The Life and Works of Saint Basil the Great

Saint Basil was born around 330 AD into one of the most luminous Christian families of all time. His father Basil was the son of Saint Macrina the Great, and his mother Emilia was the daughter of a Christian martyr. Two of Saint Basil's brothers became bishops, including Gregory of Nyssa, who was one of the great spiritual doctors of the Church.

Saint Basil had studied rhetoric in the schools of his native Caesarea in Cappadocia, then in Constantinople, and finally in Athens. There he met and became friends with the great orator Gregory, Bishop of Nazianzus. He returned to Caesarea about 356 AD and there began his work in rhetoric. When he was inclined to devote his life more to God, he visited the important centers of ascetic life.

As a result of what he saw there, Saint Basil decided to withdraw and isolate himself. He went far from New Caesarea, and some young men who were thinking about monastic life followed him. He wrote the two laws for which he became famous, and with them he established monastic life in the East, which still exists to this day, and which had a great influence on the West. During this period, Saint Basil founded several monasteries. In 364 AD, he was ordained a priest, and in 370 AD, he was ordained a bishop of the capital, Caesarea.

Saint Basil was a very active bishop, building hospitals for the sick and hospices for travelers.

Saint Basil was strongly involved in the controversies that occurred at this time, which were centered around Arius and his teachings, in which he said, “The Son is not of the same essence as the Father in terms of eternity, but is only the first of his creation.” This heresy continued to prevail because Emperor Valens supported it in the East, and Saint Basil the Great was subjected to enormous pressure to surrender to the emperor and Arianism, but he resisted strongly, and his many brilliant writings on this subject had a great impact, until this heresy was defeated and finally overthrown at the Council of Constantinople in 381 AD.

Saint Basil died in 378 AD, leaving behind a strong and abundant legacy for the Church of theology, asceticism, and rituals (the Basilian Liturgy). In this book, we present parts of his wonderful articles on: Paradise (the City of God), pains, trials, and sorrows as healing medicines for our souls that make us worthy of the City of God, then articles on true faith, which are selected articles that bring man closer to knowing the Holy Trinity and communion with Him to be worthy of entering the City of God, then some ascetic articles that help us in this temporary life, beneficial to all believers. Finally, we present in this book some of his wonderful articles, expressing his tireless struggle to gather all Christians in the unity of Orthodox faith.

We ask this great saint to pray for us so that we may have a share and an inheritance in the city of God, steadfast in the true faith until our last breath in the Holy Trinity, to whom be glory and worship forever. Amen.

The path to perfection

From the letter of Saint Basil to his friend Eustathius of Sebastia:

I had wasted so much time, and devoted most of my youth to the acquisition of earthly knowledge, which now seemed to me to be foolishness before God. Suddenly one day I awoke as if in a deep sleep, and saw the bright light of heavenly truth, and realized that all the wisdom I had learned from the teachers of this world was vain. I wept with many tears for regret over my life, and prayed that God would give me some guidance that would lead me to a life of faith.

The first thing I did to fix my old course in life was: I mixed with the poor, and sat reading the Bible.(1)

I thought that the best way to start on the path of perfection was to take care of the needs of these destitute brothers and sisters, to buy food and distribute it to them, and I put aside all the belongings and problems of this world completely out of my mind, and I looked for those who would share this work with me and walk with me on this path, until I found someone with whom I could sail in the ocean of this world.

I found many in Alexandria and Egypt, and others in Palestine, Syria, and Mesopotamia, and was greatly impressed by their moderation in eating, their perseverance in their work, and their way of resisting sleep by prayer and praise. They seemed, indeed, to be able to resist any force of nature, and always gave their souls the perfect vigil, even though they suffered from hunger, thirst, cold, and nakedness. They did not yield to the passions of their bodies, nor even give them any attention, as if they lived in another world, and showed by their actions that they were truly strangers to this earth, and that their true home was the heavenly kingdom.

The lives of these people filled me with joy and wonder, because they showed that they carried within them the body of Christ, and so I decided - while I could - to try to follow the example of their lives.

By the grace of God, it was on the 13th of Babah 1720 of the martyrs. (*)

The road to paradise

Saint Basil the Great

Translated from a book

GATEWAY TO PARADISE

Basil the Great

Edited by Oliver Davies

NEW City Press

Brooklyn, New York

Edition: Sons of Pope Kyrollos

T: 2053240 Cairo

Correspondence: P.O. Box 9542 – Children’s Village

Nasr City - Cairo

Requested from San Rafael Library

1 Yelbugha Street, Sheber

Book Name: The Road to Paradise

Edition: Sons of Pope Kyrollos VI

Printing house: Saint Mina Monastery Printing House in Mariout

Deposit No.: 11905/96

International code: 7 – 40 – 5049 – 977

(1) “Religion that is pure and undefiled before God the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (James 1:27)

(*) This date is a Coptic date still used in the Coptic Church. At the time of putting this page on the web, i.e. the year 2011, it corresponds according to the Coptic calendar to the year 1728 of the martyrs. To learn more about the Coptic calendar, you can review this The bookThis phrase is at the end of the book but was moved here by the network administration... We also sometimes added or modified text, which is everything that came within []... (the network)