Basil of Caesarea, Three Letters

they constrain me, as if the authorities were searching for some deserter. But my own heart especially holds me back, testifying to itself those things which I have said. But since you mentioned agreements and promised to bring charges, you made me laugh in this dejection of mine, because you are still an orator and do not abandon your cleverness. For I think, unless as one completely ignorant I miss the truth, that there is one road that leads to the Lord, and that all who travel to him journey together with one another and travel according to one agreement of life. So where can I go away to be separated from you and not live with you and serve God with you, to whom we have fled together? For our bodies will indeed be separated by places, but the eye of God clearly watches over both of us together, if indeed my life is also worthy to be watched over by the eyes of God. For I have read somewhere in the Psalms, that the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous. For I pray to be with you in body as well, and with everyone who has a purpose similar to yours, and every night and day to bend the knee with you to our Father in heaven, and with any other who worthily calls upon God. For I know that fellowship in prayers brings great profit. But if, whenever it is my lot to groan, cast aside in some different little corner, lying will certainly follow me, I have no way to fight against the accusation, and I already condemn myself as a liar, if I uttered anything of the sort in my former indifference, which makes me liable to the judgment for lying. And when I came near Caesarea, so as to get to know the situation, and not enduring to enter the city itself, I fled to the nearby poorhouse, so as to learn there about the things I wanted. Then, when the most God-beloved bishop visited according to his custom, I reported on the matters your learnedness commanded us. And what he answered, it is not possible for it to be kept in our memory, and it exceeds the measure of a letter; but in summary, concerning having no possessions, he said that this was the measure: that each person should limit his own possession down to the last tunic. And he provided us the proofs from the Gospel; one indeed, as John the Baptist said: He who has two tunics, let him give to him who has none; and another, as the Lord forbade his disciples to have two tunics. And he added to these also this: If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give to the poor. And he also said that the parable of the pearl bears on this; that the merchant who found the pearl of great price went and sold all that he had and bought it. And he added to these, that one should not even entrust to himself the distribution of the money, but to the one entrusted with managing the affairs of the poor. And this he confirmed from the Acts. that selling their possessions, they brought and laid them at the apostles' feet, and from them it was distributed to each, as anyone had need. For he said that the discernment of the one who is truly in need and of the one who asks out of greed needs experience. And the one who gives to the afflicted has given to the Lord, and from him he will receive his reward. But the one who has provided to every vagabond has thrown it to a dog, burdensome because of his shamelessness, but not pitiable because of his poverty. And concerning how we ought to live day by day, he managed to say only a few things in proportion to the magnitude of the subject; but nevertheless I wanted you to learn from the man himself. For it is not reasonable for me to obscure the precision of the teachings. And I was praying to meet him sometime with you, so that, having accurately kept in memory what was said, you might also, with your own understanding, discover in addition what is lacking. For I remember this from the many things I heard, that the teaching about how a Christian ought to live does not so much need words as it needs a daily example. And I know that, if the bond of caring for your father in his old age had not held you back, you would not have preferred anything else yourself to meeting with the bishop, nor for me

συστέλλουσιν, ὥσπερ λειποτάκτην τινὰ τῶν ἀρχόντων ἀναζητούντων. ἐπέχει δέ με μάλιστα ἡ ἐμοῦ αὐτοῦ καρδία, ἐκεῖνα μαρτυροῦσα ἑαυτῇ ἅπερ εἴρηκα. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ συνθηκῶν ἐμνήσθης, καὶ κατηγορεῖν ἐπηγγείλω, γελάσαι με ἐποίησας ἐν ταύτῃ τῇ κατηφείᾳ μου, ὅτι ἔτι ῥήτωρ εἶ καὶ τῆς δεινότητος οὐκ ἀφίστασαι. ἐγὼ γὰρ νομίζω, εἰ μὴ πάντη ὡς ἀμαθὴς διαμαρτάνω τῆς ἀληθείας, μίαν εἶναι ὁδὸν τὴν πρὸς τὸν Κύριον ἄγουσαν, καὶ πάντας τοὺς πρὸς αὐτὸν πορευομένους συνοδεύειν ἀλλήλοις καὶ κατὰ μίαν συνθήκην τοῦ βίου πορεύεσθαι. ὥστε ποῦ ἀπελθὼν χωρισθῆναί σου δύναμαι καὶ μὴ μετὰ σοῦ ζῇν καὶ μετὰ σοῦ δουλεύειν Θεῷ, ᾧ κοινῇ προσεφύγομεν; τὰ μὲν γὰρ σώματα ἡμῶν τόποις διασταθήσεται, ὁ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ ὀφθαλμὸς κοινῇ ἀμφοτέρους ἐφορᾷ δηλονότι, εἴπερ οὖν ἄξιος καὶ ὁ ἐμὸς βίος ὑπὸ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐποπτεύεσθαι. ἀνέγνων γάρ που ἐν Ψαλμοῖς, ὅτι ὀφθαλμοὶ Κυρίου ἐπὶ δικαίους. ἐγὼ μὲν γὰρ εὔχομαι καὶ σοὶ καὶ παντὶ τῷ παραπλησίως σοι προαιρουμένῳ καὶ τῷ σώματι συνεῖναι, καὶ πᾶσαν νύκτα καὶ ἡμέραν μετὰ σοῦ κλίνειν τὰ γόνατα πρὸς τὸν Πατέρα ἡμῶν τὸν ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος ἀξίως ἐπικαλούμενος τὸν Θεόν. οἶδα γὰρ τὴν ἐν ταῖς προσευχαῖς κοινωνίαν πολὺ τὸ κέρδος φέρουσαν. ἐὰν δέ, ὁσάκις ὑπάρξῃ μοι ἐν διαφόρῳ γωνιδίῳ παρερριμμένῳ στενάζειν, ἀκολουθήσει μοι πάντως τὸ ψεύδεσθαι, μάχεσθαι μὲν πρὸς τὸν λόγον οὐκ ἔχω, ἤδη δὲ ὡς ψεύστου ἐμαυτὸν κατακρίνω, εἴ τι τοιοῦτον κατὰ τὴν παλαιὰν ἀδιαφορίαν ἐφθεγξάμην, ὅ με τῷ κρίματι τοῦ ψεύδους ὑπόδικον καθιστᾷ. Γενόμενος δὲ πλησίον Καισαρείας, ὥστε γνωρίσαι τὰ πράγματα, καὶ αὐτῇ παραβαλεῖν τῇ πόλει μὴ ἀνασχόμενος, τῷ πλησίον προσέφυγον πτωχοτροφείῳ, ὥστε ἐκεῖ μαθεῖν περὶ ὧν ἐβουλόμην. εἶτα κατὰ συνήθειαν ἐπιδημήσαντι τῷ θεοφιλεστάτῳ ἐπισκόπῳ ἀνήνεγκα περὶ ὧν προσέταξεν ἡμῖν ἡ λογιότης σου. καὶ ἃ μὲν ἀπεκρίνατο, οὔτε τῇ μνήμῃ φυλαχθῆναι παρ' ἡμῶν δυνατόν, καὶ ἐπιστολῆς ὑπερβαίνει μέτρον· ὡς ἐν κεφαλαίῳ δὲ περὶ τῆς ἀκτημοσύνης ἐκεῖνο ἔφη τὸ μέτρον εἶναι, ὥστε εἰς τὸν ἔσχατον χιτῶνα ἕκαστον ἑαυτῷ περιιστάναι τὴν κτῆσιν. καὶ παρείχετο ἡμῖν ἐκ τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τὰς ἀποδείξεις· μίαν μέν, ὡς Ἰωάννου τοῦ βαπτιστοῦ εἰπόντος· ὁ ἔχων δύο χιτῶνας μεταδότω τῷ μὴ ἔχοντι· ἑτέραν δέ, ὡς τοῦ Κυρίου τοῖς μαθηταῖς ἀπαγορεύσαντος, μὴ ἔχειν δύο χιτῶνας. προσετίθει δὲ τούτοις καὶ τό· εἰ θέλεις τέλειος εἶναι, ὕπαγε, πώλησόν σου τὰ ὑπάρχοντα, καὶ δὸς πτωχοῖς. ἔλεγε δὲ καὶ τὴν τοῦ μαργαρίτου παραβολὴν εἰς τοῦτο φέρειν· ὅτι ὁ ἔμπορος ὁ εὑρὼν τὸν πολύτιμον μαργαρίτην ἀπελθὼν ἐπώλησεν ἑαυτοῦ πάντα τὰ ὑπάρχοντα καὶ ἠγόρασεν ἐκεῖνον. προσετίθει δὲ τούτοις, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἑαυτῷ τινα ἐπιτρέπειν χρὴ τὴν τῶν χρημάτων διανομήν, ἀλλὰ τῷ τὰ τῶν πτωχῶν οἰκονομεῖν πεπιστευμένῳ. καὶ τοῦτο ἀπὸ τῶν Πράξεων ἐπιστοῦτο. ὅτι πωλοῦντες τὰ προσόντα αὐτοῖς, φέροντες ἐτίθουν παρὰ τοὺς πόδας τῶν ἀποστόλων, καὶ παρ' ἐκείνων διεδίδοτο ἑκάστῳ, καθότι ἄν τις χρείαν εἶχεν. ἔλεγε γὰρ ἐμπειρίας χρῄζειν τὴν διάγνωσιν τοῦ ἀληθῶς δεομένου καὶ τοῦ κατὰ πλεονεξίαν αἰτοῦντος. καὶ ὁ μὲν τῷ θλιβομένῳ διδοὺς τῷ Κυρίῳ ἔδωκε, καὶ παρ' αὐτοῦ λήψεται τὸν μισθόν. ὁ δὲ τῷ περιερχομένῳ παρασχόμενος παντὶ προσέρριψε κυνί, φορτικῷ μὲν διὰ τὴν ἀναίδειαν, οὐκ ἐλεεινῷ δὲ διὰ τὴν ἔνδειαν. Περὶ δὲ τοῦ πῶς χρὴ βιοῦν ἡμᾶς καθ' ἡμέραν, ὀλίγα μὲν ἔφθη εἰρηκὼς ὡς πρὸς τὸ τῆς ὑποθέσεως μέγεθος· πλὴν ἀλλ' ἐβουλόμην παρ' αὐτοῦ ἐκείνου σε μαθεῖν. ἐμὲ γὰρ ἀφανίζειν τὴν ἀκρίβειαν τῶν διδαγμάτων οὐκ εὔλογον. ηὐχόμην δὲ μετὰ σοῦ ποτε καταλαβεῖν αὐτόν, ἵνα τῇ μνήμῃ ἀκριβῶς φυλάξας τὰ λεχθέντα, καὶ τῇ σεαυτοῦ συνέσει προσεξεύρῃς τὰ λείποντα. ἐκείνου γὰρ μέμνημαι ἐκ τῶν πολλῶν ὧν ἤκουσα, ὅτι ἡ περὶ τοῦ πῶς χρὴ ζῇν τὸν χριστιανὸν διδασκαλία οὐ τοσοῦτον δεῖται λόγου ὅσον τοῦ καθημερινοῦ ὑποδείγματος. καὶ οἶδα ὅτι, εἰ μή σε κατεῖχεν ὁ δεσμὸς τῆς γηροκομίας τοῦ πατρός, οὐκ ἂν οὔτε αὐτὸς ἄλλο τι προετίμη-σας τῆς συντυχίας τοῦ ἐπισκόπου, οὔτ' ἂν ἐμοὶ