SAINT BASIL THE GREAT: MONK, BISHOP, AND THEOLOGIAN

NOVEMBER 23, 2015

DREW DIXON
The fourth century was a time of rapid change for Christianity. Two edicts passed at the very

beginning of the century relieved Christians from widespread persecution and made Christianity a

legitimate religion, recognized by the Roman Empire. With such recognition Christians no longer

feared for their physical safety, but faced a new wave of spiritual, ecclesiastical, and theological

challenges. Ecclesiastically, because of new legal recognition, the Church became unofficially wed to

the state and bishops became infected with a hunger for power. Meanwhile, Arian teachingsthat

Christ was less than divinehad begun to spread through the Church and caused a stark theological

divide. With each of these fragments the Christian spiritual life was swallowed up in what today we

would simply call politics and heresy.

This is the world which Basil was born into. A brief story may shed some light on Basils

character and help to frame this study. Later in his life, just after being consecrated the bishop of

Caesarea, Basil would be visited by Emperor Valens, who was Arian. Before Valens arrival, several

imperial officers came to put the new bishop in his place. Historian Justo Gonzalez writes:

In a heated encounter, the praetorian prefect lost his patience and threatened Basil with
confiscating his goods, and with exile, torture, and even death. Basil responded, All that I
have that you can confiscate are these rags and a few books. Nor can you exile me, for
wherever you send me, I shall be Gods guest. As to torture you should know that my body is
already dead in Christ. And death would be a great boon to me, leading me sooner to God.
Taken aback the prefect said that no one had ever spoken to him thus. Basil answered,
Perhaps that is because you have never met a true bishop.1

Justo L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation, 2nd ed., vol. 1 (New
1

York: HarperOne, 2010), 213.

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 Saint Basil the Great was indeed a true bishop who, during a time of rapid change, embodied

a unique combination of spiritual practices, pastoral care, and theological development. His life,

ministry, and teachings display a great example of pastoral vocation which may offer helpful insight

for pastors and ministers today. I will first cast a brief overview of Basils life and then look more

closely at his roles as a monk, bishop, and theologian. Finally, I will conclude by drawing some themes

from his life into pastoral vocation today.

BIOGRAPHY

Basil was born around year 330 in Cappadocia to a family that had been Christian for at least

two generations.2 Four of his nine siblings came to be saints as he was, most notably Saint Macrina

the Younger and Saint Gregory of Nyssa.3 Their grandparents had remained faithful Christians during

the time of the Decian persecution and sought refuge outside the city for seven years. 4 Basil and his

siblings came from good stock. They also remained close, as we shall see, throughout their lives; each

having a great influence on the other.

Basil the Elder, their father, was a renowned lawyer and teacher of rhetoric. Hoping that his

son would follow in his footsteps, Basil the Elder gave his oldest son, our subject, the best education

available. The young Basil studied in Caesarea, Constantinople, Antioch, and eventually Athens.5 In

Athens Basil made fast friends with Gregory of Nazianzus who was also from Cappadocia.6 They

2 Ibid., 209.
3 Andrew Radde-Gallwitz, Basil of Ceasarea: A Guide to His Life and Doctrine (Eugene, OR: Cascade Books, 2012),
22-23.
4 Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation, 209.
5 Ibid., 210.
6 Radde-Gallwitz, Basil of Ceasarea: A Guide to His Life and Doctrine, 24.

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would remain friends and partners for most of their life. Basil, his friend, and his brother (both of the

name Gregory) would come to be known as the Cappadocian Fathers.

After his studies, Basil returned to Caesarea to teach rhetoric in 355. 7 It would seem that he

was indeed following in his fathers footsteps to become a great rhetoric teacher in Cappadocia. His

brother, Gregory, commented that after returning from education Basil had become, excessively

puffed up by his rhetorical abilities, and that he thought himself better than the leading men in the

district.8 In the face of his conceit Basils sister, Macrina, who had come to be an ascetic and

contemplative, bluntly called him to a more humble way of life. At first Basil shook this off because

his sister hadnt been educated, but when their brother Naucratius died unexpectedly, something

shifted.9 The death shook up the whole family, but Macrina, who had come to be known as the

religious center of the family,10 offered strength and consolation11 to the family.

