His life

Saint Basil was born in Caesarea, Cappadocia[1] Year 330 AD. From a prominent aristocratic family. His paternal grandfather was called Basil. He left all his vast possessions and money to preserve his faith during the reign of Emperor Diocletian. His father was a professor of rhetoric in Caesarea, and his paternal grandmother was Macrina, who was a student of Saint Gregory the Wonderworker.

His mother, Amalia, was also from an aristocratic family. Her father endured torment and persecution, and her brother was a bishop in Caesarea of Cappadocia (currently Caesarea of Turkey). Basil's father had nine children[2]Five girls and four boys. Most of them devoted their lives to serving the church. We know among the males: Basil, Gregory of Nyssa, Peter, and Navkratius[3]Among the girls we know Saint Macrina, his sister.

He spent part of his childhood on his father's estate in Punt, near the River Iris [4]His father was the first professor, but after his death in 345 AD, Basil went to Caesarea in Cappadocia to continue his studies there, where he met his friend Saint Gregory the Theologian, then he moved to Constantinople and then to Athens.[5] Which was a center in science and culture, where his friend Gregory had preceded him.

Basil spent nearly five years in Athens, and there the bonds of love and spiritual goals were strengthened between him and Gregory of Nazianzus - the theologian, so much so that Gregory himself says that they were one soul in two bodies. In another place, Gregory says: “We knew two streets in the city, the first leading to the churches and the altar and the second to University and science teachers. As for the streets that lead to theatres, stadiums, and unholy places, we have left them to others.” In Athens, a number of students gathered around them, forming the first Christian student association in the world. In the year 355, another student, Julian (who later became emperor), arrived in Athens to follow his lessons. The young prince had a close relationship with Basil and used to study with him, but he was influenced by paganism until he became known as “the ungrateful.”

Basil's genius appeared in his studies, so much so that Gregory says that he was proficient in every branch of science as if he specialized in it alone. After completing his studies, he returned to his homeland in 356, while Gregory remained in Athens for a short time, teaching oratory and rhetoric. In Cappadocia, the path of his sister and mother inspired his spiritual vocation, as they transformed the family home into a rite in the midst of peaceful nature, and this rite attracted a number of women.

Basil began studying the Bible and found in it a light different from the light of pagan writings, so he was baptized, and decided to search for famous hermits to follow their example. He visited Egypt, Syria, Antioch, and Mesopotamia, and when he returned to Caesarea in Cappadocia, he was ordained a deacon and participated in the Council of Constantinople in the year 360 AD. But he did not stay in Caesarea because of his annoyance with its Arian bishop. Then he sold everything he owned and distributed it to the poor and needy. He first practiced asceticism on the property of his friend Gregory, but he returned and chose an area in Puntland because of its stunning natural beauty. Perhaps he did this to win over his friend Gregory, so he wrote to him describing the place. He said: “God guided me to an area that was completely compatible with my approach to life. It was truly what we longed for in our daydreams. What my imagination had shown me far away, I now saw in front of me, a high mountain covered with a dense forest, irrigated in the north by ever-flowing streams, and at the foot of the mountain extended a vast plain. The fruit is due to the humidity, but the surrounding forest, which is full of trees and crowded, isolates me in a fortified castle.”

He even sees the wisdom of God behind this beauty and says: “If you are at the end of the night contemplating the stars and their breathtaking beauty, you will see the artist who designed them and you will see the one who decorated the sky with these roses, and if you are in the early morning, you will learn a lot about the wonders of the day. From what is visible you reach the invisible.”

As for his food, he only ate what was necessary to satisfy his hunger. And that food was nothing but bread and water. His brother Gregory says that he was suppressing his body and treating him as an angry master would treat a runaway slave.

Isn't he the one who said?: “This is what befits a monk: holding on, a low mind, a gaze cast down to the ground, a frowning face, neglected clothing, a dirty garment so that our condition is like that of mourners who weep, a garment as large as the body because its purpose is one thing, which is to cover the body from the heat.” And the cold... Likewise, food is one piece of bread that satisfies hunger, and water quenches the thirst of the thirsty.” [6]Although he was very emphatic in his saying: “True fasting is a prison of vices. I mean controlling the tongue, restraining anger, and conquering impure desires.”[7].

His friend Gregory visited him, and he stayed near him for a year and a half. There they devoted themselves to studying theological books in depth, coordinating the book of the Philokalia, and working together to organize monastic life. A large number of monastic disciples gathered around Basil, and he laid down for them the Great and Small Laws. Therefore, Basil became famous as the organizer of monastic life in the East, and at that time he heard... The Bishop of Caesarea accepted the Arian Creed, so he left his unit to convince him of the Nicene Creed, so the Bishop deviated from the Arian Creed while on his deathbed. Then his friend Gregory persuaded him to go to Caesarea to work with Bishop Ephesus, so he did, but soon a dispute broke out between them because Basil had gained wide fame, which aroused the bishop’s envy and the matter ended in a rift, so Basil returned to his hermitage for a short time. At this time, he wrote against Emperor Julian, who adhered to paganism. When he met Emperor Valens in the East, the danger to Orthodoxy increased, so the people demanded the return of Basil. After several attempts, he was reconciled with the bishop. Basil used all his knowledge and eloquence to frustrate the Arians, but theological needs did not prevent him from devoting important social work. It is likely that the great Basilian institution that he established on the outskirts of Caesarea to treat the sick, comfort travelers, and provide for the poor was conceived in the late years of his priesthood. One of the most prominent incidents of that period was the famine that swept throughout the region in the year 368. He did not content himself with urging mercy from the rich and merchants, but rather sold his possessions that had become his property after the death of his mother and distributed them to the needy. In the middle of the year 370, Ephesus died, and most of the believers demanded him as bishop, but his opponents were Arian bishops and some Arian believers. The bishop of Nazianzus had an important role in electing Basil as bishop because he attended the election session while on his sick bed. Thus, he was ordained a bishop in 370 AD [8]He began his difficult work in various fields. There was a group of bishops who refused to participate in his inauguration and treated him with utmost disdain. The emperor’s government was determined to divide the Caesarean region into two parts, with the aim of weakening Basilius, so the city of Tiana was chosen to be the new capital. Thus, the Bishop of Tyana demanded an ecclesiastical division following the administrative division, and for his metropolitan to enjoy privileges equal to those of Caesarea. Basil decided to resist this division, and in order to strengthen his position, he ordained his friend Gregory of Sazia and ordained his brother Gregory as bishop of Nyssa, but his friend Gregory fled the city after encountering great difficulties, so Basil went into conflict. With the Emperor who was crossing Asia Minor determined to destroy the Orthodox faith, the fate of Cappadocia depended on Basil. The Emperor threatened him either with dismissal or with the Arians, and Modestus the Governor summoned him and demanded his submission and threatened him with the confiscation of his property, starvation, torture, and exile. Basil replied that none of these threats intimidated him, as he had nothing to confiscate except a few rags and some books. As for exile, it would not place him beyond God’s lands, because the whole earth is a place of exile. As for torture, it does not intimidate a body that is already dead. So Modestus announced to the governor, saying to him that no one has spoken to me with such boldness until now, and the saint replied that it is because perhaps you have not been given the opportunity to face a real bishop. After the threat, the ruler resorted to a promise, but the promise also failed. On the Feast of the Epiphany, the Emperor entered the church surrounded by a large entourage and saw Basil standing at the altar. Basil did not move and remained motionless like a statue, as if nothing had happened. There was apparent harmony between the Emperor and Basil, but the saint did not allow the Arians to participate with him in the service. Therefore, the Arians convinced the Emperor to exile him. Basil ordered his exile. The saint prepared to leave, but the emperor’s son suddenly became ill, and his mother attributed the matter to Basil’s exile. The emperor sent two people to beg the saint to pray for the unbaptized child. Basil asked, before he went, that the child be baptized by an Orthodox priest, but the emperor broke his promise and baptized the child by an Arian priest. The child's condition worsened and he died that night. The Emperor did not sign the banishment. But the Arians continued to target Basil, so they held a council in Ankara in which they condemned the principle of “OMOUSIOS,” “identification.” But because of Basil's continuous activity, his body was no longer able to bear the burdens. At the age of forty, he called himself old, and in the winter of the year 378 he approached death. In the year 379, he lay down to death at the age of 49 and was buried in Caesarea.

Our church celebrates him on January 1 and January 30 of each year, and the Western Church celebrates it on June 14.[9]. Before the ninth century AD, it was celebrated on the first of January.

To this day, his skull is located in the Great Lavra Monastery on Mount Athos.[10]

Some of its features:

Saint Basil was tall, thin in body, with dry features, yellow in color, his gaze was contemplative, his head was almost bald, and he had a long beard. He was slow to speak, thought a lot, shy and avoided public debate, bold and courageous when committed to defending a just cause, and loved isolation and silence. He has the ability to self-control. He maintains his calm and cool nerves.

It was reported that he lost his teeth around the age of forty-six. His body aches were so severe that, at the age of forty-three, he was unable to make any movement without pain.

It worked almost continuously. Demli writes, visits churches, fights enemies of the faith, and defends Orthodoxy.

His wonders:

Emperor Walens tried to exile Saint Basil, because he was a defender of the true faith in the face of the enemies of the faith. However, three times he tried to sign his banishment order and three times his pen broke. The third time, news came to him that his six-year-old son, Galatos, was dying. His wife sent him a message saying: “Do you know why our son is dying? Because your faith in God is not right and because you are persecuting the man of God!” So Walens sent for Basil and said to him: “If your faith is pleasing to God, heal my son with your prayers!” The saint replied: “If you join the group of right opinion, long live your son.” The king agreed. It was then that Basil raised his hands and prayed, and the Lord God granted him the healing of the king’s son. The king was greatly pleased, but his heart was not pure. When the Arians came to baptize the boy, after a while, he died in their hands.

Troparia in the first tune

In all the lands that accept your words, your tone has sounded, O righteous father, with which, befitting God, you legislated and declared the nature of beings, and educated human morals, O royal priest Basil, so intercede with Christ God to save our souls.

Qandaq with the fourth tune

You have appeared as an unshakable foundation for the Church, distributing to all mankind an authority that cannot be taken away, sealing them with your doctrines, O righteous and manifestation of heavenly things, Basil.

His writings

Basil combined practical thought with theological precision and analytical reason, and in his writings he follows a systematic path and uses a very pure and refined language. We can divide his writings into:

1. Defensiveness.
2. Interpretation.
3. Streptococcus.
4. Rhetorical.
5. Ascetic, liturgical and epistles.

Defensiveness: A book to the youth, which consists of two lectures he addressed to the youth of Cappadocia when Emperor Julian forbade giving lessons in public schools in philology (i.e. the science of language or speech), rhetoric, and philosophy. Basil believed that Christian students should follow the lessons taught by the pagans, but they must be vigilant. In this book, Basilius finds that the study of classical philology is useful, but to a limit. Life with two dimensions has a dimension for the present life and a dimension for the future life. Christian theology also teaches about the future life, but young people may not understand this teaching, so they must devote themselves to studying classical philology and taking from it what is good, as bees do from flowers, and they choose texts aimed at their moral training.

Interpretation of the Six Days of Creation: A book of 9 sermons in which he explains the Book of Genesis 1-26, in which he refutes the universal philosophical theory about the eternity of the universe and its self-existence, which leads to the dualistic hypothesis. He studies creation in detail and speaks about their occurrence (creation). In the last sermon, he promised that he would talk about the creation of man, but he did not do so. He begins his sermon by saying: “God is the one who created the heaven and the earth. Some thought that the heaven came into being by chance, and by a self-moving force. But we are children of faith, so we have no room for doubt that the reason for the existence of this world is God alone. In fact, the opinions of scholars abounded, and the teachings of philosophers conflicted, and at no time did they agree on a single opinion, as each opinion was contradicted by another opinion and completely contradicted it. Thus, all opinions fell through a subjective reaction and strange conflict.”[11].

Interpretive literature: There is no doubt that writing (The Six Days of Creation) could be included here, but it is one of the defensive books. There are other exegetical sermons that explain the Psalms that he wrote when he was a priest. In his first sermon, Basil speaks about the importance of the poetry of the Psalms, but in his interpretation of the Psalms, he pays attention to philosophical issues and expands on moral topics. .

There is an interpretation of Isaiah 1-6, but it is difficult for us to express an opinion on its authenticity because its approach is close to Origen’s allegorical approach.

Doctrinal works: After Ephnomius was imprisoned at the Council of Constantinople in the year 360, which Basil attended when he was a deacon, Ephnomius put forward a defense based on the Aristotelian concepts of the essence of beings and reached the conclusion that the divine essence is represented (becomes similar to) non-birth and that the essence of the begotten Son is contrary to the essence of the Father.

Basil wrote in 364 refuting Ephnomius's conclusions and hypotheses regarding man's ability to access the incomprehensible essence of God. Four years later, Ephnomius wrote a defense against Basil's defense, but Basil was in his last days, so his brother Gregory responded to it.

A book on the Holy Spirit [12]It is the most important of Basil's patristic works. Basil used the Magdalene, which says:

“Zoxa to theo meta tou iyou sin to agio pnevmati”

“Doxa tw Qew meta tou yiou sin tw Agiw Pnevmati”

“Glory to God with the Son and the Holy Spirit”

Contrary to the common argument of his time that says: “Glory to God in the Son through the Holy Spirit:

“zoxa… zia… en...” “Doxa… dia… en...”        

This use sparked reactions among his opponents, so his friend Amphilochius asked him to write about the subject. Basil wrote this book in the year 375 in which he proved that the Spirit is one in dignity with the Father “omotimia” “Omotimia” which is synonymous with “Omousia” “Omousia” and he confirmed that the formula that It is used based on the Book, Tradition, and the doctrine of the Council of Nicaea, and it emphasized the work of the Spirit in the human soul, meaning that the hypostasis of the Spirit is present in the soul and completes the work of the incarnate Son (the Holy Spirit remains with man until the Day of Judgment when he departs from him).

Rhetorical compositions: There are about 25 original sermons, most of which have moral content, the most important of which is the sermon (Be careful of yourself). Its summary is that when we pay attention to ourselves, we pay attention to God: “...be careful of yourself. I do not mean that you should care about what you have or what is around you, but rather that you should care about yourself and nothing else. We are something, and what is We have something else, and there is nothing else around us. We are only in soul and spirit because we were made in the image of the Creator. As for what is ours, it is the body and its senses. And what is around us is money, work, and all the other necessities of living... Take care of yourself, and do not cling to things that are fleeting as if they are eternal, and do not underestimate things that are eternal as if they are fleeting.”[13]“ The wise man does not fear anything other than what is feared, and does not hope for something other than what he comprehends. Therefore, he does not fear pain and does not hope for the permanence of worldly pleasures, because they are fleeting. So if he does not fear these pains, he endures them, and if he does not hope for these pleasures, he does not seek them.[14].

 And another sermon entitled “God is not the cause of evil,” in which he affirms that evil does not exist from an entity standpoint. There are important speeches for his time against Sabellius, Arius, and those who rejected similarity.

liturgical works: Gregory the Theologian confirms that Basil established regulations for prayer, and therefore some interpreted this passage as a regulation of the Divine Liturgy, to which the Fifth-Sixth Council of Benedictine Trollo attributes a secret liturgy.

Ascetic writings: The most important works are the ascetic laws written in the form of a question and answer. The lengthy laws, in 55 chapters, discuss the postulates of ascetic life and its practices of love, obedience, and abstinence. As for the summary laws, they are composed of 313 chapters that seek to apply the main lines given in the lengthy laws and to answer every small and special issue.

Messages: The collection of his letters has an importance parallel to the importance of his most important works, and the collection of these letters began since the days of Gregory the Theologian, who collected a portion of them. Therefore, we see an important group of selections from the fifth century. The current group includes 366 letters, and they are among the important documents that are unique in the Eastern Church because Basil addressed them to various figures. He wrote for them on various topics, ranging from letters of recommendation to theological and organizational articles.

His theology

Basil’s abundant theological giving is evidence of his love of divine wisdom, studying the law of the Lord and contemplating its rulings, and living with the Creator and not quenching his love. As a true son of God, he acquired the talent of translating divine truths, and he acquired the talent of clarifying the work of the word and the action of the Holy Spirit, so he became the repository of the spirit, the vessel of grace, and a father. One of the fathers did not neglect to mention God. His tongue, heart, and pen overflowed with divine love and divine speech, participating in the uncreated divine powers and being God’s beholders.[15]

The Church called him “the revealer of heaven,” “the pillar of doctrine,” “the light of piety,” and “the beacon of the Church.”[16] He subjected the knowledge he received in Athens to the Christian experience, away from all empty dialectic. He struggled for the true faith because he believed that just as Satan introduced the experience of knowledge from outside before the fall, so he is trying to introduce again the Jewish rejection and Hellenistic polytheism. And in another place he says: “When demons harm the mind, it resorts to idolatry or any kind of heretics and disbelief.” He considered the heretics’ pride in their reason to be ignorance until he said: “I hate the ignorance of heretics.” When he addressed the followers of Sabellius and Arius and those who said that the Son is not equal to the Father, he said: “Investigate everything.” Something that made everything subject to the logic of division. Would you examine everything, contain everything in your mind, would you know everything that is beneath the earth, and would you know what is in the depths? He says: “Let your mind run to whatever it wants and let it rise above, for you will find that it has gone astray a lot and returned to itself because every time it steps into empty places.”

Therefore, he was accustomed to returning to the faith that was delivered in baptism, and he was accustomed to using liturgical proofs. He did not accept his opponents except with the authority of the Bible, and therefore he sought to prove the legitimacy of resorting to tradition. He says: “The doctrines and teachings that were preserved in the Church, we obtained some of them from written teaching, and others from A secret handed down to us from the tradition of the Apostles, and which are equally effective for piety.” Doctrines (the body of unwritten norms) Catechism (the formal teaching of the Church).

Thus, we received the doctrines in a secret, that is, through the sacraments. For him, the word sacraments refers to the sacraments of baptism and thanksgiving, which, in his opinion, go back to an apostolic origin. He cites the Apostle Paul when he mentions the traditions that the believers received orally or in writing to them. Basil says: “The apostles began from the beginning to Paying attention to everything related to the churches, so they preserved in secret the dignity of the sacraments.” He cites passages that have a liturgical and ritual nature, such as making the sign of the cross when accepting catechumens, facing east, standing continuously on Sunday during the sacrament of thanksgiving, invoking the Holy Spirit, blessing water and oil, rejecting Satan, immersing in water. Water three times. These matters are means of witnessing faith and they come from the secret tradition: “from the secret and mystical tradition and from the teaching that is neither declared nor spoken.” But this secret tradition was not an esoteric doctrine reserved for the elite because the elite was the church.

Basil resorts to what is called the system of concealment (for non-believers), and this system is related to the rank of catechumens and its goal is educational and educational. The Constitution of Faith and the Lord’s Prayer were two parts of the system of concealment, so it was not permissible for them to be presented to those outside the faith. The Constitution of Faith was reserved for the last stage of the catechumens’ education. The bishop was transmitting the Constitution of Faith to them orally, and they were reciting it in absentia in the service of “transmitting or repeating the Constitution of Faith.” Therefore, Basil stressed the importance of confessing faith in baptism, and this confession was a tradition that was secretly delivered to those who had recently converted to Christianity. The difference between doctrine and teaching was in the method of transmission. Doctrine is preserved silently, while teachings are disseminated and announced. He also stressed the importance of the Creed. He responded to the Arians: “We cannot understand the intent of the Book apart from the unwritten Creed.”

The Bible is from the Holy Spirit but its interpretation must be spiritual and prophetic. The gift of discernment is important for understanding it: “Because the critic of words must start from the preparation that springs from the author. I see that it is impossible for every person to undertake to scrutinize the words of the Lord unless he possesses the spirit that gives the power of discernment.” Therefore, the tradition of faith was the necessary guide. A guide to studying the Bible.

His teachings

• Basil's teaching about time:
• God:
• Creation (Cosmologia):
• Material composition and formation:
• God created the world:
• The human and divine feature of cosmology:
• Completion of the world:
• His social concepts:
• Day 8:
• His teaching about secrets:

Basil's teaching about time:

We find in Basil's writings terms related to the concept of time drawn from Hellenic philosophy, such as eternity, eternity, and duration. But he uses these words in a way that contradicts the traditional concept of philosophy, giving them a new meaning.

Origen and some Christian sects distinguished between eternity (AIZION - aidion) and eternity (AION - aiwn), and on this basis they arrived at the statement of the subordination of the Son to the Father (because the Son was born before the ages, and this does not mean that he is from eternity). This distinction was used by the Church Fathers to confirm the distance separating The Trinity and the visible world. However, the Neoplatonists said that eternity is inferior to eternity. As for the patristic thought, which used the word “AION - aiwn” as the Bible used it, it referred to a large part of time and did not refer to a timeless situation. Therefore, Basil considered that the Eternal is above eternity and above time. The Eternal, in the strict sense, refers to the Triune God, but the “ "AIZION - aidion" must not be identical with the unborn "AGENNITON - aggennhton". Contrary to what Ephenomius and his followers did, who rejected the eternity of the Son because he was born. Basil defines the word unbegotten as that which has no beginning or cause for its existence, while the eternal is that which has an existence older than time and eternity. Therefore, the Son is eternally begotten. As for the Father, he is eternally unbegotten and has no beginning. As long as the Son is eternal with the Father, there is no intermediary between the unbegotten Father and the begotten Son, that is, there is no part of time in the relationship between them. Therefore, Basil says: “The Son existed before time and always existed, and his existence never began, and there is no intermediary between him and the Father.”

On the other hand, he tries to refute the heretics’ denial of the eternity of the Son. He points out that the Son cannot be considered more recent than the Father in terms of his existence, because there will be a time in which there will be a difference between the birth of the Son and the non-birth of the Father. If such a time exists, what do we call it? As long as we cannot call it time or eternity. But if we accept that there is a time that mediates between the Father and the Son, then we prove that the Book is wrong because it teaches that the Son was created before the ages. Therefore, it is impossible for a person to deny the eternity of the Son, and it is impossible for him to try to define the Son specifically chronologically, or rather to define the Creator of time specifically chronologically. Eternity is also attributed to the Spirit, as it existed before and was with the Father and the Son before the ages. As long as the Eternal returns to the situation that precedes eternity, the mind cannot go beyond the meaning of the beginning and its imagination. It is unable to enter a place where there is no existence, to the non-existence of space and time, and man cannot comprehend anything older than the beginning.

Therefore, the syllogism cannot understand that there was a time when the Son did not exist because it contradicts the verb “was.” He meant that He was eternal and timeless. That is why the Evangelist said, “The Being who was and the Almighty.” As He is, so He is “He who was.” In his book on the Holy Spirit in Chap. 14:6 He says: “The Son cannot be after the Father in time, for He is the Creator of times. Therefore, there is no time that can be referred to as a time that separates the Father from the Son. Necessity necessitates the presence of the Father with the Son at the same time so that we can speak of a Father and a Son. Is it not unparalleled recklessness to measure the life that transcends all time by temporal standards? Is it not reckless to say that the Father is compared to the Son in time? Sequence and succession apply to creation in time and not to the being before all ages.”

God:

Since God is self-real, he derives proof of his existence from himself, while man derives proof of his existence from outside because he is a creature, and the creature does not know the essence of the Creator.

Since God is a triune hypostasis, each hypostasis differs from the other “in the way it exists,” so the hypostases are one in their unity, and where the Spirit is present, there Christ resides, and where Christ is, there the Father resides. Therefore, each hypostasis reveals the other two hypostases because they share essence and work. Basil stresses the difference between polytheism and multiplicity of hypostases because the relationship is not understood in a human way, but rather in a salvific way.

Creation (Cosmologia):

From the beginning, Basil rejects the Aristotelian approach, which begins with the selective analysis of natural phenomena and advances in the study of natural conditions until the final goal of the phenomena. Basil's cosmology is close to Plato's approach, but on the basis of two fundamental differences, which make the similarity between them apparent:

- Plato understands the cause of creation through mythology, while Basil studies the cause of the universe through revelation or revelation and interprets it realistically, not metaphorically.

-Plato's philosophy does not accept creation, but the Christian doctrine affirms the emergence of visible and invisible things from nothingness.

Material composition and formation:

Basil asserts that it is difficult to explain the essence of beings because they are not perceived by sight and are not completely subject to the sense of touch. Basil does not accept that matter began to exist over time, but rather that it does not exist in reality (an idea adopted by Gregory of Nyssa). Basil considers it impossible for a self-existent nature to exist. If a person subtracts from his thought one particular after another one of the properties of matter, he will arrive at the concept of non-existence. Therefore, he refutes the eternity of matter and says that it is blasphemy to equate matter with God. “If we consider that matter absorbs God’s wisdom, then its existence will correspond to God’s power. However, if we consider it to be less than God’s wisdom, then God’s work remains half finished. Therefore, we must not imagine that God works as a person works who takes matter from the outside and applies it to his system and thinking. As for God, before He created the perspectives, He knew what kind the world should be, and according to this plan, He created the material suitable for it.

Some philosophers believe that the heavens exist from eternity with God, such as Plato and the world of forms, and others believe that the sky is a God with no beginning or end and that it is a reason for organizing creatures. Perhaps Basil is referring here to Plato and Aristotle, and of course to the Neo-Platonic concept of eternal flow. All of them believed that God is the cause of the universe without having a free will. This thinking is, in Basil’s view, an invalid logical analogy, because they did not understand that if He is part of Parts of the world are subject to corruption and annihilation, because the whole will necessarily be subject to the corruption to which the part was subjected, and if the parts of the world are limited, then the whole world is limited. The world is therefore created and not something that exists in itself and is independent or eternal with God.

Basil refutes another philosophical argument about the eternity of the universe based on the eternity of motion (the circle expresses perfection). Basil says that the nature of bodies that move cannot be without beginning. Although it is difficult for one to know the beginning of the circle. However, the circle begins from one point, so the one who drew it set a center for it “Centre” and a distance for the radius and diameter “Rayon et Diametre.” Therefore, by analogy, the circular movement of celestial bodies began in time, so their continuous movement indicates that the world has a beginning and an end. Therefore, his knowledge of the system of the universe is also final. This did not prevent Basil from accepting the common theory of his time, which was that the four “hardening” elements: earth, water, fire, and air, were what made up the universe.[17]. He tried to support this view of the Bible in his writings.

God created the world:

The world was not created alone, that is, in isolation from the divine will, because creation does not place God under natural laws. These laws did not exist before space and time and cannot be separated from creation. Therefore, the beginning of creation cannot be understood within time because the beginning was the first moment of time because it was created with the universe. He confirms that the temporal beginning does not exist within a temporal distance and cannot be understood as a period of time, otherwise we would be able to distinguish in the beginning a beginning, a middle, and an end.

The phrase “in the beginning” appears to Basil that the world began its existence without time and immediately as soon as God wanted it to. Creation is at the same time a revelation of God who intervenes in the essence and being of creatures, composing them and shaping them according to Himself and His will. Thus creation serves the divine purpose. Nothing exists outside of God's providence. The world is not alone in its journey to the end, as divine providence directs beings to perfection.

Biblical cosmology does not aim to satisfy man’s rational creation. Christian teaching about the world is, above all, revelation and declaration, not science. Therefore, when Basil speaks about creation, he does not provide his listeners with scientific information, nor does he care to explain natural phenomena. Rather, he gives the theological basis for cosmology.

The human and divine feature of cosmology:

Basil does not study the world independently of man and God and thus succeeds in establishing a relationship between cosmology, anthropology, and divine knowledge. The knowledge of the universe, being a revelation, aims at the perfection of man. The created world has no value in itself, but rather takes its value from the human being present in it. The world is a place for human perfection. Rational souls learn in the world within the phenomena and the tangible things. The mind is able to reach the existence of the intangible things. The earthy place becomes the “common school for all people.” In this school, revelation helps the person discover eternity and stability in the world of change and annihilation. The world takes on a final dimension because the divine powers are revealed and activated in it. The world is also a school for knowing God, but the knowledge it receives from natural revelation is limited because God's works do not emerge from the divine essence.

Nature does not reveal this essence, just as the house does not reveal the essence of the building, and when man looks at creation with the light of divine revelation, he glorifies the Wise Maker because the beauty of creatures reminds him of transcendent beauty. After the fall, the world groans and churns with the man who lacked grace, but the world is the perfect place. To train and raise him. Everything in nature longs to return to the Giver of Life. The meaning of the world is not found in its beginning but in its end. Purpose gives value to the present and meaning to the past. History moves in time because the body of Christ is not yet complete, and the filling of the body presupposes the completion of all history. Therefore, the end of the world and time is a natural thing, but it is unknown. Everything that is composite in its nature cannot be eternal because it will dissolve. This world is mortal because the formation of perspectives is complex, and everything that is composite dissolves, but where there is no annihilation, there is permanence, that is, the Kingdom of God.

Completion of the world:

One of the most difficult issues in Christian theology is the return of everything to God. We know that Origen did not deviate from the concept of rotation and considered matter to be:

-The result of change, change, and instability of the souls that were created.

-Matter is a punishment because it has turned away from God.

The training exam that helps in spiritual reform is the subject.

As for Basil, the basis is different because perfection does not return to a spiritual, non-material life, before the creation of the world or to a state before the fall only. The entire creation goes in Christ to God. The awaited final perfection is higher than perfection before the fall, and the Kingdom of God cannot be compared to Paradise.

Basil followed the line of the Stoics regarding fire (without fire a new world would not be created) and the return of beings to God is a fixed situation in which there is no fall or rise.

His social concepts:

Basil says that man is a being in whom God instilled the social characteristic at creation when he said: “It is not good for man to be alone on earth.” He gave him the Word to reveal the will of his heart and convey to others the secrets of himself, and gave him spiritual gifts so that humanity could be perfected. The people of society can be one soul if they imitate the lives of angels and saints. But present life is a confrontation with spiritual and social problems.

Ownership in Christianity is not collective, but its use is collective. The individual is the agent and administrator of earthly goods, not the owner of them. The faithful manager carries the responsibility by imitating the wisdom of the greatest manager.

He says: He who does not clothe the naked or feed the hungry is nothing but an embezzler who strips the garment of the wearer.

Selfless love that strives for the other, mourns his harm, and rejoices at his success, is a new principle that Jesus introduced into the world. He who loves serves God's loved ones. In love, we eradicate shameful behavior against our neighbor.

This selfless love also blossoms in the Christian family and takes its fullest dimensions in the love of man and obedience to woman, which constitute one reality. The man, through his love, obeys the woman, and the woman, through her love, obeys the man.[18].

But Basil did not forget the weak human reality in the marital institution, which is why you see him turning a blind eye to some of the abnormalities that prevail between spouses, on the condition that their owners submit to the practices of repentance imposed by the Church in order to raise its children from the level of worldly things to the highest. For example, he excused a man who was abandoned by his wife and married another woman, and did not consider the latter to be an adulteress. Rather, he imposed on them practices of severe repentance, in order to alleviate their situation, which was legally anomalous and difficult to resolve socially and pastorally.[19].

Day 8:

The practice of divine services and prayers on Sunday reflects the content of this special day. Basil says: “We perform prayers standing on the first day of the week, not only because we are standing with Christ and obligated to seek what is above, but rather we remind ourselves, while we are standing at the time of prayer in The day dedicated to the Resurrection, by the grace that has been given to us and also because that day appears in some way to be an image for the generation to come. Since it was the beginning of the day, Moses called it not “the first” but “one,” when he said: And there was evening and there was morning of one day, as if the same day would often return. Moreover, this one and eighth day represents in itself that one and eighth day of truth that the Psalmist mentions in some of the titles of his psalms, and it is an expression of the state that will follow this time, that is, that day that has no end, and will not know evening or morning, that is. That generation that never fades away or grows old.

It is necessary for the Church to teach its children to perform prayers while standing on that day, and as an endless remembrance of life that has no end is imprinted in our minds, we must prepare provisions for that departure...”[20].

His teaching about secrets:

Basil teaches about the sacraments. He says, for example, about the sacrament of baptism: “The Lord says: Go and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Baptism is the seal of faith, and faith is embracing divinity. Therefore, a person must first believe, then be marked with baptism[21] ...And here is the topic of our research very clearly: Why is water associated with the Holy Spirit? Because baptism has a double purpose: erasing the body of sin so that it no longer produces death, and life through the Holy Spirit to produce in us the fruits of holiness. The water, by accepting the body, represents the image of death, as if the body were in the grave. The Holy Spirit breathes life-giving power into the soul, renews it and transfers it from the state of death in sin to the original state, that is, the intimate friendship of God. It is birth from above, that is, from water and the Spirit: we die in the water, but the Spirit creates life in us. With three immersions and three namings, the great mystery of baptism is completed, so that the image of death is represented and those baptized are enlightened by their attainment of the knowledge of God.[22]“.

In the Sacrament of Thanksgiving, he says: “Communion every day and participation in the Body of Christ and His Holy Blood is good and beneficial... However, we receive Communion four times a week: on the Lord’s Day, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and other days, if it is a remembrance of the saints.”[23]“.

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Footnotes

[1] One of the three famous Cappadocian fathers: 1_ Basil the Great, 2_ Gregory of Nyssa, 3_ Gregory the Theologian. All three of them lived in the same era and were from one region, Cappadocia in Asia Minor, whose capital was Caesarea. They had the greatest influence in the history of Christianity, and by establishing the Orthodox faith, Christianity spread in Cappadocia under the influence of Gregory, Bishop of New Caesarea. In this region, a number of men occupied a great position in literature, church and social life. As for the three fathers, they had close relations.

Basil is the older brother of Gregory of Nyssa, and he is a very close friend of Gregory the Theologian. The contribution of the Cappadocians is very important because through it the Church triumphed over heresies and developed its theological formulation, and we do not forget their contribution to establishing an important monastic life in Cappadocia. They were models in everything, especially in church leadership and the correct theological line. See: The Life of Orthodox Prayer, p. 658.

[2] Orthodox Synaxarium: Ten children: 5 males, 5 females: See Lives of the Saints, Part Two, Monastery of Saint Silouan the Athos, 1997

[3] Necratius: previous reference, p. 318

[4] Encyclopedia Grolier 1997 (CD)

[5] Encyclopedia Grolier 1997 (CD) and Encyclopedia Encarta 98 (CD)

[6] See Bustan al-Ruhban: Second Edition, Al-Sayeh Library, p. 130

[7] Ibid.: p. 340

[8] Encyclopedie Encarta “basile, saint, (CD)

[9] See: Orthodox Synaxarium, Part Two, p. 334. And Ency. ENCARTA: On January 2

[10] See: Orthodox Synaxarium, Part Two, p. 334

[11] Saint Basil the Great: Christian Thought Series, p. 316

[12] See: The oldest Christian texts, Theological Texts Series, Saint Basil the Great, An Essay on the Holy Spirit, Kaslik 1979

[13]See: Saint Basil the Great, Series on Christian Thought between Yesterday and Today, Part 12, The Pauline, p. 257.

[14] Bustan al-Ruhban: p. 349

[15] Al-Nour: Basil the Great Theologically: Year 1980, No. 4

[16] Previous reference, p. 40

[17]-Most parents thought so. See also: John of Damascus in his book The Hundred Articles on the Orthodox Faith: the nineteenth article “On the Visible Creation.”

[18]- See: Al-Nour magazine, 1980, issue 4.

[19]– Christian Theology and Contemporary Man, Part 3, p. 269.

[20]– In the Holy Spirit: 27 and 67. See: The oldest liturgical texts, Part 3, “Saturday and Sunday,” p. 133.

[21]- Against Ephenomius 5:3 See: Christian Theology and Contemporary Man, Part 3, p. 82.

[22]- Article on the Holy Spirit: previous reference, p. 84.

[23]- The Oldest Christian Texts, Part 3, Saturday and Sunday: p. 61.