets. Among them a way is called oimos, whence they define a paroimia to be …
2,352 wordsSECTION 23First of the Homilies on moral topics come I. and II. on Fasting. The former is of uncontested genuineness. Erasmus rejected the latter, but
First of the Homilies on moral topics come I. and II. on Fasting. The former is of uncontested genuineness. Erasmus rejected the latter, but it is accepted without hesitation by Garnier, Maran, and Ceillier, and is said by the last named to be quoted as Basil's by John of Damascus and Symeon Logothetes. From Homily I. two passag…
2,311 wordsSECTION 24Homily XI., against Envy, adduces the instances of Saul's envy of David, and that of the patriarchs against Joseph. It is pointed out that e
Homily XI., against Envy, adduces the instances of Saul's envy of David, and that of the patriarchs against Joseph. It is pointed out that envy grows out of familiarity and proximity. "A man is envied of his neighbour." [641] The Scythian does not envy the Egyptian. Envy arises among fellow-countrymen. The remedy for this vice i…
704 wordsSECTION 25Homily XX., on Humility, urges the folly of Adam, in sacrificing eternal blessings to his ambition, and the example of St. Paul in glorying only in the Lord. [653]
Homily XX., on Humility, urges the folly of Adam, in sacrificing eternal blessings to his ambition, and the example of St. Paul in glorying only in the Lord. [653] Pharaoh, Goliath, and Abimelech are instanced. St. Peter is cited for lack of humility in being sure that he of all men will be true to the death. "No detail can be…
2,685 wordsSECTION 26. . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . To us are held out prizes whereof the marvelous number and splendour are beyond the power of words to tell. Will it be possible for those who are fast asleep, and live a life of indulgence, to seize them without an effort? [682] If so, sloth would have been of great price, and Sardanapalus would have been …
2,389 wordsSECTION 27The last of the Panegyrical Homilies (XXIII.) is on Saint Mamas, commemorated on September 2 by the Greeks, and on August 17 by the Latins.
The last of the Panegyrical Homilies (XXIII.) is on Saint Mamas, commemorated on September 2 by the Greeks, and on August 17 by the Latins. He is said to have been a shepherd martyred at Cæsarea in 274 in the persecution of Aurelian. Sozomen (v. 2) relates that when the young princes Julian and Gallus were at the castle of Macel…
2,776 wordsSECTION 28[693] cf. p. xv., n.
[693] cf. p. xv., n. [694] cf. Greg. Naz., Or. iv. § 25. [695] hosois, onomati, kletheis, epi ton ergon pareste. On the reverence for relics cf. Letters cxcvii., cclii., and cclvii. [696] John i. 1. [697] gennema anthropinon. [698] cf. John x. 16. [699] John xiv. 10. cf. De Sp. Scto. § 45, p. 28. V.--Letters. Under this …
2,200 wordsSECTION 29The following mss. of St. Basil are in the library of the Bodleian at Oxford:
The following mss. of St. Basil are in the library of the Bodleian at Oxford: Homiliæ et Epistolæ. Codex membranaceus, in 4to majori ff. 250, sec. xii. Epistola ad Optimum, episcopum, in septem ultiones. Cain. fol. iii. Epistola ad virginem lapsam, fol. 211b. Ejusdem Basilii epistola ad monachum lapsum, fol. 215b. Epistolæ c…
1,129 wordsSECTION 30TOU AGIOU BAChILEIOU PERI TOU PNEUMATOCh BIBLION.
TOU AGIOU BAChILEIOU PERI TOU PNEUMATOCh BIBLION. THE BOOK OF SAINT BASIL ON THE SPIRIT. DE SPIRITU SANCTO. ------------------------ Preface. ------------------------ The heresy of Arius lowered the dignity of the Holy Ghost as well as that of the Son. He taught that the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity are wholly unlike …
1,918 wordsSECTION 31Chapter II.
Chapter II. The origin of the heretics' close observation of syllables. 4. The petty exactitude of these men about syllables and words is not, as might be supposed, simple and straightforward; nor is the mischief to which it tends a small one. There is involved a deep and covert design against true religion. Their pertinacious…
1,067 wordsSECTION 32Chapter III.
Chapter III. The systematic discussion of syllables is derived from heathen philosophy. 5. They have, however, been led into this error by their close study of heathen writers, who have respectively applied the terms "of whom" and "through whom" to things which are by nature distinct. These writers suppose that by the term "of…
833 wordsSECTION 33Chapter IV.
Chapter IV. That there is no distinction in the scriptural use of these syllables. 6. We acknowledge that the word of truth has in many places made use of these expressions; yet we absolutely deny that the freedom of the Spirit is in bondage to the pettiness of Paganism. On the contrary, we maintain that Scripture varies its e…
2,243 wordsSECTION 3412. And it is not only in the case of the theology that the use of the terms varies, [777] but whenever one of the terms takes the meaning o
12. And it is not only in the case of the theology that the use of the terms varies, [777] but whenever one of the terms takes the meaning of the other we find them frequently transferred from the one subject to the other. As, for instance, Adam says, "I have gotten a man through God," [778] meaning to say the same as from God; …
1,063 wordsSECTION 35Chapter VI.
Chapter VI. Issue joined with those who assert that the Son is not with the Father, but after the Father. Also concerning the equal glory. 13. Our opponents, while they thus artfully and perversely encounter our argument, cannot even have recourse to the plea of ignorance. It is obvious that they are annoyed with us for comple…
2,203 wordsSECTION 36Chapter VII.
[811] Acts vii. 55. [812] Rom. viii. 34. [813] Ps. cx. 1. [814] Heb. viii. 1. [815] Mr. Johnston well points out that these five testimonies are not cited fortuitously, but "in an order which carries the reader from the future second coming, through the present session at the right hand, back to the ascension in the past." …
803 wordsSECTION 37Chapter VIII.
Chapter VIII. In how many ways "Throughwhom" is used; and in what sense "with whom" is more suitable. Explanation of how the Son receives a commandment, and how He is sent. 17. When, then, the apostle "thanks God through Jesus Christ," [827] and again says that "through Him" we have "received grace and apostleship for obedienc…
2,510 wordsSECTION 3821. "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; [900] not the express image, nor yet the form, for the divine nature does not admit of combi
21. "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father; [900] not the express image, nor yet the form, for the divine nature does not admit of combination; but the goodness of the will, which, being concurrent with the essence, is beheld as like and equal, or rather the same, in the Father as in the Son. [901] What then is meant by "be…
2,165 wordsSECTION 39Chapter IX.
Chapter IX. Definitive conceptions about the Spirit which conform to the teaching of the Scriptures. 22. Let us now investigate what are our common conceptions concerning the Spirit, as well those which have been gathered by us from Holy Scripture concerning It as those which we have received from the unwritten tradition of th…
1,184 wordsSECTION 40Chapter X.
Chapter X. Against those who say that it is not right to rank the Holy Spirit with the Father and the Son. 24. But we must proceed to attack our opponents, in the endeavour to confute those "oppositions" advanced against us which are derived from "knowledge falsely so-called." [924] It is not permissible, they assert, for the…
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Historical text source: Christian Classics Ethereal Library. The downloaded text itself records Public Domain.