Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia. Universal teacher. Life of St. Basil the Great

January 14 is the day of remembrance of the teacher of the Church, St. Basil the Great.
On the same day, January 14: Great Religious holiday — .
February 12 - Council of Ecumenical Teachers: St. Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom

WHAT DO YOU PRAY FOR TO SAINT BASIL THE GREAT

Holy teacher Basil the Great, first of all, provides assistance in requests for relief from fears and strengthening of faith, it helps to get rid of persecution or unfair treatment from superiors.
The mercy and charity of Basil the Great still helps people in healing from illnesses. You can ask a saint for help in your studies, in scientific research– the saint himself was a very educated person and studied many sciences.
An excellent orator, Basil the Great had the gift of convincing people, so he patronizes those people who are associated with education.
Also, the universal teacher Basil the Great can help with finding housing or improving living conditions, giving a good harvest and in many other areas.

It must be remembered that icons or saints do not “specialize” in any specific areas. It will be right when a person turns with faith in the power of God, and not in the power of this icon, this saint or prayer.
And .

THE LIFE OF ST. BASIL THE GREAT

Basil was born around 330 (during the reign of Constantine the Great) in Caesarea, the administrative center of Cappadocia. His family was of noble birth, all children were raised in strong reverence for the Christian faith. The result of this upbringing was that five (out of ten) children were canonized.

Basil received in his homeland in Caesarea a good education, then continued his studies in Constantinople, then he went to Athens, where fate brought Vasily together with another very wise man- Gregory the Theologian. Both Ecumenical teachers were similar to each other in humility, meekness and good behavior; they remained friends until the end of their days.

Saint Basil very painstakingly studied all the sciences; reviews from his contemporaries have reached us: “he studied everything in such a way that another does not study one subject, he studied every science to such perfection, as if he had not studied anything else. A philosopher, philologist, orator, lawyer, natural scientist, who had deep knowledge of medicine - he was like a ship, as loaded with learning as it was spacious for human nature.”

Returning from Athens, Vasily first began to study, at the suggestion of his father, rhetoric and law, but soon decided that his path on earth was to serve God and decided to be baptized.

Vasily received Holy Baptism only at the age of about 25 - in those days it was very an important event In human life, sometimes it happened that people put it off almost until their death.
To improve his Christian faith, the newly converted Vasily decided to indulge in asceticism and went to Egypt, where monastic asceticism was very developed. Here he also hoped to find “a guide to the knowledge of the truth.” Vasily spent two years away from his homeland. He visited Egypt, Syria, Palestine, Mesopotamia, where he met some famous ascetics of those times, studied their works and himself indulged in Christian deeds.

After returning to Cappadocia, Saint Basil distributed property to the poor. Together with their friend Gregory the Theologian and several other monks, they created a Christian community, where they prayed together, worked and studied the works of the holy fathers. Their life was not easy, they ate what they grew all their lives. hard work they did it themselves with their own hands. At the same time, Saints Basil and Gregory carefully studied the Holy Scriptures and their interpretation. At the same time, Vasily compiled a Christian collection of rules of moral life, which many monasteries and monasteries took as a basis.

In those years, the teaching of Arius, who refuted the unity of God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, acquired great danger; he argued that God the Father occupies a dominant position, and God the Son and the Holy Spirit are subordinate to the Father, which in principle was much more understandable to ordinary people.

The father of Gregory the Theologian, who served as a bishop in Nazianza, was already an old man and physically did not have the strength to fight the heretics, so he called his son to help him. So Saint Gregory was forced to leave his friend, and after his departure Saint Basil returned to Caesarea, where he was ordained a deacon, and in 364 he became a presbyter.
Saint Basil liked the new concerns; he enthusiastically cared for the monks and preached the word of God. With his labors, he earned himself such respect among people that even the Bishop of Caesarea Eusebius himself did not have. Until the death of Eusebius (370), Basil actually ruled the Caesarea church, although he was second in the hierarchy.

Saint Basil, a zealous supporter of the Nicene Confession, resisted the Arian threat by all means and, one might say, led the defenders of Orthodoxy in Caesarea. At this time, Basil the Great compiled the order of the liturgy, conversations on the Sixth Day, on the 16 chapters of the prophet Isaiah, on the psalms, the second collection of monastic rules, and also wrote three books against the Arians, preaching the slogan “three hypostases in one essence.”
In 370, after the death of Eusebius, Saint Basil was elected archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia. The saint was engaged in charity, interceding for innocent and persecuted people, people loved their shepherd very much for his honesty and mercy.
During these years, he wrote a book about the Holy Spirit, which speaks about the Divinity of the Holy Spirit and the unity of His nature with the Father and the Son. Basil the Great explained and supported the Orthodox in the fight against Arianism; many letters to various bishops, priests and ordinary people have been preserved.

Emperor Valens, who came to power, was a supporter of Arianism. He had a very negative attitude towards Archbishop Vasily and even threatened him, to which he received the answer from the saint:

“All this means nothing to me, he does not lose his property who has nothing except old and worn-out clothes and a few books, which contain all my wealth. There is no exile for me, because I am not bound by a place, and the place where I live now is not mine, and wherever they throw me will be mine. It is better to say: everywhere is God’s place, wherever I am a stranger and stranger (Ps. 38:13). What can torment do to me? I am so weak that only the first blow will be felt. Death is a blessing for me: it will sooner lead me to God, for Whom I live and work, for Whom I have long been striving.”

After such a firm answer, the emperor secretly visited the temple where Saint Basil served, listened to his sermon and recognized his intelligence and firmness in the faith. After this, the attacks on Saint Basil ceased, although the emperor did not accept communion with Basil.

From his youth, the saint’s illnesses, tireless asceticism, and the sorrows of his pastoral service undermined Vasily’s strength. On January 1 (January 14, new style), 379, the earthly life of the saint and Ecumenical teacher Basil the Great ended. He did not live only two years until the Second Ecumenical Council (381) in Constantinople, where his theological ideas were adopted.

The merits of Saint Basil were manifested not only in solving the Arian crisis and “calming” the Church. He also put a lot of effort into streamlining monasticism. Vasily’s personal experience told him that if you become carried away by monasticism, you can even “burn out” and tear yourself away from the Church with excessive zeal. Already a bishop, the saint published the monastic rules in two editions, lengthy and short. Through the efforts of Vasily, eight common prayers were introduced into the monastic routine during the day: Matins, Vespers, Compline, Midnight Office and prayers of the first, third, sixth and ninth hours.

Saint Gregory the Theologian wrote about his friend Basil the Great this way:

“He was the support of faith, the rule of truth, a model in the Church, the abode of the Spirit, a man who surpassed the measure of both human life and virtues, a man who was all-encompassing, great and holy; his soul was Divine, he was a courageous ascetic of truth, who breathed nothing less than pious and saving teaching for the whole world; for everyone he was a model of faith and virtue, his word was sublime, deep and perfect.”

GREATNESS

We magnify you, Father Basil, and honor your holy memory, for you pray for us to Christ our God.

BASILY THE GREAT - VIDEO ABOUT THE Ecumenical Hierarchs

Eparch Modest 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 will not enrich yourself, and you will not 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 to whom I have long been striving.

The Life of Our Holy Father Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea

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, around 330, during the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great. His father's name was also Vasily, 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 Iris River, 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 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. 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. 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. 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 retained this mutual love forever. Vasily was so passionate about science that he often even forgot while reading 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 seeking 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 himself, having become a teacher of rhetoric, Vasily went to Egypt, where monastic life flourished. 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 fasting feats. 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, outside the city walls, he met him while Evvul was talking with other philosophers about some important subject. Having listened to the argument and not 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: “It’s either some god, or Vasily.” 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, “is that it gives a person remembrance of death.” 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.

Along with these joys, Vasily said, there are consolations of a different kind, of heavenly origin. You cannot 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 everyday things, crush the bread of true knowledge and bring someone 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. “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, embraces him with love, kisses him, and adorns him with light 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. He gives to us who repent and are born of water and the Spirit, as it is written: The eye has not seen, the ear has not heard, and what God has prepared for those who love Him has not entered into the heart of man.

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: “Oh, Vasily revealed by heaven, through you I believe in the One God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of all things, and the tea of ​​the resurrection of the dead and 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 you to be born of water and the Spirit. Then Basil said: “Blessed is our God from now on and forever, Who illuminated your mind with the light of truth, Evvul, 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 give the money to the poor, and we ourselves will go to the holy city to see the miracles there, there we will be even more strengthened in our faith. Having thus distributed all their property to the needy and bought themselves the white clothes that those receiving baptism were required to have, they went to Jerusalem and along the way they converted many to the true faith.

Arriving in Antioch, 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 of Homer’s poems 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? Philoxenus said: “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 boy, 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? The youth said:“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, Lebanon began to ask them various sophistic questions, and they offered him a word about the Christian faith. Livanius, having listened to them carefully, 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. “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 Livaniya gathered, and Vasily 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 equal to themselves and to the lower ones, so that they distance themselves from evil, passionate and attached to carnal pleasures, so that they speak less and listen and delve more deeply, are not reckless in speech, are not verbose, do not laugh impudently at others, are adorned with modesty, do not enter into conversation with immoral women, they would cast their eyes down, and their souls would be turned to grief, they would avoid disputes, they would not seek the teaching rank, and the honors of this world would be considered 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 this 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, and asked him to baptize them in the Jordan. 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, rising with trepidation, he took off his clothes, and with them " put aside the old way of life of the old man", and, entering the water, he prayed. When the saint approached to baptize him, suddenly a fiery lightning fell on them and a dove emerging from that lightning plunged into the Jordan and, stirring up the water, flew away to heaven. Those standing on the shore, seeing this , trembled and glorified God. Having received baptism, Basil came out of the water and the bishop, marveling at his love for God, clothed him in the clothes of Christ's resurrection, praying at the same time. He baptized Evvul and then anointed both with myrrh and communed with 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 the Scriptures. A little time later, he left with Evvul 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 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, and 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.”After this, the Archbishop called Vasily 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, 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. 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, out of human weakness, began to envy and benevolently Vasily. Saint Basil learned about this, and, not wanting to be the subject of envy, went into the Ionian desert. In the Ionian 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, and with his letters attracted his friend Gregory to him in the desert.

In their solitude, Vasily and Gregory did everything together: they prayed together, both abandoned reading worldly books, on which they had previously spent a lot of time, and began to study the Holy Scriptures exclusively. Wanting to study it better, they read the works of the fathers and church 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. 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 a roof nor a 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 was taken to Nazianza by his father, Gregory, who was already an old man and therefore did not have the strength to fight the heretics with firmness, to help the Orthodox, but Basil was persuaded to return to him by Eusebius, Archbishop of Caesarea, who reconciled with him in a letter and asked him to help the Church, which the Arians took up arms against. 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. At this time, their mother, blessed Emmelia, departed to the Lord, having lived for more than 90 years.

Some time later, 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. Six days later on the seventh, when Basil, standing before the throne in the temple, 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, who created us and brought us into this life,” and other prayers of the holy liturgy. At the end of the prayer, he raised the bread, fervently praying in these words: “Hear, Lord Jesus Christ our God, in the heavens of your habitation 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 with your hand Give us Your most pure body and blood to all of us people." When the saint was doing this, Evvul and the highest clergy saw a heavenly light 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 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.

During Vasily’s lifetime, the Lord God testified to his holiness with some miraculous signs. Once, when he was performing a 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 breaking him 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 to Blessed Basil in the morning 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, taking the charter, 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: “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 put him in bonds 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 petition. 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, King Julian the Apostate, blasphemer and great persecutor of Christians, boasting that he would destroy Christians, went to war against the Persians. Saint Basil then prayed in the church before the icon Holy Mother of God, at whose feet there was an image, and the holy great martyr Mercury in the form of a warrior with a spear. 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 divine gifts, hanging over the holy throne, moved by the power of God, shook three times. One day, 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 the ripids 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, to spend whole nights without sleep in prayer and to 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.

While Saint Basil was a bishop, the Church of Christ was confused by Tsar Valens, 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 remained on his throne, as an unshakable pillar of his faith, and reinforced and exhorted 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, so that they, with prayers and promises, or threats, would induce Vasily to fulfill the king’s desire. 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 with the king. But no one could force this hierarch, unshakable in his faith, to fall away from Orthodoxy. Finally, Eparch Modest 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 will not enrich yourself with it, and you will not 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." wanderer and 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 to 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, imputing 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. Reporting to Valens about the inflexibility and fearlessness of Saint Basil, Modest said: “We, king, have been 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, also listened 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 Vasily, being incited to this by evil people, believing whose denunciations he condemned Basil to exile. But when the king wanted to sign this sentence, the throne on which he was sitting shook and the cane with which he was supposed to sign broke broke. The king took another cane, but the same thing happened to that one, and the same thing happened to the third one. 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, having listened to the advice of foolish people, broke three canes, wanting to sign a decree about 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?” he answered: “It will never happen that I, having deviated from the true Christian faith, became a follower of the wicked Arian teachings.” , for I inherited from my fathers the faith in the consubstantial, which I profess and glorify. The judge threatened him with death, but Vasily answered: “What? Let me suffer for the truth and be freed from bodily bonds, I have long desired this, - only you will not change yours.” 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, Galat, suddenly fell ill and the doctors had already doomed him to death. His mother, having come to the king, told him with irritation: “Since you believe incorrectly and are persecuting the bishop of God, the boy is dying 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!” The saint answered: - 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, who reigned in the west, 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 dioceses and gave shelter there to many of the weak and wretched.

Blessed Gregory of Nazianzus also reports that Saint Basil also healed the 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. 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. However, I couldn't find it anywhere. He called Vasily to him and scolded him with great fury, threatening to give him over to torture 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, worries me greatly.” At this time, the citizens, having learned about the incident, all rushed - not only men, but also women - to the palace of the eparch 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, but the devil, the original 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 at first refused, 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.” The wizard then said: “Will you renounce your Christ and give a receipt for it?” The slave said: “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 fulfill 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, 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 believe in me?” He answered: “I believe.” The devil asked again: “Are you denying your Christ?” “I renounce,” answered the slave. Then Satan said to him: “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 until 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 ancient destroyer of souls, the serpent (i.e., the devil), sent 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 shouting to her father: “Have pity on me, have pity.” your daughter and give me in marriage 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 from sorrow to hell, 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, unfortunate one, get married!” But I think that later 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 completely assure me 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 to, against his will, 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. The saint said: “Do you want to turn again to our Lord, Jesus Christ?” “Yes, I want to, but I can’t,” he answered. - From what? - Vasily asked. “Because,” the husband answered, “I gave a receipt that I renounce Christ and surrender myself to the devil.” But Vasily said: “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 whatever way you can. Then the saint said to the slave: “Do you believe that you can still be saved?” He said in response: “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!” The saint said: “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: “How are you living, child?” He answered: “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: “How are you living, child?” He said: “Okay, holy father, for 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. In the morning, he called the entire church clergy, monks and all Christ-loving people and said: “Let us glorify God, brother, lover of mankind, for now the Good Shepherd wants to accept the lost sheep and bring it to church: this night we must implore his goodness so that He defeated and put to 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 and 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 the Lord forbid you, O 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. Vasily said: “Blessed be the Lord my God!” These people will not lower their hands raised to the sky until you give that receipt.

Then, turning to the people, the saint said: “Raise your hands and cry out: “Lord have mercy!” And so, after the people, raising their hands to the sky, for a long time screamed with tears: “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 in the hearing of everyone he said to the young man: “Do you know, brother, this receipt?” The young man answered: “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, gave him communion. Divine Mysteries and offered a hearty meal to all 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: “Come, children, follow me 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 am 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 Vasily, 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!” The saint said: “Where is Mr. Anastasius, your brother?” She answered: “This is not my brother, but my husband; he went into the field. Vasily said: “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 does this come from to me, that the saint of my Lord came to me?” The saint, giving him a kiss about 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 the church, Saint Basil ordered Anastasius to serve the liturgy, but he refused, saying: “You know, Vladyka, what is said in Scripture: “ the lesser is blessed by the greater" (Heb.7:7). Vasily said to him: “With all your other good deeds, also have obedience.” When Anastasius was performing the liturgy, then, 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 the house of Anastasius, 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. The presbyter answered: - Holy Hierarch 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 with the other my hired man; what I receive with the help of one pair of oxen, I spend to calm 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. Vasily said to him: “Call her your sister, as she really is, and tell me about your virtues.” Anastasy answered: “I have done nothing good on earth.” Then Vasily said: “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, “don’t go there, because there is nothing there except household things.” Vasily said: “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, many parts of his body had already fallen off, having rotted. 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.” Then Vasily said: “You are performing a good deed, but let me also serve him this night, so that I too can be a partner 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 in the 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, 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 a high rank that I have not seen such a person.” Entering the church, Ephraim stood in the corner, invisible to anyone, and spoke to himself like this: “We,” endured the burden of the day and the heat" (Matthew 20:12), they achieved nothing, and this one, enjoying such fame 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 andsmall 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 the translator what the archdeacon had said, answered the latter: “You were mistaken, 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 bowed to the ground, he said: “Vasil is truly great, truly he is a pillar of fire, truly the Holy Spirit speaks through his lips!”

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 up to the vessel and, calling the Monk Ephraim, gave him a kiss in the Lord and said: “I greet you, Father, who multiplied the disciples of Christ 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 Vasily’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 said to him: “Tell me what you need: I am in great debt 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 beg his goodness to give me the ability to speak Greek.” Vasily answered: “Your request is beyond my strength, but since you ask with firm hope, then, venerable father and desert mentor, let us go to the temple of the Lord and pray to the Lord, who can fulfill your prayer, for it is said: “ He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them." (Ps. 144:19).

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 told 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 order us to rise 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.” 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.

The wicked king once stopped in the city of Nicaea, 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, being 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 suffered 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 king's power loves judgment" (Ps.98:4). Why did you, Tsar, pronounce an unjust sentence, expelling the Orthodox from the holy church and giving control of it to the unjust? The king told him: “You began to insult me ​​again, Vasily!” It's not right for you to do this. Vasily replied: “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, as a reproach to the saint. The saint said: “Here we see before us the unlearned Demosthenes.” The ashamed cook again said something in response, but the saint said: “Your business is to think about food, and not to cook church dogmas.” And Demosthenes, being put to shame, fell silent. The Tsar, now aroused by anger, now feeling ashamed, said to Vasily: “Go and sort out their case, however, judge in such a way as not to turn out to be an assistant to your fellow believers.” “If I judge unfairly,” answered the saint, “then send me to prison, drive out my fellow believers, and give the church to the Arians.”Having taken the royal decree, the saint returned to Nicaea and, calling the Arians, said to them: “The king has given me the power to institute judgment between you and the Orthodox regarding the church, which you seized by force.” They answered him: “Judge, but according to the royal court.” The saint then said: “Go, you Arians and you Orthodox, and close the church, lock 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, while singing sacred hymns, to the church, if it opens for us , then we will own it forever, but 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 had tightly locked the holy church, after it was sealed, a vigilant guard was posted to it. 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 Christians with their wives and children, left the city to the church of the holy martyr Diomede and, having celebrated the 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 commanded everyone to be silent and, approaching the doors, made the sign of the cross three times and said: “Blessed is 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 strong wind and storms, so that the doors hit the walls. Saint Basil began to chant: - " Lift up your gates, O princes, and lift up the everlasting gates, and the King of glory will come in!" (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. 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 expose 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 for eight fields and, seeing his brother with a large number 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, or better yet, the bride of the Lord, I came here for you.” She answered: “Hello to you too, most honorable father, and I have long wanted to kiss your honest feet.” And Vasily said to Peter: “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 over my brother and over my daughter-in-law? They said: “We see the angels of God fanning them and anointing their immaculate bed with fragrances.” Vasily then told them: “Be silent, and don’t tell anyone what you saw.”

In the morning, Vasily ordered the people to gather in the church and bring here a brazier with burning coals. After that, 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: “Spread, brother, your phelonion.” 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, no smoky smell was felt 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 in Caesarea there was a widow of noble birth, extremely rich, living voluptuously, pleasing her flesh, she completely enslaved herself to sin and for many years remained in prodigal uncleanness. 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, a sinner and a prodigal one!” How will I answer the righteous Judge for the sins I have committed? I corrupted the temple 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 all, she wrote down one most serious sin 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: “Here, lord, I wrote all my sins and iniquities on this charter and sealed it, but 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! You alone can do this. 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: “You heard, woman, that” no one can forgive sins except God alone" (Mark 2:7). She said: “I heard it, 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, hitting herself in 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 was completely cleared. The archbishop, shedding tears of pity for her, said: “Get 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, but if you protect yourself from sin in the future 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 for which she came to him, answered her: “Get away from me, woman, for I am a sinful man 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, having prayed to God, would cleanse my sin, which is written in this charter, he cleansed the rest of the sins, and you do not refuse to pray for one sin, for I 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 the 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: “In which faith I was born, in that I want to die.” The saint said to him: “Believe me, neither I nor you will die until you” you are not born of water and spirit" (John 3:5), for without such grace one cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Weren't 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? This Christ your fathers crucified, but He, being buried on the third day, rose again and, having ascended 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 a 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, for from minute to minute his death must be expected.” But Vasily said: “You don’t know what you’re saying!” The Jew answered: “Believe me, sir, that your death will come before sunset.” Then Vasily said to him: “And if I remain alive until the morning, until the sixth hour, what will you do then?” Joseph replied: “Let me die 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 he 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 saint’s feet, 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. The holy father commanded that he 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 Jerei, approaching him, touched the saint’s right hand and said: “Your strength, sir, has weakened, and your whole nature has completely weakened; you cannot baptize me yourself.” “We have a Creator who strengthens us,” answered Vasily. And, having risen, 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 one about eternal life and having addressed a word of edification to all his verbal sheep, the saint remained in the church until the ninth hour. Then, giving everyone his 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, like a bishop, joined the deceased bishops, and like a great verbal thunder - to the preachers on the first day of January 379, during the reign of Gratian, who reigned after his father, Valentinian.

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 whom be glory forever. Amen.

Basil the Great is an ecumenical saint and teacher. They began to call the saint “Great” for his tireless and enormous work for the benefit of the Orthodox Church. In the struggle for the purity of faith, the life of St. Basil the Great united philosophy, theology and monastic asceticism.

Life of Saint Basil

Basil was born around 330 in Caesarea in Cappadocia. His parents were known as noble people, zealots of Christianity. His ancestors (grandfather and grandmother) suffered for the faith during the time of the pagan Diocletian, and his uncle served in the rank of bishop. The boy's father was a lawyer; he dreamed that the heir would follow in his footsteps.

Under the guidance of his parents and highly educated grandmother Macrina, the guy received his first knowledge. And then he went to Constantinople and Athens, where he received an excellent education. The young man studied many sciences perfectly.

At the same time, Gregory the Theologian also studied in Athens. The young people became friends and their spiritual closeness continued throughout their lives.

Venerable Basil the Great

Beginning of ministry

In 357, Basil returned to Caesarea and began teaching rhetoric. But he dreamed of a spiritual life, and leaving teaching, he went on a trip to countries where asceticism flourished.

In Egypt, the saint studied theological sciences with Archimandrite Porfiry, and here he studied the feat of fasting and visited the ascetics of Orthodoxy. Then he went to Jerusalem to worship the holy places of the earthly life of Jesus Christ, visited Antioch, and there he was ordained a deacon.

In Caesarea, leading a strict monastic life, Basil was elevated to the rank of presbyter. While in high rank, he also took care of the needs of the flock entrusted to him and preached zealously, which earned him the love and respect of Christians.

But one of the bishops named Eusebius began, out of envy, to express his dissatisfaction with Basil. To which he, in order to avoid troubles, went to the Pontic desert. He lived next to the monastery that his mother and older sister founded.

Important! Here, together with their beloved friend Gregory, they drew up monastic rules and regulations, which were soon adopted by Orthodox monasteries.

Gift of the Almighty

Soon the Council of Bishops elected Basil to the See of Caesarea, where he showed himself to be a fierce and zealous defender of the Christian faith. He compiled books about the Divinity of the Holy Spirit and his unity with the Son and Father in the Holy Trinity.

The works and exploits of Vasily acquired from the Almighty the gift of miracles and clairvoyance. One day the saint received a revelation from Heaven about the death of Julian the Apostate, an emperor who tried with all his might to establish paganism and the worship of non-existent gods.

He died from a spear in the Persian War.

Emperor Valens gave the building of the Orthodox Church in Nicaea to people who were adherents of the Arian heresy. Vasily suggested that he resort to God's judgment seat: the temple would go to the side whose prayer would open its sealed doors.

The Arians prayed around the clock for 3 days. But their attempts were in vain. But when Vasily approached the temple with the priests and parishioners, the doors opened after the first prayer of the ascetic.

The holiness of Basil was certified by the Creator during his earthly life. One day, during a service, a Jew joined the congregation. He dreamed of studying the composition of the Holy Mysteries. Having deceived the believers, he pretended to be Orthodox and saw that Presbyter Vasily was holding a baby in his hands and crushing it into small pieces.

For example, one noble lady, being a notorious harlot, was ashamed to confess her sins out loud to Vasily. She wrote them on a piece of paper and, sealing the sheet in an envelope, gave it to the cleric. The saint spent the whole night begging God for the salvation of her soul, and in the morning he gave the woman her letter unopened.

All her sins were blotted out, except one. The saint advised her to go to the desert to Ephraim the Syrian. But he, with all due respect to Vasily, sent the harlot back, pointing out that only Vasily the Great, by the power of his prayer, is able to ask for complete forgiveness in Heaven for her.

Upon returning to Caesarea, the lady met a funeral procession with the coffin of Basil the Great. The former sinner threw herself to the ground in tears and threw her “list of sins” onto Vasily’s coffin. One of the clergy accompanying the procession did not understand the essence of what was happening and took the “message” in order to find out the situation and help the woman. Having unfolded it, he saw only a blank sheet.

Thus, Saint Basil atoned for her last sin posthumously.

Holy relics

Among believing Orthodox people, Basil the Great is revered on a par with Nicholas the Wonderworker.

Upon the death of the saint, his body was buried in a tomb, next to the remains of his predecessors in the Caesarea See. His tomb became a place of worship for both Christians and Muslims, who venerated him as a sheikh.

Important! Many temples and chapels in Cappadocia were consecrated in honor of his name.

The venerable head of Saint Basil rests on Mount Athos in the Great Lavra. His stole is kept in the monastery of St. Basil in Constantinople. The ascetic’s hand is kept in the Church of St. George the Greek in Venice, and part of his hand is placed in Greece in the Great Meteora Monastery.

The right hand (right hand) rests in Jerusalem in the altar of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ.

Hand of Basil the Great

Help of the saint

Prayer to Saint Basil protects people from enemy persecution and temptation. It saves you from doubts and fears, helps you gain inner peace of mind.

• helps to recover from illnesses, sometimes even incurable ones;
• helps the study of various sciences;
• helps to overcome difficulties in acquiring knowledge;
• serves as a support in prayer for those who are building a new home;
• favors the opening of a new business or enterprise;
• patronizes farmers;
• bestows generous harvests;
• gives strength in hard work.

More prayers in different life circumstances:

The saint helps everyone at any time life situation where his holy help is needed.

Prayer to Basil the Great

Saint Basil the Great.
January 14 (1) - memory of St. Basil the Great

Year of birth: around 330. Place of birth: Caesarea Cappadocia, the administrative center of Cappadocia. Origin: famous family, famous both for his nobility and wealth, and for his talents and zeal for the Christian faith. During the persecution of Diocletian, the saint's paternal grandparents had to hide in the forests of Pontus for seven years. Saint Basil's mother, Emilia, was the daughter of a martyr. The saint's father, also named Basil, a lawyer and famous teacher of rhetoric, lived permanently in Caesarea.

There were ten children in the family - five sons and five daughters, five of whom were later canonized: Vasily; Macrina (July 19) - an example of ascetic life, which had a strong influence on the life and character of St. Basil the Great; Gregory, later Bishop of Nyssa (January 10); Peter, Bishop of Sebaste (January 9); and righteous Theophila the deaconess (January 10). Saint Basil spent the first years of his life on an estate on the Iris River that belonged to his parents, where he was brought up under the guidance of his mother and grandmother Macrina, a highly educated woman who preserved in her memory the tradition of the famous saint of Cappadocia, Gregory the Wonderworker (November 17).

Basil received his initial education under the guidance of his father, then he studied with the best teachers of Caesarea in Cappadocia, where he met Saint Gregory the Theologian, and later moved to the schools of Constantinople, where he listened to outstanding speakers and philosophers. To complete his education, Saint Basil went to Athens, the center of classical education. After four or five years of stay in Athens, Basil the Great possessed all available knowledge: “He studied everything in such a way that another does not study one subject, he studied every science to such perfection, as if he had never studied anything else.”

Philosopher, philologist, orator, lawyer, natural scientist, who had deep knowledge of astronomy, mathematics and medicine - “it was a ship as loaded with learning as it was spacious for human nature.” In Athens, a very close friendship was established between Basil the Great and Gregory the Theologian, which lasted all their lives. Later, in a speech of praise to Basil the Great, Saint Gregory the Theologian spoke enthusiastically about this time: “We were guided by equal hopes in the most enviable matter - in teaching... We knew two roads: one - to our sacred churches and to the teachers there; the other - to the teachers of external sciences.”

Around 357, Saint Basil returned to Caesarea, where he taught rhetoric for some time. But soon, refusing the offer of the Caesareans, who wanted to entrust him with teaching youth, Saint Basil embarked on the path of ascetic life. After the death of her husband, Vasily’s mother with her eldest daughter Macrina and several virgins retired to the family estate on the Iris River and led an ascetic life. Basil, having received Baptism from Bishop Diapius of Caesarea, was made a reader. As an interpreter of the Holy Books, he first read them to the people. Then, “wishing to gain a guide to the knowledge of the truth,” the saint undertook a journey to Egypt, Syria and Palestine, to the great Christian ascetics. Returning to Cappadocia, he decided to imitate them. Having distributed his property to the poor, Saint Basil settled not far from Emilia and Macrina on the other side of the river, gathering monks around him in a hostel.

With his letters, Basil the Great attracted his friend Gregory the Theologian to the desert. Saints Basil and Gregory labored in strict abstinence: in their home, without a roof, there was no hearth, food was very meager. They themselves cut stones, planted and watered trees, and carried heavy loads. Their hard work caused calluses on their hands. From clothing, Basil the Great had only a sorrel and a robe; he wore a hair shirt only at night, so that it would not be visible. In solitude, Saints Basil and Gregory intensively studied the Holy Scriptures according to the guidance of the most ancient interpreters and, in particular, Origen, from whose works they compiled a collection - Philocalia (Philokalia). At the same time, Basil the Great, at the request of the monks, wrote a collection of rules for moral life.

In solitude, Saints Basil and Gregory intensively studied the Holy Scriptures according to the guidance of the most ancient interpreters and, in particular, Origen, from whose works they compiled a collection - Philocalia (Philokalia). At the same time, Basil the Great, at the request of the monks, wrote a collection of rules for moral life. By his example and preaching, Saint Basil the Great contributed to the spiritual improvement of the Christians of Cappadocia and Pontus; many flocked to him. Men's and women's monasteries were formed, in which Vasily sought to combine the cenovic life with the hermit life. During the reign of Constantius (337-361), the false teaching of Arius spread, and the Church called both saints to ministry. Saint Basil returned to Caesarea. In 362 he was ordained deacon by Melentius, Bishop of Antioch, and then ordained presbyter by Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea in 361.

“But seeing,” as Gregory the Theologian narrates, “that everyone extremely revered and praised Basil for his wisdom and holiness, Eusebius, due to human weakness, became carried away by jealousy towards him and began to show dislike towards him.” The monks came to the defense of Saint Basil. In order not to cause church division, he retired to his desert and began establishing monasteries. With the coming to power of Emperor Valeptus (364-378), a strong supporter of the Arians, Orthodoxy experienced Hard times- “a great struggle lay ahead.”

Then Saint Basil hastily returned to Caesarea at the call of Bishop Eusebius. According to Gregory the Theologian, for Bishop Eusebius he was “a good adviser, a righteous intercessor, an interpreter of God’s Word, a rod of old age, a support for the faithful in internal affairs, the most active in external affairs.” From that time on, church rule passed to Vasily, although he occupied second place in the hierarchy. He preached sermons every day, and often twice - in the morning and in the evening. At this time, Saint Basil compiled the rite of the Liturgy, he also wrote Conversations on the Sixth Day, on the 16 chapters of the prophet Isaiah, on the psalms, and the second collection of monastic rules.

Against the Arian teacher Eunomius, who, with the help of Aristotelian constructions, gave Arian dogmatics a scientific and philosophical form, turning Christian teaching into a logical scheme of abstract concepts, Vasily wrote three books. Saint Gregory the Theologian, speaking about the activities of Basil the Great in that period, points to “feeding the poor, receiving strangers, caring for virgins, written and inscribed rules for monastics, orders of prayers (Liturgy), decoration of altars and other things.” After the death of Bishop Eusebius of Caesarea, in 370, Saint Basil was elevated to his see. As Bishop of Caesarea, Saint Basil the Great was subject to 50 bishops from eleven provinces. Saint Athanasius the Great, Archbishop of Alexandria (May 2), with joy and gratitude to God welcomed the gift of Cappadocia with such a bishop as Basil, famous for his holiness, deep knowledge of the Holy Scriptures, great learning, and labors for the good of church peace and unity. In the empire of Valens, external dominance belonged to the Arians, who, resolving the question of the Divinity of the Son of God in different ways, were divided into several parties. The question of the Holy Spirit was added to the previous dogmatic disputes.

In his books against Eunomius, Basil the Great taught about the Divinity of the Holy Spirit and the unity of His nature with the Father and the Son. Now, in order to fully clarify the Orthodox teaching on this issue, at the request of Saint Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium, the saint wrote a book about the Holy Spirit. The general sad situation was aggravated for the Bishop of Caesarea by such circumstances as the division of Cappadocia into two parts when the government distributed provincial districts; the Antiochian schism caused by the hasty installation of a second bishop; the negative and arrogant attitude of Western bishops towards attempts to attract them to the fight against Arianism and the transition to the side of the Arians by Eustathius of Sebastian, with whom Basil had close friendship. Amid constant dangers, Saint Basil supported the Orthodox, affirmed their faith, calling for courage and patience. The holy bishop wrote numerous letters to churches, bishops, clergy, and individuals. Deposing heretics with “weapons of the mouth and arrows of letters,” Saint Basil, as a tireless defender of Orthodoxy, aroused hostility and all sorts of machinations of the Arians all his life.

Emperor Valens, who mercilessly sent into exile bishops he disliked, having implanted Arianism in other provinces of Asia Minor, came to Cappadocia for the same purpose. He sent the prefect Modest to Saint Basil, who began to threaten him with ruin, exile, torture and even the death penalty. “All this,” answered Vasily, “means nothing to me; he does not lose his property who has nothing except old and worn-out clothes and a few books, which contain all my wealth. There is no exile for me, because I am not bound by a place, and the place where I live now is not mine, and wherever they throw me will be mine. It is better to say: everywhere is God’s place, wherever I am a stranger and stranger (Ps. 38:13). And what can torment do to me? - I am so weak that only the first blow will be sensitive. Death is a blessing for me: it will sooner lead me to God, for Whom I live and work, for Whom I have long been striving.”

The ruler was amazed at this answer. “Perhaps,” the saint continued, “you have not met the bishop; otherwise, no doubt, I would have heard the same words. In everything else we are meek, more humble than anyone, and not only before such power, but also before everyone, because this is what the law has prescribed for us. But when the matter is about God and they dare to rebel against Him, then we, counting everything else as nothing, look only at Him alone, then fire, sword, beasts and iron tormenting the body will rather be a pleasure for us than frighten us.” Having reported to Valeptus about the inflexibility of Saint Basil. Modest said: “We, king, are defeated by the abbot of the Church.”

Basil the Great showed the same firmness in the face of the emperor himself, and with his behavior he made such an impression on Valens that he did not support the Arians demanding the exile of Basil. “On the day of Epiphany, with a large crowd of people, Valept entered the temple and mingled with the crowd to show the appearance of unity with the Church. When psalmody began in the temple, his ears were struck like thunder. The king saw a sea of ​​people, and splendor in and around the altar; in front of everyone is Vasily, not bowing either in body or in gaze, as if nothing new had happened in the temple, but turned only to God and the throne, and his clergy are in fear and reverence.” Saint Basil performed Divine Services almost every day. He was especially concerned about the strict implementation of the canons of the Church, carefully ensuring that only the worthy entered the clergy. He tirelessly walked around his churches, making sure that church discipline was not violated anywhere, eliminating any partiality. In Caesarea, Saint Basil built two monasteries, male and female, with a temple in honor of 40 martyrs, where their holy relics were kept. Following the example of the monks, the clergy of the saint's metropolis, even deacons and presbyters, lived in extreme poverty, worked and led a pure and virtuous life.

For the clergy, Saint Basil sought exemption from taxes. He used all his personal funds and the income of his church for the benefit of the poor; in each district of his metropolis the saint created almshouses; in Caesarea - a hotel and a hospice house. Illnesses from his youth, labors of teaching, feats of abstinence, cares and sorrows of pastoral service early exhausted the strength of the saint. Saint Basil reposed on January 1, 379 at the age of 49. Shortly before his death, the saint blessed Saint Gregory the Theologian to accept the See of Constantinople.

Upon the repose of Saint Basil, the Church immediately began to celebrate his memory. Saint Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium (+ 394), in his homily on the day of the death of Saint Basil the Great, said: “It was not without reason and not by chance that the divine Basil was released from his body and reposed from earth to God on the day of the Circumcision of Jesus, celebrated between the days of Nativity and Epiphany Christ's. Therefore, this blessed one, preaching and praising the Nativity and Baptism of Christ, extolled spiritual circumcision, and he himself, having stripped off his body, was worthy to ascend to Christ precisely on the sacred day of remembrance of the Circumcision of Christ. That is why it has been established on this day to annually honor the memory of the Great One with celebration and celebration.”

A clergyman's handbook. T2, page 447. Moscow 1978.

(329/30–379)

Birth, childhood, youth and young years of the saint

Saint Basil the Great was born in Cappadocia around 330. He came from a noble, rich and very pious family. His paternal grandmother, Macrina the Elder, was once a student of Gregory the Wonderworker. Her husband, the grandfather of Basil the Great, was also a zealous Christian. Both of them became famous by confessing the Lord. During times of persecution, they had to hide, endure many hardships and forced grief.

Their son, Vasily the Elder, father of Basil the Great, was a recognized lawyer and, at the same time, a teacher of rhetoric. He had possessions in Cappadocia, Pontus, and Lesser Armenia. From his marriage with the rare beauty Emelia, an orphan, the daughter of a martyr, who revered chastity and virginity, but married in order to avoid obsessive harassment from wicked people, five daughters and four sons were born: Basil, Naucratius, Gregory and Peter.

Naucratius died quite young, Gregory eventually became the famous saint of Nyssa, and Peter became the bishop of Sebaste. Mother Emelia, after the death of her beloved husband, devoted her life to monastic feat. Her daughter, Macrina the Younger, sister of Basil the Great, also chose the monastic path.

Vasily spent his childhood on his father's estate in Pontus. As a baby he suffered serious illness, from which he was healed by no other than a miracle. Vasily's early views and behavior were formed with the participation of his mother. But his grandmother, Macrina, played a special role in his upbringing. When the child grew up, his father took over his education. In particular, he taught his son Greek grammar and literature.

Vasily received further education in Caesarea in Cappadocia. It was probably there that he first met the future Saint Gregory the Theologian. After this, Basil studied in Constantinople, where it is believed that he met the famous sophist Livanius.

Finally, Vasily went to the “center of enlightenment”, Athens. There he replenished his knowledge of literature and philosophy, honed his skills of eloquence and oratory. They say that in addition to this, Vasily mastered astronomy and medicine. In Athens, the Providence of God again brought him together with Gregory the Theologian, who arrived there a little earlier. Being together nurtured and strengthened their friendship. Here Vasily met the future Emperor Julian, the persecutor and destroyer of the Church.

The first steps of Basil the Great in the Christian field

Around 358, after almost five years in Athens, Basil returned to Caesarea. For some time, at the request of his fellow citizens, he taught rhetoric. During this period, he received Baptism, possibly from the Bishop of Caesarea, Diania, whom he revered. Despite the fact that Vasily himself was baptized at such a mature age, he subsequently pointed out the inappropriateness of delaying this event.

Soon, driven by curiosity and the desire to become acquainted with the ascetic life, Vasily set off on a journey through the lands of Syria, Palestine, and Egypt. Here he became closest to the ideals of the ascetics.

Having returned, he distributed all his property to those in need, leaving with him only the necessary clothes, and, together with a few like-minded people, retired to the deserted place of Pontus. Staying in solitude, he engaged in physical labor, indulged in prayers, reading the Scriptures and writings of the fathers, and ascetic deeds. Vasily's usual food was bread and water. He slept on the ground. Soon his faithful comrade Gregory the Theologian joined him. During this period, friends compiled a collection based on excerpts from the works of Origen - Philocalia.

The harsh deeds and highly moral life of Christian hermits attracted many imitators and supporters, who, when they came, settled nearby. Vasily took an active part in organizing the religious and moral life of the multiplying communities.

It must be said that Basil the Great’s ideas about monasticism differed from the beliefs that then prevailed among the ascetics of Egypt. As is known, he gave preference to the communal structure of monasteries, believing that this form of monasticism provides more opportunities for the realization of fraternal Christian love. At the request of the hermits, Vasily compiled a set of moral rules necessary for them.

The dogmatic disputes that worried the Church also did not go unnoticed by him. It is alleged that in order to promote the Church, Vasily could afford to leave a refuge dear to his heart. So, in 360 he went with Bishop Dianius, who, by that time, had ordained him as a reader, to Constantinople, to the Church Council.

The ministry of Basil the Great in the rank of presbyter

In 363 or 364, Eusebius of Caesarea, successor of Dianias, invited Basil to Caesarea and ordained him a priest. At first, Vasily objected, considering himself unworthy and saddened by the need to lose the opportunity of the monastic solitude he loved.

The state of the Church at that time was confused, if not depressing. The greed of priests, simony, the triumph of heretical errors, intrigue, enmity - these are just a few of the difficulties that Vasily encountered in the nature of his pastoral work.

Being an outstanding personality, from now on he became an assistant to the bishop both in administrative matters and in the fight for the purity of faith and morals among Christians. Subsequently, this caused unhealthy jealousy in the bishop, who was significantly inferior to Vasily in eloquence and education, and discord arose between them. Not wanting to aggravate the already complicated situation, Vasily showed prudence and again retired into solitude. Meanwhile, with the strengthening of the influence of Arianism, Vasily considered it his duty to return. The discord was smoothed out and overcome.

Sainthood of Basil the Great

In 370, after the death of Eusebius, despite the disagreement and opposition of some laymen and bishops, Basil the Great took the see. Emperor Valens, who declared himself a strict champion of Arianism, made many efforts to break the fortitude of his opponents, including St. Basil, faithful to Orthodoxy. Orthodox people faced persecution, deprivation and expulsion.

At this time, Cappadocia was divided into two provinces, which led to a decrease in the territory canonically governed by Orthodox shepherds: one of its parts was headed, in religious terms, by the wicked Bishop of Tyana Anthimus. In turn, Vasily, firm in his convictions, did not stop fighting for the purity of the faith throughout Cappadocia and continued to install worthy bishops. In this regard, for example, the brother of St. Basil, Gregory, was appointed bishop of Nyssa.

In addition to ascetic and pastoral piety, the activities of Basil the Great were marked by the organization of assistance to the poor, despite the fact that he himself, by his own free will, was one of the poorest people. Among other things, the saint organized almshouses. For example, in Caesarea he set up a hospital and a hospice.

Basil the Great died on January 1, 379, a couple of years before the Second Ecumenical Council. Almost the entire population of Caesarea mourned him. For his merits and the highest holiness of life, Vasily is canonized by the Church and is revered with the name “Great”.

The work of Saint Basil as a church writer

Throughout his literary career, Basil the Great proved himself to be a writer of broad outlook and many theological directions. Among his works, works of an ascetic and spiritual-moral, polemical and dogmatic nature stand out. A significant part of creative work consists of conversations and letters. In addition, the authorship of the Great Cappadocian belongs to many rules.

Unfortunately, not all of the saint’s works have survived to this day. At the same time, a small number of works traditionally attributed to him raise doubts about their authenticity.

In his ascetic writings, Basil the Great examined and revealed such topics as love for God and neighbors; questions about faith, sin, repentance; about truth and lies; about those who are tempted and those who seduce, about firmness in temptations; about poverty and wealth; about rancor; sorrow at the sight of a brother sinning; about the gifts of God; God's judgment; joy from suffering for Christ; about grief for the dying; human glory; about children and parents, virgins and widows, warriors, sovereigns, etc.

In the field of Orthodox dogma, the most important thing was and continues to be his clearly formulated definition and distinction between the concepts of “essence” and “hypostasis”, necessary for a correct understanding of the dogma of the Holy Trinity. He analyzed the doctrine of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit in the essay "".

The saint paid much attention to the Sacraments of the Church - Baptism and the Eucharist - and to the question of priestly service. One of the most important merits of the archpastor is the compilation of the rite of the Divine Liturgy (see more details:).

Among the exegetical works of Basil the Great, , and .

Troparion to St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea of ​​Cappadocia, tone 1

Thy broadcast went forth into all the earth, / as if it had received your word, / whom you have divinely taught, / you have clarified the nature of beings, / you have adorned human customs, / the royal sanctification, Reverend Father, / pray to Christ God / for the salvation of our souls.

Kontakion to Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea of ​​Cappadocia, tone 4

Thou hast appeared as an unshakable foundation to the Church, / giving to all the unstealthy dominion of man, / sealing with thy commands, / the unappearing Venerable Basil.