Letters to various persons

Letters to St. Basil the Great is divided into 3 groups: 1) letters written before taking the episcopal rank (1-46; 357-370); 2) letters written during the episcopal service (47-291; 370-378); 3) letters of uncertain date of writing (292-366). 365 letters have survived to this day. Undoubtedly, 325 is considered genuine. The saint's letters are important: addressed to many people of different positions, they reflect the life story of St. himself. Basil and his time, and church historians provide rich and valuable material, which has not yet been completely exhausted. According to the content of the letters, they can be divided into the following groups: a) letters of historical content. They depict the state of the Churches - Eastern and Western; b) dogmatic. In these letters of St. Basil fights with the Sabellians, Eunomians, Apollinarians and Doukhobors and reveals the Orthodox teaching about the Holy Trinity, about the consubstantiality and equivalence of the Divine Persons, and explains the mystery of the incarnation of God the Word. Between these messages, especially noteworthy is the letter to brother St. Gregory of Nyssa, in which St. Vasily precisely establishes the difference between the concepts of “essence” and “hypostasis”. Some of the letters of this kind are true treatises; c) moralizing. They give a wide variety of instructions concerning all aspects of life; d) related to church discipline. Among these epistles it is necessary to name three canonical epistles to St. Amphilochius of Iconium, written around 375, which gives instructions on the discipline and government of the Church. From them, together with some other messages, 92 rules were compiled, which were included in the collections of patristic rules; d) offering comfort and encouragement. St. Basil consoles those who have fallen into despair and encourages them with hope for God's help; f) petitions for different persons. These letters clearly show what authority St. enjoyed. Vasily for persons of various positions; g) letters of a personal nature. They are important for the personal characteristics of St. Vasily and his relationship to everyday life. *The title of the work in Greek is Περὶ διαφορᾶς οὐσίας καὶ ὑποστάσεως. *The title of the work in Latin is Ad Petrum fratrem de differentia essentiae et hypostaseos. Scientific edition of the letters of St. Basil the Great and notes by: Deacon Igor Vepris (letters 1–58), A. N. Andreev (letters 59–123), D. S. Chepel (letters 39–41, 117, 124–185, 336, 338, 340, 341, 343, 345–349, 352, 354, 355, 357, 358, 360, 365–368), M. E. S. Nam (letters 186–248), A. A. Ashmarin (letters 249–359), P. B. Mikhailov (letters 361–364), P. K. Dobrotsvetov. Church canonical comments on letters containing the rules of St. Vasily (53–55, 160, 188, 199, 217, 236), executed by priest Alexander Zadornov. – Ed. Preface to the letters of Basil the Great The life and work of the saint and his epistolary heritage On the authenticity and chronology of letters Manuscript tradition, history of publication and research of letters Friendly (or personal) letters Pastoral (moral-ascetic) letters Saint Basil the Great (Βασίλειος ο Μέγας, †379; commemoration 1 January 14), the great father and teacher of the Universal Church, was born in 329 in Caesarea Cappadocia (now the territory of Eastern Turkey) into a noble and pious family. The future Saint received his secondary education in his hometown, and his higher education in Athens, where, by the way, he met and became friends with Gregory the Theologian, who also studied there. Upon returning to his homeland, Vasily taught rhetoric. Around 356 the Saint visited the monasteries of Mesopotamia, Palestine and Egypt. In 357 (or 358) Vasily was baptized and received the position of reader. But, impressed by what he saw during the pilgrimage, Vasily indulged in ascetic solitude, founding monasteries in Pontus (Coastal Cappadocia). When organizing them, the Saint tried to combine the severity of physical labor with high spiritual concentration and widespread charity. For monasteries, he wrote the rules of monastic life. Around 362, Basil was ordained a presbyter, and in mid-370 he was elected bishop of Caesarea. A monument to his activity in the field of church worship was the liturgy named after him. In the field of church dispensation, the saint became famous for his uncompromising struggle against Arianism. Among the Archpastor’s writings, “Nine Discourses on the Sixth Day,” “Five Books against Eunomius,” “Discourses on Psalms,” “Moral Rules,” “Rules Set forth in Questions and Answers” ​​(long and short) and others enjoyed particular success. The great merit of Basil the Great is that he finally defined the Trinity terminology accepted by the Church. The saint rested in the Lord in 379 in Caesarea in Cappadocia. The epistolary heritage of the Saint clearly reflected the enormous spiritual path that Saint Basil passed from youthful rhetorical expression to restrained, sophisticated inspiration from Scripture. In addition, the letters of St. Basil also represent a valuable historical source: from his letters one can trace how the struggle against various heresies unfolded that opposed the Saint on the path to the formation of the Nicene faith. The saint's letters are very diverse in content and brilliantly written. With a certain rigor and “practicality,” the style of St. Basil’s letters was not alien to irony, but if in the early letters it was the bitter irony of a philosopher looking somewhat down on the “external vanity of the world,” then later it acquires a bold shade of rightness in disputes with heretics. Thanks to active correspondence, the Saint's reflections on the organization of ascetic life became widespread quite early in the ascetic circles of Cappadocia, Pontus, Western Syria and Armenia, and then in more remote provinces of the empire. Then came the time of anti-Arian polemics, which was convincingly reflected both in the denunciation of the errors of Eunomius and in the appearance of letters of dogmatic content. Saint Basil enjoyed such moral authority that his canonical regulations, compiled in the form of letters to Bishop Amphilochius of Iconium, became the basis of the Byzantine Nomocanon. In his last letters, the Archpastor reaches the fullness of maturity, being in the prime of his spiritual and mental abilities. His letters amaze with their special, bold, openness, ability for internal dialogue with oneself, for sober and sincere self-knowledge: “But I am ashamed to write about what I myself do night and day in this desert. For although I left city life as a reason for thousands of evils, I could not leave myself” (letter 2). Such frankness in the Saint does not reach the somewhat painful self-reflection inherent in the Western ascetic tradition (for example, in Saints Augustine and Jerome). In this case, we can rather talk about wise counseling, heart-study: the saint did not hide his feelings in his letters and was responsive to the pain of others. For example, in letter 5, dedicated to the death of his friend’s only son, he writes: “Does it need to be said how this saddened me and how many tears I shed?” Someone else's grief deeply touched the Saint, and he tried to find the most precise words coming from the heart. At first, the Saint did not avoid the beauty of style in his correspondence: his letters demonstrate an excellent mastery of the high culture of ancient education (ή παιδεία). He could use the "decorative" style with amazing ease, and early letters, such as letters 1, 2, 4, 14, are clear evidence of his enthusiasm for the art of rhetoric. However, we should not forget that, as a true Christian, Basil in his literary work relied primarily on the Gospel written by Galilean fishermen, rather than on the artistic heritage of the Attic sophists. He, perhaps more than any of the holy fathers, was able to place the skill of rhetorical eloquence in the service of truth. A distinctive feature of the Saint’s letters is their emphasis on practical, active ways of implementing Gospel ideals. The solution of pressing problems regarding the organization of the church body occupies no less place in the Archpastor’s correspondence than the development of theological and edifying problems, which noticeably distinguishes the correspondence of St. Basil from the letters of his great friend, St. Gregory the Theologian, who was more characterized by a moderately dreamy, poetic mood and a somewhat detached attitude to the problems that arose. Handwritten collections of letters from St. Basil existed already during his lifetime, and were subsequently widely copied throughout medieval Europe. Critical publications began to appear starting in the 18th century. This publication of letters, following the Orthodox tradition, is oriented in its composition to the publication of the Moscow Theological Academy (1911), in which some of the inauthentic letters of the Saint are omitted. An alternative numbering of letters, accepted in Western literature, is also given in parentheses. Based on internal (features of thinking, themes, style, vocabulary) and external (manuscript tradition) criticism of the text, experts came to the following conclusion: among 365 letters (according to Maran - Garnier), about 40 do not belong to the Saint. In addition to letters that were included in the corpus by mistake (and which represent responses from addressees addressed to the Saint himself), letters such as letter 8 (which gave rise to much discussion about the theology of St. Basil), which must be attributed to the Saint's disciple, Evagrius of Pontius, are inauthentic, as has been convincingly demonstrated by W. Bousett and R. Melcher 1 ; letters 39(42)-42(45); letters 10, 16, 38, 181(189), 329(342) and 331(348), belonging to St. Gregory of Nyssa (letter 16 “Against the heretic Eunomius” restated from chapter 10 of the treatise of St. Gregory of Nyssa “Against Eunomius.” Letter 181(189) “To Eustathius, to the first physician,” a critical edition of which was prepared by G. Mercati 2, is still, although with reservations, recognized as the creation of Gregory of Nyssa). Letters (47), (166)-(167), 162(169)-164(171) and (321) should be attributed to the authorship of St. Gregory the Theologian (they are almost identical to letters 42, 65-66, 246-248 and 57 from his collection of letters). Letter 77(81) is attributed to St. John Chrysostom. Letter (117) was written by Firminus, an ascetic from Caesarea and a student of Basil. Letter 46(50), in all likelihood, belongs to the pen of Bishop Amphilochius of Iconium 3. The authenticity of the correspondence of the Saint with the rhetorician Libanius of Antioch (letters 326(335)-336(359) and with Apollinaris of Laodicea (letters (361)–(364) is still the subject of scientific debate, despite the fact that G.-L. Prestige 4 tried to provide convincing evidence of the authenticity of the correspondence with Apollinaris, comparing the style and vocabulary a composition of letters with the authentic creations of Basil and proving that Basil never rejected the possibility of correspondence with Apollinaris. A chronological table giving relatively precise dating of the letters was compiled based on the article: Fedwick P.-J. A Chronology of the Life and Works of Basil of Caesarea / Basil of Caesarea: Christian, Humanist, Ascetic: A Sixteen-Hundredth Anniversary Symposium: In 2 v. Ed.: P.