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- Against Eunomius by Mark DelCogliano Basil of Caesarea is considered one of the architects of the Pro-Nicene Trinitarian doctrine adopted at the Council of Constantinople in 381.
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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 view and with that of many other patristic thinkers; even Augustine and Theodoret conceded this. Basil ...
- Substance and Person
- Natures Are Common, Persons Specify Certain Qualities of Natures
- How to Distinguish The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit
- The Common Nature of God
- Reflections
Basil worries that many who speak about the Trinity do not make a distinction between the words substance and person. And this has led to confusion because some claim that there is “‘one person in God'” or others divide God’s substance into three parts to match the number of persons (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) (p. 84). “Therefore,” writes Basil,...
For Basil, the word “man” is a general term, but the name Peter specifies a person (84). So, “man” might bring to mind a common quality that all men have, but it doesn’t distinguish one man from another. So, one uses a “specific characterization” to refer to a specific person (p. 85). In other words, you use a name like “Peter or John” (p. 85). Aft...
When it comes to the Trinity, the “substance is the common attribute, but the person is the specific quality of each” (p. 92). Basil goes on to clarify the specific qualities of each person of the Trinity, which distinguish the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit from one another. The Father is “without generation and without beginning” and he is “the...
The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit share in infinity, incomprehensibly, un-createdness, “being circumscribed within no space,” and the rest (p. 89). For the Trinity, there is a “constant and uninterrupted sharing in them” (p. 89). The commonality allows no division among the Trinity. According to Basil, “there is found in them a certain inexpressible...
Basil’s short letter to his little brother sketches out what has become (and already was) the classical doctrine of the Trinity. Gregory of Nyssa would preside over the Council of Constantinople in 381, ensuring that the orthodox confession of the Trinity would persistfor the ages. It’s not as if Basil invented this language to talk about God. Chri...
The precise dating of Basil’s works in the 360s presents some problems,¹ but this much can be said: Basil changed his mind on the appropriateness of homoousios as a theological term. He became a Nicene theologian, thereby beginning a new phase in the evolution of his Trinitarian thought.
Their anti-Trinitarian teachings quietly lingered through the centuries until they were reborn as The Watchtower Bible Society (later The Jehovah’s Witnesses) in 1872. This heresy continues to plague the world and Christ’s churches today, which makes the study of Basil’s writings more necessary.
Mar 5, 2009 · Following this introduction, the author then delineates four distinct stages in the development of Basil's trinitarian theology. First, Basil betrays an attraction to the language of homoiousios and in fact avoids using homoousios. Second, he converts to Nicene orthodoxy and from this point onwards commences to privilege the term homoousios ...
- Jonathan J. Armstrong
- 2008
Saint Basil the Great, 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 soon after his death. Learn more about Basil’s life, ecclesiastical career, and legacy.
Basil of Caesarea’s homily On Not Three Gods (CPG 2914) has been neglected by scholars because of lingering questions over its authenticity, integrity, and interpretation. Complicating these difficulties are the verbatim parallels which this homily exhibits with other non-Basilian texts.