In the wake of this tragedy, Basil asked his sister Macrina to teach him the secrets of religious

life.12 Macrina would be the first one to convert him to the ascetic life.13 Basil resigned from his

teaching position to learn more about monastic life.14 During this time he began following Eustathius,

bishop of Sebaste, who had become influential in the development of asceticism in the region. This

led Basil to Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamia, and Egypt for a time while he learned what he could from

7 Ibid., 24.
8 Ibid., 24.
9 Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation, 210.
10 Stephen M. Hildebrand, Basil of Caesarea (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2014), 8.
11 Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation, 210.
12 Ibid., 210.
13 Hildebrand, Basil of Caesarea, 8.
14 Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation, 210.

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Eustathius.15 After only about a year, in 357, Basil returned to Caesarea where he was baptized by his

bishop Dianius. After his baptism, Basil and his friend Gregory founded a monastic community for

men in Pontus, much like the one his sister, Macrina, had already created. During this time, Basil wrote

many letters and continued to develop in the monastic life.

After the spiritual experience of the monastic life, Basil had his first taste of ecclesial life in

359 when he accompanied Eustathius to a synod in Constantinople. This gathering was meant to settle

a theological dispute that had arisen between Eunomius of Cyzicus and Basil of Ancyra regarding the

status of the Son in the Godhead. Apparently, because of his rhetorical skills which he had gained

from his previous education, our Basil, though not yet a priest, was chosen to represent the pro-

Nicene cause. Basil prevailed in this debate, but he was put off by the whole encounter and returned

to the monastic estate in Pontus for some time.16

Basil could have left the problems of the Church behind him and lived happily ever after as

an ascetic in Pontus, but he returned to the ecclesiastical scene in 362 when his bishop and baptizer,

Dianius, died. After this death Dianiuss successor, Eusebius, ordained Basil, who was reluctant to

become a priest. While Basil and the bishop worked together there eventually arose a conflict between

them because of Basils natural skill at church management, which surpassed Eusebius. This conflict

led Basil to return again to the monastic retreat.17

We can now see an established pattern in Basils life: Monastic retreat leads to theological

reflection which leads to ecclesiastical involvement which, in Basils case, often results in the need to

15Stephen M. Hildebrand, Basil of Caesarea: A Synthesis of Greek Thought and Biblical Truth (Washington, D.C.: The
Catholic University of America Press, 2007), 20.
16 Ibid., 20-21.

Joseph McSorley, St. Basil the Great, The Catholic Encyclopedia (Robert Appleton Company, 1907),
17

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02330b.htm.

4
retreat again. These retreats are Basils most prolific times from which most of his theological writings

emerged. We will return to this fact later on.

In 365, when Valensthe Arian we met in the opening storybecame emperor, Basil was

reconciled to Eusebius with the help of his friend Gregory. Basil and the bishop, Eusebius, would

work closely together during this time to prevent the spread of Arianism. While serving as a priest

under Eusebius, Basils pastoral and administrative skills would shine. In the late 360s a great famine

struck Cappadocia and Eusebius entrusted Basil with all the relief efforts because of his administrative

skill. Basil convinced many of the wealthy citizens to give food and supplies so that it could be

redistributed to the poor. Basil preached many sermons shaming the rich into acting in the common

interest.18 As we saw in the introductory story, Basil even stripped himself of all of his own riches.

The work that Basil did during this time won him the support of the people. So, in 370 when Eusebius

died, Basil would become his successor.

As bishop of Caesarea, Basil would continue to work at relieving the poor. Just outside of

Caesarea, Basil built a shelter of sorts which included a prayer house, a hospital, living quarters, a

cafeteria, and a vocational school. This new city came to be called Basileias or Basiliad and

remained long after Basils death.19

Because of Basils radical success at organizing and caring for the poor, Emperor Valens

entrusted Basil with the oversight of churches in the region even though they had theological

differences. In 372, however, Valens would split up Cappadocia into two provinces, which limited

Basils power and influence. In order to preserve the anti-Arian cause Basil appointed sympathetic

bishops across his provincenot just any bishops but his brother and friend, the Gregories. Much

18 Radde-Gallwitz, Basil of Ceasarea: A Guide to His Life and Doctrine, 91.

19 Ibid., 94-95.

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like Basil when he was first ordained, the Gregories were both reluctant to take up responsibilities as

bishops. This led to a conflict between Basil and his friend from which they would not reconcile

before Basils death.20

The splitting up of Cappadocia and subsequent splitting up of Basil and Gregory of Nazianzus

would set the tone for Basils final years which were marked with conflict and controversy. The Arian

party would continue to spread and Basil would be caught up in ecclesiastical conflicts. Basil described

the state of the church as a ship on stormy seas, tottering at the brink of shipwreck.21 Basil did not

give up though. Ecclesiastically, he wrote many letters trying to join churches in the east and the west

together to advance the pro-Nicene faith. Theologically, Basil wrote one of his greatest theological

works, On the Holy Spirit, which further described the third person of the Trinity. All of this work

would not be in vain. Though Basil did not live to see it, the pro-Nicene cause would gain momentum

through both the East and West. In 381, just two years after his death, the ecumenical Council of

Constantinople would reaffirm and expand the Nicene Creed.

