Saint Basil the Great- one of the three Ecumenical saints, Bishop of Caesarea Cappadocia. His memory is committed January 14(January 1, old style).

Saint Basil the Great. Biography

Saint Basil the Great was born about 330 in Caesarea in Cappadocia. His parents were of noble birth, and also distinguished by the zeal of the Christian faith. His grandparents suffered during the persecution of Emperor Diocletian, and his uncle was a bishop, like two brothers - Gregory of Nyssa(c. 335–394) and Peter of Sebaste. Vasily's father was an orator and jurist, and wished Vasily to follow in his footsteps. Basil received an excellent education in Caesarea and Constantinople, and then studied at the Academy of Athens. In it he met Gregory the Theologian(329–389).

Upon his return to Caesarea, Basil entered into secular affairs, but through the influence of his pious sister Macrina (324 (327 or 330)–380), Basil began to lead a more ascetic life and eventually left the city with a few friends and settled on family lands in Ponte. In 357, Basil set out on a long journey through the Coptic monasteries, and in 360 he accompanied the Cappadocian bishops to the synod in Constantinople. Shortly before the death of Bishop Dianius of Caesarea, Basil was ordained a presbyter and became an adviser to Bishop Eusebius, who succeeded Dianius after his death. Basil's strict ascetic life did not please Eusebius, and Vasily decided to go into the desert, where he began to establish a monastic life.

The coming to power of the Arian emperor Valens (328-378) and the growing oppression of Christians led Eusebius to seek the help of the active and zealous Basil. In 365, Basil returned to Caesarea and began to manage the diocese. He wrote three books against the Arian heresy, preaching "three hypostases in one essence." Despite the opposition of a number of bishops, after the death of Eusebius in 370, Basil took the place of the Metropolitan of Cappadocia and set about eradicating Arianism in Asia Minor. Basil's efforts to eradicate Arianism brought him into conflict with Valens. During the emperor's journey through Cappadocia, the bishop categorically refused to recognize the correctness of the Arian doctrine. In response, Valens divided Cappadocia into two provinces, which reduced the canonical territory of Bishop Basil and undermined his position in the Church. Nevertheless, Basil managed to promote his associates Gregory of Nyssa and Gregory the Theologian to the place of bishops of key cities. At this time, a struggle began for the patriarchal throne in Antioch, on which Basil did not want to see the Nicene Peacock, fearing that an excessive exaggeration of the unity of God was fraught with the heresy of Sabellianism.

Emperor Valens died at the Battle of Adrianople (378). The health of Bishop Basil was undermined by the ascetic way of life. He died on the first day of the new year 379. Saint Basil left us many theological works: nine discourses on the Six Days, 16 discourses on various psalms, five books in defense of the Orthodox doctrine of the Holy Trinity; 24 talks on various theological topics; seven ascetic treatises; monastic rules; ascetic charter; two books on Baptism; a book about the Holy Spirit; several sermons and 366 letters to various persons.

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Veneration of Saint Basil the Great

Saint Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium(c. 340-394), in his funeral oration about St. Basil, he said:

He has always been and will always be a most salutary teacher for Christians.

For his services to the Church of Christ, Saint Basil is called the Great and glorified as "the glory and beauty of the Church", "the luminary and eye of the universe", "teacher of dogmas". St. Basil the Great is the heavenly patron of the Enlightener of the Russian Land - the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, in holy baptism Basil. Prince Vladimir revered St. Basil and erected several churches in Russia in honor of him. Many Russian rulers were named in honor of Basil the Great at baptism, in particular, Vladimir Monomakh (baptized Vasily), Vasily I, Vasily II. Saint Basil the Great, along with the saint, is especially revered by the Russian people. A particle of the relics of St. Basil is in the Pochaev Lavra. The honest head of the saint is kept in the Lavra of St. Athanasius on Mount Athos, and his right hand is in the altar of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem. Commemoration of St. Basil the Great committed January 14 (January 1 O.S.) and February 12 (January 30 - O.S.)- in the Cathedral of the Three Hierarchs.

Troparion and Kontakion to Saint Basil the Great

Troparion, tone 1:

In the whole 2 earth and 3rd place your broadcasting, as soon as you received your word, and 4m learned 1l є3с2, and 3є3sstvo2 existing ўzni1l є3с2. chlcheskіz nbhtea ўkrasi1l є3si2. Tsrkoe sh7enіe, џge venerable vasi1lie, pray2 xrta bga save 1сz dsh7sm nashim.

Kontakion, tone 4:

K vy1sz the pillar of the immovable church, giving to all the inescapable wealth of the earth, imprinted with your teachings, heavenly saints.

Folk traditions on the day of St. Basil the Great

The eve of St. Basil's Day was popularly called Vasiliev in the evening. Among the northwestern Slavs, he received the name "generous", "generous", "rich", because that evening they got the best from the storerooms; in central and southern Russia - "Avsen", "Ovsen", "Usen", "Tausen". Fortune-telling was a favorite holiday entertainment for young people; they were considered the most faithful and valid just before the New Year, on Vasiliev's evening. All kinds of fortune-telling were timed to this day, despite the fact that pious people consider this a great sin. Almost all methods of fortune-telling have one goal - to find out soon, where and to whom they will marry (or who they will marry) and how life will turn out in a strange family.

St. Basil the Great was revered as the patron saint of pigs, so the people also called this holiday pig. Cattle were slaughtered for the holiday, the so-called “Caesarean” piglets (named after Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea) were pricked so that the table was hearty, meaty and they said: “ A pig and a boletus for Vasilyev's evening". One of the main dishes was a stuffed pork head: “ On Vasily's Day - a pig's head on the table!». « The pig is not clean, - can be heard among the people, - Yes, there is nothing unclean with God: the fire will burn the pig-bristle, and Vasily will consecrate the winter!". A roasted Caesarean pig is considered as if it were a common property: all fellow villagers who wish can come and eat it, and each of those who come must bring at least a little money, which is handed over to the owner, and the next day they are transferred to the parish church and go to the benefit of the clergy. The custom requires that the Caesarean pig must be fried and served on the table as a whole (uncut), even if it looked like a large pig in size. Before eating, the eldest in the family raises the cup with the pig up to three times, saying: “ For pigs to farrow, lambs to lamb, cows to calve».

Kutya was also served on the table. Unlike kutia on Christmas Eve (“lenten”) and Epiphany (“hungry”), she was “rich”, cream, butter, almonds, walnuts were added to it. The table was not inferior in its assortment of dishes to the Christmas feast. Many customs were associated in the popular imagination with Vasilyev evenings. And now, in some places, customs such as cooking "Vasilyeva porridge", sowing grain or walking from house to house are observed.

After the festive dinner, there was a tradition to go to neighbors and acquaintances and ask each other for forgiveness. Vasiliev's day was especially popular among young people. They could re-marry if they had previously been refused. On this day, children liked to scatter grains of spring bread over the huts: “sowing” was a kind of ritual. The hostesses then collected the grains and stored them for sowing. Gardeners also especially prayed to St. Basil the Great, asking them to save fruit trees from pests. In some places it was customary to shake off the trees that evening with the saying: As I shake off the white-fluffy snow, so St. Basil will shake off every reptile worm in the spring!»

Saint Basil the Great. Icons

According to the icon-painting original of the 16th century, on frescoes and icons St. Basil the Great was depicted in a light cross-haired phelonion, with his right hand he blesses the people, and in his left he holds the Gospel. Initially, Basil the Great was depicted frontally, pectoral, as on the icon of the 7th century. from the monastery of the Great Martyr Catherine in Sinai. Later, full-length images of the saint appeared. On the icons of the 11th century, Basil the Great is depicted bowing in prayer, with an unrolled scroll in his hands.

At the end of the 11th century, Byzantium approved the celebration of the memory of the Three Hierarchs (Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom). In this regard, joint images of the Three Hierarchs became widespread. In ancient Russia, the festive icons of the Three Saints became widespread from the 15th century, often as part of menaine tablet icons, for example, “Trinity” (2nd quarter of the 15th century), “Sophia” from Veliky Novgorod (end of the 15th century).

In the Byzantine art of the Paleologian time, compositions appeared that revealed the theme of the teaching of the holy fathers, for example, “The Conversation of the Three Hierarchs” or “The Blessed Fruits of Teaching” in the frescoes of the Church of the Archangels in Lesnov, Macedonia (1347–1349). Basil the Great sits at a music stand with a cruciform base, from which streams of water emanate, i.e. "river of learning" Such icon-painting images of the saint appeared in Russia in the 16th-17th centuries. under the title "Conversation of Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom", "Teaching", or "Good Fruits of Teaching", for example, in the murals of the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin of the Ferapontov Monastery (1502).

In Moscow icon painting, illustrations of the life of Basil the Great are more common. The Russian obverse list of the Life of Basil the Great of the 3rd quarter of the 16th century is distinguished by an exceptional wealth of iconographic subjects (225 sheet miniatures). from the collection of M. A. Obolensky. Russian monuments of the 17th century. were distinguished by an increase in the number of hagiographic episodes and great decorative effect.

Temples in Russia in the name of St. Basil the Great

The first temple, built by Prince Vladimir in Kyiv on the site of a pagan temple, was consecrated in the name of Basil the Great. Also, Prince Vladimir erected the Church of St. Basil in Vyshgorod, where the passion-bearing princes Boris and Gleb were originally buried. In the XII century, in the name of Basil the Great, temples were built in Kyiv, Novgorod, Ovruch and on Smyadyn near Smolensk. In the XIII-XV centuries. churches in honor of Basil the Great were built in Tver (until 1390), Pskov (until 1377) and in other cities. The church in the name of St. Basil the Great in the city of Ovruch (Ukraine) is part of the complex of St. Basil's Convent (UOC-MP). The temple was built in 1190 by Prince Rurik Rostislavovich (d. 1212). The construction of the church was led by the architect of Ancient Russia Peter Miloneg. In 1321, the Vasilevsky Church in Ovruch was almost completely destroyed by the Lithuanians, restored in 19070-1909 by the famous architect A. V. Shchusev. Fragments of ancient Russian frescoes have been preserved in the temple.

In the name of St. Basil the Great, a temple was consecrated in the city of Vladimir-Volynsky (Ukraine). The exact date of construction of the church is unknown. According to researchers, the church building dates back to the 70s-80s of the 13th-mid-14th centuries. The first documentary information about this monument dates back to 1523. In 1695, the church was in ruins, and it remained the same in the 18th century. The monument was rebuilt and completed more than once. The interior was decorated with frescoes, whitewashed at the end of the 17th century. Significant work that changed its original appearance was carried out in 1900–1901. designed by architect N. I. Kozlov.

In the name of Saint Basil, the Church of Basil on Gorka in Pskov was consecrated. A wooden temple on the site of a stone one was built in the 14th century on a hill rising in a swampy area in front of the Zrachka stream. In 1375, along the bank of the stream, the wall of the Middle City was built and the Vasilyevskaya Tower was erected opposite the church, above which a belfry was built. In 1377 the temple was painted. In 1413, a stone temple was erected on the site of a wooden church. The end of the 15th century and the 16th century are the heyday, at that time side chapels and a gallery were added to the temple. At the beginning of the 16th century, the revered temple icon of the Tikhvin Mother of God was painted.

In the Tverskaya Yamskaya Sloboda of Moscow, there once existed a church in the name of St. Basil. The exact time of the construction of the temple is unknown. The first mention of the church of Basil, Bishop of Caesarea, in the sources is found in the census of 1620-1621. This church was wooden, cut down "kletsky". In 1671, all the buildings of the Tverskaya Yamskaya Sloboda were destroyed by fire. In 1688, the construction of the stone church of Basil of Caesarea began. In May 1934 the temple was closed and destroyed.

Old Believer churches in the name of St. Basil the Great

In the name of St. Basil the Great, it was consecrated in the Perm Territory. The Old Believer Church was built in the early 1990s under the care of the Krechetov family, consecrated in 1995, the bell tower was built in 1999. In 2000, the temple, excluding the bell tower, burned down and was rebuilt.

In with. Zolotilovo, Ivanovo region in 1895-1915 was built . The church is currently abandoned.

In 1854 in the southeast of Romania in the village. Sariköy was built.

Sculptures of Saint Basil the Great

The sculptural composition of St. Basil with his life was installed at the beginning of 2011 in Kyiv.

The sculpture of St. Basil is installed in one of the churches in Prague.

Recognizing Basil, Eevvul released his friends and students, and he himself brought Basil to himself, and they spent three whole days in conversation, almost without eating food. Incidentally, Eevvul asked Basil what, in his opinion, was the essential merit of philosophy.

- The essence of philosophy, - answered Vasily, - lies in the fact that it gives a person the remembrance of death.

At the same time, he pointed out to Eevvul the fragility of the world and all its pleasures, which at first seem really sweet, but then become extremely bitter for someone who has had too much time to become attached to them.

“There are, along with these pleasures,” said Vasily, consolations of a different kind, of heavenly origin. You can not use both at the same time - "No one can serve two masters"(), - but we still, as far as possible for people attached to worldly things, crush the bread of true knowledge and the one who, even through his own fault, has lost the robe of virtue, we introduce him under the roof of good deeds, pitying him, as we pity a person on the street naked.

Following this, Basil began to speak to Evvul about the power of repentance, describing the images he once saw of virtue and vice, which in turn attract a person to themselves, and the image of repentance, near which, like his daughters, various virtues stand.

“But we have nothing, Eevvul,” added Vasily, “to resort to such artificial means of persuasion. We own the very truth, which can be comprehended by anyone who sincerely strives for it. Indeed, we believe that we will all be resurrected one day, some for eternal life, and others for eternal torment and shame. We are clearly told about this by the prophets: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and David and the divine Apostle Paul, as well as the Lord Himself calling us to repentance, Who found the lost sheep, and Who, having embraced the prodigal son returning with repentance, embraces him with love, kisses and adorns him with bright clothes and a ring and makes a feast for him (). He gives an equal reward to those who came at the eleventh hour, as well as to those who endured the burden of the day and the heat. He gives us those who repent and are born by water and the Spirit, as it is written: eyes have not seen, ears have not heard, and that which He has prepared for those who love Him has not entered into the heart of man.

When Basil gave Evbulus a brief history of the dispensation of our salvation, beginning with the fall of Adam and ending with the doctrine of Christ the Redeemer, Evbulus exclaimed:

- Oh, Basil, revealed by heaven, through you, I believe in the One God, the Almighty Father, the Creator of all things, and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century, amen. And here is the proof of my faith in God for you: I will spend the rest of my life with you, and now I want to be born from water and the Spirit.

Then Vasily said:

to transfer them to oratorical speech, but he could not do this, and, being in such a difficulty, he was very mournful. Vasily, seeing him sad, asked:

“What are you sad about, young man?

Philoxenus said:

“If I tell you the reason for my grief, what good will you do me?”

When Basil insisted on his own and promised that it would not be in vain that the young man would tell him about the reason for his grief, the youth told him about the sophist and about the verses, adding that the reason for his grief was that he did not know how to clearly convey the meaning of those verses. Vasily, taking the verses, began to interpret them, putting them into simple speech; the lad, wondering and rejoicing, asked him to write that translation for him. Then Basil wrote a translation of those Homeric verses in three different ways, and the youth, taking the translation with joy, went with them in the morning to his teacher, Livanius. Livanius, having read it, was surprised and said:

“I swear by Divine Providence that there is no one among modern philosophers who could give such an interpretation! Who wrote this to you, Philoxenus?

The lad said:

- There is a stranger in my house who wrote this interpretation very quickly and without any difficulty.

Livanius immediately hurried to the inn to see this wanderer; seeing Basil and Evbulus here, he was surprised at their unexpected arrival and rejoiced at them. He asked them to stay at his house and when they came to him, he offered them a sumptuous meal. But Basil and Eevvul, according to their custom, having tasted bread and water, gave thanks to God, the giver of all blessings. After this, Lebanon began to ask them various sophistical questions, and they offered him a word about the Christian faith. Livanius, after listening attentively to them, said that the time had not yet come for the adoption of this word, but that, if such was the will of Divine Providence, no one would be able to resist the teachings of Christianity.

“You would lend me a lot, Vasily,” he concluded, “if you didn’t refuse to present your teaching for the benefit of the students who are with me.

Soon the disciples of Livanius gathered, and Basil began to teach them that they should acquire spiritual purity, bodily dispassion, modest steps, quiet speech, modest words, moderation in food and drink, silence in front of the elders, attentiveness to the words of the wise, obedience to superiors, unhypocritical love for equal to themselves and to the lower ones, so that they would move away from evil, passionate and attached to carnal pleasures, so that they would speak less and listen and understand more, they would not be reckless in speech, they would not be verbose, they would not laugh boldly at others, they would be adorned with modesty, they would not enter in conversation with immoral women, lowered their eyes to the bottom, and turned their souls to grief, avoided disputes, would not seek the rank of teacher, and the honors of this world would be imputed to nothing. If anyone does anything for the benefit of others, let him expect a reward from God and an eternal reward from Jesus Christ our Lord. So Basil spoke to the disciples of Livanius, and they listened to him with great astonishment, and after this he, together with Evulus, again set off on the road.

When they came to Jerusalem and walked with faith and love all the holy places, praying there to the One Creator of all God, they appeared to the bishop of that city, Maxim, and asked him to baptize them in the Jordan. The bishop, seeing their great faith, fulfilled their request: taking his clerics, he set off with Basil and Evvul to the Jordan. When they stopped on the shore, Basil fell to the ground and with tears prayed to God to show him some kind of sign to strengthen his faith. Then, rising with trembling, he took off his clothes, and with them "put aside the former way of life of the old man" and, entering the water, he prayed. When the saint came up to baptize him, a fiery lightning suddenly fell on them and, emerging from that lightning, the dove plunged into the Jordan and, stirring up the water, flew away to heaven. Those who stood on the shore, seeing this, trembled and glorified God. Having received baptism, Basil came out of the water, and the bishop, marveling at his love for God, clothed him in the clothes of Christ's resurrection, while praying. He baptized Eevvulus and then anointed both with myrrh and communed the Divine Gifts.

Returning to the holy city, Basil and Evvul stayed there for one year. Then they went to Antioch, where Basil was made a deacon by Archbishop Meletios, then he was engaged in the interpretation of Scripture. A little while later, he went with Evulus to his fatherland, Cappadocia. As they approached the city of Caesarea, the archbishop of Caesarea, Leontius, was announced in a dream of their arrival, and it was said that Basil would in time be the archbishop of that city. Therefore, the archbishop, calling his archdeacon and several honorary clerics, sent them to the eastern gate of the city, ordering them to bring to him with honor two strangers whom they would meet there. They went and, having met Basil with Evvul, when they entered the city, they took them to the archbishop; he, seeing them, was surprised, for it was them that he saw in a dream, and glorified God. Having asked them about where they were coming from and what they were called, and, having learned their names, he ordered them to be taken to a meal and treated, while he himself, having called his clergy and honorary citizens, told them everything that was told to him in a vision from God about Basil . Then the clear unanimously said:

- Since for your virtuous life he has indicated to you the heir to your throne, then do with him as you please; for the man who is directly pointed out by the will of God is truly worthy of all respect.

After this, the archbishop called Basil and Eubulus to him and began to reason with them about the Scripture, wanting to know how much they understand it. Hearing their words, he marveled at the depth of their wisdom and, leaving them with him, treated them with special respect. Basil, while in Caesarea, led the same life that he learned from many ascetics when he traveled through Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Mesopotamia and looked closely at the ascetic fathers who lived in those countries. So, imitating their life, he was a good monk and the archbishop of Caesarea, Eusebius, appointed him presbyter and leader of the monks in Caesarea. Having accepted the rank of presbyter, Saint Basil devoted all his time to the labors of this ministry, so much so that he even refused to correspond with his former friends. Care for the monks gathered by him, preaching the word of God, and other pastoral cares did not allow him to be distracted by extraneous activities. At the same time, in the new field, he soon gained such respect for himself that the archbishop himself, who was not yet quite experienced in church affairs, did not enjoy, since he was elected to the throne of Caesarea from among the catechumens. But the year of his presbytery had barely passed, when Bishop Eusebius, due to human weakness, began to envy and ill-will Basil. Saint Basil, learning about this, and not wanting to be an object of envy, went into the Ionian desert. In the Ionian desert, Basil retired to the Iris River, to the area in which his mother Emmelia and his sister Macrina had retired before him, and which belonged to them. Macrina built a monastery here. Near it, at the foot of a high mountain, covered with dense forest and irrigated by cold and clear waters, Vasily settled. The desert was so pleasing to Vasily with its imperturbable silence that he intended to end his days here. Here he imitated the exploits of those great men whom he saw in Syria and Egypt. He asceticised in extreme deprivation, having only one garment to cover himself—a cloak and a mantle; he also wore a sackcloth, but only at night, so that it was not visible; He ate bread and water, seasoning this meager food with salt and roots. From strict abstinence, he became very pale and thin, and became extremely exhausted. He never went to the bath and did not light a fire. But Vasily did not live for himself alone: ​​he gathered monks into a hostel; with his letters he attracted his friend Gregory to his desert.

In their seclusion, Vasily and Grigory did everything together; prayed together; both left the reading of worldly books, for which they had previously spent a lot of time, and began to occupy themselves solely with the Holy Scriptures. Wishing to study it better, they read the writings of the fathers and church writers who preceded them in time, especially Origen. Here Basil and Gregory, guided by the Holy Spirit, wrote the statutes of the monastic community, by which the monks of the Eastern Church are for the most part guided even today.

In relation to bodily life, Vasily and Gregory found pleasure in patience; they worked with their own hands, carrying firewood, hewing stones, planting and watering trees, carrying manure, carrying weights, so that calluses on their hands remained for a long time. Their dwelling had neither a roof nor a gate; there was never fire or smoke there. The bread they ate was so dry and badly baked that they could hardly chew it with their teeth.

However, the time came when both Basil and Gregory had to leave the desert, since their services were needed by the Church, which at that time was revolted by heretics. Gregory, to help the Orthodox, was taken to Nazianzus by his father, Gregory, a man already old and therefore not having the strength to fight with firmness against heretics; Basil was persuaded to return to himself by Eusebius, the archbishop of Caesarea, who reconciled with him in a letter and asked him to help the Church, which the Arians took up arms. Blessed Basil, seeing such a need for the Church and preferring it to the benefits of hermit life, left solitude and came to Caesarea, where he worked hard, protecting the Orthodox faith from heresy with words and writings. When Archbishop Eusebius reposed, betraying his spirit to God in Basil's arms, Basil was elevated to the archbishop's throne and consecrated by a council of bishops. Among those bishops was the elderly Gregory, father of Gregory of Nazianzus. Being weak and troubled by old age, he ordered that he be escorted to Caesarea in order to convince Basil to accept the archbishopric and prevent the enthronement of any of the Arians.

While Saint Basil was a bishop, Christ was embarrassed by King Valens, blinded by the Arian heresy. He, having overthrown many Orthodox bishops from their thrones, raised Arians to their places, and forced others who were cowardly and fearful to join his heresy. He was angry and tormented inwardly, seeing that Basil fearlessly abides on his throne, as an unshakable pillar of his faith, and strengthens and exhorts others to abhor Arianism, as a false doctrine hated by God. Bypassing his possessions, and extremely oppressing the Orthodox everywhere, the king, on the way to Antioch, arrived at Caesarea in Cappadocia and here began to use all measures to persuade Basil to the side of Arianism. He inspired his governors, nobles and advisers, so that they either by prayers and promises, or by threats, prompted Basil to fulfill the desire of the king. And the royal supporters persistently urged the saint to this; in addition, some noble women, who enjoyed the favor of the king, began to send their eunuchs to the saint, insistently advising him to think along with the king. But no one could force this hierarch, unshakable in his faith, to fall away from Orthodoxy. Finally, eparch Modest called Vasily to him and, after being unable to persuade him to fall away from Orthodoxy with flattering promises, began to furiously threaten him with the seizure of property, expulsion and. The saint boldly answered his threats:

“If you take away my property, you won’t enrich yourself with it, and you won’t make me a beggar. I suppose that you do not need these shabby clothes of mine and a few books that contain all my wealth. There is no link for me, because I am not bound by a place, and the place where I live now is not mine, and whatever I am sent to will be mine. It would be better to say: everywhere is the place of God, wherever I "stranger and stranger"(). And what can suffering do to me? - I am so weak that only the first blow will be sensitive to me. Death for me is a blessing: it will sooner lead me to God, for whom I live and work, and towards whom I have long been striving.

Amazed by these words, the ruler said to Basil:

No one has ever spoken to me so boldly!

“Yes,” answered the saint, “because you have never spoken to a bishop before. In everything else, we show meekness and humility, but when it comes to God, and they dare to rebel against Him: then we, everything else, imputing nothing, look only at Him alone; then the fire, the sword, the beasts, and the iron that torment the body will rather please us than frighten us.

Reporting to Valens about the inflexibility and fearlessness of Saint Basil, Modest said:

– We are defeated, tsar, by the rector of the Church. This husband is above threats, stronger than arguments, stronger than convictions.

After this, the king forbade disturbing Basil and, although he did not accept communication with him, ashamed to show himself changed, he began to look for more decent excuses.

The feast of the Epiphany has arrived. The king with his retinue entered the church where Basil served and, having entered the midst of the people, by this he wanted to show a form of unity with the Church. Looking at the splendor and order of the church and listening to the singing and prayers of the faithful, the king marveled, saying that he had never seen such order and splendor in his Arian churches. Saint Basil, approaching the king, began to converse with him, instructing him from the Holy Scriptures; Gregory of Nazianzus, who happened to be there at that time, was also a listener of this conversation, and he wrote about it. Since that time, the king began to treat Basil better. But, having retired to Antioch, he again became irritated against Basil, being excited to this by evil people, believing whose denunciations he condemned Basil to exile. But when the king wanted to sign this sentence, the throne on which he was sitting swayed and the cane broke, with which he was supposed to sign. The king took another cane, but it was the same with that one; the same happened with the third. Then his hand trembled, and fear fell upon him; seeing the power of God in this, the king tore up the charter. But the enemies of Orthodoxy again began to persistently pester the tsar about Basil, so that he would not leave him alone, and a dignitary named Anastasius was sent from the tsar to bring Basil to Antioch. When this dignitary came to Caesarea and announced to Basil about the command of the king, the saint answered:

- I, my son, learned some time ago that the king, listening to the advice of foolish people, broke three canes, wanting to sign a decree on my imprisonment and darken the truth through this. The insensible canes restrained his irresistible impetuosity, agreeing to break rather than serve as a weapon for his unrighteous sentence.

Being brought to Antioch, Basil appeared before the court of the eparch, and to the question: “why does he not adhere to the faith that the king professes? - answered:

- It will never happen that I, deviating from the true Christian faith, become a follower of the impious Arian doctrine; for I have inherited from the fathers the faith in those who are of the same essence, which I confess and glorify.

At this time, the citizens, having learned about the incident, rushed all - not only men, but also women - to the eparch's palace with weapons and dracula, intending to kill him for their holy father and their shepherd. And if Saint Basil had not calmed the people, the eparch would have been killed. The latter, seeing such popular indignation, was very frightened and released the saint unharmed and free.

Ellady, an eyewitness to the miracles of Basil and his successor on the episcopal throne, a virtuous and holy man, told the following. One Orthodox senator named Proterius, visiting holy places, set out to give his daughter to serve God in one of the monasteries; but, the primordial hater of good, aroused in one slave Proterius a passion for the daughter of his master. Seeing the unfulfillment of his desire, and not daring to say anything about his passion to the girl, the slave went to a magician who lived in that city and told him about his difficulty. He promised the magician a lot of gold if he would help him marry his master's daughter with his magic. The wizard at first refused, but finally said:

- If you want, then I will send you to my master, ; he will help you in this, if only you will fulfill his will.

The unfortunate servant said:

“Whatever he commands me, I promise to do.

The wizard then said:

– Will you renounce your Christ and give a receipt for that?

The slave said:

- Ready for this, just to get what you want.

- If you make such a promise, - said the magician, - then I will be your assistant.

Then, taking the charter, he wrote the following:

- Since I must, my lord, try to tear people away from the Christian faith and bring them under your authority, in order to multiply your subjects, I am now sending you the bearer of this letter, a young man, kindled by a passion for a girl, and I ask for him to help him fulfill his wish. Through this, I will become famous, and I will attract more admirers to you.

Basil said to him:

- In all your other good deeds, also have obedience.

When Anastassy celebrated the Liturgy, then, during the offering of the Holy Mysteries, Saint Basil and others who were worthy saw the Most Holy Spirit descend in the form of fire and surround Anastassy and the holy altar. At the end of the divine service, everyone entered the house of Anastassy, ​​and he offered a meal to St. Basil and his clergy.

During the meal, the saint asked the presbyter:

- Where do you get the treasure and what is your life like? Tell me.

The presbyter replied:

- Saint of God! I am a sinful person and subject to public taxes; I have two pairs of oxen, of which I work with one myself, and with the other - my hired hand; what I receive with the help of one pair of oxen, I spend on calming the strangers, and what I receive with the help of another pair goes to pay taxes: my wife also works with me, serving the strangers and me.

Basil said to him:

- Call her your sister, as it really is, and tell me about your virtues.

Anastasius replied:

“I have done nothing good on earth.

Then Vasily said:

- Let's get up and go together, - and, having risen, they came to one of the rooms of his house.

“Open these doors for me,” Vasily said.

“No, holy hierarch of God,” said Anastassy, ​​“do not go in there, because there is nothing there but household things.”

Vasily said:

“But I came for these things.

Since the presbyter still did not want to open the doors, the saint opened them with his word and, entering, found there one man, stricken with severe leprosy, in which many parts of the body had already fallen off, having rotted away. No one knew about him except the presbyter himself and his wife.

Basil said to the presbyter:

“Why did you want to hide this treasure of yours from me?”

“He is an angry and quarrelsome man,” answered the presbyter, “and therefore I was afraid to show him, so that he would not offend your holiness with any word.

Then Vasily said:

“You are doing a good deed, but let me also serve him this night, so that I can be an accomplice in the reward that you receive.”

And so Saint Basil was left alone with the leper and, locking himself up, spent the whole night in prayer, and in the morning he brought him out completely unharmed and healthy. The presbyter, with his wife, and everyone who was there, seeing such a miracle, glorified God, and Saint Basil, after a friendly conversation with the presbyter and the instruction given by him to those present, returned to his house.

When St. Ephraim the Syrian, who lived in the wilderness, heard about Saint Basil, he began to pray to God that He would show him what Basil is like. And then one day, being in a state of spiritual delight, he saw a pillar of fire, whose head reached the sky, and heard a voice saying:

- Ephraim, Ephraim! As you see this fiery pillar, such is Basil.

The Monk Ephraim immediately, taking with him an interpreter, for he could not speak Greek, went to Caesarea and arrived there on the feast of the Theophany of the Lord. Standing in the distance and unnoticed by anyone, he saw Saint Basil walking to church with great solemnity, dressed in light clothes, and his clergy, also dressed in light clothes. Turning to the interpreter who accompanied him, Ephraim said:

“It seems, brother, that we have labored in vain, for this is a man of such high rank that I have not seen such a person.

Entering the church. Ephraim stood in a corner, invisible to anyone, and spoke to himself like this:

- We, "those who endured the burden of the day and the heat"(), achieved nothing, but this one, who enjoys such fame and honor among people, is at the same time a pillar of fire. This surprises me.

When Saint Ephraim spoke of him in this way, Basil the Great learned from the Holy Spirit and sent his archdeacon to him, saying:

- Go to the western gates of the church; there you will find in the corner of the church a monk standing with another man, almost beardless and small in stature. Tell him: go and go up to the altar, for the archbishop is calling you.

The archdeacon, pushing his way through the crowd with great difficulty, approached the place where the Monk Ephraim was standing and said:

- Father! go, - I beg you - and go up to the altar: the archbishop is calling you.

Ephraim, having learned through the interpreter what the archdeacon had said, answered the latter:

You are wrong, brother! we are strangers and strangers to the archbishop.

The archdeacon went to tell Basil about this, who at that time was explaining the Holy Scripture to the people. And then the Monk Ephraim saw that fire was coming out of the mouth of Basil who was speaking.

Then Basil again said to the archdeacon:

“Go and tell that new monk: Mr. Ephraim!” I ask you to go up to the holy altar: the archbishop is calling you.

The archdeacon went and said as he was ordered. Ephraim was surprised at this and glorified God. After making a prostration, he said:

- Truly great is Basil, truly he is a pillar of fire, truly the Holy Spirit speaks through his mouth!

Then he begged the archdeacon to inform the archbishop that, at the end of the holy service, he wanted to bow to him in a secluded place and greet him.

When the Divine Service was over, Saint Basil entered the vessel-guardian and, calling to the Monk Ephraim, gave him a kiss in the Lord and said:

“Greetings to you, father, who multiplied the disciples of Christ in the wilderness and cast out demons from it by the power of Christ!” Why, father, did you undertake such a labor, coming to see a sinful man? May the Lord reward you for your work.

Ephraim, answering Basil through an interpreter, told him everything that was in his heart, and communed with his companion the Most Pure Mysteries from the holy hands of Basil. When they sat down to a meal in Basil's house, the Monk Ephraim said to Saint Basil:

- Holy Father! One favor I ask of you - deign to give it to me.

Basil the Great said to him:

“Tell me what you need: I am indebted to you for your work, for you undertook such a long journey for me.

“I know, father,” said Venerable Ephraim, “that God gives you everything you ask of him; but I want you to beg His goodness that He would give me the ability to speak Greek.

Vasily replied:

“Your petition is beyond my strength, but since you ask with firm hope, then let us go, venerable father and desert guide, to the temple of the Lord and pray to the Lord, Who can fulfill your prayer, for it is said: “He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them.” ().

Having chosen a convenient time, they began to pray in church and prayed for a long time. Then Basil the Great said:

“Why, honest father, do you not accept ordination to the rank of presbyter, being worthy of it?”

“Because I am a sinful lord!” Ephraim answered him through an interpreter.

Oh, if only I had your sins! - said Vasily and added, - let's make a prostration.

When they fell to the ground, Saint Basil laid his hand on the head of the Monk Ephraim and said the prayer laid down at the consecration to the deacon. Then he said to the Reverend:

“Now order us to rise from the ground.

For Ephraim, Greek speech suddenly became clear, and he himself said in Greek: “Intercede, save, have mercy, save us, God, with Your grace.”

Everyone glorified God, who gave Ephraim the ability to understand and speak Greek. Saint Ephraim stayed with Saint Basil for three days, in spiritual joy. Basil made him a deacon, and his interpreter a presbyter, and then released them in peace.

The ashamed cook again said something in response, but the saint said:

“Your job is to think about food, and not to cook church dogmas.

And Demosthenes, being put to shame, fell silent. The king, now excited by anger, now feeling shame, said to Vasily:

“Go and look into their case; however, judge in such a way that you do not turn out to be an assistant to your fellow believers.

“If I judge unfairly,” answered the saint, “then send me into prison, but drive out my fellow believers, and give the church to the Arians.”

Taking the royal decree, the saint returned to Nicaea and, calling the Arians, said to them:

“The tsar gave me the authority to bring judgment between you and the Orthodox regarding the church, which you seized by force.

They answered him:

The saint then said:

- Go, you Arians, and you Orthodox, and close the church; having locked it, seal it with seals: you with yours, and you with yours, and set up reliable guards on both sides. Then first you Arians will pray for three days and three nights, and then go to the church. And if, at your prayer, the church doors open of their own accord, then let the church be yours forever: if this does not happen, then we will pray one night and go with litia, while singing sacred hymns, to the church; if it is revealed to us, then we will own it forever; if it is not opened to us, then the church will be yours again.

The Arians liked this proposal, while the Orthodox were upset with the saint, saying that he judged not by truth, but by fear of the king. Then, when both sides firmly and firmly locked up the holy church, vigilant guards were posted to it, after sealing it. When the Arians, having prayed for three days and three nights, came to the church, nothing miraculous happened: they prayed here from morning until the sixth hour, standing and crying out: Lord have mercy. But the church doors did not open before them, and they left in shame. Then Basil the Great, having gathered all the Orthodox with their wives and children, went out of the city to the Church of the Holy Martyr Diomedes, and there having performed an all-night vigil, in the morning he went with everyone to the sealed cathedral church, singing:

– Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us!

Stopping before the doors of the church, he said to the people:

- Raise your hands to heaven and cry out with zeal: "Lord have mercy!"

Then the saint commanded everyone to be silent and, going up to the doors, made the sign of the cross three times over them and said:

Blessed be the Christian God always, now and forever, and forever and ever.

When the people exclaimed: “Amen,” the earth immediately shook, and the locks began to break, the shutters fell out, the seals broke, and the gates opened, as if from a strong wind and storm, so that the doors hit the walls. Saint Basil began to sing:

– “Lift up, you gates, your heads, and lift up, you eternal doors, and the King of glory will enter!” ().

Then he entered the church with a multitude of Orthodox and, having performed the divine service, dismissed the people with joy. Countless Arians, seeing that miracle, lagged behind their error and joined the Orthodox. When the king found out about such a just decision of Basil and about that glorious miracle, he was extremely surprised and began to blaspheme Arianism; however, being blinded by wickedness, he did not convert, and subsequently perished miserably. It was when he was struck and wounded in the war in the Thracian country that he ran away and hid in a shed where straw lay. His pursuers surrounded the barn and set it on fire, and the king, having burned there, went into the unquenchable fire. The death of the king followed after the repose of our holy father Basil, but in the same year in which the saint also reposed.

Once, before Saint Basil, his brother, Bishop Peter of Sebaste, was slandered. They said about him that he allegedly continues cohabitation with his wife, whom he left before consecration to the bishops - it is not fitting for a bishop to be married. Hearing about this, Vasily said:

- It's good that you told me about it; I will go with you and rebuke him.

When the saint approached the city of Sebastia, Peter learned in spirit about the coming of his brother, for Peter was also filled with the Spirit of God and lived with his imaginary wife, not as a wife, but as a sister, chastely. So, he went out of the city to meet St. Basil for eight fields and, seeing his brother with a large number of companions, he smiled and said:

“Brother, how would you go against me against a robber?”

Having kissed each other in the Lord, they entered the city, and having prayed in the church of the holy forty martyrs, they came to the episcopal house. Vasily, seeing his daughter-in-law, said:

- Hello, my sister, it is better to say - the bride of the Lord; I came here for you.

She replied:

- Hello you too, most honorable father; and I have long wanted to kiss your honest feet.

And Basil said to Peter:

“I beg you, brother, spend the night with your wife in the church.

“I will do whatever you tell me,” replied Peter.

When night fell, and Peter rested in the church with his wife, Saint Basil was there with five virtuous men. Around midnight he woke these men and said to them:

- What do you see over my brother and over my daughter-in-law?

They also said:

- We see the angels of God wrapping around them and smearing with aromas their immaculate bed.

Vasily then said to them:

“Be quiet, and don’t tell anyone what you saw.”

The next morning, Vasily ordered the people to gather in the church and bring here a brazier with burning coals. After that he said:

- Stretch, my honest daughter-in-law, your clothes.

And when she had done this, the saint said to those who held the brazier.

“Put burning coals in her clothes.

They carried out this command. Then the saint said to her:

“Keep these coals in your clothes until I tell you to.”

Then he again ordered to bring new burning coals and said to his brother:

- Stretch out, brother, your felon.

When he fulfilled this command, Basil said to the servants:

- Pour the coals from the brazier into the phelonion - and they poured out.

When Peter and his wife kept burning coals in their clothes for a long time and did not suffer any harm from this, the people who saw this marveled and said:

– The Lord preserves His saints and grants them blessings while still on earth.

When Peter and his wife threw coals on the ground, they did not smell any smoky smell, and their clothes remained unburned. Then Basil commanded the aforementioned five virtuous men to tell everyone what they saw, and they told the people how they saw in the church the angels of God hovering over the bed of blessed Peter and his wife, and smearing their immaculate bed with aromas. After this, everyone glorified God, who cleanses His saints from the false slander of man.

In the days of our venerable father Basil in Caesarea there was a widow of noble birth, extremely wealthy; living voluptuously, pleasing her flesh, she completely enslaved herself to sin and for many years dwelt in fornication. God, who wants everyone to repent (), touched her heart with His grace, and the woman began to repent of her sinful life. Once left alone with herself, she reflected on the immeasurable multitude of her sins and began to lament her situation like this:

Woe to me, sinful and prodigal! How will I answer the righteous Judge for the sins I have committed? I have corrupted the temple of my body, defiled my soul. Woe to me, the most grievous of sinners! With whom can I compare myself in my sins? With a harlot, or with a publican? But no one sinned like me. And - what is especially scary - I have committed so much evil already after being baptized. And who will tell me whether God will accept my repentance?

Weeping so, she remembered everything that she had done from youth to old age, and, sitting down, wrote it on the charter. After all, she wrote down one of the most difficult and sealed this charter with a lead seal. Then, choosing the time when Saint Basil went to church, she rushed to him and, throwing herself at his feet with a charter, exclaimed:

“Have mercy on me, holy hierarch of God, I have sinned more than anyone!”

The saint stopped and asked her what she wanted from him; she, giving him a sealed charter, said:

- Here, Vladyka, I wrote all my sins and iniquities on this charter and sealed it; but you, the saint of God, do not read it and do not remove the seal, but only cleanse them with your prayer, for I believe that the One who gave me this thought will hear you when you pray for me.

Basil, taking the charters, raised his eyes to heaven and said:

- God! To you alone this is possible. For if you took upon yourself the sins of the whole world, then the more you can cleanse the sins of this one soul, since all our sins, although they are counted by you, but your mercy is immeasurable and unsearchable!

Having said this, Saint Basil entered the church, holding the charter in his hands, and, prostrating himself before the altar, spent the whole night in prayer for that woman.

The next morning, having performed the divine service, the saint called the woman and gave her the sealed charter in the form in which he received it, and at the same time said to her:

Did you hear, woman? "who can forgive sins except God alone" ().

She also said:

- I heard, honest father, and that's why I bothered you with a request to implore His goodness.

Having said this, the woman untied her charter and saw that her sins were blotted out here; only that grave sin that was written down by her after was not blotted out. At the sight of this, the woman was horrified and, striking herself in the chest, fell at the feet of the saint, crying out:

- Have mercy on me, servant of the Most High God, and as you had mercy on all my iniquities and begged God for them, so beg for this, so that it would be completely cleansed.

The archbishop, shedding tears of pity for her, said:

- Arise, woman: I myself am a sinner, and I need pardon and forgiveness; The same one who cleansed your other sins can also cleanse your sin that has not yet been blotted out; but if for the future time you protect yourself from sin and begin to walk in the way of the Lord, you will not only be forgiven, but also be worthy of heavenly glorification. This is what I advise you: go into the desert: there you will find a holy man named Ephraim; give him this charter and ask him to ask for mercy for you from God the Lover of mankind.

The woman, according to the word of the saint, went into the wilderness and, after walking a long distance, found the cell of blessed Ephraim. Knocking on the door, she said:

- Have mercy on me, a sinner, reverend father!

Saint Ephraim, having learned in his spirit about the purpose with which she came to him, answered her:

- Get away from me, woman, for I am a sinful person and I myself need the help of other people.

She then threw the charter before him and said:

- Archbishop Vasily sent me to you so that, having prayed to God, you would cleanse my sin, which is written in this charter; he cleansed the rest of the sins, and you do not refuse to pray for one sin, for I have been sent to you.

Saint Ephraim said:

- No, child, the one who could beg God for many of your sins, all the more can beg for one. So, go, go now, so that you may find him alive before he goes to the Lord.

Then the woman, bowing to the monk, returned to Caesarea.

But she came here just in time for the burial of Saint Basil, for he had already passed away, and his holy body was being carried to the place of burial. Having met the funeral procession, the woman sobbed loudly, threw herself on the ground and said to the saint, as if alive:

- Woe to me, saint of God! woe to me, unfortunate! Did you send me into the wilderness so that, undisturbed by me, you could leave the body? And so I returned empty-handed, having made the difficult journey into the desert in vain. Let God see this and let Him judge between me and you that you, having the opportunity to help me yourself, sent me to another.

So crying, she threw the charter on top of the saint's bed, telling all people about her grief. One of the clergy, wanting to see what was written in the charter, took it and, having untied it, did not find any words on it: the whole charter became clean.

“Nothing is written here,” he said to the woman, “and in vain do you grieve, not knowing the indescribable love of God that has manifested itself in you.

All the people, seeing this miracle, glorified God, who gave such power to His servants even after their death.

In Caesarea there lived a Jew named Joseph. He was so skilled in the science of healing that he determined, by observing the movement of blood in the veins, the day of the death of the patient in three or five days, and even indicated the very hour of death. Our God-bearing father Basil, foreseeing his future conversion to Christ, loved him very much and, often inviting him to talk with him, persuaded him to leave the Jewish faith and accept holy baptism. But Joseph refused, saying:

In what faith I was born, in that I want to die.

The saint said to him:

“Trust me that neither I nor you will die until you "you will not be born of water and the Spirit"(): for without such grace it is impossible to enter the Kingdom of God. Were your fathers not baptized "in the clouds and in the sea"()? did they not drink from the stone, which was a type of the spiritual stone, Christ, who was born of the Virgin for our salvation. This Christ your fathers crucified, but being buried on the third day, he rose again, and having ascended into heaven, sat down at the right hand of the Father, and from there he will come to judge the living and the dead.

There were many other things useful for the soul, the saint told him, but the Jew remained in his unbelief. When the time came for the repose of the saint, he fell ill and called the Jew to him, as if in need of his medical help, and he asked him:

“What do you say about me, Joseph?

The same, having examined the saint, said to his household:

“Prepare everything for burial, for we must expect his death any minute.

But Vasily said:

- You don't know what you're talking about!

The Jew replied:

“Trust me, lord, that yours will come before sunset.

Then Vasily said to him:

“And if I remain alive until the morning, until the sixth hour, what will you do then?”

Joseph replied:

Let me die then!

“Yes,” said the saint, “die, but die to sin in order to live for God!”

“I know what you are talking about, my lord! - answered the Jew, - and now I swear to you that if you live until morning, I will fulfill your desire.

Then Saint Basil began to pray to God that He would continue his life until the morning to save the soul of the Jew, and he received what he asked. In the morning he sent for him; but he did not believe the servant who told him that Vasily was alive; however, he went to see him, as he thought already dead. When he saw him really alive, he went as if into a frenzy, and then, falling at the feet of the saint, he said in a fit of heart:

Great is the Christian God, and there is no other God but Him! I renounce ungodly Judaism and convert to the true, Christian faith. Order, holy father, to immediately give me holy baptism, as well as to my whole house.

Saint Basil said to him:

“I baptize you with my own hands!”

The Jew, going up to him, touched the right hand of the saint and said:

“Your strength, my lord, has weakened, and your whole being is completely exhausted; you cannot baptize me yourself.

“We have a Creator who strengthens us,” Vasily answered.

And, having risen, he entered the church and before the face of all the people he baptized the Jew and all his family; he called him the name John and communed him with the Divine Mysteries, having himself celebrated the liturgy that day. Having instructed the newly baptized about eternal life and having addressed with a word of edification to all his verbal sheep, the saint remained in the church until the ninth hour. Then, giving everyone the last kiss and forgiveness, he began to thank God for all His inexpressible blessings and, when the word of thanksgiving was still on his lips, he gave his soul into the hands of God and, as a bishop, joined the deceased bishops, and like a great verbal thunder - to the preachers on the first day of January 379, in the reign of Gratian

Basil the Great (Basil of Caesarea) (c. 330-379), saint, archbishop of the city of Caesarea (Asia Minor), church writer and theologian.

Born into a pious Christian family in the Cappadocian city of Caesarea, around 330, during the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great.

His father was a lawyer and teacher of rhetoric. There were ten children in the family, five of whom were canonized: Vasily himself, his older sister - St. Macrina, brother Gregory, ep. Nissky, brother Peter, ep. Sebastia of Armenia, and the younger sister of Blessed. Theoseva, deaconess. Their mother is also counted among the saints. Emilia.

At the age of 26, he went to Athens to study various sciences in the schools there. In Athens, Basil made friends with another glorious saint, Gregory the Theologian, who was also studying at that time in Athenian schools.

Vasily and Grigory, being similar to each other in their good temper, meekness and chastity, loved each other so much as if they had one soul - and they subsequently preserved this mutual love forever. Vasily was so passionate about the sciences that he often even forgot, sitting at books, about the need to eat. In Constantinople and Athens, Basil studied rhetoric, philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, physics and medicine. Feeling a call to the spiritual life, he traveled to Egypt, Syria and Palestine. There he studied the works of St. fathers, practiced ascetic exploits, visited famous hermits. Returning to his homeland, he became a presbyter, and then a bishop. St. Basil spoke out in defense of the Orthodox faith. As an archpastor, he took care of the strict observance of the canons of the Church, of the clergy, of church discipline, helped the poor and the sick; founded two monasteries, an almshouse, a hotel, a hospice. He himself led a strict and temperate life, and thereby acquired from the Lord the gift of clairvoyance and miracles. He was revered not only by Christians, but also by pagans and Jews.

Many cases of miraculous healings performed by St. Basil the Great are known. The power of St. Basil's prayers was so great that he could boldly ask the Lord for forgiveness for a sinner who had denied Christ, leading him to sincere repentance. Through the prayers of the saint, many great sinners who despaired of salvation received forgiveness and were resolved from their sins. So, for example, a certain noble woman, ashamed of her prodigal sins, wrote them down and gave the sealed scroll to St. Basil. The saint prayed all night for the salvation of this sinner. In the morning he gave her an unopened scroll, in which all sins were blotted out, except for one terrible sin. The saint advised the woman to go into the wilderness to St. Ephraim the Syrian. However, the monk, who personally knew and deeply revered Saint Basil, sent the repentant sinner back, saying that only Saint Basil was able to ask the Lord for her complete forgiveness. Returning to Caesarea, the woman met the funeral procession with the coffin of St. Basil. In deep grief, she fell to the ground with sobs, throwing the scroll on the tomb of the saint. One of the clerics, wanting to see what was written on the scroll, took it and, unfolding it, saw a blank sheet; thus the last sin of the woman was blotted out through the prayer of St. Basil, performed by him posthumously.

While on his deathbed, the saint converted to Christ his physician, the Jew Joseph. The latter was sure that the saint would not be able to live until morning, and said that otherwise he would believe in Christ and be baptized. The saint asked the Lord to delay his death.

The night passed and, to Joseph’s astonishment, Saint Basil not only did not die, but, rising from his bed, came to the church, himself performed the sacrament of Baptism over Joseph, celebrated the Divine Liturgy, communed Joseph, taught him a lesson, and then, having said goodbye to everyone, with a prayer he went to the Lord, without leaving the temple.

Not only Christians, but pagans and Jews gathered for the burial of St. Basil the Great. Saint Gregory the Theologian arrived to see off his friend, whom Saint Basil, shortly before his death, blessed to accept the See of Constantinople.

For his services to the Orthodox Church, St. Basil is called the Great and glorified as "the glory and beauty of the Church", "the luminary and eye of the universe", "teacher of dogmas", "chamber of learning". St. Basil the Great is the heavenly patron of the Enlightener of the Russian Land - the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Grand Duke Vladimir, who was named Basil in Baptism. Saint Vladimir deeply revered his Angel and built several churches in Russia in honor of him. Saint Basil the Great, along with Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, from ancient times enjoyed special reverence among the Russian believing people.

A particle of the relics of St. Basil still remains in the Pochaev Lavra. Honest head of St. Basil reverently kept in the Lavra of St. Athanasius on Mount Athos, a right hand him - in Altar of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Jerusalem.

In Moscow, in the Church of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos in Vladykino, there is an icon of three saints: St. Basil the Great, St. Nicholas and VMC. Barbarians with particles of relics (m. "Vladykino", Altufevskoe shosse, 4).

Creations of St. Basil the Great

Saint Basil the Great was a man of predominantly practical activity. Therefore, most of his literary works are conversations; the other significant part is letters. The natural aspiration of his spirit was directed to questions of Christian morality, to something that could have a practical application. But according to the circumstances of his church activity, Saint Basil often had to defend the Orthodox teaching against heretics, or the purity of his faith against slanderers. Hence, not only in many conversations and letters of St. Basil there is a dogmatic-polemical element, but he also owns entire dogmatic-polemical works, in which he shows himself to be a profound metaphysician and theologian. All the works written by St. Basil have not come down to us: Cassiodorus, for example, reports that he wrote a commentary on almost all of the Holy Scriptures.

The surviving works of St. Basil are divided into five groups according to content and form: dogmatic-polemical, exegetical, ascetic, conversations and letters.

Dogmatic-polemical creations

The most important dogmatic-polemical work of St. Basil - "Refutation of the defensive speech of the wicked Eunomius." The content of this work is determined by the dogmatic provisions of Eunomius, revealed by him in his "Apology"; Saint Basil cites excerpts from this work of Eunomius and writes a refutation of them.

Eunomius, Bishop of Cyzicus, was a representative of that strict Arianism that arose in the 50s. 4th century, to which Arius himself seemed insufficiently consistent.

The founder and first leader of this new Arianism (Anomianism) was Aetius. His only gifted student was Eunomius the Cappadocian, who presented in his works a detailed and systematic disclosure of the theological principles of Aetius.

Possessing a strictly logical mind, he sharply criticized the Nicene doctrine of consubstantiality, and the influence of his views was so strong that such authoritative church figures and writers as Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Apollinaris of Laodicea, Theodore of Mopsuestia had to come out to fight him. It was created directly by the energy of the Almighty and, as the most perfect work of an artist, is an imprint of all the power of the Father, His deeds, thoughts and desires. Not being equal to the Father either in essence, or in dignity, or in glory, the Son, however, infinitely rises above the creatures and is even called by Eunomius the true God, Lord and King of glory, as the Son of God and God. The Holy Spirit is the third in order and dignity, therefore, the third and in essence, the creation of the Son, different in essence and from Him - since the work of the first creation must be different from the work of God Himself, but also different from other creatures - as the first work of the Son .

Eunomius, who won the favor of the Arian Eudoxius (bishop of Antioch, and from 360 of Constantinople), in 360 became bishop of Cyzicus, but since his teaching caused church discord, the next year, at the insistence of more confident Arians, he was deposed by Constantius and exiled . On this occasion, Eunomius set forth his doctrine in writing and called his book "Apology"; in it he clearly expressed the essence of his teaching that the Son is a creature, although exalted above other creatures, and unlike the Father in essence and in every respect. This work was highly valued by many Arians and the rigor of the development of the system and dialectical and syllogistic subtleties aroused surprise in many. Therefore, St. Basil the Great, at the request of the monks, undertook in 363-364. written rebuttal.

The work "Against Eunomius" consists of five books, but only the first three undoubtedly belong to St. Basil, and the fourth and fifth in their construction, presentation and language are significantly inferior to the authentic works of St. Basil, in some opinions and interpretations they disagree with his authentic works to the point of contradiction and are not so much a harmonious work specifically against Eunomius as a collection of evidence in general against Arian false teachings. about the Holy Trinity. There was an attempt to assimilate these books to Apollinaris of Laodicea, but recently the view has been established in science that they belong to Didymus of Alexandria.

The first book is busy exposing those sophisms that Eunomius wove around the term "unborn". St. Basil refutes Eunomius' basic proposition that the essence of the Deity is unbegottenness. On the basis of common word usage and Holy Scripture, St. Vasily explains that the essence of things is comprehended by the human mind in parts, and is not perceived directly, and is expressed by several different names, each of which defines only one of any sign. The names assigned to God have the same meaning - both positive: holy, good, etc., and negative: unborn, immortal, invisible and similar. Only from all of them taken together is obtained, as it were, the image of God, very pale and weak in comparison with reality, but still sufficient for our imperfect mind. Therefore, the term “unbegotten” alone cannot be a perfect and complete definition of the essence of God: one can say that the essence of God is unbegotten, but one cannot assert that unbegottenness is the essence of God. The term "unborn" refers only to the origin or mode of being of something, but does not define the nature or being. Finally, St. Basil speaks of the communion of the Divine nature through birth and of the equality of the Father and the Son. Against the paradoxical assertion of Eunomius that he comprehended the very essence of God, St. Basil says that the human mind testifies only to the existence of God, and does not determine what God is, and the Holy Scriptures testify that the essence of God is incomprehensible to the human mind and, in general, to any creature.

In the second book of St. Basil proves that the Son is indeed born from eternity, since there is no time in God. God has in himself a patronymic, coextensive with His eternity; therefore also the Son, eternally existing and always existing, did not at some time begin to be, but when the Father, then also the Son. The Son is not a creature or creation, but as begotten of the Father, He is of the same essence with Him and of equal dignity with Him.

In the third book, the divinity of the Holy Spirit is briefly and precisely proved and Eunomius' assertion is refuted that He, being third in dignity and order, is third in nature.

The fourth book first gives an abbreviated repetition of the proofs against Eunomius set forth in the first and second books, and then explains the passages of Holy Scripture that seem to be evidence against the divinity of the Son and which were actually cited by the Arians.

The fifth book speaks in detail about the deity of the Holy Spirit, His consubstantiality with the Father and the Son, and explains the passages of Holy Scripture related to this.

"On the Holy Spirit", in 30 chapters. The work was written at the request of a friend of Basil the Great, the Bishop of Iconium Amphilochius, about 375 on the basis of the changes allowed by Saint Basil in the final doxology. Then prayers and hymns usually ended with a doxology "To the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit." This formula was accepted by both the Arians and the Doukhobors, since it allowed for the possibility of explaining it in the sense of their doctrine of the created subordination of the Son and the Spirit — heretics referred to it in support of their opinion. To make such references impossible, St. Basil began to preferentially use the doxology "To the Father with the Son and with the Holy Spirit." On this occasion, rumors began, and St. Vasily was accused of innovations. Amphilochius asked St. Basil to justify the change he introduced. In response to this request, St. Basil compiled the named dogmatic-polemical work, which aims to prove that the Son and the Holy Spirit have equal honor with the Father, since They are of the same nature with Him. St. Basil first points out that it is really necessary to reveal the hidden meaning in every utterance and in every syllable, but that heretics direct their sophistic reasoning about syllables and prepositions to the affirmation of their false teaching about the difference in essence between the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. The subtle distinction between the prepositions "with", "through", "in" was borrowed by heretics from external wisdom, and in Holy Scripture the use of these prepositions is not strictly maintained, and they are applied to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, so that in the former doxology one cannot find confirmation for Arian views. Turning to the defense of his own formula of doxology, St. Basil first speaks of the glorification of the Son. The heretics argued that since the Son is not together with the Father, but is necessary after the Father, therefore, below the Father, then glory to the Father is given “through” Him, and not together “with” Him, insofar as the first expression denotes a service relationship, and the last - equality. St. Basil asks on what basis the heretics say that the Son is after the Father, and he proves that the Son cannot be inferior either in time, or in rank, or in dignity. Therefore, both formulas of doxology can be admitted in the Church, with the only difference that “when we take into consideration the greatness of the nature of the Only Begotten and the superiority of His dignity, then we testify that He has glory “with the Father”; and when we imagine that He gives us blessings and brings us ourselves to God, and makes Him His own, then we confess that this grace is accomplished “by Him” and “in Him.” Therefore, the saying "with Him" ​​is characteristic of those who give thanks, and the saying "With Him" ​​is especially appropriate for those who give thanks.

In the final chapter, St. Basil picturesquely depicts the sad state of the Church, like a ship subjected to a terrible storm; it is the result of disrespect for the rules of the fathers, the insidious intrigues of heretics, self-interest and rivalry of clerics, which is worse than open war.

Exegetical creations

Cassiodorus says that St. Basil interpreted all the Holy Scriptures. But now known as undoubtedly authentic interpretations of his conversation "On the Six Days" and some of the psalms.

« Nine Conversations on the Six Days"were uttered by St. Basil, when he was still a presbyter (until 370), during the first week of Great Lent, in the church, in front of a mixed audience, but mostly from the common people. St. Basil led conversations on some days twice. Their subject was the narrative of the book of Genesis about the creation of the world in six days (Gen. 1: 1-26). The conversations stop on the fifth day of creation, and in the ninth conversation of St. Basil only points to the participation of all the Persons of the Holy Trinity in the creation of man, and an explanation of what the image of God consists of and how a person can partake of His likeness is promised in another reasoning. This intention was probably not fulfilled, and the well-known three conversations - two about the creation of man and the third about paradise, sometimes attached to the Six Days as its continuation, are not authentic. Later, Gregory of Nyssa supplemented the "Shestodnev" of St. Basil with his work “On the Structure of Man”, confirming by this that St. Basil did not finish talking about the creation of man; St. Ambrose of Milan also knew only nine conversations of Basil the Great.

In the conversations of St. Basil sets as his task to portray the creative Divine power, harmonious order and beauty in the world and to show that the teachings of philosophers and gnostics about the creation of the world are unreasonable inventions and that, on the contrary, the Mosaic narrative alone contains Divine truth, consistent with reason and scientific data. In accordance with the didactic-polemical goal of his work, he is guided almost exclusively by the literal meaning of Holy Scripture, eliminating allegorism in interpretation and even in passing rebels against its abuse. He carefully determines the meaning of the interpreted sayings, investigates, using scientific data, the properties and laws of nature, and artistically describes them. The authenticity of the conversations "On the Six Days" is beyond any doubt: already Gregory the Theologian calls them at the head of the works of St. Basil, and throughout the past they were highly valued not only in the East, but also in the West.

"Conversations on Psalms" were spoken by St. Basil, probably still in the rank of presbyter. Thirteen are recognized as authentic: on 1, 7, 14, 28, 29, 32, 33, 44, 45, 48, 59, 61 and 114 psalms. These discourses are probably only part of his commentary on the Psalms; there are fragments of his interpretations on other psalms, if the fragments published by Cardinal Pitra are authentic; in addition, in the conversation on Psalm 1 only the first two verses are explained, and on 14 only the last verses, but in both conversations the interpretation of the remaining verses is indicated; finally, the discourse on Psalm 1 is preceded by a general preface, treating in general about the merits of the psalms, which apparently implies the intention to systematically explain the entire Psalter.

"Interpretation of the Prophet Isaiah"- a detailed and public explanation of the first 16 chapters of the book of the prophet Isaiah. The author follows for the most part the literal meaning of the text and then gives a moral application of the words of the prophet. The style of this work is significantly inferior in processing to other works of St. Vasily. Quite a large number of places are literally borrowed from the interpretation of Eusebius on the book of the prophets. Isaiah, even more borrowings from Origen.

Ascetic creations

Together with Gregory the Theologian, as the latter testifies, St. Basil already in 358 - 359 years. in Pontic seclusion on Iris, he compiled written rules and canons for monastics. Gregory the Theologian also reports on the written laws of St. Basil for the monks and about the women's monasteries founded by him with written charters.

"Destiny Ascetic"— an exhortation to those who seek Christian perfection to look upon themselves as spiritual warriors of Christ, who are obliged to conduct spiritual warfare with all diligence and fulfill their ministry in order to achieve victory and eternal glory.

"A word of asceticism and exhortation to renounce the world"- contains a call for renunciation of the world and moral perfection. The author compares worldly life with monastic life and gives preference to the latter, not judging the former either, but pointing out that it requires unconditional obedience to the Gospel, gives instructions on various pious exercises and describes the degrees of Christian perfection, which are achieved only by great labors and constant struggle against sinful aspirations. .

“A word about asceticism, how a monk should adorn himself”- in short provisions, he gives excellent prescriptions for the entire behavior of a monk and for spiritual life in general, so that it meets the requirements of ascetic perfection in all respects.

"Foreword on the Judgment of God". The author says that during his travels he observed endless strife and strife in the Church; and, what is sadder of all, the primates themselves disagree in their convictions and opinions, admit contrary to the commandments of the Lord Jesus Christ, ruthlessly tear apart the Church, mercilessly revolt His flock. Reflecting on the reason for such a sad state, he found that such a disagreement and strife among the members of the Church occur as a result of apostasy from God, when each apostates from the teachings of the Lord, chooses theoretical and moral rules of his own arbitrariness and wants not to obey the Lord, but rather to dominate over it. After exhortations to observe unanimity, the union of peace, strength in spirit, the author recalls the manifestations of Divine judgment in the Old and New Testaments and points out the need for everyone to know the law of God so that everyone can obey it, pleasing God with all diligence and avoiding everything that is objectionable to Him. In view of what has been said, St. Basil considered it proper and at the same time necessary to set forth sound faith and the pious doctrine of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and to this add moral rules.

"On Faith". He says that he will expound only what he is taught by the inspired Scripture, beingware of those names and sayings that are not literally in the divine Scripture, although they retain the thought contained in the Scripture. Then, in a concise form, the teaching of the Holy Scriptures about the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is expounded, with an exhortation to teachers to be devoted to this faith and beware of heretics.

"Moral Rules", among 80, each subdivided into chapters; the rules are really set forth in the words of Holy Scripture and determine the entire Christian life and activity, both in general and in prison, [and] specifically in different states (preachers of the Gospel, primates living in marriage, widows, servants and masters, children and parents, virgins, warriors, sovereigns and subjects).

"Rules laid out at length", in questions and answers, consist, in fact, of 55 separate rules, presented in the form of questions from monks and answers from St. Basil, or, to put it better, his succinctly stated reasoning on the most important issues of religious life. As can be seen from the preface, during the compilation of this work, St. Basil was in desert solitude, surrounded by people who assumed the same goal of a pious life and expressed a desire to find out what was necessary for salvation. From the answers of St. Basil, as it were, a complete collection of the laws of monastic life, or a doctrine of the highest moral perfection, was compiled, but without a strict plan.

"Rules Concise", number 313 - also in questions and answers, contain almost the same thoughts that are disclosed in the lengthy rules, with the difference that the lengthy rules outline the basic principles of spiritual life, and the short ones contain more special, detailed instructions.

Ascetic works of St. Basil give evidence of the form of monastic life that spread in this era in Cappadocia and throughout Asia Minor, and in turn had a strong influence on the development of monasticism in the East: little by little they became the universally recognized rule of monastic life. St. Basil does not recommend the solitary life of anchorites, which he considers even dangerous; he does not seek to reproduce those huge monastic colonies that he observed in Egypt - he prefers monasteries with a small number of inhabitants, so that everyone can know his boss and be known to him. He considers manual labor obligatory, but it must be interrupted for common prayer at certain hours. St. Basil gave instructions full of wisdom and knowledge of life on those cases, frequent in ancient society, when married people insisted on being admitted to a monastery, when slaves sought refuge in them, when parents brought their children to them. Despite its purpose for monastics, the ascetic instructions of St. Basil and for all Christians can serve as a guide to moral improvement and a truly saving life.

Liturgical Works of Saint Basil

The common tradition of the Christian East testifies that St. Basil compiled the rite of the liturgy, that is, he ordered in writing and brought into a uniform stable form the liturgy that has been preserved in the Churches from the apostolic time. This is evidenced by a number of testimonies, beginning with St. Gregory the Theologian, who, among the works of St. Basil mentions the rites of prayers, the decoration of the altar, and St. Proclus of Constantinople, who reports on the reduction in the duration of the service [liturgy] of St. Basil and then John Chrysostom, to the cathedrals of Trull and the Seventh Ecumenical. The text of the Liturgy of St. Basil has been attested since the beginning of the 6th century, and his lists agree with each other in essentials, which proves his origin from one original. But in the course of the centuries, many changes in detail undoubtedly took place in it, so that in the latest scientific editions the oldest and latest text of it are compared.

In addition, St. Basil introduced in his district the custom, apparently borrowed from Antioch, of singing psalms for two choirs, which, however, was not agreed, for example, in Neocaesarea, referring to the fact that such an order did not exist under St. Gregory the Wonderworker.

St. Basil the Great belongs to the outstanding preachers of Christian antiquity. His eloquence is distinguished by oriental charm and youthful enthusiasm. “Whoever wants to be a perfect orator,” says Photius, “needs neither Plato nor Demosthenes if he chooses Basil as a model. His language is rich and beautiful, his evidence strong and persuasive." Conversations of St. Basil is ranked among the best works of preaching literature.

Letters

The Benedictines published 365 letters of St. Basil or his correspondents and divided them into three classes: 1 - 46 letters written before the bishopric, 47 - 291 letters dating back to the time of the bishopric of St. Basil, and, finally, those for which there is no data for dating. This chronological distribution of letters is recognized as solid even now, after former doubts and new research.

Letters from St. Basil are distinguished by outstanding literary merit and are of great importance: directed to very many people of different status, they reflect the life story of Basil the Great himself and his time, and provide church historians with rich and valuable material, which has not yet been completely exhausted. They reflect in colorful images the many-sided activity and exceptional virtues of the mind and heart of St. Basil, his constant concern for the good of all the Churches, deep sorrow for the many and such great disasters that befell the Church in his time, zeal for the true faith, striving for peace and harmony, love and benevolence for everyone, especially for those in need, prudence in knowledge deeds, peace of mind in the face of the most severe and unfair insults and restraint in relation to rivals and enemies. As a shepherd he gives advice in need and doubt; as a theologian he takes an active part in dogmatic disputes; as guardian of the faith, he insists on observing the Nicene Creed and recognizing the divinity of the Holy Spirit; as the guardian of ecclesiastical discipline, he seeks to eliminate disturbances in the life of the clergy and to establish ecclesiastical legislation; finally, as a church politician, he, with the support of St. Athanasius, takes care of the revitalization of relations with the Western Church in the interests of supporting Orthodoxy in the eastern half of the empire.

Troparion, tone 1
Your broadcast has gone out into the whole earth, / as if you had received your word, / you taught it divinely, / you understood the nature of beings, / you adorned human customs, / royal sanctification, reverend father, / pray to Christ God / be saved to our souls.

Kontakion, tone 4
Thou hast appeared to the unshakable foundation of the Church, / giving all the inescapable dominion of man, / imprinting with your commands, / unrevealed St. Basil.

magnificence
We magnify you, / Saint Basil of Christ, / piously preserved the Church of Christ.

Name: Basil the Great (Basil of Caesarea)

Date of Birth: 330

Age: 49 years old

Date of death: 379

Activity: saint, archbishop, church writer, theologian

Family status: not married

Basil the Great: biography

Basil the Great - preacher, church writer and archbishop in Turkish Caesarea, who lived in the 4th century. The man fiercely fought the heretics, not fearing punishment from the rulers. The teacher of the church distinguished himself by a scattering of good deeds, which he generously dedicated to the common people.

Childhood and youth

The Great Saint was born in the city of Caesarea, which was the administrative center of the Turkish region of Cappadocia, in a very religious, noble and wealthy family. The churchmen could not establish the year of birth - approximately the 330th. Vasily is named after his father, lawyer and orator.

From childhood, the boy grew up in an atmosphere of reverence for the Lord. Grandmother in her youth studied with St. George the Wonderworker, and in her youth, together with her husband, she suffered from a large-scale disgrace against Christians, which went down in history as the Diocletian persecution. The native uncle served as a bishop, as did the two brothers Gregory of Nyssa and Peter of Sebaste. Sister Makrina in the future became abbess of the monastery.

Little Vasya was also trained by his father for the path of a priest. The future teacher of the Church received an excellent education - he sat at the desks of the schools of Caesarea, Constantinople and Athens. At the age of 14, Vasily's parent died, and the young man lived for three years in his grandmother's country house, which was later turned into a monastery. And at the age of 17, the young man lost his eldest relative, he had to move to his mother in Caesarea.

In the capital of the Hellenic wisdom, Athens, Vasily studied diligently and attended church - in his biographies, the focus is on the purity of the life of a young man. He was so fascinated by science, the process of obtaining knowledge, that, sitting days and nights reading books, he even forgot to eat. A landmark meeting took place here: Vasily met, and later became close friends with. His classmate was also Julian the Apostate, the future emperor and persecutor of Christians.

Vasily spent five years in Athens, and after graduation he decided that the store of knowledge was sufficiently filled with secular sciences. The young man lacked religious support, so he went in search of Christian ascetics.

Christian ministry

The road led Basil to Egypt, where Christianity flourished. The man plunged into reading theological books, which were provided by a new acquaintance - Archimandrite Porfiry. In parallel, I tried myself in posts. In the country of deserts, a magnificent opportunity opened up to learn from glorious contemporaries - the ascetics Pachomius, Marius of Alexandria, Thebaid lived nearby.

A year later, Basil left for Palestine, from there to Syria and Mesopotamia, visited holy places, reveled in acquaintance with local ascetics, entered into religious disputes with philosophers. Having reached Jerusalem, the future saint wished to be baptized, and during the sacrament, according to legend, the hero saw the sign for the first time. When the saint approached the man to baptize him, fiery lightning fell from the sky, and a dove flew out of it and disappeared into the Jordan.

Returning to his native land, Vasily at first wanted to do secular affairs, but his relatives convinced him to start an ascetic life. A man with a handful of friends and like-minded people went to the family property on the island of Ponte, where he founded a monastic community. But in 357, his biography was again enriched by travels - now to Coptic monasteries.

In 360, in his homeland, Basil was consecrated to the rank of presbyter, he became an adviser to his friend Eusebius, who served as a bishop. Caring for believers, the accessible preaching of God's word gave respect and love to the people, and on such a scale that Eusebius began to envy the minister. He was also not satisfied with the too ascetic life of the presbyter. In order to reduce the degree of tension in relations, Vasily decided to return to the monastic monastery in the desert, especially since such a prospect always tempted him.

In the desert, the great saint enjoyed peace and quiet, while tightening his living conditions: he never washed, did not light a fire, sat on bread and water, and wore only a srach and a mantle from clothes. Strict abstinence exhausted the body - Vasily lost weight, and there was almost no strength left.

A little later, a friend Gregory the Theologian joined the monk. The comrades together devoted their days to prayers, abandoning their once beloved worldly books, set about studying the Holy Scriptures and creating the charters of the monastic community, which are still in use among representatives of the Eastern Church. Gregory, just like Vasily, did not spare himself, working up to a sweat, sharing a dwelling with a friend without a roof and a gate.

Meanwhile, Emperor Valens ascended the Roman throne, and with the beginning of his reign, the Orthodox began to be greatly oppressed. To strengthen his strength, Eusebius called on the zealous and intelligent Basil, and the desert monk gladly came to the rescue. Returning in 365 to Caesarea, the man took control of the diocese into his own hands.

From the pen of Basil came out three books attacking Arian heretics, in addition, the man chose the slogan for his works - “three hypostases in a single essence”, which united different areas of faith.

Basil really launched his activities after the death of Eusebius in 370. The churchman accepted the post of Metropolitan of Cappadocia and began to violently destroy Arianism in Asia Minor. Of course, the Roman ruler could not stand such impudence and went to extreme measures, dividing Cappadocia into two autonomous territories.

Vasily was left without the lion's share of his disciples and followers, and his authority in the church declined. However, the champion of the true faith nevertheless appointed like-minded people as bishops to the main cities of the regions - Gregory the Theologian, Gregory of Nyssa and brother Peter. And then fate presented Basil with a gift: Emperor Valens fell in the battle of Adrianople, which promised a change in the balance of power in the church and the state as a whole. But for Vasily it was too late.

Miracles and good deeds

The life of Basil the Great is overgrown with legends. Orthodox believe that the man witnessed and performed several miracles. One day a woman who was oppressed by her boss turned to the saint. But the offender answered rudely to the letter written by Vasily. Then the great saint prophesied to him that soon he himself would be saved from the wrath of higher persons. Indeed, after a while the chief fell into disgrace with the king.

During the Persian War, Basil selflessly prayed before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, at the feet of which the Great Martyr Mercury, a warrior with a spear, was depicted. The man asked the saints not to allow Julian the Apostate to return alive from the war. Suddenly Mercury disappeared, and when he appeared, blood dripped from his spear. Later, the messengers brought the news that Julian had been seriously wounded in the war.

Basil possessed an unusual gift: during the liturgy, the golden dove hanging over the holy altar shook three times, testifying to the appearance of the Holy Spirit. But once the bird did not give a sign, and Vasily thought about it and realized that the reason was in the deacon, who dared to look in the direction of a beautiful woman during the service.

The priest seated the deacon in a strict penance, and in front of the altar he ordered to build a partition so that women could not look at him during the service. Since then, the dove has not ceased to announce the descent of the Holy Spirit.

Another legend says that Basil managed to avoid exile by divine providence. On the day of the Epiphany of the Lord, Tsar Valens appeared in the church where he served. Seeing the beauty of the decoration and the order in the temple, he was so delighted that he was imbued with disposition towards the holy saint.

However, having gone home, Basil's enemies persuaded the ruler to expel the fighter against the Arians. During the signing of the corresponding decree, a chair swayed under Valens and the cane, which is used to sign, broke. After the third cane cracked, the emperor became frightened and destroyed the sentence.

Vasily gained fame as a kind person, ready to help those in need, even if he himself is punished. There is a well-known story about the rescue of the young and rich widow Vestiana, whom the eparch Eusebius tried to forcefully marry off to a dignitary. The girl did not want to lose her widow's purity and rushed to Vasily with pleas for help.

The bishop managed to send the poor fellow to the nunnery, when the messengers of Eusebius immediately flew in with demands to extradite the recalcitrant fugitive. Then Basil was convicted of adultery and the bedchamber was searched. The angry eparch promised to send the saint to great torments. Having learned that they want to punish Vasily, the people with weapons rushed to the palace of Eusebius. As a result, the saint returned to his own monastery alive and unharmed.

Death

By the time the opportunity arose to take advantage of political changes in the state, Vasily's ascetic lifestyle had completely exhausted Vasily's body. The man died on the first day of the year 379, having served in the temple for 8.5 years.

According to legend, before his death, Basil the Great first baptized a Jewish newcomer, then turned to his disciples and flock with edifying words not to leave the church until 9 o'clock yesterday. He prayed to God, giving praise for such a rich and righteous life, and breathed his last. Representatives of different faiths were seen at the funeral - Christians, Jews, and even pagans. Basil was canonized shortly after his death.

Memory

Memorial Day of Basil the Great in the Russian Orthodox Church - January 14. Praises to the saint are also offered on January 30, on this day the feast of the Cathedral of three saints - Basil, Gregory the Theologian and.

The saint has several icons. He became the patron saint of monks, musicians and gardeners. They turn to the image for help in teaching, enlightenment, starting a new business and entering a new home.

Basil the Great Liturgy is held in churches 10 times a year. This order was compiled by the Archbishop of Caesarea himself.

In 1999, with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia, the foundation stone of the Assigned Church of St. Basil the Great was laid at VDNKh in Moscow. In the fall of 2001, the finished chapel was consecrated.

January 14 is the day of memory of the teacher of the Church, St. Basil the Great.
On the same day, January 14: Great Church Feast -.
February 12 - Council of the Ecumenical Teachers: St. Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom

WHAT DO YOU PRAY TO HOLY BASIL THE GREAT

holy teacher Basil the Great, first of all, assists in requests for deliverance from fears and strengthening of faith, it helps to get rid of persecution or unfair treatment from superiors.
Mercy and charity of Basil the Great still help people in healing from illnesses. You can ask the saint for help in studies, in scientific research - the saint himself was a very educated person and studied many sciences.
An excellent speaker, Basil the Great had the gift of convincing people, so he patronizes those people who are associated with education.
Also, the universal teacher Basil the Great can help in finding housing or improving living conditions, on giving a good harvest, and in many other areas.

It must be remembered that icons or saints do not "specialize" in any particular area. It will be right when a person turns with faith in the power of God, and not in the power of this icon, this saint or prayer.
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THE LIFE OF ST. BASIL THE GREAT

Basil was born around 330 (during the reign of Constantine the Great) in Caesarea, the administrative center of Cappadocia. His family was a noble family, all children were brought up in a strong reverence for the Christian faith. The result of such upbringing was that five (out of ten) children were canonized as saints.

Basil received a good education in his homeland in Caesarea, then continued his studies in Constantinople, then he went to Athens, where fate brought Basil together with another very wise man - Gregory the Theologian. Both Ecumenical teachers were similar to each other in humility, meekness and good temper, they remained friends until the end of their days.

Saint Basil very painstakingly studied all the sciences, the reviews of his contemporaries have come down to us: “he studied everything in such a way that another does not study one subject, he studied each science to such perfection, as if he had not studied anything else. A philosopher, philologist, orator, lawyer, naturalist, who had a deep knowledge of medicine - it was like a ship loaded with learning as much as human nature can accommodate.

Returning from Athens, Vasily at first began to study rhetoric and jurisprudence at the suggestion of his father, but soon decided that his path on earth was to serve God and decided to be baptized.

Basil received Holy Baptism only at the age of about 25 - in those days it was a very important event in a person's life, sometimes it happened that people put it off almost until their death.
In order to improve his Christian faith, the newly converted Basil decided to indulge in asceticism and went to Egypt, where monastic asceticism was very developed. Here he also hoped to find "a guide to the knowledge of the truth." Vasily spent two years away from his homeland. He traveled to Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamia, where he met some famous ascetics of those times, studied their works and indulged himself in Christian deeds.

After returning to Cappadocia, Saint Basil distributed property to the poor. Together with their friend Gregory the Theologian and several other monks, they created a Christian community where they prayed together, worked and studied the works of the holy fathers. Their life was not easy, they ate what they grew, they did all the hard work with their own hands. At the same time, Saints Basil and Gregory carefully studied the Holy Scripture and its interpretation. At the same time, Vasily compiled a Christian collection of rules for moral life, which was taken as a basis by many men's and women's monasteries.

In those years, the teaching of Arius, who refuted the unity of God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, acquired great danger, he argued that God the Father occupies a dominant position, and God the Son and the Holy Spirit obey the Father, which in principle was much more understandable to ordinary people.

The father of Gregory the Theologian, who served as a bishop in Nazianzus, was already an old man and physically did not have the strength to fight heretics, so he called his son to help him. So Saint Gregory was forced to leave his friend, and after his departure Saint Basil returned to Caesarea, where he was ordained a deacon, and in the year 364 became a presbyter.
New cares were to the liking of Saint Basil, he enthusiastically took care of the monks and preached the word of God. Through his labors, he won such respect among people that even the Bishop of Caesarea, Eusebius, did not have. Until the death of Eusebius (370), Basil actually ruled the Caesarean church, although he was second in hierarchy.

St. Basil, a zealous supporter of the Nicene Confession, resisted the Arian threat by all means and, one might say, led the defenders of Orthodoxy in Caesarea. At this time, Basil the Great composed the liturgy rite, the talks on the Six Days, on the 16 chapters of the prophet Isaiah, on the psalms, the second collection of monastic rules, and also wrote three books against the Arians, preaching the slogan "three hypostases in one essence."
In the year 370, after the death of Eusebius, Saint Basil was elected archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, the saint is engaged in charity, intercedes for innocent and persecuted people, people loved their pastor very much for honesty and mercy.
During these years, he wrote a book about the Holy Spirit, which speaks of the Divinity of the Holy Spirit and the unity of His nature with the Father and the Son. Basil the Great explained and supported the Orthodox in the fight against Arianism, many letters to various bishops, priests and ordinary people have been preserved.

The emperor Valens, who came to power, was a supporter of Arianism. He had a very negative attitude towards Archbishop Basil and even threatened him, to which he received an answer from the saint:

“All this means nothing to me, he does not lose his estate, who has nothing but shabby and worn-out clothes and a few books, which contain all my wealth. There is no link for me, because I am not bound by a place, and the place where I live now is not mine, and wherever they throw me, it will be mine. It would be better to say: everywhere is God's place, wherever I am a stranger and a stranger (Ps. 38:13). And what can suffering do to me? I am so weak that only the first blow will be sensitive. Death is a good deed for me: it will sooner lead me to God, for whom I live and work, for whom I have been striving for a long time.

After such a firm answer, the emperor secretly visited the temple where Saint Basil served, listened to his sermon and recognized his intelligence and firmness in faith. After this, the attacks on Saint Basil ceased, although the emperor did not accept communion with Basil.

From his youth, the saint's illnesses, tireless asceticism, and the sorrows of pastoral service undermined Basil's strength. On January 1 (January 14, according to the new style), 379, the earthly life of St. Basil the Great, Ecumenical Teacher, ended. Only two years later he did not live to see the Second Ecumenical Council (381) in Constantinople, where his theological ideas were adopted.

The merits of St. Basil were manifested not only in the solution of the Arian crisis and the "calm" of the Church. He also put a lot of effort into ordering monasticism. Vasily's personal experience told him that if you become fascinated by monasticism, you can even “burn out”, tear yourself away from the Church with excessive zeal. Being already a bishop, the saint published the monastic rules in two editions, a lengthy and a short one. Through the efforts of Vasily, eight common prayers were introduced into the monastic routine during the day: matins, vespers, compline, midnight office and prayers of the first, third, sixth and ninth hours.

Saint Gregory the Theologian wrote about his friend Basil the Great as follows:

“He was the pillar of faith, the rule of truth, a model in the Church, the abode of the Spirit, a man who surpassed the measure of both human life and virtues, a man of many embracing, great and holy; his soul was divine, he was a courageous ascetic of truth, who breathed nothing more than pious and saving teaching for the whole world; for everyone he was a model of faith and virtue, his word was highly sophisticated, deep and perfect.

Magnification

We magnify you, Saint Father Basil, and honor your holy memory, for you pray for us Christ our God.

BASIL THE GREAT - A VIDEO ABOUT THE Ecumenical Saints