Житие святого отца нашего Василия Великого, архиепископа Кесарийского

The great saint of God and God-wise teacher of the Church, Basil, was born of noble and pious parents in the Cappadocian city of Caesarea 15, around 330, during the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great. Constantine the Great reigned from 324 to 337. His father’s name was also Vasily 16, and his mother was Emmelia. The first seeds of piety were sown in his soul by his pious grandmother, Macrina, who in her youth was honored to hear instructions from the lips of St. Gregory the Wonderworker - and by his mother, the pious Emmelia. Vasily’s father instructed him not only in the Christian faith, but also taught him secular sciences, which were well known to him, since he himself taught rhetoric, that is, oratory, and philosophy. When Vasily was about 14 years old, his father died, and the orphaned Vasily spent two or three years with his grandmother Macrina, not far from Neokesarea, near the Irisa River 17, in a country house that his grandmother owned and which was later converted into a monastery. From here Vasily often went to Caesarea to visit his mother, who lived with her other children in this city, where she was from. After the death of Macrina, Vasily, in the 17th year of his life, again settled in Caesarea to study various sciences in the local schools. Thanks to his special sharpness of mind, Vasily soon equaled his teachers in knowledge and, seeking new knowledge, went to Constantinople, where at that time the young sophist Livanius 18 was famous for his eloquence. But even here Vasily did not stay long and went to Athens - the city that was the mother of all Hellenic wisdom 19. In Athens, he began to listen to the lessons of one glorious pagan teacher, named Evvula, while visiting the schools of two other famous Athenian teachers, Iberius and Proaresia 20. At this time, Vasily was already twenty-six years old, and he showed extreme zeal in his studies, but at the same time he deserved universal approval for the purity of his life. He knew only two roads in Athens - one leading to the church, and the other to the school. In Athens, Basil became friends with another glorious saint, Gregory the Theologian, who was also studying at Athens schools at that time 21. Vasily and Gregory, being similar to each other in their good behavior, meekness and chastity, loved each other as much as if they had one soul - and they subsequently preserved this mutual love forever. Vasily was so passionate about science that he often even forgot, while sitting at his books, about the need to eat. He studied grammar, rhetoric, astronomy, philosophy, physics, medicine and natural sciences. But all these secular, earthly sciences could not satiate his mind, which was looking for higher, heavenly illumination, and after staying in Athens for about five years, Vasily felt that worldly science could not give him firm support in the matter of Christian improvement. Therefore, he decided to go to those countries where Christian ascetics lived, and where he could become fully acquainted with true Christian science. So, while Gregory the Theologian remained in Athens, having already become a teacher of rhetoric, Vasily went to Egypt, where monastic life flourished 22. Here, with a certain Archimandrite Porfiry, he found a large collection of theological works, in the study of which he spent a whole year, practicing at the same time in the feats of fasting. In Egypt, Vasily observed the lives of famous contemporary ascetics - Pachomius, who lived in Thebaid, Macarius the Elder and Macarius of Alexandria, Paphnutius, Paul and others. From Egypt, Vasily went to Palestine, Syria and Mesopotamia to explore the holy places and get acquainted with the life of the ascetics there. But on the way to Palestine, he stopped in Athens and here had an interview with his former mentor Eubulus, and also argued about the true faith with other Greek philosophers. Wanting to convert his teacher to the true faith and thereby pay him for the good that he himself received from him, Vasily began to look for him throughout the city. For a long time he did not find him, but finally he met him outside the city walls while Evvul was talking with other philosophers about some important subject. Having listened to the argument and without yet revealing his name, Vasily entered into the conversation, immediately resolving the difficult question, and then, for his part, asked a new question to his teacher. When the listeners were perplexed as to who could answer and object to the famous Evvul in this way, the latter said: - This is either some god, or Vasily 23. Having recognized Vasily, Evvul dismissed his friends and students, and he himself brought Vasily to himself, and they spent three whole days in conversation, almost without eating food. By the way, Evvul asked Vasily what, in his opinion, is the essential merit of philosophy. “The essence of philosophy,” answered Vasily, “lies in the fact that it gives a person remembrance of death 24.” At the same time, he pointed out to Evvul the fragility of the world and all its pleasures, which at first seem really sweet, but then become extremely bitter for those who have become too attached to them. “There are, along with these joys,” said Vasily, consolations of another kind, of heavenly origin. It is impossible to use both at the same time - “No one can serve two masters” (Matthew 6:24) - but we still, as far as possible for people attached to worldly things, crush the bread of true knowledge and bring the one who, even through his own fault, has lost the robe of virtue, under the roof of good deeds, pitying him, as we pity a naked man on the street. Following this, Vasily began to talk to Evvul about the power of repentance, describing the images he once saw of virtue and vice, which alternately attract a person to themselves, and the image of repentance, next to which, like his daughters, stand various virtues 25. “But we have no reason, Evvul,” added Vasily, “to resort to such artificial means of persuasion.” We possess the truth itself, which can be comprehended by anyone who sincerely strives for it. Namely, we believe that we will all one day be resurrected - some to eternal life, and others to eternal torment and shame. The prophets tell us clearly about this: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel and David and the Divine Apostle Paul, as well as the Lord Himself, who calls us to repentance, Who found the lost sheep, and Who, embracing the prodigal son returning with repentance, kisses him with love, adorns him with bright clothes and a ring and makes a feast for him (Luke 15). He gives equal reward to those who came at the eleventh hour, as well as to those who endured the burden of the day and the heat 26 . He gives to us who repent and are born of water and the Spirit, as it is written: eye has not seen, ear has not heard, and what has not entered into the heart of man is what God has prepared for those who love Him 27 . When Basil conveyed to Evvul a brief history of the economy of our salvation, starting with the fall of Adam and ending with the teaching of Christ the Redeemer, Evvul exclaimed: - O Vasily revealed by heaven! Through you I believe in One God, the Father Almighty, Creator of all things, and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the next century, amen. And here is the proof of my faith in God: I will spend the rest of my life with you, and now I wish to be born of water and the Spirit. - Blessed is our God from now on and forever, Who illuminated your mind with the light of truth, Evbul, and led you from extreme error to the knowledge of His love. If you want, as you said, to live with me, then I will explain to you how we can take care of our salvation by getting rid of the snares of this life. Let's sell all our property and distribute the money to the poor, and we ourselves will go to the holy city to see the miracles there 28; there we will be even more strengthened in faith. Having thus distributed all their property to the needy and bought themselves the white clothes that those receiving baptism were required to have, 29 they went to Jerusalem and along the way they converted many to the true faith. Arriving in Antioch 30, they entered an inn. The innkeeper's son Philoxenus was sitting at the door at that time in great distress. Being a student of the sophist Livanius, he took from him some poems of Homer 31 in order to translate them into oratory, but he could not do this and, being in such difficulty, was very sad. Vasily, seeing him sad, asked: -What are you sad about, young man? “Even if I tell you the reason for my grief, what good will it do me?” When Vasily insisted on his own and promised that it would not be in vain that the young man would tell him the reason for his grief, the youth told him about the sophist and the verses, adding that the reason for his grief was that he did not know how to clearly convey the meaning of those verses. Vasily, taking the poems, began to interpret them, translating them into simple speech; the boy, surprised and rejoicing, asked him to write that translation for him. Then Basil wrote a translation of those Homeric verses in three different ways, and the youth, taking the translation with joy, went with them in the morning to his teacher, Libanius. Livanius, having read it, was surprised and said: - I swear by Divine Providence that there is no one among modern philosophers who could give such an interpretation! Who wrote this to you, Philoxenus? “There is a wanderer in my house who wrote this interpretation very quickly and without any difficulty. Livanius immediately hurried to the hotel to see this wanderer; Seeing Vasily and Evvul here, he was surprised at their unexpected arrival and rejoiced at them. He asked them to stay at his house and when they came to him, he offered them a sumptuous meal. But Basil and Evvul, according to their custom, having tasted the bread and water, gave thanks to God, the giver of all good things. After this, Livanius began to ask them various sophistic questions, and they offered him a word about the Christian faith. Livanius, having listened carefully to them, said that the time had not yet come to accept this word, but that if such was the will of Divine Providence, no one would be able to resist the teachings of Christianity 32 . “You would have lent me a lot, Vasily,” he concluded, “if you had not refused to present your teaching for the benefit of the students who are with me.” Soon the disciples of Livanius gathered, and Basil began to teach them so that they would acquire spiritual purity, bodily dispassion, modest gait, quiet speech, modest speech, moderation in food and drink, silence in front of elders, attentiveness to the words of the wise, obedience to superiors, unfeigned love for their equals and for inferiors, so that they would distance themselves from the evil, passionate and attached to carnal pleasures, so that they would talk less and more listened and delved into, were not reckless in speech, were not verbose, would not laugh impudently at others, would be adorned with modesty, would not enter into conversation with immoral women, would lower their eyes to the ground, and would turn their souls to grief, would avoid disputes, would not seek the teaching rank, and would regard the honors of this world as nothing. If anyone does anything to benefit others, let him expect reward from God and eternal reward from Jesus Christ our Lord. This is what Basil said to the disciples of Libanius, and they listened to him with great surprise, and after that he, together with Evvul, set off on the road again. When they came to Jerusalem and walked around all the holy places with faith and love, praying there to the One Creator of all, God, they appeared to the bishop of that city, Maximus 33, and asked him to baptize them in the Jordan 34. The bishop, seeing their great faith, fulfilled their request: taking his clergy, he went with Basil and Evvul to the Jordan. When they stopped on the shore, Vasily fell to the ground and with tears prayed to God to show him some sign to strengthen his faith. Then, standing up with trembling, he took off his clothes, and with them “put aside his former way of life, the old man” 35 and, entering the water, prayed. When the saint approached to baptize him, a fiery lightning suddenly fell on them, and a dove emerging from that lightning plunged into the Jordan and, stirring up the water, flew away to heaven 36 . Those standing on the shore, seeing this, trembled and glorified God. Having received baptism, Vasily came out of the water and the bishop, marveling at his love for God, clothed him in the clothes of Christ's resurrection, 37 while praying. He baptized Evvul and then anointed both with myrrh and communed the Divine Gifts. Returning to the holy city, Basil and Evvul stayed there for one year. Then they went to Antioch, where Basil was made a deacon by Archbishop Meletius, then he was engaged in explaining Scripture 38. A short time later, he left with Eubulus to his homeland, Cappadocia. As they approached the city of Caesarea, the archbishop of Caesarea, Leontius, was announced in a dream of their arrival and told that Basil would eventually be the archbishop of this city. Therefore, the archbishop, calling his archdeacon 39 and several honorary clergy, sent them to the eastern gate of the city, ordering them to bring to him with honor the two strangers whom they would meet there. They went and, meeting Basil and Evvul, when they entered the city, they took them to the archbishop; when he saw them, he was surprised, for it was them he had seen in his dream, and he glorified God. Having asked them where they were coming from and what they were called, and having learned their names, he ordered them to be taken to a meal and treated to food, while he himself, having called his clergy and honorable citizens, told them everything that had been told to him in a vision from God about Vasily. Then the clergy unanimously said: - Since God has shown you an heir to your throne for your virtuous life, then do with him as you please; for truly the person whom the will of God directly indicates is worthy of all respect. The Archbishop then called Basil and Evvul to him and began to talk with them about Scripture, wanting to find out how much they understood it. Hearing their speeches, he marveled at the depth of their wisdom and, leaving them with him, treated them with special respect. Vasily, while staying in Caesarea, led the same life that he learned from many ascetics when he traveled through Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Mesopotamia and looked closely at the ascetic fathers who lived in those countries. So, imitating their life, he was a good monk, and the Archbishop of Caesarea, Eusebius 40, made him presbyter and leader of the monks in Caesarea. Having accepted the rank of presbyter, Saint Basil devoted all his time to the labors of this ministry, so much so that he even refused to correspond with his former friends 41 . Caring for the monks he had gathered, preaching the word of God and other pastoral concerns did not allow him to be distracted by extraneous activities. At the same time, in his new field, he soon acquired such respect for himself that the archbishop himself, who was not yet quite experienced in church affairs, did not enjoy, since he was elected to the throne of Caesarea from among the catechumens. But barely a year of his presbytery had passed when Bishop Eusebius, due to human weakness, began to envy and be hostile to Vasily. Saint Basil found out about this and, not wanting to be the subject of envy, went into the Pontic desert 42. In the Pontic desert, Vasily retired to the Iris River - to the area in which his mother Emmelia and his sister Macrina had retired before him - and which belonged to them. Macrina built a monastery here. Near it, at the foot of a high mountain, covered with dense forest and irrigated by cold and clear waters, Vasily settled. The desert was so pleasant to Vasily with its imperturbable silence that he intended to end his days here. Here he imitated the exploits of those great men whom he saw in Syria and Egypt. He labored in extreme deprivation, having only clothes to cover himself - a sorrel and a mantle; He also wore a hair shirt, but only at night, so that it would not be visible; He ate bread and water, seasoning this meager food with salt and roots. From strict abstinence he became very pale and skinny and became extremely exhausted. He never went to the bathhouse or lit a fire. But Vasily did not live for himself alone: ​​he gathered monks into a hostel; with his letters he attracted his friend Gregory to his desert. In their solitude, Vasily and Gregory did everything together; prayed together; both abandoned the reading of worldly books, on which they had previously spent a lot of time, and began to devote themselves exclusively to the Holy Scriptures. Wanting to study it better, they read the works of the church fathers and writers who preceded them in time, especially Origen. Here Vasily and Gregory, guided by the Holy Spirit, wrote the regulations for the monastic community, by which the monks of the Eastern Church for the most part are still guided today 43 . In relation to physical life, Vasily and Gregory found pleasure in patience; They worked with their own hands, carrying firewood, cutting stones, planting and watering trees, carrying manure, carrying heavy loads, so that calluses remained on their hands for a long time. Their dwelling had neither roof nor gate; there was never any fire or smoke there. The bread they ate was so dry and poorly baked that it could hardly be chewed with the teeth. The time came, however, when both Basil and Gregory had to leave the desert, since their services were needed for the Church, which at that time was outraged by heretics. Gregory, to help the Orthodox, was taken to Nazianza by his father, Gregory, a man already old and therefore not having the strength to fight the heretics with firmness; Basil was persuaded to return to himself by Eusebius, the Archbishop of Caesarea, who reconciled with him in a letter and asked him to help the Church, which the Arians had taken up arms against 44 . Blessed Basil, seeing such a need for the Church and preferring it to the benefits of the desert life, left solitude and came to Caesarea, where he worked hard, protecting the Orthodox faith from heresy with words and writings. When Archbishop Eusebius reposed, having given up his spirit to God in the arms of Basil, Vasily was elevated to the archbishop's throne and consecrated by a council of bishops. Among those bishops was the elderly Gregory, the father of Gregory of Nazianzus. Being weak and burdened by old age, he ordered to be escorted to Caesarea in order to convince Basil to accept the archbishopric and prevent the installation of any of the Arians on the throne. Basil successfully ruled the Church of Christ, and he ordained his brother, Peter, as a presbyter, so that he would help him in his work on the affairs of the Church, and later appointed him bishop of the city of Sebastia 45. At this time, their mother, blessed Emmelia, went to the Lord, having lived more than 90 years. After some time, Blessed Basil asked God to enlighten his mind, so that he could make a bloodless sacrifice to God in his own words, and so that the grace of the Holy Spirit would be sent down to him for this 46. Six days later, on the seventh, when Basil, standing before the throne in the church, began to offer the bread and the cup, the Lord Himself appeared to him in a vision with the apostles and said: - At your request, let your lips be filled with praise, so that you can perform bloodless service, saying your prayers. After this, Vasily began to speak and write down the following words: “May my lips be filled with praise, may I sing your glory,” “Lord our God, create us and lead us into this life,” and other prayers of the holy liturgy. At the end of the prayer, he raised the bread, fervently praying with these words: “Hear, Lord Jesus Christ our God, in the heavens of Your dwelling place and at the throne of Your kingdom, and come to sanctify us, and sit on this mountain and abide here with us invisible: and grant us with Your hand Your Most Pure Body and Blood to all of us people” 47 . When the saint did this, Evvul and the highest clergy saw the light of heaven illuminating the altar and the saint and some bright men in white robes who surrounded Saint Basil. Seeing this, they were greatly horrified and fell on their faces, shedding tears and glorifying God. At that time, Basil, calling on a goldsmith, ordered him to make a dove from pure gold - in the image of the dove that appeared over the Jordan - and placed it above the holy throne, so that it seemed to guard the Divine Mysteries. The Lord God testified to his holiness with some miraculous signs during Vasily’s lifetime. One day, when he was performing the Divine service, a certain Jew, wanting to know what the Holy Mysteries consisted of, joined the other believers, as if he were a Christian, and, entering the church, he saw that Saint Basil was holding a baby in his hands and was breaking it into pieces. When the believers began to receive communion from the hands of the saint, a Jew also came up, and the saint gave him, like other Christians, part of the Holy Gifts. Taking them in his hands, the Jew saw that it was really flesh, and when he approached the cup, he saw that there was really blood in it. He hid the remainder of the holy communion and, coming home, showed it to his wife and told her about everything that he had seen with his own eyes. Believing that the Christian sacrament was truly terrible and glorious, he went the next morning to Blessed Basil and begged him to be honored with holy baptism. Vasily, having given thanks to God, immediately baptized the Jew and his entire family. When the saint was walking along the road one day, a certain poor woman, offended by a certain boss, fell at Vasily’s feet, begging him to write about her to the boss as a person whom he greatly respected. The saint, having taken the charter 48, wrote the following to the commander: “This wretched woman came to me, saying that my letter is of great importance to you. If this is so, then prove it to me in practice and show mercy to this woman.” Having written these words, the saint gave the charter to that poor woman, and she took it and took it to the boss. Having read the letter, he wrote in response to the saint like this: “according to your letter, holy father, I would like to show mercy to that woman, but I cannot do this, because she is subject to national taxes.” The saint again wrote to him the following: “It’s good if you wanted to, but couldn’t do it; and if you could, but didn’t want to, then God will put you among those in need, so you won’t be able to do what you want.” These words of the saint were soon fulfilled: a little time after this, the king became angry with that leader, for he learned that he was inflicting great oppression on the people, and imprisoned him so that he would pay everyone he had offended. The chief, from prison, sent a petition to Saint Basil so that he would take pity on him and appease the king with his intercession. Vasily hastened to ask the king for him, and six days later a decree came, freeing the chief from condemnation. The chief, seeing how merciful the saint was to him, hurried to him to bring him gratitude, and gave to the aforementioned poor woman from his estate twice as much as he had taken from her. While this saint of God, the Great Basil, courageously fought in Caesarea in Cappadocia for the holy faith of Christ, 49 King Julian the Apostate, blasphemer and great persecutor of Christians, 50, boasting that he would destroy Christians, went to war against the Persians. Saint Basil then prayed in the church before the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, at whose feet there was an image of the holy Great Martyr Mercury in the form of a warrior with a spear. Mercury the warrior suffered martyrdom in Caesarea in Cappadocia (his memory is November 24). He prayed that God would not allow the persecutor and destroyer of Christians, Julian, to return alive from the Persian War. And then he saw that the image of Saint Mercury, standing near the Most Holy Theotokos, had changed, and the image of the martyr became invisible for some time. After a little time, the martyr appeared again, but with a bloody spear. At this very time, Julian was pierced during the Persian War by the holy martyr Mercury, sent by the Most Pure Virgin Mary to destroy the enemy of God. Saint Basil the Great also had such a gift of grace. When he offered up the Holy Gifts during the Liturgy, the golden dove with the Divine Gifts, hanging over the holy throne, moved by the power of God, shook three times. Once, when Vasily served and offered up the Holy Gifts, the usual sign with a dove, which with its shaking indicated the descent of the Holy Spirit, was not there. When Vasily thought about the reason for this, he saw that one of the deacons holding ripids 51 was looking at one woman standing in the church. Basil ordered that deacon to retreat from the holy altar and assigned him penance - to fast and pray for seven days, spend whole nights without sleep in prayer and give alms to the poor from his property. From that time on, Saint Basil ordered that a curtain and a partition be erected in the church in front of the altar, so that no woman could look at the altar during the Divine Service; He ordered the disobedient to be taken out of the church and excommunicated from holy communion 52 . While Saint Basil was a bishop, the Church of Christ was confused by Tsar Valens 53, blinded by the Arian heresy. He, having overthrown many Orthodox bishops from their thrones, elevated Arians in their places, and forced others, cowardly and fearful, to join his heresy. He was angry and tormented internally, seeing that Basil fearlessly abides on his throne, as an unshakable pillar of his faith, and reinforces and exhorts others to abhor Arianism as a false teaching hated by God. Bypassing his possessions and extremely oppressing the Orthodox everywhere, the king, on the way to Antioch, arrived in Caesarea in Cappadocia and here began to use all measures to win Basil over to the side of Arianism. He inspired his governors, nobles and advisers to induce Vasily, either with prayers and promises, or with threats, to fulfill the king’s wishes. And the royal like-minded people persistently convinced the saint to do this; in addition, some noble women, who enjoyed the king’s favor, began to send their eunuchs to the saint, persistently advising him to think at the same time as the king. But no one could force this hierarch, unshakable in his faith, to fall away from Orthodoxy. Finally, Eparch Modest 54 called Vasily to himself and, after he was unable to persuade him with flattering promises to fall away from Orthodoxy, he began to furiously threaten him with confiscation of his property, exile and death. The saint boldly answered his threats: “If you take away my property, you won’t enrich yourself, and you won’t make me a beggar.” I believe that you do not need these old clothes of mine and several books in which all my wealth lies. There is no exile for me, because I am not bound by place, and the place where I live now is not mine, and wherever they send me will be mine. It’s better to say: God’s place is everywhere, wherever I am “a stranger and a stranger” (Ps. 39:13). What can torment do to me? - I am so weak that only the first blow will be sensitive to me. Death for me is a blessing: it will sooner lead me to God, for whom I live and work, and for whom I have long been striving. Amazed by these words, the ruler said to Vasily: “No one has spoken to me so boldly before!” “Yes,” answered the saint, “because you have never had the opportunity to speak with the bishop before.” In everything else we show meekness and humility, but when it comes to God, and they dare to rebel against Him, then we, blaming everything else for nothing, look only at Him alone; then fire, sword, beasts and iron, tormenting the body, will rather delight us than frighten us. Informing Valens about the inflexibility and fearlessness of Saint Basil, Modest said: - We, king, are defeated by the abbot of the Church. This husband is higher than threats, firmer than arguments, stronger than convictions. After this, the king forbade disturbing Vasily and, although he did not accept communication with him, ashamed to show himself changed, he began to look for a more decent excuse. The feast of the Epiphany has arrived. The Tsar and his retinue entered the church where Vasily served and, having entered the midst of the people, thereby wanted to show the appearance of unity with the Church. Looking at the splendor and order of the church and listening to the singing and prayers of the faithful, the king marveled, saying that in his Arian churches he had never seen such order and splendor. Saint Basil, approaching the king, began to talk with him, teaching him from the Holy Scriptures; Gregory of Nazianzus, who happened to be there at that time, was also a listener to this conversation, and wrote about it. From that time on, the king began to treat Vasily better. But, having retired to Antioch, he again became irritated against Basil, being incited to this by evil people, believing their denunciations, he condemned Basil to exile. But when the king wanted to sign this sentence, the throne on which he was sitting swayed and the cane 55 with which he was supposed to sign broke broke. The king took another cane, but the same thing happened to that one; the same thing happened with the third. Then his hand trembled, and fear attacked him; Seeing the power of God in this, the king tore up the charter. But the enemies of Orthodoxy again began to persistently pester the king about Vasily so that he would not leave him alone, and the king sent one dignitary named Anastasius to bring Basil to Antioch. When this dignitary came to Caesarea and announced to Basil about the king’s command, the saint answered: “I, my son, learned some time ago that the king, following the advice of foolish people, broke three canes, wanting to sign a decree on my imprisonment and thereby darken the truth. The senseless canes restrained his uncontrollable impetuosity, agreeing to break rather than serve as a weapon for his unjust sentence. Having been brought to Antioch, Basil appeared before the diocesan court, and to the question: “Why does he not adhere to the faith that the king professes? - answered: - It will never happen that I, having deviated from the true Christian faith, became a follower of the wicked Arian teaching; for I have inherited from my fathers the faith in the consubstantial 56, which I confess and glorify. The judge threatened him with death, but Vasily answered: - What? May I suffer for the truth and be freed from bodily bonds; I have long wished for this, but you will not change your promise. The eparch reported to the tsar that Vasily was not afraid of threats, that his convictions could not be changed, that his heart was unyielding and firm. The king, inflamed with anger, began to think about how to destroy Vasily. But at this very time, the king’s son, Galatus, suddenly fell ill, and the doctors had already doomed him to death. His mother, coming to the king, told him with irritation: - Since you believe incorrectly and persecute the bishop of God, the boy dies for this. Hearing this, Valens called Vasily and said to him: “If God pleases the teaching of your faith, then heal my son with your prayers!” - O king! If you convert to the Orthodox faith and give peace to the churches, then your son will remain alive. When the Tsar promised to fulfill this, Saint Basil immediately turned to God with prayer, and the Lord sent the Tsar’s son relief from his illness. After this, Vasily was released with honors to his throne. The Arians, hearing and seeing this, were inflamed with envy and malice and said to the king: - And we could do it! They again deceived the king, so that he did not prevent them from baptizing his son. But when the Arians took the king's son to baptize him, he immediately died in their arms. The aforementioned Anastasius saw this with his own eyes and told about this to King Valentinian 57, who reigned in the west, the brother of the eastern king, Valens. Valentinian, surprised by such a miracle, glorified God, and sent great gifts to Saint Basil, through Anastasius, after accepting which Basil set up hospitals in the cities of his diocese and gave shelter there to many of the weak and wretched. Blessed Gregory of Nazianzus also reports that Saint Basil also healed that eparch Modestus, who was so severe towards the saint, with prayer from a serious illness, when he, in his illness, humbly sought help from his holy prayers. After some time, a relative of the king named Eusebius was appointed eparch in Modest's place. In Caesarea during his time there lived a widow, young, rich and very beautiful, named Vestiana, daughter of Arax, who was a member of the Senate. Eparch Eusebius wanted to forcefully marry this widow to a certain dignitary, but she, being chaste and wanting to preserve the purity of her widowhood unsullied, for the glory of God, did not want to get married. When she found out that they wanted to kidnap her by force and force her into marriage, she fled to the church and fell at the feet of the bishop of God, Saint Basil 58. He, having taken her under his protection, did not want to hand her over from the church to the people who came for her, and then secretly sent her to a nunnery, to his sister, the Venerable Macrina. Angry with Blessed Basil, the eparch sent soldiers to take that widow from the church by force, and when she was not found there, he ordered to look for her in the saint’s bedchamber. The eparch, as an immoral person, thought that Vasily, with sinful intentions, kept her with him and hid her in his bedchamber. Not finding her anywhere, however, he called Vasily to him and scolded him with great rage, threatening to hand him over to be tortured if he did not hand over the widow to him. But Saint Basil showed himself ready for torment. “If you order my body to be whittled with iron,” he said, “then you will heal my liver, which, as you see, greatly worries me 59.” At this time, the citizens, having learned about the incident, all rushed - not only men, but also women - to the eparch's palace with weapons and daggers, intending to kill him for the holy father and their shepherd. And if Saint Basil had not calmed the people, the eparch would have been killed. The latter, seeing such popular indignation, was very frightened and released the saint unharmed and free. Elladius, an eyewitness to Basil's miracles and his successor on the episcopal throne, a virtuous and holy man, said the following. One Orthodox senator named Proterius, visiting holy places, intended to give his daughter to serve God in one of the monasteries; the devil, the primordial hater of good, aroused in one slave Proterius a passion for the daughter of his master. Seeing the unrealizability of his desire and not daring to say anything about his passion to the girl, the slave went to one wizard who lived in that city and told him about his difficulty. He promised the wizard a lot of gold if he used his magic to help him marry his master’s daughter. The wizard refused at first, but finally said: “If you want, I will send you to my master, the devil; He will help you with this, if only you fulfill his will. The unfortunate servant said: “Whatever he commands me, I promise to do.” – Will you renounce your Christ and give a receipt for it? – I’m ready for this, just to get what I want. “If you make such a promise,” said the wizard, “then I will be your assistant.” Then, taking the charter, he wrote the following to the devil: “Since I must, my lord, try to tear people away from the Christian faith and bring them under your power to increase your subjects, I am now sending you the bearer of this letter, a young man inflamed by passion for a girl, and I ask for him that you help him in fulfilling his desire. Through this I will become famous and attract more admirers to you. Having written such a message to the devil, the wizard gave it to that young man and sent him with these words: - Go at this hour of the night and stand in the Hellenic cemetery 60, holding up the charter; then immediately those who will lead you to the devil will appear to you. The unfortunate slave quickly walked and, stopping at the cemetery, began to call upon demons. And immediately the evil spirits appeared before him and joyfully led the seduced man to their prince. Seeing him sitting on a high throne, and the darkness of evil spirits surrounding him, the slave gave him a letter from the wizard. The devil, taking the letter, said to the slave: – Do you renounce your Christ? “I renounce,” answered the slave. “You often deceive me, Christians: when you ask me for help, then come to me, and when you achieve your goal, then again you renounce me and turn to your Christ, who, as kind and philanthropic, accepts you.” Give me a receipt that you voluntarily renounce Christ and baptism and promise to be mine forever and from the day of judgment you will endure eternal torment with me: in this case, I will fulfill your desire. The slave, having taken the charter, wrote what the devil wanted from him. Then the destroyer of souls, the ancient serpent (i.e. the devil), sent the demons of adultery, and they aroused in the girl such a strong love for the boy that she, from carnal passion, fell to the ground and began to shout to her father: “Have pity on me, have pity on your daughter and marry me to our slave, whom I loved with all my might.” If you don’t do this for me, your only daughter, then you will soon see me die from severe torment and you will give an answer for me on the day of judgment. Hearing this, the father was horrified and said with tears: - Woe to me, a sinner! What happened to my daughter? Who stole my treasure from me? Who seduced my child? Who has darkened the light of my eyes? I wanted, my daughter, to betroth you to the Heavenly Bridegroom, so that you would be like the Angels and glorify God in psalms and spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19), and for your sake I myself hoped to receive salvation, and you shamelessly talk about marriage! Do not bring me with sorrow to the underworld, my child, do not disgrace your noble title by marrying a slave. She, not paying attention to the words of her parent, said one thing: “If you don’t do as I wish, then I will kill myself.” The father, not knowing what to do, on the advice of his relatives and friends, agreed to do her will better than to see her die a cruel death. Calling his servant, he gave him his daughter and a large estate as his wife and said to his daughter: - Go, you unfortunate thing, get married! But I think that you will begin to strongly repent of your action and that it will not benefit you. Some time after this marriage took place and the devil’s deed was completed, it was noticed that the newlywed did not go to church and did not partake of the Holy Mysteries. This was also stated to his unfortunate wife: “Don’t you know,” they told her, “that your husband, whom you have chosen, is not a Christian, but is alien to the faith of Christ?” When she heard this, she became extremely sad and, falling to the ground, began to torment her face with her nails, tirelessly beat herself in the chest with her hands and screamed like this: “No one who disobeyed his parents could ever be saved!” Who will tell my father about my shame? Woe to me, unfortunate one! What a ruin I found myself in! Why was I born and why did I not die at birth? When she sobbed like that, her husband heard her and hurried to ask her about the reason for her sobs. Having learned what was the matter, he began to console her, saying that she had been told lies about him, and convinced her that he was a Christian. She, having calmed down a little from his speeches, said to him: “If you want to assure me completely and take away the sadness from my unfortunate soul, then in the morning go with me to church and partake of the Most Pure Mysteries before me: then I will believe you.” Her unfortunate husband, seeing that he could not hide the truth, had, against his will, to tell her everything about himself - how he betrayed himself to the devil. She, forgetting the woman’s weakness, hastily went to Saint Basil and cried out to him: - Have pity on me, disciple of Christ, have pity on the disobedient will of her father, who succumbed to demonic seduction! – and told him everything in detail about her husband. The saint, calling her husband, asked him if what his wife was saying about him was true. He answered with tears: - Yes, Saint of God, all this is true! And if I remain silent, then my deeds will cry out about it,” and he told everything in order, how he surrendered to demons. – Do you want to turn to our Lord, Jesus Christ again? “Yes, I want to, but I can’t,” he answered. - Why? – Vasily asked. “Because,” the husband answered, “I gave a receipt that I renounce Christ and surrender myself to the devil.” – Do not grieve about this, for God is a lover of mankind and accepts those who repent. The wife, throwing herself at the feet of the saint, begged him, saying: - Disciple of Christ! Help us in any way you can. Then the saint said to the slave: – Do you believe that you can still be saved? “I believe, sir, help my unbelief.” After this, the saint, taking him by the hand, made the sign of the cross over him and locked him in a room located inside the church fence, commanding him to continually pray to God. He himself spent three days in prayer, and then visited the penitent and asked him: - How do you feel, child? “I am in an extremely distressed state, sir,” answered the young man, “I cannot bear the screams of demons, and fears, and shooting, and blows with stakes.” For the demons, holding my receipt in their hands, revile me, saying: “You came to us, and not we to you!” – Don’t be afraid, child, just believe. And, having given him some food, he made the sign of the cross over him and locked him up again. A few days later he visited him again and said: “From a distance I still hear threats and their screams, but I don’t see them.” Vasily, having given him some food and prayed for him, locked him again and left. Then he came to him on the fortieth day and asked him: “Okay, holy father, because I saw you in a dream, how you fought for me and defeated the devil.” Having said a prayer, the saint led him out of the seclusion and brought him to his cell. The next morning he called the entire church clergy, monks and all Christ-loving people and said: - Let us glorify, brothers, God, the lover of mankind, for now the Good Shepherd wants to accept the lost sheep 61 and bring it to church: on this night we must beg His goodness to defeat and shame the enemy of our souls. Believers gathered in church and prayed all night for the penitent, crying out: “Lord have mercy.” When morning came, Vasily, taking the penitent by the hand, led him with all the people to church, singing psalms and hymns. And so the devil shamelessly came there invisibly with all his destructive power, wanting to snatch the young man from the hands of the saint. The young man began to scream: - Saint of God, help me! But the devil armed himself with such audacity and shamelessness against the young man that he also caused pain to Saint Basil, dragging the young man with him. Then the blessed one turned to the devil with these words: - The most shameless murderer, the prince of darkness and destruction! Isn’t your destruction enough for you, which you caused to yourself and those with you? Will you not cease to persecute the creatures of my God? The devil cried out to him: - You offend me, Vasily! – and many heard this devilish voice. Then the saint said: - May God forbid you, oh devil! The devil again said to him: - Vasily, you offend me! After all, it was not I who came to him, but he to me: he denied his Christ, giving me a receipt, which I have in my hand, and which on the day of judgment I will show to the universal Judge. - Blessed be the Lord my God! These people will not lower their hands raised to the sky 62 until you give that receipt. Then, turning to the people, the saint said: - Raise your hands and cry: “Lord have mercy!” And so, after the people, raising their hands to the sky, cried out with tears for a long time: “Lord have mercy!”, the receipt of that young man, in front of everyone’s eyes, was carried through the air directly into the hands of Saint Basil. Taking this receipt, the saint rejoiced and gave thanks to God, and then said to the young man out loud to everyone: - Do you know, brother, this receipt? - Yes, Saint of God, this is my receipt; I wrote it with my own hand. Basil the Great immediately tore it into pieces in front of everyone and, leading the young man into the church, communed him with the Divine Mysteries and offered a hearty meal to all those present. After that, having given instruction to the young man and indicating the appropriate rules of life, he returned him to his wife, and he, without stopping, glorified and thanked God. The same Helladius told the following about Saint Basil. One day our great father Vasily, being illuminated by Divine grace, said to his clergy: - Follow me, children, and we will see the glory of God, and together we will glorify our Master. With these words he left the city, but no one knew where he wanted to go. At that time, presbyter Anastasius lived in the same village with his wife Theognia. They lived with each other in virginity for forty years, and many thought that Theognia was barren, for no one knew the pure virginity they kept secret. Anastasius, for his holy life, was honored to receive the grace of the Spirit of God, and was a seer. Seeing in spirit that Vasily wanted to visit him, he said to Theognia: “I’m going to cultivate the field, and you, my sister, clean the house and at nine o’clock in the afternoon, having lit the candles, go out to meet the holy Archbishop Basil, for he is coming to visit us sinners.” She was surprised at her master’s words, but carried out his orders. When Saint Basil was not far from Anastasia’s house, Theognia came out to meet him and bowed to him. – Are you healthy, Mrs. Feognia? – Vasily asked. She, hearing that he called her by name, was horrified and said: - I’m healthy, holy lord! - Where is Mr. Anastasy, your brother? - This is not my brother, but my husband; he went into the field. - He's at home - don't worry! Hearing this, she was even more frightened, for she realized that the saint had penetrated their secret, and with trepidation she fell at the feet of the saint and said: - Pray for me, a sinner, Saint of God, for I see that you can do great and wondrous things. The saint prayed for her and moved on. When he entered the presbyter’s house, Anastasius himself met him and, kissing the saint’s feet, said: “Where do I come from, that the saint of my Lord came to me?” The saint, having given him a kiss in the Lord, said: – It’s good that I found you, disciple of Christ; Let's go to church and perform God's service. That presbyter had the custom of fasting all days of the week, except Saturday and Sunday, and did not eat anything except bread and water. When they came to church, Saint Basil ordered Anastasius to serve the liturgy, but he refused, saying: “You know, sir, what the Scripture says: “The lesser is blessed by the greater” (Heb. 7:7). – With all your other good deeds, also have obedience. When Anastasius was performing the Liturgy, during the offering of the Holy Mysteries, Saint Basil and others who were worthy saw the Most Holy Spirit descending in the form of fire and surrounding Anastasius and the holy altar. At the end of the Divine service, everyone entered Anastasius’s house, and he offered a meal to Saint Basil and his clergy. During the meal the saint asked the presbyter: - Where do you get your treasure and what is your life like? Tell me. - Saint of God! I am a sinful person and am subject to national taxes; I have two pairs of oxen, of which I work with one myself, and my hired man with the other; what I receive with the help of one pair of oxen, I spend on calming the wanderers, and what I receive with the help of another pair goes to pay taxes: my wife also works with me, serving the wanderers and me. “Call her your sister, as she really is, and tell me about your virtues.” “I haven’t done anything good on earth.” “Let’s get up and go together,” and, having risen, they came to one of the rooms of his house. “Open these doors for me,” said Vasily. “No, Saint of God,” said Anastasius, “do not enter there, because there is nothing there except household things.” “But I came for these things.” Since the presbyter still did not want to open the doors, the saint opened them with his word and, entering, found one man there, stricken with severe leprosy, 63 from whom many parts of his body had already fallen away, rotting. No one knew about him except the presbyter himself and his wife. Vasily said to the presbyter: “Why did you want to hide this treasure of yours from me?” “This is an angry and abusive man,” answered the presbyter, “and therefore I was afraid to show him, lest he offend your holiness with some word.” “You are performing a good deed, but let me also serve him this night, so that I too may be a participant in the reward that you receive.” And so Saint Basil was left alone with the leper and, locking himself in, spent the whole night in prayer, and the next morning he brought him out completely unharmed and healthy. The presbyter with his wife and everyone who was there, seeing such a miracle, glorified God, and Saint Basil, after a friendly conversation with the presbyter and the teaching he gave to those present, returned to his home. When the Monk Ephraim the Syrian 64, who lived in the desert, heard about Saint Basil, he began to pray to God to show him what Basil was like. And then one day, being in a state of spiritual delight, he saw a pillar of fire, the head of which reached to the sky, and heard a voice saying: - Ephraim, Ephraim! How you see this pillar of fire is how Vasily is. The Monk Ephraim immediately, taking with him a translator - for he did not know how to speak Greek - went to Caesarea and arrived there on the feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. Standing in the distance and unnoticed by anyone, he saw Saint Basil walking into the church with great solemnity, dressed in light clothes, and his clergy, also dressed in light clothes. Turning to the translator accompanying him, Ephraim said: “It seems, brother, we worked in vain, for this is a man of such high rank that I have not seen such a person.” Entering the church, Ephraim stood in the corner, unseen by anyone, and spoke to himself like this: – We, “who endured the burden of the day and the heat” (Matthew 20:12), have achieved nothing, but this one, enjoying such glory and honor among people, is at the same time a pillar of fire. This surprises me. When Saint Ephraim reasoned about him in this way, Basil the Great learned from the Holy Spirit and sent his archdeacon to him, saying: - Go to the western gates of the church; there you will find in the corner of the church a monk standing with another man, almost beardless and short in stature. Tell him: go and ascend to the altar, for the archbishop is calling you. The archdeacon, with great difficulty, forced his way through the crowd, approached the place where the Monk Ephraim stood and said: - Father! Go, I beg you, and ascend to the altar: the archbishop is calling you. Ephraim, having learned through an interpreter what the archdeacon had said, answered the latter: - You're wrong, brother! We are newcomers and unknown to the archbishop. The archdeacon went to tell Vasily about this, who at that time was explaining the Holy Scriptures to the people. And then the Monk Ephraim saw that fire was coming from the mouth of Basil who was speaking. Then Vasily again said to the archdeacon: - Go and tell the visiting monk: Mr. Ephraim! I ask you to go up to the holy altar: the archbishop is calling you. The Archdeacon went and spoke as he was ordered. Ephraim was surprised at this and glorified God. Having then made a prostration, he said: – Truly great Basil, truly he is a pillar of fire, truly the Holy Spirit speaks through his mouth! Then he begged the archdeacon to inform the archbishop that at the end of the holy service he wanted to bow to him and greet him in a secluded place. When the Divine service ended, Saint Basil went into the vessel guard and, calling the Monk Ephraim, gave him a kiss in the Lord and said: – I greet you, Father, who multiplied Christ’s disciples in the desert and, by the power of Christ, cast out demons from it! Why, father, did you take on such labor, coming to see a sinful man? May the Lord reward you for your work! Ephraim, answering Vasily through an interpreter, told him everything that was in his heart, and with his companion he communed with the Most Pure Mysteries from the holy hands of Vasily. When they later sat down to a meal in Basil’s house, the Monk Ephraim said to Saint Basil: - Holy Father! I ask you for one favor - deign to give it to me. Basil the Great told him: “Tell me what you need: I am greatly indebted to you for your work, for you have undertaken such a long journey for me.” “I know, father,” said the Venerable Ephraim, “that God gives you everything you ask of him; and I want you to implore His goodness to give me the ability to speak Greek. “Your request is beyond my strength, but since you ask with firm hope, let us go, venerable father and desert mentor, to the church of the Lord and pray to the Lord, who can fulfill your prayer, for it is said: “He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him, He hears their cry and saves them” (Ps. 145:19). Having chosen a convenient time, they began to pray in the church and prayed for a long time. Then Basil the Great said: “Why, honest father, do you not accept ordination to the rank of presbyter, being worthy of it?” - Because I am a sinner, sir! - Ephraim answered him through an interpreter. - Oh, if only I had your sins! - said Vasily and added, - let’s bow to the ground. When they fell to the ground, Saint Basil laid his hand on the head of the Monk Ephraim and said the prayer laid down at the dedication to the deacon. Then he said to the monk: “Now tell us to get up from the ground.” For Ephraim, the Greek speech suddenly became clear, and he himself said in Greek: “Intercede, save, have mercy, save us, O God, with Your grace” 65. Everyone praised God for giving Ephraim the ability to understand and speak Greek. The Monk Ephraim stayed with Saint Basil for three days, in spiritual joy. Vasily made him a deacon, and his translator a presbyter, and then released them in peace. In the city of Nicaea 66, the wicked king once stopped, and representatives of the Arian heresy turned to him with a request that he expel the Orthodox from the cathedral church of that city, and the church gave them to the Arian congregation. The king, himself a heretic, did just that: he took the church by force from the Orthodox and gave it to the Arians, and he himself went to Constantinople. When the entire large community of Orthodox Christians was plunged into great sadness, the common representative and patron of all churches, Saint Basil the Great, came to Nicaea; then the entire Orthodox flock came to him with screams and sobs, and told him about the insult they had received from the king. The saint, having consoled them with his words, immediately went to the king in Constantinople and, appearing before him, said: – “And the power of the king loves judgment” (Ps. 99:4). Why did you, Tsar, pronounce an unjust sentence, expelling the Orthodox from the holy church and giving control of it to the unjust? – You started insulting me again, Vasily! It's not right for you to do this. “It’s good for me to die for the truth.” When they competed and bickered with each other, they were listened to by the chief royal cook who was there, named Demosthenes. He, wanting to help the Arians, said something rude to reproach the saint. - Here we see before us the unlearned Demosthenes 67. The ashamed cook again said something in response, but the saint said: “Your job is to think about food, and not to cook up church dogmas.” And Demosthenes, being put to shame, fell silent. The king, now aroused by anger, now feeling shame, said to Vasily: - Go and sort out their case; However, judge in such a way that you do not end up being an assistant to your fellow believers. “If I judge unfairly,” answered the saint, “then send me into prison, drive out my fellow believers, and give the church to the Arians.” Having received the royal decree, the saint returned to Nicaea and, calling the Arians, said to them: - So the king gave me the power to institute justice between you and the Orthodox regarding the church, which you seized by force. - Judge, but according to the royal court 68. - Go, you Arians, and you Orthodox, and close the church; Having locked it, seal it with seals: you with yours, and you with yours, and place reliable guards on both sides. Then first you Arians will pray for three days and three nights, and then go to the church. And if, through your prayer, the church doors open by themselves, then let the church be yours forever: if this does not happen, then we will pray for one night and go with the litany 69, while singing sacred hymns, to the church; if it opens for us, we will own it forever; if it is not revealed to us, then the church will be yours again. The Arians liked this proposal, but the Orthodox were upset with the saint, saying that he did not judge according to truth, but out of fear of the king. Then, when both sides tightly locked the holy church, after sealing it, a vigilant guard was posted. When the Arians, having prayed for three days and three nights, came to the church, nothing miraculous happened: they prayed here from the morning until the sixth hour, standing and crying: “Lord, have mercy.” But the church doors did not open for them, and they left in shame. Then Basil the Great, having gathered all the Orthodox with their wives and children, left the city to the church of the holy martyr Diomede and, having performed an all-night vigil there, in the morning he went with everyone to the sealed cathedral church, chanting: – Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us! Stopping in front of the church doors, he said to the people: – Raise your hands to heaven and cry out with zeal: “Lord have mercy!” Then the saint ordered everyone to be silent and, approaching the doors, made the sign of the cross three times and said: – Blessed be the Christian God always, now and ever and unto ages of ages. When the people exclaimed: “Amen,” the earth immediately shook, and the locks began to break, the shutters fell out, the seals were broken, and the gates opened, as if from a strong wind and storm, so that the doors hit the walls. Saint Basil began to chant: - “Lift up your heights, O gates, and be lifted up, O eternal doors, and the King of glory will enter!” (Ps. 23:7). Then he entered the church with many Orthodox Christians and, having performed the Divine Service, dismissed the people with joy. Countless numbers of Arians, having seen that miracle, abandoned their delusion and joined the Orthodox. When the king learned about such a just decision of Vasily and about that glorious miracle, he was extremely surprised and began to blaspheme Arianism; however, being blinded by wickedness, he did not convert to Orthodoxy and subsequently died in a pitiful manner. It was when he was struck and wounded in the war in the Thracian country that he ran away and hid in a barn where straw lay. His pursuers surrounded the barn and set it on fire, and the king, having burned there, went into the unquenchable fire 70. The death of the tsar followed after the repose of our holy father Vasily, but in the same year in which the saint also reposed. Once before Saint Basil, his brother, Bishop Peter of Sebastia, was slandered. They said about him that he allegedly continued to cohabit with his wife, whom he left before being consecrated as a bishop - but it is not proper for a bishop to be married. Hearing about this, Vasily said: - It’s good that you told me about this; I will go with you and reprove him. When the saint approached the city of Sebastia, Peter learned in spirit about the coming of his brother, for Peter too was filled with the Spirit of God and lived with his imaginary wife not as with a wife, but as with a sister, chastely. So, he left the city to meet Saint Basil in eight fields 71 and, seeing his brother with a large number of companions, smiled and said: - Brother, how would you act against me like a robber? Having given each other a kiss in the Lord, they entered the city and, having prayed in the Church of the Holy Forty Martyrs, came to the bishop's house. Vasily, seeing his daughter-in-law, said: – Hello, my sister, it’s better to say – the bride of the Lord; I came here for you. - Hello you too, most honorable father; and I have long wanted to kiss your honest feet. “I ask you, brother, spend the night with your wife in the church.” “I will do everything you command me,” answered Peter. When night fell and Peter was resting in the church with his wife, Saint Basil was there with five virtuous men. Around midnight he woke up these men and said to them: - What do you see above my brother and my daughter-in-law? – We see the Angels of God fanning them and anointing their immaculate bed with fragrances. - Be silent and don’t tell anyone what you saw. The next morning, Vasily ordered the people to gather in the church and bring here a brazier with burning coals. After this he said: “Stretch, my honest daughter-in-law, your clothes.” And when she did this, the saint said to those holding the brazier. - Put burning coals in her clothes. They fulfilled this command. Then the saint said to her: “Keep these coals in your clothes until I tell you.” Then he again ordered to bring new burning coals and said to his brother: - Forgive, brother, your offense 72. When he fulfilled this command, Vasily said to the servants: “Pour the coals from the brazier into the phelonion,” and they poured out. When Peter and his wife held burning coals in their clothes for a long time and did not suffer any harm from this, the people who saw this marveled and said: – The Lord protects His saints and grants them blessings while still on earth. When Peter and his wife threw the coals on the ground, there was no smoky smell from them, and their clothes remained unburnt. Then Basil commanded the above-mentioned five virtuous men to tell everyone what they had seen, and they told the people how they saw in the church the Angels of God hovering over the bed of blessed Peter and his wife, and anointing their immaculate bed with aromas. After this, everyone glorified God, who cleanses His saints from the lying slander of men. In the days of our venerable father Basil, there was one widow of noble origin in Caesarea, extremely rich; Living voluptuously, pleasing her flesh, she completely enslaved herself to sin and remained in prodigal uncleanness for many years. God, Who wants everyone to repent (2 Peter 3:8), touched her heart with His grace, and the woman began to repent of her sinful life. Once left alone with herself, she reflected on the immeasurable multitude of her sins and began to mourn her situation like this: - Woe to me, sinner and prodigal! How will I answer the righteous Judge for the sins I have committed? I corrupted the church of my body, I desecrated my soul. Woe to me, the worst of sinners! Who can I compare myself to in terms of my sins? Is it with a harlot or with a publican? But no one has sinned like me. And - what’s especially scary - I committed so much evil already after receiving baptism. And who will tell me whether God will accept my repentance? Sobbing, she remembered everything she had done from youth to old age, and, sitting down, wrote it on the charter. After everything, she wrote down one of the most serious sins and sealed this charter with a lead seal. Then, choosing the time when Saint Basil went to church, she rushed to him and, throwing herself at his feet with the charter, exclaimed: “Have mercy on me, Saint of God, I have sinned more than anyone!” The saint stopped and asked her what she wanted from him; She, handing the sealed charter into his hands, said: “Behold, Vladyka, I wrote all my sins and iniquities on this charter and sealed it; You, saint of God, do not read it and do not remove the seal, but just cleanse them with your prayer, for I believe that the One who gave me this thought will hear you when you pray for me. Vasily, taking the charter, raised his eyes to heaven and said: - Lord! This is possible for You alone. For if You took upon Yourself the sins of the whole world, then all the more can You cleanse the sins of this one soul, since all our sins, although counted by You, are still Your mercy immeasurable and unsearchable! Having said this, Saint Basil entered the church, holding the charter in his hands, and, prostrating himself before the altar, spent the whole night in prayer for that woman. The next morning, having performed the Divine service, the saint called the woman and gave her the sealed charter in the form in which he received it, and at the same time said to her: – Have you heard, woman, that “who can forgive sins but God alone” (Mark 2:7)? “I heard, honest father, and that’s why I bothered you with a request to implore His goodness.” Having said this, the woman untied her charter and saw that her sins were blotted out here; The only thing that was not erased was the grave sin that was recorded by her afterwards. At the sight of this, the woman was horrified and, striking herself on the chest, fell at the feet of the saint, crying out: “Have mercy on me, servant of the Most High God, and just as you had mercy on all my iniquities and begged God for them, so beg for this too, so that it may be completely cleansed.” The archbishop, tearing up with pity for her, said: – Stand up, woman: I myself am a sinful man, and I need mercy and forgiveness; The same One who cleansed your other sins can also cleanse your sin that has not yet been blotted out; If in the future you protect yourself from sin and begin to walk in the path of the Lord, you will not only be forgiven, but will also be worthy of heavenly glorification. This is what I advise you: go into the desert, there you will find a holy man named Ephraim; give him this charter and ask him to ask for mercy from God, the Lover of Mankind. The woman, according to the word of the saint, went into the desert and, having walked a long distance, found the cell of blessed Ephraim. Knocking on the door, she said: - Have mercy on me, a sinner, reverend father! Saint Ephrem, having learned in his spirit about the purpose with which she came to him, answered her: “Get away from me, woman, for I am a sinful person and I myself need the help of other people.” She then threw the charter in front of him and said: – Archbishop Vasily sent me to you so that you, by praying to God, would cleanse my sin, which is written in this charter; He cleansed the rest of the sins, but don’t refuse to pray for one sin, for I was sent to you. The Monk Ephraim said: - No, child, the one who could beg God for many of your sins can all the more beg for one. So, go, go immediately to catch him alive before he goes to the Lord. Then the woman, having bowed to the monk, returned to Caesarea. But she came here just in time for the burial of Saint Basil, for he had already reposed, and his holy body was being carried to the place of burial. Having met the funeral procession, the woman sobbed loudly, threw herself on the ground and said to the saint, as if alive: - Woe is me, Saint of God! Woe to me, unfortunate one! Is this why you sent me into the desert, so that, undisturbed by me, you could leave your body? And so I returned empty-handed, having made the difficult journey into the desert in vain. Let God see this and let Him judge between me and you that you, having the opportunity to give me help yourself, sent me to another. So crying out, she threw the charter over the saint’s bed, telling all people about her grief. One of the clergy, wanting to see what was written in the charter, took it and, untying it, did not find any words on it: the entire charter became clean. “Nothing is written here,” he said to the woman, “and you are sad in vain, not knowing the ineffable love of God that has manifested itself in you.” All the people, seeing this miracle, glorified God, who gave such power to His servants even after their repose. There lived a Jew in Caesarea named Joseph. He was so skilled in the science of healing that he determined by observing the movement of blood in the veins the day of death of the patient in three or five days, and even pointed to the very hour of death. Our God-bearing father Vasily, foreseeing his future conversion to Christ, loved him very much and, often inviting him to a conversation with himself, persuaded him to leave the Jewish faith and accept holy baptism. But Joseph refused, saying: “The faith in which I was born is the one in which I want to die.” - Believe me that neither I nor you will die until you are “born of water and the Spirit” (John 3:5): for without such grace it is impossible to enter the Kingdom of God. Were not your fathers baptized “in the clouds and in the sea” (1 Cor. 10:1)? Didn’t they drink from the stone, which was a prototype of the spiritual stone - Christ, born of the Virgin for the sake of our salvation? Your fathers crucified this Christ, but He, being buried, rose again on the third day and, ascending into heaven, sat down at the right hand of the Father and from there will come to judge the living and the dead. The saint told him many other things that were useful for the soul, but the Jew remained in his unbelief. When the time came for the saint’s repose, he fell ill and called the Jew to him, as if in need of his medical help, and he asked him: – What do you say about me, Joseph? The same, having examined the saint, said to his household: “Prepare everything for burial, because his death must be expected any minute now.” – You don’t know what you’re saying! “Believe me, lord, that your death will come before sunset.” Then Vasily told him: - And if I remain alive until the morning, until the sixth hour, what will you do then? “Yes,” the saint said to this, “die, but die to sin in order to live for God!” – I know what you’re talking about, sir! - answered the Jew, - and so I swear to you that if you live until the morning, I will fulfill your desire. Then Saint Basil began to pray to God that He would continue his life until the morning to save the soul of the Jew, and he received what he asked. The next morning he sent for him; but he did not believe the servant who told him that Vasily was alive, but went to see him, as he thought he was already dead. When he saw him really alive, he seemed to go into a frenzy, and then, falling at the feet of the saint, he said in an outburst of heart: – Great is the Christian God, and there is no other God besides Him! I renounce the ungodly Judaism and convert to the true Christian faith. They commanded, holy father, to immediately administer holy baptism to me, as well as to my entire household. Saint Basil told him: - I baptize you with my own hands! The Jew, approaching him, touched the saint’s right hand and said: “Your strength, lord, has weakened, and your whole nature has completely weakened; you cannot baptize me yourself. “We have a Creator who strengthens us,” answered Vasily. And, rising up, he entered the church and, in the presence of all the people, baptized the Jew and his whole family; he named him John and communed him with the Divine Mysteries, performing the liturgy himself that day. Having taught the newly baptized man about eternal life and addressed all his verbal sheep with words of edification, the saint remained in the church until the ninth hour. Then, having given everyone the last kiss and forgiveness, he began to thank God for all His ineffable blessings and, while the word of thanksgiving was still on his lips, he gave his soul into the hands of God and, as a bishop, joined the departed bishops, and like a great verbal thunder 73 - to the preachers on the first day of January 379, during the reign of Gratian 74, who reigned after his father, Valentiniana. Saint Basil the Great shepherded the Church of God for eight years, six months and sixteen days, and all the years of his life were forty-nine. The newly baptized Jew, seeing the saint dead, fell on his face and said with tears: “Truly, servant of God Vasily, you would not have died even now if you had not wanted to.” The burial of St. Basil was a significant event and showed how highly respected he was. Not only Christians, but also Jews and pagans flocked to the street in great numbers and persistently pressed towards the tomb of the deceased saint. Saint Gregory of Nazianzus also arrived at Basil’s burial and wept a lot for the saint. The bishops gathered here sang funeral hymns and buried the honorable relics of the great saint of God Basil in the church of the holy martyr Eupsychios, praising God, One in the Trinity, to Him be glory forever. Amen 76. Thy message went out into the whole earth, as if it had received your word, which thou hast divinely taught, thou hast clarified the nature of beings, thou hast adorned human customs, the royal sacredness, reverend father: pray to Christ God that our souls may be saved 77 . Thou hast appeared as an unshakable foundation to the Church, giving to all the unstealthy dominion of man, sealing with thy commands, the unappearing Reverend Basil. Cappadocia, a province of the Roman Empire, was located in the east of Asia Minor and was famous during the time of Basil the Great for the education of its inhabitants. At the end of the 11th century, Cappadocia fell under the rule of the Turks and still belongs to them. Caesarea is the main city of Cappadocia; The Church of Caesarea has long been famous for the education of its archpastors. St. Gregory the Theologian, who laid the foundation for his education here, calls Caesarea the capital of enlightenment. Vasily's father, also named Vasily, known for his charity, was married to a noble and rich girl Emmelia. From this marriage five daughters and five sons were born. The eldest daughter, Macrina, remained faithful to this blessed union, devoting herself to chastity (her memory is July 19). Of the five brothers, one died in early childhood; three were bishops and canonized; the fifth died while hunting. Of the survivors, the eldest son was Vasily, followed by Gregory, later Bishop of Nyssa (his memory is January 10), and Peter, first a simple ascetic, then Bishop of Sebaste (his memory is January 9). – Vasily’s father, probably, shortly before his death, took the rank of priest, as can be concluded from the fact that Gregory the Theologian calls the mother of Basil the Great the wife of a priest. Neokesarea - present-day Nixar - is the capital of Pontus Polemonia, famous for its beauty, in the north of Asia Minor; It is especially known for the church council that took place there (in 315). Iris is a river in Pontus, originating in Antitaurus. Sophists are scholars who devoted themselves primarily to the study and teaching of eloquence. – Livanius and subsequently, when Vasily was already a bishop, maintained written relations with him. Athens is the main city of Greece, which has long attracted the flower of the Greek mind and talent. Famous philosophers once lived here - Socrates and Plato, as well as the poets Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and others. - By Hellenic wisdom we mean pagan learning, pagan education. Proeresius, the most famous teacher of philosophy at that time, was a Christian, as can be seen from the fact that he closed his school when the Emperor Julian forbade Christians to teach philosophy. Nothing is known about what religion Iberius adhered to. Gregory (Nazianzen) was subsequently for some time the Patriarch of Constantinople and is known for his lofty creations, for which he received the nickname of the Theologian. He knew Basil back in Caesarea, but only became close friends with him in Athens. His memory is January 25 Egypt has long been a place where Christian ascetic life was especially developed. Likewise, there was a great multitude of Christian scholars, of whom the most famous were Origen and Clement of Alexandria. That is, according to Evvul, Vasily had a mind that exceeded the average measure of intelligence for a person, and in this respect he came closer to the gods. That is, he only deserves the honorary name “philosopher” who looks at death as a transition to a new life and therefore leaves this world without fear. In ancient times, such pictures were often used by moral teachers in order to make a greater impression on their listeners. That is, heat, heat, which is very severe in the east (Matthew 20:12). That is, what we now cannot imagine by any means (1 Cor. 2:9). That is, various attractions, such as the tomb of Christ, Golgotha, and so on. Both now and in ancient times, the newly baptized, as a sign of the cleansing they had received from sins, clothed themselves in white robes. Here, of course, is Syrian Antioch, near the Orontes River, called the Great. Homer is the greatest Greek poet who lived in the 9th century. BC; wrote the famous poems “Iliad” and “Odyssey”. That is, the time has not yet come to replace philosophy and pagan religion with the Christian faith. Livanius died a pagan (about 391, in Antioch). Maxim III - Patriarch of Jerusalem - from 333 to 350. Ancient Christians accepted St. very late. baptism - partly out of humility, partly in the consideration that, having been baptized not long before death, they will receive forgiveness of all their sins in baptism. That is, he was freed from hereditary ancestral sin (Eph. 4:22). This miracle resembled the descent of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove onto Christ the Savior who was baptized in the Jordan. The Lord Jesus Christ, being in the tomb, was wrapped in white shrouds. Basil the Great owns many works. Like all the actions of St. Vasily was distinguished by extraordinary greatness and importance, and all his works are imprinted with the same character of Christian heights and greatness. In his works he is a preacher, a dogmatist-polemicist, an interpreter of Holy Scripture, a teacher of morality and piety, and, finally, an organizer of church services. Of his conversations, in terms of strength and animation, they are considered the best: against moneylenders, against drunkenness and luxury, about glory, about hunger. In his letters to St. Vasily vividly depicts the events of his time; Many of the letters contain excellent instructions about love, meekness, forgiveness of offenses, about raising children, against the stinginess and pride of the rich, against vain oaths, or with spiritual advice for monks. As a dogmatist and polemicist, he appears before us in his three books written against the Arian false teacher Eunomius, in an essay against Savelius and Anomeev about the deity of the Holy Spirit. Moreover, Basil the Great wrote a special book about the Holy Spirit against Aetius, of which Eunomius was also a champion. Dogmatic writings also include some conversations and letters of St. Vasily. As an interpreter of Holy Scripture, St. gained special fame for himself. Vasily had nine conversations at the “Six Days”, where he showed himself to be an expert not only in the Word of God, but also in philosophy and natural science. His conversations on the psalms and 16 chapters of the book of the prophet are also known. Isaiah. Conversations, both on the Sixth Day and on the psalms, were spoken in the church and therefore, along with explanations, contain exhortations, consolations and teachings. He touched on the teachings of piety in his famous “instruction to young men on how to use pagan writers,” and in two books on asceticism. The canonical works include the letters of Basil the Great to some bishops. – Gregory the Theologian speaks about the dignity of the works of Basil the Great: “Everywhere there is one and the greatest pleasure - the writings and creations of Vasily. After him, writers do not need any other wealth than his writings. Instead of all, he alone became enough for students to get an education.” “Whoever wants to be an excellent civil speaker,” says the learned Patriarch Photius, “does not need either Demosthenes or Plato, if only he has taken Basil as a model and studies the words. In all his words, St. Vasily is excellent. He especially speaks pure, elegant, majestic language; in the order of thoughts he takes first place. He combines persuasiveness with pleasantness and clarity.” Saint Gregory the Theologian says this about the knowledge and writings of Saint Basil: “Who more than Basil was enlightened by the light of knowledge, saw into the depths of the Spirit, and with God explored everything that is known about God? In Basil, beauty was virtue, greatness was Theology, procession was the unceasing striving and ascent to God, power was the sowing and distribution of the word. And therefore, without becoming rigid, I can say: their voice went throughout the whole earth, and to the ends of the universe their words, and to the ends of the universe their words, that St. Paul said about the apostles (Rom. 10:18).... – When I have the Sixth Day in my hands and pronounce it orally: then I talk with the Creator, comprehend the laws of creation and marvel at the Creator more than before - having only vision as my mentor. When I have before me his accusatory words against false teachers: then I see the fire of Sodom, with which the wicked and lawless tongues are incinerated. When I read the words about the Spirit: then I find the God Whom I have again and feel within myself the boldness to speak the truth, ascending through the degrees of His Theology and contemplation. When I read his other interpretations, which he makes clear even for people with limited vision: then I am convinced not to stop at one letter, and to look not only at the surface, but to stretch further, from one depth to enter a new one, calling upon the abyss with the abyss and acquiring light with light, until I reach the highest meaning. When I am occupied with his praises to the ascetics, then I forget the body, talk with those being praised, and am excited for the feat. When I read his moral and active words: then I am cleansed in soul and body, I become an organ pleasing to God as a church, into which the Spirit strikes as a hymn of God’s glory and God’s power, and through this I am transformed, I come into good order, from one person I become another, I am changed by the Divine change” (Funeral homily of Gregory the Theologian to St. Basil). Archdeacons were of great importance in the ancient church as the closest assistants to bishops. Eusebius was taken to the bishopric, at the request of the people, directly from the civil service and therefore could not have much authority as a theologian and teacher of the faith. One of his most important activities at this time was preaching the word of God. He often preached not only every day, but twice a day, morning and evening. Sometimes after preaching in one church, he would come to preach in another. In his teachings, Vasily vividly and convincingly for the mind and heart revealed the beauty of Christian virtues and exposed the vileness of vices; He offered incentives to strive for the former, to move away from the latter, and showed everyone the path to achieving perfection, since he himself was an experienced ascetic. His very interpretations are aimed, first of all, at the spiritual edification of his listeners. Whether he explains the history of the creation of the world, he sets himself the goal, firstly, to show that “the world is a school of the knowledge of God” (conversation 1 on the Sixth Day), and through this to arouse in his listeners reverence for the wisdom and goodness of the Creator, revealed in His creations, small and great, beautiful, diverse, countless. Secondly, he wants to show how nature always teaches a person good moral living. The way of life, properties, habits of four-legged animals, birds, fish, reptiles, everything - even former one-day things - gives him an opportunity to learn edifying lessons for the master of the earth - man. Whether he explains the book of Psalms, which, as he puts it, combines in itself everything that is useful in others: prophecies, history, and edification, he mainly applies the sayings of the Psalmist to the life and activity of a Christian. Pontus is a region in Asia Minor, along the southern coast of the Black Sea, not far from Neokesarea. The Pontic Desert was barren, and its climate was far from favorable for health. The hut in which Vasily lived here had neither strong doors, nor a real hearth, nor a roof. During the meal, however, some hot food was served, but, according to Gregory the Theologian, with such bread, on the pieces of which, due to its extreme callousness, the teeth first slipped and then got stuck in them. In addition to general prayers, reading St. Scriptures, scientific works of Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian and other local monks here themselves were engaged in carrying firewood, cutting stones, caring for garden vegetables, and they themselves carried a huge cart with manure. These rules served and serve as a guide for the life of monks throughout the East and, in particular, for our Russian monks. In his rules, Vasily gives preference to communal life over hermitic and solitary life, since, living together with others, the monk has more opportunities to serve the cause of Christian love. Vasily establishes for the monks the obligation of unquestioning obedience to the abbot, orders them to be hospitable towards strangers, although he forbids serving them special dishes. Fasting, prayer and constant work - this is what monks should do, according to the rules of Vasily, and, however, they should not forget about the needs of the unfortunate and sick people around them who need care. The heretics - the Arians - taught that Christ was a created being, not eternally existing and not of the same nature as God the Father. This heresy received its name from the presbyter of the Alexandrian Church, Arius, who began to preach these thoughts in the year 319. Sevastia is a city in Cappadocia. Proclus, Archbishop of Constantinople (in the middle of the 5th century) says that St. Vasily composed a shorter liturgy due to the fact that many Christians of his time began to express their dissatisfaction with the length of the church service. To do this, he shortened the usual public prayers, while at the same time expanding the prayers of the clergy. – In addition to the liturgies, Basil the Great composed: a) a prayer before communion; b) prayers on the evening of Pentecost and c) prayer and exorcism over the possessed. Prayer at the Liturgy of St. Basil the Great. Charter - papyrus paper or parchment, which was written on in ancient times; manuscript, scroll (3 Mac. 4:15; 2 John 1:12). “If it were not for Basil,” says the church historian Sozomen, “the heresy of Eunomius would have spread to Taurus, and the heresy of Apollinaris - from Taurus to Egypt.” Julian the Apostate reigned from 361 to 363. Having become emperor, he retreated from the Christian faith and set the goal of his life to restore paganism; that's why he's called the "Apostate." Ripida - (Greek fan, a tool for driving away flies). These are metal circles on rather long handles with images of six-winged Seraphim on them. With them the deacons, during the hierarchal service, wave and wave over the saint. gifts so that no insect falls into them; At the same time, the ripids remind us that during the celebration of the liturgy, St. Angels whose images are on the ripids. Ripides are used during the episcopal service; when serving as a priest, they are replaced by a cover. The curtains were, in fact, arranged in front of that section of the church where the women stood; these curtains were lowered during the celebration of the sacrament of the Eucharist, and women, under the threat of removal from the church, were forbidden to raise them at this time. The altar was separated from the rest of the church space by a through lattice, which later turned into the current iconostasis. Emperor Valens reigned from 364 to 378. This eparch was the ruler of the entire East and at the same time the chief of the praetorians or royal guard. The instrument with which the ancients wrote was something like a pen, pencil or stylus (see Ps. 45:1-3). That is, that the Son of God is consubstantial with God the Father and equal to him. Valentinian reigned from 364 to 376. In ancient times, from the time of Constantine the Great, churches were granted the so-called right of refuge: innocently persecuted people hid in them and thus the authorities had time to be convinced of their innocence. Basil the Great was an extremely sick man and often completely lost his bodily strength. “Continuous and severe fevers,” he himself wrote, “have exhausted my body so much that I am no different from a spider’s web. Every path is impassable for me, every breath of wind is more dangerous than anxiety for swimmers... For me, illness follows illness.” The graves of pagans, as unclean, were considered by ancient Christians to be the favorite abode of demons. Take it on your shoulders, like an eastern shepherd takes a tired lamb onto his shoulders. Ancient Christians had the custom of raising their hands to heaven during prayer. From there, our Church hymn says: the lifting of my hand is an evening sacrifice (Stichera on Vespers). Leprosy is a disease that destroys the entire human body and is contagious. St. Ephraim the Syrian is a famous Christian ascetic and writer. His memory is January 28. Ephraim is called Sirin, i.e. Syrian, because Mesopotamia, in which he was born, was considered Syria in ancient times. Exclamation from the small litany, pronounced by the deacon at vespers on the day of Pentecost. Nicaea is a city in the Asia Minor province of Bithynia. The First Ecumenical Council was held here in 325. Demosthenes was the most famous orator of ancient Greece; lived from 384–322 BC. That is, the way the king himself would judge. Lithium, from Greek. means fervent prayer. It was usually performed outside the church, but now it is performed in the vestibule. This took place in the city of Adrianople, in present-day Bulgaria. Field is a measure of distances; it was equal to our 690 fathoms. Felon - this was the name in ancient times for outer, long and wide clothing, sleeveless, hugging the body on all sides. The Christian Church, out of reverence for the Savior and his apostles, who used, if not this, then similar outer clothing, accepted the phelonion among the sacred vestments and from ancient times adopted it for both bishops and priests. That is, he had a special gift of eloquence, persuasiveness and power of speech. Gratian ruled the empire (first with his father Valentinian I) from 375 to 383. Where are the relics of St. Basil - unknown: on Athos (in the Lavra of St. Athanasius) only his head is shown; His holy body, according to the legends of Western writers, was taken from Caesarea during the Crusades and transferred by the crusaders to the West - to Flanders. For his services to the Church and his extraordinary, highly moral and ascetic life, St. Basil is called the Great and is glorified as “the glory and beauty of the Church,” “the luminary and eye of the universe,” the teacher of dogmas,” the chamber of learning, “the leader of life.” At the all-night vigil in memory of St. Basil the Great, the Church pronounces two proverbs in honor of the Circumcision of the Lord, and one in honor of the ecumenical teacher and Saint Basil - about the high perfection of the righteous and the benefit from them for their neighbors (Prov. 10, 31–32, 11:1–12). The Morning Gospel in honor of the saint (John 10:1-9) preaches about the dignity of the true shepherd, who lays down his life for the sheep. At the liturgy, which takes place on the 1st day of January, St. Basil the Great, by reading the Apostle in his honor, the Church proclaims the most perfect bishop - the Son of God, Whom Saint Basil the Great imitated in his life (Heb. 7, 26-8, 2). The Gospel at the liturgy (one to Circumcision, the other to St. Basil) in honor of the saint preaches the teaching of Jesus Christ about the blessedness of the poor in spirit, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness and those persecuted for the faith of Christ (Luke 6:17-23), as was St. Basil the Great. The words “thou hast taught him most divinely” indicate the great learning of St. Vasily - on his deep knowledge of the laws of nature. St. Basil left behind many works in which he explained, among other things, God’s wise arrangement of everything that exists. – The words: “thou hast adorned human customs” - indicate that St. Vasily wrote many rules and regulations, with which he introduced many pious customs. You might be interested in: