Похвальное слово иже во святых отцу нашему Василию Великому

Incline your ears to me, beloved brothers, I will tell you a most beautiful story. For it is wonderful to keep a king’s secret, but it is glorious to reveal the secrets of God (Tov.12:7). Since through His faithful servants the Lord strengthens the weak, “of whom I am chief” (1 Tim. 1:15), then I also have a desire to touch what has contributed to the healing of my poor soul. I want to warp (weave) now a cloth from the beautiful wave (wool) of a verbal sheep. I want to weave a pre-patterned tunic from the fleece of the beloved intelligent lips. For I once saw a ram who had a beautiful wave, and the verbal horns spoke divinely. And, approaching him with great struggle of spirit, I gradually removed the small threads from him, but some unbearable fear came over me that, not being wise, I dared to do such a thing. Do you want to hear clearly what this Aries is like, adorned with such good colors? This is the wise and faithful Basil, who was bishop in the Cappadocia region, in the city of Caesarea, proclaiming saving dogmas to the whole universe. Truly, Basil is the foundation of virtues, a book of praise, a life of miracles, a companion of the earth walking in the flesh and walking in spirit, looking to the heavenly, the precious bow of the spiritual fortress, delighting the region of the holy Angels, a lamb faithful to the mother of life, illuminating the pasture of the Holy Spirit, jumping up in strong love and delighting in the flower at the foot of the Honorable Cross; the nursery of dogma, verbal language, the price of right and useful thoughts; plunged into the depths of the Scriptures and imitated the bright beads; a pre-decorated bunch of Divine grapes, heavenly uttering God’s sweetness; a beautiful sheet of sacred wisdom, inscribed from above with Divine inscriptions; the most excellent field of the mountainous Kingdom, which produced for God the fruits of righteousness; a hill blooming with mysterious roses, from which the fragrance rises to the very sky; who proclaimed pleasing hymns about the Lord and received light crowns in heaven; who understood grace and, like Job (as it reads in the Slavic translation), proclaimed the confession to the Savior of all: “The Spirit of God created me, and the breath of the Almighty taught me” (Job 33:4), claiming that by the Holy Spirit he preached the Lord Jesus Christ to everyone. I also wish to continue the verbal fabric in praise of Vasily, so that on the holiday and memory of the righteous man through his prayers we may gain knowledge and tenderness. Therefore, we again need to take hold of the shuttle of the Spirit and prepare a mental thread, and spread out (extend) in this work so that we can begin the weft on the basis. For if anyone soberly spins this thread, he will prepare it for those who wish to wear it as a robe of immortality. Such are the beginnings of the mysterious pet; These are the gains from holy acquisition! So incessantly, like a wave, he was adorned with teaching, delivering clothes to those who came to him, the spirit-bearing (having in him the Holy Spirit) ram of Christ's flock, adorned with the mercy of the bright Church, with his wave warming the poor and butting the rich with his horns. Staying day and night in the sanctuary itself, he received grace from above. Therefore, every day with a flower-bearing word he renewed the constant decoration of souls; but, being applied to everyone, it did not lack variety. Since he grew up among immortal flowers, he ate holy plants; since he always reclined on the Scriptures, rested in the apostolic pastures and had fun in the sacred courts, his word flowed like a river, and his truth like the waves of the sea. There he absorbed divine thoughts, here he tasted immortal verbs. There he ate excellent dishes, and here he prophesied (prophesied) accessible speeches. For his food was not harsh, it was not thorns, but rose and lily, saffron and cinnamon. He tested cereals similar to these, extracting fragrant food from mysterious plants. That is why its pure wave was beautiful and was used to weave divine instructions. And is it necessary to say much about this Aries? His word was a prepared vessel, and not an ordinary vessel, but similar to the one Peter saw: “bound at the four edges and lowered to the ground at the bottom” (Acts 10:11). But he descended to the earth and contained within himself birds and four-legged animals; Vasily, having gained ascension to heaven, spoke to us the notorious (long known) and extraordinary words. That vessel appeared for a short time, and its image, by revelation to Peter alone, again rose into the sky, and Basil, rising in height for many years, bestowed upon many the grace of the Spirit; Peter heard about that vessel from heaven: “What God has cleansed, do not consider unclean” (Acts 10:15). And about him it was said to everyone: “I have sanctified him, honor” him you too (Jer. 1:5. Ps. 2:12). Therefore, who will not praise the one whom the Father has glorified? Who will not honor him whom the Son has sanctified? Who will not please the one whom the wise, prudent (intelligent) and venerable Spirit has pleased? Oh, with what good will is it determined to dwell and walk in the Council of the All-Perfect? For God said: “And to whom will I look only to him who is meek and silent and trembles at My words” (Is. 66:2). Grace so filled his mind with these venerable and eternal streams that it made those who were in the filth of their sins as beautiful as those who were washed. Then the Lord had mercy on me, showing His mercy, on one occasion in a certain city; I heard a voice there saying to me: “Arise, Ephraim, and eat mental food.” - “Where will I get what to eat, Lord?” And he said to me: “Behold, in My house the royal vessel will give you food.” Very surprised by what was said, I stood up and entered the church of the Most High. Quietly entering the church yard and with strong desire directing his gaze to the vestibule, he saw in the Holy of Holies a chosen vessel, brightly stretched out before the congregation, adorned with divine words; and everyone's eyes were turned to him. I myself saw that the church was nourished by the Spirit, that the widow and the orphan were especially merciful to him. There I saw tears flowing to him like a river, and the fleece of life shining goldenly for everyone, and the shepherd himself, on the wings of the Spirit, offering up prayers for us and teaching in words. I saw the Church flaunted by him, I saw his beloved, adorned. I saw how he taught Paul’s lessons, the law of the Gospel, and instilled fear in the Sacraments. I saw there a useful and saving word, undoubtedly rising to the very sky. In a word, I saw that this entire meeting was illuminated with rays of grace. And since all this so piously received its power from the chosen vessel of the Kingdom, I glorified the All-Wise and Good Lord, Who so glorifies those who glorify Him. And upon leaving this school, he was notified about me by the Holy Spirit and, calling my thinness to himself, asked through an interpreter, telling me: “Are you Ephraim, who beautifully bowed your neck and took upon yourself the yoke of the saving word?” And I said in response: “I am Ephraim, who prevents himself from walking the heavenly path.” Then, hugging me, this wondrous man imprinted his holy kiss on me. He also offered a meal from the food consumed by the wise saint and his faithful soul - not prepared from perishable dishes, but filled with imperishable thoughts. For he reasoned about what kind of good deeds we can appease the Lord to ourselves, how to repel the invasion of sins, how to block the entrances of passions, how to acquire apostolic virtue, how to implore the incorruptible Judge. And I, crying, cried out and said: “You, father, be a guardian for me, relaxed and lazy. You guide me on the right path, you bring my petrified heart to contrition. The God of spirits has cast me down before you, so that you may heal my soul. You set the bark (boat) of my soul on the water of rest.” And notice the care of the good teacher! How he mastered my powers: he became for me what a rod serves for the body, and, having eradicated the habit of unreasonable passions, he removed the scales from me, this damage to the eyes, and, freeing the word from what was green and immature in it, he embraced me with jealousy and plunged me into the depths of his instructions. Then my womb conceived prudence to give birth to praise of the forty martyrs, because this good (valiant) man related my hearing to their patience of every kind, told me how they preferred to die for Christ over everything, how many dangers they despised so that they might gain Him, and also how many saints there were, and told everything else about their piety. So, since the faithful bishop honored me with such glorious work, then, leaving the praise of these victorious, glorified men until another legend, let us please the venerable man of Christ, a zealot of the martyrs and equal to them (worthy of equal veneration). For just as these saints courageously resisted the tormentor Licinius and the military leader Dooku, so this saint argued with Valens, Arius and the arrogant ruler of the region. They plucked up thorns of error; and he brought forth the thistles of heretical madness. They destroyed the Licinian trenches; and he brought Valens' decrees into inaction. They violated Dukov’s orders; and he put Ariev's objections to shame. They humbled the arrogance of the military leader; and he crushed Modesto’s fury, because, encouraged by the feat of these martyrs, like Phinehas, he pierced the tongues that did not observe loyalty to God. That is why he wanted to drink the cup with great fervor and hurried through martyrdom to erect a victorious monument for himself. The martyrs for faith in Christ endured courageously, bearing all the sorrows at once; Vasily, out of trust in Christ, courageously endured the storms of temptation. They took off their tunics and gave up their members to be mocked; and he hastened to take off the rags that covered his neck and body. Those in the lake attracted to themselves the one who was wandering in wickedness and introduced him to glory; and he, baptizing the unfaithful in the font, became for them an intercessor for the Kingdom of Heaven. Those who were burned by love in the waters saw light on their heads along with crowns; and he, inflamed by the dogmas of the Holy Trinity, accepted the reward for his struggle with evil-minded people. What the wicked Belial did not invent to excommunicate Vasily from the heavenly Kingdom! He irritated kings, princes and peoples, and Vasily became a support for the faithful; he enraged all his storms - and nothing embarrassed the inflamed sage in the least; he created excitement through his servants, heretics, - and the more so the art of the helmsman was revealed; directed the rippling shafts towards the Church - and was unable to sink the ship of Basil’s faith; fought with him with heretical arguments, and was immediately met with theological dogmas; Arius armed him like Goliath, and was struck from his sling with three stones of faith; struck his pillar with the winds of evil, because the words of the wicked were winds, but did not shake it, because it was protected by the three insurmountable walls of the Most Pure Trinity; shot the arrows of polytheism at him, and they were immediately repelled by the Unity of Command. Packs of barking dogs approached, and he wounded them with the rod of the cross; the wolves again dressed themselves in sheep's skin - and he immediately denounced their hypocrisy; untruth hurried to confuse him, and was immediately defeated by his truth. The infidels competed with each other in imitating his faith and teachings - and their evil faith and wicked way of thinking were immediately proclaimed; they tried to suggest that they had his boldness, and their foolishness was immediately revealed. Since the opponents also knew how to respect and honor virtue and courage, when the son of the tormentor was in a severe illness, they asked Vasily to pray for him. And when Vasily proposed the condition: “Give him to me in order to lead me to impeccable faith and free him from all the evil of the Aryan teachings,” and the king agreed to this, then he immediately became an intercessor for the king of the earth before the King of Heaven, raised to Him the promise of his husband and accepted the health of the boy. But the serpents, as soon as they saw the boy saved, again corrupted the will of the frivolous king and, taking his son, baptized him with water, but not with the Spirit, taught him to sweep away the Son of God, possessing him internally and clothing him externally; and outwardly he puts on Christ, but inwardly he dissects Him. Therefore, in a short time He took away the spirit of the unfortunate man, proclaiming (predicting) the ingratitude of their hearts. All this is no less than the miracles of Elijah, no less than the signs of Elisha. Just as Elijah and Elisha brought the dead back to life, so faithful Basil, through prayer, snatched someone close to death from death. And again, just as Peter killed Ananias and Sapphira, who hid the silver, so Basil, taking Peter’s place and at the same time participating in Peter’s boldness, exposed Valens, who had stolen his promise, and put his son to death. From that time on, these poor people and the unfaithful king himself lost heart and were in great confusion. And who will properly describe those rains of miracles that the blessed and faithful Basil actually showed? So, since we do not have the opportunity to retell so many of Vasily’s merits, then, without talking about all of them, we will show how inanimate things fought for this man. Since the “brood of vipers” (Matthew 3:7), constantly struck by his words and miracles as if by arrows, used all means to destroy the righteous man, they began with a request to kidnap him and send him to prison. “It is difficult for us to see” (Wis. 2:15), they said, because it strongly opposes us with words. Therefore, king, while he is here, it is impossible for our faith to succeed.” And the king, carried away by their words, intended to send him to prison. But the cane (something like a feather), unable to bear serving the lawless intention, was immediately crushed, admonishing the madman that he intended to commit great insolence against the servant of Christ, who preaches the One Divinity - the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and who, like mad dogs, wisely denounced those who think or assert in the wrong way. When the son of error, more insensitive than the most inanimate reed, did not understand this and took another reed to sign and complete his evil intention, then he saw that this reed could not bear to participate in the evil deed that he hastened to commit. Why are you in a hurry, O king, to send to a foreign country the one in whom dwells the One who fills everything? Why do you accept to destroy something irresistible? Why are you expelling a heavenly citizen from the city? If you take the third reed, you will see that it too will be crushed, will not bear it, will not help you. That's how it was. Then victory was clearly proclaimed to everyone, and the three canes, which became the defenders of the preacher of the Consubstantial Trinity, served as a victorious monument to the invincible. The hand was in a hurry to pronounce the sentence, and the canes abandoned this injustice. The hand was in a hurry to give a crafty opinion, and the canes kept it from vain zeal. And just as the rod of Moses put to shame all the charmers (sorcerers) and other magicians of Egypt, so the reeds immediately turned into nothing the intentions of the wicked and the sons of darkness. How we will please you, Father Vasily! You butt with the axes (stab with stings) and drive away error, you wisely go along with the bees, sojourn (wander) in the meadow of the Inspired Scriptures and there you gather for us prophetic flowers, apostolic dew, the life of the Gospel; You always sit in the hives of virtues and make us a Divine reward from them; You wisely, through the Holy Spirit, make the honey of divine and impeccable faith; you teach us to disdain the crafty wasps, and raise faith to the very sky; You cried out like David: “How sweet is Your word to my throat, more than honey to my mouth” (Ps. 119:103). O faithful Basil, pleased like Abel, saved like Noah, called a friend of God, like Abraham, sacrificed to God, like Isaac, who courageously endured temptation, like Jacob, majestically glorified, like Joseph, who drowned the new Pharaoh and cut through the sea of ​​passions with the rod of the cross! Like Moses, ordained as the bishop of the Lord, like Aaron, who put his enemies to flight, like Joshua, who became jealous and was granted grace, like Phinehas, purified by mental fire, like Isaiah! You beheld Him who sat on the Cherubim, like Ezekiel, you stopped the mouths of the lions, like Daniel; you perfectly trampled the flames of the opposition, like the three youths, you preached like Peter, you taught like Paul, you confessed the suffering God like Thomas, you theologized like Matthew, and Mark, and Luke, and John, you taught the lawless, you converted the wicked, you pleased God like the apostles. Pray for me, extremely pitiful, and revive with your prayers, father, you, courageous, me, paralyzed, you, zealous, me, lazy, you, zealous, me, careless, you, wise, me, foolish, you, who have collected for yourself a treasure of virtues, me, who has not a single merit. For the Father of mercies has magnified you, you have been blessed by the Son of God, you have been renewed into a holy temple by the Holy Spirit. To him befits glory, power, splendor for all ages! You might be interested in: