St. Basil the Great(330-379) was
a man of high spirituality, deep social
commitment, excellent education, and
exemplary faithfulness to the Church. His life is a good example for an authentic Orthodox Christian spirituality. A
study of him will help us to be free from the enslaving materialism today and
distorted spiritual traditions and it bring us closer to the Gospel of our
Lord.
St. Basil was born and brought
up in Cappadocia which is in Asiatic
Turkey. Caesarea (today’s Kaeseri) was an important city in Cappadocia and as
bishop, his headquarters was here. Pontus was another district close to
Cappadocia. Most of St. Basil’s life was spent in Cappadocia and Pontus.
The existence of Jews in Cappadocia(Acts 2: 9, 11) probably prepared the ground for the spread
of gospel in Cappadocia. The Jews who
came to Jerusalem to attend the feast of Pentecost and listened to the speech
of St. Peter on the day of Pentecost might have brought the gospel to this
region. A remark at the opening of I
Peter indicates the existence of Gentile Christians here by AD 100. Third century witnessed the missionary labors
of Gregory the wonderworker who came to be known as the ‘Apostle of
Cappadocia’. St. Basil and his family
members used to venerate his blessed memory highly. Gregory the wonder worker was from Pontus and
became bishop of Neo-Caesarea in AD 240.
St. Basil was born about the year 330 into a rich
Christian family in Cappadocia. His father also called Basil who was from Pontus and his mother
Emmelia from Cappadocia had four sons and five daughters. Basil the elder, with the wealth of his
estates behind him, used to teach rhetoric,
the effective use of language and oratory, at Neo-Caesarea. Basil, Gregory and Naucratius, the eldest
three sons, followed their father’s footsteps with a traditional classical
education. The family is indebted to Basil’s paternal grandmother Macrina, the
elder who had been converted by Gregory the wonderworker, to the Christian faith. St. Basil’s sister Macrina the younger,
decided to lead a life of virginity and slowly developed a community of virgins. In 380 his younger brother Peter succeeded Eustathius as bishop of
Sebaste.
St. Basil’s primary classic education especially rhetoric
was under his own father Basil the elder.
Grandmother Macrina gave basic religious education to the young Basil.
Most probably at an early age he was sent to a school at Caesarea. From there Basil went to Constantinople and
there studied rhetoric and philosophy
successfully primarily under Libanius.
From Constantinople he proceeded to Athens in 351 for higher education.
It was in Athens his friendship with Gregory, another Cappadocian who later came
to be known as St. Gregory of Nazianzus, was strengthened. Even during his studies in
Athens St. Basil was particular about the strictness of his devout life.
When he came back to
Cappadocia, there was plenty of opportunities for pursuing a worldly successful
profession. But he devoted his life
fully to lead a life pleasing to God by being committed to the Church. His sister Macrina’s life and intervention influenced
him towards this wholehearted self surrender.
St. Basil visited ascetics in
Palestine, Mesopotamia, Syria, Egypt etc.
This spiritual tour of monastic foundations was shortly after St. Antony
died in 356 and shortly before setting up his own monastery in 357/358. In addition to these experiences and
insights, one of the greatest influences for the ascetic experiment was from
Eusthathius of Sebaste. Eusthathius who
became a bishop of Sebaste in Armenia
was active and famous in Pontus
and Cappadocia for his rigorous ascetic
practices. In a strict sense St. Basil
was not the founder of monasticism in Asia Minor but the reformer of it
there. It was with his friend St. Gregory that St. Basil started his monastic
experiments. By renouncing his
properties, he began his monastic life in Annesi in Pontus on the side of River
Iris opposite to that of St. Macrina’s convent.
Socially committed services were integral part of his vision of
monasticism. Community experience is
central to his monasticism. The solitary efforts and individual initiatives of
the monks of Egypt and Syria here become a community activity.
Manual labour was also
important as prayer for the monks of St. Basil. It is noteworthy that highly educated and
well-born aristocrat St. Basil used to engage in manual labour. He condemned in
strong terms the danger of idleness. In
Letter 22 ‘On the perfection of the monastic life’, probably written in 356 he
writes that those who are lazy, and can work but do not, should not eat.
It is noticeable that serving the poor and sick was an integral
part of St. Basil’s vision of spiritual life.
He insists that service to the poor and needy is as important as
prayer. The second commandment of the
Lord to love your neighbor as yourself is the heart of his understanding of charity and social
commitment. He explains this by quoting
St. Mathew 25.40, John 13: 35, 15:
13, etc.
His sermon 6 on the text from Luke 12: 18 (I will destroy my barns and build greater ones) and sermon 7 addressed To the Rich condemn avarice
of the rich and their insensitivity to the poor and the needy. He unceasingly
reminds the need to share the God given resources with the poor. Basileiados, the great project of St.Basil to assist the needy and the poor was
a practical expression of his vision of love. He and his monks literally served
in this new city of charity. It is commendable that despite the religious
difference between the Emperor Valens and St. Basil, the former gave his support to this great
charitable project of St. Basil.
St. Basil was ordained as
Bishop of Caesarea after Bishop Eusebius’s death in 370. As a
bishop he was an efficient administrator and also a strong defender of the
Nicene faith.
In spite of his time consuming
tasks, he used to make enlightening
theological treatises. His
writings bear witness to his philosophical approach as well as to very
practical aspects of ethics and Christian message. St. Gregory Nazianzen
testifies that St. Basil’s writings were highly appreciated by his
contemporaries for their content as well as for their form. In addition to numerous letters and sermons, he has
written a few dogmatic, ascetic,
pedagogic, and liturgical
treatises. Against Eunomius, On the Holy Spirit, Hexameron, Moralia,
Monastic Rules etc are a few of his classic theological and spiritual writings.
Even if St. Basil has not written any scholarly
commentaries to the books of Holy
Bible, his numerous homilies display his
skills in biblical interpretation and
ancient rhetoric. As Quasten rightly observes, “He is certainly one of the most brilliant
ecclesiastical orators of antiquity, who combines rhetorical display with
simplicity of thought and clarity of expression. Above all, he appears as the physician of souls, who does not want to please his listeners, but to touch their
consciences.”[1]
According to St. Basil the
real human being is inner man. That is why he says “we are that which is
within”. By creating man in the image of
God man is bestowed with reason. He describes “reason as mastery of the passions.” This is the meaning of the
command to rule given immediately after the creation of man. Based on this insight he highlights the
contradiction in man concerning authority and freedom: “First the power to rule was conferred on
you. O human, you are a ruling being. And why do you serve the passions as a
slave? Why do you throw away your own
dignity and become a slave of sin? For what reason do you make yourself a prisoner of the
devil? You were appointed ruler of creation, and you have renounced the
nobility of your own nature.”[2]
Ultimate goal of human
existence is to be like God especially in kindness. There is a God given
potential in all human beings to grow towards perfection. Human efforts- acts
of disciplining oneself and compassion to all – have a significant role in
fulfilling human being. There is no
contradiction or conflict between grace
and work in the process of spiritual
progress. St. Basil interprets
the power to rule given to man in terms of taming the beasts, birds etc as well
as in terms of the rule over passions
and thoughts. He describes anger, greed,
hypocrisy, lust etc., as beasts and asks the question: “Have you truly become
ruler of beasts if you rule those outside but leave those within ungoverned?”[3]
Two root causes of social injustice and the
huge gap between the rich and the poor are the failure to rule passions like
greed and lack of compassion. St. Basil’s teaching especially his anthropology
gives a sound basis for addressing these issues to build up a just society as
well as the spiritual fulfillment of the being of man.
Since both man and woman have
inherited image of God equally, there is
equal potential in both to be like God. “You become like God through kindness,
through endurance of evil, through communion, through love for another and love
for the brethren, being a hater of evil, dominating the passions of sin, that
to you may belong the rule.”[4]
This is a summary statement of his anthropology
He criticizes the consumerist
culture of his time. The rich are
forced to spend their money on many unnecessary things: “It is not on account of food or clothing
that wealth is sought by most. Rather, some device has been concocted by the
devil, suggesting innumerable spending opportunities to the wealthy, so that
they pursue unnecessary and worthless things as if they were indispensable, and
no amount is sufficient for the expenditures they contrive.”[5]
Insensitivity and injustice of the rich are further exposed thus “You
gorgeously array your walls, but do not clothe your fellow human being; you
adorn horses, but turn away from the shameful plight of your brother or sister,
you allow grain to rot in your barns, but do not feed those who are starving;
you hide gold in the earth, but ignore the oppressed! And if your wife happens to be a money loving
person, then the disease is doubled in its effects. She stirs up the love of luxury and inflames
the craving for pleasure, spurring on fruitless pursuits."[6]
For St. Basil those who
directly kill or rob alone are not murderers and robbers. Those who refuse to
support the marginalized and those pave the for the slow death of the needy can
also be counted like murderers and robbers. He explains this insight in his
treatise I will Tear Down My Barns,
“Who are the greedy? Those who are not satisfied with what suffices for their
own needs. Who are the robbers? Those who take for themselves what rightfully
belongs to everyone. And you, are you not greedy? Are you not a robber? The
things you received in trust as a stewardship, have you not appropriated them
for yourself? Is not the person who strips another of clothing called a thief?
And those who do not clothe the naked when they have the power to do so, should
they not be called the same? The bread that you are holding back is for the
hungry, the clothes you keep put away are for the naked, the shoes that are
rotting away with disuse are for those who have none and the silver that you
keep buried in the earth is for the needy. You are thus guilty of injustice
toward as many as you might have aided and did not.”[7]
St. Basil thinks that
disorder in nature is primarily
because of human injustice and lack of love.
He views natural calamities as Judgment of God on the selfishness of man.
After describing the miseries of
a severe famine, he gives a rational explanation for it thus: “Our storehouses groan with plenty, yet we
have no mercy on those who groan with want. For this reason we are threatened
with righteous judgment. This is why God
does not open his hand: because we have closed up our hearts towards our
brothers and sisters. This is why the fields are arid: because love has dried
up.”[8]
Trust in God means conviction
about Divine providence also. When
wealth is spent as per the direction of the Lord, it will come back in a miraculous way. Trust in His providence is the inspiration
for giving even limited resources. So St.
Basil goes to the extent of advising
those who suffer famine and drought to share their bread with the needy: “If you have only one remaining loaf of
bread, and someone comes knocking at your door, bring forth the one loaf from
your store, hold it heavenward, and say this prayer, which is not only generous
on your part, but also calls forth the Lord’s pity: ‘Lord, you see this one loaf, and you know
the threat of starvation is imminent, but I place your commandment before my
own well-being, and from the little I have I give to this famished brother.
Give, then , in return to me your servant, since I am also in danger of
starvation. I know your goodness, and am emboldened by your power. You do not
delay your grace indefinitely, but distribute your gifts when you will.’ And when you have thus spoken and acted, the
bread you have given from your straitened circumstances will become seed for
sowing that bears a rich harvest, a promise of food, an envoy of mercy.”[9]
This is a strong reference to a deep
faith which encourages to put into practice
the commandments of the Lord.
After describing the
oppression of the poor by the rich, St. Basil draws their attention to their mortality or transience. He challenges them for an active reflection
on their destiny: “you might carefully
consider to what end your pursuit of material things has led you. You have
acres and acres of arable land: fields and orchards, mountains and dells,
rivers and springs. But what comes after this? Is not all that awaits you a
six- foot plot of earth? Does not a small quantity of rocks and soil suffice to
cover this mortal flesh?”[10]
On another occasion while explaining his
anthropology he takes up this theme which
is a salient feature of all ancient spiritual traditions thus: ““Be
Attentive to yourself, mindful that you are mortal, that you are earth, and to
earth you will return. Look around, examining those of like eminence before
you. Where are those who possessed civil authority? Where are the unconquerable
orators? Where are the leaders of public assemblies, the brilliant horse
breeders, the generals, the governors, the despots? Are they not all dust? Are not the memorials of their lives a few
bones? Stoop and look into the tombs to see if you can distinguish which is the
slave and which is the master, which is the poor one and which is the rich.
