Basil the great was born in caesarea in cappadocia in 330 ad. Basil the great to young students on the proper use of pagan greek literature and philosophy. Fresco of basil the great in the cathedral of ohrid. Basil of caesarea, also called saint basil the great greek. He studied in constantinople and athens with his friend gregory nazianus. Basil the great pope benedict xvis weekly catechesis. Too often, however, one more aspect of basil is left overlooked and that is basil as the first great christian philanthropist. This is the facebook page of a roman catholic church. Basil the great christian classics ethereal library. St basil the great, st gregory of nazianzus, st gregory of nyssa english and ancient greek edition georges barrois on.
He was one of ten children, three of whom became bishops, including basil. Basil the great, was the son of a christian of good birth and his wife, macrina acta ss. Pope benedict delivered his audience july 4 before a packed audience in paul vi hall, focusing on st. Basil, address to young men on the right use of greek. Saint basil the great, archbishop of caesarea in cappadocia. Featuring the church fathers, catholic encyclopedia, summa theologica and more. Basil the great is of one of the cappadocian fathers, namely the famous fourthcentury. Basil the great our father among the saints basil the great ca. Though not recognized greatly in his lifetime, his writings rightly place him among the great teachers of the church. Basil the great was one of the greatest church fathers of the late 4th century.
Basil the great quotes author of on the holy spirit. Basils life and for some excerpts from his writings, click here. So, feel free to be a detective and seek out the information that is most helpful or relevant to. Saint basil had great wealth but this did not interest him. Many things are said and written about the great cappodocian father of the 4th century st. Early life basil was born in 329 in the big city of caesarea population of about 400,000, in the region known as cappadocia, which is.
Basil the great 330379 born into a pious family at caesarea in cappadocia about 330 a. In martyrem julittam, quoted in the prolegomena in nicene and postnicene fathers series ii volume 8. Born to a noble and pious family his mother, father, and four of his nine siblings were canonized. Basil, gregory the theologian, and basil s brother saint gregory of nyssa are called the cappadocian fathers. Learn more about basil s life, ecclesiastical career, and legacy.
It was a way of life better balanced and more humane than the most important earlier form of ascetic common life, the egyptian monasticism of st pachomius. Frederick morgan padelford, essays on the study and use of poetry by plutarch and basil the great. The text in this edition is the greek of jacques paul migne 18001875, a french catholic priest who compiled and edited a vast array of patristic and other ancient greek texts. Basil the great received the best education in pagan and christian culture available in his day, studying in his native cappadocia, constantinople, and athens. Basil was one of the group of great oriental theologians to whom, under god. Macrina the elder and his mother emmelia was the daughter of a martyr. Athanasius died, the mantle of defender of the faith against arianism fell upon basil. It is used in the roman office of readings for january 2, the feast of saints basil the great and gregory nazianzen. These were the first two women ever to be given this great distinction. In their solitude, saints basil and gregory occupied themselves in an intense study of holy scripture.
As bishop of caesarea, he wrote several works on monasticism, theology, and canon law. For the bishop of caesarea, the array of false teachings that plagued the church was not merely a matter of conflicting opinions or interpretations. Both basil and gregory were deeply influenced by origen and compiled an anthology of uncondemned writings of origen known as the. The saint is shown consecrating the gifts during the divine. Basil the great was born at caesarea of cappadocia in 330. Basil the great on the holy spirit 1 saint basil the great his life together with st.
Several legislators of ancient monasticism including st. Basil was born of a christian family at caesarea in cappadocia in 330 ad. This includes 3 series, 37 volumes, 65 authors, 1,000 books, 18,000. The fathers of the church spread the gospel of jesus christ, defended the church in apologetic writing and fought. Nov 21, 2011 below is a collection of links to primary resources and to various writings of basil the great. Basil the great as a man and creator of great works is an obligation first and foremost for us basilians, who draw our spirituality from his ascetical writings. Basil was a towering figure in the fourthcentury church. He seems to have read origens writings very systematically about this time, for in. Sts basil and gregory, two bodies one spirit gregory nazianzen. Seventytwo years after his death, the council of chalcedon described him as the great basil, minister of grace who has expounded the truth to the whole earth. The building, now a museum, is officially known as the cathedral of the intercession. Several of his brothers and sisters are honored among the saints. Also, one of his other brothers there were 10 children total was a bishop. Orthodox christianity is tradition, but not traditionalist.
Saint basil the great, early church father who defended the orthodox faith. Saint basil the great, early church father who defended the orthodox faith against the arian heresy. Learn more about basils life, ecclesiastical career, and legacy. Basil, saint, the great from the ccel, the new schaffherzog encyclopedia of religious knowledge, vol. The second series focuses on a variety of important church fathers, ranging from the fourth century to the eighth century. Statement of the reason why in the writings of paul the angels are associated with the father and the son. He attended school in caesarea, as well as constantinople and athens, where he became acquainted with. Access featured local businesses and churches in your area. The church considers him a saint and one of the three holy hierarchs, together with saints gregory the theologian gregory nazianzus and john chrysostom. In basil the great, we find the consummate theologian, liturgical scholar, ascetic and evangelist of the faith. Basils life changed course decidedly when he forsook a worldly career to embrace the monastic life. Many of these sources will lead you to other sources of interest. Furthermore it deeply influenced st benedict, who knew st basil s ascetic writings in a latin translation by rufinus, and through him the whole of western monasticism. A more complete collection of his homilies and some other works, but only a few of his letters available in russian.
In the midst of great controversy, he led the charge of those faithful to the doctrine proclaimed at nicaea. The purpose of such a collection is to make their writings readily available. Early life basil was born in 329 in the big city of caesarea population of about 400,000, in the region known as cappadocia, which is located in eastern asia. He was an influential theologian who supported the nicene creed and opposed the heresies of. The entire work is divided into two series, each with fourteen volumes. As a youth, basil is noted for organizing famine relief, and for working in the kitchens, quite unusual for a young noble. The principal theological writings of basil are his on the holy spirit, a lucid and edifying 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, written in 363 or 364, three books against eunomius of cyzicus, the chief exponent of anomoian arianism. The assorted writings in this volume are a wonderful addition to every armchair theologians library, especially as st. We accept what is called the great tradition, which includes the decrees of the councils of the early church, the writings of the church fathers, early interpretation of the scriptures, and the nicene creed.
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