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Father of communal monasticism
- Basil is recognized as the father of communal monasticism in Eastern Christianity. He wrote rules for monks that focused on community life, prayer, manual labor, and care for the poor, which became known as the Rule of Saint Basil. This served as a model for religious life for several centuries and still guides many monastic communities today.
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Today, Saint Basil the Great is still highly revered as one of the most influential theologians and saints in the Church. His contribution to the liturgy, his work as a theologian and his defense of the Christian faith are still honored by the Catholic and Orthodox Church.
Basil the Great, Saint, Bishop of Caesarea, one of the most distinguished Doctors of the Church, b. probably 329; d. January 1, 379. He ranks after Athanasius as a defender of the Oriental Church against the heresies of the fourth century. With his friend Gregory of Nazianzus and his brother, Gregory of Nyssa, he makes up the trio known as ...
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- Early life and ecclesiastical career
- Anti-Arian activities
- Works and legacy
St. Basil the Great (born ad 329, Caesarea Mazaca, Cappadocia—died January 1, 379, Caesarea; Western feast day January 2; Eastern feast day January 1) was an early Church Father who defended the orthodox faith against the Arian heresy. As bishop of Caesarea, he wrote several works on monasticism, theology, and canon law. He was declared a saint soo...
Basil was born of a distinguished family of Caesarea, the capital of Cappadocia, which was a province of Asia Minor of special importance in the 4th century due to its position on the military road between Constantinople and Antioch. The family had been Christian since the days of the persecutions of Christians, which ended early in the 4th century. One of Basil’s uncles was a bishop, as later were two of his brothers (Gregory and Peter of Sebaste). He received a literary education, however, which would have fitted him to follow in his father’s footsteps as lawyer and orator. He studied at Caesarea and Constantinople and, finally (c. 351–356), at Athens, where he developed his friendship with St. Gregory of Nazianzus. On returning home he began a secular career, but the influence of his pious sister Macrina, later a nun and abbess, confirmed his earlier inclination to the ascetic life. With a group of friends, he established a monastic settlement on the family estate at Annesi in Pontus.
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In 357 he made an extensive tour of the monasteries of Egypt, and in 360 he assisted the Cappadocian bishops at a synod at Constantinople. He had been distressed by the general acceptance of the Arian Creed of the Council of Ariminum the previous year and especially by the fact that his own bishop, Dianius of Caesarea, had supported it. Shortly before the death of Dianius (362), Basil was reconciled to him and later was ordained presbyter (priest) to assist Dianius’s successor, the new convert Eusebius. Basil’s abilities and prestige, as well as Eusebius’s dislike of asceticism, led to tension between them, and Basil withdrew to Annesi.
As bishop of Caesarea, Basil was metropolitan (ecclesiastical primate of a province) of Cappadocia, and his own diocese covered the great estates of eastern Cappadocia, where he was assisted by a number of “country bishops” (chorepiscopi). He also founded charitable institutions to aid the poor, the ill, and travellers. When Valens passed through Caesarea in 371, Basil dramatically defied his demand for submission. But in 372 Valens divided the province, and Basil considered this a personal attack, since Anthimus of Tyana thus became metropolitan for the cities of western Cappadocia. Basil countered by installing supporters in some of the border towns—St. Gregory of Nazianzus at Sasima and his own brother St. Gregory at Nyssa. This tactic was only partially successful, but Basil escaped the attacks that Valens launched on orthodox bishops elsewhere. Meanwhile, Basil tried to secure general support for the former semi-Arian St. Meletius as bishop of Antioch (one of the five major patriarchates of the early church) against Paulinus, the leader of the strict Nicene minority, since he feared that the extreme Nicenes at this point were lapsing into Sabellianism, a heresy exaggerating the oneness of God. During Basil’s lifetime, however, this was prevented by the recognition of Paulinus by the bishops of Alexandria and—in spite of a series of negotiations—after 375 by Pope Damasus I.
Basil’s health was poor, perhaps because of the rigours of his ascetic life. He died soon after Valens’s death in the Battle of Adrianople had opened the way for the victory of Basil’s cause. Vigorous and firm and sure of his own position, in his own time he seems to have been admired rather than loved, even by his intimates. But he was widely mourned and was soon numbered among the saints.
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Basil’s numerous and influential writings stemmed from his practical concerns as monk, pastor, and church leader. The Longer Rules and Shorter Rules (for monasteries) and other ascetic writings distill the experience that began at Annesi and continued in his supervision of the monasteries of Cappadocia: they were to exert strong influence on the mo...
Jul 7, 2023 · Saint Basil died on January 1st, 379 AD, and was canonized by the Eastern Orthodox Church shortly after his death. He is remembered as one of the most important figures in the early Christian church and is widely regarded as one of the greatest theologians of his time.
5 days ago · Basil gave his brilliant mind, his tireless fervor and his loving heart, all in service of Christ’s Church. Kelly Marcum, January 2, 2024 – National Catholic Register. St. Basil the Great is one of those giants in our faith whose words, filled with the fire of conviction, echo across the centuries.
Oct 14, 2024 · No wonder, when the great St. Athanasius died, the responsibility of being the defender of the faith against Aryanism fell upon Basil. Seventy-two years after his death, the Council of...
Jun 14, 2024 · Deeply influenced by her wisdom and devotion, Basil dedicated himself to a life of prayer, asceticism, and charity. His reputation for holiness and intellectual prowess soon spread, leading him to be ordained as a priest and later consecrated as Bishop of Caesarea.
