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Basil of Caesarea, Letters
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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 monks harassed by the Arians.
To the monks Palladius and Innocent.
To Eulogius, Alexander, and Harpocration, bishops of Egypt, in exile.
To Barses, bishop of Edessa, in exile.
To the wife of Arinthæus, the General. Consolatory.
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 XXVI.252 Placed in 368.
To Cæsarius, brother of Gregory.253 Cæsarius was the youngest brother of Gregory of Nazianzus. After a life of distinguished service under Julian, Valens, and Valentinian, he was led, shortly after the escape narrated in this letter, to retire from the world. A work entitled Πύστεις, or Quæstiones(sive Dialogi) de Rebus Divinus, attributed to him, is of doubtful genuineness. Vide D.C.B. s.v. The earthquake, from the effects of which Cæsarius was preserved, took place on the tenth of October, 368. cf. Greg. Naz, Orat. x.
Thanks to God for shewing forth His wonderful power in your person, and for preserving you to your country and to us your friends, from so terrible a death. It remains for us not to be ungrateful, nor unworthy of so great a kindness, but, to the best of our ability, to narrate the marvellous works of God, to celebrate by deed the kindness which we have experienced, and not return thanks by word only. We ought to become in very deed what I, grounding my belief on the miracles wrought in you, am persuaded that you now are. We exhort you still more to serve God, ever increasing your fear more and more, and advancing on to perfection, that we may be made wise stewards of our life, for which the goodness of God has reserved us. For if it is a command to all of us “to yield ourselves unto God as those that are alive from the dead,”254 Rom. vii. 13. how much more strongly is not this commanded them who have been lifted up from the gates of death? And this, I believe, would be best effected, did we but desire ever to keep the same mind in which we were at the moment of our perils. For, I ween, the vanity of our life came before us, and we felt that all that belongs to man, exposed as it is to vicissitudes, has about it nothing sure, nothing firm. We felt, as was likely, repentance for the past; and we gave a promise for the future, if we were saved, to serve God and give careful heed to ourselves. If the imminent peril of death gave me any cause for reflection, I think that you must have been moved by the same or nearly the same thoughts. We are therefore bound to pay a binding debt, at once joyous at God’s good gift to us, and, at the same time, anxious about the future. I have ventured to make these suggestions to you. It is yours to receive what I say well and kindly, as you were wont to do when we talked together face to face.
ΚΑΙΣΑΡΙῼ Τῼ ΑΔΕΛΦῼ ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΥ
[1] Χάρις τῷ Θεῷ, τῷ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ θαυμάσια καὶ σοὶ ἐπιδεικνυμένῳ καὶ ἐκ τοσούτου θανάτου διασώσαντί σε τῇ τε πατρίδι καὶ ἡμῖν τοῖς προσήκουσι. Λείπεται δὴ οὖν μὴ ἀχαρίστους ἡμᾶς ὀφθῆναι μηδ' ἀναξίους τῆς τοσαύτης εὐεργεσίας, ἀλλὰ κατὰ δύναμιν τὴν ἡμετέραν διαγγέλλειν τοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ παράδοξα καί, ἧς ἔργῳ πεπειράμεθα φιλανθρωπίας, ταύτην ἀνυμνεῖν: καὶ μὴ λόγῳ μόνον ἀποδιδόναι τὴν χάριν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔργῳ τοιοῦτον γενέσθαι οἷον καὶ νῦν εἶναι πειθόμεθα, τεκμαιρόμενοι τοῖς περὶ σὲ θαύμασι. Καὶ ἔτι μειζόνως τῷ Θεῷ δουλεύειν παρακαλοῦμεν, προσθήκαις ἀεὶ τὸν φόβον συναύξοντα καὶ εἰς τὸ τέλειον προκόπτοντα, ἵνα φρόνιμοι οἰκονόμοι τῆς ζωῆς ἡμῶν ἀποδειχθῶμεν, εἰς ἣν ἡμᾶς ἡ ἀγαθότης τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐταμιεύσατο. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ πᾶσιν ἡμῖν πρόσταγμά ἐστι παραστῆσαι ἑαυτοὺς τῷ Θεῷ ὡσεὶ ἐκ νεκρῶν ζῶντας, πῶς οὐχὶ μᾶλλον τοῖς ὑψωθεῖσιν ἐκ τῶν πυλῶν τοῦ θανάτου; Τοῦτο δ' ἂν μάλιστα, ὡς ἐμαυτὸν πείθω, κατορθωθείη, εἰ βουληθείημεν ἀεὶ τὴν αὐτὴν ἔχειν διάνοιαν ἣν εἴχομεν ἐπὶ τοῦ καιροῦ τῶν κινδύνων. Πάντως γάρ που εἰσῄει ἡμᾶς τοῦ βίου τὸ μάταιον καὶ ὡς οὐδὲν πιστὸν τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων οὔτε πάγιον, οὕτω ῥᾳδίας ἐχόντων τὰς μεταπτώσεις. Καί πού τις μεταμέλεια μὲν ἔκ γε τῶν εἰκότων ἐνεγίνετο ἡμῖν ἐπὶ τοῖς φθάσασιν, ὑποσχέσεις δὲ περὶ τῶν ἐφεξῆς, εἰ περισωθείημεν, Θεῷ δουλεύειν καὶ ἑαυτῶν ἐπιμέλεσθαι κατὰ πᾶσαν ἀκρίβειαν. Εἰ γάρ τινα ἡμῖν ἔννοιαν ὁ τοῦ θανάτου κίνδυνος ἐπικείμενος ἐνεδίδου, οἶμαί σε ἢ ταῦτα ἢ ἐγγύτατα τούτων ἀναλογίζεσθαι τηνικαῦτα. Ὥστε ἀναγκαίου ὀφλήματος ἐκτίσει ὑπεύθυνοι καθεστήκαμεν. Ταῦτα, ὁμοῦ μὲν περιχαρὴς ὢν τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεᾷ, ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ φροντίδα ἔχων ὑπὲρ τῶν μελλόντων, ἀπεθάρσησα ὑπομνῆσαι τὴν τελειότητά σου. Σὸν δέ ἐστιν εὐμενῶς καὶ ἡμέρως προσέσθαι ἡμῶν τοὺς λόγους, ὡς καὶ ἐν ταῖς κατ' ὀφθαλμοὺς ὁμιλίαις σοι σύνηθες.