-J. Fedwick. Toronto, 1981. V. 1. P. 3–19. So, letters (including those that did not formally belong to the Saint) 8, 10, 16, 38, (39)–(41), 39(42)-42(45), (47), 46(50), 77(81), (166–167), 162(169)-164(171), 181(189), (321), 326(335)-336(359), (360)–(365) are now considered inauthentic or their authenticity is doubtful. Letter (117) belongs to the ascetic Firmin. The saint's letters very early began to be considered as examples of the epistolary genre. A small note of six lines addressed by St. Gregory the Theologian to his great-nephew Nicobulus, who was studying rhetoric, is the only literary source of that time that provides direct information about the compilation of the collection of Basil’s letters. When Nicobulus asked Saint Gregory about the rules and laws of the epistolary genre, Saint Gregory the Theologian referred him to the letters of Basil as examples of this art. When Nicobulus asked the Archpastor to send some of Basil’s letters, Gregory made a “certain collection” and sent it to Nicobulus, noting that he valued Basil’s letters above his own: “I have always valued Basil the Great above myself... therefore, I offer first of all his letters, not my own” 5 . It is unlikely that this collection, which was a textbook on epistolary stylistics, was large, and it could not include all the letters of the Saint. However, the possibility of an exact reconstruction or at least an approximate reproduction of this original collection is now recognized as a pure utopia. The mention made by the author himself about the existence of both autographs of his letters and their copies is also very interesting - a mention that is by no means characteristic of the ancient tradition. In letter 191 (199), to Bishop Amphilochius of Iconium (in the so-called second canonical letter), Saint Basil writes: “About those who marry two sisters, or who marry two brothers, I issued a letter (we are talking, according to most researchers, about letter 155 (160) “To Diodorus.” - A.P.), from which the list (τό αντιγραφον) I sent for your reverence.” Whether the Saint himself made a copy due to the importance of the contents of this letter, or during its creation, along with the original, several manuscripts were simultaneously created by a group of scribes is unknown. The very evidence of the origin and spread of the manuscript tradition during the life of the Saint seems valuable. In the original, the Saint's letters were probably a collection of small collections compiled by both the Saint himself and his friends, which turned the entire corpus of the Archpastor's correspondence into a mosaic of scattered documents. It is very likely that the “original” Collection compiled by Gregory the Theologian was not the only one. It is interesting that in medieval manuscripts, written six or seven centuries after the death of Saints Basil and Gregory, the letters of both are often mixed, which is explained not only by the famous friendship of the archpastors, but also, to some extent, by the equal size of their creative heritage and the known similarity of epistolary style. However, it should be remembered that in relation to the 4th century one cannot talk about the “publication” of collections. “Publish” meant transferring a manuscript or a copy of it from hand to hand, from church to church, from monastery to monastery, from Church to Church. However, not a single authentic manuscript of late Greco-Roman antiquity has survived to this day, and the letters of St. Basil are no exception. The earliest manuscripts of letters include a Greek papyrus of the 5th century (SM. Inv. 6795, Berlin), containing excerpts from letters 2, 5, 6, 145 (150) and 285 (293), as well as a Syrian papyrus of the 6th century (BL. Add. 17144, London) with translations of a number of letters (letters 2, 14, 29, 43 (46), 107(111) and others). The remaining letters have reached us in manuscripts from the 8th-9th-16th centuries. The first complete publication of the corpus of Basil's letters in Greek and Latin was carried out in Paris in 1618, 6 however, both the structure and numbering of the letters were still in a chaotic state. The merit of the most accurate critical edition from a historical point of view, which served as a model for subsequent publications, belongs to the Benedictine R. Maran and his colleague J. Garnier 7 . The Benedictines of the monastery of St. Maurus published 365 letters in their edition, among which, however, were not only those belonging to the Saint, but also addressed to him. Probably, such a number of letters can be explained by its symbolic nature (in accordance with the number of days in the year). It was this publication that served as the basis for the publication of a corpus of letters in the famous “Patrology” of Minh. In studies of the 17th-18th centuries, the letters of St. Basil were considered not only as a theological monument, but also as a historical document. Outstanding French Church historians and theologians G. Hermant, L.-E. Du Pin and mainly S. Le Nain de Tillemont initiated the use of Basil's letters as a historical source 8 . Even more valuable for the modern researcher is “The Life of St. Basil the Great” by the same R. Maran 9. The main merit of the fundamental critical classification of manuscripts belongs to M. Bessieres 10, who described and classified almost three dozen manuscripts that preserved a large number of letters, at least three hundred. Bessieres carried out his classification of the various epistolary traditions according to the arrangement and order of letters, which led to the appearance of two fundamentally different groups of letters, each of which he designated, respectively, the letters A and B. Within these extensive sections, he identified three subgroups within group A and four subgroups within group B, designating them as Aa, AB, Ac and Bo, Bu, Bx, Bz. As a result of this work, group A came to be seen as closest to the original source, and group B as emerging from a process of sequential logical arrangement of letters carried out at a later time. Subgroups Aa and Bo are authentic and complete samples for each of the groups. In the 5th century papyrus, the order of the letters is almost identical to the order in the manuscripts from the Aa subgroup, which confirms the earlier origin of this group. Group B in critical publications is used mainly for variable correction of controversial and difficult passages from the main group. Further researchers, such as A. Cavallin 11 and S.-Y. Rudberg 12 engaged in a comparative analysis of the manuscript tradition and developed in detail the internal relationships between groups of letters, but they also recognized that, in general, group A has an earlier origin than group B. In addition, Rudberg prepared a new critical edition of letters 2, 145 (150) and 166 (173) based on a mass of sources 13. Yves Courtonne used the achievements of previous textual critics for his critical edition of the letters in 1957–1966 14 . He did a lot of work to prepare the texts of the letters for publication. In its edition, Courtonne reconstructs the text on the basis of the oldest manuscripts of the Aa family (subgroup). Unfortunately, in his edition he was unable to provide a complete translation of the most difficult passages, and his historical commentaries often lack precision and depend on his predecessors. The edition of M. Forlin Patrucco 15, which includes 46 letters, conveys the reading of subgroup Aa more correctly than the Courtonne edition. It is necessary to note the work of K. Treu 16, who carefully studied the vocabulary and style of the friendly letters of the Saint. Mention should also be made of the edition of the letters with parallel text in Greek and English prepared by R.-J. Deferrari 17, and the work of A.-S. Way 18. Despite some discrepancies between the indexing of letters carried out in these works and the generally accepted one, they enjoy enormous authority. One cannot fail to note the classic work on patrolology by J. Quasten 19, which contains both a classification of letters and a comprehensive overview of publications and studies of the epistolary tradition of the Saint, prepared by the middle of the last century. And of course, no serious study of the epistolary heritage of St. Basil is possible without referring to the fundamental work of J.-R. Pouchet 20, who in his work, in addition to tracing the manuscript tradition, in addition to his own dating system and excellent classification of letters, gratefully summarized all the accumulated experience of previous research. In Russian pathological science there are no special monographs devoted to the epistolary heritage of St. Basil. However, in many general survey works on patrolology, letters are used as a source for characterizing the worldview and personality of the Saint. Some of them also contain a classification of letters 21. Of the special monographs on St. Basil, it is especially worth noting the works of A.V. Gorsky 22 and Archimandrite Porfiry (Uspensky) 23 (Archimandrite Porfiry has a special section dedicated to the description of the Saint’s letters). The Archpastor’s correspondence is studied in more detail in what is probably the only special work before 1917: the article by I. A. Chistovich “Letters of St. Basil the Great” 24. In this short work, the author was able to outline the main directions and nature of the correspondence, and he also actively used excerpts from letters. Special attention is paid to the analysis of letters as a source on issues of canon law, church court and the state of society in the article “The activities of the pastors of the Church of the 4th century in relation to public life,” published without the name of the author 25. As a source for studying the pastoral activity of the Saint, his correspondence is considered in the work of V. Georgievsky “St. Basil the Great as a shepherd and teacher of the Church (mainly according to his letters)” 26. The candidate's essay by a graduate of the Leningrad Theological Academy, priest P. Darmansky, “Letters of St. Basil the Great as a source of information about his life and work” (L., 1956), contains a serious analysis of the letters, their classification and systematization of all the information contained in them about the life, teaching and personality of Vasily. The collection of letters of the Saint (according to Maran - Garnier) is divided into three large groups: No. 1–43(46): letters written between 357–370, before his bishopric; No. 44(48)-283(291): letters written between 370–378, relating to the period of his episcopal ministry; No. 284 (292)–(365): letters, the dating of which is difficult, since there is no indication of the time of their composition, and the authorship of Vasily is in some cases doubtful. The huge number of letter recipients testifies to the wide range of friendly and “working” connections of the Saint. Among the recipients are bishops, ordinary priests, and various members of the clergy; the letters are addressed to imperial officials, ascetic communities, and relatives. In addition, the corpus of letters contains many references to intermediaries in correspondence, who facilitated the circulation of correspondence and were obliged, if necessary, to clarify the content of the message entrusted to them. The epistolary genres that emerged in the era of antiquity are not always represented in their pure form in the correspondence of St. Basil the Great. Although such genres as, for example, a letter of recommendation, teaching, consolation, a business letter, are present in the corpus of letters of the Saint, one should always keep in mind that often in the letters of the Archpastor there is a mixture of genres, for example, a friendly and a letter of recommendation, etc. In addition, the Christian orientation and theological content of the correspondence lead to the appearance of letters that are not at all characteristic of the previous tradition, devoted to issues of faith, mercy, pastoral service, church services, etc. These letters cannot formally be reduced to any of the ancient examples, however, any of them may include elements of different genres. Such genre diversity of letters does not allow us to classify them very strictly according to content, however, it seems possible (according to Quasten) to distinguish the following groups: A huge number of letters were written by Saint Basil to his friends. Based on these letters, it is clear how highly valued friendship was to him. “For I think that you will not find anyone,” Vasily wrote to his friend, “who would love you so much and seek your (meaning the sons of the addressee - A.P.) friendship” (letter 11). However, the saint is not afraid to show disappointment when confronted with injustice, which led to the loss of friendly relations, as, for example, in the case of Bishop Eustathius of Sebastia: “My heart became tied, my tongue became weakened, my hand became numb, and I fell into the weakness of an unmanly soul... I almost reached the point of hatred of man; It seemed to me that every character is suspicious, that in human nature there is no blessing of love” (letter 236 (244). Being endowed with the true gift of friendship, Saint Basil knew how to support and encourage his friends in difficult moments. In such letters we see the Saint’s readiness to accept someone else’s misfortune as his own. But Vasily is not afraid to express his own feelings of grief in connection with the loss of his mother and, already in years, complains “about being an orphan” (letter 30). The saint not only sympathizes with his friends, but also courageously advises to “endure grief humanly” (letter 28), calling to “use... in action” the “chaste reason” implanted in us by God (letter 5). The group of friendly letters includes the following letters: 1, 3, 4, 7, 12–14, 17, 19–21, 27, 52(56)-54(58), 59(63)-60(64), 91(95), 113(118), 118(123)-119(124), 127(132)-130(135), 140(145)-144(149), 147(152)-153(158), 157(162)-161(168), 165(172)-169(176), 174(181), 177(184)-179(186), 184(192)-188(196), 190(198), 192(200)-193(201), 200(208)-202(210), 229(237), 233(241), 244(252), 246(254)-247(255), 251(259), 259(267)-260(268), 263(271), 270(278), 274(282), 276(284)-277(285), 312(320), 323(332)-325(334). Letters to parents and spouses who have lost loved ones, to bishops, priests and monks who have fallen into despondency, to churches deprived of pastors, to clergy and laity exposed to attacks by heretics are filled with special warmth and sympathy (see letters 5, 6, 28, 29, 58(62), 97(101), 103(107), 134(139)-135(140), 198(206), 219(227), 230(238), 239(247), 248(256)-249(257), 261(269), 292(300)-294(302). In his letters to women, one cannot fail to note the wise caution of the Saint when referring to the harsh laws of his time, which contained very strict regulations regarding the behavior of women in society. These letters revealed the true greatness of the real Archpastor, who actively defended the interests of women, including widows and wives, protecting them from the arbitrariness and violence of the authorities. Moreover, the Saint glorifies women as guardians of Church Tradition and right confession, noting their virtue, firmness in piety, and even finding in them equal interlocutors for theological dialogue (see, for example, letters 48(52), 101(105), 154(159). Saint Basil wrote a huge number of letters to highly authoritative and wealthy persons, interceding for acquaintances and friends, for the poor and oppressed, and even for entire cities and villages (see, for example, the following letters: 3, 15, 31–37, 68(72)-74(78), 79(83)-84(88), 92(96), 100(104), 104(108)-108(112), 132(137), 137(142)-139(144), 170(177)-173(180), 263(271), 265(273)-268(276), 271(279)-273(281), 295(303)-311(319). This group of letters also includes the correspondence of the Saint with the rhetorician Libanius of Antioch (see letters 326(335)-336(359), the authenticity of which, however, is still the subject of debate. Some of the letters, at least such as 326(335)-330(344), can be considered authentic on the basis of their handwritten tradition and the historical information they contain. Messages The archpastors to Lebanon, full of gratitude, introduce the young Cappadocian disciples of the Saint to the outstanding Greek sophist and rhetorician. In these letters the Saint makes full use of his rhetorical skill, so much so that Livanius in one of his reply letters (letter (338)) says that he was overcome by the beauty of Basil's epistolary style 27. This correspondence represents an interesting fact of friendly dialogue between a Christian and a pagan and provides one of the best examples of the warm relationship between two great representatives of the Christian and Hellenistic (pagan) world. But moreover, these documents show Basil the Great as a grateful and noble student who retained respect for his teacher throughout his life. The saint wrote many letters with the aim of correcting the canonical order wherever there was a violation of it. Particular attention in these letters is paid to bishops in rural areas, the so-called chorebiscopes (οι χωρεπίσκοποι), who were equal in status to the bishop of the provincial capital, but were legally subordinate to him. The most interesting in this group of letters are letters 49 (53) and 50 (54), dating back to the very beginning of Basil’s episcopal service and clearly characterizing the severity of Basil as a shepherd (who had recently taken up his post and passionately felt his duty) towards many rural bishops. One can speak of the severity of the boss, who sees in the decisive and uncompromising eradication of abuses the only way to set the drifting ship of the Church on the right course. According to the testimony of St. Gregory the Theologian, St. Basil had about 50 rural bishops under his command 28. Letters to the chorebishops (see letters 120 (125), 314 (323) and others), in addition to quite severe reprimands, also contain words of praise and approval, and also testify to their readiness to defend their brothers in Christ from meaningless attacks. A special place in this group is occupied by three letters (the famous “canonical epistles”) to Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium (see letters 180 (188), 191 (199) and 209 (217), outlining church rules. These messages contain detailed ecclesiastical instructions on a variety of issues, especially penitential discipline, and are very important for the history of the formation of canon law. They soon gained universal recognition in the East as a sample of the establishment of ecclesiastical law of the Orthodox Church. This publication opens with a letter to Eustathius the Philosopher - an ardent confession of the ascetic ideals of the young Basil, who completed his studies in Athens and had already visited the best monasteries of the Orthodox world. The dissemination of the ideals of Christian morality and asceticism is the main task of most of the saint's letters to monastics, clergy and church people. Basil consoles those who have fallen away from the Church and invites them back into its fold in the name of new life, exhorting bishops and priests, calling them to conscientiously fulfill their duties, demonstrating ways and means to achieve perfection and extolling monastic life with great enthusiasm. This group includes letters 2, 10–11, 14, 18, 22–26, 45(49), 61(65), 79(83), 81(85), 93(97), 102(106), 108(112), 111(115)-112(116), 156(161), 166(173)-167(174), 175 (182)-176(183), 189(197), 211(219)-214(222), 232(240), 238(246), 241(249), 243(251), 251(259), 269(277), 275(283), 283(291)-291(299). The earliest of them are considered to be letters 2, 14, 18. Letters 40(43)-42(45), despite the fact that they are not authentic, show by the very fact of their inclusion in the corpus of letters of the Archpastor how much authority the ascetic ideas of St. Basil enjoyed both during his life and after death. Like Blessed Jerome in Palestine, Saint Basil the Great was actively involved in the spiritual and intellectual education of the monastics of Pontus Cappadocia, urging them through his preaching to study the Holy Scriptures and lead a godly life (see, for example, letter 22). Some of the dogmatic letters are so voluminous that they become independent works. Most of these letters are devoted to the doctrine of the Holy Trinity, the interpretation of the Nicene symbol, and especially the defense of the Consubstantiality of the Son and the Holy Spirit, and are directed against various heresies of that era. Letters 225 (233) - 228 (236), addressed to Bishop Amphilochius of Iconium, form in principle a single whole and consider the relationship between faith and reason, nature and Revelation as the sources of our knowledge of God. This group also includes letters 9, 38, 48 (52), 101 (105), 109 (113)-110 (114), 120 (125), 124 (129), 126 (131), 154 (159), 168 (175), 202 (210), 206 (214), 218 (226), 243 (251), 250 (258), 253 (261)-254 (262). The authenticity of letter 38, which is especially important due to the differences between the expressions “essence” (ή ουσία and “hypostasis” (ή υπόστασις) discussed in it, raises certain doubts 29 . One of the main goals that Vasily set for himself in communicating with his students and opponents was to defend the “sound faith” (ή υγιής) (see letters 166 (173), 254 (262), or the “right faith” (ή ορθή πίστισ) (see letter 210 (218), which, according to Vasily, is a synonym for “Orthodoxy” (ή ευσέβεια) This struggle for genuine faith cannot be considered in isolation from the struggle for ascetic ideals, which are based on life according to the Gospel. It is the ascetics, as well as outstanding Christians who have taken the path of evangelical improvement, who most effectively help Vasily in the triumph of the “right confession” (ή). ευσέβεια) over numerous errors and heresies that constantly threaten the ideals of Christianity. Faith and life of Saint Basil, like that of the Holy Apostle Paul, from whom the Archpastor always took his example, are inextricably and organically intertwined. From bishop to bishop, from Church to Church, Vasily promotes the formation of a unified structure of the “right confession” and actively opposes the spread of the heretical concept of God-manhood - a concept that began to gain popularity due to the conspiracy of high-ranking officials and court bishops, as well as ordinary priests, attracted by various “convenient” forms of militant Arianism. The letters of St. Basil are very interesting as important material for historical liturgy; using their example, one can trace the stages of the formation of the liturgy. For example, in letter 199 (207) “To the neo-Caesarean clergy” there is a vivid description of the ancient Rite of the All-Night Vigil. Letter 89(93) “To Caesarea, the wife of a patrician, regarding communion” is devoted to the topic of daily communion. The tradition of receiving communion at least four times a week (Wednesday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday), as well as the peculiarities of receiving communion during persecution, is described. The epistolary heritage of St. Basil is an extensive and invaluable storehouse of information for the history of the Eastern Church in the 4th century, especially in Cappadocia. However, the area of ​​distribution of the Saint’s correspondence was truly enormous. In letter 196 (204) he notes: “Let the bishops of Pisidian, Lycaonian, Isaurian, both Phrygia, from the Armenians neighboring me, Macedonian, Achaian, Illyrian, Gallic, Spanish, all Italy, Sicilian, African, from Egypt, those who observe sound faith, and the entire remnant of the Syrians be asked. They all write letters to me and receive letters from me too.” Thanks to such extensive connections, Basil's letters are one of the main sources on the history of the Byzantine Empire, on the history of church-state relations and connections between East and West. The correspondence between the Saint and Emperor Julian (according to Maran-Gamier, letters (39), (40), (41) and (360) is inauthentic 30 and was recognized as such already in Byzantium. Letter (365) to Emperor Theodosius is also forged. A letter, despite its, so to speak, “small” and subjectively colored form, is nevertheless capable of conveying the full depth of the author’s personality, just as a book miniature can convey the greatness of what is depicted no worse than a magnificent Byzantine mosaic. In his correspondence, Basil