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Basil of Caesarea, Letters
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To the Cæsareans . A defence of his withdrawal, and concerning the faith .
Without address. To some friends .
To Arcadius, Imperial Treasurer .
Against Eunomius the heretic .
Without address. On the Perfection of the Life of Solitaries .
To Athanasius, father of Athanasius bishop of Ancyra .
To Athanasius, bishop of Ancyra .
To Cæsarius, brother of Gregory .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To the Church of Neocæsarea. Consolatory .
To the Church of Ancyra. Consolatory .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To his Brother Gregory, concerning the difference between οὐσία and ὑπόστασις.
To Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata .
To Paregorius, the presbyter .
To Meletius, Bishop of Antioch .
To Athanasius, Bishop of Alexandria .
To the Governor of Neocæsarea .
To Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria .
To Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria .
To Meletius, bishop of Antioch .
To Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria .
Without inscription: about Therasius .
Without inscription, on behalf of Elpidius .
To Eustathius bishop of Sebastia .
To Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria .
To Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria .
That the oath ought not to be taken .
Without address on the same subject .
Without address on the subject of the exaction of taxes .
To Meletius, bishop of Antioch .
To the holy brethren the bishops of the West .
To Valerianus, Bishop of Illyricum .
To the Patrician Cæsaria , concerning Communion .
To Elias, Governor of the Province .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata .
To the deaconesses, the daughters of Count Terentius .
To the guardian of the heirs of Julitta .
To Jovinus, Bishop of Perrha .
To Eustathius, Bishop of Sebasteia .
To Meletius, bishop of Antioch .
To Theodotus, bishop of Nicopolis .
To Pœmenius , bishop of Satala .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Meletius Bishop of Antioch .
To Theodotus bishop of Nicopolis .
To Abramius, bishop of Batnæ .
To Diodorus, presbyter of Antioch .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Antipater, on his assuming the governorship of Cappadocia .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Amphilochius in the name of Heraclidas .
To Ascholius, bishop of Thessalonica .
Without address . In the case of a trainer
To Eupaterius and his daughter .
To Amphilochius on his consecration as Bishop .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Ascholius, bishop of Thessalonica .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium .
To the Master Sophronius, on behalf of Eunathius .
To Otreius, bishop of Melitene .
To the presbyters of Samosata .
To Eustathius, bishop of Himmeria .
To Theodotus, bishop of Beræa .
To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium .
To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium .
To Euphronius, bishop of Colonia Armeniæ .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium .
To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium .
To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium .
To the bishops of the sea coast .
To Elpidius the bishop. Consolatory .
To the notables of Neocæsarea .
To Meletius, bishop of Antioch.
To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium.
Against Eustathius of Sebasteia .
Consolatory, to the clergy of Colonia .
To the magistrates of Colonia.
To the magistrates of Nicopolis.
To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium.
To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium.
To Amphilochius, in reply to certain questions.
To the same, in answer to another question.
To the same, in answer to another question.
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata.
To the presbyters of Nicopolis .
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata.
To the Presbyters of Nicopolis.
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata .
To the bishops of Italy and Gaul concerning the condition and confusion of the Churches.
To Patrophilus, bishop of Ægæ .
To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium.
Without address. Commendatory.
To Patrophilus, bishop of Ægæ.
To the monks harassed by the Arians.
To the monks Palladius and Innocent.
To Eulogius, Alexander, and Harpocration, bishops of Egypt, in exile.
To Barses, bishop of Edessa, in exile.
To the wife of Arinthæus, the General. Consolatory.
Without address. Concerning Hera.
Without address. Concerning Hera.
To the assessor in the case of monks.
Without address. Excommunicatory.
Without address. Concerning an afflicted woman.
To Timotheus the Chorepiscopus .
Letters CCCXVI., CCCXVII., CCCXVIII., CCCXIX.
Letters CCCXVI., CCCXVII., CCCXVIII., CCCXIX.
Letters CCCXVI., CCCXVII., CCCXVIII., CCCXIX.
Letters CCCXVI., CCCXVII., CCCXVIII., CCCXIX.
Letters CCCXXX., CCCXXXI., CCCXXXII., CCCXXXIII.
Letters CCCXXX., CCCXXXI., CCCXXXII., CCCXXXIII.
Letters CCCXXX., CCCXXXI., CCCXXXII., CCCXXXIII.
Letters CCCXXX., CCCXXXI., CCCXXXII., CCCXXXIII.
Of the Holy Trinity, the Incarnation, the invocation of Saints, and their Images.
Letter CXXXVI.709 Placed in 373.
To Eusebius, bishop of Samosata.710 On his own sickness and the troubles of the Church. On his bad health, cf. Letters ix., xxvii., cxcviii., ccii., cciii., and ccxvi. The translation of the first section is Newman’s.
1. In what state the good Isaaces has found me, he himself will best explain to you; though his tongue cannot be tragic enough to describe my sufferings, so great was my illness. However, any one who knows me ever so little, will be able to conjecture what it was. For, if when I am called well, I am weaker even than persons who are given over, you may fancy what I was when thus ill. Yet, since disease is my natural state, it would follow (let a fever have its jest) that in this change of habit, my health became especially flourishing. But it is the scourge of the Lord which goes on increasing my pain according to my deserts; therefore I have received illness upon illness, so that now even a child may see that this shell of mine must for certain fail, unless perchance, God’s mercy vouchsafe to me, in His long suffering, time for repentance, and now, as often before, extricate me from evils beyond human cure. This shall be, as it is pleasing to Him and good for myself.
2. I need hardly tell you how deplorable and hopeless is the condition of the Churches. Now, for the sake of our own safety, we neglect our neighbour’s, and do not even seem able to see that general disaster involves individual ruin. Least of all need I say this to one who, like yourself, foresaw the future from afar, and has foretold and proclaimed it and has been among the first to be roused, and to rouse the rest, writing letters, coming yourself in person, leaving no deed undone, no word unspoken. I remember this in every instance, but yet we are none the better off. Now, indeed, were not my sins in the way, (first of all, my dear brother the reverend deacon Eustathius fell seriously ill and detained me two whole months, looking day by day for his restoration to health; and then all about me fell sick; brother Isaaces will tell you the rest; then last of all I myself was attacked by this complaint) I should long ago have been to see your excellency, not indeed thereby to try to improve the general state of affairs, but to get some good for myself from your society. I had made up my mind to get out of the reach of the ecclesiastical artillery, because I am quite unprepared to meet my enemies’ attacks. May God’s mighty hand preserve you for all of us, as a noble guardian of the faith, and a vigilant champion of the Churches; and grant me, before I die, to meet you for the comfort of my soul.
ΕΥΣΕΒΙῼ ΕΠΙΣΚΟΠῼ ΣΑΜΟΣΑΤΩΝ
[1] Ἐν οἵοις ἡμᾶς ὄντας κατέλαβεν ὁ χρηστὸς Ἰωσάκης, αὐτός σοι ἄμεινον διηγήσεται, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἀρκοῦσαν ἔχει τὴν γλῶσσαν ὥστε τραγικῶς ἐξαγγεῖλαι τὸ ὑπεραῖρον τῶν παθῶν, τοσοῦτον ἦν τῆς ἀρρωστίας τὸ μέγεθος. Καὶ τὸ εἰκὸς δὲ παντὶ γνώριμον τῷ ἐμὲ καὶ κατὰ βραχὺ ἐπισταμένῳ. Εἰ γὰρ ἐν τῇ δοκούσῃ εὐεξίᾳ τῶν ἀπεγνωσμένων πρὸς τὸ ζῆν ἀσθενέστερον διεκείμην, γινώσκειν ἔξεστι τί ἂν ἤμην ἐπὶ τῆς ἀρρωστίας. Καίτοιγε ἐχρῆν (δὸς γὰρ τῷ πυρετῷ συγγνώμην ἐρεσχελοῦντι), ἐπειδή μοι κατὰ φύσιν ἦν τὸ νοσεῖν, ἐν τῇ μεταβολῇ ταύτης τῆς ἕξεως ὑγείας μοι νῦν τὸ κράτιστον περιεῖναι. Ἀλλ' ἐπειδὴ ἡ μάστιξ τοῦ Κυρίου ἐστὶ προσθήκαις ταῖς κατὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀξίαν τὸ ἀλγεινὸν ἐπιτείνουσα, ἀσθένειαν ἐπὶ τῇ ἀσθενείᾳ προσεκτησάμην, ὥστε τὸ ἀπὸ τούτου καὶ παιδὶ φανερὸν εἶναι, ὅτι, πᾶσα ἀνάγκη, οἰχήσεται ἡμῖν τὸ ἔλυτρον τοῦτο, πλὴν εἰ μή που ἄρα ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπία ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ μακροθυμίᾳ αὐτοῦ καὶ χρόνους εἰς μετάνοιαν χαριζομένη ποιήσειε καὶ νῦν, ὡς καὶ πολλάκις πρότερον, λύσιν τινὰ καὶ πόρον ἐκ τῶν ἀμηχάνων δεινῶν. Ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἕξει ὡς αὐτῷ φίλον καὶ ἡμῖν συμφέρον.
[2] Τὰ δὲ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν ὅπως οἴχεται καὶ προπέποται, ἡμῶν τῆς οἰκείας ἀσφαλείας ἕνεκεν τὰ τῶν πλησίον περιορώντων καὶ οὐδὲ τοῦτο συνορᾶν δυναμένων ὅτι τῇ τοῦ κοινοῦ κακοπραγίᾳ καὶ τὸ καθ' ἕκαστον συναπόλλυται, τί χρὴ καὶ λέγειν, ἄλλως τε καὶ πρὸς ἄνδρα ὃς πόρρωθεν ἕκαστα προειδὼς καὶ προδιεμαρτύρω καὶ προεκήρυξας καὶ αὐτός τε προεξανέστης καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς συνεπήγειρας, ἐπιστέλλων, αὐτὸς παραγινόμενος, τί οὐ ποιῶν, τίνα φωνὴν οὐκ ἀφιείς; Ὧν μεμνήμεθα μὲν ἐφ' ἑκάστῳ τῶν ἐκβαινόντων, ὠφελούμεθα δὲ ἀπ' αὐτῶν οὐκέτι. Καὶ νῦν εἰ μὴ αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἀντέστησάν μοι (καὶ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ὁ εὐλαβέστατος καὶ ἀγαπητὸς ἀδελφὸς ἡμῶν Εὐστάθιος ὁ συνδιάκονος, εἰς νόσον χαλεπὴν καταπεσών, εἰς ὅλους με δύο παρέτεινε μῆνας ἡμέραν ἐξ ἡμέρας τὴν σωτηρίαν αὐτοῦ περιμένοντα: ἔπειτα δὲ οἱ σὺν ἐμοὶ πάντες ἠσθένησαν, ὧν τὰ μὲν καταλείμματα ἐξαριθμήσεται ὁ ἀδελφὸς Ἰωσάκης: τὸ δὲ τελευταῖον αὐτὸς ἐγὼ τῇ νόσῳ κατεσχέθην ταύτῃ), ἐπεὶ πάλαι ἂν ἤμην παρὰ τὴν σὴν τιμιότητα, οὐκ ὄφελός τι τοῖς κοινοῖς παρεχόμενος, ἀλλ' ἐμαυτῷ μέγα κέρδος ἐκ τῆς συντυχίας σου κτώμενος. Καὶ γὰρ ἐγνώκειν ἔξω τῶν ἐκκλησιαστικῶν γενέσθαι βελῶν, διὰ τὸ ἀφύλακτον ἡμῶν πρὸς τὰ σκευωρούμενα παρὰ τῶν ἐναντίων. Σώζοι σε τῷ βίῳ παντὶ ἡ μεγάλη τοῦ Θεοῦ χείρ, τὸν γενναῖον φύλακα τῆς πίστεως καὶ νήφοντα τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν προστάτην, καὶ καταξιώσειεν ἡμᾶς πρὸ τῆς ἐξόδου τῆς συντυχίας σου ἐπ' ὠφελείᾳ τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν.