Who was Basil of Caesarea?

Basil, bishop of Caesarea, is constantly associated with the two Gregories. Gregory of Nyssa was his brother, the other his chief friend. Cappadocia gave birth to the three Fathers. Basil was faithful to the Athanasian creed during its days of depression and adversity, but did not live to behold its final triumph. He died about 379. He was a great admirer and a true example of monastic Christianity. He embraced the ascetic faith, abandoned his property and practised such severe austerities as to injure his health. He fled into the desert, his fame collected, as it were, a city around him, he built a monastery, and monasteries sprang up on every side

The Eastern monks were especially noted for their fanaticism. Everywhere the abuses of early unregulated monastic life led to attempts to subject those monks who were not regular clergy to the authority of bishops. In Asia Minor it was Basil himself a bishop (370) and an ascetic who integrated the monastic communities more closely with the church. He believed the bishop should have ultimate authority over a monastery. His rule also, which discouraged excessive asceticism and stressed study and useful labour, became very popular.

The Eastern monks were especially noted for their fanaticism. Everywhere the abuses of early unregulated monastic life led to attempts to subject those monks who were not regular clergy to the authority of bishops. In Asia Minor it was Basil himself a bishop (370) and an ascetic who integrated the monastic communities more closely with the church. He believed the bishop should have ultimate authority over a monastery. His rule also, which discouraged excessive asceticism and stressed study and useful labour, became very popular.

Monachism spread with the reputation of St. Antony, and before the close of the century all the waste places of the christian world were dotted over with monasteries. Pachomius drew together a little colony of monks on the island of Tabenne, where they were distinguished from the rest by their linen tunics and black frocks: Ammon drew together another and larger colony in the hilly desert of Nitria; Macarius another, in the vast solitude of Scetis. Hilarion established several colonies in Syria; Sabas, the celebrated monastery of Mar Seba, in Palestine; and Basil, of Cappadocia, introduced the ascetic profession into Asia Minor. The contentious Jerome, while secretary to the bishop of Rome, established several monasteries in the western empire, and St. Martin, abbot-bishop of Tours, furthered his labours by founding similar retreats in Gaul.

The monastic system soon spread far beyond the borders of Egypt: and all the great teachers of the age, both in the East and in the West, advocated the cause of celibacy and monasticism. St. Jerome, in particular, the most learned man of his day is regarded as the connecting link between the two great divisions of the church — the Greek and the Roman, or the Eastern and the Western. He was the means of powerfully forwarding the cause of celibacy and monasticism, especially among females. Many Roman ladies of rank became nuns through his influence. Ambrose so extolled virginity in his sermons, that the mothers of Milan restrained their daughters from attending his ministry, but crowds of virgins from other quarters flocked to him for consecration. Basil introduced monastic life into Pontus and Cappadocia; Martin, into Gaul, Augustine, into Africa; and Chrysostom was prevented by the wisdom of his mother from retiring in his youth to a remote hermitage in Syria.