..So having remembered your nature you will not then be conceited.”[11]
Since life is transient and death can come at unexpected time St. Basil exhorts
to give to the needy as early as possible what belong to them
Highlighting the example of
life in jungles, St. Basil teaches the
need of considering wealth as a resource
to be used commonly: “Let not we who are reasonable show ourselves to be more
savage than the unreasoning animals. For even the animals use in common the
plants that grow naturally from the earth. Flocks of sheep graze together upon
the same hillside, herds of horses feed upon the same plain, and all living
creatures permit each other to satisfy their need for food. Bu we hoard what is common, and keep for
ourselves what belongs to many others.” His vision of humankind as one family
helps him to think all resources given by the Creator as common wealth which is
to be distributed equally to all. Seeds
of an ideal socialism are seen in this Basilian teaching. As a summary statement of his vision of
social justice he says, “if we took
only what was necessary to satisfy our own needs, giving the rest to those who
lack, no one would be rich, no one would be poor and no one would be in need.”[12]
Cappadocian Fathers generally
and especially St. Basil the great has written a lot to substantiate the Nicene
creed by refuting the teaching of
Eunomius, a follower of Arius. They
distinguish reality basically into two;
the divine and temporal or Creator and creation. For them Father, Son and Holy Spirit, belong to the first
category. So the Son and the Holy Spirit
are not created beings. It is their foundational
teaching that essence of God is
unknowable or incomprehensible. We know
God through his revealing activities. As
St. Basil puts it in one of his letters: “God’s activities descend to us, but
his essence remains inaccessible.”[13].
Theology is basically reflection on God’s own revelations. So none of the names applied to God can give us a full picture of the essence of God.
They unambiguously taught that
Father Son and the Holy Spirit share the same divine essence (ousia) or nature but having three different hypostasis. Ousia and hypostasis were
two Greek words which had been used as synonyms before St. Basil. But he distinguished the implications of
these terms and used ousia to imply
that which is common and hypostasis
to mean that which is particular. The
names Father Son and the Holy Spirit point to particular property of each person in the Holy Trinity.
But they are having a common nature
which is the principle of unity of the Holy
Trinity. Ousia can be translated as
nature, essence or substance and homoousios
in the Nicene creed means of the same essence, nature or substance. Based on
the revelation fathers like St. Basil
describes the non-temporal begetting of the Son from the Father and also His
eternal presence with the Father. The Holy Trinity means three persons having
the same essence and existing eternally with one will and goal.
Even if the exemplary life of
St. Basil the Great in history came to
an end on January 1st 370 AD, his life and teachings continue to enlighten
and encourage many to grow in Christ and fulfill their being.
Endnotes
[1]
Quasten, Johannes. Patrology Vol. III Maryland:
Christian Classics INC, 1992 p.216
[2]
On the Human Condition tr. By Nonna
Verna Harrison. New York: SVS Press, 2005 p.37
[3]
On the Human Condition tr. By Nonna
Verna Harrison. New York: SVS Press, 2005 p.47
[4]
On the Human Condition, p.46
[5]
On Social Justice. tr. By C. Paul Schroeder. New York:
St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2009p.44
[6]
On Social Justice. tr. By C. Paul Schroeder. New York:
St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 2009 p.47
[7]
On Social Justice. p.70
[8]
On Social Justice. p.76
[9] On
Social Justice p.83
[10]
On Social Justice p.51
[11]
On the Human Condition p.100, 101
[12]
On Social Justice p.69
[13]
Epistle 234.1
