Ούτος ο εν Αγίοις Πατήρ ημών Βασίλειος, ήκμασε κατά τους χρόνους του βασιλέως Ουάλεντος εν έτει τξδ’ [364], προς τον οποίον Ουάλεντα επαρρησιάσθη δια την Ορθόδοξον πίστιν, και ήλεγξεν αυτόν. Επειδή και έπεσεν εις την κακοδοξίαν των Αρειανών, και με άγριον και θηριώδη τρόπον εκακοποίει και επολέμει τας Εκκλησίας των Ορθοδόξων. Ούτος λοιπόν από μεν τον πατέρα, ήτον Μαυροθαλασσίτης. Από δε την μητέρα, ήτον Καππαδόκης, ήτοι εκατάγετο από την λεγομένην Καραμανίαν. Κατά δε τους λόγους και την παιδείαν, υπερέβαλεν, όχι μόνον τους ελλογίμους του καιρού του, αλλά ακόμη και τους παλαιούς φιλοσόφους. Περάσας γαρ κάθε είδος παιδείας, εις κάθε μίαν από αυτάς το κράτος και την νίκην απόκτησεν. Ου μόνον δε ταύτα, αλλά και την δια πράξεως ήσκησε φιλοσοφίαν. Και δια της πράξεως ανέβη και εις την θεωρίαν των όντων. Εκ τούτων δε, ανέβη και εις τον θρόνον της Αρχιερωσύνης.
Όταν δε έγινεν Αρχιερεύς, πολλούς αγώνας εποίησεν
ο μακάριος δια την Ορθόδοξον πίστιν. Με την σταθερότητα γαρ και γενναιότητα του
φρονήματός του, κατέπληξε τον έπαρχον Μόδεστον. Με τους Ορθοδόξους δε λόγους
οπού συνέγραψε, των κακοδόξων τα φρονήματα κατεβρόντησε. Και προς τούτοις, την
των ηθών κατάστασιν ερρύθμισε. Την ασκητικήν φιλοσοφίαν εδίδαξε, την των όντων
γνώσιν εσαφήνισε. Και δια να ειπώ συντόμως, ούτος ο Άγιος οδηγήσας εις σωτηρίαν
την λογικήν του Χριστού ποίμνην δια μέσου κάθε αρετής, προς Κύριον εξεδήμησεν.
Ήτον δε ο Μέγας Βασίλειος κατά τον χαρακτήρα του σώματος, πολλά μακρύς. Ξηρός
και ολιγόσαρκος, μελανός εις το πρόσωπον κατά το χρώμα, πλην είχεν αυτό
σύμμικτον και με κιτρινάδα. Ήτον μακρομύτης. Είχε τα οφρύδια στρογγυλά, το δε
δέρμα το επάνω των οφρυδίων, το είχε συμμαζωμένον. Εφαίνετο όμοιος με έναν οπού
συλλογίζεται και προσέχει εις τον εαυτόν του. Είχε το πρόσωπον ζαρωμένον με
ολίγας χαραγάς. Τα μάγουλα είχε μακρά. Τους μήνιγγας, δασείς από τρίχας
συνεστραμμένας κυκλοειδώς. Εφαίνετο κατά την επιφάνειαν, πως είχεν ολίγον
κουρευμένας τας τρίχας. Το γένειον είχε μακρόν αρκετά και τας τρίχας είχε
μεμιγμένας, ήτοι μαύρας ομού με άσπρας. Τελείται δε η αυτού Σύναξις, εν τη
Αγιωτάτη Μεγάλη Εκκλησία.
Άγιος Νικόδημος
Αγιορείτης
***
Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesaria in Cappadocia
Saint Basil the
Great was born about the end of the year 329 in Caesarea of Cappadocia, to a
family renowned for their learning and holiness. His parents' names were Basil
and Emily. His mother Emily (commemorated July 19) and his grandmother Macrina
(Jan. 14) are Saints of the Church, together with all his brothers and sisters:
Macrina, his elder sister (July 19), Gregory of Nyssa (Jan. 10), Peter of
Sebastia (Jan. 9), and Naucratius. Basil studied in Constantnople under the
sophist Libanius, then in Athens, where also he formed a friendship with the
young Gregory, a fellow Cappadocian, later called "the Theologian."
Through the good influence of his sister Macrina (see July 19), he chose to
embrace the ascetical life, abandoning his worldly career. He visited the monks
in Egypt, in Palestine, in Syria, and in Mesopotamia, and upon returning to
Caesarea, he departed to a hermitage on the Iris River in Pontus, not far from
Annesi, where his mother and his sister Macrina were already treading the path
of the ascetical life; here he also wrote his ascetical homilies.
About the year
370, when the bishop of his country reposed, he was elected to succeed to his
throne and was entrusted with the Church of Christ, which he tended for eight
years, living in voluntary poverty and strict asceticism, having no other care
than to defend holy Orthodoxy as a worthy successor of the Apostles. The
Emperor Valens, and Modestus, the Eparch of the East, who were of one mind with
the Arians, tried with threats of exile and of torments to bend the Saint to
their own confession, because he was the bastion of Orthodoxy in all
Cappadocia, and preserved it from heresy when Arianism was at its strongest.
But he set all their malice at nought, and in his willingness to give himself
up to every suffering for the sake of the Faith, showed himself to be a martyr
by volition. Modestus, amazed at Basil's fearlessness in his presence, said
that no one had ever so spoken to him. "Perhaps," answered the Saint,
"you have never met a bishop before." The Emperor Valens himself was
almost won over by Basil's dignity and wisdom. When Valens' son fell gravely
sick, he asked Saint Basil to pray for him. The Saint promised that his son
would be restated if Valens agreed to have him baptized by the Orthodox; Valens
agreed, Basil prayed, and the son was restored. But afterwards the Emperor had
him baptized by Arians, and the child died soon after. Later, Valens, persuaded
by his counsellors, decided to send the Saint into exile because he would not
accept the Arians into communion; but his pen broke when he was signing the
edict of banishment. He tried a second time and a third, but the same thing
happened, so that the Emperor was filled with dread, and tore up the document,
and Basil was not banished. The truly great Basil, spent with extreme ascetical
practices and continual labours, at the helm of the church, departed to the
Lord on the 1st of January, in 379. at the age of forty-nine.
His writings
are replete with wisdom and erudition, and rich are these gifts he set forth
the doctrines concerning the mysteries both of the creation (see his
Hexaemeron) and of the Holy Trinity (see On the Holy Spirit). Because of the
majesty and keenness of his eloquence, he is honoured as "the revealer of
heavenly things" and "the Great."
Saint Basil is
also celebrated on January 30th with Saint Gregory the Theologian and Saint
John Chrysostom.
Apolytikion of
Basil the Great
First Tone
Your voice
resounded throughout the world that received your word by which, in godly
manner, you taught dogma, clarified the nature of beings, and set in order the
character of people. Venerable father, Royal Priesthood, intercede to Christ
God to grant us great mercy.
Kontakion of
Basil the Great
Fourth Tone
For the Church
art thou in truth a firm foundation, granting an inviolate lordship unto all
mortal men and sealing it with what thou hast taught, O righteous Basil,
revealer of heavenly things.
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