Ambrose Bishop of Milan, A.D. 397 (Ambr.) Ambrosiaster, the false Ambrose, perhaps Hilary the Deacon of the third century, (Ambrst.) Ammonius of Alexandria, 220 (Ammon.) Andreas of Crete, 7th century (probably not the same person as) Andreas Bishop of Caesarea, 6th century? (And.) Arethas Bishop of Caesarea Capp. 10th century? (Areth.) Arnobius of Africa, 306 (Arnob.) Athanasius Bishop of Alexandria, 373 (Ath.) Athenagoras of Athens, 177 (Athen.) Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, 430 (Aug.) Barnabas, 1st or 2nd century? (Barn.) Basil Bishop of Caesarea, 379 (Bas.) Basil of Seleucia, fl. 440 (Bas. Sel.) Bede the Venerable, d. 735 (Bede.) Caesarius of Constantinople, 368 (Caes.) Canons Apostolic, 3rd century (Canon.) Cassiodorus, 575 (Cassiod.) Chromatius Bishop of Aquileia, 402 (Chrom.) Chrysostom Bishop of Constantinople, 407 (Chrys.) Clement Bishop of Alexandria, fl. 194 (Clem.) Clement Bishop of Rome, fl. 90 (Clem. Rom.) Constitutiones Apostolice, 3rd century (Constit.) Cosmas Indicopleustes, 535 (Cosm.) Cyprian Bishop of Carthage, 258 (Cypr.) Cyril Bishop of Alexandria, 444 (Cyr.) Cyril Bishop of Jerusalem, 386 (Cyr. Jer.) Damascenus John, 730 (Dam.) Didymus of Alexandria, 370 (Did.) Dionysius Bishop of Alexandria, 265 (Dion.) Dionysius (Pseudo-) Areopagita, 5th century (Dion Areop.) Ephraem the Syrian, 378 (Ephr.) Epiphanius Bishop of Cyprus, 403 (Epiph.) Eusebius Bishop of Caesarea, 340 (Eus.) Euthalius Bishop of Sulci? 458 (Euthal.) Euthymius Zigabenus, 1116 (Euthym.) Evagrius of Pontus, 380 (Evagr.) Fulgentius, 5th century (Fulg.) Gaudentius, 4th century (Gaud.) Gregory of Nazianzus, the Divine, Bishop of Constantinople, 389 (Naz.) Gregory Bishop of Nyssa, 396 (Nyss.) Gregory Thaumaturgus Bishop of Neocaesarea, 243 (Thauma.) Gregory the Great, Bishop of Rome, 605 (Greg.) Hieronymus (Jerome), 430 (Hier.) or (Jer.) Hilary Bishop of Poictiers, fl. 354 (Hil.) Hippolytus Bishop of Portus, fl. 220 (Hip.) Ignatius Bishop of Antioch, 107 (Ign.) Irenaeus Bishop of Lyons, 178; chiefly extant in an old Latin version (Iren.) Isidore of Pelusium, 412 (Isid.) Justin Martyr, 164 (Just.) Juvencus, 330 (Juv.) Lactantius, 306 (Lact.) Lucifer Bishop of Cagliari, 367 (Luc.) Marcion the heretic, 130? (Mcion), cited by Epiphanius (Mcion-e), and Tertullian (Mcion-t.) Maximus Taurinensis, 466 (Max. Taur.) Maximus the Confessor, 662 (Max. Conf.) Methodius, fl. 311 (Meth.) Nonnus, fl. 400 (Nonn.) Novatianus, fl. 300? (Novat.) Oecumenius Bishop of Tricca, 10th century? (Oecu.) Origen, b. 185, d. 254 (Or.) Pamphilus the Martyr, 308 (Pamph.) Peter Bishop of Alexandria, 311 (Petr.) Photius Bishop of Constantinople, 891 (Phot.) Polycarp Bishop of Smyrna, 166 (Polyc.) Primasius Bishop of Adrumetum, fl. 550 (Prim.) Prudentius 406 (Prud.) Rufinus of Aquileia, 397 (Ruf.) Severianus, a Syrian Bishop, 409 (Sevrn.) Socrates, Church Historian, fl. 440 (Soc.) Sozomen, Church Historian, 450 (Soz.) Suidas the lexicographer, 980? (Suid.) Tatian of Antioch, 172 (Tat.) Tertullian of Africa, fl. 200 (Tert.) Theodore Bishop of Mopsuestia, 428 (Thdor. Mops.) Theodoret Bishop of Cyrus or Cyrrhus in Comagene, 458 (Thdrt.) Theophilus Bishop of Antioch, 182 (Thph. Ant.) Theophylact Archbishop of Bulgaria, 1071 (Theophyl.) Tichonius? the Donatist, fl. 390 (Tich.) Titus Bp. of Bostra, fl. 370 (Titus Bost.) Victor of Antioch, 430 (Vict. Ant.) Victor Bp. of Tunis, 565 (Vict. Tun.) Victorinus Bp. of Pettau, 360 (Victorin.) Vigilius of Thapsus, 484 (Vigil.)

The Fathers come in here to help the solution. Both Tertullian and Ignatius use the expression "the blood of God," which they would scarcely have done had they not had this apparent sanction from scripture. Basil the Great and Epiphanius also use the word 'God.' Others of the Fathers differ.

Is it right to quote Augustine (in Joann. tract 8) as a Teetotal witness in any way or degree? In truth, he argues against the Manicheans, and taxes them with perverseness in attributing wine to the devil whilst they would eat grapes. The reasoning may be indifferent, as the language is overstrained. Of this, advantage is taken to prop up the delusion which the illustrious Bishop of Hippo was exposing! For what is the theory of "Tirosh lo Yayin" but the Manichean error in new dress? Nor was it confined to these heretics. Theodoret, Epiphanius and Basil the Great describe other sects which maintained views about wine similar to those held by modern Teetotalers of the ultra ranks. Dr. Grindrod admits the fact, but denies the analogy, on the ground that these ancient parties were heterodox in matters of faith. Now, first, the analogy is in reference to wine, and this does not depend upon other matters. Secondly, it will be shown presently that, as in ancient so in modern times, heterodoxy in matters of faith accompanies these views.

During the reign of this emperor, a Christian named Basil made himself notorious by his fearless denunciations of Arianism and idolatry. The Arian bishop of Constantinople commanded him to desist from preaching, but Basil preached on in spite of the command. He urged that he held his commission from the Lord and not from man. The bishop then denounced him as a disturber of the public peace; but the emperor (for whose ears the charge was intended) was preparing at the time for an expedition to Persia, and no attention was paid to the accusation. Later on, however, the zeal of this devoted man against Paganism drew upon him the indignation of the heathen, and he was brought before Saturninus, governor of Ancyra, who sent him to the rack. His constancy and patience under the torture excited the wonder of all who saw him, and the emperor was presently acquainted with the facts. His interest was not less excited than the wonder of his subjects, and he gave command for the prisoner to be brought into his presence. The occasion was gladly welcomed by Basil, and, zealous for the emperor's good, he proclaimed the gospel in his presence, and warned him of the danger he incurred, by his despisal of the Son of God. The rebuke, so faithfully administered, was unhappily without effect: Julian received it contemptuously, and shewed the depth of his hatred for the christian religion by his treatment of its minister. He commanded that Basil should be taken back to his dungeon, and his flesh torn from his bones day by day, till his body was completely mangled. The inhuman sentence was carried out, and the brave martyr expired under the torture, on the 28th of June, A.D. 362.

Dr. Milner quotes Basil. The passage he quotes has no reference to any doctrine, if, indeed, it be genuine, which others than Protestants have doubted. Some objected to saying in a doxology, "the Father and the Son with the Holy Ghost," and said scripture always said "in the Spirit, not with." He says, "Surely this one expression, used with no premeditation or purpose, may be allowed, so long in use as it has been," and then refers to practices in the church which rested solely on tradition, the sense of which most did not understand, just the same as Tertullian refers to praying towards the east (how few, he says, know it refers to paradise), signing with the cross, praying standing on Sunday, and from Easter to Pentecost, anointing with oil, immersing three times in baptism, and so on.

Now, that superstitions were creeping in, and more than that, when Basil wrote, nearly four hundred years after Christ, when, indeed, corruption and false doctrine had made havoc of the church, is quite true. Men used to live in sin, and wait till they were dying to be baptized, in order to get off quite clear. I do not mean that all did, but adduce the fact to shew the corruption that had come in. It was nearly at the same epoch that the whole of Christendom, save confessing martyrs, had denied the divinity of the Lord. We have seen that Basil was not speaking of doctrine when he referred to traditions, but to mere rites or liturgical forms, "one expression." But when he speaks of doctrine, here are his words, "Believe the things that are written; the things that are not written do not seek." (Hom. 29.) (Adversus Calum., Bened. ed. 2, 611 E.) "It is a manifest falling away from faith, and convicts of arrogance, to annul anything of the things that are written, or to introduce anything of the things that are not written." (2, 224 D.) Poor Basil himself too became suspected of heresy. He never would say the Holy Ghost was God. The excuse was that, if he had, he would have been driven from his see, and the heretics would have had all his flock in their power; so he avoided the word, and said what was equivalent. So he defends himself, and says, "If a Jew owned Jesus to be the Anointed, but would not say Christ, ought he not to be received, as it is the same thing?" Such is the security Fathers afford; but we will return to this state of things.

70 "Every word or matter ought to be accredited by the testimony of inspired scripture. (Basil, Moralia Reg. 26, P. 254.) Nor ought anyone to dare to annul or add anything. For if everything which is not of faith is sin, as the apostle says, and faith by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, everything outside inspired scripture, not being of faith, is sin," (79, 22, 317).