Basil died in late 378 or early 379. His friend and brother, the Gregories, would both write

about his life. Their accounts are some of the primary historical accounts that inform Basils life. The

monastic, ecclesiological, and theological legacy left by Basil is ever expansive. Though he is

emphasized in the Eastern Orthodox Church, Basil is affirmed as a Saint in the Catholic Church as

well and his example echoes forth into the Protestant churches also. We will now look more closely

at some of the roles that Basil took on throughout his life as a monk, bishop, and theologian.

20 Ibid., 95.
21 Ibid., 133.

6
SPIRITUAL PRACTICE

Aside from whatever ways he was influenced in his Christian upbringing, Basil was first

introduced to the ascetic and monastic life by his sister, Macrina. After this initial introduction and

subsequent learning from Eustathius, Basil wanted to truly change his character. He decided that this

would be brought about by three essential values: poverty, charity, and detachment.22 Each of these

have to do with ones relationship to things of this world. Poverty is ridding oneself of those things;

charity is giving those things to others in need; detachment is no longer being concerned with those

things. These values seem to correlate to the heart of the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 6) which

deals with storing up treasures in heaven (vss 16-24), giving to the needy (vss 1-4), and not being

anxious about food and clothing (vss 25-34). But, right in the middle of all of this (vss 5-15) is the

Lords Prayer!

Indeed, once one has made room, so to speak, in ones life by giving up the things of this world,

that room must now be filled with the things of God. This is why Basil insists on worshipping God

through studying and praying the Scriptures.23 Stephen Hildebrand, a Basil scholar, notes that

throughout Basils time in monastic retreat, his writings would grow more and more densely rich with

references to Scripture.24 One of the ways that Basil sees Scripture is a most important path to the

discovery of duty, since they contain not only the precepts of conduct but also the lives of the saints

as examples.25 The scriptures not only tell us but also show us how we ought to live.

22 Hildebrand, Basil of Caesarea, 9.

23 Ibid., 10.
24 Ibid., 10.
25 Ibid., 11.

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 Perhaps more important to Basil than the mere study of Scripture is living it out through

prayer. Georges Khodr comments that Basil held a firm belief that we are saved through prayer.26

Basil sees prayer as something that stirs the soul, refreshes it, and invigorates it.27 Prayer is what puts

us in communion with God and makes way for God to dwell within us, which Basil describes as

[holding] God ever in memory. Thus, to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17) is to always

have God in ones mind. The movement we see here is that by withdrawing from the world one

withdraws into God.28

In order to live a life of poverty, charity, and detachment in devotion to Scripture and prayer,

one must live apart from the world. But Basil is clear that to live apart is not necessarily to live

alone.29 Basil insists upon the necessity of life in common.30 Indeed, for Basil social interaction

becomes part of the very substance of the ascetic life.31 This is because for Basil, one of the chief

aims of life is to love, which can only be done in community. Basil described it like this:

The Lord never separates the first commandment from the second. You can only follow the
second commandment if you obey the first, and likewise go back to the first by accomplishing
the second. Whoever loves God necessarily loves his neighbor, and whoever loves his
neighbor thereby shows that he loves God.32

26 Georges Metr Khodr, Basil the Great: Bishop and Pastor, St Vladimirs Theological Quarterly 29, no. 1 (1985):
14.
27 Hildebrand, Basil of Caesarea, 11.
28 Ibid., 11.
29 Ibid., 127
30 Ibid., 127.
31 Ibid., 13.
32 Khodr, Basil the Great: Bishop and Pastor, 18.

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Basils monastic rule can be summed up as living a life set apart with others. So the movement in

Basils spirituality is thus: to forsake the things of the world so one can be filled with the things of

God so one can love others.

It is important to note that Basil did not see the monastic life as some sort of superior

spirituality. Rather, it is letting the Lords grace have its way with us and following our baptism to

its end.33 Andrew Radde-Gallwitz described Basils monasticism simply as self-conscious

Christianity.34 Khodr notes that Basils ascetic writings are addressed not only to monks but to all

Christians. Thus he conceives of the monastic life, not as an isolated sphere in itself, but rather as a

movement for reform within the Church.35 With this we will transition from Basils spiritual and

monastic practices to his care of the church as a bishop.

CHURCH LIFE

Basils care for the church was manifested in two ways: on a micro level and on a macro level.

The micro level can be seen in Basils activity as a priest when he served under Eusebius. Basil cared

for individuals on a local level through redistribution of goods from the wealthy to the needy. Much

of Basils teaching was centered on the renunciation of material possessions. According to Basil there

is no private property and no right to private property in authentic Christian discipleship. 36 We can

see in this the value of charity which was discussed earlier. All things are given away and redistributed

as there is need.

33 Hildebrand, Basil of Caesarea, 125.

34 Radde-Gallwitz, Basil of Ceasarea: A Guide to His Life and Doctrine, 40.
35 Khodr, Basil the Great: Bishop and Pastor, 14-15.
36 Hildebrand, Basil of Caesarea, 116.

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 In addition to Basils radical view of property, he also insists that all men are equal and that

their concern should be to limit the inequality that prevails in the world.37 When you join these

together you end up with a rather progressive view toward slavery. According to Khodr, Basil taught

that no one is a slave by nature, and that the institution of slavery is an anomaly in the natural order

of things.38 Basils social ethics were well beyond his time.

Basils care for people on this micro level was not limited to providing goods, though. As we

saw in Basils new city he provided an area for prayer, a hospital, a cafeteria, and even a vocational

school. Basil's care for people in the church was holistic, encompassing mind, body, and soul. From

his progressive stance on human equality to his provision of care in the new city, Basil sought to

always impart dignity to the people under his care. Pastors would do well to learn from Basils example

in this arena.

On a macro level, Basil was a very strategic planner. From early in his career, when he

accompanied Eustathias to the synod in Constantinople, he was exposed to the inner workings of

ecclesial life. Basil saw deep conflict and this always disturbed him. Basil had a strong desire for peace

among the Churches and saw this as a necessary prerequisite for each one to mature in Christ

Jesus.39 The fluidity between individual and community that we saw in Basils spirituality is just as

important in his ecclesiology. The Church is made up of churches. For Basil, catholicity meant a

universality of brotherly love and mutual harmony, not a mutuality of mere protocol or occasional

consultation.40 Basil stood for unity in the Church during an age of much conflict and division.

37 Khodr, Basil the Great: Bishop and Pastor, 19.

38 Ibid., 19.
39 Ibid., 10.
40 Ibid., 10.

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 Later in his life, when he was bishop of Caesarea, Basil sought this unity by instating trusted

others as fellow bishops in his region. There are two ways to view Basils ordination of his brother

and his friend. One of them is to see it as a strategic political move to grant power to those who would

simply affirm him in his decisions. The other way is to see it as a desperate faithful move to instate

those who would stand for the orthodoxy of the Nicene faith. Hopefully the character that Basil

displayed throughout the rest of his life shows which of the two perspectives is best. Pastors today

can learn from Basils desire to advance unity in the Church while maintaining orthodoxy. With this,

we shall transition to Basils theological development.

THEOLOGICAL DEFENSE

Basil was a theologian through and through. His education in rhetoric from a young age

prepared his mind for developing theology, his monastic retreats granted him intimacy with the God

who he would write and speak about, and his involvement with the church granted him the setting

into which he was needed to write and speak to restore unity and orthodoxy. As we transition from

Basils spiritual practice and church life to his theological defense, Hildebrand gives us a warning:

It is easy for us to divide and separate what Basil did not. His trinitarian thought, for example
is one thing, his ascetic and spiritual thought another. But it was not so for him It is a matter
of fact that Basils two great trinitarian works originated in an ascetic context.41
This seems like an important facet of Basils theology to highlight. It was born from prayer and deep

spiritual practice, not just calculated thought.

Another notable aspect of Basils theology is that it formed from dialog. His primary

theological works, Against Eunomius and On the Holy Spirit, are both critical responses to movements

of his day. First, Eunomius taught an extreme form of Arianism which claimed that the Son is utterly

41 Hildebrand, Basil of Caesarea, 165.

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different from the Father.42 Basil responded to this at length describing a commonality of substance

between the Unbegotten [Father] and the Only-Begotten [Son].43 Second, the Pneumatomachian

party taught that the Holy Spirit was not something (or someone) to be worshipped, but rather that

which enables us to worship. Basils On the Holy Spirit responds to this by insisting that the Spirit is

to be glorified as Lord.44

Basils primary theological writing is in defense of the Nicene faith in order to uphold the

divinity of the Son and the Holy Spirit along with the Father. Basil was among the first to expound

upon the Holy Spirit and his work undoubtedly influenced the expansion of the Nicene Creed at the

Council of Constantinople in 381. Though Basil did not live to see his theology officially declared

orthodoxy, his work laid the foundation for an understanding of God that persists to this day!

PASTORAL PRACTICE TODAY

After this brief look at Basils life and his roles as monk, bishop, and theologian we can

certainly see that his example is inspiring for pastors today. We began with a story of Basil as a true

bishop. We will draw this study to a close with a few implications in Basils life and ministry for true

bishops today.

First, it seems important to note that, though Basil was born into a deeply Christian family, he

was not born into a line of clergy. Basils father was a rhetorician and Basil had intended to become

one as well until life took a turn. The implications of this are that a pastoral vocation is not necessarily

something determined from birth or something pursued from early education. The call to be a pastor

42 Hildebrand, Basil of Caesarea: A Synthesis of Greek Thought and Biblical Truth, 20.
43 Radde-Gallwitz, Basil of Ceasarea: A Guide to His Life and Doctrine, 68.
44 Ibid., 110.

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may emerge over time. We would do well to remember Basils beginnings as a pompous teacher who

would eventually become a bishop with only rags and a few books.

Second, the pattern that emerged from Basils early life can serve as a healthy rhythm for

pastors throughout their vocation. Basil began his vocation in spiritual retreat, which led to his

theological development, which drew him out into the activities of the church from which he would

withdraw back into spiritual retreat. In order for a pastor to remain spiritually healthy and continue

leading his or her congregation, he or she must find time away from the life of the church in order to

devote oneself to prayer and study of the scriptures. Many pastors have found ways to create annual

rhythms of engagement and withdrawal in their community.

Third, while Basil wrote a Monastic Rule he also oversaw the distribution of goods to those

in need. He utilized not only his spiritual and mental faculties, but also his administrative skills. In the

same way, it is important for pastors to develop a holistic vision for the people in their care. It is

important not to over-spiritualize matters, but to also help care for peoples bodies and minds while

caring for their souls. Todays world has become far too segmented, relegating physical matters to

doctors, educational matters to school, and spiritual matters to churches. Pastors must learn to draw

from all three and encourage their congregants to seek the help they need in whatever area.

Fourth, Basil maintained close ties to his friends, family, and mentors throughout his life. Key

players in Basils life are Gregory (his brother), Gregory (his friend), Eustathias (his mentor), and

Dianius (his bishop). These figures provided Basil with social and also theological support throughout

his career. Pastors today need to develop and maintain a sense of community for themselves. Whether

it is among family, friends, or fellow pastors, community is essential for health. Too many pastors are

leading from loneliness and end up burnt out. Basils own spiritual model attests to and insists on the

need for a common life with others.

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 Fifth, and finally, we can learn from Basils theological development. As we saw, Basils

theology was developed in conversation with the movements and controversies of his day. In the same

way, it is important for pastors today to remain in conversation with the Church and with culture at

large through theological education, cultural engagement, and ecumenical collaboration. This kind of

engagement has the ability to both protect orthodoxy and foster unity among the Church. In yet

another time of rapid change this is something we desperately need pastors to work toward!

Basils legacy will continue to live on in the Church through his memory as a saint within the

Catholic and Orthodox churches and through his robust trinitarian theology among all the Churches.

May we learn from his example and continue in the work ahead!

To God the Father, along with the Son, with the Holy Spirit!45

45 Ibid., 108.

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 Bibliography

Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation. 2nd ed. Vol.
1. New York: HarperOne, 2010.
Hildebrand, Stephen M. Basil of Caesarea. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2014.
. Basil of Caesarea: A Synthesis of Greek Thought and Biblical Truth. Washington, D.C.: The
Catholic University of America Press, 2007.
Khodr, Georges Metr. Basil the Great: Bishop and Pastor. St Vladimirs Theological Quarterly 29, no.
1 (1985): 527.
McSorley, Joseph. St. Basil the Great. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Robert Appleton Company, 1907.
http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/02330b.htm.
Radde-Gallwitz, Andrew. Basil of Ceasarea: A Guide to His Life and Doctrine. Eugene, OR: Cascade
Books, 2012.

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