Life of the Holy Father Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Basil the Great - Ecumenical teacher. Life of Saint Basil

(329/30–379)

Birth, childhood, youthful and young years of the saint

Saint Basil the Great was born in Cappadocia around the year 330. He came from a noble, rich and very pious family. His own paternal grandmother, Makrina the Elder, at one time was a student of Gregory the Wonderworker. Her husband, the grandfather of Basil the Great, was also a zealous Christian. Both of them became famous for their confession of the Lord. In times of persecution, they had to hide, endure many hardships and forced grief.

Their son, Basil the Elder, father of Basil the Great, was a recognized lawyer and, together, a teacher of rhetoric. He had possessions in Cappadocia, Pontus, Lesser Armenia. From his marriage with the rare beauty Emelia, an orphan, the daughter of a martyr who revered chastity and virginity, but who married in order to avoid obsessive harassment by wicked people, five daughters and four sons were born: Vasily, Navkratiy, Gregory and Peter.

Naucratius died quite young, Gregory eventually became a well-known Saint of Nyssa, and Peter became the Bishop of Sebaste. Mother Emelia, after the death of her beloved husband, devoted her life to the monastic feat. Her daughter, Macrina the Younger, sister of Basil the Great, also chose the monastic path.

Vasily spent his childhood on his father's estate, in Pontus. As an infant, he suffered a serious illness, from which he was healed only by a miracle. Vasily's early views and behavior were formed with the participation of his mother. But his grandmother, Makrina, played a special role in his upbringing. When the child grew up, his father took up his education. In particular, he taught his son Greek grammar and literature.

Basil received further education in Caesarea Cappadocia. It was probably there that he first met the future Saint Gregory the Theologian. After that, Basil studied in Constantinople, where he is believed to have met the famous sophist Livanius.

Finally, Vasily went to the "center of education", Athens. There he replenished his knowledge in literature and philosophy, honed the skills of eloquence and oratory. They say that in addition to this, Vasily mastered astronomy and medicine. In Athens, the Providence of God again brought him together with Gregory the Theologian, who arrived there a little earlier. Living together nurtured and strengthened their friendship. Here Basil met the future Emperor Julian, the persecutor and destroyer of the Church.

The first steps of Basil the Great in the Christian field

Around 358, after almost five years in Athens, Basil returned to Caesarea. For some time, at the request of fellow citizens, he taught rhetoric. During this period, he received Baptism, possibly from the Bishop of Caesarea, Dianias, who was honored by him. Despite the fact that Vasily himself was baptized at such a mature age, he subsequently pointed out the inappropriateness of delaying this event.

Soon, driven by curiosity and the desire to get acquainted with the ascetic life, Basil set off on a journey through the lands of Syria, Palestine, and Egypt. Here he most closely joined the ideals of the ascetics.

Returning, he distributed all the property to those in need, leaving only the necessary clothes with him, and together with a few like-minded people withdrew to the deserted place of Pontus. Being in solitude, he was engaged in physical labor, indulged in prayers, reading the Scriptures and writings of the fathers, ascetic deeds. Basil's usual food was bread and water. He slept on the ground. Soon faithful comrade Gregory the Theologian joined him. During this period, friends compiled a collection based on excerpts from the writings of Origen - Philokalia.

The harsh deeds and highly moral life of Christian hermits attracted many imitators and supporters to them, who, when they came, settled nearby. Vasily took an active part in organizing the religious and moral life of the growing communities.

It must be said that Basil the Great's ideas about monasticism differed from the convictions that then prevailed among the ascetics of Egypt. As you know, he preferred the cenobitic structure of monasteries, believing that this form of monasticism provides more opportunities for the realization of fraternal Christian love. At the request of the hermits, Vasily compiled the set of moral rules necessary for them.

The dogmatic disputes that agitated the Church also did not go unnoticed by him. It is alleged that in order to promote the Church, Vasily could afford to leave a shelter dear to his heart. So, in 360, he went along with Bishop Dianius, who, by that time, had consecrated him as a reader, to Constantinople, to the Church Council.

The ministry of Basil the Great in the rank of presbyter

In 363 or 364 Eusebius of Caesarea, the successor of Dianius, invited Basil to Caesarea and ordained him a priest. At first, Vasily objected, considering himself unworthy and saddened by the need to lose the opportunity of the monastic solitude he loved.

The state of the Church at that time was confused, if not depressing. The greed of the priests, simony, the triumph of heretical delusions, intrigues, enmity - these are just a few of the difficulties that Vasily faced in the course of his pastoral work.

