Отдел I. Письма, писанные святым Василием прежде епископства его (357–370 гг.)

1. To Eustathius, philosopher 31 (1) St. Basil, driven by many obstacles to a meeting with Eustathius to the idea of attributing this to fate or chance, upon receiving a letter from Eustathius, changes this thought and sees in the same thing a matter of Providence. (Written in 357) It’s amazing how you encouraged and consoled me with your letters, when I was already losing courage from the disgraces of the so-called chance 32, which always presented me with some kind of obstacle to meeting you. Sometimes I even asked myself: isn’t it true what is repeated by many, that there is some kind of necessity (ἀνάγκη) and fate (εἱμαϱμένη) that governs both the unimportant and the most important of our affairs, and that we, people, have no power in anything; or, if this is not so, without a doubt, then some incident subjugates all human life? And you will find such thoughts very excusable when you find out the reasons that brought me to them. Because of the rumor about your philosophy, I left Athens, despising everything there. With such haste did he pass through the city on the Hellespont 33 with which no Ulysses 34 ever fled from the singing of the sirens 35 . True, he looked at Asia with surprise, but he hurried to the metropolis of 36 all its beauties. When I arrived at my homeland and, having searched, did not find you there, it was a great acquisition for me; From that very time on, I had many different reasons that served as unexpected obstacles. I certainly had to either become sick and therefore not see you, or not be able to travel with you when you went to the East, and finally, when, having endured thousands of labors 37, I reached Syria, and there I did not meet the philosopher who had gone to the Egyptians. Again I had to go to Egypt, to make a long and difficult journey, 38 but even here I did not receive what I wanted. And I was so unhappy in my love for you that either I would have had to go to the Persians and follow you to the most distant barbarians (for you would have gone there too, so the demon opposed me!), or sit here in the city of Alexander, as happened. And it seems to me that if I had not refused to follow you, like a sheep that is beckoned by showing it a branch, you would have gone further than the Indian Nissa 39, and if there is any country on the edge of the inhabited universe, you would have wandered there. But why talk a lot? And now, finally, when you live in your homeland, I cannot see you, because long-term illnesses keep me from doing so. And if they don’t get better in the future, then even in winter I won’t get in touch with your eloquence 40 . Isn't this a matter of fate, as you yourself would say? Isn't it a matter of necessity? Doesn't this almost surpass the fables about Tantalus 41 invented by poets? But, as you said, I am delighted by your letters and no longer hold on to my previous thoughts. On the contrary, I affirm that we must thank God when He bestows blessings, and not lose patience when He does not reward us with them. Therefore, if [He] gives me the opportunity to see you, then, of course, I recognize this for myself as the best and at the same time the most pleasant thing. And if our meeting slows down, I will bear this loss complacently, because God, without any doubt, manages our affairs better than as we ourselves would have intended. 2. To Gregory the Theologian (2) St. Gregory, who wanted to know the way of life and spending time in the Basil Desert, in a modest opinion about himself, sets out the rules of ascetic life, shows the benefits of solitude, reading the Scriptures and prayer, and also describes the outer life of an ascetic. (Written at the beginning of solitude 42.) 1. I recognized your letter, as one recognizes a friend’s children by their noticeable resemblance to their parents. The position of the place, you say, does not mean much and cannot create in your soul any desire to live with us until you learn something about our way of life and how we spend our time. Truly, this is your reasoning, worthy of your soul, which puts everything here as nothing in comparison with the bliss that is prepared for us according to the promises. 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. But I am like people who, unaccustomed to sailing at sea, become exhausted and feel nauseous, complain about the size of the ship as the reason for the strong rocking, and when they transfer from it to a boat or small vessel, they suffer from nausea and dizziness, because a painful sensation and irritation pass along with them. My situation is similar in some respects: because, carrying with us the passions that live in us, everywhere we are [overcome] by the same turmoil; and therefore we do not derive much benefit from this loneliness. However, this is what we had to do and this is what would allow us to follow in the footsteps of the Leader of our salvation (for He says: if anyone wants to walk after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and come after Me - Matt. 16:24): 2. We must try to have a silent mind. For just as the eye, if it is in constant motion, turning sometimes to the sides, sometimes up and down, cannot clearly see what is in front of it, but must be fixed on the contemplated object if anyone wants to make his gaze clear, so the human mind, if distracted by thousands of worldly concerns, cannot clearly perceive the truth. Just as those not yet bound by the bonds of marriage are thrown into confusion by frantic wishes, uncontrollable attractions and some kind of torment of love, so those who have already entered into marriage are met with a new wave of worries: when there are no children, the desire to have them, and when there are children, care for their upbringing, protection of the spouse, care for the home, supervision of servants, losses under contracts, disputes with neighbors, litigation in courts, dangers in trade, labor in agriculture. Every day brings with it its own darkness to the soul, and the nights, receiving as an inheritance the worries of the day, 43 seduce with the same ideas. The only way to avoid this is to withdraw from this world. It is impossible to entrust the Divine dogmas to a soul that has not been purified. And removal from the world does not consist in being out of the world with the body, but in order to break away with the soul from attachment to the body, to become without a city, or a house, or property, or partnership, to be non-acquisitive, not worrying about the means of life, carefree, avoiding all intercourse with people, not knowing human teachings, ready to accept what is imprinted in the heart by Divine teaching. The preparation of the heart consists in weaning it from those rules that are occupied by it out of evil custom, because one cannot write on wax without erasing the marks placed on it; and it is impossible to entrust the soul with Divine dogmas without destroying the opinions rooted in it by skill. For this, of course, solitude gives us a very great benefit, which lulls the passions in us and gives the mind the leisure to completely cut them off from the soul. Just as it is not difficult to overcome tamed animals, so wishes, anger, fear, sorrow, these evil, poisonous animals in the soul, if they are lulled by silence and are not enraged by constant irritation, are more easily overcome by the power of reason. Therefore, let a place be chosen, such as ours, free from communication with people, so that nothing outside interrupts the continuous exercise. The exercise of piety nourishes the soul with divine reflections. Therefore, what could be more blessed than this - on earth to imitate the face of the Angels: at the very beginning of the day, to rush to prayer, to honor the Creator with songs and singing; Then, when the sun is completely shining, having set to work and having prayer with you everywhere, season your work with chants like salt? For the consolation of hymns brings a carefree and joyful dispensation to the soul. So, silence (Ἡσυχία) serves as the beginning of purification for the soul, when neither the tongue utters anything human, nor the eyes are busy looking at good color and proportionality in bodies, nor does the ear relax mental tension by listening to songs composed for pleasure, or to the conversations of people who are playful and ridiculous, which usually weakens mental strength the most. The mind, without being distracted by external objects and not being entertained by the world under the influence of feelings, enters into itself, and from itself ascends to the thought of God; illuminated and enlightened by this Goodness (ϰἀϰείνῳ τῷ ϰάλλει πεϱιλαμπόμενός τε ϰαὶ ἐλλαμπόμενος) comes to oblivion of nature itself; a soul that is not carried away by worries about food or worry about clothes, but, freed from earthly worries, directs all its zeal to the acquisition of eternal blessings, so that chastity and courage, justice and prudence, as well as other virtues, which, being under these generic virtues, oblige the zealot to perform every task in life properly. 3. Holy Scripture is a general doctor for every ailment And the most important way to obtain what is due is meditation 44 on the Inspired Scriptures; because in them we find both the rules of activity and the lives of blessed men, who, like some living images of living according to God, are offered to us to imitate good deeds. Therefore, no matter what one perceives oneself to be insufficient in, studying Scripture, in it, as in some general medicine, one finds a cure suitable for one’s ailment. And the lover of chastity often rereads the story of Joseph, learning chaste actions from him, finding him not only abstaining from pleasure, but also skillfully disposed towards virtue. And he learns courage from Job, who, during the unfortunate revolution in his life, when in an instant he became from rich to poor and from blessed to desolate, not only did not change in himself, maintaining an exalted way of thinking in everything, but even without grief he endured the fact that his friends, who came to console him, scolded him and aggravated his grief. Again, anyone who has in mind how to be both meek and courageous at the same time 45 in order to act against sin with anger and against people with meekness, will find David courageous in military exploits, but meek and motionless [towards evil] 46 when repaying his enemies. Such is Moses, who with great anger rebels against those who sinned before God, but with a meek heart endures slander against himself. And just as painters, when they paint a picture from a painting, often peering at the original, try to transfer its features into their work, so someone who is zealous about becoming perfect in all parts of virtue must, in any case, peer into the lives of the saints, as if they were moving and acting statues, and what is good in them, then, through imitation, make his own. 4. The indwelling of God Himself in us through remembrance of Him Again, if the readings are followed by prayers, then the soul, moved by love for God, approaches them more vigorous and mature. Beautiful is prayer that makes the thought of God clear in the soul. And through remembrance, the thought of God established in us is the indwelling of God Himself in us. Thus, we become a church of God when unceasing remembrance is not interrupted by earthly concerns and the mind is not disturbed by sudden passionate movements, but [when] the lover of God, who avoids everything [worldly], retires into God, expelling [from the soul] that which attracts us to vice, and spends time in activities leading to virtue. And first of all, one must try not to be ignorant in the use of the gift of speech, but to ask without curiosity, and to answer without arrogance, without interrupting the interviewer when he says something useful, without the desire to throw away the word for show, assigning a measure to the word and hearing; one must learn without shame and teach without stinginess, and if one has learned something [not oneself, but] from another, one must not hide it, like worthless women who pass off illegitimate children as their own, 47 but it is prudent to declare who the father of the word is. In the tension of the voice, the middle should be preferred, so that with low tension it does not escape the ear and with greater amplification it does not become unbearable. You need to think with yourself about what you will say, and then make your word public. When meeting, one should be friendly, pleasant in conversations, not sweetening speech with playfulness, but conveying cordiality with the consolation of goodwill. In any case, even though a reprimand should be given, severity must be avoided; for if you humble yourself through humility, you will find easy access to those who need healing. And often the method of reprimand used by the prophet (2 Samuel 11-12) is also useful to us, who did not pronounce the definition of condemnation on David who had sinned, but, using a false face, made David himself the judge of his own sin; so that, having pronounced condemnation on himself, he no longer complained about the accuser. 6. Clothing and appearance of ascetics A humble and contrite way of thinking is characterized by a sad gaze lowered to the ground, carelessness about appearance, unkempt hair, and unwashed clothes. What those who cry do with intention 48 must be shown to be unintentional. It is necessary that the tunic be gathered on the body with a belt, however, the girdle should not lie higher than the loins (this would be effeminate) and should not be tightened so loosely that the tunic could flutter (this would be effeminate). The gait should not be slow, which would reveal mental relaxation, and again not fast and hasty, which would reveal frantic movements of the soul. The purpose of clothing is one - to serve as a covering for the flesh, sufficient in winter and summer. But don’t chase after pleasantness in color, subtlety and softness in finishing. For taking apart the good color of clothes is the same panache that women do when they dye their cheeks and hair in someone else’s color. On the contrary, it is useful if the tunic is so thick that the one who puts it on can keep warm without needing anything else. Shoes should be cheap in price, but sufficiently satisfying the needs. In a word, just as in clothing one should prefer what is necessary, so in food bread will satisfy the need, water will quench the thirst of a healthy person, and seed brews can also maintain strength in the body for [performing] necessary tasks 49 . And one must eat food without showing frantic greed, but in everything observing decency, meekness and abstinence from pleasures, even at this very time having a mind not idle from the thought of God; on the contrary, the very property of foodstuffs and the structure of the body that receives them must be turned into a pretext for glorifying the Steward of the universe, Who has provided various kinds of foodstuffs, adapted to the properties of bodies. Prayers before eating food should be performed in a manner worthy of the gifts of God, which are now given and saved for the future. Let your prayers after eating food contain both thanksgiving for what has been given and petition for what is promised. One specific hour should be designated for eating, and the same one every day 50, so that out of twenty-four hours in a day only one is used for the body, while the other hours are spent by the ascetic in mental work (ἐν τῇ ϰατὰ νοῦν ἐϱγασίᾳ) 51. Sleep should be light, from which you can easily awaken and which naturally follows after eating a little food, it must be deliberately interrupted by worries about important matters. And immersion in deep sleep until the limbs relax, which gives time to unreasonable dreams, puts the sleeper in this way to death every day. On the contrary, what others use the morning for, midnight serves the ascetics of piety; because the silence of the night most of all gives freedom to the soul, when neither the eyes nor the ears convey harmful sights or hearings to the heart, but the mind remains alone with God and, just as it corrects itself by remembering the sins it has committed, it also prescribes for itself rules for evading evil and asking for God’s help in accomplishing its plans. This is my message of brotherly love to you, O dear head! And you deign to reward me with your saintly prayers, so that I may be saved from the present evil age and from foolish people, freed from all sin, or better yet, separated from the very enemy and accuser of our life, and with a pure heart see in the knowledge of the God of all, by the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. He praises Candidian for not being proud of honors and maintaining a love of science, and at the same time asking for protection from the violence of one person who robbed the Vasiliev’s house in Annisy. (Written from solitude 54.) 1. While I received your letter in my hands, I suffered something worthy of you listening. Respecting it as news of some state matter, and while I was breaking the wax seal, I looked at it with fear, as no accused Spartan looks at the Lacedaemonian scroll 55. When I unfolded it and read it to the end, I began to laugh, partly from pleasure that I had not learned anything new, 56 and partly from the fact that I compared what happened to you with what once happened to Demosthenes. When he happened to support several dancers and flute players at his expense, then he wanted to be called not Demosthenes, but Chorygos 57 . And you are always the same, whether you support someone or not. And although the number of thousands of soldiers in your support is greater than the number of people who received what they needed from Demosthenes, yet you write to me not according to your rank, but in your usual way and with no less effort than before about the style, but, in the words of Plato 58, in the midst of “winter and a storm of affairs, as if standing behind some kind of solid wall,” you do not take into your soul any anxiety, it is better to say, as much as you can, and no others you allow yourself to worry. That's your business! It is great and very wonderful for those who see it, and at the same time not so surprising if you compare it with the rules of your life as a whole. Listen, then, to what my position is; truly, it is strange and, however, it really 59 befell me. 2. One rude man from those living with us in Annis, after the death of my servant, without saying that he had some kind of condition with him, without coming to me, without bringing a complaint, without wanting to receive from me of my own free will, without making the threat that if he didn’t get it, he would force it by force, suddenly, with several people like him in recklessness, he burst into my house, beat the women guarding it and, breaking the doors, carried him out of it. everything; He took some of it himself, and left the rest for theft of anyone who wanted it. Therefore, in order not to be the last of the weak and not to give myself the thought that anyone can attack me, let me ask you to use now the same diligence that you showed in all my affairs. And my peace of mind will be preserved by the fact that I will be under your protection. I will be content with the punishment if the culprit is taken by the village commander and imprisoned for a short time, because I am not only indignant for what I suffered, but I also need security for the future. Olympia wittily thanks for the gifts he sent, bringing a complaint to Olympia on behalf of poverty, driven out of the Vasily Hermitage by rich gifts. (Written from solitude 61.) What are you doing, my wonderful one, driving out from this desert the poverty that is dear to me, the nourisher of wisdom! I think that if she had the gift of speech, she would have filed a complaint against you for deprivation of property: “It would be desirable for me to live with this person; he praised Zeno 62, who, having lost everything during a shipwreck, did not utter a single ignoble word, but said: “I thank you, Fate (τύχη), for bringing me to the cloak” 63; then Cleanthes 64, who draws water from a well for hire, so that he himself has something to live on and pays teachers for their studies. I also never ceased to marvel at Diogenes 65, who boasted that he was content with the gifts of nature alone, why he threw away a wooden cup, as he soon learned from a boy, bending down, to drink by the handful.” So, in a similar way, the poverty that lived with me, which has now been driven away by your rich gifts, could complain about you. I would even add some threat, for example: “If I find you here next time, then first of all I will show you Sicilian or Italian luxury, and thus I will completely take revenge on what I am rich with” 66. And enough of that. I am happy to hear that you have already started your treatment, and I wish that it will help you. The carefree service of the body is fitting for your sacred soul. He consoles Nektarios, saddened by the death of his only son. (Written from solitude 68.) 1. Not yet three or four days had passed before I was struck by a rumor of an unbearable misfortune, and still remained in doubt, because the one who brought me this sad news could not clearly tell what happened; and as much as I didn’t want it to be true, I found it hard to believe what was being said; and now I receive a letter from the bishop, which exactly confirms this unpleasant news. Need I say how sad this made me and how many tears I shed? And who has such a heart of stone or who has placed himself so completely outside of human nature in order to endure what happened without suffering or to feel only a slight sorrow in his soul? The heir of a noble house, the support of the family, the hope of the father, the branch of pious parents, returned by thousands of prayers and stolen from his father’s hands in the prime of life, dies. What adamantine nature should not this soften and bring into compassion? Therefore, it is not surprising if this misfortune deeply touched me, who has long been completely devoted to you, I consider your joys and sorrows to be my own. Until now, it seemed to me, there have been few unfortunate incidents for you; For the most part, your affairs flowed according to your desire. But due to the envy of the demon, all this flourishing state of the house and spiritual joy suddenly disappeared, and we became a sad story for the world. Therefore, if we decide to complain and cry about what happened, we won’t have enough time for that in our whole lives. Even if all people groan with us, and their lamentation cannot be compared with the disaster. If the river flows turn to tears, and they will not be enough to mourn what happened. 2. Understanding is our helper in grief However, if we now want to put into action the gift of God that has been placed in our hearts, I mean chaste understanding, which is able both in prosperity to determine the measure of our soul, and in sorrowful circumstances to bring to mind the lot of man; to draw our attention to what we usually see and hear, namely, how life is full of such suffering, how many examples of human disasters; and above all this, do not lose sight of the fact that we who have believed in Christ have God’s command, in the hope of the resurrection, not to grieve for the departed, and that for our great patience great crowns of glory are prepared by the Hero of God - then when we allow reason to instill all this in us, we will perhaps find some considerable relief in grief. Therefore, I beg you, as a courageous ascetic, to withstand the weight of the blow, not to fall under the burden of sorrow, not to plunge your soul into despondency in the confidence that although the reasons for God’s orders are hidden from us, everything that happens by order of the wise and loving God, no matter how difficult it is, must certainly be pleasant for us. For He knows how to give to everyone what is useful to him, and why it is necessary to set unequal limits of life for us; and there is a reason, incomprehensible to people, why some are taken away from here sooner, while others are left to suffer longer in this painful life. Therefore, for everything we must worship His love for mankind and not be upset, remembering this great and glorious saying that the great ascetic Job uttered when he learned that his children, ten in number, were crushed in a short moment at one meal. The Lord gave: the Lord was taken away: as the Lord willed, so it was (Job 1:21). We will make this wonderful saying ours; The Righteous Judge has an equal reward for those who show equal valor. We did not lose our son, but returned him to Him who gave him as a loan; his life did not disappear, but changed for the better; It was not the earth that hid our beloved, but the sky that welcomed him. Let's wait a little, we will be together with the coveted 69. The time of separation is short, because in this life, as on the path, we all hasten to the same refuge. One has already completed his path, another has just entered it, another hastily follows it - but the same end awaits them all. He completed the journey sooner, but we will all walk the same road, and the same resting place awaits us all. Oh, if only we could become like his purity with our virtue, so that for the innocence of our disposition we might be worthy of the same repose as the infants in Christ! 6. To Nectarium’s wife, comforting (6) Same content and time as the previous one. 1. I wanted to remain silent before your good behavior, reasoning that just as the most tender relief causes pain to a sore eye, so to a soul struck by severe grief, a word offered during a time of still living grief seems somewhat bothersome, even though it contains a lot of comfort. But when it occurred to me that my word would be addressed to a Christian woman who had long been trained in the divine and prepared for everything human, then I did not consider it fair not to fulfill my duty. I know what a mother's heart is like; and when I especially imagine your kind and gentle disposition towards everyone, I therefore conclude what your suffering must be like in the present circumstances. You have lost your son, whom during his lifetime all mothers pleased, desiring sons like themselves, and upon death they mourned as much as if each had buried her own son. His death was a blow to two fatherlands: both for us and for the Cilicians 70. A great and famous family fell along with him, as if by the removal of support, they were brought to hesitation. O the malice of the 71 wicked demons, what a disaster he was able to cause! O earth, forced to suffer such a calamity! The sun itself, if it had any feeling, would perhaps be horrified by this sad sight. Who is capable of expressing everything that a distraught soul would be inspired to say? 2. How to cope with the death of a loved one But our affairs were not left without Providence; as we know from the Gospel, even a sparrow does not fall without the will of our Father (Matthew 10:29). Therefore, if anything happened to us, it happened according to the will of the One who created us. And who can resist the will of God (Rom.9:19)? Let us endure what has befallen us, because by accepting it with sorrow, we do not correct what happened, and we destroy ourselves. Let us not complain about the righteous judgment of God. We are ignorant to give our opinion about the unspeakable judgments of God. Now the Lord is testing your love for Him. Now is your chance to be honored with some of the martyrs for your patience. The Mother of the Maccabees (2 Maccabees 7) saw the death of seven sons - and did not complain, did not shed cowardly tears, but thanked God that she saw how fire, iron and painful blows freed them from the bonds of the flesh, and was recognized for this as favored before God and ever-memorable among people. Great grief, and I agree with that; but great are the rewards that the Lord has prepared for those who are patient. Is it strange if a mortal dies? When you became a mother, saw your son and thanked God, then, without a doubt, you knew that you were mortal and gave birth to a mortal. Is it strange if a mortal dies? But we are saddened by the timelessness! It is not known whether this is not a good time; because we do not know how to choose what is useful to the soul, and how to determine the duration of human life. Look around the whole world in which you live, and judge that everything visible is mortal, that everything is subject to decay. Look at the sky - and it will one day collapse; look at the sun - and it will not stand; all the stars, animals living on land and in water, all the decoration of the earth, the earth itself - everything is perishable; a little more time, and all this will not happen. Let thinking about this be a consolation for you in what happened. Measure your grief not taken separately; in this case it will seem unbearable to you. But compare it with everything human, and in this you will find consolation for yourself in sorrow. And above all this I will say a strong conviction. Have mercy on your spouse: be a comfort to one another; while crushing yourself with grief, do not make the misfortune even more difficult for him. In general, I don’t think that words are enough for consolation, but I reason that in this case prayer is needed. Therefore, I pray to the Lord Himself, having touched your heart with His indescribable power, to create light in your soul with good thoughts, so that within yourself you may have sources of consolation. 7. To friend Gregory 72 (7) The justification is that although he foresaw the accusation of insufficient expression, he could not help but give an answer to those asking; and asks St. Gregory to devote himself entirely to the defense of true teaching. (Written, apparently, from solitude.) When I wrote to your scholarship, it was not unknown to me that every theological saying, just as it does not express the whole thought of the one who answers, does not satisfy the desire of the questioner, because the word is very weak to serve [the perfect expression] of what is represented in the mind 73 . Therefore, if our thought is weak, and our tongue is more insufficient than thought, then what should we expect in the reasoning of what was said, except for the accusation of poverty of words? However, for this reason it was impossible to pass over the proposed question in silence. He is in danger of changing the truth who does not willingly give answers about God to those who love the Lord. Therefore, those expressions, whether they seem sufficient or need some precise addition, should wait for a special time to correct them. And as for the present time, I ask you, as I have already asked, to devote yourself entirely to the defense of the truth and, whatever aspirations God has put into your thought for the affirmation of good, be content with them and not demand anything more from me, because I am much lower than the opinion of others about me and I will harm the teaching more with my weakness than I give the truth any strength with my defense. 8. To the Caesarea monks 74 (8) Shows the reasons why, having moved away from them, he delays his return; warns against the teachings of the Arians 75 and, in refutation of the Arian objections, explains that God is one by nature, and not by number, and that the concepts of like and unlike are not applicable to the Father and the Son; also clarifies the true meaning of those passages of Scripture that the Arians cited against the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father; finally, he proves the divinity of the Holy Spirit and concludes the letter with the speculation that the Kingdom of Heaven is contemplation. (360 g. 76) 1. I was repeatedly amazed at what kind of disposition you have towards me, and why my poverty, smallness and limitation, which, I believe, has nothing attractive [in itself], has such power over you; Meanwhile, you address your words to me, reminding me of both friendship and the fatherland, trying with fatherly love 77 to attract me again, as if some fugitive. I admit and do not deny that I became a fugitive; Those who wish can now find out the reason. At first, struck most by the surprise, like people who are suddenly struck by a sudden noise, I could not control my thoughts, but withdrew, running, and lived quite some time away from you; and subsequently a kind of love for Divine dogmas and a desire to philosophize about them took possession of me. I asked myself: “How can I overcome the vice 78 that lives within me? Who will be Laban for me, my deliverer from Esau (Gen. 28:5), and a teacher of heavenly wisdom?” But since, with the help of God, I achieved my goal to the best of my ability, having found the chosen vessel (Acts 9:15) and a deep well, I mean the mouth of Christ - Gregory, then, I ask you, give me a little more time; I ask, not because I loved city life (for it is not hidden from me that the evil one deceives people with such things), but because I consider communication with saints to be the most useful. For, by myself discussing the Divine dogmas, and more often by listening to those who reason, I acquire a skill for speculation, which is difficult to give up. And this is my position! And you, oh divine and dearest to me above all, beware of the Philistine shepherds 79 lest one of them secretly block your treasures and disturb the purity of knowledge regarding the faith. For they are always in charge not to teach simple souls from the Divine Scriptures, but to undermine the truth with external wisdom. Whoever introduces into our faith the Unbegotten and the Begotten, who teaches that He who always exists was not at one time, that He who by nature and always is the Father became the Father, 80 that the Holy Spirit is not eternal - is not such an obvious Philistine, jealous of the sheep of our patriarch, so that they do not drink the pure water that flows into the eternal belly (John 4:14), but bring upon themselves what was prophesied by the prophet: Have you abandoned me, the source of living waters, and dug up for yourself broken treasures that cannot contain water (Jer. 2:13)? One must confess God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, as the words of God taught and those who sublimely understood them. God is one not in number, but in nature And let it be said to those who reproach us for tritheism that we confess one God not in number, but in nature (οὐ τῷ ἀϱιϑμῷ, ἀλλὰ τῇ φύσει). For everything that is called one in number is in reality not one and not simple in nature: about God, everyone confesses that He is simple and uncomplicated. Therefore, God is not one in number. What I said is explained this way. We say that the world is one in number, but we do not say that it is something united by nature and simple, because we divide it into the elements of which it consists - fire, water, air and earth 81 . Man is also called one by number, for we often say: one man; but even he, consisting of body and soul, is not simple. Likewise, we say about the Angel that he is one in number, but not one by nature and not simple; because we imagine the angelic hypostasis as an essence in which there is a shrine ἐννοοῦμεν). Therefore, if everything that is one in number is not one in nature, then what is one in nature and simple is not one in number. And we call God one by nature. How do they introduce number to us when we completely exclude it from This blessed and intelligent Nature? For number is associated with quantity, and quantity with corporeal nature; Therefore, number is an accessory to the corporeal nature. And we believe that our Lord is the Creator of bodies. Therefore, every number means something that has received a material and limited nature as its destiny; and singularity and unity are a sign of a simple and boundless essence. Therefore, whoever confesses the Son of God or the Holy Spirit as a number or a creature, he in a hidden way introduces a material or limited nature. I call limited not only the nature that is encompassed by place, but also that nature that He who had the power to bring it from non-existence into being embraced with His foreknowledge, and which can be embraced by knowledge. Therefore, everything sacred, which has a limited nature and acquired holiness, can admit vice into itself. And the Son and the Holy Spirit are the Source of holiness (πηγὴ ἁγιασμοῦ), from which every rational creature is sanctified according to the measure of its virtue (ϰατ’ ἀναλογίαν τῆς ἀϱετῆς). 3. God by essence, gods by grace and false gods Moreover, according to true teaching, we do not call the Son either similar 82 or dissimilar 83 to the Father, for both are equally impossible in relation to Them. Something is called similar and dissimilar in relation to [its] qualities (ϰατὰ τὰς ποιότητας), and the Divine is free from quality (ποιότητος). Confessing the identity (ταυτότητα) of nature, both consubstantial beings are acceptable and we avoid complexity, because in essence God and the Father begat in essence God and the Son. For this proves consubstantiality: in essence, God is consubstantial with God in essence. It is true that man is called god, as in: Az rekh: God of nature (Ps. 81:6), and the demon is called god, as in: God is the tongue of the demon (Ps. 96:5); but some are called so by grace, and others falsely. And only one God is essentially God. When I say “one,” I point to the holy and uncreated essence of God. For the word “one” is said both about a person and simply about nature taken together; about some person, for example, you can say about Paul that he alone was caught up into the third heaven and heard inexpressible verbs, which are too old for a man to speak (2 Cor. 12:2, 4), but about nature taken as a whole - when, for example, David says: man is like the grass of his days (Ps. 102:15); because here it does not mean any person, but the totality of nature taken, for every person is temporary and mortal. So we understand that the following is said about nature: one (μ ό νος) who has immortality (1 Tim. 6:16); and: the only (μ ό ν ῳ) all-wise God (Rom. 14:26); and: no one is good, except one (εἷς) God (Luke 18:19), for here the word “one” (εἷς) means the same as the word “one” (μό νος); and: one simple (μ ό νος) sky (Job.9:8); and again: You will worship the Lord your God, and serve Him alone (μ ό ν ῳ) (Matt. 4:10; Deut. 6:13); and: Is there no God (Deut. 32:39). For the word “one” and “only” (εἷς ϰ α ὶ μ ό νος) are used in Scripture about God, not to contrast His Son or the Holy Spirit, but in relation to invalid gods, falsely called gods; for example: the Lord is one (μόνος) their leader, and God is not alien to them (Deut. 32:12); and: about the stronghold of the sons of Israel, Baalim 84, and the oak groves of Astaroth, and servitude for the only Lord (μόνῳ) (1 Sam. 7:4); and Paul also says: as there are many gods, and many lords: but for us there is one (εἷς) God the Father, and from Him are all things; and there is one (εἷς) Lord Jesus Christ, in Him are all things (1 Cor. 8:5, 6). Jesus Christ is the name of God made man But we ask here why, having said “there is one God,” he was not content with this expression (for we said that the words “one” and “one” (μ ό νος ϰαὶ εἷς), used about God, mean nature), but added “Father” and mentioned Christ? I guess, therefore, that the chosen vessel Paul now considered it insufficient to preach only 85 God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, which he expressed with the phrase “one God,” if through the addition “the Father” does not indicate the One from whom all things are, and by the mention of the Lord he does not mean [God] the Word, Who is all things, and again by the addition “Jesus Christ” does not announce the incarnation, does not depict suffering, will not reveal the resurrection. For the words “Jesus Christ” give us such concepts. Why does the Lord not want Him to be called Jesus Christ before He suffers, and He commands His disciples to tell no one that this is Jesus Christ (Matthew 16:20). For it was decided by Him - after the completion of the House of God, after the resurrection from the dead and after the ascension into heaven - to allow the disciples to preach Him as Jesus Christ. This is the meaning of the words: let them know you the only true God, and whom you sent Jesus Christ (John 17:3); and: believe in God, and believe in Me (John 14:1). Thus, the Holy Spirit strengthens our understanding in everything, so that, when we begin one thing, we do not lose the other, we delve deeper into theology, without neglecting the Economy, 86 and, due to insufficiency in anything, do not fall into wickedness. 4. And we will analyze those expressions of Divine Scripture that opponents take and, interpreting according to their understanding, put against us to diminish the glory of the Only Begotten in the same way, having understood their meaning to the best of our ability 87 . And, firstly, let us assume that we are offered the following passage: I live for the Father’s sake (John 6:57) 88. For this is one of the arrows that those who interpret this place wickedly throw into the sky. But here the saying, as I think, does not refer to pre-eternal life (for everything that lives for the sake of 89 another cannot be self-originating life (ἡ αὐτοζωή) 90 just as what is heated by another cannot be 91 heat itself; and Christ and our God said about Himself: I am life - John 11:25), but means this life, in the flesh and in this time accomplished, which He lived for the Father's sake 92; for by His will He came into human life. And he did not say: “I lived for the Father’s sake,” but says: I live for the Father’s sake, clearly pointing to the present tense. This saying can also refer to the life that Christ lives, having in Himself the Word of God. And that this is the true meaning of these words, we learn from the addition. And he who poisons Me, He says, will live for My sake (John 6:58). We eat His flesh and drink His blood, becoming partakers of the Word and Wisdom through His incarnation and 93 life subject to the senses. For He called His entire mysterious coming flesh and blood, and also designated the teaching, consisting of active, natural 94 and theological [sections], by which the soul is nourished and prepared over time for the contemplation of Existence. And this, perhaps, is the meaning of this saying! And again: My Father is sick (John 14:28). And this saying is used by ungrateful creatures, the offspring of the evil one. And I am sure that these words express the consubstantiality of the Son with the Father. For I know that comparisons in the proper sense are made between those who have the same nature. We say that an Angel is greater than an Angel, a man is more righteous than a man, a bird is faster than a bird. Therefore, if comparisons are made between those belonging to the same species, and the Father is said to be greater than the Son in comparison, then the Son is consubstantial with the Father. But there is another concept in this saying. For is it surprising that He who, being the Word and becoming flesh (cf. John 1:14), confessed Himself to be greater than the Father, seemed to be humbled both before the angels in glory, and before men in appearance? It is said: Thou hast made Him as little as the angels (Ps. 8:6); and again: and he was made a little less than an angel (Heb. 2:9); and: we saw Him, and had no form, no kindness: but His form was diminished more than all men (Isa. 53: 2, 3). Nevertheless, he endured this out of his great love for humanity, in order to save the lost sheep, and to add the saved one to the flock, and to bring him who was walking from Jerusalem to Jericho and fell among the robbers again healthy into his fatherland (Luke 15:4–7; 10:30–37). Will the heretic and the manger, through which he himself, being dumb, was raised by the Word, turn to reproach Him? Will he really show us poverty, because the Son of the Tectons 95 did not have even a small bed with Himself? Therefore, the Son is less than the Father, because for your sake he became dead, in order to save you from deadness and make you a participant in heavenly life. How can anyone blame a doctor for bending down to wounds and smelling the stench in order to heal the suffering? 6. The question of Christ's ignorance of humanity For you, He also does not know about the day and hour of Judgment (Matthew 24:36), although nothing is hidden from true Wisdom, because everything is brought into being by Her (cf. John 1:3), and among people you will not find a person who does not know what he himself has done. He builds the economy in this way for the sake of your weakness, so that those who have sinned do not fall into despondency from the shortness of their time, under the pretext that they are not left with time to repent; and those who wage a long-term battle with a resisting force would not leave the military ranks due to the length of time. Therefore, by the ignorance attributed to Himself, He improves both of them: for one he shortens the time for a good deed, and for the other, due to sins, he saves time for repentance. However, in the Gospels, having counted Himself among those who do not know, due to the weakness, as it is said, of many (cf. Mark 13:32), in the Acts of the Apostles, talking alone with the perfect, He excludes Himself from those who do not know, saying: You cannot understand the times and years which the Father has ordained in His power (Acts 1:7). All this was said by us in accordance with the very first and rough explanation [of this place]; now the more sublime meaning of this statement requires investigation, [and therefore] it is necessary to knock on the door of knowledge (cf. Matt. 7:7). Oh, if only I could awaken the Master of the House, who gives spiritual bread to those who ask Him (cf. Luke 11:11-13), for we are diligent to treat those who are our friends and brothers. 7. The holy disciples of our Savior, having gone beyond the limits of human speculation and purified by the Word, ask about the end and desire to know [what will be] the final (ἔσχατος) bliss; and about this our Lord answered 96 that neither He nor His Angels know this, calling every precise comprehension of God’s thoughts a day, and an hour the contemplation of unity and singularity, the knowledge of which He appropriated to the One Father. Therefore, as I guess, this expresses that God knows about Himself, what He is, and does not know what He is not. For it is said that God knows truth and wisdom, being the Self-Sourcing Truth and Wisdom (αὐτοδιϰαιοσύνη ϰαὶ σοφία), but does not know untruth and wickedness, because God who created us is not untruth and wickedness. Therefore, if it is said that God knows about Himself, what He is, and does not know what He is not (and our Lord, according to the concept of incarnation and according to rough 97, so to speak, teaching, is not the desired final goal 98), then it follows that our Savior did not know the end and the extreme limit of bliss. But it is said that even the Angels do not know (cf. Mark 13:32), that is, their speculation and knowledge of ministries is not the extreme limit of what is desired, because their knowledge is crude in comparison with face-to-face knowledge (cf. 1 Cor. 13:12). The Kingdom of Christ and the Kingdom of God and the Father But the Father alone knows, it is said (cf. Mark 13:32); because He is the end and extreme limit of bliss. For when we come to know God not in mirrors or through anything extraneous (cf. 1 Cor. 13:12), but when we approach Him as the only and only one, then we will also know the final end. Christ's kingdom, as they say, is all material knowledge; and the kingdom of God and the Father is immaterial knowledge and, as another would say, contemplation of the Divinity Himself. But our Lord Himself is the end and extreme limit of bliss - according to the concept of the Word. For what does the Gospel say? And I will resurrect him on the last day (John 6:40), calling the transition from material knowledge to immaterial contemplation the resurrection, and the last day calling this knowledge, beyond which there is no other. For our mind will then be resurrected and raised to a blissful height, when it will be able to contemplate the unity and singularity of the Word. Contemplation of the immaterial through the material But since our coarsened mind is bound by dust, mixed with dirt and cannot stop at bare contemplation, then, guided by the beauties akin to its body, it imagines the action of the Creator and knows this for the time being from the works, so that in this way, gradually growing, He would one day be able to approach the most unveiled Divinity. In this same understanding, I think, the following is said: My sick Father is not Me (John 14:28) and: My gift is not, but it was prepared for it from the Father (Matt. 20:23). For this also means that Christ will hand over the kingdom to God the Father (1 Cor. 15:24), being the firstfruits and not the end, according to a crude, so to speak, teaching, as I said, understood in relation to us, and not in relation to the Son Himself. And that this is so is clear from the fact that in the Acts of the Apostles, in response to the question of the disciples: when will you establish the kingdom of Israel? - He says again: it is not yours to understand the times and years that the Father has laid down in His power (Acts 1:6, 7), that is, the knowledge of such a kingdom belongs to those not invested with flesh and blood, because the Father has laid down this contemplation in His power. And “power” he calls those under power, and “his” he calls those who do not possess ignorance of lower objects. Do not understand seasons and summers as sensory ones, but imagine certain distances in knowledge produced by the mental Sun 100 . For it is necessary that this prayer of our Master be brought to its end, because the one praying is Jesus. Give to them, that they also may be one in Us, just as I and You, Father, are one (John 17:21, 22), because God, being one, when He is in everyone, unites everyone; and the number disappears with the coming of the Unit. And this is how I understood this saying after a second look at it. And if anyone says better or piously corrects my interpretation, then let him speak and correct: the Lord will reward him for me. There is no envy among us, because we began this study of sayings not out of curiosity or vanity, but for the benefit of the brethren, so that people with stony (see Eze. 11:19) and uncircumcised hearts (see Acts 7:51), armed with foolish wisdom (1 Cor. 3:19), would not hope to crush the meager vessels containing the treasure of God for yourself (cf. 2 Cor. 4:7). 8. The names of Christ in Holy Scripture Even in the Proverbs of the wise Solomon, he is called the created one (for it is said: the Lord created me - Proverbs 8:22) and the beginning of the paths of the Gospel, leading us to the Kingdom of Heaven, not the One who is essentially a creation, but the One who became the path according to the Economy. For this is expressed by the words “to become” and “to be created.” So He became a way, and a door, and a Shepherd, and an Angel, and a Sheep, and also a Bishop and an Apostle, because He was given this or that name in one way or another. What will the heretic say then about God, who is called disobedient 101, and about Him who became sin for us? For it is written: Whenever all things are put under him, then the Son himself will be subject to him who put all things under him (1 Cor. 15:28). Are you not afraid, O man, that God is called disobedient? For he recognizes your disobedience as His own and, while you resist virtue, He calls Himself disobedient. So he once said about Himself that He is persecuted. For he says: Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? (Acts 9:4) when Saul hurried to Damascus with the intention of imprisoning the disciples of Christ. And he also calls Himself naked, as soon as one of the brethren becomes naked. For he says: Naked was I, and I was clothed (Matthew 25:36). And when someone is in prison, he says about Himself that He Himself is imprisoned. For He Himself took away our sins and bore our illnesses (cf. Is. 53:4); one of our weaknesses is disobedience; That's why he carried her too. Therefore, the Lord appropriates the misfortunes that we encounter to Himself, taking upon Himself our sufferings through communication with us. 9. The Son is not a creature, and therefore is consubstantial with the Father But the words: the Son cannot do anything for Himself (John 5:19) are interpreted by the atheists to corrupt those who listen. But for me, this saying proclaims more than anything else that the Son is of the same nature with the Father. For if each of the rational creatures can do something on its own, having the freedom to bow to the worst and the best, and the Son cannot do anything about Himself, then the Son is not a creature. If not a creature, then he is consubstantial with the Father. And one more thing: none of the creatures can do everything they want. But the Son has created in heaven and on earth whatever He pleases (Ps. 113:11). Therefore, the Son is not a creature. And one more thing: all creatures either consist of opposites, or can contain opposites within themselves 102. But the Son is Self-Original Truth and immaterial. Therefore, the Son is not a creature. And if not a creature, then he is consubstantial with the Father. 10. The Holy Spirit is not a creature, and therefore is consubstantial with God And this, to the best of our ability, the study of the proposed sayings is sufficient for us. Now let us turn our word to those who deny the Holy Spirit, casting down every exaltation of their minds that is charged to the mind of God (2 Cor. 10:5). You say that the Holy Spirit is a creature. But every creature is slave to the Creator. For it is said: all work is Yours (Ps. 119:91). And if the Spirit is enslaved, then holiness is acquired; everything that has acquired holiness can admit vice into itself. But the Holy Spirit, being essentially holy, is called the source of holiness (cf. Rom. 1:4). Consequently, the Holy Spirit is not a creature, and if not a creature, then it is consubstantial with God. Moreover, tell me, how do you call the One who frees you from slavery through baptism a slave? For it is said: the law of the Spirit of life has freed me from the law of sin (Rom. 8:2). But do not dare to ever call His nature changeable, looking at the nature of the opposing force, which fell like lightning from heaven (cf. Luke 10:18) and fell from the true life, because she had acquired holiness and change [in which 103] followed the evil will 104; and thus falling away from individuality and stripping off her angelic dignity, she was called the devil for her character, because in the devil his former and blessed disposition died out and this opposing force flared up. The Holy Spirit is simple in nature and uncomplicated Moreover, if a heretic calls the Holy Spirit a creature, then he introduces the idea that His nature is limited. How will it be said: fill the world with the Spirit of the Lord (Wis. 1:7) and: where will I go from Your Spirit (Ps. 139:7)? But it is clear that he does not confess the Spirit to be simple in nature, because he calls it one in number. And what is one in number, everything, as I said, is not simple. If the Holy Spirit is not simple, then it consists of essence and sacredness, and this is complex. And who is so unreasonable as to call the Holy Spirit complex, and not simple and in simplicity consubstantial with the Father and the Son? 11. Three kinds of creations and the participation of the Holy Spirit in their creation But if we must carry the word further and delve into what is most important, then from this we will especially see the Divine power of the Holy Spirit. In Scripture we find three kinds of creations named: one, the first, bringing from non-existence into being; the second is a change from worse to better; and the third is the resurrection from the dead. In all these creations you will find the Holy Spirit cooperating with the Father and the Son. For take the fulfillment of heaven. What does David say? By the Word of the Lord the heavens were established, and by the Spirit of His mouth all their strength (Ps. 33:6). Man is created again through baptism. For if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation (2 Cor. 5:17). And what does the Savior say to the disciples? Go and teach all languages, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit (Matthew 28:19). You see that the Holy Spirit is co-present here with the Father and the Son. What can you say about the resurrection from the dead? When we are no more and return to our dust, because we are earth and will go back to earth: (cf. Gen. 3:19) the Holy Spirit will follow and create and renew the face of the earth (Ps. 103:29, 30). What Saint Paul called resurrection, David called renewal. Christians are churches of the Spirit, churches of God But let us also listen to him who is caught up to the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2). What is he saying? You are a temple of the Holy Spirit living in you (1 Cor. 6:19). Every church is the church of God. If we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, then the Holy Spirit is God. The church is also called Solomon, after the name of its builder. And if in this sense we are the temple of the Holy Spirit, then the Holy Spirit is God. For He who created all things is God (cf. Heb. 3:4). If we are His church, as He is worshiped and dwells in us, then we will confess that He is God. For you have worshiped the Lord your God, and served Him alone (Matthew 4:10). If they would like to avoid the word “God,” then let them find out what this name means. For from the fact that he established everything (τίϑημι) or sees everything (ϑεάομαι), God is called (Θεός) 105. Therefore, if the one who established everything or sees everything is called God, and the Spirit knows everything of God, just as the spirit in us is everything that is ours (1 Cor. 2:11), it follows that the Holy Spirit is God. And again, if the sword of the Spirit is the verb of God (Eph. 6:17), then the Holy Spirit is God. For the sword is the One whose verb it is called. And if it is called the right hand of the Father, for the right hand of the Lord creates power (Ps. 117:16) and: Thy right hand, O Lord, crush the enemies (Ex. 15:6); if the Holy Spirit is the finger of God, according to what was said: if I cast out demons by the finger of God (Luke 11:20), which is written in another Gospel: if I cast out demons by the Spirit of God (Matthew 12:20), then the Holy Spirit is of the same nature with the Father and the Son. 12. Without right faith no one will see the Lord This time I have said enough about the worshiped and Holy Trinity, because now it is impossible to study the teaching about It in the most extensive form. And you, having received the seeds from my humility, cultivate a ripe ear within yourself, because, as you know, in such things we demand interest from you. But I believe in God that, according to the purity of your life, you will bear fruit in thirty, and in sixty, and in a hundred (cf. Matt. 13:8). For it is said: blessed are those who are pure in heart; that they will see God (Matthew 5:8). And, brethren, do not honor the Kingdom of Heaven with anything other than the true understanding of Being, which in the Divine Scriptures is also called bliss. For the Kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21). About the inner man nothing else can be formulated but speculation. And from this it follows that the Kingdom of Heaven is contemplation. Now, as in a mirror, we see the shadows of things, and later, having freed ourselves from this earthly body and having put on an incorruptible and immortal body, we will see their prototypes. We will see if we direct our lives along the straight path and take care of the right faith, without which no one will see the Lord. For it is said: wisdom does not enter into a soul that commits evil; it dwells in a body guilty of sin (Wisdom 1:4). And no one objects to me like this: “Without knowing what is under our feet, you talk to us about an incorporeal and completely immaterial essence.” For I consider it unreasonable for the senses to be unrestrainedly filled with objects peculiar to them, and for the mind to be restrained from activities related to it. For just as feeling controls the sensory, so the mind controls the mental. But it must also be said that God, who created us, made [our] natural abilities of perception unteachable 106 . For no one teaches sight how to receive impressions from colors or shapes, hearing from sounds and voices, smell from odors, fragrant or foul, taste from moisture and juices, touch from soft and hard or warm and cold. Likewise, no one teaches the mind how to comprehend the mental. And just as the senses, if they suffer any harm, have the need to take care of them and then conveniently carry out their work, so the mind, overlaid with flesh and filled with carnal ideas, has a need for faith and right living, which make its nose like wood and set it on high (Ps. 17:34). The wise Solomon also advises the same thing and sometimes presents us with an example of a shameless worker - an ant and in his image outlines for us the path of activity ( Proverbs 6:6), and sometimes he points to the works of a wise bee fashioned from wax ( Proverbs 6:8) and in her example hints at natural speculation, with which the doctrine of the Holy Trinity is also connected, if the beauty of the creatures is relative to their Creator is known (Wis.13:5). But, having given thanks to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, I will put an end to the letter, because, as the proverb says, it is good to know the measure in everything 107. 9. To Maxim, philosopher (9) He praises him for his love for God and neighbor, gives his judgment on the writings of Dionysius of Alexandria and his opinion on the expression “similar in essence.” In conclusion, he asks Maxim to visit him or write to him. (About 361) 1. The first and most important of the goods Words are truly images of the soul. That's why I recognized you from the letter, just as, as they say, a lion is recognized by its claws 108; and rejoiced when he found that you were not lazily striving for the first and most important blessings, I mean love for God and love for neighbor. And I take your goodwill towards me as a sign of one love, and zeal for knowledge as a sign of another. Every disciple of Christ knows that everything lies in these two blessings. 2. Judgment of St. Basil about some expressions of St. Dionysius As for the works of Dionysius 109 that you ask for, very many of them reached me, but now I don’t have the books, that’s why I didn’t send them. And this is my opinion about them. I don’t praise everything from Dionysius, but I completely reject others: because, as far as I know, he was almost the first to provide people with the seeds of this wickedness, which has now caused so much noise; I’m talking about the teaching of the Anomeans. And I believe the reason for this is not his crafty intention, but a strong desire to challenge Sabellius 110. I usually liken him to a gardener who begins to straighten the crookedness of a young plant, and then, not knowing moderation in straightening, does not stop in the middle, but bends the stem in the opposite direction. Something similar, I find, happened with Dionysius. In a strong struggle against the wickedness of the Libyan, through his excessive jealousy, without noticing it, he is involved in the opposite evil. It would be enough to prove to him only that the Father and the Son are not the same in the subject matter, and be content with such a victory over the blasphemer. But in order to clearly and abundantly gain the upper hand, he affirms not only the otherness of the hypostasis, but also the difference of essence, the gradualness of power, the difference of glory, and from this it happened that he exchanged one evil for another and he himself deviates from the right teaching. Thus, he further disagrees with himself in his writings: he either rejects consubstantial 111 because the enemy made bad use of this concept when he denied hypostases, then he accepts it 112 when he defends himself against his co-name. On top of this, and about the Spirit, he used expressions that are least befitting of the Spirit - he excludes Him from the worshiped Divinity and ranks Him with some kind of earthly, created and servile nature. Such is this Dionysius! 3. If I also need to express my own opinion, then the expression “similar in essence” (τὸ ὅμοιον ϰατ᾽ οὐσίαν), when connected with this concept of “indifference” (εἰ μὲν πϱοσϰείμενον ἔχει τὸ ἀπαϱαλλάϰτως), I take as an expression leading to the same concept as the word “consubstantial” (ὁμοούσιον), according to the common sense of this latter. Having this in mind, the Nicene Fathers, having first called the Only Begotten “Light from Light, true God from true God” and similar names, by necessary consequence added the word “consubstantial.” So, it is impossible to imagine any difference either between light and light, or between truth and truth, or between the essence of the Only Begotten and the essence of the Father. Therefore, if anyone accepts this expression 113 according to what I have said, then I also admit it. And if someone cuts off indifference from “like”, as was done in Constantinople 114, then this expression is suspicious to me, because it humiliates the glory of the Only Begotten. For we are often accustomed to imagining similarities in images that have little resemblance to their prototypes and are far inferior to them. So, since the word “consubstantial”, in my opinion, can be less perverted in its meaning, then I myself stand for this word. But why, O most excellent one, don’t you come to me to talk to us about such subjects in a personal meeting and not trust such important truths to soulless letters, especially so as not to make your opinions public? And don’t answer me, as Diogenes answered Alexander, that from you here there is as much distance as from here to you, because with my ailments, almost like a tree, I always stay in one place, and at the same time I consider it one of the first blessings to live in secrecy 115. But you are healthy, as they say, and, moreover, you have become a citizen of the universe 116; therefore, it will be fair for you to come here as your own region. For although it is fitting for you, active people, to have large crowds and cities where you show off your valiant deeds, yet for contemplation and mental activity that brings us into communion with God, silence is a good helper; and silence, with God Himself, I say, giving it to us, we cultivate in abundance and without scarcity in the desert. If you absolutely must hang around the strong and make us, lying on the ground, worthless, then write in any case, and thereby you will give pleasure. 10. To the mother of Dionysius 117 (10) Sending his son to her with the intention of attracting her to the desert, he describes a way to catch pigeons, when, by anointing the wings of a tame pigeon with myrrh, they lure other pigeons with incense. (Written from privacy.) There is one way to catch pigeons. When the person engaged in this trade gets his hands on one pigeon, he makes it tame and trains it to eat with him, and after that, having anointed its wings with myrrh, he lets it fly freely with other pigeons. And the fragrance of this world makes the entire free flock the property of the one who owns the tame pigeon, because other pigeons are attracted by the fragrance and settle in the house. But what is my intention in starting this letter? The fact that I, having taken from you your son Dionysius 118, the former Diomede, and anointing the wings of his soul with divine peace, let him come to your sedateness, so that he will entice you to fly with him and take the nest that he has made from me. So, if during my life I could see that your sedateness had chosen an exalted life for itself, then I would need many persons worthy of God in order for Him to be given due honor 119. Returning his sons to a friend, with whom he spent the holiday, he asks this friend, after finishing his affairs, to move to him, and until then to console him with letters. (Written from privacy.) By the grace of God, having spent this holy day with our children and, out of their overwhelming love for God, having celebrated a truly perfect holiday to the Lord, I sent them healthy to your nobility, praying to God, the Lover of Mankind, that they too would be granted a helper and companion of a peaceful Angel, and that they would find you in health and in all the world, and that you, wherever you are, serving the Lord and thanking Him, until I am in this world, amuse me by hearing about you. If the Holy God grants you to quickly free yourself from the assignments entrusted to you, then I ask you not to prefer anything else to being with me. For I think that you will not find anyone who would love you so much and covet your friendship. In the meantime, at the discretion of the Saint, this separation will continue, deign to console me in any case with letters. Olympia asks him to write to him more often. (Written, apparently, from solitude.) Before you wrote to me little by little, but now you don’t write even a little. And it is clear that the brevity turns into complete silence over time. Therefore, return to your former custom: I will no longer complain about you for your laconic 121 letters to me, but I will also recognize your small writings as valuable as expressions of your great disposition towards me. Just write to me. Friendly greeting. (Written also, apparently, from solitude.) Just as other works appear each at their own time of year: flowers in spring, ears of corn in summer, tree fruits in autumn, so verbal works are a winter fruit. 14. To Gregory, friend 122 (14) He informs Gregory of his intention not to wait for his arrival, but to go immediately to the Pontic desert. Describes the location of this desert and extols it in front of Tiberin, the place of Gregory’s residence. (Written after 360 123, before Vasiliev’s presbytery 124.) 1. When brother Gregory 125 wrote to me that he wanted to see me, and added that you have the same intention, I could not [delay and] expect this; partly because I have often been deceived and am afraid to believe, and partly because I was attracted by deeds. It’s time for me to retire to Pontus, where finally, if God pleases, I will perhaps put an end to my wanderings. For having with difficulty abandoned the vain hopes that I once had for you, or rather, to tell the truth, having abandoned sleepy dreams (for I praise him who called hopes dreams in the waking state), I am now going to Pontus to learn how to live. Here, of course, God shows me a place that exactly corresponds to my character: for this is how I see it in reality, as I often used to imagine it in my mind at leisure and for fun. 2. It is a high mountain, covered with dense forest, irrigated on the northern side by cold and clear waters. Along its foothills lies a sloping valley, constantly thickened by moisture from the mountain. Around the valley, a forest that has grown on its own, from various kinds of trees, serves as a kind of fence for it, and in comparison with it, the Calypsin Island 126, the beauty of which Homer especially seems to be amazed at, means almost nothing. For a little is missing for the valley, due to the strongholds fencing it from everywhere, to resemble an island. Deep ravines have been dug on both sides, and on the side the river flowing from the rapids also serves as a continuous and impregnable wall and adjoins the ravines with moon-shaped bends; then access to the foothills is blocked. There is only one entrance to it, which we own. Behind our place of residence there is another ridge, its lofty peak rising above the mountain, and from it the entire plain unfolds before our eyes; from above you can also see the river flowing past the plain, which, in my opinion, gives no less pleasure than the Strymon 127 if you look at it from Amphipolis. For the Strymon, in its slow flow spreading into the form of a lake, due to its immobility almost ceases to be a river. And this river, being the fastest of all known to me, becomes somewhat fierce near the neighboring cliff and, reflected from it, swirls in a deep whirlpool, which gives me and every spectator a very pleasant view, and brings the most satisfactory benefit to the native inhabitants and in its depths raises an innumerable multitude of fish. The sweetest of fruits is silence Is it necessary to talk about the coolness of the earth and the breezes from the river? Let someone else marvel at the multitude of flowers and songbirds, but I don’t have the leisure time to pay attention to it. Of all that I can say about my refuge, the most important thing is that, due to the convenience of my situation, being able to grow all kinds of fruits, for me it grows the sweetest of fruits - silence; because it not only frees us from urban riots, but also does not bring a single traveler to us, except for those who meet us while hunting animals. For, above all else, there are also animals here, however, not bears or your wolves, no, herds of deer, wild goats, hares and the like live here. So, now you understand what danger I, feeble-minded, would have been exposed to if I had stubbornly decided to exchange such a refuge for Tiverin 128 - this universal hole (τῆς οἰϰουμένης τὸ βάϱαϑϱον) 129? Sorry for rushing into it now. For, of course, Alcmaeon 130, having found Echinada, would not have agreed to continue his wanderings. 15. To Arkady, committee 131 (15) Asks his favor to the citizens of Caesarea. (Written from privacy.) The citizens of our metropolis showed me a greater benefit than they received from me, for they gave me the opportunity to write to your honesty; because your love for humanity, for the sake of which they took letters from me, according to your usual and innate condescension towards everyone, was ready for them even before my message. But I, thanking the Holy God for your success in pleasing Him, considered for myself the greatest gain of this opportunity to welcome your honesty 132 and both to rejoice at your increasingly growing celebrity, and to share the joy of those who benefited under your leadership, and in time to learn that you looked mercifully on those who handed you my letter and that, together with others, you dismissed them from yourself, obliged to praise your meekness and forever who learned that my intercession for them before your unparalleled honesty did not remain useless. 16. Against the heretic Eunomius 133 (16) The arrogance of Eunomius, with which he attributed to himself the understanding of God's nature, St. Vasily shames with ignorance of the device and the smallest animal. (Written during the reign of Julian.) Whoever says that it is possible to understand existing things has, of course, brought his thought to the knowledge of existing things in some way and consistently; and first practiced in comprehending understandable and small objects, and then extended the power of his comprehension to what lies beyond any concept. Therefore, whoever boasts that he has acquired knowledge of existence, let him explain the nature of the smallest of visible creatures and say what is the nature of the ant, whether life is maintained in it by air and breath; whether his body is divided by bones; whether the trains are fastened with veins and ligaments; whether the position of the nerves is protected by the covering of muscles and glands; whether the brain extends along the spinal vertebrae from the top of the head to the tail; Is it by squeezing the nerve membrane that he imparts the force of aspiration to the moving members; does it have a liver and a bile-receiving vessel in the liver, are there also kidneys, a heart, arteries and veins, chest membranes and diaphragms 134; whether it is naked or covered with hair, single-hoofed or has divided feet; how long does it live; and how ants are born from one another, how long does what is born remain in the womb, and why not all ants are pedestrians and not all winged, but some move on the ground, while others fly through the air. So, whoever boasts of knowledge of things, let him first explain the nature of the ant, and then talk about the Power that surpasses all minds. And if you have not yet grasped with knowledge the nature of the smallest ant, then how can you boast that you have grasped with your mind the incomprehensible Power of God? He praises his writings and zeal in defending the truth, foreshadows the imminent death of his persecutors and concludes the letter with good wishes to Origen and his children. (Written during the reign of Julian.) You bring joy to those who listen to you, and to me, who read your writings, you bring even the liveliest joy. And great thanks to the Good God, who made it so that the truth does not suffer any damage from the betrayal of those in power, 136 but through you the teaching of piety receives protection! Therefore, they, like hemlock 137, or wolf root, or other deadly plants, will not bloom for long - and will soon dry up; and the Lord will send you everlasting flowering and youth as a reward for what you have said for the glory of His name. But may the Lord reward you for this with all the abundance of your home, may He confirm the blessing on your children! I saw and embraced your most noble children, who bear the clear imprints of your kindness, with pleasure and wish them everything that the father himself would have wished for them. 18. To Macarius and John 138 (18) He exhorts them to remain in piety in the great hope of receiving the Kingdom of Heaven, not heeding either the threats of the powerful or the reproaches of false friends. (Written, apparently, during the reign of Julian.) Farmers do not regard agricultural labors as news; swimmers are never surprised by a storm at sea; summer sweat is not a strange thing for day laborers, either, and sorrows in the present world are not something unexpected for those who have chosen a pious life. On the contrary, with each of the listed tasks for those embarking on it, this well-known work is associated, chosen not for its own sake, but for the sake of enjoying the expected benefits; because the difficulties of any such undertaking are eased by hopes that support and encourage people throughout their entire lives. But of those who work for earthly fruits or for anything earthly in general, some are completely deceived in their hopes and enjoy only one idea of ​​what they expected, while others, even if they manage to reach the end as desired, again have a need for new hope, because the former hope has soon passed and faded. In some who labor for the sake of piety, neither lies destroyed hope, nor the end weakened deeds, because the unshakable and eternally abiding Heavenly Kingdom accepts them. Therefore, while the teaching of truth helps you, do not be embarrassed by false slander, do not be intimidated by the threats of those in power, do not be offended by the ridicule and insults of your acquaintances, by the condemnation of people who apparently care about you and, under the guise of advice, are hiding the most powerful bait for engaging in deception. Let common sense oppose all this, calling upon itself the Teacher of piety, our Lord Jesus Christ, as its champion and helper, for whom it is pleasant to suffer, and for whom it is gain to die (Phil. 1:21). 19. To Gregory, friend (19) Responding to Gregory’s letter, he jokes about the laconicism of his letters. (Written, apparently, from Caesarea to the presbytery of Basil.) Recently a letter came to me from you, completely yours, not so much in the handwriting, but in the quality of the message, because it expresses many thoughts in a few words. I did not answer it to you soon, because I myself was away, and the bearer of the letter, having given it to one of my family, hastily left. But now I greet you through Peter in order to repay the debt for congratulations and together bring the opportunity for a new letter. Without a doubt, it will not be difficult for you to write a laconic letter, such as always comes to me from you. 20. To Leontius 139, sophist (20) He reprimands Leontia for rarely writing, having both the opportunity to send someone and the desire to write like a sophist. He also sends to him his essay against Eunomius. (364) It is true that letters from me to you are rare, but no less rare are yours to me; and yet there are always many coming from you to us. And if you gave each of them a letter in order, then there would be no obstacle to imagining that I live with you and seem to be enjoying your personal conversation - this is how many constantly come to us. But why don’t you write, while the sophist has nothing else to do than write? It’s better to say, if you’re too lazy to move your hand, then you don’t need to write it yourself, because someone else will help you in this. Your tongue alone is required; and if he does not talk to me, then, without a doubt, he will talk to someone who is with you; if there is no one there, he will not fail to talk to himself; but under no circumstances will it be silenced, like the language of the sophist and the Attic language; will not fall silent, just as nightingales do not fall silent when spring excites them to sing. For my frequent lack of time, which I am in now, will perhaps serve as an apology for the paucity of letters; Moreover, this kind of impurity in the language from excessive skill in common speech rightly makes one disinclined to speak with you, sophists, who become indignant and lose patience as soon as you hear something unworthy of your own wisdom. On the contrary, it is proper for you to declare your voice on any occasion, because you are able to speak better than anyone I know among the Hellenes; I think I know the most famous of you. Therefore, there is no excuse for your silence. But enough about this. I am also sending you my essay against Eunomius 140. But whether to call it a child’s game or a more important game, I leave it to you to judge for yourself, who, as I think, actually have no need for it for yourself. I hope that it will not be a useless 141 tool for you if you meet people who teach incorrectly, and I hope for this not because I am so confident in the power of the essay, but because, as I know for sure, you are inventive in many ways with few data. And if anything in it turns out to be not as satisfactory as it should be, don’t be lazy to point it out. A friend is especially different from a flatterer in that one talks for pleasure, while the other does not refrain from doing what can upset. Because Leonty, to whom St. In a previous letter, Vasily reprimanded that he rarely writes, and laid the blame on Julian 142, who allegedly did not deliver to St. Vasily Leontiev's letters, then playfully defends Julian and asks him to write letters, at least similar to the previous one. (364) It is clear that good Julian, in his affairs, has to suffer something from the general course of affairs, because he too is subject to punishment and strong accusations, since nowadays there are many who are subject to penalties and accusations everywhere. Unless they accuse him of arrears not of taxes, but of letters; although I don’t know why he has this arrears: if he brought any letter, he always gave it back. Or do you also prefer this now well-known quadrupling 143, for it was not so much the Pythagoreans who preferred the quaternity 144 as the collectors of public revenues who now prefer quadrupling. But perhaps the opposite should be true; and you, as a sophist possessing such a wealth of words, had to accept payment to me fourfold. And don’t think that I’m writing this in anger. I am glad at your reprimands, because the beautiful, as they say, have an admixture of beauty in everything, which is why both sadness and anger suit them. Some people look with greater pleasure at how a loved one gets angry than at how another serves. Therefore, do not stop blaming for something like this, because the accusations themselves will already be letters, and no news is more valuable to me than your letter and will not bring me greater pleasure. 22. About perfection in monastic life (22) (Written, apparently, in 366) 1. In the Inspired Scripture there are many rules which 145 must be observed by those who please God. But I considered it necessary to make a brief reminder, as directed by the Inspired Scripture itself, for now only about those duties about which you are now asking a question. And since evidence of each duty is not difficult to find in Scripture, I leave this to those who practice reading Scripture and are even able to remind others of the following. What should a Christian be like? A Christian should have a mindset worthy of a heavenly calling and live worthy of the Gospel of Christ. A Christian should not be distracted or distracted by anything from remembering God, His will and judgments. A Christian, having become more perfect in everything than 146 justifications according to the Law, should neither swear nor lie. He must not blaspheme; should not offend; should not quarrel; should not take revenge for himself; should not repay evil for evil; should not be angry. He must be long-suffering, endure everything, no matter what; and the one who commits injustice should be rebuked at the right time, not with a passionate movement to avenge himself, but with a desire to correct his brother, according to the commandment of the Lord. He must not say anything about his absent brother with the intention of denigrating him; this is slander, even if what was said was true. You need to turn away from a person who slanders your brother. Shouldn't say something funny 147. One should not laugh and tolerate laugh-makers. We must not idle and say anything that does not serve either the benefit of those listening, or the use necessary and permitted to us by God; why those engaged in work should, as much as possible, try to ensure that the work is carried out in silence and that even the kindest speeches are given by those who, after testing, are entrusted with arranging the word for the building of faith, so that the Holy Spirit of God will not be offended. None of the strangers should voluntarily approach any of the brethren or talk to him, until those assigned to oversee the general deanery throughout all judge whether this is pleasing to God for the common good. One should not be enslaved by guilt, desire to eat meat, and generally be voluptuous in eating or drinking, because the ascetic abstains from everything. What is given to everyone for use should not be considered property or hidden away; Moreover, one must look at all this with care, as if it belonged to the Lord, and not pass without attention even past what was thrown or left in negligence. No one should be master even of himself, but everyone, as given by God to the service of unanimous brethren, is thus obliged to reason about everything and do everything, however, being in his own rank. 2. One should not grumble either when there is a lack of what is needed, or when one is tired from work, because everyone is judged by those who have been given the power to do this. One should not allow oneself to scream or any other type or movement that shows irritability or deviation from the undoubted confidence in God's presence. The voice must be proportionate to the need. You should not answer anyone or do anything insolently or contemptuously, but you must show modesty in everything and respect for everyone. One should not intentionally blink an eye or use any other sign or movement of a member that insults a brother or shows contempt. Everyone should prefer everyone else to themselves One should not try to be smart in clothes or shoes, this is vanity. To satisfy bodily needs, one should use something inexpensive. Nothing should be spent beyond necessity and for pomp; this is abuse. One should not seek honor and strive for primacy. Everyone should prefer everyone else to themselves. Shouldn't be disobedient. Those who are able to work should not eat bread in idleness, but having become busy doing something for the glory of Christ, they should force themselves to be zealous in the work, to the best of their ability. Everyone must, with the approval of the superiors, do everything with reason and complete confidence, not excluding eating food and drink, as if this were done for the glory of God. One should not move from one task to another without the approval of those who are assigned to manage it, unless inevitable need suddenly calls someone to help the weakened one. Everyone is obliged to remain in what he is assigned to, and should not, transgressing the measure of his own duty, take on what is not entrusted to him, unless those who have the power to dispose of this recognize someone in need of his help. No one needs to be in one work group from another work group. One should not do anything out of rivalry or enmity with anyone. 3. One should not envy the good reputation of another and rejoice at someone else's shortcomings. In the love of Christ, one must grieve and lament over the shortcomings of a brother, but rejoice in his success. One should not look indifferently at those who sin or remain silent about them. The one who reproaches must reprove with all compassion, in the fear of God and with the intention of converting the sinner. The one who is reproached or receiving a reprimand must accept this willingly, recognizing that his own benefit lies in correction. When someone is accused, no one else, in the presence of the accused or in the presence of others, should make any objections to the accuser. And if the accusation seems unfounded to anyone, then he must speak with the accuser in private and convince him or convince himself. Everyone, as much as he has the strength, must seek reconciliation with those who have something against him. One who has sinned and repented should not remember evil, but must forgive him from the heart. Whoever says that he has repented of sin must not only lament what he sinned, but also bear the worthy fruits of repentance. He who has been admonished regarding his previous sins and has been deemed worthy to receive remission of them, if he sins again, prepares for himself a judgment of wrath that is more severe than before. Whoever, after the first and second admonition, remains in his sin, must be reported to the abbot, and then, having received a reprimand in front of many, he will perhaps come to shame. And if even in this case he does not correct himself, it is necessary to cut him off as a temptation, and look at him as a pagan and a publican (cf. Matt. 18:17), in order to bring safety to those who zealously work in obedience, according to what was said that when the wicked fall, the righteous come into fear 148 . But we should also cry for him, as for a member cut off from the body. Covetousness is Condemned as Idolatry The sun must not be allowed to go down on the brother's anger (Eph. 4:26) 149, otherwise the night may separate both and leave them with inevitable condemnation on the day of Judgment. We must not delay the time of our correction, because tomorrow is not true for us: many, having planned many things, did not live to see tomorrow. It should not be deceived by the satiated belly, which causes nightly dreams. We should not get carried away with work without measure and exceed the limits of moderation, according to what the apostle said: having food and clothing, we will be content with this (1 Tim. 6:8); because the abundance of what is beyond need shows covetousness, and covetousness is condemned as idolatry (Col. 3:5). One should not be a lover of money and accumulate useless treasures. He who comes to God must love poverty in everything and be nailed to the fear of God, like the one who said: nail my flesh to Thy fear; I was afraid of Your judgments (Ps. 119:120). May the Lord grant to you, having fully accepted what has been said, to the glory of God to reveal fruits worthy of the Spirit, according to the good pleasure of God and the assistance of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 23. To the abbot of the monks 150 (23) One of those who wished to renounce the world and lead a monastic life, whom St. Vasily intended to first accept him into his monastery; he asks, having kept him, to be worthy of monasticism and to give him someone to mentor him in pious life. (Written, apparently, from Caesarea during the presbytery.) Someone, as he himself says, having known the vanity of this world and having learned that all the pleasures of this life are subject to vicissitudes here and only prepare substance for the eternal fire, but they themselves soon pass away, came to me with the intention of moving away from this difficult and much-weeping life, leaving behind carnal pleasures and henceforth following the path leading to the abodes of the Lord. Therefore, if he really firmly desired this truly blessed life and had in his soul a wonderful and praiseworthy love, loving the Lord our God with all his heart, with all his strength and with all his thought (cf. Mark 12:30), then it is necessary that your godliness show him the difficulties and inconveniences of the narrow and narrow path, but also confirm him in the hope of blessings, as yet invisible, prepared according to the promise worthy of the Lord. I am writing for this reason, begging your incomparable perfection in Christ to instruct him as much as possible; and let him make a renunciation without me to please God and be instructed in the initial rules, as established and set out in writing by the holy fathers, and also let him be offered everything related to ascetic rigor; and thus he will be introduced into this kind of life and, by his own will, taking upon himself exploits for the sake of piety, bowing under the good yoke of the Lord, arranging his life in imitation of him for our sake (2 Cor. 8:9) and the one who bore flesh and striving towards the goal, for the honor of the highest calling (Phil. 3:14), he will be worthy of praise from the Lord. Here, too, he wanted to receive the crown of love according to God, but I put it off until time, wanting, together with your piety, to anoint him for such feats and to appoint one of you, whom he himself would find, as a mentor of asceticism, so that he would perfectly guide and with your strong and blessed word make him a fighter worthy of approval, defeating and overthrowing the world ruler of the darkness of this age and the spirits of evil with which we are at war, according to the word blessed apostle (Eph.6:12). Therefore, what I intended to do with you, let your love for Christ do without me. 24. To Athanasius, father of Athanasius, Bishop of Ancyra 151 (24) Assuring Athanasius that he does not want to believe slander, he advises him not to give reasons for it and to testify his love for his children not in words, but in deeds. He also justifies Chorebishop Timofey that it was not he who brought the bad rumors about Athanasius. (Written before 369) It is impossible for human life to be higher than slander Caution in every word and deed For human life to be above slander, this is very difficult, not to say impossible, of which I myself am sure, and I think your honor has no doubt. But not to give any reason to those who strictly monitor the progress of affairs and even with evil intentions notice our stumbling blocks - and this is possible and characteristic of people who lead their lives prudently and in accordance with the purpose of piety. And don’t think of me that I am so rash and gullible that I listen to accusations from anyone without research. I remember the spiritual commandment that one should not accept vain rumors from someone who advises (Ex. 23:1). But since you, people who have devoted yourselves to science, yourself say that the visible is a sign of the invisible, I recognize this as fair. And do not be angry if anything is said by me in the form of a teaching, for the weak of the world and the lowly are chosen by God (1 Cor. 1:27-28) and through them often arranges the salvation of those who are being saved. I intend to say and advise you the following: we must carry out with prudence every word and every deed entrusted to us by duty, and, according to the apostolic commandment, we must not stumble in anything (2 Cor. 6:3). For for a man who has worked hard in the study of sciences, held positions of authority over nations and cities, and rivals the great valor of his ancestors, I consider it proper to show an example of virtue in his life. Now you must prove your disposition towards your children, not in words, which you have already proven long ago, how soon you became a father, and not only have natural love (ἡ φυσιϰὴ στοϱγή) for them, which dumb people have for those born by them, which you yourself used to say and what experience proves, but even more so strengthen love (ἡ ἀγάπη) by your will 152, however, of course, to the extent that you see the children worthy of fatherly prayers. Why shouldn’t it certify us of this, but it is enough to testify to this by our deeds themselves. By the way, it will be added for the sake of truth that it was not brother Timothy, the chorebishop, who brought these rumors to us. That, as it turns out, neither during the meeting nor in the letters did he say anything about you that would have little or no resemblance to slander. Therefore, although I do not deny that I heard something, it is not Timothy who is slandering you. Having heard this, without a doubt, we will act, if not differently, then at least as Alexander did, that is, we will keep one ear inviolable in order to listen to the slandered one 153. 25. To Athanasius 154, Bishop of Ancyra (25) In a friendly and loving manner, he reprimands Athanasius that, without having corresponded and explained to him personally or through people close to him, he openly condemns Vasily, threatens him and says to everyone who comes from Cappadocia that St. Vasily writes something malicious. (Written before 369) 1. Some who came to us from Ancyra (and there are many of them, it is difficult even to list, and they all speak unanimously), informed me that you, dear head (how could I more respectfully express this), do not remember me with pleasure and not as usual. But, as you know, nothing human amazes me, and no change is unexpected for a person who has long experienced the weakness of nature and the convenience of moving from one opposite to another. Therefore, I don’t consider it great if something has changed in our relationship and instead of the former honor I now hear reproaches and insults. It seemed to me really strange and extraordinary that your disposition towards me had changed to such an extent that you were angry and annoyed with me, even, as those who heard it said, threatening me with something. To tell the truth, I laughed a lot at these threats. Wouldn’t I be a perfect child if I were afraid of such insurances? I found it terrible and worrying that your accuracy in everything, which, as I was sure, was observed, to the consolation of the churches, to be the support of the right faith and the seed of ancient and true love, so quickly fell under the influence 155 that the blasphemies of any people turned out to be more important for you than what was established about me by long-term experience and you, without evidence, are carried away into absurd suspicions. What else am I saying: suspicion? Whoever is indignant and threatens, as they say about you, apparently reveals in himself the anger of someone who is unaware, but already clearly and incontestably convinced. 2. But, as I said, I attribute the reason for this to the present tense. For was it great work, my wonderful one, to talk to me about anything in a short letter, as if one on one, or, if you didn’t want to entrust such a matter to a letter, to call me to you? And if the matter had to be brought to light and the uncontrollability of anger did not allow time for delay, then one of the people close to me and accustomed to keeping a secret could be used as an intermediary for an explanation with me. But now, who among those who come to you for whatever reason is not told that I am writing and composing something harmful? And as those who retell your speeches say word for word, you used exactly this expression. But no matter how much I think to myself, I can’t explain this to myself. Why does this kind of thought come to mind: is it not one of the heretics who, maliciously signing my name to his writings, upset the rightness of your faith and forced such a word from you? And what I wrote against those who dared to assert that the Son and God in essence are not like God and the Father, or against those who spoke blasphemously that the Holy Spirit is a creature and a work, then, of course, you, who have undertaken great and glorious feats for Orthodoxy, would not agree to utter this reproach. But you yourself will resolve my bewilderment if you deign to clearly say the name of the one who brought you into grief against me. 26. To Caesarea, brother of Gregory the Theologian (26) After the miraculous deliverance of Caesarea from death during the earthquake that destroyed 156 Nicaea, he convinces him by his very actions to testify his gratitude to God and always remain with the thoughts that he had in the moment of danger. (Written in 368) Thank God that He showed His miracles on you and saved you from such death for the fatherland and for us, those close to you! Therefore, our duty, of course, is not to turn out to be ungrateful 157 and unworthy of such a great benefit, but, to the best of our ability, to proclaim the extraordinary deeds of God, to glorify the love of mankind that we have experienced, and not only to give thanks in words, but in fact to be as you are now, as we are sure, concluding from the miracles that have happened to you. We beg you to work even harder for God, constantly cultivating the fear of God in yourself and succeeding in perfection, so that we turn out to be reasonable stewards of our lives, for which the grace of God has preserved us. For if we are all commanded to imagine God as living from the dead 158 (Rom. 6:13), then are not those who are raised from the gates of death much more obliged to this (Ps. 9:14)? And this, as I assure myself, will be best achieved if we intend to always have the same thought that we had during danger. For, of course, then the vanity of life came to mind, and the fact that everything human is untrue and fragile, so conveniently changes. In all likelihood, we then had some regret about the past, and a promise regarding the future, if we were saved, to work for God and take full care of ourselves. For if the impending danger of death inspired us with any thought, then I think that you reasoned then in exactly this way or something close to it. That's why you have the responsibility to pay the necessary debt. And about this, how much delighted by the gift of God, so much at the same time concerned about the future, I dared to remind your perfection. Your job is to accept my words favorably and condescendingly, as is your custom to accept them when we talk with you face to face 159. 27. To Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata (27) He expresses regret that either illness or winter prevent him from visiting Eusebius, and promises to hasten his arrival as soon as this time of year and the cessation of hunger permit. (Written in 368) When, by the grace of God and with the help of your prayers, I rose, apparently somewhat from my painful bed, and began to gather my strength, then winter came, confining me at home and forcing me to sit in one place. It is true that it is much better than usual, but it still serves as a sufficient obstacle for me not only to set out on the road, but to at least look out of the house a little. However, it is also important for me that I am worthy to converse with your godliness through letters, and even reassure myself with the hope that I will receive a reward from you. And if time permits, my life continues and hunger does not make travel impossible for me, then soon, perhaps, through your prayers, I will fulfill my desire and, having reached your home, in the fullness of leisure 160 I will be enriched with all the learning of the great treasures of your wisdom. 28. To the Neo-Caesarean Church, consolation (28) He consoles the neo-Caesarians, saddened by the death of the bishop 161, and advises, through the excessiveness of grief, not to lose the peace in which they were brought by the labors of the deceased, but also to guard against wolves and take care of choosing a shepherd for themselves, similar to those they had hitherto from the time of Gregory 162. (Spring 368) 1. What happened to you required my personal presence in order to give honor to the blessed one together with you, those closest to him, so that by the very sight of the sad event I could take part in your lamentation about your grief, in order to give you the necessary advice. Since there are many obstacles to physical rapprochement, the only thing left to do is to communicate with you in the present matter through a letter. Descriptions of those wonderful qualities of this husband, for which, as I conclude, this loss is most unbearable for us, would not contain the limits of writing; and for other reasons, it is not timely to speak about his many virtues when our soul is so overwhelmed by grief. For which of his properties would we recognize as worthy of either being erased from our memory or being kept silent about? It is impossible to say everything suddenly and at once; and if I speak in part, then I am afraid that there may be a betrayal of the truth. A man died, who most obviously surpassed his contemporaries in all human perfections, was the support of the fatherland, the adornment of churches, the pillar and affirmation of the truth, the stronghold of faith in Christ, a reliable defense for his own, invincible for those who opposed him, the guardian of his father’s decrees, the enemy of innovation, showed us what the Church looked like in ancient times, according to its ancient state, as if from some sacred picture, forming the appearance of the church, controlled by him, so that those who lived with him imagined themselves to be contemporaries of those who, like luminaries, illuminated the Church two hundred or more years ago. Thus, he did not bring anything, neither his own nor the newest inventions of the mind, but, with the blessing of Moses, from the secret places of his heart - from these good treasuries - he knew how to wear out the old from the old, and the old from the face of the new (Lev. 26:10). Therefore, at the Councils, in the circle of his equals, he was awarded preference not by age, but was above all by the eldership of wisdom, generally recognized as enjoying primacy. What was the gain of living under such a rule, no one will ask about this, looking at you, because you are the only one known to us, or sharing this with very few, under his control, you led an untroubled life amid such a storm and confusion in affairs. You were not affected by the storm of heretical winds, which brought fickle souls to ruin and drowning. And may it never touch you, O Lord of all, who for the longest time granted the grace of serenity to Your servant Gregory, who originally laid the foundation of this church! And do not betray this at the present time by the immoderation of your crying, by completely abandoning yourself to grief, do not let insidious people take advantage of the convenient moment 163. But if you absolutely must cry (which, however, I do not affirm, otherwise we will become like those who have no hope), then, at least, like some sad choir, placing a leader above you, with him, if you wish, mourn the grief that has befallen you as harmoniously as possible. 2. But if this man did not reach extreme old age, then, according to the time he was in charge of you, his life was not meager. And he participated in the body as much as was necessary to show spiritual firmness in its suffering. But some of you may object that time for those who have experienced this serves to increase sympathy and increase love, and not as a reason for satiety; and therefore, the longer you experienced this benefit, the more you feel the loss; but even the shadow 165 of the body of the righteous is worthy of all honor for the reverent. And it would be good if many of you held on to this thought! For I myself do not claim that one should remain indifferent, having lost this husband, but I advise you to endure this grief as a human being. For everything that those mourning this loss can say has not escaped me. The tongue from which rivers seemed to pour into your ears is silent, and the depths of the heart, hitherto not comprehended by anyone, are hidden from people, like the subtle ghost of a dream. Who foresaw the future more insightfully than he? Who with such a firm and unshakable mental skill was able to get things done faster than lightning? O city, which has already been subjected to many disasters 166, but in none of them has it suffered such a loss in the very foundations of life! The most beautiful decoration has now bloomed for you; The Church has closed its lips, the people's gatherings have become sad, the sacred cathedral is in pain for its chairman, mysterious teachings are waiting for an interpreter, children are waiting for their father, the elders are waiting for a peer, the officials are waiting for the official, the people are waiting for the patron, those in need of the necessary things are waiting for the feeder; everyone calls upon him by the names closest to their situation, and each in his own grief draws a proper and proper excuse for crying. But where does my word go under the influence of tears 167? Shall we not sober up? Won't we come to our senses? Shall we not turn our gaze to the common Master, Who allowed each of the saints to serve first his own generation, and at the appropriate time to call again to Himself? Now, by the way, remember the words of the one who, teaching in church, always inspired you, saying: beware from dogs, beware from evil workers (Phil. 3:2). There are many of these dogs. What am I saying – dogs? Heavy wolves, hiding their deceit under their sheepish appearance, are plundering Christ’s flock everywhere in the universe. You need to protect yourself from them under the leadership of some vigilant shepherd. And to look for this shepherd, having cleansed our souls from all rivalry and covetousness, is our business, and we will leave it to the Lord to indicate it, who continuously, from the great intercessor of your church, Gregory, to this blessed one, applying and, as it were, adapting one shepherd to another, gave your church a wonderful decoration, like some kind of crown of precious stones, why you should not lose hope in the reasoning of those who will come later. For the Lord knows His own beings (2 Tim. 2:19) and will place in your midst 168 perhaps those whom we do not expect. 3. I have long wanted to stop speaking, but my heart disease does not allow it. I beg you to enrapture your soul for the fathers, for the right faith, for this blessed one, to consider that the upcoming work is for each of you your own, to reflect that, at one or another end of it, each one will be the first to taste its fruits. Therefore, as happens with many, care for the common good [should] not be entrusted to your neighbor, so that later, when everyone neglects the affairs of his heart, all of you, in an inconspicuous way, through negligence, do not bring your own misfortune upon yourself. Accept this with all complacency, either as the compassion of a neighbor, or as communication of like-minded people and, what would be fairer to say, as obedient to the law of love and avoiding the danger of silence; accept with confidence that on the day of the Lord (Isa. 58:13; Acts 2:20; 2 Pet. 3:10) you are our praise, just as we are yours, and that it depends on the shepherd who will be given to you - either we will unite with you more closely in a union of love, or a complete separation will follow, which God forbid and which will not happen, by the grace of God. I myself would not like to utter anything unpleasant now; but I want to bring to your attention that although we did not find ourselves an accomplice in the pacification of the churches of this blessed one, 169 due to some prejudices, as he himself confirmed to us, we never ceased to be of one mind with him and always called on him to participate in the fight against heretics, of which we have the testimony of God and the people who tested us. 29. To the Ancyra Church, comforting (29) He expresses to the Ankyrians his grief over the death of their bishop Athanasius, 170 whom he praises for his great services to his church, and advises them not to start new strife when electing another bishop. (Written at the end of 368 171) For a long time, the blow of this grave news of the disaster that befell me kept me silent. But, as soon as I was somewhat freed from my dumbness, which I suffered, like a man deafened by strong thunder, I now, of necessity, begin to mourn what has befallen us and in my lamentation I send this letter to you, not for the sake of consolation (for is there any word capable of healing such a misfortune?), but so that as much as I can express to you with these words the illness of my heart. Now we need the lament of Jeremiah or one of the other blessed men, who touchingly mourned the greatness of the disaster. The man who in the true sense was the pillar and affirmation of the Church fell; better to say, he moves away from you, raptured to a blessed life. But there is no small danger that if this support is taken away, many will fall, and in some their rottenness will become apparent. The lips of righteous 172 boldness are closed, which exuded words of grace for the creation of brotherhood. There was no more advice from a mind truly moved by God. Oh, how many times (I blame myself for this) did it occur to me to be indignant at this husband, because, having completely given himself over to the desire to be resolved and to be with Christ (Phil. 1:23), he did not choose to remain in the flesh for our sake! To whom shall we entrust the care of the churches now? Who will we accept as participants in the sorrows? Who will we share the fun with? Truly, heavy and deplorable loneliness! How exactly have we become like the tawny owl of the desert (Ps. 101:7)! But the united members of the Church, by his rule, united, as it were, by some kind of soul, into a single sympathy and complete communion, are firmly protected by the union of peace in spiritual union, and will forever be protected, because, by the gift of God, the deeds of this blessed soul, which she labored to accomplish for the churches of God, will remain firm and unshakable. However, no small feat is required so that some kind of discord and contention that revived during the election of the primate does not suddenly destroy all the work with a random quarrel. 30. To Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata 173 (30) He was kept from meeting with Eusebius by illness, winter, the affairs and death of his mother, informing him about the state of the churches, which is no better than the state of his body, also about the election of bishops in Ancyra and Neocaesarea, and he attributes to Eusebius’ prayers that he himself escaped the malice of his enemies. (369 174) If I were to describe in order the reasons that have delayed me until now, no matter how strong my desire for your piety, I would fill an infinitely long story with them. I will not talk about the illnesses that followed one after another, about the inconveniences of winter, about the continuity of affairs, as if it were something known, which I have already reported to your perfection before 175. And now the only consolation I had in life, I mean my mother, and it was taken away from me because of my sins. And don’t laugh at me for complaining about being an orphan at such an age; on the contrary, forgive me that I cannot patiently endure separation from such a soul, for whom I do not see equal in dignity in those remaining. Therefore, my ailments have returned to me again, I am again lying on my bed, in complete exhaustion of diminishing strength, and only from hour to hour I expect the inevitable end of my life. And the churches are in almost the same position as my body; no good hope is visible; things are constantly taking a turn for the worse. Meanwhile, Neokesarea and Ancyra seem to have successors in place of the deceased 176 and are still calm. And to this day those who are malicious to me have not managed to do anything that would satisfy their anger and malice; and I clearly attribute the reason for this to your prayers for the churches. Therefore, do not stop praying for the churches and earnestly asking God. I greatly welcome those worthy to serve your holiness. With the ongoing famine in Caesarea, he apologizes for the fact that he could not accompany his sick relative Hypatius, who did not receive relief from those who had the gift of healing; Eusebius also asks Eusebius to entrust his healing to the reverent brethren, either by calling them to himself, or by sending the patient to them with a letter. (Written in 369 178) Our famine is not over yet; Therefore, it is necessary for me to stay in the city either to supply the needy 179, or out of compassion for the needy. Therefore, even now I could not set out on the journey together with the most venerable brother Hypatius, 180 whom I can call brother not only in praise, but also because of the natural relationship between us, because we are of the same blood. How much he suffers from illness, this is not unknown to your honor; but it saddens me that all hope of relief was cut off for him, because even those who had the gift of healing were not allowed to perform their usual actions on him. Therefore, he again calls on your prayers for help. Condescend to his request and, out of your compassion for those who suffer, and also for me, who intercede for him, accept him under your protection as usual and, if possible, call the most reverent of the brethren to you, so that before your eyes they take care of him; and if this is impossible, be kind enough to send it with a letter and entrust it to the attention of the authorities. 32. To Sophronius 181, master (32) Asks to stand up for the parent 182 St. Gregory the Theologian and save him from the hassle of court cases; because after the death of Caesarea 183, who, dying, 184 wrote off his estate to the poor, when this estate was partly plundered, partly spent by Caesarea's parents for the poor and to pay off debts, new claims appeared from people to whom Caesar allegedly owed money. (Written in 369) 1. Our most God-loving brother, Bishop Gregory, also experienced the hardships of this life. For he, along with everyone else, suffers anxiety, struck by incessant insults, as if by unexpected blows. People who do not fear God, and perhaps are forced by the greatness of the disaster, attack him under the pretext that Caesarius took money from them. The loss is not difficult for him, because he has long learned to value wealth at nothing. But since the property of Caesarea was in the hands of servants and people whose morals were no better than the servants, who, having divided the most expensive things among themselves with complete freedom, retained very little, then the parents of Caesarea, having received a little of the property of Caesarea and considering it to belong to no one, soon spent it on the needy, both according to their own will and according to the words of the deceased; because, as they say, Caesar, dying, said: “I want all my property to go to the poor.” Therefore, as executors of Caesar’s command, they soon disposed of the property for the common benefit; and now Gregory faces, on the one hand, Christian poverty, and on the other, the hassle of going to official places. Therefore, the idea came to me to bring all this to the attention of your praiseworthy rightness, so that you, out of respect for the husband whom you have known for a long time, for the glory of the Lord, who takes to Himself what was done to His servants, 185 and out of respect for me, one of your chosen friends, talked about what was needed with the treasure keeper and, in your great prudence, came up with a way to free Gregory from these offensive and intolerable worries. 2. Without a doubt, there is no person who knew Gregory so little that he would suspect him of something indecent, for example, that out of passion for money he invents such things. For the proof of his selflessness is ready. He willingly cedes the remains of Caesarea's estate to the treasury, if only it would be saved, and the intercessor for state property himself dealt with those declaring their claims and himself demanded evidence from them, because we are not capable of such matters. For it is not difficult for your perfection to know that, while it was possible, no one left Gregory without achieving what he wanted, but everyone without difficulty received what he demanded; why many even regretted not asking for more at first. This was especially the effect that many began to attack him. Looking at the example of the previous ones, others began to announce their false claims one after another. Therefore, we ask your sedateness to resist all this and stop and stop the continuous series of evils, like some kind of stream. You yourself know how to help the cause, without waiting for us to teach you this, who, due to inexperience in everyday affairs, do not even know how to get rid of trouble. Therefore, be both an adviser and an intercessor, inventing, out of your great prudence, the very method of assistance. He asks for the same matter regarding the Caesarian inheritance. (369) Who knows how to honor old friendship, respect virtue and sympathize with the suffering as you can? And therefore - since our most God-loving brother, Bishop Gregory, was overtaken by deeds that were unbearable for another, and even more disgusting to his disposition, I decided that it was best to resort to your protection and attempt to seek from you some kind of deliverance from sorrows. For it is an unbearable disaster when a person who has never done this and does not want to do so is forced to speak in defense of his affairs, when they demand money from a poor man, when someone who has long decided to rise above this life through silence is dragged into the middle and forced to seek popular favor. Therefore, what you consider useful: whether to talk about this with the treasure keeper or with someone else - this is left to your prudence. 34. To Eusebius, Bishop of Samosata (34) He complains that during conferences between bishops, Tarsus is occupied by heretics; then he consoles himself with the memory of Eusebius, who used all measures for the benefit of the Church. (Written in 369) How can we keep silent about real incidents? Unable to bear this, will we find some word that corresponds to the events, so that our voice is not likened to groans, but to crying, sufficiently expressing the severity of the disaster? Tarsus 187 also disappears from us. And this is not the only thing that is sad, no matter how unbearable it may be; for this is more painful that a city that has such a favorable position 188 and therefore unites the Isaurians, Cilicians, Cappadocians and Syrians among themselves, perishes in vain through the recklessness of one or two 189 people, while you hesitate, consult and look at each other. Therefore, it is better to follow the invention of doctors (due to my constant ailments, I have a large abundance of similar examples), and just as they, when the pain reaches extremes, artificially render the patient insensible, so we ourselves wish for our souls to be insensitive to disasters, so that they are not suppressed by unbearable suffering. However, although we are pitiful in other respects, we nevertheless take advantage of one consolation, namely, that we turn our gaze to your meekness and by your attention to us and the remembrance of us we quench our spiritual sorrow. For the eyes, after intensely striving for something shiny, the transition to blue and green colors brings some relief; Likewise, the memory of your meekness and your zeal serves our souls, as if with some kind of gentle touch, quenching pain, especially when we think that you have done everything on your part. Through this, to us people, if we judge things unbiasedly, you have sufficiently proven that nothing perished through your fault and that you have won a great reward from God for your zeal for good. May the Lord preserve you for us and His churches for the benefit of the world and for the correction of our souls, and may we be honored with a useful meeting with you again. He intercedes for a person close to him, named Leontius 190, and asks for the house of this Leontius to have the same care as for his own. (Written before the episcopate.) I have already written to you about many things that are important to me; but I will write about more things. For it is impossible that there will be no more people in need, and that we should refuse to show mercy within our power. No one is so close to me and cannot console me so much with his success in anything as the most venerable brother Leonty. Accept his house as you would receive me, not in the poverty in which I now live by the grace of God, but as if I lived in abundance and owned the fields. It is obvious that you would not bring me to poverty, but would preserve what I have or increase my abundance. Therefore, I ask you to do the same with the mentioned house of this person. For all this, you will receive the usual reward from me - a prayer to Holy God for the labors that you undertake, being so kind, supportive and considerate to the requests of those in need. He asks for one presbyter, his co-pupil, through whose labors the saint also fed. Vasily, so that with the new equalization of taxes, no new taxes should be imposed on him. (Written before the episcopate.) The presbyter 191 of this town, which I think your honor has known for a long time, is my co-pupil 192 . Therefore, do I need to say anything else to convince your mercy - to look at him friendly and help him in business? For if you love me, as you probably do, then, without a doubt, you will try by all means to calm those whom I consider to be one with me. So, what am I asking? To ensure that the previous filing remains with him. For he works a lot, serving me in food; because, as you yourself know, I don’t have anything of my own, but I am content with what my friends and relatives have. Therefore, look at this brother’s house as if it were mine, or rather, as if it were your own; and for the benefit shown to him, God will send you, your home and your entire family the usual help. Know that I am extremely concerned that during this equalization of taxes no offense will be done to this person. Petition for the same presbyter and for the same circumstance. I already foresee many letters. For I am forced to raise my voice, because I cannot bear the importunity of petitioners; Therefore, I am writing, not being able to think of any other means of deliverance than to each time give letters to those who approach me with requests. Therefore, I am afraid that, with the multitude of letters coming from me, this brother will not be counted among the many. I confess that I have many friends and relatives in my homeland and that I take the place of a father among them according to the rank 193 to which the Lord raised me; but I have one co-educator, this son of my nurse, and I ask you to leave the house in which I was raised in its previous state, so that the arrival of your good behavior, beneficial to everyone, does not turn into a reason for grief for this person. And since I still feed from this house, not having my own property, but being content with what those who love me have, I ask you to spare the house in which I was brought up, as if saving the means of subsistence for myself. And for this, may God honor you with eternal rest. I intend to bring to your attention as the most real truth that this presbyter has most of the slaves from me and they were given to him by my parents as a reward for my upbringing; This reward is not a perfect gift, but only the right to enjoy throughout life. Therefore, if there is anything burdensome regarding them, he can send them back to me, and then I will be subject to taxes and penalties from collectors in a different way. 38. To Gregory, brother 194 (38) Fearing that Gregory, like many, would not confuse the concepts of “essence” and “hypostasis,” he explains the difference between these concepts; then he proves that in the Trinity there is one essence and three Hypostases, in explanation of which he presents the likeness of a rainbow. Finally, he explains in what sense the Apostle Paul calls the Son the image of the Father's Hypostasis. (Written in 369 or 370) 1. Since many, without making a distinction in the mysterious dogmas between the general concept of essence 195 (τὸ ϰοινὸν τῆς οὐσίας) and the concept of hypostases, put into them the same meaning 196 and think that there is no difference in saying “essence” or “hypostasis” (therefore, some of those who use these words without analysis decided to assert that both the essence is one, and the hypostasis is one 197, and on the contrary, those who recognize three hypostases think that according to this confession the division of essences into an equal number should be allowed 198), then for this reason, so as not to fall into something similar for you, I briefly composed a word about this for your memory. So, speaking in a few words, the understanding of the mentioned expressions 199 is as follows. 2. Some names, used about many and numerically different objects, have a certain general meaning (ϰαϑολιϰωτέϱαν τινὰ τὴν σημασίαν ἔχει); such, for example, is the name “man”. For he who uttered this word, having designated by this name a general nature, did not define with this expression 200 one particular person, actually signified by this name; because Peter is no more a man, like Andrew, and John, and James. Therefore, the community of the signified, similarly extending to all those subsumed under the same name, has a need for division, through which we recognize not man in general (οὐ τὸν ϰαϑόλου ἄνϑϱωπον), but Peter or John. Entities brought under one concept are consubstantial with each other Other names have a particular meaning (ἰδιϰωτέϱαν ἔχει τὴν ἔνδειξιν), by which we mean not the commonality of nature in the signified, but the outline of an object according to its distinctive property (ϰατὰ τὸ ἰδιάζον), which does not have the slightest commonality with [another] homogeneous object; such, for example, is the name Paul or Timothy. For such an expression does not at all relate to general nature, but depicts by names the concept of certain specific objects, separating them from the collective meaning. Therefore, when there are two or more, for example, Paul, Silouan, Timothy, and it is necessary to formulate a concept of the essence of people, no one will give a different concept of essence in Paul, another in Silouan, and another in Timothy, but with whatever words the essence of Paul is designated, the same words will be appropriate for others, for the essences subsumed under one concept are consubstantial with each other. When, having studied the general, someone turns to the consideration of the distinctive (τὸ ϰοινὸν μαϑὼν ἐπὶ τὰ ἰδιάζοντα τϱέψῃ) - how one is separated from the other, then the concept leading to the knowledge of one an object will not be in all respects similar to the concept of another object, although in some features there will be something in common between them. 3. Therefore, we affirm this: what is properly named (τὸ ἰδίως λεγόμενον) is expressed by the word 201 “hypostasis.” For the one who uttered the word “man”, by vagueness of meaning, conveyed to the ear some kind of extensive thought, so that although nature is visible from this name, it does not signify the subject and actually named object. And the one who pronounced the word “Paul” indicated the subject nature in the object designated by this name. So, “hypostasis” is not an indefinite concept of “essence”, which does not find any specificity 202 due to the generality of what it signifies, but one that defines and describes the general and unlimited in a certain object by means of indicated characteristics; as it is common for Scripture to do this in many cases, as, [for example] in the story of Job. For, starting to tell the story about him, she first mentioned the general and said: “man,” and then highlighted his peculiarity by adding the word “certain” 203. But it passed over in silence the description of the essence as useless for the proposed purpose of the word; [Scripture] fills the concept of “some” with the corresponding features, naming the place, character traits and all those signs borrowed from appearance with which they wanted to separate it from the general meaning, so that the description of the person about whom the story is being narrated would be clear in everything - both by name, and by place, and by spiritual properties, and by what is seen outside of him. And if it expounded the concept of essence, then when explaining the nature there would be no mention of what was said, because the concept would be the same as that of Bildad the Sabhaite, and of Zophar the Naamite, and of each of the people mentioned there (Job 2:11). So, what concept have you acquired about the difference between essence and hypostasis in us, transfer it to Divine dogmas, and you will not sin. Whatever you ever think about the being of the Father (for the soul cannot rest on one separate thought [about God], being sure that this Being is above all thought), imagine the same about the Son, and likewise the same about the Holy Spirit. The concept of the uncreated and incomprehensible is one and the same in relation to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. One is no more incomprehensible and uncreated, and the other is no less. But when in the Trinity it is necessary to formulate an unfused distinction based on the distinctive features (ἀσύγχυτος διάϰϱισις), then for the definition of the distinctive we will not take the universal imaginable, such as, for example, uncreatedness, or inaccessibility by any concept, or something similar to this, but we will seek that one thing, by which the concept of each is clear and without mixing 204 will separate from what is represented together. 4. Therefore, it seems to me that it would be good to explain this concept this way. We call every good thing that descends to us from God’s power the action of all-in-all productive grace, as the Apostle says: but all this works one and the same Spirit, dividing with authority as He wills (1 Cor. 12:11). But delving into whether the giving of goods began from the Holy Spirit alone and thus descends to the worthy, again, according to the instructions of the Scriptures, we believe that the Only Begotten God 205 is the leader and author of the giving of goods that are revealed in us through the action of the Spirit. For the Holy Scripture teaches us about the Only Begotten, that all things were in Him (John 1:3) and are made in Him (Col. 1:17). So, when we are raised to this thought, again, using God-inspired guidance, we learn that although this Power brings everything from non-existence into being, it is not without beginning, but there is a certain Power that exists unbornly and without beginning, and It is the cause of the cause of all beings. For from the Father is the Son, by whom all things came into being, and with whom the Holy Spirit is always inseparably imagined. One who is not illumined by the Spirit cannot even think about the Son. So, since the Holy Spirit, from Whom every gift of good is poured out upon creation, is united with the Son, with Whom it is inseparably represented, and has an existence dependent on the cause - the Father, from Whom it proceeds, then a distinctive sign of His hypostatic property (γνωϱιστιϰὸν τῆς ϰατὰ τὴν ὑπόστασιν ἰδιότητος σημεῖον) is that which is known through the Son and with the Son and has being from the Father (τὸ ἐϰ τοῦ Πατϱὸς ὑφεστάναι). The Holy Spirit comes from the Father The Son, who by Himself and together with Himself makes us know the Spirit proceeding from the Father, having alone shone forth from the unborn Light, according to His distinctive signs (ϰατὰ τὸ ἰδιάζον τῶν γνωϱισμάτων) has nothing in common with the Father or with the Holy Spirit, but one is known by the mentioned signs. And He who is above all God (Rom.9:5) alone has that predominant sign of His Hypostasis, that He is the Father and His existence is not due to any reason; and therefore, again, by a sign He is, in fact, known. For this reason we say that in the general concept of essence (ἐν τῇ τῆς οὐσίας ϰοινότητι) the signs seen in the Trinity (ἀσύμβατα ϰαὶ ἀϰοινώνητα τὰ ἐπιϑεωϱούμενα τῇ Τϱιάδι γνωϱίσματα), which expresses the distinctive property of Persons (ἡ ἰδιότης τῶν πϱοσώπων), about which faith teaches us, because each Person is represented by us differently according to its own characteristics, so that by the mentioned characteristics the difference of Hypostases is known. The Essence of God in the Holy Trinity is continuous The thought of each one of the Persons of the Holy Trinity implies the other two Communication and separation: difference of hypostases, commonality of essence Separation united and unity divided And as for infinity, incomprehensibility, uncreatedness, uninvolvement by place and everything like this, there is no difference in the Life-Giving Nature, I mean the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, but some kind of continuous and indissoluble communion is seen in Them. And in whatever concepts anyone can imagine the greatness of one of the Persons confessed in the Holy Trinity, let him approach with indifference (ἀπαϱαλλάϰτως) the contemplation of glory in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, without wandering in thought along any gap between the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, because there is nothing intercalated between Them, nor something independent and distinct from God’s nature, so that this nature could be separated from Itself by the insertion of something extraneous, nor the emptiness of any unfilled space, which would produce interruptions in the unity of God’s essence with Itself, dividing the continuous with empty intervals. But whoever imagined the Father in his mind, he also imagined Him in Himself and at the same time embraced the Son in thought. But whoever has the Son in his thoughts does not separate from the Son and the Spirit 207; but in relation to order consistently, in relation to nature connected ϰατὰ τὴν φύσιν) imprints within itself a united faith in three Persons. And whoever named only the Spirit, in this confession also includes Him Whose Spirit it is. Since the Spirit is Christ's (Rom. 8:9) and He is from God, as Paul says (1 Cor. 2:12), then just as he who grasps one end of a chain draws its other end, so, according to the word of the prophet, he who draws the Spirit (Ps. 119:131) through Him draws together both the Son and the Father 208. And whoever truly receives the Son will have Him in himself, bringing down both His Father and His own Spirit. For He Who is always in the Father cannot be cut off from the Father and He who is always “about Him” can never be separated from his own Spirit (see Matt. 12:28). And likewise, whoever received the Father received, in effect, both the Son and the Spirit (John 14:23). For it is impossible to mentally imagine any section or division, so that either the Son is imagined without the Father, or the Spirit is separated from the Son, but, on the contrary, we find between Them some kind of ineffable and unthinkable both communication and division (ἡ ϰοινωνία ϰαὶ ἡ διάϰϱισις); neither the difference of hypostases dissolves the continuity of nature, nor the community of essence merges the distinctive features ?? τὸ ἰδιάζον τῶν γνωϱισμάτων ἀναχεούσης). But do not be surprised if we say that the same thing is both united and divided, and if mentally, as if in fortune-telling, we imagine something new and extraordinary, both a united division and a divided unity. For whoever listens to the word without the intention of disputing and ridiculing it, something similar can be found in sensory things. 5. Difference between reality and likeness And you will accept my word as a likeness and shadow of the truth, and not as the actual truth itself. For it is impossible for what is represented in similarities to be in every way similar to what it is taken to represent. So, on what basis do I say that what appears to our senses represents to us a certain semblance of divided and united together (τὸ διαϰεϰϱιμένον ἅμα ϰαὶ συμφυές) 209? Have you ever seen the glow of an arc in the clouds in the spring? I mean that arc, which, according to general usage, we are accustomed to calling a rainbow. Those who know about this say that it is formed when some kind of moisture is dissolved in the air and all the condensed rain evaporation that has already formed into a cloud is bent by the force of the winds into rain. A rainbow is made, as they say, in this way. When a sunbeam, passing indirectly through the thickness and darkness of the clouds, then directly rests its circle on some cloud, then a certain bend occurs and the light returns to itself, because the light from the wet and shiny goes back in the opposite direction. For since fire-like reflections have the property, if they fall on something smooth, bending over, to return again to themselves, and the image of the sun produced by a ray in moist and smooth air is round, then, of necessity, in the air adjacent to the cloud the glowing radiance describes something similar to the image of a solar circle. Thus, the same light can be both continuous in itself and divided. Being multi-colored and multi-shaped, it is inconspicuously painted with different colors, inconspicuously for our eyes, concealing the mutual merging of unequally colored particles, so that between blue and fiery color, or between fiery and purple, or between the latter and amber 210, it is impossible to recognize the middle in which different colors are mixed and separated from one another, because the reflections of all colored rays are visible together, they are light and, concealing the signs of mutual contact, remain indistinguishable, so that it is impossible to find where the fiery or emerald ray ends in a colored radiance and where it begins to be no longer what we see in a white radiance. Rainbow as a created analogy of the Holy Trinity Therefore, just as in this similarity we clearly recognize the differences in colors, and cannot distinguish with a sense of distance from one color to another, so discuss the possibility of imagining something similar regarding Divine dogmas. Although the hypostatic properties, like a certain color visible in the rainbow, shine in each of the Persons confessed in the Holy Trinity, however, with regard to the natural property, it is impossible to imagine any difference between one Person and another, but with a common essence, distinctive properties shine in each Person. For even there, in the likeness, there was one essence, emitting this multi-colored radiance and precisely refracted in the sun’s ray, but the color of the phenomenon is multi-faceted. Likewise, through creation, reason teaches us not to find strange in the teaching of dogma, when, having encountered something difficult to understand, we become perplexed as to whether to agree to what is said. Just as in the reasoning of what is visible with the eyes it turned out that experience is better than the concept of cause, so in dogmas that exceed reason, in comparison with what the understanding comprehends, faith is better, which teaches us about what is separate in hypostasis and what is united in essence. So, since our word revealed both the general and the distinctive in the Holy Trinity, the concept of community is raised to “essence”, and “hypostasis” is the distinctive attribute of each Person ἀνάγεται, ἡ δὲ ὑπόστασις τὸ ἰδιάζον ἑϰάστου σημεῖόν ἐστιν). 6. Logical definition of hypostasis But perhaps others will think that the proposed concept of hypostasis does not agree with the meaning of the Apostolic Scripture, where the Apostle says of the Lord that He is the radiance of His glory and the image of the hypostasis (Heb. 1:3). For if we called hypostasis (ἡ ὑπόστασις) the totality of distinctive properties seen in Each (συνδϱομὴ τῶν πεϱὶ ἕϰαστον ἰδιωμάτων), and just as we acknowledge about the Father that there is something actually contemplated in Him, through which He alone is known, so we confess the same about the Only Begotten, then how does Scripture in this place attribute the name of hypostasis to the Father alone, and call the Son an image of hypostasis, which is characterized not by His own, but by the Father’s attributes 211? If hypostasis is a distinctive sign of each person’s existence the property of the Father is recognized to be unborn (τὸ ἀγεννήτως εἶναι), while the Son depicts in Himself the distinctive properties of the Father (μεμόϱφωται δὲ ὁ ϒἱὸς τοῖς τοῦ Πατϱὸς ἰδιώμασιν), then it no longer remains with the Father that He alone should primarily be called unborn, unless by what distinguishes the Father the existence of the Only Begotten is designated. 7. But we affirm that here the word of the apostle fulfills another purpose, which he had in mind when he used these expressions: the radiance of glory and the image of the hypostasis. And whoever has carefully understood this goal will not find anything contradicting what we have said, but only that the speech is directed towards some special thought. For the apostolic word does not discuss how to distinguish hypostases from each other according to visible signs, but about how to understand co-naturalness, inseparability and unity συνημμένον) in relation of the Son to the Father. So, he did not say: “who is like this” is the glory of the Father (although this is really so), but, leaving this as recognized by all, teaching not to imagine another image of glory in the Father, and another in the Son, he determines that the glory of the Only Begotten is the radiance of the very glory of the Father, leading in the likeness of light to represent the Son inseparably from the Father. For just as radiance, although from a flame, is not later than the flame, but at the same time 212 the flame flares up and the light shines from Him, so, according to the demand of the Apostle, the Son must also be represented from the Father: not separating the Only Begotten by any separating distance from the existence of the Father, but together with the Author always represent what is from Him. Therefore, in the same way, as if interpreting the thought now proposed, he also calls the image of hypostasis, leading us by bodily likenesses to the understanding of the invisible. For just as a body certainly has an outline, the concept of the outline is different, and the concept of the body is different, and whoever gives the definition of one of these two does not yet come to the definition of the other; meanwhile, although in the mind you separate the outline from the body, yet nature does not allow separation, but one with the other appears to be united - so, the apostle thinks, it should be understood that the teaching of faith, although it teaches us the unmerged and separate distinction of Hypostases, nevertheless in the given place depicts the continuity and, as it were, inseparability of the Only Begotten with the Father - not because the Only Begotten has no hypostasis, but because in His unity with the Father he does not allow anything in between; Therefore, he who fixes his soul's eyes on the image of the Only Begotten has the thought of the Hypostasis of the Father, not as a result of a change or confusion of the distinctive properties contemplated in Them, either representing birth in the Father, or ungeneration in the Son, but because the remaining one, by separating One from the Other, cannot be represented alone, by Himself. For it is impossible that he who named the Son should not also have thoughts about the Father, because this naming relatively points to the Father. 8. The Son is identical with the prototype, although different So, since he who sees the Son also sees the Father, as the Lord says in the Gospel (John 14:9), then it is said that the Only Begotten is the image of the hypostasis of the Father. And in order to better understand this thought, let us add other sayings of the Apostle, in which He calls the Son the image of the invisible God (Col. 1:15) and also the image of His goodness 213, not in the sense that the image is different from the prototype in relation to invisibility and goodness, but wanting to show that the Son is identical with the prototype, although different; because the concept of the image would not have been preserved if He had not had a clear and indifferent similarity in everything 214. Consequently, he who has imagined the beauty (ϰάλλος) 215 of the image already has the thought of the prototype. And whoever has grasped in thought, as it were, the image of the Son, has imprinted in himself the image of the Father’s Hypostasis, contemplating the former in the latter, not because in the image he sees the unbornness of the Father (in which case it would be completely identical and not different), but because he contemplates the unborn Beauty in the begotten. For just as someone who has looked at the image of a face presented in a clean mirror receives a clear consciousness of the depicted face, so he who has come to know the Son with this very knowledge of the Son has accepted in his heart the image of the Father’s Hypostasis. For everything that belongs to the Father is also contemplated in the Son, and everything that belongs to the Son belongs also to the Father; because the whole Son abides in the Father and, again, has in Himself the whole Father (John 14:11), so that the Hypostasis of the Son serves as an image and a Face (μοϱφὴ ϰαὶ πϱόσωπον) to the knowledge of the Father, and the Hypostasis of the Father is known in the image of the Son, while what is contemplated in Them remains a distinctive property for a clear distinction of Hypostases. Julian invites Vasily to come to him. The proverb says: “You are not the messenger of war” 217, but I would add to it a saying from the comedy: “What golden news” 218. So don’t hesitate, prove it in practice and hurry to us, for you will come as one to each other. The constant employment of public affairs seems tiresome to one who regards them as something of secondary importance, but those who share these duties with me are, I am convinced, men of ability, discretion, and perfect fitness for any task. So, I give myself a break so that I can, without neglecting my responsibilities in any way, indulge in rest. For we communicate with each other without any courtly flattery, which, as I believe, you have already encountered before, when those who pronounce praises hate each other with such hatred as they do not feel for the most sworn enemies, but with due sincerity; so we reprove each other, if necessary, and when we reprove, we experience love no less than our closest friends. Therefore, it is possible for us (and may envy not arise as a result of my words!) during rest, to indulge in studies, and when busy, not to get tired from work, and to sleep serenely, since when I awaken, I awaken not so much for myself, but, as befits, for everyone else. Perhaps I have already bored you with my idle talk and have written a lot of nonsense, suffering from a lack of intelligence (since I praised myself, like Astydamas 219), but I am writing this in order to convince you that your presence, as a wise man, will be much more useful for me and will not take up my time. And as I said, hurry up by using government transport 220 . After spending as much time with us as you like, you will go wherever you want, and I, as expected, will provide you with transport. Julian boasts of his calmness, strength and authority, the expectation of conquering Sapor, as well as the Indians and Saracens, and finally his descent from Constantius; and accuses Vasily of shamelessness that he neglects him so much. Confidently orders that a thousand pounds of gold be paid to him upon passing through Caesarea. Threatens Vasily with punishment if he does not do this. He adds that he understood what he read and condemned it. (Written perhaps June or July 362) Although until now I have demonstrated the feelings of gentleness and philanthropy inherent in me since childhood, I have subjugated everyone who lives under the sun to my power. And so - every barbarian tribe right up to the borders of the Ocean fell at my feet with gifts. Likewise, the Sagadars living along the Danube, a people whose appearance and patterns are completely similar to the scarabs (εὐμοϱϕοποιϰιλοϰανϑαϱόμοϱφοι), whose appearance is not similar to a human and whose features are fierce, have now fallen prostrate before my feet, promising me to do everything that is necessary for my royal power. But this is not the only thing that attracts me - I must take possession of the Persian power as quickly as possible and put Sapor, this descendant of Darius, to flight, until he becomes my tributary and begins to pay me taxes. At the same time I must destroy the regions of the Indians and Saracens, until they, in the second place, become my tributaries and taxpayers. But you yourself have far surpassed the strength of their audacity; claiming to be clothed in piety, but at the same time hiding shamelessness, you spread everywhere that I am unworthy to be emperor of the Romans. Or don’t you yourself know that I am a descendant of the sovereign Constantius 222? And although we know everything mentioned about you, we still have not abandoned the affection that we had for each other in our youth. So, by the will of my philanthropic will, I command that you pay me a thousand pounds of gold at the time when I pass through Caesarea and while I am still on the highway, since I am rushing with all speed to war with the Persians. If you do not do this, I am ready to destroy all of Caesarea without a trace, to overthrow its beautiful structures erected in ancient times and in their place to erect churches and statues in order to convince everyone to obey the emperor of the Romans and not to be arrogant. So, having measured, weighed, balanced on the scales and counted out the indicated amount, fearlessly send it to me along with your faithful servant, sealing it with your ring, so that I, recognizing, albeit late, the constraint of the present situation, will be gentle towards your mistakes. I understood what I read and rendered a verdict. 41. Basil to Julian, on the same subject Basil openly condemns Julian's wickedness; ridicules the order to receive such a quantity of gold from people living by agriculture. He doubts that given Julian’s wicked attitude towards God, a decree against the poisoners will bring any benefit. Finally he declares that he did not understand what he read, for if he had understood, he would not have been subject to condemnation. The feats of success that you enjoy are small, and those that you accomplished while struggling against us, and not even against us, but against yourself, are certainly insignificant. As for me, every time I think that you are dressed in purple, and your wicked head is decorated with a wreath, I am seized with trepidation, since all this without piety does not bring honor, but only dishonors your royal power. However, you yourself, after your return and receiving the highest power (although you were attracted to it by evil and good-hating demons), not only began to consider yourself to be above human nature, but also rebelled against God and began to insult the Mother and Nurse of all people, the Church, demanding that I, an extremely modest person, send you a thousand pounds of gold, choosing as an excuse to denounce me. But it was not the weight of gold that shocked my soul, although it is very great in itself, but your so rapid fall made me cry bitterly. I remembered how I myself and your all-dignity studied the sacred and best works. Each of us has read the Holy and God-inspired Scriptures, and then nothing escaped you, but now you have become defenseless, besieged by such arrogance. Just the day before yesterday, most philanthropic husband, you knew that we are not inclined to live in the pursuit of collecting wealth, and today you demanded from us a thousand pounds of gold. Be content with this, gentle man, to spare us, whose entire wealth, if we wish to consume it today, will be insufficient for that. For among us the art of cooking, as it should be, is neglected, and the chef’s knife is not familiar with blood. Our best dishes, of which we do not lack, are leaves of herbs with coarse bread and spoiled wine, so that our senses are not so dulled by gluttony as to devote our lives to madness. Lavs, your illustrious tribune and faithful companion in your labors, also told me the following: as if a certain woman obtained an appointment with your philanthropy on the issue of poisoning her son. And that you made a decree: poisoners are not allowed to live, those living must be destroyed, and only those who are sentenced to fight with wild animals in the arena are left alive. This ruling, quite rightly made by you, puzzled me. It is worthy of the greatest laughter that you are trying to treat such serious wounds with such an insignificant remedy. After you have offended God, it is completely useless to provide care for widows and orphans. For the first is insane and dangerous, but the second befits a compassionate and merciful person. It is painful for us, private people, to talk with the king, but it will be even more painful for you to talk with God [at the Judgment], since [there] there will no longer be a single mediator between man and God. So, you didn’t understand what you read, and if you had understood, you wouldn’t have given a verdict. 42. To his disciple Chilo 223 (39) He admonishes him that in a virtuous life a good beginning is not enough, but constant and continuous progress is necessary, offers many rules for a solitary life, advises not to suddenly strive for the height of perfection, but to observe gradualness in deeds and warns not to leave the desert under the plausible pretext of living a virtuous life in the world and attending spiritual meetings. 1. I will be the culprit of the saving deed for you, my sincere brother, if you willingly accept advice from me on what to do, especially in such cases about which you yourself asked for advice. Many, perhaps, had the courage to begin a solitary life (τοῦ μονήϱους βίου), but not many probably bothered to complete it as it should. And, without a doubt, the end of the matter is not in one intention, but in the end - the fruit of labor. Therefore, there is no benefit if someone does not rush to the end of his intention, but limits monastic life to just the beginning, and what is most ridiculous, leaves his own intention, for which outsiders accuse him of lack of courage and prudence. About such the Lord also says: whoever wants to build a house, will he not first consider what he has and what he has to finish it: lest, when he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, those who pass by will begin to curse him, saying, “This man laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it” (Luke 14:28-30)? Therefore, let the beginning be followed by zeal for success in a good deed. For the most courageous ascetic Paul, wanting us not to be content with our previous good deeds, but to prosper more and more every day, says: Forgetting those things which are behind, but reaching out to those things which are ahead, to deliberately pursue for the honor of the high calling (Phil. 3:13, 14). Such is the whole of human life: it is not content with what has gone before, but is nourished not so much by the past as by the future. What good is it for a person to have yesterday’s satiety in his belly, if now, with renewed hunger, he does not find the characteristic consolation of food? Likewise, the soul does not benefit from yesterday’s good deed if the fulfillment of righteousness is abandoned on this day. For it is said: “As I find you, so will I acknowledge you” 225 . 2. From best to worst, from worst to better He is not perfect who starts well, but who finishes well Therefore, the work of the righteous becomes in vain and the character of the sinner becomes blameless after the change that has happened to him, when one goes from better to worse, and another from worse to better. This can also be heard in Ezekiel, who teaches as from the person of the Lord. For he says: if a righteous man turns aside and sins, I will not remember the righteousness that he has done, but he will die in his sin (Ezek. 18:24). The same thing is said about a sinner: if, having converted, he does righteousness, he will live life in it (Ezek. 18:27, 28). Where are so many labors of [God's] servant Moses, how soon did a momentary controversy prevent him from ascending to the land of promise (Deut. 32:50–52; Deut. 34:4)? What was the purpose of Gehazi's treatment of Elisha, when his love of money brought upon himself leprosy (2 Samuel 5)? What benefit did Solomon have in the abundance of wisdom and in such a previous love for God, when he subsequently fell into idolatry from misogyny (1 Kings 11:3-8)? Yes, and absent-mindedness made blessed David not blameless for his sin with Uriah’s wife (2 Samuel 11). To bring safety to those who live according to God, it is enough to see the fall from better to worse of Judas, who was a disciple of Christ for so long, and then, having sold the Teacher for a small reward, thereby acquired a stranglehold for himself (Matthew 27:5). Therefore, let it be known to you, brother, that he is not perfect who begins well, but he who is well-skilled before God is he who gives a good account of his work. "Don't rely on yourself." Gradual success is better Therefore, brother, do not let sleep be upon your eyes, nor let slumber be among yourselves (Ps. 131:4), until you are saved—like a chamois from a snare, and like a bird from a snare (Prov. 6:5)! For look, you are walking among nets and walking on top of a high wall, from where it is not safe to fall. Therefore, do not suddenly reach for the very top of asceticism, and most of all, do not rely on yourself, lest you fall from the heights of ascetic life due to inexperience. For gradual success is better. Little by little, take away the pleasures of life, destroying all your skills, so that by your opposition, suddenly irritating every desire for pleasure, you do not turn a crowd of temptations against yourself. When you gain the upper hand over the addiction to one pleasure, then enter into the struggle against the addiction to another; and in this way you will overcome all inclination to pleasure. For the name of pleasure is one, but the types of pleasure are different. Therefore, brother, first of all, be patient in every temptation. And how many different temptations the faithful are tested - sometimes by worldly losses, sometimes by accusations, slander, disobedience, slander, persecution! All this and the like serve to test the faithful. Learn about the lives of the righteous - find benefit for yourself Moreover, be silent, rash in speech, not argumentative, not stubborn, not vain, do not reinterpret everything, but love fidelity, faith, be quiet, always ready not to teach, but to learn. Do not be curious about worldly life; it won't do you any good. For it is said: Let not my mouth speak of the deeds of men (Ps. 16:4). He who speaks with pleasure about the deeds of sinful people readily awakens in himself a passion for pleasure. But wish to know better the life of the righteous, for in this you will find benefit for yourself. Do not be eager to show yourself in public, bypassing villages and houses, but avoid them like nets for the soul. And if someone, out of great reverence, convinces you with various pretexts to go up to his house, then let him learn the faith of the centurion, who kept Jesus, who hastened to him for healing, from himself, saying: Lord, I am not worthy, but come under my roof, but just speak the word, and my boy will be healed (Matthew 8:8). And when Jesus said unto him, Go, as thou hast believed; The boy was healed at that hour (Matthew 8:13). Therefore, let it be known to you, brother, that it was not by the presence of Christ, but by the faith of the one asking, that the sick man was freed from his illness. So now, no matter where you pray, if the sick person believes that your prayers will help him, everything will be fulfilled according to his desire. 3. Love your loved ones no more than you love the Lord. Love those close to you no more than the Lord 226. For it is said: whoever loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me (Matthew 10:37). What does the Lord's commandment mean? It is said: unless someone takes up his cross and follows Me, he cannot be My disciple (Luke 9:23; Luke 14:27). If you died with Christ for your relatives according to the flesh, then why do you want to live with them again? And if you again build for your relatives what you ruined for Christ, then you make yourself a criminal. Therefore, do not leave your place for your relatives; for when you leave a place, you perhaps leave your morals. Do not love crowds, villages and cities, but be a desert lover, always remaining undistractedly within yourself, recognizing prayer and psalmody as your work. Don't neglect reading; especially read the New Testament, since reading the Old Testament often causes harm, not because it contains harmful things, but because the minds of those who suffer harm are weak. For all bread is nutritious, but it is harmful to the weak. Thus, all Scripture is inspired by God and useful (2 Timothy 3:16), and there is nothing unclean in it, but it is unclean only to the one who recognizes it as unclean. You tempt everything, keep the good one, clear away from every form of evil (1 Thess. 5:21, 22). Everything is good, but not everything is good (1 Cor. 6:12). Therefore, with everyone with whom you deal, be unoffending in everything, reasonable, brotherly, friendly, humble in wisdom, do not stray from the goal of love of hobbies for the sake of expensive foods, but, being content with what you have, do not take from anyone anything beyond what is daily needed for monastic life, and especially avoid gold as the accuser of the soul, the father of sin, the servant of the devil. Do not make yourself guilty of love of money under the pretext of serving the poor. And if someone brings you money for the poor, having learned who is poor, advise the person who has the money to take it to the poor, so that by accepting money from him you do not defile your conscience. 4. Plausible excuses for leaving monastic solitude Run away from pleasures, strive for abstinence, and exercise your body in labor, and accustom your soul to temptations. Recognizing the separation of soul and body as liberation from all evil, expect the enjoyment of eternal blessings, of which all the saints became partakers. Constantly weighing the devil's suggestion, contrast it with a pious thought and yield to the latter, like tipping the scales. Especially when the evil thought that arises in you says: “What is the use for you to live in this place? What are the benefits of being away from the hostel with people? Or don’t you know that the bishops of God’s churches appointed by God usually live together with people and constantly celebrate spiritual festivals, at which there is a lot of benefit for those present? For there is the solution of tributary fortune-telling 227, an explanation of the apostolic teachings, an exposition of evangelical thoughts, the teaching of theology, a meeting with spiritual brethren, who, by seeing them, bring great benefit to those who meet them. And you have made yourself a stranger to so many blessings and are sitting here, running wild along with the beasts. For you see here great desolation, considerable gloominess, lack of teaching, alienation from the brethren and a spirit of great negligence about the commandments of God.” So, when the evil thought that has arisen in you wants to seduce you with many similar plausible pretexts, then in a pious thought oppose it with actual experience, saying: “Since you tell me that there is good in the world, that is why I moved here, recognizing myself as unworthy of what is good in the world, because the good in the world is mixed with evil and the evil far exceeds the good. And I, once at a spiritual festival, met barely one brother, who, apparently, feared the Lord, but he was also possessed by the devil, and I heard from him pompous speeches and fables, designed to deceive those who met him; and after him I met many predatory thieves and oppressors; I saw the ugly appearance of the drunken, the blood of the oppressed; I also saw the beauty of wives, which tempted my chastity; and although I avoided fornication itself, I nevertheless desecrated my virginity with the thoughts of my heart. True, I heard many soul-helping speeches; however, I did not find any virtue in any of the teachers that corresponded to the speeches. After that, I heard thousands more lamentable stories that invaded my soul with their pampered sounds. I also heard the pleasant-sounding harp, the applause of those jumping, the voice of laughers, I heard a lot of nonsense and jokes, the cry of countless crowds; I saw the tears of the insulted, the torment of those taken into captivity, the sobs of those subjected to torture 228. I saw all this; and it was not a spiritual meeting here, but a sea, stormed and disturbed by the winds, which sought to cover everyone at once with its waves. Tell me, evil thought, tell me too, demon of short-term voluptuousness and vanity, what is the benefit of seeing and hearing this for me, who is unable to help the offended, since I do not have the opportunity to protect the powerless, correct those who have sinned, but rather can destroy myself? Just as a small amount of pure water disappears when there is a strong rise of wind and dust, so what we think we will do good in the world is darkened by many bad deeds. For sad events, like sharp points, pierce the hearts of those living in the world amid complacency and joy, in order to darken the purity of psalmody. The sobs and cries of those offended by their fellow tribesmen are heard so that the patience of the poor can be seen. 5. What benefit is there for me, other than obvious harm to my soul? Therefore, like a bird, I move to the mountains. For like a bird, escape from the snare of those who catch (Ps. 123:7). And I - oh evil thought! - I live in the same desert in which the Lord dwelt. Here is the oak of Mamre (Gen. 18:1), here is the ladder leading to heaven, and the regiments of Angels seen by Jacob (Gen. 28:12). Here is the desert in which the people, having purified themselves, received the Law and, thus, entering the land of promise, saw God. Here is Mount Carmel, on which Elijah, settling, pleased God. Here is the plain to which, having retired, Ezra, at God’s command, poured out 229 [from his mouth] all the inspired books (3Ezra 14). Here is the desert in which Blessed John, eating locusts, preached repentance to people. Here is the Mount of Olives, on which Christ prayed while ascending, teaching us to pray. Here Christ is a lover of the desert. For he says: where two or three are assembled in My name, I am in the midst of them (Matthew 18:20). Here is the strait and narrow way that leads to life (cf. Matt. 7:14). Here are teachers and prophets, wandering in deserts and in mountains and in dens and in the pits of the earth (Heb. 11:38). Here are the apostles and evangelists and the lives of monks, which have no city for themselves. I accepted this voluntarily in order to receive what was promised to the martyrs of Christ and all the other saints, so as not to lie to me: for the words of Your lips I have kept the ways of cruelty (Ps. 16:14). For I know the God-lover Abraham, who listened to the voice of God and moved into the wilderness, and Isaac the oppressed, and the wandering patriarch Jacob, the chaste Joseph who was sold, the three youths, the inventors of abstinence, fighting the fire, Daniel, thrown into the lion's den, fearlessly speaking to Jeremiah, condemned to the pit, the spectator of mysteries. Isaiah, cut with a saw, Israel, led into captivity, John, the accuser of adultery, cut with the sword, Christ's martyrs put to death. And why should I prolong my speech? Where the Savior Himself was crucified for us, so that by His death He might revive us and encourage and attract everyone to patience. I hasten to Him, both to the Father and to the Holy Spirit. In order to become His most sincere, I strive to recognize myself as unworthy of what is good in the world. However, I am not for the world, but the world is for me.” Thinking about this within yourself and zealously doing it, according to what has been said to you, strive for the truth even to the point of death. For Christ was obedient even to death (Phil. 2:8). But the apostle also says: take heed, lest there be any evil in any heart of yours, who will live to depart from God! But comfort one another and edify one another, until today there is reproach (Heb. 3:12, 13). For the word today signifies the whole continuation of our life. By living this way, brother, you will save yourself, and you will make us happy, and you will glorify God forever and ever. Amen. 43. Advice to newcomers (40) Briefly outlines the Gospel commandments to hermits. Study, monastic, faithful man and worker of piety; learn evangelical living, enslavement of the body, a humble way of thinking, purity of thought, eradicating anger in yourself. You who are subject to punishment, add for the sake of the Lord; deprived, do not sue; hated, love; persecuted, endure; blasphemed, pray. Be dead to sin, crucify to God. Place all your care on the Lord, so that you may have a place for yourself where there are ten thousand angels, the triumphs of the firstborn (Heb. 12:22–23), the thrones of the apostles, the presidency of the prophets, the scepters of patriarchs, the crowns of martyrs, the praises of the righteous. Desire to be numbered among these righteous people in Christ Jesus our Lord. To him be glory forever and ever. Amen. 44. To the Fallen Monk 230 (41) Depicting to the fallen monk first the severity of sin, then God’s mercy, he invites him to his place. 1. I do not greet with the word “rejoice,” because the wicked cannot rejoice (Is. 48:22). I still remain in my disbelief, and my heart cannot accommodate such incongruity and the terrible plan you carried out, although this is the real truth, as everyone already knows. I wonder how so much wisdom was absorbed, such austerity of life was turned into nothing, where did such blindness come from, how, without thinking about anything at all, did you bring about such destruction of so many souls? For if this is true, then you betrayed your soul to the abyss, and brought everyone who heard this wickedness to relaxation. You rejected faith and left your good deed unfinished. That's why I grieve for you. And what priest would not cry hearing this? What minister of the Church would not be sad? What layman does not complain? What ascetic does not shed tears? Probably, the sun was eclipsed during your fall, and the powers of heaven began to waver (cf. Mark 13:24-25) during your death. And the insensitive stones shed tears over your madness, and your enemies felt pity because of the excess of your lawlessness. What great blindness! What terrible cruelty! You neither feared God, nor respected people, nor were you ashamed of your friends, but everything suddenly fell apart for you, you suddenly became deprived of everything. That’s why I grieve for you again, unfortunate one. You, who instilled fear of teaching in everyone, did not have the fear of God in your own eyes. You, who preached the sacred, turned out to be vile. You, who boasted of non-covetousness, have yourself been caught stealing money. You, who with your reasoning suggested punishment from God, have prepared your own punishment. How can I pay you? How can I mourn you? How did the rising star descend in the morning and be crushed on the earth? (Isa.14:12). There will be a noise in both ears of everyone who hears (1 Samuel 3:11). How did the Nazirite, who shone more than gold, become darker than soot? How did the venerable son of Zion become a useless vessel? In whom everyone marveled at the remembrance of the Divine Scriptures, his memory perished with a noise (Ps. 9:6)! The mind, distinguished by its speed, perished so instantly! A man with a vast mind committed such a complex sin! Those who used your teaching suffered harm from your destruction. Those who inclined their ears to your conversation blocked their ears when they heard about your death. And I cry, lament, and become completely exhausted; I eat ashes like bread (Ps. 101:10) and, throwing sackcloth over my wound, I offer you such praises, or better yet, writing a funeral oration, I remain inconsolable and unhealable, because consolation is hidden from my eyes; there is no plaster to apply, lower than oil, lower than duty (Is. 1:6), so painful is my wound! How will I be healed? 2. Don’t lose hope of salvation Therefore, if there is still any hope of salvation left for you, if you have any small remembrance of God, and any desire for future blessings, and any fear of punishments observed by the unrepentant, then sober up quickly, lift your eyes to heaven, come to your senses, leave behind your wickedness, shake off the intoxication in which you are now, resist the one who brought you to the fall. Strengthen yourself to get up off the ground. Remember the good Shepherd, who, following you, will set you free, even if only two shins or dry ears remain (Am. 3:12). Recoil from the one who wounded you. Remember the generosity of God, who heals with oil and wine (Luke 10:34). Don't lose hope of salvation. Bring to mind what is written that the fallen one rises and turns away (Jer. 8:4), the one struck is healed, the one caught by wild beasts is saved, the one who confesses is not rejected, because the Lord does not want the sinner to die, but to turn and live for him (Ezek. 18:32). Do not indulge in negligence, like one who has fallen into the depths of evil (Proverbs 18:3). If you want to keep agreements with others, do not break agreements with God. Now is the time of respite, the time of long-suffering, the time of healing, the time of correction. Did you crawl? Rise up. Have you sinned? Stop, do not stand in the way of sinners (Ps. 1:1), but run away from it. When, having turned, you rise, then you will be saved, because health is acquired through labor, salvation - later. Therefore, be careful, if you wish to keep agreements with others, do not violate the agreements with God that you have made in the presence of many witnesses. So, do not hesitate, according to some human calculations, to come to me, because, having taken my dead body, I will cry, I will look after, I will weep bitterly over the contrition of the daughter of my family (cf. Is. 22:4). Everyone will accept you; everyone will work with you. Do not lose courage, remember the days of old (cf. Ps. 142:5). Salvation is possible, correction is possible. Dare, don't despair. There is no law that condemns to death without mercy, but there is grace that postpones punishment, awaiting correction. The doors are not yet locked: The groom hears; sin does not yet reign. Renew the fight; do not delay, be merciful to yourself and to all of us in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion, now and always, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 45. To the Fallen Monk (42) Someone, having given up a large estate, entered monasticism, but after a very pious life fell into fornication and other iniquities. St. Basil, who once lived with him in Jerusalem, shows him the greatness of sin and temptation, then, reassuring him with God’s mercy, he calls him to feat by the example of Jews and pagans brought to godliness. 1. The thought of you pierces the depths of my heart with double fear. Either due to some predisposition to lack of compassion, it plunges me into the guilt of hating mankind, or again, when I want to be compassionate and soften towards wrongdoing, it produces an unkind change in me 233 . Therefore, intending to write this letter, although with the help of reason I strengthened my numb hand, I could not change my face, alarmed by sadness about you, and I am so ashamed of you that my lips immediately shrink, turning to crying. Alas for me! What will I write or discuss, left at a crossroads? If I bring to mind your initial vain behavior, when you were surrounded by wealth and this creeping glory on earth, then I am horrified. When you were accompanied by many flatterers, and the short-term pleasure of luxury with obvious danger and unjust gains, and, on the one hand, the fear of your superiors dispelled your thoughts about salvation, and on the other, popular unrest threw your house into confusion, and the continuity of disasters involuntarily turned your thoughts to the one who is able to help you; when little by little you began to think about the Savior, who, just as he strikes you with fear for your own benefit, so delivers and covers you, although you laugh at Him during times of safety; when you began to practice acquiring honest morals, looking with contempt at your disastrous wealth, renouncing worries about the house and cohabitation with your wife, completely soaring into the heights, like a wanderer and a wanderer, passing through villages and cities, came to Jerusalem, where I lived with you, pleasing the ascetic labors; when, spending whole weeks in fasting for God, you accustom yourself to wisdom, as if fleeing from communication with people, and at the same time adapting silence and solitude to yourself, avoiding the bustle of the city, covering your body with rough sackcloth and tightening your loins with a hard belt, patiently crushing your bones, your entrails, empty from not eating food, brought you to the fact that they pressed against the spinal parts, and just as on the outside you rejected the use of a gentle bandage, so on the inside you rejected your belly, which had shrunk like a pumpkin, and forced it to cling to the kidneys and, having exhausted all the fat of the flesh, courageously drying up all the paths in the lower parts of the body, confining the belly by frequent stays without food, made the ribs, like a protruding roof, shade the surface of the belly, and when exhaustion of his entire body, confessing to God in the hours of the night, softening his irrigated beard with streams of tears... And why should I describe all this in detail? Remember how many lips of saints you attracted to your kiss, how many consecrated bodies you touched with your embraces, how many squeezed your hands as if they were undefiled, how many servants of God were there who, like worshipers, flocked to fall at your knees? 2. And what is the end of all this? Rumors accusing us of fornication, flying like arrows, sting our ears, tormenting our insides with an even sharper sting. What skillful trick of the charmer brought you to this disastrous fall? What cunning nets of the devil entangled you and made the inculcations of virtue invalid? What will the stories about your work serve now? Shouldn't we believe this too? And how can one not believe what is still hidden [about you] on the basis of what has already become clear, if you have bound souls flowing to God with terrible oaths, when everything that is more [than] her and neither is directly attributed to the devil (Matthew 5:37)? Therefore, you exposed yourself to responsibility for the disastrous perjury and at the same time humiliated the character of asceticism, dishonored the apostles and the Lord Himself; He shamed the praise of purity, he mocked the vow of chastity. We became the subject of a sad story for the captives; among the Jews and Hellenes they represent us at spectacles. You created a division in the thoughts of the monks: you led the stricter ones into fear and timidity, you made them marvel at the power of the devil, and instilled in the indifferent ones a passion for intemperance. You, for your part, have turned into nothing even the praise of Christ, Who says: Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world (John 16:33) and the prince of the world. He dissolved the cup of infamy for the fatherland; brought into fulfillment what was said in Proverbs: as a tree is wounded by an arrow in a yatra (Proverbs 7:23). But what now, brother? The pillar of the fortress has not yet fallen, the medicine of conversion has not yet been defamed, the city of refuge has not been locked. Do not remain in the depths of evil; do not give yourself up to a murderer. The Lord knows how to raise up the broken. Don't run far, but come to us. Take upon yourself again the labors of youth; With new good deeds, destroy in yourself the earth-creeping and dirty lust. Raise your gaze to the day of death, which has already drawn so close to our life, and understand that finally [even] Jews and pagans are being brought to godliness, and do not completely deny yourself from the Savior of the world. May this most terrible sentence not befall you: we do not know where you come from (Luke 13:27). He strongly reproaches the fallen virgin, proves the obligation of the vow given and broken by her to preserve her virginity, expresses her sadness that, having left the Bridegroom - Christ, she surrendered to the molester; finally, with the fear of death, Judgment and eternal punishment, as well as the hope of God’s mercy, he tries to incline her to repentance. 1. Now is the time to proclaim this prophetic word and say: who will give my head water and comb out the source of my tears; and I weep for the slain daughters of my people (Jer.9:1)? Although they are enveloped in deep silence, although once they are forever crushed by disaster and a deadly blow has already taken away from them the very feeling of suffering, we should not leave such defeat without tears. And if Jeremiah recognized those who were physically injured in battle as worthy of a thousandfold mourning, what should be said about such a calamity of souls? Thy wounds, it is said, are not wounded with swords, but thy dead are slain by the army (Is. 22:2). On the contrary, I mourn the sting of true death - grave sin and the kindled arrows of the evil one (Eph. 6:16), which mercilessly burn souls along with bodies. Seeing such a crime on earth, without a doubt, God's laws will loudly complain, which always prohibit and cry out, as in ancient times: you shall not covet your neighbor's wife (Deut. 5:21), and in the Holy Gospels: for everyone who looks at a wife will covet her; already committing adultery with her in his heart (Matthew 5:28); now they see that the bride of the Lord, whose head is Christ, is shamelessly committing fornication. The very spirits of the saints, and Phinehas the zealot, will complain that it is now impossible for him, taking a spear in his hands, to punish the crime corporally (Num. 25: 7-8), and John the Baptist that he cannot, having left the heavenly abodes, as then the desert, come to expose lawlessness and if he must suffer, then rather lose his head than renounce his boldness. Or maybe John (if he, like blessed Abel, is still speaking to us when he died) is now crying out and crying out louder than he did then about Herodias: you are not worthy to have her (Matthew 14:4). For although the body of John, according to the necessary requirement of nature, submitted to the Divine determination and the tongue of John is silent, yet the word of God does not fit in (2 Tim. 2:9). Whoever stretched out his boldness even to death, when the marriage of a slave like him was destroyed, will he endure, seeing such a desecration of the holy Lord's bridal chamber? 2. But you, who threw off the yoke of that Divine union, fled from the most pure bridal chamber of the True King and vilely fell into this dishonest and ungodly corruption, since you can no longer escape this bitter accusation and you have neither the means nor the opportunity to hide the evil, you now indulge in insolence. And just as the wicked, having fallen into the depths of evil, is already negligent (Prov. 18:3), so you deny the very agreements with the True Bridegroom and cry out that you are not a virgin and never promised to be a virgin, although you accepted many of the conditions of virginity, and showed many in practice. Bring to your memory the wonderful confession that you made before God, Angels and people. Bring to your memory the venerable cathedral, the sacred face of the virgins, the host of the Lord and the saints of the Church, and your grandmother, aged in Christ, who is growing young and still blooming with virtue, and her mother, who competes with her in the Lord and strives hard with some new and extraordinary labors to eradicate in herself the traces of a bad habit, as well as her sister, who equally imitates both, and in in other ways she strengthens herself and surpasses them and with virginal advantages exceeds the merits of her ancestors, and you, her sister, as she has previously revered you, she tirelessly calls you in word and deed to an equal feat. Bring them to your memory, and with them the Angelic face around God, and spiritual life in the flesh, and heavenly residence on earth. Bring to mind serene days, illuminated nights, spiritual songs, euphonious psalmody, holy prayers, a clean and undefiled bed, virgin prosperity, abstinent meals, a beautiful prayer that your virgin may be preserved uncorrupted. Where is your sedate appearance, where is your decent disposition and simple clothes befitting a maiden, the beautiful blush of shame and the splendid pallor that blooms from abstinence and vigil and shines more pleasantly than any good color? How many times, in prayers for the preservation of your virginity undefiled, have you perhaps shed tears. How many letters did I write to the saints and in them asked them to pray for you, not that you would enter into a human marriage, or better yet, fall into this dishonorable corruption, but that you would not fall away from the Lord Jesus! How many gifts have you received from the Bridegroom! Needless to say about the honors that His friends bestowed on you for His sake! Should we talk about cohabitation with virgins and successes with them, about the friendliness of virgins towards you, about praise for virginity, about virgin blessings, about letters written to you as a virgin? But now, with a small lifting of the airy spirit now working in the sons of disobedience (Eph. 2:2), you have renounced all this; You exchanged your precious wealth, worth all your efforts, for a short-term pleasure that will delight your larynx for a while, and will later turn out to be more bitter than bile. 3. Who will not say the lamentable thing: what a harlot, the faithful city of Zion (Is. 1:21)? Will not the Lord Himself say to any of those walking today, in the spirit of Jeremiah: “Do you see what the virgin of Israel did for me (Jer. 18:13)? I betrothed her to Myself in faith and incorruption, in righteousness and in judgment, and in mercy and in generosity, as I promised her through the prophet Hosea (Hosea 2:19, 20). But she loved strangers and, although I, her husband, live, she is called an adulteress and is not afraid to belong to another husband.” What is the guide of the bride, the divine and blessed Paul, both the ancient and the new, through whose mediation and instruction, having left your father’s house, you entered into a union with the Lord? Both of them, alarmed by such a disaster, will not say: for the fear that you were afraid of, come, and the fear of it, you will cut me off (Job.3:25); I have betrothed you to one husband, to present a pure virgin to Christ; and I was always afraid, lest the serpent deceive Eve with his wickedness, so that your minds would also be corrupted (2 Cor. 11:2, 3). Therefore, I constantly tried with thousands of different sweet songs to pacify the rebellion of passions in you, and with thousands of different cares to protect the bride of the Lord, and always described to you an inviolable life, that the inviolable one cares for the Lord (1 Cor. 7:34), so that you would be holy both in body and spirit, and depicted to you the dignity of virginity, and, calling you the church of God, as if giving wings zeal, delighting you to Jesus; He also helped with the fear of disaster, so that you would not fall, saying: if anyone corrupts God’s church, God will corrupt him (1 Cor. 3:17); I added to this that I protected you with prayers, so that your body and soul and spirit may be preserved completely and blamelessly at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ (cf. 1 Thess. 5:23). But I tired myself with all this in vain, and I felt bitter at the end of the sweet labors I had endured for you. We must sigh again for whom we should have rejoiced; because you have been deceived by the serpent more evilly than Eve. Not only are your thoughts corrupted, but your body is also corrupted with them; and what is terrible, what I would not like to utter, about which I cannot even keep silent because the fire is burning and scorching in my bones, and I am weakened everywhere, and cannot bear (Jer. 20:9), I took the hooks of Christ, you created the hooks of the harlots (1 Cor. 6:15). This evil alone is incomparable with others, this is a new insolence in the world! For it is said: Come to the islands of Hettim, and see, and send it to Kidar, and consider diligently, if such a thing was created: if the nations change their gods, and they are not gods? ( Jer. 2:10–11 ). But the virgin changed her glory, and her glory was in the cold. The heavens were horrified at this and the earth trembled greatly (Jer. 2:12). And now the Lord says that the virgin committed two evils, abandoned Me, the true holy Bridegroom of holy souls, and resorted to the wicked and lawless molester of both soul and body; she departed from God her Savior and submitted her slaves to uncleanness and lawlessness (Rom. 6:13), but they forgot Me, and followed the trail of their lust (Hos. 2:13), who will not help her. 4. It would have been worse for him if a millstone had been laid on his neck and cast into the sea, lest anyone seduce the Virgin of the Lord (Luke 17:2) 235. The arrogant slave reaches such a frenzy that he invades the Master's bed! Like some kind of robber, he falls into such madness that he even concerns what was brought as a gift to God, and not soulless vessels, but living bodies in which dwells the soul, created in the image of God! Has it ever been heard from time to time that in the middle of a city on a clear noon someone dared to paint images of unclean pigs on a royal image? If anyone rejects human marriage, he dies without mercy in the presence of two or three witnesses. How much do you think that the worst one will be rewarded with torment, who trampled upon the Son of God and corrupted the promised bride to Him and reproached the spirit of virginity (Heb. 10:28, 29; Deut. 17:5)? But you say: “She wished; I did not force her against her will.” And the lustful mistress, this Egyptian, herself was inflamed with passion for the beautiful Joseph, but the frantic passion of the incontinent did not defeat the virtue of the chaste, and although she forcibly restrained him with her hands, he was not forced to lawlessness. But “she herself,” you say, “decided on this and was no longer a virgin; if I had not agreed, I would have been corrupted by another.” It is said that the Son of Man also had to be betrayed, but woe to that man who was betrayed (Mark 14:21); It is said that need comes by temptation: either way, woe comes to him (cf. Matt. 18:7). 5. Examples of repentance in the Holy Scriptures Moreover, the food of the padaday does not rise? Or will he who turns away not be converted (Jer.8:4)? Why did the virgin turn away shamelessly, although she heard that the Bridegroom Christ was speaking through Jeremiah: and I ordered her to commit fornication among all these, and turn to Me, and not return (Jer. 3:7). Or is there ritina 236 in Gilead? or is there a doctor there? Why is it that the daughter of My people was healed (cf. Jer. 8:22)? And in the Divine Scripture you will find many benefits from this evil, many medicines that save you from destruction - such are the mysteries regarding death and resurrection, such are the words about the Last Judgment and eternal torment, the teachings about repentance and remission of sins, thousandfold examples of conversion, the drachma (Luke 15:8-10), the sheep (Luke 15:4-7) and the son who He squandered his wealth with harlots, he was lost, and found, he was dead, and lived again (Luke 15:11-32). Let us use these benefits against evil and heal our souls with them. Engage in thinking about the last day (for, without a doubt, you will not live alone forever); imagine the confusion, the shortening of breathing and the hour of death, the approaching judgment of God, the hastening Angels, the soul, in terrible confusion, mercilessly tormented by a sinful conscience, turning pitiful glances to what is there, and finally, the inevitable necessity of its distant relocation. Write in your thoughts the final revolution in the lives of all [people] 237, when the Son of God comes in His glory with His Angels. For he will come and will not be silent (Ps. 49:3); when he comes to judge the living and the dead and will reward everyone according to his deeds, when that trumpet, having proclaimed something great and terrible, will awaken those who have fallen asleep from eternity, and they will come out, having done good, in the resurrection of life, and having done evil, in the resurrection of judgment (John 5:29). Bring to your mind the vision of Daniel, how he brought the Judgment before our eyes. In vain, he says, until the throne was erected, and the Old One was gray, and His clothes were as white as snow, and the hair of His head was as pure as a wave, His wheels were scorching with fire. A river of fire flows forth before Him: thousands of thousands served Him, and ten thousand stood before Him: the judgment sat, and the books were opened (Dan. 7:9-10). Good, bad, obvious, secret, deeds, words, thoughts - everything is suddenly clearly revealed for the hearing of everyone, Angels and men. In what position will those who lived poorly be forced to live? Where will the soul hide, which suddenly appears full of shame before the eyes of so many spectators? What will be the state of the body of one who has been subjected to these endless and unbearable torments, where there is an unquenchable fire, an immortally tormenting worm, a dark and terrible bottom of hell, bitter sobbing, extraordinary cries, crying and gnashing of teeth and there is no end to suffering? There is no deliverance from all this after death, there is neither a way nor an opportunity to avoid bitter torment. 6. There is a way of salvation if we wish This can be avoided now. While there is an opportunity, let us restore ourselves from the fall, and let us not despair of ourselves if we correct ourselves from bad deeds. Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. Come, let us worship and fall down before Him, and weep before Him (Ps. 94:6). The Word calling us to repentance cries and cries: come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). So, there is a way of salvation if we wish. You may devour death, but know for sure that God will again take away every tear from every face of those who repent (Is. 25:8). The Lord is faithful in all His words (Ps. 145:13). He does not lie when he says: “Though your sins be as scarlet, I will make them white as snow; but if they are like scarlet, I will make them white” (Is. 1:18). The great Physician of souls is ready to heal your weakness, this ready Liberator of not just your soul, but all souls enslaved to sin. These are his words. His sweet and saving lips spoke: the health of a doctor is not required, but those who are sick; He did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Matthew 9:12, 13). What excuse do you or anyone else have when He cries this? The Lord wants to deliver you from a painful wound and show you light out of darkness. The Good Shepherd is looking for you, leaving behind the unlost sheep. If you surrender to Him, He will not hesitate, the Lover of Mankind will not disdain to carry you on His shoulder, rejoicing that He found His lost sheep (Luke 15:4-7). The Father has risen and is waiting for your return from error. Just correct yourself, and when you are still far away, He will flow, fall on your neck and embrace you in friendly arms, already cleansed by repentance. And he will clothe the first garment with the soul that has put off the old man with his deeds, and will put a ring on the hands that have washed away the blood of death, and will put shoes on the feet that have turned from the path of evil to the path of the gospel world, and will announce a day of gladness and joy to His people - both angels and men - and will celebrate your salvation in every possible way (Luke 15:20-24). Amen, I say to you, He says, that there is joy in heaven before God for one sinner who repents (Luke 15:7). If any of those who pretend to stand (1 Cor. 10:12) condemns that you are soon accepted, then the Good Father Himself will say in your defense: rejoice and rejoice as appropriate, for this daughter of mine was dead, and is alive, and was crooked, and is found (Luke 15:32). (This letter is in the collection of letters of St. Gregory the Theologian and is listed there as number 59.) This Eustathius was most likely a wandering philosopher, whose teachings were St. Basil tried in vain to hear after his return from the University of Athens (LCL BL. 1. P. 3). By the general tone of the letter, especially by the words: “Isn’t this a matter of fate, as you yourself would say? Isn’t it a matter of necessity?”, it is assumed that he was a pagan. Therefore, other inscriptions of this letter, which we find in some manuscripts: “To Eustathius, presbyter of Antioch,” or “To Eustathius, philosopher, from the Antiochians, before his election as a presbyter,” or “Eustathius, philosopher of Antioch, on the presbytery,” are generally considered erroneous or unlikely (PG. T. 32. Col. 219). There is, however, another point of view on the identity of this addressee, according to which the addressee of this letter was Eustathius of Sebaste. See about him: A. I. Sidorov. St. Basil the Great. Life, church service and creations // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. pp. 18–19. – Ed. In TSO, hereinafter, the Greek word τύχη - “fate”, “chance”, “success”, “happiness”, “misfortune”, etc. - is not entirely correctly translated as “happiness”. – Ed. Modified from the Greek dialect forms (Olysseus, Ulixeus and Ulixes) "Odysseus". Wed: lat. Ulixes. Next is Odysseus. – Ed. Homer. Odyssey XII, 158 (LCL BL. 1. P. 4). – Ed. To Caesarea Cappadocia. Homer. Odyssey IV, 483 (LCL BL. 1. P. 4). – Ed. In Punjab (LCL BL. 1. P. 4), the legendary homeland of Dionysus (Courtonne. T. 1. P. 3). – Ed. Here it is used as a rhetorical device instead of the usual “with you” (LCL BL. 1. P. 4). – Ed. Tantalus is a mythical hero. He was punished by the gods for his ingratitude with terrible torment. He was tormented by hunger and thirst, despite the fact that he himself stood up to his neck in water, and a branch with fruits hung over his head. He was doomed to see the objects of his desires, but not be able to touch them. See: Sophocles. Ajax, 700. – Ed. Or “teaching in the Divine Scriptures.” – Ed. In TSO the literal translation is: “generous.” – Ed. In TSO: “unshakable.” – Ed. In TSO: “they throw up illegitimate children,” that is, you have to understand that they pass off their legitimate husband as children. – Ed. “Weeping” in this case means one of the ranks of penitents. See: St. Basil the Great. Letter 217 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 2. P. 775–777, etc.). – Ed. In TSO: “needs”. – Ed. Phrase in Greek in the text ἡ αὐτὴ ϰατὰ πεϱίοδον ἀπαντῶσα in TSO is translated literally as “for the duration of a known period”, in English. edition LCL BL (1. R. 23) is translated “every day.” – Ed. In Greek in the text of the LCL BL edition (1. P. 22) it stands ἐν τῇ ϰατὰ νοῦν ἐνεϱγείᾳ, i.e. literally - “in the activity of the mind.” – Ed. This conclusion of the letter is read in the manuscript of the Vienna Library under No. 76. See: Lambecii Commentaria de Bibl. Cols. Vindobonensi L. III. P. 373. Candidian was the ruler of Cappadocia and a close friend of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian (LCL BL. 1. P. 25). – Ed. Most likely, at the beginning of seclusion, i.e. around 358 (LCL BL. 1. P. 25). – Ed. Greek σϰυτάλη - a type of protected message among the Spartans. Such a letter was written on a strip of writing material, which was wrapped with a spiral distortion around a special rod. Moreover, the message itself was written not across, but along the ribbon of the letter, so that when unfolded it became unreadable. To read it, it was necessary to wind it on another similar base. The Spartans used this method of protection for letters of national importance (LCL BL. 1. P. 26–27). – Ed. That is, unprecedented, unusual or even alarming, as in the English translation of LCL BL. 1. P. 26–27. – Ed. See: Plutarch. Morals, 817c (LCL BL. 1. P. 27). Chorygos is one of the public duties (so-called “liturgies”) in ancient Athens. All residents of Athens with a property qualification of more than three talents had to carry them in a certain order. Actually, the khorigos had to organize festive choirs and round dances at their own expense. – Ed. Plato. State VI, 10, 496d (LCL BL. 1. P. 27). – Ed. In TSO: “fair”. – Ed. Olympius was a rich and influential layman of the city of Neocaesarea, who was very sympathetic to the various life difficulties of St. Vasily (LCL BL. 1. P. 29). – Ed. Around 358 (LCL BL. 1. P. 28). – Ed. Zeno of Citium (346 BC - 262 BC) - founder of the philosophy of Stoicism. – Ed. Compare: Lucian of Samosata. About the life of Peregrin Proteus, 15. – Ed. Cleanthes was a student of Zeno (a Stoic philosopher) and the head of his school from 263 BC. He bore the nickname Freantl, consonant with his name, i.e. “Water-drawer” (or, literally, “well-drawer”). Died in 220 BC. See: Seneca. Letter 44. – Ed. This refers to Diogenes of Sinope, the founder of the Cynic philosophical school. – Ed. The following translation of this unclear sentence is also possible: “If I find you here again, [then, when you see me,] you will understand that your past life is Sicilian and Italian luxury, and in this way I will fully repay you.” – Ed. In some lists: “To Nectarius - comforting” or “To Nectarius, who lost his son.” Perhaps this is the same Nektarios who later became Bishop of Constantinople (381–397), successor to St. Gregory the Theologian and the predecessor of St. John Chrysostom (LCL BL. 1. R. 33). – Ed. Can be translated as “with the one we miss.” He means Nectarius' son. – Ed. That is, for the fatherland of St. Vasily and Nektary. This also confirms the assumption that this and the previous letter are addressed to the same Nektarios, who would later become the Bishop of Constantinople, since St. Nectarius was from Tarsus of Cilicia (LCL BL. 1. P. 41). – Ed. Тὸ συνάντημα is used here as in the Seventy. Compare: Ex.9:14; 1 Kings 8:37; Eccl. 2:14, etc. (LCL BL. 1. P. 41). – Ed. According to other manuscripts: “Gregory the Bishop and Friend”, “Evagrius the Presbyter”, “To the Great Gregory”. Written, most likely, during the solitude in Pontus (LCL BL. 1. R. 44:45). – Ed. This thought of St. Vasily examines in more detail in his homily “On the Holy Nativity of Christ.” – Ed. According to the edition of Abbot Min (PG. T. 32. Col. 245), this letter has a different inscription: “Apology to the Caesareans about [his] removal and about faith.” However, Minh (as well as the publishers of LCL BL) is convinced that it is not addressed to the citizens of Caesarea Cappadocia, but to the monks organized by St. Basil Kinovia. This opinion was reflected in the inscription of this letter in the Russian edition of the text. In modern science, this letter is attributed to the authorship of Evagrius of Pontus (see: CPG 2900). – Ed. In the history of the Arian disputes, the main merit of the Cappadocian fathers, and especially St. Vasily, was that they brought back to the Church a whole group of so-called semi-Arians, and also that they finally defined the Orthodox triadological terminology. The most important concepts of this terminology are the following: ἡ οὐσία (essence), ἡ ὑπόστασις (hypostasis), ὁμοούσιος (consubstantial), ὁμοιούσιος (similar in essence), ὅμοιος (similar), ἀνόμοιος (dissimilar). This letter (as well as letter 38) represents a completely terminologically complete thought of St. Vasily on this issue (LCL BL. 1. R. 47). – Ed. This year St. Vasily, concerned that Bishop. Dianius signed the Arian Creed adopted at the Council in Arimina (modern Rimini), leaves Caesarea and is most likely (PG. T. 32. Col. 246; LCL BL. 1. P. 46) with his friend, St. Gregory, in Nazianza. – Ed. In TSO: “fatherly compassion.” – Ed. In TSO ϰαϰία is translated as “sin”. – Ed. Here is an allusion to the story that happened in the land of the Philistines with the patriarch Isaac. Then the Philistines were jealous of the well-being of the patriarch Isaac and filled up his wells (Gen. 26). – Ed. The famous Aryan expression: “There was a time when God was not the Father.” – Ed. For elements of Greek classical philosophy, see, for example, Aristotle. Metaphysics I, 3 (LCL BL. 1. P. 53). – Ed. As proclaimed at the councils of Seleucia and Arimin (359). – Ed. This is what the extreme Arians believed - Aetius and Eunomius, Acacius of Caesarea; More details about the polemics with them St. Basil, see his “Refutation of the defensive speech of the evil Eunomius,” as well as in the treatise “On the Holy Spirit to Saint Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium.” – Ed. In the Synodal translation - “Baals”. – Ed. In TSO: “One”. – Ed. On the difference between the concepts of theology and Economy in the theological science of that time, see: St. Basil the Great. Against Eunomius II, 3 // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 214. – Ed. On this see: St. Basil the Great. Against Eunomius. Book IV // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. pp. 267–289. – Ed. In the Synodal translation: I live by the Father. – Ed. Greek the preposition διά, i.e. “through”, “through”, “with the help”, “due to”, “because of”. – Ed. That is, life in itself and a source of life for others. According to other manuscripts αὐτοζῶν, i.e. literally “self-living.” – Ed. In TSO: “true”. – Ed. In Greek in the text the conjunction “and” (ϰαί), in TSO the preposition “in”. – Ed. Greek ἡ φυσιϰή – apparently, in the meaning of “beginnings of natural science”; that is, in the sense that the teaching of Christ consists of “ethics”, “physics” and “metaphysics” or, in other words, contains elements of moral teaching, cosmology and theology. – Ed. From Greek “tekton” is a carpenter, or simply a builder of any specialty. That is, this means Jesus Christ - the “son” of the carpenter. – Ed. About that day or hour, no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father (Mark 13:32). – Ed. In TSO hereinafter – “according to the lower teaching.” St. In this paragraph, Vasily develops his thought on the basis of the opposition of two concepts: “gross” or “material” knowledge and “contemplation” or “immaterial” knowledge. His subsequent statements clarify the meaning of these concepts. By coarse knowledge the saint means empirical, so to speak, knowledge (cf.: LCL BL. 1. R. 70; as well as the words of the saint himself: “But since our coarsened mind is bound by dust, mixed with dirt and cannot stop at bare contemplation, then, guided by the beauties akin to his body, he imagines the action of the Creator and cognizes this in time from the works, so that in this way, gradually growing, He was once able to approach the most unveiled Divinity"). Rough knowledge is the kind of knowledge that, according to the saint, is understood “in relation to us, and not in relation to the Son Himself” (see the text of this paragraph below). – Ed. Just below St. Basil himself explains why Jesus Christ is not the final goal: “For this also means that Christ will deliver the kingdom to God and the Father (1 Cor. 15:24), being the firstfruits, and not the end, according to a crude, so to speak, as I said, teaching, understood in relation to us, and not in relation to the Son Himself.” – Ed. In different interpretations: “carry Mine.” – Ed. That is, “days” and “hours” of internal experience, which are “measured” by God Himself (LCL BL. 1. P. 74), or degrees of knowledge. – Ed. In TSO it is translated literally - “rebellious”. – Ed. Perhaps St. Vasily has in mind the duality that the apostle speaks about. Paul in the Epistle to the Romans (Rom. 7:15–25: “... I do not do what I want, but what I hate, that is what I do ..." and further) (LCL BL. 1. P. 80). – Ed. That is, in the nature of resistive force, and not in holiness. – Ed. In TSO: “intention”. – Ed. Wed: St. Gregory of Nyssa. To Avlavius, that there are not three Gods. – Ed. St. Basil the Great refers to the innate nature of their activity. – Ed. This statement is attributed to Cleobulus, the tyrant of the city of Linda on the island. Rhodes, one of the “seven wise men”, who lived at the beginning of the 6th century BC (see: Diogenes Laertius. On the life, teaching and sayings of famous philosophers, 89–93). – Ed. The satirist Lucian of Samosata (2nd century AD), in his dialogue “Hermotimus” (34), mentions how the famous Greek sculptor Phidias (5th century BC), after looking at a lion’s claw, calculated its full size so that it would correspond in proportion to the size of the claw. – Ed. St. Dionysius the Great - student of Origen, head of the Alexandrian catechetical school from 233 to 265, bishop of Alexandria from 247, rested in the Lord in 265 - Ed. Sabellius is a heretic, the most prominent exponent of the teachings of modalistic monarchianism. The main position of Sabellius reads: “One and the same is the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, so that these three are the names of one hypostasis, like body, soul and spirit in man.” We see that Savely merges three Divine Persons into a single hypostasis, considering them nothing more than “modes” of the implementation of one Divine “monad”. The Sabellians, known in the West as Patripassians, during the time of St. Dionysius were most common in Pentapolis (Libya) (see: Eusebius of Caesarea. Ecclesiastical History VII, 6). It is sometimes assumed that Sabellius himself was from Pentapolis. – Ed. This refers to the message of St. Dionysius to Euphronor and Ammonius, in which he, in the heat of polemics with Sabellianism, allows careless expressions about the Son: “The Son of God is a work and created”, “He is not peculiar to the Father by nature and alien to Him in essence” (see: St. Athanasius the Great. Epistle about Dionysius, Bishop of Alexandria (PG. Vol. 25. Col. 479 )). – Ed. This refers to the “Reproach and Justification to Dionysius of Rome against Sabellius,” which he sent to Pope Dionysius (259–269) in response to the conciliar condemnation of some of his statements. The fact is that the above-mentioned letter of St. Dionysius of Alexandria caused considerable confusion among the Christians of his region and prompted them to write to the bishop of Rome to clarify the matter. He, having delved into the essence of the matter, unanimously condemned certain expressions of Dionysius the Great, without, however, touching (or even mentioning) his personality. After this, already in the private correspondence of these saints, it became clear that in the teaching itself the Alexandrian saint did not sin at all against the truth, and if he made a mistake, it was only in his expressions (see the mentioned letter of St. Athanasius). Thus, any suspicion of non-Orthodoxy was removed from Dionysius of Alexandria. – Ed. At the council on January 1, 360. This Arian council was, as it were, the formal completion of the Arimino-Seleucian Council of 359. At it, the last group of Omiusians who participated in the Arimino-Seleucian Council was forced to sign the so-called “Nika” formula (adopted in the Thracian city of Nika (near modern Khavsa, south of ancient Adrianople) in 359 as part of the council debates), in which not only the word “indifference” was discarded, as St. Basil, but also the expression “in essence” and thus affirmed the simple “likeness” of the Son to the Father, which suited the Arians, but not the Orthodox (see: Blessed Theodoret of Cyrus. Ecclesiastical History II, 16; Socrates Scholasticus. Ecclesiastical History II, 40). – Ed. The famous ancient motto “live secretly” (λάϑε βιώσας), later perceived by some Christian authors as one of the maxims for personal behavior in the unstable socio-political life of the Hellenistic era, where almost nothing depended on the citizen, means an actual rejection of an active civic position and thereby calls for turning all the energy of one’s soul to personal self-improvement and the inner world of the soul. This and similar expressions were attributed to Epicurus, and are also found in Horace (Horace. Letter I, 17, 10), Ovid (Ovid. Tristia III, 4, 25), Euripides (Euripides. Iphigenia in Aulis, 17) and Plutarch (LCL BL. T. 1. R. 98–99). Probably this philosopher Maximus received Roman citizenship. – Ed. This letter in Greek is inscribed “Πϱὸς ἐλευϑέϱαν”, which can be literally translated as “To the free one”. However, such a translation cannot be considered accurate. From other letters to St. Vasily (see, for example, letter 107 “To the widow Julitta” and others) it is clear that he often uses the word “free” in a non-proper meaning, calling widows “free”. This usage has its basis, apparently, in the words of St. Paul (Rom.7:3). Wed. also translation of PG (T. 32. Col. 271) and LCL BL (1. R. 101). In modern science, this letter is attributed to the authorship of St. Gregory of Nyssa (his 21 letters; see: CPG 2900). – Ed. The new name that Diomede received at baptism. – Ed. Greek Ἐὰν οὖν ταῦτα ἴδοιμι ἐπὶ τῆς ἐμῆς ζωῆς ϰαὶ τὴν σὴν σεμνοπϱέπειαν πϱὸς τὸν ὑψηλὸν βίον μεταϑεμένην, πολλῶν ?? ἀποπληϱῶσαι αὐτῷ. Curton's translation is the same. The English translator understands this phrase as follows: “I would need to live many lives to give due thanksgiving to God.” – Ed. Possibly written to the same Olympius, to whom the next two letters were written. Wed. with letter 211, which talks about the children of Olympius (LCL BL. 1. R. 103). Letters 4 and 131 were also written to this Olympius. He himself, as already mentioned in the commentary to letter 4, was a noble resident of Neocaesarea, actively participating in the life of St. Vasily. – Ed. According to legend, the inhabitants of Laconia, that is, the Spartans, were distinguished by their particularly brevity and precision of speech. – Ed. According to other manuscripts: “Blessed Basil, Bishop of Caesarea of ​​Cappodacia, to Gregory, Bishop of Nazianza, letter”, i.e. to Gregory the Theologian, the closest friend of St. Vasily. – Ed. By Min and LCL; according to TCO - in 360 - Ed. Brother of St. Basil - Gregory, later Bishop of Nyssa. – Ed. The island of Ogygia, owned by the nymph Calypso, mentioned by Homer in his Odyssey. – Ed. A river in Macedonia, which still bears the same name. It is mentioned by a number of ancient authors. See, for example: Hesiod. Theogony, 339; Aeschylus. Agamemnon, 192, etc. – Ed. A place near the house of St. Gregory in Nazianza (LCL BL. 1. R. 110). Wed. letter 2 St. Gregory the Theologian (St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. T. 2. pp. 417–418). – Ed. Baratr (τὸ βάϱαϑϱον) is the abyss into which those condemned to death were thrown in Athens. Allegorically - a lost place, a hole. In TSO: “earthly abyss”. – Ed. Alcmaeon is the son of the hero Amphiarius and Eriphyle, one of the “epigons”. He committed a terrible crime: he killed his mother. For this, Erinnia - the goddess of retribution for crimes against the sanctity of family ties - punished him. She, not giving him peace anywhere, drove him to madness. However, in the end Alcmaeon found some peace in a place where there were no rays of the sun to witness his crime. This place was Echinadas - nine small islands in the Ionian Sea near the mouth of the Aheloi River, which were caused by the dirty current of this river (LCL BL. 1. R. 111). – Ed. In Greek: “Ἀϱϰαδίῳ ϰόμητι πϱιβατῶν”, i.e. it specifies which committee we are talking about. Most likely, this refers to the “private property committee” (comes rei privatae) - an official in charge of the operation and collection of income from the emperor’s private property. Compare how the English edition translates the title of this letter: “To Arkady, Imperial Treasurer” (LCL BL. 1. R. 113). – Ed. Καλοϰαγαϑία is an important and multi-valued ethical concept for antiquity, combining the ideal of aesthetic and ethical perfection, that is, beauty and virtue. – Ed. Bishop of Cyzicus, the most famous exponent of the ideas of extreme Arianism (the so-called Anomaeanism). In 360, he was deprived of his pulpit for his Arian views (see about him: A.I. Sidorov. St. Basil the Great. Life, church service and creations // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. pp. 27–28). This letter, perhaps (see: CPG 2900), does not belong to St. Vasily. Its text, with very minor changes, repeats part of the book X “Against Eunomius” by St. Gregory of Nyssa (PG. T. 45. Col. 828). However, it is known that St. Gregory wrote his book in the early 380s, that is, after St. Vasily presumably wrote his letter. In this case, it is possible that St. Gregory simply used the letter of St. Vasily in his work. – Ed. In TSO: “beating and blood-returning veins, hymens and pectoral abdomens.” – Ed. We are talking about an almost unknown person, presumably a lawyer, rhetorician and apologist for Christianity, who lived in the 4th century (see: LCL BL. 1. R. 117). – Ed. Probably alludes to Julian the Apostate. – Ed. The juice of which was used to poison those sentenced to death in ancient Athens. – Ed. In some codes (C, D): “Macrinus and John, so as not to be embarrassed in any way by the slander [constructed against them]” (see: LCL BL. 1. R. 118). – Ed. Wed. letter 35, which also mentions Leontius (LCL BL. 1. P. 123). – Ed. This refers to the already mentioned work of St. Basil “Refutation of the defensive speech of the evil Eunomius,” which he wrote in 363 or 364 (LCL BL. 1. P. 125). – Ed. In TSO: “not weak.” – Ed. Wed. letter 293, where Julian is also mentioned. – Ed. This does not mean the tax itself, but the penalty for previously unpaid taxes, which was levied at a quadruple rate. See the mention of this in Ammianus Marcellinus in Roman History XXVI, 6. - Ed. This concept was applied by the Pythagoreans to the set of the first four numbers - one, two, three and four, which corresponded to a point, line, plane and three-dimensional space and were considered by them to be the basis of the entire universe (LCL BL. 1. P. 127). – Ed. In TSO: “we are obliged to observe zeal for pleasing God.” – Ed. Greek εὐτϱάπελος - dexterous, resourceful; witty, subtle; mocking. – Ed. Proverbs 29:16 (See LXX Translation). – Ed. In other words, one should not allow a brother to still be angry at a time when the sun has already set and night has fallen. According to St. Vasily, the offense cannot be left for the next day because the coming night could be the last (cf. also with the apothegma in the “Ancient Patericon” about the last meeting of St. Hilarion the Great with St. Epiphanius of Cyprus). – Ed. In Greek it is inscribed: “Accompanying the monk”; or in different readings: “Accompanying one who has renounced the world and chosen the monastic life.” – Ed. Apart from this letter, Athanasius knows nothing about this. – Ed. In TSO: “and precisely free love.” – Ed. See: Plutarch. Life of Alexander 42, 2 (LCL BL. 1. P. 148). – Ed. This Athanasius was installed as Bishop of Ancyra with the assistance of the extreme Arian Acacius of Caesarea. However, Athanasius himself had a reputation as an Orthodox Christian. Wed: St. Gregory of Nyssa, St. Against Eunomius 1, 11, 292; and also how St. Vasily speaks about him in letter 29 (LCL BL. 1. P. 149). – Ed. In TSO: “so much was borrowed from the present state of affairs.” – Ed. October 10, 368 (LCL BL. 1. P. 155). – Ed. In TSO: “ignoble.” – Ed. In the Synodal Translation: As Living from the Dead. – Ed. Soon after receiving this letter, Caesarea withdrew from the world (LCL BL. 1. P. 155). – Ed. In TSO: “in all freedom.” – Ed. Musonia. This Musonius is mentioned by St. Basil back in letter 210, which is also addressed to the neo-Caesarians and which speaks of “blessed Musonius, whose lessons, of course, still resonate in your (i.e., neo-Caesarians’) ears to this day” (LCL BL. 1. P. 159). – Ed. St. Gregory the Wonderworker, founder of the Neocaesarian Church. – Ed. In TSO: “at the right time.” – Ed. According to the publishers of LCL BL. (1. P. 165), what is meant here is that Musonius’s life in the body was short and fleeting. – Ed. In 344 Neokesarea was destroyed by an earthquake. – Ed. In TSO it is translated literally - “from tearful pleasure.” – Ed. In TSO: “will guide you to the environment.” – Ed. Wed. with letters 24 and 25. – Ed. In LCL BL - Spring 368 - Ed. In TSO: “truthful”. – Ed. For Eusebius of Samosata, see notes to letter 127. – Ed. According to the edition of LCL BL (1. P. 175), in the summer of 368; correspondence regarding the death of bishops Athanasius and Musonius in the same publication (with reference to Schäfer) refers, respectively, to the spring of 368 - Ed. That is, Musonia and Athanasius, about whom St. Vasily wrote in Letters 28 and 29. - Ed. That is, St. Basil and his church (LCL BL. 1. P. 176). – Ed. According to the publication of LCL BL (1. R. 176), in the fall of 368 - Ed. Literally: “οἰϰονομίας ἕνεϰεν.” However, as Abbot Minh notes in his publication (PG. T. 32. Col. 314), St. Vasily often understood the word “οἰϰονομία” to help those in need. Wed: St. Basil the Great. Interpretation of the prophet Isaiah, 177 (PG. T. 30. Col. 418A) (see: St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 750), as well as the 92nd letter. In addition, about the contribution of St. Vasily to help starving compatriots at this time, see: A. I. Sidorov. St. Basil the Great. Life, church service and creations // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. pp. 28–29. Also see: St. Basil the Great. Conversation 8. Delivered during times of famine and drought // St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 932–943); St. Gregory the Theologian. Word 43, 35. Creations. T. 1. P. 529. – Ed. Hypatia knows nothing about this; however, it is possible that the letter of 96 St. was addressed to him. Gregory the Theologian (LCL BL. 1. P. 177). – Ed. This Sophronius, a native of Caesarea in Cappadocia, was a fellow student and close friend of Saints Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian from the time of their joint studies in Athens. Unlike his comrades, he entered the civil service and soon reached high positions. In 365, he was appointed prefect (mayor) of Constantinople because he warned the then reigning emperor Valens about a conspiracy being prepared against him (see: Ammianus Marcellinus. Roman History XXV, 9). He is known mainly from the letters of Saints Basil and Gregory, in which they ask him for intercession (letters of St. Basil 76, 96, 177, 180, 192 and 172; as well as letters 21, 22, 29, 37, 39, 93 and 135 of St. Gregory the Theologian). (LCL BL. 1. P. 178–179.) – Ed. That is, for the father of St. Gregory the Theologian - Gregory the Elder. – Ed. The son of Gregory the Elder and, accordingly, the brother of St. Gregory the Theologian (cf., for example, letter 26). – Ed. In TSO: “takes upon Himself what His servant has done.” – Ed. Aurgius was an influential compatriot of St. Vasily (LCL BL. 1. P. 184). In addition to this, letters 75, 147, 178, 304 were written to him, as well as letter 196, which, however, may also belong to St. Gregory the Theologian, since it is given in the collection of his works under number 241, however, with the inscription “Abugry” (in 2 volumes of the Works of St. Gregory the Theologian his name is written as Abugriy). – Ed. When Metropolitan Silouan of Tarsus died, his see, due to the oversight of local bishops, was occupied by an Arian. However, most of the clergy here were firm in Orthodoxy and remained in friendly communication with St. Vasily (see letters 67, 113, 114) (LCL BL. 1. P. 187). – Ed. In TSO: “so many amenities.” – Ed. In TSO: “two or three.” – Ed. Leontius is a sophist, to whom letters 20 and 21 were also addressed (LCL BL. 1. P. 189). – Ed. Dorofey (Courtonne. T. 1. P. 79). – Ed. In English translated as “foster brother”, which also corresponds to the data in the Lampe dictionary. – Ed. As noted above, this and the previous letters were written by St. Basil even before he became a bishop. That is, the rank here means presbyterian. – Ed. Some manuscripts attribute this text to St. Basil, other St. Gregory of Nyssa. In his works he appears under the title “Letter from him (St. Gregory of Nyssa. - Ed.) to Peter (Bishop of Sebastia, brother of St. Gregory and Basil. - Ed.), his own brother about the difference between essence and hypostasis.” That is, it is not entirely clear who actually owns this text. A number of scientists believe that its author is, after all, St. Vasily. For more details see: Prudentius Maranus. Vita S. Basilii, c. 31, no. 2. The Fathers of the IV Ecumenical Council of 451 also attributed this work to St. Basil the Great. However, such an authoritative researcher as R. Pouchet considers this letter (like messages 10, 16, 124, 189, 342 and 348) to be from the pen of St. Gregory of Nyssa. See: Pouchet R. Basile le Grand et son univers d'apráes sa correspondence. Roma, 1992. R. 29, 58. Also see: CPG 2900. Nevertheless, we adhere to the traditional attribution of this letter to St. Vasily. – Ed. In TSO: “essence in general.” – Ed. In TSO: “they get knocked down to the same value.” – Ed. This was the opinion of those who began to be called “Old Nicenes” in church history and theology, that is, participants and Orthodox contemporaries of the First Ecumenical Council in Nicaea. The very definition of faith of this Council - the Nicene Symbol - stated that the Son was not from another essence or hypostasis. St. also held the same “non-discriminating” view of these concepts. Athanasius the Great (see the results of his participation in the Council of Alexandria in 362). – Ed. This view was characteristic of the Arians, who denied consubstantial beings. – Ed. In TSO: “the concept of the mentioned sayings.” – Ed. Here and below, instead of the word “speech”. – Ed. In TSO: “by speech.” – Ed. Greek ἡ στάσις; St. Vasily plays with words here, using a word with the same root word ἡ ὑπόστασις (hypostasis). That’s why the TSO translates: “not stopping at anything.” – Ed. Job 1:1 (See Text LXX). – Ed. In TSO: “incongruous.” – Ed. In TSO: “guilt of guilt.” – Ed. In one of the lists (F): “Father.” – Ed. In one of the lists (F): “Spirit”. – Ed. In a number of lists, instead of συμφυές - “closely connected”, “co-natural” - there is συναφές, which has a connotation of the meaning of a combination connected by touch (for this, see link No. 2: St. Basil the Great. Creations. T. 1. P. 115). – Ed. St. Vasily seems to ignore the order of the colors of the spectrum. However, the fact may be that the words that the ancient Greeks used to designate one color or another do not always have an exact equivalent in modern language (LCL BL. 1. P. 215). – Ed. In TSO: “features”. – Ed. These words are from the apostle. Paul is not found, but is found in Solomon (Wisdom 7:26), who calls Wisdom “the image of God’s goodness” (LCL BL. 1. P. 225). – Ed. In TSO: “identities”, however, the Greek equivalent is missing in the text, which makes it possible to clarify the meaning of the expression. – Ed. In TSO here and below – “kindness”. – Ed. Letters 39–41 are considered inauthentic according to Geerard's classification (see: CPG 2900). The translation and notes of letters 39–41 for this edition were made by D. S. Chepel. This letter was not found by the publisher of letters to St. Vasily in the LCL BL edition in none of the six manuscripts he verified. This letter was written by the imp. Julian (the Apostate) around 361–362. and, apparently, is not addressed to St. Vasily, and another unknown friend of Julian at the Athens Academy, bearing the same name. – Ed. See: Plato. Laws IV, 702d; Phaedrus, 242b. – Ed. See: Aristophanes. Wealth, 268. – Ed. Astydamas is an Athenian tragedian of the mid-4th century BC. When the national assembly erected a statue in his honor, he himself composed a laudatory inscription for it. Known from a fragment of the comedian Philemon (Philemon. Fragment 190). – Ed. In 314, imp. Constantine the Great granted members of the clergy the privilege of free use of state transport; it was canceled by imp. Julian in 362 - Ed. This and the following letter were almost unanimously recognized as forged back in the Byzantine era (see: PG. T. 32. Col. 341). They are also absent from the best manuscripts. The contents of the letters apparently go back to a fictitious story preserved only in the Syriac manuscript tradition. – Ed. Brother imp. Constantine the Great, Julius Constantius, was killed in 337 during a military revolt. – Ed. This and the next four letters to St. Vasily is usually placed in a special group. The fact is that they are presented in collections of manuscripts of both letters and homilies of the saint. Moreover, the first three letters are separated into a separate subgroup on the grounds that they are not contained in any ancient manuscript of the saint’s messages, but are present in a number of manuscripts containing homilies. Most likely, this is where they ended up in later editions of letters to St. Vasily. The last two letters are distinguished by the fact that they have almost unanimous representation in the collections of the saint's correspondence, but are also found among the homilies. For example, letter 45 was long ago translated into Latin and is known under the name of the homily of Rufinus (PG. T. 32. Col. 369). Abbot Min points out that letter 42 in some manuscripts had a postscript: “Some say that this word belongs to Saint Nile,” according to others it is directly called “Homily to Chilon” (PG. T. 32. Col. 348). At the same time, these letters belong to St. Basil is not disputed (LCL BL. 1. P. 240). According to CPG 2900, the letters are not genuine. – Ed. In TSO: “they did not provide for themselves.” – Ed. Or “that’s how I’ll judge.” Greek Οἷον γὰϱ εὕϱω σε, φησί, τοιοῦτόν σε ϰϱινῶ. The reference in the LCL to Ezekiel 7:3 (I will avenge you according to your ways) does not seem entirely correct. This phrase, although very famous, is not found in the Holy Scriptures, but belongs to the so-called “agraphs”, unwritten expressions of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are not found in Scripture, but are conveyed by non-biblical Christian authors. This phrase is found in a slightly different form in St. Justin Philosopher in “Dialogue with Tryphon the Jew,” 47 (Ἐν οἷς ἂν ὑμᾶς ϰαταλάβω, ἐν τούτοις ϰαὶ ϰϱινῶ – “In what When I find you, I will judge you." – Ed. With all that, by loved ones (τοὺς οἰϰείους) here we mean not the gospel neighbors (πλησίοι) (Matthew 19:19), but household ones (1 Tim. 5:8), which, although you need to take care of, do not love with all your heart. – Ed. That is, the resolution of riddles and secrets presented in the form of parables. – Ed. Most likely this is a description of St. Basil must be attributed to the Holy Land, since the general content of the letter, the examples given by the saint, etc., lead to the idea that Chilon labored precisely in the Holy Land. In addition, at St. Gregory of Nyssa has a similar description of the state of affairs in Palestine in his letter about the pilgrimage to Jerusalem (PG. T. 32. Col. 356). – Ed. In TSO: “burped.” – Ed. According to other manuscripts: “To the fallen monk Alexy”, “To the fallen deacon” (PG. T. 2. Col. 360). – Ed. In TSO: “great”. – Ed. Perhaps St. What Vasily means is that leniency towards this particular sin can lead to a relaxed attitude towards sin in general. – Ed. Here and further St. Vasily no longer addresses the virgin, but the man who fell into sin with her. – Ed. That is, tree resin; it was used to prepare a medicinal balm. – Ed. In TSO it is translated literally: “in general life.” – Ed. See: St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. T. 2. pp. 456–457. – Ed. You might be interested in: