St. Basil the Great
Early Life
St. Basil was born to wealthy Christian parents in Cappadocia (modern day Turkey) in AD 329 under the reign of Emperor Constantine. He is the older brother of St. Gregory of Nyssa and they had a younger brother named Peter of Sabaste, all three of which went on to become bishops. They also had an older sister named Macrina who, along with Basil and Gregory, has been canonized as a saint.
He grew up in a village near Neocaesarea where he learned the Christian faith from his grandmother and father and attended school in Caesarea, where he met St. Gregory the Theologian. He later went to Constantinople where he studied rhetoric and philosophy.
He completed his studies in Athens where St. Gregory the Theologian was also a student and they studied together, developing a deep friendship. They were well-known by their colleagues for their diligence at work, their devout life and their mutual affection through common faith. St. Basil spent 15 years in Athens, Greece, where he studied Greek literature, philosophy, rhetoric, astronomy and other secular sciences under the best teachers at the time. He was also colleagues Julian who later became emperor of the Roman Empire and apostatized from Christianity becoming a great persecutor of the Church.
Asceticism and Theological Work
After completing his university career, he returned to Caesarea and taught rhetoric. It was there that he was influenced by his sister Macrina, who was a consecrated virgin and from a young age had devoted herself to the study of Scripture. St. Basil decided to renounce the world and pursue a life devoted to asceticism and philosophy.
Around AD 375, St. Basil was baptized by Dianius, archbishop of Caesarea, in the Jordan River along with his teacher Ebulios and was ordained a Reader. Around this time he went on travels to Palestine, Mesopotamia, Syria and Egypt where he learned about monastic life and went on to establish a monastic settlement of his own near Annesi, introducing asceticism into Asia Minor. There he developed an acetic discipline which greatly influenced Orthodox monasticism, even to the present time.
Around AD 364 St. Basil was ordained a priest and in AD 370 he became the Bishop of Caesarea. During his lifetime the heresies of Arianism and Macedonianism (denial of the divinity of the Holy Spirit) were causing much confusion and division in the Church. For this, in liturgical services, he is referred to as the “bee of the Church of Christ, which brings honey to the faithful and with its stinger pricks the heretics.”His leadership and his writings were important in defending Orthodoxy and steering the church away from heresy. Works such as On the Holy Spirit were critical in asserting the Christian doctrine of the divinity of the Holy Spirit. The full Orthodox Trinitarian doxology (“Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit“) is due partially to St. Basil who insisted that it is correct for it to include the Holy Spirit.
Charity & Liturgy
While combating heresies, St. Basil still found time for social work and charity, setting up himself as a true example of Christian life. He established hospitals, orphanages, and soup kitchens, for example, the great hospital in the suburbs of Caesarea called the “Basileiad” for the housing and and relief of travelers and the poor.
St. Basil did work in editing and compiling the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil (especially its anaphora prayers) and this Liturgy is still celebrated today by Orthodox Christians 10 times per year:
- On his feast day (January 1st)
- On the eve of the Nativity of our Lord
- On the eve of Theophany of our Lord
- On all Sundays of Great Lent, except Palm Sunday
- On Great and Holy Thursday
- On Great and Holy Saturday
Death & Legacy
St. Basil died at 50 years old due to health reasons but he has left a lasting legacy as a great bulwark of the faith, a Church Father and example for Christian leadership and life. He is held as one of the Three Hierarchs by the Orthodox Church along with St. John Chrysostom and St. Gregory the Theologian. He has earned of the title “Great” for being a great defender of Orthodoxy, a light of moral purity, a great theological mind, and a great builder and pillar of the Church of God.
Numerous works of this Church Father are preserved including homilies, letters, theological, apologetic, ascetic and exegetical works including:
- Theological and Doctrinal Works
- On the Holy Spirit – A key theological work defending the divinity of the Holy Spirit against Arianism and other heresies, emphasizing the Trinity.
- Against Eunomius – A defense of Nicene Christianity against the heretic Eunomius, who denied the full divinity of the Son.
- Monastic and Ethical Writings
- The Asceticon (The Rule of St. Basil) – A set of monastic rules that became the foundation of Eastern Orthodox monasticism.
- Greater Asketikon (Detailed monastic instructions)
- Lesser Asketikon (A more concise version)
- On Fasting – A series of homilies on the spiritual benefits of fasting.
- On the Judgment of God – A reflection on divine justice and moral responsibility.
- Homilies and Sermons
- Hexaemeron (“Six Days“) – A series of nine homilies on the Creation account in Genesis, influential in later Christian cosmology.
- Homilies on the Psalms – Explaining the spiritual and moral lessons of the Psalms.
- Homilies on Social Justice – Powerful sermons advocating for the poor and condemning greed, including:
- To the Rich (denouncing wealth hoarding)
- On the Famine and Drought (calling for charity)
- Against Usury (criticizing exploitative lending)
- Homily on Baptism – A discussion of the significance of Christian baptism.
- Letters (Epistles)
- Over 300 Letters – Covering theological debates, pastoral advice, and political issues of his time. Some important ones:
- Letter 38 – Addressing the divinity of the Holy Spirit.
- Letter 90 – On monastic discipline.
- Letter 125 – To St. Ambrose of Milan on doctrinal matters.
More Resources
For more excellent resources on the life of St. Basil and translations of his works, please see this page.