Being an outstanding personality, from now on he became an assistant to the bishop both in administrative matters and in the struggle for the purity of faith and morals among Christians. Subsequently, this caused the bishop, who was significantly inferior to Vasily in eloquence and education, to unhealthy jealousy, and there was discord between them. Not wanting to aggravate an already complicated situation, Vasily showed prudence and again retired into seclusion. Meanwhile, with the growing influence of Arianism, Basil considered it his duty to return. Discord was smoothed over and overcome.

Saint Basil the Great

In 370, after the death of Eusebius, in spite of disagreement and opposition on the part of some laity and bishops, Basil the Great took the chair. Emperor Valens, who declared himself a strict champion of Arianism, made great efforts to break the stamina of his opponents, including St. Basil, who was faithful to Orthodoxy. Orthodox people faced persecution, deprivation and exile.

At this time, Cappadocia was divided into two provinces, which led to a decrease in the territory canonically ruled by Orthodox pastors: one of its parts was headed, religiously, by the impious Bishop of Tyana Anthim. In turn, strong in his convictions, Basil did not stop fighting for the purity of the faith throughout Cappadocia, continued to appoint worthy bishops. In this connection, for example, the brother of St. Basil, Gregory, was made a bishop in Nissa.

In addition to ascetic and pastoral piety, the activities of Basil the Great were marked by the organization of assistance to the poor, despite the fact that he himself, of his own free will, was one of the poorest people. Among other things, the saint organized almshouses. For example, in Caesarea, he arranged a hospital and a hospice.

Basil the Great died on January 1, 379, not having lived a couple of years before the Second Ecumenical Council. He was mourned by almost the entire population of Caesarea. For his merits and the highest holiness of life, Vasily is canonized by the Church as a saint and is revered by the name "Great".

The work of St. Basil as a church writer

Throughout his literary journey, Basil the Great showed himself as a writer of a broad outlook and many theological trends. Among his works stand out ascetic and spiritual-moral, polemical and dogmatic works. A significant part of creative works are conversations and letters. In addition, the authorship of the Great Cappadocian belongs to many rules.

Unfortunately, not all the works of the saint have survived to this day. At the same time, a small number of works traditionally attributed to him raise doubts about their authenticity.

In his ascetic writings, Basil the Great considered and revealed such topics as love for God and neighbor; questions about faith, sin, repentance; about truth and lies; about those who are tempted and seducing, about firmness in temptations; about poverty and wealth; about rancor; sorrow at the sight of a sinning brother; about the gifts of God; God's judgment; the joy of suffering for Christ; about sorrow for the dying; human glory; about children and parents, virgins and widows, warriors, sovereigns, etc.

In the field of Orthodox dogma, the definition and delimitation of the concepts “essence” and “hypostasis”, which are necessary for a correct understanding of the dogma of the Most Holy Trinity, have been and continue to be of the greatest importance. He analyzed the doctrine of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit in, in the essay "".

The saint devoted much attention to the Sacraments of the Church—Baptism and the Eucharist—to the question of priestly service. One of the most important merits of the archpastor is the composition of the order of the Divine Liturgy (see for more details:).

Among the exegetical creations of Basil the Great, and.

Troparion to Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, 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 to Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, Tone 4

Thou hast appeared as an unshakable foundation to the Church, / giving unstolen dominion to all by man, / imprinting with your commands, / unrevealed Basil the Reverend.

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, Basil 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 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 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 church 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 but 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

Fire, sword, wild beasts and metal claws rather will be a delight to us, than they will cause horror.

Basil the Great

Among the host of Orthodox saints - these victims, martyrs, "suffering friends of the Bridegroom" in earthly life were rich and poor, rulers and beggars, warriors and "meek in spirit."

They differ from each other in the beginning of their earthly existence, but they are equal before God, equally loved by Him, for the saints are "harvested ears, which the Lord has enclosed in the granaries of His Kingdom."

They are the main chord of the comprehensive Anthem of Salvation, a clear confirmation of this dogma.

Our story is about two saints - unlike their earthly fate, their actions and character, but equally awarded the highest award - to see the Kingdom of God.

These are two Basils - saints who ascended to heaven, it seemed, with different Ladder, but received the same degree of holiness, for they signified one thing - the rejection of their own for the sake of the Lord, his work, the future triumph of his Kingdom. Their destinies reflect different aspects of their holy name Vasily. These saints Basil the Great and Basil the Blessed.

"Even in his youth, he discovered a scholarship higher than his age and firmness of conviction the highest learning "

Gregory the Theologian

"The high and majestic pillar of the Church of God, the luminary of Theology, the beauty of the hierarchy, the true man of God the Father, the fiery evangelizer of the Only Begotten, the faithful steward and steward of the Holy Spirit, the child of wisdom, the receptacle of reason, the treasury of knowledge, the school of piety, the interpreter of the secret and Divine light, irresistible and the immovable fortress of the power and strength of Christ, the royal trumpet of the Word of God" - all these laudatory epithets expressed by the Bishop of Iconium, Saint Amphilochius, refer to one of the pillars of Orthodoxy - St. Basil, Archbishop of Caesarea of ​​Cappadocia, nicknamed the Great.

The greatness of St. Basil was reflected, first of all, in the role he played for the formation of the Orthodox Church, the establishment and strengthening of its dogmas, cult and traditions.

The ІU century of the life of the Christian Church, to the service of which this glorious father and teacher of the church gave his whole life and all the flame of his extraordinary nature, was one of the turning points in the history of Christianity.

After three centuries of persecution and mockery of power over Christ's Church, misunderstanding on the part of the majority of the peoples of that time of the preaching of Christ, self-sacrifice and martyrdom of the first Christians, who by their life and death proved the crystal purity and righteousness of the Divine teaching, finally, with the adoption by the Eastern Roman emperors Constantine and With the edict of tolerance, it seems the time has come for Christianity to flourish. But Christianity was subjected to another test, perhaps even more terrible than in previous centuries of oppression - the Church was engulfed in the flames of internal strife and false teachings.

Heresies appear and multiply one after another: Arianism, apollinarianism, Nestorianism, Eutychianism and others that distorted the meaning and values ​​of the Christian dogma.

The spread of distorted beliefs was greatly facilitated by the fact that most of the pastors of the Church of Christ were poorly prepared theoretically, did not feel the diabolical difference in the interpretation of the dogma. Many clergy went to the service in search of glory, honors and benefits. It did not lead to the best that, following the traditions of that time, a certain part of the monks, in addition to serving the Church and God, was engaged in agriculture, crafts and trading. The poverty and oppression of the then society led many lay people to Christian monasteries and communities, but these people did not become zealous and true followers of Christ because of the lack of proper order and education in the abodes of God.

All this required, in order to strengthen and preserve Christianity itself, the arrival of a leader who would put an end to discord and fluctuations in the Church, put things in order in her structure and strengthen the foundations of Church life.

Precisely such a figure was Saint Basil, a highly learned and unshakable zealot of the faith of Christ.

Coming from a noble and respected Caesarean family, he received the best education for his time from an early age, having absorbed and creatively rethinking the pearls of secular wisdom in the best educational institutions of Caesarea and Athens, imbued with holiness and true piety in the famous Christian churches and communities of Egypt and Asia Minor. But most of all, for spiritual development, Vasily was given solitary ascetic reflections on reading the Holy Scriptures and the works of the first Church Fathers.

Having deeply comprehended the truths of Christianity, the future saint put a lot of effort into developing the theoretical foundations of Christianity, clarifying and

interpretation of difficult passages of the creed. He wrote many theological works, including voluminous religious and philosophical treatises, and short Teachings, sincere conversations and fiery Words.

When I pick up and read his "Shestodnev" - writes a friend and colleague of Basil the Great Gregory the Theologian about the nine conversations of the saint on the first chapter of the Book of Genesis - then I enter into communion with the Creator himself.

Guided by his own experience of an ascetic and righteous life, Basil the Great begins to create new, both in character and in content, monasteries and communities of Christians. He writes for them the statutes of life and service, composes the rules of monastic piety. In this work, Vasily again leaves his own practice. He creates a mixed form of monastic life, combining the features of seclusion and "community life": moderate and expediently chosen physical labor, combined with prayer and contemplation.

As the archbishop of the province, Vasily closely monitors the correct conduct of worship in churches subordinate to him, the zeal of their ministers in the performance of their pastoral duties.

Working fruitfully in the field of strengthening and reforming within church life, Basil the Great does not forget about the ordinary members of the flock. He often personally conducts services in temples, delivers sermons to the laity. It is in these speeches that Vasiliev's talent as an orator and cherisher for his neighbors is most clearly manifested. His eloquent word, due to its sincerity, went to the hearts of the listeners, and because of its simplicity it was understandable to everyone. He preached about the dangers of drunkenness, about fasting, piety and other subjects with impressive indefatigability, and everyone from the nobility to the simple poor peasants gathered to listen to him.

Basil the Great also did a lot as a philanthropist. He constantly distributed all his property to the suffering and needy. On the remnants of his ancestral state, Basil created a whole charitable town on the outskirts of Caesarea, where there were monasteries, guest houses for pilgrims, houses for the infirm and old, hospitals, leplesories for patients with leprosy.

Such an active activity of the saint often, of course, aroused envy among colleagues and rage among enemies of Orthodoxy.

