Basil of Caesarea, Letters
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To Eustathius the Philosopher.
To the Cæsareans . A defence of his withdrawal, and concerning the faith .
Without address. To some friends .
To Arcadius, Imperial Treasurer .
Against Eunomius the heretic .
Without address. On the Perfection of the Life of Solitaries .
To Athanasius, father of Athanasius bishop of Ancyra .
To Athanasius, bishop of Ancyra .
To Cæsarius, brother of Gregory .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To the Church of Neocæsarea. Consolatory .
To the Church of Ancyra. Consolatory .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To his Brother Gregory, concerning the difference between οὐσία and ὑπόστασις.
To Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata .
To Paregorius, the presbyter .
To Meletius, Bishop of Antioch .
To Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria .
To the Governor of Neocæsarea .
To Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria .
To Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria .
To Meletius, bishop of Antioch .
To Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria .
Without inscription: about Therasius .
Without inscription, on behalf of Elpidius .
To Eustathius bishop of Sebastia .
To Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria .
To Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria .
That the oath ought not to be taken .
Without address on the same subject .
Without address on the subject of the exaction of taxes .
To Meletius, bishop of Antioch .
To the holy brethren the bishops of the West .
To Valerianus, Bishop of Illyricum .
To the Patrician Cæsaria , concerning Communion .
To Elias, Governor of the Province .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata .
To the deaconesses, the daughters of Count Terentius .
To the guardian of the heirs of Julitta .
To Jovinus, Bishop of Perrha .
To Eustathius, Bishop of Sebasteia .
To Meletius, bishop of Antioch .
To Theodotus, bishop of Nicopolis .
To Pœmenius , bishop of Satala .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Meletius Bishop of Antioch .
To Theodotus bishop of Nicopolis .
To Abramius, bishop of Batnæ .
To Diodorus, presbyter of Antioch .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Antipater, on his assuming the governorship of Cappadocia .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Amphilochius in the name of Heraclidas .
To Ascholius, bishop of Thessalonica .
Without address . In the case of a trainer
To Eupaterius and his daughter .
To Amphilochius on his consecration as Bishop .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Ascholius, bishop of Thessalonica .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium .
To the Master Sophronius, on behalf of Eunathius .
To Otreius, bishop of Melitene .
To the presbyters of Samosata .
To Eustathius, bishop of Himmeria .
To Theodotus, bishop of Beræa .
To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium .
To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium .
To Euphronius, bishop of Colonia Armeniæ .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium .
To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium .
To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium .
To the bishops of the sea coast .
To Elpidius the bishop. Consolatory .
To the notables of Neocæsarea .
To Meletius, bishop of Antioch.
To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium.
Against Eustathius of Sebasteia .
Consolatory, to the clergy of Colonia .
To the magistrates of Colonia.
To the magistrates of Nicopolis.
To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium.
To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium.
To Amphilochius, in reply to certain questions.
To the same, in answer to another question.
To the same, in answer to another question.
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata.
To the presbyters of Nicopolis .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata.
To the Presbyters of Nicopolis.
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To the bishops of Italy and Gaul concerning the condition and confusion of the Churches.
To Patrophilus, bishop of Ægæ .
To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium.
Without address. Commendatory.
To Patrophilus, bishop of Ægæ.
To the bishops of the Pontic Diocese.
To the monks harassed by the Arians.
To the monks Palladius and Innocent.
To Barses, bishop of Edessa, in exile.
To Eulogius, Alexander, and Harpocration, bishops of Egypt, in exile.
To Petrus, bishop of Alexandria.
To Barses, bishop of Edessa, in exile.
To the wife of Arinthæus, the General. Consolatory.
Without Address. Concerning Raptus.
To Sophronius the magister officiorum.
Without address. Concerning Hera.
Without address. Concerning Hera.
To the assessor in the case of monks.
Without address. Excommunicatory.
Without address. Concerning an afflicted woman.
To Timotheus the Chorepiscopus .
Letters CCCXVI., CCCXVII., CCCXVIII., CCCXIX.
Letters CCCXVI., CCCXVII., CCCXVIII., CCCXIX.
Letters CCCXVI., CCCXVII., CCCXVIII., CCCXIX.
Letters CCCXVI., CCCXVII., CCCXVIII., CCCXIX.
Letters CCCXXX., CCCXXXI., CCCXXXII., CCCXXXIII.
Letters CCCXXX., CCCXXXI., CCCXXXII., CCCXXXIII.
Letters CCCXXX., CCCXXXI., CCCXXXII., CCCXXXIII.
Letters CCCXXX., CCCXXXI., CCCXXXII., CCCXXXIII.
Of the Holy Trinity, the Incarnation, the invocation of Saints, and their Images.
Letter XVI.164
Against Eunomius the heretic.165
He who maintains that it is possible to arrive at the discovery of things actually existing, has no doubt by some orderly method advanced his intelligence by means of the knowledge of actually existing things. It is after first training himself by the apprehension of small and easily comprehensible objects, that he brings his apprehensive faculty to bear on what is beyond all intelligence. He makes his boast that he has really arrived at the comprehension of actual existences; let him then explain to us the nature of the least of visible beings; let him tell us all about the ant. Does its life depend on breath and breathing? Has it a skeleton? Is its body connected by sinews and ligaments? Are its sinews surrounded with muscles and glands? Does its marrow go with dorsal vertebræ from brow to tail? Does it give impulse to its moving members by the enveloping nervous membrane? Has it a liver, with a gall bladder near the liver? Has it kidneys, heart, arteries, veins, membranes, cartilages? Is it hairy or hairless? Has it an uncloven hoof, or are its feet divided? How long does it live? What is its mode of reproduction? What is its period of gestation? How is it that ants neither all walk nor all fly, but some belong to creeping things, and some travel through the air? The man who glories in his knowledge of the really-existing ought to tell us in the meanwhile about the nature of the ant. Next let him give us a similar physiological account of the power that transcends all human intelligence. But if your knowledge has not yet been able to apprehend the nature of the insignificant ant, how can you boast yourself able to form a conception of the power of the incomprehensible God?166
ΠΡΟΣ ΕΥΝΟΜΙΟΝ ΤΟΝ ΑΙΡΕΤΙΚΟΝ
[1] Ὁ ἐφικτὴν εἶναι λέγων τῶν ὄντων τὴν εὕρεσιν ὁδῷ τινι πάντως καὶ ἀκολουθίᾳ διὰ τῆς τῶν ὄντων γνώσεως παρέβαλεν ἑαυτοῦ τὴν διάνοιαν, καὶ τοῖς εὐλήπτοις τε καὶ μικροτέροις ἐγγυμνασθεὶς διὰ τῆς καταλήψεως οὕτω καὶ εἰς τὴν ἐπέκεινα πάσης ἐννοίας προήγαγεν ἑαυτὸν καταληπτικὴν φαντασίαν. Οὐκοῦν ὁ τὴν περὶ τῶν ὄντων εἴδησιν κατειληφέναι μεγαλαυχούμενος τὸ σμικρότατον τῶν προφαινομένων ὅπως ἔχει φύσεως ἑρμηνευσάτω καὶ τίς ἡ τοῦ μύρμηκος φύσις εἰπάτω: εἰ πνεύματι καὶ ἄσθματι συνέχεται αὐτοῦ ἡ ζωή, εἰ ὀστέοις τῷ σώματι διείληπται, εἰ νεύροις καὶ συνδέσμοις τὰς ἁρμονίας τετόνωται, εἰ μυῶν περιβολῇ καὶ ἀδένων ἡ τῶν νεύρων περικρατεῖται θέσις, εἰ τοῖς νωτιαίοις κονδύλοις ἐκ τοῦ βρέγματος ἐπὶ τὸ οὐραῖον ὁ μυελὸς συμπαρατείνεται, εἰ τῇ περιοχῇ τοῦ νευρώδους ὑμένος τοῖς κινουμένοις μέλεσι τὴν ὁρμητικὴν ἐνδίδωσι δύναμιν, εἰ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ τὸ ἧπαρ καὶ τὸ χοληδόχον ἀγγεῖον ἐπὶ τοῦ ἥπατος, νεφροί τε καὶ καρδία καὶ ἀρτηρίαι καὶ φλέβες, ὑμένες καὶ διαφράγματα, ἢ ψιλόν ἐστιν ἢ τετρίχωται, μονώνυχόν ἐστιν ἢ πολυσχιδεῖς ἔχει τὰς βάσεις, πόσον δὲ βιοῖ τὸν χρόνον καὶ τίς αὐτοῖς ὁ τρόπος τῆς ἐξ ἀλλήλων γεννήσεως, ἐπὶ πόσον δὲ κυΐσκεται τὸ τικτόμενον, καὶ πῶς οὔτε πεζοὶ πάντες οἱ μύρμηκες οὔτε ὑπόπτεροι πάντες, ἀλλ' οἳ μὲν τῶν ἀπὸ χαμαὶ ἐρχομένων εἰσίν, οἳ δὲ διαέριοι φέρονται. Ὁ τοίνυν τῶν ὄντων τὴν γνῶσιν ἐπικομπάζων τέως τὴν τοῦ μύρμηκος φύσιν εἰπάτω, εἶθ' οὕτω φυσιολογείτω τὴν πάντα νοῦν ὑπερέχουσαν δύναμιν. Εἰ δὲ τοῦ βραχυτάτου μύρμηκος οὔπω περιέλαβες τῇ γνώσει τὴν φύσιν, πῶς τὴν ἀκατάληπτον τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναμιν μεγαλαυχεῖς φαντάζεσθαι;