Basil the Great (c. fourth century c.e.) religious leader

Basil attained a reputation in the early church for his

efforts in liturgy, monasticism, and doctrine. The honors

extended to him single him out among the greatest

Christian teachers of his age: one of the “Three Holy

Hierarchs” (the others are John Chrysostom and Gregory

Nazianzus), one of the three “Cappadocian Fathers”

(the others are his brother Gregory of Nyssa and

Gregory Nazianzus), and generally referred to as Basil

the Great. Among the achievements credited to him

are the Liturgy of St. Basil (commonly used in Greek

Church services), the Philokalia (spiritual sayings of

Origen, compiled by Basil and Gregory Nazianzus),

and the Rule of Basil (the constitution followed by many

Orthodox monasteries), to say nothing of his untiring

efforts to unite Greek culture with the Christian Church

emerging from the darkness of persecution and isolation

of Semitic origins.

He was born into a wealthy and devout Christian

family in Pontus (modern Kayseri, Turkey) around 330

c.e. His privileged status allowed him to receive the

best classical education: He sat at the feet of Libanius,

a celebrated teacher of Neoplatonism in Constantinople

and rubbed shoulders with the likes of Julian

the Apostate. His family, however, did not cling to

their social status for they became leaders in the ascetical

movement, a trend among Christians to deny themselves

worldly comfort and status in order to return

to spiritual priorities. Consequently, his grandmother

Macrina, his parents Basil and Emilia, his sister Macrina,

and his younger brothers Gregory and Peter all

are venerated as saints by Christians. Though Basil had

the learning of a scholar, he chose the ascetical life.

His upbringing, the infl uence of an early teacher, and

his pilgrimages to the Holy Land induced him to start

his own community in Cappadocia. His brilliant friend

Gregory Nazianzus and many others joined Basil in

this life, attracted by young Basil’s zeal and spiritual

refl ection.

The new way of life begun by Basil was not intended

for the spiritually elite or mystical individual. Rather

Basil wanted it for all Christians, not just monks. The ideals

included corporate and private prayer, obedience to a

spiritual superior, voluntary poverty, charitable outreach,

and manual labor. In spite of its ascetical origins, community

life was valued more than solitary life, and moderation,

more than extreme individual exercises. These

ideas became the core of the Rule of Basil, and they had

a profound effect on Benedict and the Benedictines, the

Latin Church counterpart to Greek monasticism.

He became bishop in 370 and so had to divide his

time between monastic and more active life. He became

infl uential among his pastoral charges for his social

programs and charitable work. For example, he built

a complex of buildings to serve the sick, the poor, the

pilgrims, and strangers, thus he became the champion

of the common person. Even the emperor Valens, an

advocate for Arianism and not Orthodox Christianity,

supported Basil’s outreach to the disadvantaged of his

region. Toward the end of his life Basil became more

and more absorbed in ecclesial disputes. He worked

hard at building unity between the Greek and Latin

Churches, as well as giving direction to theological discussions

on the nature of the Trinity and the divinity of

Jesus (Christ) of Nazareth. He died in 379 c.e.