Resultados25 letters/passages
basil_caesarea · c. 359 · score 0.02
… itself. He's happy to hand over whatever remains of Caesarius's property to the imperial Treasury — let the Treasurer deal with the claimants and make them prove their cases. We're not cut out for that kind of business. You should know that as long as there was anything to give, no one was turned away. Everyone got wha …
basil_caesarea · c. 361 · score 0.02
I know you've sworn to hand them over for execution under civil law. But a rebuke under the Church's authority carries real weight too — and God's law is no less binding than the empire's. If they're punished here under our laws — the same laws in which your own hope of salvation rests — you'll be released from your oa …
basil_caesarea · c. 361 · score 0.02
Don't turn away from our country as she falls to her knees. Go to the Imperial Court yourself, and with that boldness only you possess, make them understand: they don't own two provinces instead of one [Emperor Valens had recently split Cappadocia into two provinces, reducing Caesarea's importance]. They have …
basil_caesarea · c. 374 · score 0.02
I knew before you told me that you do not enjoy your public duties. It is an old observation that those who wish to lead a godly life do not throw themselves eagerly into office. The position of a magistrate is like that of a physician: they see terrible sights, encounter foul conditions, and draw trouble upon themselv …
basil_caesarea · c. 359 · score 0.02
I look with suspicion on the multiplication of letters. Against my will, and only because I can't resist the pleading of petitioners, I keep writing. I write because I can think of no other way to relieve myself than by giving in to the people who are constantly asking me for letters of introduction. Honestly, I'm afra …
basil_caesarea · c. 362 · score 0.02
The worse a man blasphemes, the more qualified people think he is to lead. Clerical integrity has vanished. There is a complete shortage of shepherds who actually know how to tend the Lord's flock. Ambitious men waste charitable funds on their own luxuries and on buying influence. Canon law is ignored. Sin goes unpunis …
basil_caesarea · c. 371 · score 0.01
There is nothing these people will not dare, and no shortage of accomplices willing to join them. But the news from Syria my brother knows better than I do and can tell you in person. As for the news from the West, you already know it from brother Dorotheus. The question now is: what sort of letters should we give him …
basil_caesarea · c. 371 · score 0.01
The Lord has granted me the privilege of greeting you through our beloved brother, the presbyter Antiochus, and of urging you to pray for me as you always have. This letter offers what consolation it can for our long separation. When you pray, I ask you to beg the Lord for this above all: that I may be delivered from v …
basil_caesarea · c. 367 · score 0.01
My dear Gregory, You have taken on a generous and charitable task in rounding up the runaway flock of the insufferable Glycerius (I must call him that for now) and, as far as you could, covering up our shared embarrassment. It is only right that you should know the full facts before trying to undo the damage. This grav …
basil_caesarea · c. 361 · score 0.01
To Callisthenes, Thank you for your letter. I was grateful for two things: first, the chance to connect with someone I genuinely respect, and second, the simple fact that you thought of me. A letter is proof that someone remembers you, and yours treated me with the kind of honor a son shows a father — which moved me de …
basil_caesarea · c. 372 · score 0.01
To Eulogius, Alexander, and Harpocration, bishops of Egypt, in exile. In all things we discover that the providence of our good God over His churches is mighty. Even the things that seem gloomy, and do not turn out as we would wish, are ordained for the benefit of most people through God's hidden wisdom and His unsearc …
basil_caesarea · c. 362 · score 0.01
To Athanasius, bishop of Alexandria [the most influential defender of Nicene orthodoxy in the 4th century, exiled five times for his beliefs]. When I look at the state of the world and see how every effort to do good is blocked — like a man trying to walk in chains — I fall into despair. But then I think of you, and I …
basil_caesarea · c. 361 · score 0.01
I'm writing to revive the ancient bonds of love between our churches and restore that heavenly gift of Christ — peace among the faithful — which has withered over time. This work is necessary and worthwhile for me, and I'm sure it will seem so to you as well, given your devotion to Christ. What could be more wonderful …
basil_caesarea · c. 369 · score 0.01
On the canonical questions you raised: Clergy who have lapsed are to be ejected from their ministry -- no distinctions. This applies whether they hold ordained office or serve in a ministry conferred without the laying on of hands. A woman who gives birth and abandons the child on the road: if she could have saved the …
basil_caesarea · c. 358 · score 0.01
To Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata When, by God's grace and the help of your prayers, I seemed to be recovering somewhat from my illness and regaining my strength, winter arrived, keeping me a prisoner at home and forcing me to stay put. True, the cold was milder than usual, but it was quite enough to keep me not only fro …
basil_caesarea · c. 361 · score 0.01
I remember well, from what our fathers told us and from documents we still have, that the great bishop Dionysius [Bishop of Rome, c. 259–268], distinguished in your see for both sound faith and every other virtue, wrote letters to my church in Caesarea [capital of Cappadocia, in modern central Turkey], encouraged our f …
basil_caesarea · c. 364 · score 0.01
To Simplicia. We often make the mistake of resenting those above us while flattering those beneath us. For my part, I'll hold my tongue about the insults you've thrown at me. I'm waiting for the Judge above, who knows how to deal with wickedness in the end — even if someone pours out gold like sand. Let them trample on …
basil_caesarea · c. 368 · score 0.01
(Second Canonical Letter) To Amphilochius, concerning the Canons: I wrote some time ago in reply to your reverence's questions, but did not send the letter -- partly because my long and dangerous illness left me no time, and partly because I had no one to carry it. I have few men with me who are experienced travelers a …
basil_caesarea · c. 368 · score 0.01
(First Canonical Letter) To Amphilochius, concerning the Canons: "Even a fool, when he asks questions, is counted wise" -- but when a wise man asks questions, he makes even a fool wise. This, thank God, is my experience every time a letter arrives from you. We become more knowledgeable simply by engaging with your ques …
basil_caesarea · c. 358 · score 0.01
Anyone who sins against a brother and is confronted about it — whether by that brother or by someone else — should accept the correction willingly. If the sinner does not respond, he should be treated as the Lord directed: brought before witnesses, and if he still refuses to listen, brought before the community. The go …
basil_caesarea · c. 362 · score 0.01
So here is what I propose, Father: send me the letters addressed to the bishops — either through someone you trust in Alexandria, or through our brother Dorotheus the deacon. I will hold the letters and not deliver them until I have secured the bishops' replies. If I fail, let me bear the blame forever. That last phras …
basil_caesarea · c. 362 · score 0.01
To our fellow bishops in Italy and Gaul, from Meletius, Eusebius, Basil, and the undersigned bishops of the East — greetings in the Lord. **1.** When you're suffering, even a deep sigh brings some relief. Even tears help lighten the weight. But what helps us more than sighs or tears is the chance to tell you what we're …
basil_caesarea · c. 357 · score 0.01
To the wife of Nectarius 1. I hesitated to write to you, thinking that just as even the mildest remedy causes pain to an inflamed eye, so words offered to a soul overwhelmed by grief, however comforting they may be, seem out of place in the moment of agony. But then I remembered that I would be speaking to a Christian …
basil_caesarea · c. 372 · score 0.01
To Barses, truly God-beloved bishop, worthy of all honor -- Basil sends greetings in the Lord. Since my dear brother Domninus is traveling to you, I gladly take the opportunity to write. I greet you through him, praying to God that we may be preserved long enough in this life to see you and enjoy the good gifts you pos …
basil_caesarea · c. 359 · score 0.01
… g that Caesarius [Gregory of Nazianzus's brother, a physician who served at the imperial court] owed them money. It's not the financial loss that bothers Gregory. He gave up caring about wealth long ago. The real problem is this: the people who distributed Caesarius's estate took most of what was valuable, since his pr …