Emperor Valens, a jealous follower of the Arian heresy, tried to influence the priest by various means: to win him over to his side with flattery, to frighten him, and to undeservedly discredit and destroy him.

Once the emperor sent his prefect Modest to Caesarea, who came to Basil and began to threaten him with ruin, exile, torture, and even the death penalty.

All this, - Vasily answered, - means nothing to me. He does not lose his fortune who has nothing but old and good clothes and a few books. Exile does not exist for me, I am not bound by a certain place: the one in which I live now is not mine, but any place where I am not thrown will be mine. And the torment? What can they do to me? - I am so weak that only the first blow will be noticeable to me. I am not afraid of death, for it is a boon for me, it will rather lead me to a meeting with my beloved God, for whom I live and work, to whom I always want.

The disgraced dignitary retreated, for he was struck by the strength of the spirit and the power of Basil's faith.

Saint Basil constantly tried to bring good to people, to strengthen the foundations of the faith, to give impetus to a new flourishing of Orthodoxy. Even in the last moments of his life he followed this. When the time came to die, Saint Basil accomplished the last feat of his life - he converted a non-Christian to Orthodoxy.

The Jewish doctor, having examined the dying saint, said that the latter would not live until morning, or he, a Jew, would convert to Christianity. Hearing these words, Basil began to ask God to extend his earthly existence a little more in order to perform one more service to God. When in the morning the doctor saw his hopeless patient alive, he exclaimed:

Now I see whose God is true! I want to be baptized immediately.

Saint Basil personally conducted the rite of baptism for the doctor and his family, and then departed in peace, in order to unite forever with the One to whom he had rushed all his life. It happened on January 14, 379 from the Nativity of Christ. His coffin was honored not only by Christians, but also by Jews and pagans. Human memory strengthened his fame not only as a great church figure, but also as a sensitive and kind person.

"... God chose the foolish of the world to shame the wise, and the weak of the worldGod has chosen to put to shame the strong... "(1 cor. 1, 27).

In order to become a favorite of God, it is not necessary to carry out his will with a sword in your hands, to defend the truth of God before the mighty of this world, to write God-spirited books, or to distribute all your wealth to the poor. Submission, piety and modesty, visible weakness and infirmity can also glorify God, bring the light of faith to people, and affirm the power of Orthodoxy."

In a family of ordinary bourgeois from the village of Yelokhovo near Moscow, in December 1468, a boy, Vasily, was born, who with his life glorified not only his family, but also his people, Orthodoxy.

As a teenager, Vasily discovered wonderful abilities. So, serving as an apprentice with a shoemaker, the boy in one case earned himself the fame of a seer. A merchant came to the master to order boots for himself, which he could not bear even for several years. At the same time, Vasily smiled unhappily and said:

We will sew such that you will not wear out to death, - and wept.

To the question of the owner, what would all this mean, the guy said that he felt the close end of the customer. And indeed - soon the merchant died.

Then Vasily had several more insights from which he became sadder every day. Often the guy said that he sees how countless sins are dragging this world into hell.

In order to somehow save his compatriots, Vasily left the service and went to the people, becoming a poor fool, walked the streets of Moscow barefoot and naked, starved, lived on the threshold of a church, often put on metal chains. His actions were sometimes strange and, at first glance, incomprehensible. Either he will knock over a stall with bread in the market, then he will knock out kvass from a vessel, then he will attack a beggar, then he will come to a house where people are joyfully and loudly celebrating something, and burst into tears, hugging its corners. People most often reacted to such tricks of Vasily with misunderstanding, and sometimes they scolded and beat the beggar, and the latter rejoiced and glorified God. Later it turned out that the bread was baked from spoiled flour, the kvass was rancid, the beggar was a reincarnated demon, and the holy fool said about "merry houses":

I see mournful angels standing by the house and bitterly complaining about human sins, and with tears I beg them to pray to the Lord for the conversion of sinners to the true path.

Gradually, the glory of a seer and a man of God was established for Basil. His authority especially increased when in one of the temples the holy fool threw down and broke the icon of the Mother of God from the wall.

For such an act, the parishioners almost killed Vasily, but when, at his request, they tore off the top layer of paint from the icon board, they saw the face of Satan under it, and realized that they had been deceived by the wicked and worshiped the devil, and the holy fool saved them from sin. The chronicler of that time says about St. Basil the Blessed: "He always knows how to reveal the Devil in every form and pursuing him everywhere!"

With all his actions, his life, Vasily set an example of piety and piety. He scolded and denounced those who gave alms, helped the church out of selfish motives - not through Christian care or sincere faith, but in the hope of being known as a pious and zealous Christian. The Blessed One said that not all the poor and suffering need alms, but only those who use these alms for good deeds. Vasily himself once gave a lot of money that he was given to a foreign merchant who lost his fortune, was in poverty, but could not ask people for help because of his modesty.

Basil the Blessed over time became for his contemporaries a symbol of piety, humility and the personification of the main Christian virtues. Following his righteous path, he was not afraid of human condemnation, misunderstanding, or ridicule; nor the fury of the mighty of this world. Even the formidable Tsar Ivan the Terrible was afraid of the holy fool, for the latter told the sovereign the truth about his bloody deeds. Blessed Basil condemned the unrighteous deeds of this person holding power, reprimanded him for insufficient diligence in prayers, treated the royal gifts with contempt, and could calmly refuse to sit down at the royal table for dinner. A goblet of wine given by the tsar, Vasily poured it out the window with the words that it was extinguishing the burning Novgorod (and indeed, at that time the fire in, it seemed, in the doomed city, magically stopped), threw out the tsar's meat, because he did not want to "eat people" (Terrible at that time was celebrating a bloody victory over his next courtier, who fell into royal disgrace), he calmly gave a fur coat "from the royal shoulder" to the first person he met.

On his thorny path as a holy fool, Vasily often worked miracles: in 1521, by the prayers of the saint, Moscow was saved from the invasion of the Tatar Khan Makhmed Giray; in the summer of 1547, the holy fool predicted a terrible fire in the capital; once cured of a serious illness of the Russian tsar; restored sight to a feeble woman...

Vasily lived for 72 years, most of which he devoted to the feat of foolishness, and died on August 2 (according to the new style on August 15), 1557. Moscow buried its saint with great honors. Tsar Ivan the Terrible himself with the boyars carried the coffin of the deceased, and the burial ceremony was performed by Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow. Vasily was buried in the Trinity Church, which today is popularly called St. Basil's Cathedral.

A chronicle description of the saint has been preserved, where there is a very interesting characteristic detail of his image: "All naked, in his hand a staff" - these words contain all the greatness and all the simplicity of this extraordinary person.

Before us are two bright images, two descriptions of the life of God's confidants, saints, who by their deeds glorified the Lord, his grandiose greatness, immense wisdom, boundless philanthropy. Greatness and simplicity, fieryness and humility combined in them. What do these two Basils teach us? What is called? - To Christian love and modesty! To refuse to indulge your passions.

Many temptations surround us, and although we strive in every possible way for a righteous life, we often do not have enough strength to resist. In such cases, we need to turn to the saints for help, who in earthly life, despite many worries and sorrows, did not leave without their help those who came to them, especially since they will NOT leave those who are now turning to them after their ascension. him with faith and hope.

Now I am crying to you, holy patriarchs, kings and prophets,

Apostles and saints and all chosen by Christ: help

me in judgment, may they save my soul from the power of the enemy.

Saint Basil the Great.
January 14 (1) - the memory of St. Basil the Great

Year of birth: about 330. Birthplace: Caesarea Cappadocia, the administrative center of Cappadocia. Origin: a well-known family, famous for both nobility and wealth, as well as talents and zeal for the Christian faith. During the time of Diocletian's persecution, the saint's grandfather and grandmother had to hide in the forests of Pontus for seven years. The mother of Saint Basil, Emilia, was the daughter of a martyr. The father of the saint, also named Basil, a lawyer and a well-known teacher of rhetoric, lived permanently in Caesarea.

There were ten children in the family - five sons and five daughters, five of them were later canonized as saints: Basil; Macrina (Comm. 19 July) - an example of ascetic life, which had a strong influence on the life and character of St. Basil the Great; Gregory, later Bishop of Nyssa (Comm. 10 January); Peter, Bishop of Sebaste (Comm. 9 January); and Righteous Theophilos the Deaconess (Comm. 10 January). Saint Basil spent the first years of his life on an estate on the Iris River that belonged to his parents, where he was brought up under the guidance of his mother and grandmother Macrina, a highly educated woman who preserved in her memory the tradition of the famous Cappadocian saint, Gregory the Wonderworker (Comm. 17 November).

Basil received his initial education under the guidance of his father, then he studied with the best teachers of Caesarea in Cappadocia, where he met St. Gregory the Theologian, and later moved to the schools of Constantinople, where he listened to outstanding orators and philosophers. To complete his education, Saint Basil went to Athens, the center of classical education. After four or five years in Athens, Basil the Great possessed all available knowledge: “He studied everything in such a way that another does not study one subject, he studied every science to such perfection, as if he had not studied anything else.”

Philosopher, philologist, orator, lawyer, naturalist, who had a deep knowledge of astronomy, mathematics and medicine - "it was a ship loaded with learning as much as it is roomy for human nature." In Athens, a close friendship was established between Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian, which lasted a lifetime. Later, in a eulogy to Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian spoke enthusiastically about this time: “We were led by equal hopes and in the most enviable thing - in teaching ... We knew two roads: one - to our sacred churches and to the teachers there; the other - to the mentors of the external sciences.

Around the year 357 Saint Basil returned to Caesarea, where for some time he taught rhetoric. But soon, refusing the offer of the Caesareans, who wished to entrust him with the education of youth, Saint Basil embarked on the path of ascetic life. After the death of her husband, Vasily's mother with her eldest daughter Macrina and several virgins retired to the family estate on the Iris River and led an ascetic life. Basil, having received Baptism from the Bishop of Caesarea Diapius, was made a reader. As an interpreter of the Holy Books, he first read them to the people. Then, “desiring to find a guide to the knowledge of the truth,” the saint undertook a journey to Egypt, Syria and Palestine, to the great Christian ascetics. Returning to Cappadocia, he decided to imitate them. Having distributed his property to the poor, Saint Basil settled not far from Emilia and Makrina on the other side of the river, gathering the monks around him into a hostel.

With his letters, Basil the Great attracted his friend Gregory the Theologian to the desert. Saints Basil and Gregory labored in strict abstinence: in their dwelling, without a roof, there was no hearth, food was the most meager. They themselves hewed stones, planted and watered trees, carried weights. From great labors, corns did not leave their hands. Of the clothes, Basil the Great had only a srach and a mantle, he wore a sackcloth only at night so that it was not visible. In seclusion, Saints Basil and Gregory intensively studied the Holy Scriptures according to the guidance of the most ancient interpreters and, in particular, Origen, from whose works they compiled a collection - Philokalia (Philokalia). At the same time, Basil the Great, at the request of the monks, wrote a collection of rules for moral life.

In seclusion, Saints Basil and Gregory intensively studied the Holy Scriptures according to the guidance of the most ancient interpreters and, in particular, Origen, from whose works they compiled a collection - Philokalia (Philokalia). At the same time, Basil the Great, at the request of the monks, wrote a collection of rules for moral life. By his example and sermons, Saint Basil the Great contributed to the spiritual improvement of the Christians of Cappadocia and Pontus, and many rushed to him. Men's and women's monasteries were formed, in which Vasily sought to combine the life of the kinovial with the hermit. In the reign of Constantius (337-361), the false teaching of Arius spread, and the Church called both saints to the ministry. Saint Basil returned to Caesarea. In 362, he was ordained a deacon by Melentius, Bishop of Antioch, and then, in 361, by Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea, he was ordained a presbyter.

“But seeing,” as Gregory the Theologian narrates, “that everyone extremely reveres and praises Basil for wisdom and holiness, Eusebius, due to human weakness, was carried away by jealousy towards him and began to show aversion to him.” The monks came to the defense of St. Basil. In order not to cause church division, he retired to his desert and set about building monasteries. With the coming to power of the emperor Valeptus (364-378), a resolute supporter of the Arians, hard times come for Orthodoxy - "a great struggle lay ahead."

Then Saint Basil hastily returned to Caesarea at the summons of Bishop Eusebius. According to Gregory the Theologian, for Bishop Eusebius he was "a good adviser, a righteous representative, an interpreter of God's Word, a rod of old age, a faithful support in internal affairs, the most active in external affairs." From that time on, the church government passed to Vasily, although he occupied the second place in the hierarchy. He preached sermons daily, and often twice - in the morning and in the evening. At this time, Saint Basil composed the rite of the Liturgy, he also wrote Discourses on the Six Days, on the 16 chapters of the prophet Isaiah, on the Psalms, the second collection of monastic rules.

Against the teacher of the Arians, Eunomius, who, with the help of Aristotelian constructions, gave Arian dogmatics a scientific and philosophical form, turning Christian teaching into a logical scheme of abstract concepts, Basil wrote three books. St. Gregory the Theologian, speaking about the activities of Basil the Great in that period, points to “the provision of food for the poor, hospitality, care for virgins, written and written charters for monastics, ordination of prayers (Liturgy), decorating altars, and other things.” After the death of Eusebius, Bishop of Caesarea, in 370, Saint Basil was elevated to his cathedra. As Bishop of Caesarea, Saint Basil the Great was subject to 50 bishops of eleven provinces. Saint Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria (Comm. 2 May), welcomed with joy and gratitude to God the gift of such a bishop as Basil to Cappadocia, who became famous for his holiness, deep knowledge of Holy Scripture, great learning, and labors for the benefit of church peace and unity. In the empire of Valens, external dominance belonged to the Arians, who, solving the question of the divinity of the Son of God in different ways, were divided into several parties. The question of the Holy Spirit was added to the earlier dogmatic disputes.

In books against Eunomius, Basil the Great taught about the Divinity of the Holy Spirit and the unity of His nature with the Father and the Son. Now, in order to fully elucidate the Orthodox teaching on this issue, at the request of St. Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium, the saint wrote a book on the Holy Spirit. The general sad situation was aggravated for the Bishop of Caesarea by such circumstances as the division of Cappadocino into two parts during the distribution of the provincial districts by the government; the Antioch schism caused by the hasty installation of a second bishop; the negative and arrogant attitude of Western bishops to attempts to involve them in the fight against Arianism and the transition to the side of the Arians of Eustathius of Sebastia, with whom Basil had a close friendship. Amid constant dangers, Saint Basil supported the Orthodox, affirmed their faith, calling for courage and patience. The holy bishop wrote numerous letters to churches, bishops, clergy, and private individuals. Deposing heretics "with the weapons of the mouth and the arrows of the writings," Saint Basil, as a tireless defender of Orthodoxy, aroused hostility and all sorts of intrigues of the Arians all his life.

Emperor Valens, who mercilessly sent into exile bishops he did not like, having planted Arianism in other provinces of Asia Minor, appeared in Cappadocia with the same purpose. He sent Prefect Modest to Saint Basil, who began to threaten him with ruin, exile, torture, and even death. “All this,” Vasily replied, “means nothing to me, he does not lose his estate, who has nothing but shabby and worn-out clothes 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 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 torment 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.

The ruler was surprised by this answer. “Perhaps,” continued the saint, “you have not met with the bishop; otherwise, no doubt, he would have heard the same words. In everything else, we are meek, more humble than anyone, and not only before such power, but also before everyone, because this is prescribed to us by law. But when it comes to God and they dare to rebel against Him, then we, imputing everything else for nothing, look only at Him alone, then fire, sword, beasts and iron, tormenting the body, will rather be a pleasure for us than frighten. Reporting to Valeptus about the inflexibility of St. Basil. Modest said: "We are defeated, king, by the abbot of the Church."

Basil the Great showed the same firmness in the face of the emperor himself and, by his behavior, made such an impression on Valens that he did not support the Arians, who demanded the exile of Basil. “On the day of Theophany, with a large gathering of people, Valept entered the temple and mingled with the crowd to show the appearance of unity with the Church. When the psalmody began in the temple, his hearing was struck like thunder. The king saw a sea of ​​​​people, and splendor in the altar and near it; in front of all, Vasily, who does not exclaim either with his body or with his eyes, as if nothing new had happened in the temple, turned only to God and the throne, and his clergy in fear and reverence. Saint Basil served Divine Liturgy almost daily. He was especially concerned about the strict observance of the canons of the Church, making sure that only those who were worthy entered the clergy. He indefatigably went around his churches, observing that church discipline was not violated anywhere, eliminating all partiality. In Caesarea, Saint Basil founded two monasteries, male and female, with a temple in honor of 40 martyrs, where their holy relics were kept. Following the example of the monks, the clergy of the metropolia of the saint, even deacons and presbyters, lived in extreme poverty, worked and led a pure and virtuous life.

For the clergy, Saint Basil sought to be freed from taxes. He used all his personal funds and the income of his church for the benefit of the poor; in each district of his metropolis, the saint created almshouses; in Caesarea, a hotel and a hospice. Illnesses from youth, labors of study, feats of abstinence, cares and sorrows of pastoral service exhausted the strength of the saint early. Saint Basil reposed on January 1, 379 at the age of 49. Shortly before his death, the saint blessed Saint Gregory the Theologian to accept the See of Constantinople.

Upon the repose of Saint Basil, the Church immediately began to celebrate his memory. St. Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium (+ 394), in his sermon on the day of the death of St. Basil the Great, said: “It was not without reason and not by chance that the divine Basil was released from the body and reposed from the earth to God on the day of the Circumcision of Jesus, celebrated between the day of Christmas and Baptism Christ. Therefore, this most blessed one, while preaching and praising the Nativity and the Baptism of Christ, extolled spiritual circumcision, and having put off his body, he himself was deemed worthy to ascend to Christ precisely on the sacred day of remembrance of the Circumcision of Christ. Therefore, it is established on this day to annually honor the memory of the Great with celebration and triumph.

Table book of the clergyman. T2, str 447. Moscow 1978.

Saint Basil the Great was born around the year 330 in the city of Caesarea in Cappadocia (Asia Minor), into the pious Christian family of Basil and Emilia. The saint's father was a lawyer and teacher of rhetoric. There were ten children in the family, of whom five were canonized by the Church as saints: Saint Basil himself, his elder sister the Monk Macrina (+380; Comm. 19 July), brother Gregory, Bishop of Nyssa (+385; Comm. 10 January), brother Peter, Bishop of Sebastia (+lV; Comm. 9 January) and younger sister - Righteous Theozva, deaconess (+385; Comm. 10 January). The saint's mother, the righteous Emilia (+IV; Comm. 1 January), is also numbered among the saints.

Saint Basil received his early education under the guidance of his parents and grandmother Macrina, a highly educated Christian woman who, in her youth, heard the teachings of St. Gregory the Wonderworker, Bishop of Neocaesarea (+ c. 266-270; Comm. 17 November).

After the death of his father and grandmother, Saint Basil went for further education to Constantinople, and then to Athens. Here he stayed for about five years, having perfectly studied various sciences - rhetoric and philosophy, astronomy and mathematics, physics and medicine. Saint Gregory the Theologian (+389; comm. 25 January) also studied at that time in Athens; a close friendship was established between them, which lasted a lifetime. Subsequently, Gregory the Theologian, recalling those years, wrote that in Athens they knew only two roads - one to the church, and the other to the school.

Around the year 357 Saint Basil returned to Caesarea, where he taught rhetoric for some time. Feeling a call to the spiritual life, he decided to go to the place where asceticism flourished. With this pill, the saint undertook a journey to Egypt, Syria and Palestine.

In Egypt, Saint Basil spent a whole year with Archimandrite Porfiry, studying the theological works of the holy fathers and exercising in fasting ascetic labors; then he visited the Monk Pachomius, who asceticized in the Thebaid desert, the Monks Macarius the Elder and Macarius of Alexandria, Paphnutius, Paul and other ascetics. After this, Saint Basil made a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, where he bowed to the holy places of the Savior's earthly life.

On the way back, Saint Basil spent some time in Antioch, where in 362 he was ordained a deacon by Bishop Meletios.

In Caesarea, Saint Basil led a strict monastic life. In 364 he was ordained a presbyter by Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea. Fulfilling his ministry, Saint Basil preached zealously and tirelessly cared for the needs of his flock, thanks to which he won high respect and love. Bishop Eusebius, due to human weakness, was imbued with envy towards him and began to show his dislike. In order to avoid confusion, Saint Basil withdrew to the Pontic Desert (the southern coast of the Black Sea), where he settled not far from the monastery founded by his mother and elder sister. Here Saint Basil labored in ascetic labors together with his friend Saint Gregory the Theologian. Guided by the Holy Scriptures, they wrote the statutes of monastic life, which were later adopted by Christian monasteries.

After the death of Emperor Constantine the Great, under his son Constance (337-361), the Arian false doctrine, condemned at the 1st Ecumenical Council in 325, began to spread again and especially intensified under the emperor Valens (364-378), a supporter of the Arians. For Saints Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian, the hour has come when the Lord called them out of prayer solitude into the world to fight heresy. Saint Gregory returned to Nazianzus, and Saint Basil to Caesarea, heeding the written request of Bishop Eusebius, who reconciled with him. Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea (author of the famous Church History) died in the arms of Saint Basil the Great, blessing him to be his successor.

Soon Saint Basil was elected by the Council of Bishops to the See of Caesarea. In a difficult time for the Church, he showed himself as an ardent defender of the Orthodox faith, protecting her from heresies with his words and messages. Of particular note are his three books against the Arian false teacher Eunomius, in which St. Basil the Great taught about the Divinity of the Holy Spirit and the unity of His nature with the Father and the Son.

In his unceasing feats of fasting and prayer, Saint Basil acquired from the Lord the gift of clairvoyance and miracle-working. Once, during a prayer service before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos and the Great Martyr Mercury (3rd century, Comm. 24 November), Saint Basil received a revelation about the death of Emperor Julian the Apostate (361-363), who was trying to re-establish paganism. Saint Basil saw how the image of the great martyr, Mercury, disappeared, and when it reappeared on the icon, the spear of the great martyr was stained with blood. At this very time, Julian the Apostate was speared and died in the Persian War.

When Emperor Valens (361-378) gave the Orthodox Church in Nicaea to the Arians, St. Basil proposed resorting to God's judgment: to hand over the church to that side (Orthodox or Arians) through whose prayer its locked, sealed doors would be opened.

For three days and three nights the Arians prayed, but all was in vain. After this, Saint Basil approached the church with the Orthodox clergy and people, and through the prayer of the saint, the doors of the temple opened.

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.

During his short life (+379), St. 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.

St. Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium (+394; Comm. 23 November), in his funeral homily about St. Basil said: “He has always been and will be a most salutary teacher for Christians.”

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 Vasily 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. The honest head of St. Basil is reverently 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.