the Great reveals himself with surprising frankness, showing logical impeccability of judgment and stern realism and responsibility, combined with sensitivity and gentleness. The saint's courageous rigor and fortitude were gained through a feat of faith, as can easily be seen by reading his letters. Therefore, simply reading the letters of the great teacher in itself sets us up for the feat of internal structure, both awakening us from the laziness of the soul and accustoming us to sobriety. The Saint's ardent struggle against social injustice, against the lawlessness of the authorities, words of consolation in sorrows, strict concern for observing the canons of the Church, tireless preaching of Scripture help us find the anchor of salvation and live according to the Gospel. S.P.N. Basilii Magni, Caesareae Cappadociae archiepiscopi, Opera omnia quae reperiri potuerunt..: In 3 t. [Ed. et latin. Fronton du Due [Ducaeus] – Federic Morel]. Parisiis, 1618. S.P.N. Basilii, Caesareae Cappadociae archiepiscopi, Opera omnia quae exstant..: In 3 t. Opera et studio domini Juliani Gamier, presbyteri et monachi Benedictini, e congregatione Sancti Mauri. Parisiis, 1721–1730. S.P.N. Basilii, Caesareae Cappadociae archiepiscopi, Epistolae / S.P.N. Basilii, Caesareae Cappadociae archiepiscopi, Opera omnia quae exstant... Parisiis, 1857. T. 4. Col. 220–1112. (Patrologiae Cursus Completus. Series Graeca Accurante J.-P. Migne. T. 32). Basilio di Cesarea. Le lettere A cura di M. Forlin Patrucco. Torino, 1983. V. 1: Lettere 1–46. Basilius von Caesarea. Briefë Im 3 Bd. Eingeleitet, ubersetzt und erlautert von W.-D. Hauschild. Stuttgart, 1973–1992. Saint Basil. The Letters: In 4 v. With an English Translation by R.-J. Deferrari. London; Cambridge, 1926–1934. Saint Basile. Lettres: En 3 t. Texte etabli et traduit par Y. Courtonne. Paris, 1957. T. 1: Epistolae 1–100; 1961. T. 2: Epistolae 101–218; 1966. T. 3: Epistolae 219–366. The Fathers Speak: St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory of Nazianzus, St. Gregory of Nyssa: Selected letters and life-records Translated from the Greek and introduced by G.-A. Barrois; with a Foreword by J. Meyendorff. New York, 1986. [Anonymous]. The activities of the pastors of the Church of the 4th century in relation to public life / Orthodox interlocutor. Kazan, 1860. Part 1. No. 1. P. 34–72; No. 2. pp. 145–180. Barsov N.I. Lectures on patristics. St. Petersburg, 1887. Georgievsky V. Saint Basil the Great as a shepherd and teacher of the Church (mainly according to his letters) / Wanderer. St. Petersburg, 1896. T. 1–2. No. 1. P. 3–21; No. 2. pp. 185–204; No. 6–7. pp. 185–208. [Gorsky A.V., prot.]. Life of Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea / Additions to the edition of the Works of the Holy Fathers, in Russian translation. M., 1845. Part 3. P. 1–110 [own pagination]. Darmansky P., priest. Letters of St. Basil the Great as a source of information about his life and work. L., 1956. Ivanchenko A.V., Mikhailovsky A.V. Towards the publication of the 38th letter of St. Basil the Great / Historical and Philosophical Yearbook'95. M., 1996. pp. 268–271. Muravyov A. V. Correspondence between Julian the Apostate and Saint Basil the Great (BHG 260) in connection with the hagiographic tradition of the latter / Bulletin of Ancient History. M., 1997. No. 2. P. 138–145. Porfiry (Uspensky), archimandrite. Life of Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea of ​​Cappadocia / Soulful reading. M., 1864. Part 1. No. 1. P. 15–54; No. 2. pp. 113–143; No. 3. pp. 223–260. Sagarda N.I. Lectures on patrolology, given to the LXX course of students of the St. Petersburg Theological Academy in 1911–1912 academic years. Lithogr. St. Petersburg, 1912. Chistovich I.A. Letters of St. Basil the Great / Christian reading. St. Petersburg, 1866. Part 1. No. 1. P. 3–38; No. 3. pp. 289–316. Amand de Mendieta E. L'authenticite des lettres ascétiques 42 a 45 de la correspondence de saint Basile de Cesaree / Recherches de science religieuse. Paris, 1958. T. 56. P. 241–264. Attrep A. Wisdom from the Letters of Saint Basil / Patristic and Byzantine Review. Kingston, 1987. V. 6. P. 238–247. Bessieres M. La tradition manuscrite de la correspondence de saint Basile. Oxford, 1923. Bonis K.-G. A Αμφιλόχιον, μητροπολίτην Ικονιου (s. 341 45–395 400) καί τά γεννώμενα εκ τούτων προβλήματα / Byzantinische Zeitschrift. Munchen, 1951. Bd. 44. H. 1–2. S. 62–78. Bousset W. Apophthegmata. Tubingen, 1923, pp. 335–336. Cadiou R. Basile dans sa correspondance / Revue des études grecques. Paris, 1957. T. 70. No. 331–333. P. 500–505. Cavallin A. Studien zu den Briefen des hl. Basilius. Lund, 1944. Colas C. La société épiscopale dans la correspondence de Basile de Cesarée. Dactylography. Lyon, 1989. Courtonne Y. Un temoin du IVe siècle oriental. Saint Basile et son temps d'apres sa correspondance. Paris, 1973. Danielou J. Grégoire de Nysse a travers les lettres de saint Basile et de saint Gregoire de Nazianze / Vigiliae christianae. Amsterdam; Leiden, 1965. Dl. 19.Pag. 31–41. D'Ippolito G. Basilio di Cesarea e la poesia greca / Basilio di Cesarea. La sua eta, la sua opera e il basilianesimo in Sicilia: Atti del Congresso internazionale su Basilio di Cesarea (Messina, 3–6 December 1979): In 2 v. Messina, 1983. V. 1. P. 309–379. Fedwick P.-J. A Commentary of Gregory of Nyssa or the 38th Letter of Basil of Caesarea / Orientalia christiana periodica. Roma, 1978. V. 44. Fasc. 1. P. 31–51. Fedwick P.-J. A Chronology of the Life and Works of Basil of Caesarea / Basil of Caesarea: Christian, Humanist, Ascetic: A Sixteen-Hundredth Anniversary Symposium: In 2 v. Ed.: P.-J. Fedwick. Toronto, 1981. V. 1. P. 3–19. Gargano G. L'invito alla contemplazionë la lettera II dell'Epistolario Basiliano. Un esempio di dialogo con la cultura e le sensibilite dei non cristiani? /Seminarium. Series nova. Vaticano, 1990. V. 30. Fasc. 3. P. 531–546. Koskenniemi H. Studien zur Idee und Phraseologie des griechischen Briefes bis 400 n. Chr. Helsinki, 1956. Le Main de Tillemont S. Mémoires pour servir a l'histoire ecclesiastique des six premiers siecles. Paris, 1703. T. 9. P. 1–304, 628–691. Maran P. Vita sancti Basilii Magni, archiepiscopi Caesariensis / S.P.N. Basilii, Caesareae Cappadociae archiepiscopi, Opera omnia quae exstant... Parisiis, 1730. T. 3. P. XXXVIII-CCLIX. Maran P. Vita sancti Basilii Magni, archiepiscopi Caesariensis / S.P.N. Basilii, Caesareae Cappadociae archiepiscopi, Opera omnia quae exstant... Parisiis, 1857. T. 1. Col. V-CLXXVII. (Patrologiae Cursus Completus. Series Graeca Accurante J.-P. Migne. T. 29). Martin V., abbe. Essai sur les lettres de saint Basile le Grand, these présentée a la Faculté des lettres de Rennes. Nantes, 1865. Melcher R. Der 8 Brief des hl. Basilius ein Werk des Evagrius Ponticus. Munster, 1923. Mercati G. La lettera Eustazio De Sancta Trinitate... / Mercati G. Varia Sacra. Roma, 1903. Fasc. 1. P. 57–70. (Studi e testi; V. 11). Mitchell J.-F. Consolatory letters in Basil and Gregory Nazianzen / Hermes. Wiesbaden, 1968. Bd. 96. H. 3. S. 299–318. Papadopoulos S. / Θεολογία, Αθηναι, 1979. T. 50. Σ. 297–319. Pouchet J.-R. Basile le Grand et son univers d'amis d'apres sa correspon-dance. Une stratégie de communion. Roma, 1992. Prestige G.-L. St. Basil the Great and Apollinaris of Laodicea. London, 1956. Quasten J. Patrology: In 3 v. Utrecht; Antwerp, 1960. V. 3. P. 220–226. Riedmatten H. de . La correspondance entre Basile de Césarée et Apollinaire de Laodicée / The Journal of Theological Studies. New Series. London, 1956. V. 7. P. 199–210; 1957. V. 8. P. 53–70. Rudberg S.-Y. Etudes sur la tradition manuscrite de saint Basile. Lund, 1953. Treu K. Φιλία und αγάπη. Zur Terminologie der Freundschaft bei Basilius und Gregor von Nazianz / Studii clasice. Bucuresti, 1961. V. 3. P. 421–427. Van de Paverd F. Die Quellen der kanonischen Briefe Basileios des Grossen / Orientalia christiana periodica. Roma, 1972. V. 38. Fasc. 1. P. 5–63. Vischer L. Das Problem der Freundschaft bei den Kirchenvatern Basilius der Grope, Gregor von Nazianz und Chrysostomus / Theologische Zeitschrift. Basel, 1953. Bd. 9. S. 173–200. Vogler Ch. L'administration impériale dans la correspondence de saint Basile et saint Grégoire de Nazianze / Institutions, société et vie politique dans l'Empire Romain au IVе siècle ap. J.-C. Roma, 1992, pp. 447–464. Way A.-C. The Language and Style of the Letters of Saint Basil. Washington, 1927. edition of 1911: “some kind of happiness.” During the work on the publication, it became necessary to compare some fragments of letters with the Greek text in order to clarify and correct the translation. Reconciliation was carried out according to the publication: Saint Basile. Lettres: En 3 t. Texte etabli et traduit par Y. Courtonne", Paris, 1957–1966. Further in the main text we will place the corrections we made, and in the notes we will indicate the version published in the 1911 edition. Notes not noted by the editor (Ed.) refer to the 1911 edition - Ed. This conclusion of the letter is read in the manuscript of the Vienna Library under No. 86. See Lambecii Commentaria de Bibl. Cols. Vindobonensi L. III, b. 373. Komit - an official in charge of collecting royal money; mayor – Ed. In the 1911 edition: “nailed with fear by God.” – Ed. In the 1911 edition: “Food”. – Ed. Chorepiscop (Greek) - a rural bishop in the Ancient Church, corresponds to a priest whose duties included performing divine services and caring for the poor (see 14th Rule of the Neocaesarea Council). Subsequently, the rank of chorebishop was abolished. – Ed. In the 1911 edition: “if necessary.” – Ed. Under this number is this letter in the original according to Garnier's edition, in which, under the numbers 39, 40 and 41, two letters to St. Basil of the Emperor Julian and the answer to him from St. Vasily. In translation, these letters are excluded, because the latter is not recognized as authentic, and the first, even if they were genuine, should not be included in this publication, if not Vasiliev’s. In the 1911 edition: “preliminary state.” – Ed. In the 1911 edition: “to misdeeds.” – Ed. In the 1911 edition: “it is in me.” – Ed. Sulitsa – dart, spear, pike (see: Numbers 25:7–8; Nehemiah 4:13,16). – Ed. Ritina – resin, balm. – Ed. Garnier's letter 47 is excluded in this edition as belonging to St. Gregory the Theologian and in the translation of these latter 36th. See: To the bishops subordinate to him. Rule 90 / Book of Rules of the Holy Apostles, Holy Ecumenical and Local Councils and Holy Fathers. Rep. playback ed. 1893 (Moscow). [Sergiev Posad]: Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra, 1992. pp. 351–352. – Ed. See: Canonical Epistle to the Chorebishops. Rule 89 / Book of Rules... P. 349–50. – Ed. See: Epistle to Gregory, presbyter. Rule 88 / Book of Rules... P. 347–348. – Ed. Rule 3: Μήτε Επισκώπω, μήτε Πρεσβυτέρω, μήτε διακόνω, μήτε όλως τινι των εν κλήρω, εξειναι συνείσακτην εχειν. Successor of Pope Sixtus from 261. In the 1911 edition: “...decided, this concern.” – Ed. Cead was the name of the abyss into which the Lacedaemonians threw those sentenced to death. See: “Pavania”, book. 4, ch. 18. The name Charonia originally belonged to a spring in ancient Latium, whose waters emitted contagious vapors. - Pliny. “Natural History”: In 37 books. Book 2, ch. 23. From the eastern regions of the Roman Empire, with the exception of Ozroene and Isauria, soldiers collected for the secession not in goods, but in money, and this contribution was called πραγματευτικόν Χρυσιον (reserve gold). In the 1911 edition: “...the understanding of tricks, as they think, things would be correct if they did not have another as an accomplice, and everything that was done was not hidden.” – Ed. In Garnier, this letter is followed by Firmin’s response, from which it is clear that, having heeded the admonition of St. Vasily, he decides to return to the ascetic life. This answer is not offered in this translation. You might be interested in: