St. Basil the Great
(C. 330 - 379 AD)
Historical Note
St. Basil is ranked as the first of the great “Three Cappadocians,” together
with his dear friend St. Gregory Nazianzus and his brother St. Gregory of
Nyssa. Together, these three were instrumental in the triumph of the faith
of Nicaea and Constantinople in the East against Arianism and its
offshoots.
Born around 330 AD in Caesarea, Cappadocia, St. Basil was the eldest of
ten children in a very illustrious family. His father was the son of St.
Macrina the Elder and his mother the daughter of a martyr. Besides
himself, two of St. Basil’s brothers also became bishops and one of his
sisters a saintly model of the ascetical life.
St. Basil was trained by his father in rhetoric, and later was educated in the
schools of Caesarea, Constantinople and Athens. It was while in Athens
that he formed his lasting friendship with St. Gregory Nazianzus.
St. Basil was baptized in 356 AD and afterwards journeyed throughout
Egypt, the Middle East and Mesopotamia in search of a life of ascetical
perfection. He, however, returned home and established his own colony of
monks on the banks of the Iris River devoted to prayer, study and manual
labor.
In 360 AD, St. Basil was forced to leave his secluded retreat and traveled to
Constantinople with his bishop Dianus. Soon he became directly embroiled
in the conflict against Arianism and Macedonian denials of the divinity of
the Holy Spirit. It was during this time of conflict that his great gifts were
noticed and appreciated, and St. Basil was elevated to the see of Caesarea
in 370 AD. He excelled as a man of action and government. His episcopal
activity was manifold: to oppose Arianism and the Emperor Valens; to win
over the opponents of Nicaea; to assist in bringing peace to the Church in
Antioch; and to gain the help of orthodox Catholics in the West. During the
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