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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 CXIV.647 Placed in 372.
To Cyriacus, at Tarsus.648 Like the preceding Letter, on the sufficiency of the Nicene Creed.
I need hardly tell the sons of peace how great is the blessing of peace. But now this blessing, great, marvellous, and worthy as it is of being most strenuously sought by all that love the Lord, is in peril of being reduced to the bare name, because iniquity abounds, and the love of most men has waxed cold.649 cf. Matt. xxiv. 12. I think then that the one great end of all who are really and truly serving the Lord ought to be to bring back to union the Churches now “at sundry times and in divers manners”650 cf. Heb. i. 1. divided from one another. In attempting myself to effect this, I cannot fairly be blamed as a busybody, for nothing is so characteristically Christian as the being a peacemaker, and for this reason our Lord has promised us peacemakers a very high reward.
When, therefore, I had met the brethren, and learnt how great was their brotherly love, their regard for you, and yet more their love for Christ, and their exactitude and firmness in all that concerns the faith, and moreover their earnestness in compassing two ends, the not being separated from your love, and the not abandoning their sound faith, I approved of their good disposition; and I now write to your reverence beseeching you with all love to retain them in true union, and associated with you in all your anxiety for the Church. I have moreover pledged myself to them for your orthodoxy, and that you too by God’s grace are enrolled to fight with all vigour for the truth, whatever you may have to suffer for the true doctrine. My own opinion is that the following conditions are such as will not run counter to your own feeling and will be quite sufficient to satisfy the above mentioned brethren; namely, that you should confess the faith put forth by our Fathers once assembled at Nicæa, that you should not omit any one of its propositions, but bear in mind that the three hundred and eighteen who met together without strife did not speak without the operation of the Holy Ghost, and not to add to that creed the statement that the Holy Ghost is a creature, nor hold communion with those who so say, to the end that the Church of God may be pure and without any evil admixture of any tare. If this full assurance is given them by your good feeling, they are prepared to offer proper submission to you. And I myself promise for the brethren that they will offer no opposition, but will show themselves entirely subordinate, if only your excellency shall have readily granted this one thing which they ask for.
ΤΟΙΣ ΕΝ ΤΑΡΣῼ ΠΕΡΙ ΚΥΡΙΑΚΟΝ
[1] Ὅσον ἐστὶ τὸ τῆς εἰρήνης ἀγαθὸν τί χρὴ λέγειν πρὸς ἄνδρας υἱοὺς τῆς εἰρήνης; Ἐπεὶ οὖν τὸ μέγα τοῦτο καὶ θαυμαστὸν καὶ πᾶσι περισπούδαστον τοῖς ἀγαπῶσι τὸν Κύριον κινδυνεύει λοιπὸν εἰς ὄνομα ψιλὸν περιστῆναι, διὰ τὸ πληθυνθῆναι τὴν ἀνομίαν ψυγείσης λοιπὸν τοῖς πολλοῖς τῆς ἀγάπης, οἶμαι προσήκειν μίαν ταύτην εἶναι σπουδὴν τοῖς γνησίως καὶ ἀληθινῶς δουλεύουσι τῷ Κυρίῳ τὸ ἐπαναγαγεῖν πρὸς ἕνωσιν τὰς Ἐκκλησίας τὰς πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως ἀπ' ἀλλήλων διατμηθείσας. Ὃ δὴ καὶ αὐτὸς ἐπιχειρῶν ποιεῖν, οὐκ ἂν δικαίως πολυπράγμονος αἰτίαν λάβοιμι. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἴδιόν ἐστι χριστιανοῦ ὡς τὸ εἰρηνοποιεῖν: διὸ καὶ τὸν ἐπ' αὐτῷ μισθὸν μέγιστον ἡμῖν ὁ Κύριος ἐπηγγείλατο. Συντυχὼν τοίνυν τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς καὶ θεασάμενος αὐτῶν πολὺ μὲν τὸ φιλάδελφον καὶ τὸ περὶ ὑμᾶς ἀγαπητικόν, πολλῷ δὲ ἔτι πλέον τὸ φιλόχριστον καὶ τὸ περὶ τὴν πίστιν ἀκριβές τε καὶ εὔτονον, καὶ ὅτι πολλὴν ἀμφοτέρων ποιοῦνται σπουδήν, τῆς τε ὑμετέρας ἀγάπης μὴ χωρίζεσθαι καὶ τὴν ὑγιαίνουσαν πίστιν μὴ καταπροδοῦναι, ἀποδεξάμενος αὐτῶν τὴν ἀγαθὴν προαίρεσιν ἐπιστέλλω τῇ σεμνότητι ὑμῶν παρακαλῶν πάσῃ ἀγάπῃ ἔχειν αὐτοὺς ἡνωμένους γνησίως καὶ πάσης ἐκκλησιαστικῆς φροντίδος κοινωνούς, ἐγγυησάμενος καὶ αὐτοῖς τὴν ὑμετέραν ὀρθότητα ὅτι καὶ αὐτοὶ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ χάριτι τῷ ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀληθείας ζήλῳ πρὸς πάντα ἐστὲ παρατεταγμένοι, ὅσαπερ ἂν δέῃ παθεῖν ὑπὲρ τοῦ λόγου τῆς ἀληθείας. Ἔστι δέ, ὡς ἐμαυτὸν πείθω, τὰ οὔτε ὑμῖν ὑπεναντία καὶ τοῖς προειρημένοις τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτάρκη πρὸς πληροφορίαν ταῦτα, ὁμολογεῖν ὑμᾶς τὴν ἐκ τῶν Πατέρων ἡμῶν ἐκτεθεῖσαν πίστιν τῶν ἐν Νικαίᾳ ποτὲ συνελθόντων καὶ μηδεμίαν τῶν ἐκεῖ λέξεων ἀθετεῖν, ἀλλ' εἰδέναι ὅτι τριακόσιοι δέκα καὶ ὀκτώ, ἀφιλονείκως συνιόντες, οὐκ ἄνευ τῆς τοῦ Ἁγίου Πνεύματος ἐνεργείας ἐφθέγξαντο, προσθεῖναι δὲ τῇ πίστει ἐκείνῃ καὶ τὸ μὴ χρῆναι λέγειν κτίσμα τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ Ἅγιον, μὴ μέντοι μηδὲ τοῖς λέγουσι κοινωνεῖν, ἵνα καθαρὰ ᾖ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἡ Ἐκκλησία μηδὲν ζιζάνιον ἑαυτῇ παραμεμιγμένον ἔχουσα. Ταύτης αὐτοῖς τῆς πληροφορίας παρὰ τῆς εὐσπλαγχνίας ὑμῶν προτεθείσης καὶ αὐτοὶ τὴν πρέπουσαν ὑμῖν ὑποταγὴν ἕτοιμοί εἰσι παρασχέσθαι. Αὐτὸς γὰρ ἐγγυῶμαι τὸ μέρος τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὡς εἰς οὐδὲν ἀντεροῦσιν, ἀλλὰ πᾶσαν ὑμῖν ἐπιδείξονται εὐταξίας ὑπερβολήν, ἑνὸς τούτου αὐτοῖς τοῦ ἐπιζητουμένου παρ' αὐτῶν ὑπὸ τῆς ὑμετέρας τελειότητος ἑτοίμως παρασχεθέντος.