Basil of caesarea 18951994 on the holy spirit in p and h. The person and work of the holy spirit project gutenberg. Basil the great, was a monk and bishop who lived during the fourth century ad. Defenders of the faith basil of caesarea and the deity of. Lovely edition of basil of caesareas on the holy spirit from the folks at st. Against those who say that the holy ghost is not to be numbered with, but numbered under, the father and the son. The holy spirit in the life and writings of gregory of. St basil the great wrote his treatise on the holy spirit during the closing phase of the trinitarian controversies of the fourth century. Basil of caesarea 330379 was bishop of caesarea and an influential figure in the fourth century church. The council of constantinople 381 could expand the creedal formulation to declare belief.
This watershed moment in the history of christianity took place not in the holy city of jerusalem but in the pagan city of caesarea. Outpouring of the holy spirit in caesarea icej international. If basil of caesarea receives mention in a standard course of lectures on christian theology or history it is as the first person to write a dedicated discourse on the holy spirit. Basil of caesarea has earned the cognomen, the great. Basil of caesarea is the giant of the fourthcentury theologians, and he intimidates many who approach his works today. Set against the background of the arian controversy of the 300s, on the holy spirit was written later in basils life in order to unite the church in the doctrine of the holy spirit. Isbn 9781783362110 digital version ebook basil the great, on the holy spirit, trans. Chapter iii the systematic discussion of syllables is derived from heathen philosophy. Such, then, to instance a few out of many, are the conceptions concerning the holy spirit, which we have been taught to hold concerning his greatness, his dignity, and his operations, by the oracles of the spirit themselves. Basil of caesarea was a socalled spirit fighter, that is to say someone who. Holy spirit transforms our lives cyril of alexandria. Ironically, the primary question about basil for scholars is whether he fully believed in the divinity of the holy spirit himself. Basil s on the holy spirit in accordance comes with three modules.
Categories angels and saints tags communion, deeper sense of fellowship with all living things by st basil of caesarea, guidance, living things, prayer after communion by st basil of caesarea, prayer for guidance by st basil of caesarea, prayers, prayers of st basil of caesarea, st basil, steer the ship of my life by st basil of caesarea. Basil of caesarea, canonical letters letters 188, 199, 217 translated by andrew raddegallwitz, forthcoming in ellen muehlberger, ed. Basil s treatise on the holy spirit affirmed the divinity and consubstantiality of the spirit by demonstrating that he, like the son, is of one and the same nature with the father, and that equal honor and worship therefore are due him. Basil to clear up all doubt as to the true doctrine of the holy spirit by writing a treatise on the subject. Moreover, he introduces not merely a corpus of ancient texts but also their author. Basil of caesarea project gutenberg selfpublishing. It can be found left of center in the above picture inside the rectangular box. Chapter i prefatory remarks on the need of exact investigation of the most minute portions of theology. Basil of caesarea 18951994 on the holy spirit in p and h wace series eds b from bibl 364 at liberty university. St basils contribution to the trinitarian doctrine not only rejected the sons consubstantiality to the father, but also that of the holy spirits. Illumination in basil of caesareass doctrine of the holy spirit. Basil of caesarea, also called saint basil the great greek. To ask other readers questions about on the holy spirit, please sign up. To improve relations between the christian east and rome, he enlisted the help of st.
He is venerated as a saint by both the roman catholic church and the. And if he is not a creature, he is consubstantial with god. The arians had previously denied the full divinity of the son and the debate then turned to the holy spirit. Illumination in basil of caesarea s doctrine of the holy spirit timothy p. Sinclair ferguson traces the work of the third person of the trinity through scripture from creation to the work of christ to his dwelling in our hearts today. This doctrine was the main point of contention at that time, so how one understood the relationships between the persons of the trinity was and is central to. Similarly, while there were a number of books on the person and work of christ in the early centuries, it was not until basil of caesarea c. St basil wrote his treatise on the holy spirit precisely in response to this party who. But if our adversaries oppose this our interpretation, what argument will save them from being caught in their own trap. Mcconnell if basil of caesarea receives mention in a standard course of lectures on christian theology or history it is as the first person to write a dedicated discourse on the holy spirit. Although the holy spirit is sometimes the forgotten person of the trinity, his presence and work is found throughout redemptive history.
Although it had been nearly fifty years since the council of nicea had ruled against the arians in affirming the full divinity and consubstantiality of the son with the father, arianism had continued to spread and cause. Saint basil of caesarea theology in worship gary neal. You can read it yourself in this nice edition from st. Illumination in basil of caesareas doctrine of the holy spirit. Read illumination in basil of caesarea s doctrine of the holy spirit by timothy p. Basil of caesarea, canonical letters letters 188, 199, 217. He was an influential theologian who supported the nicene creed and opposed the heresies of. The holy spirit in missions how christ came to church. The orthodox church reveres him as one of the three holy hierarchs along with ss. He served as bishop of caesarea, where he built the ptochoptopheion. Originally, caesarea maritima was the site of an old dilapidated town known as stratos tower, but herod transformed it between the years of 21 b. Learn vocabulary, terms, and more with flashcards, games, and other study tools. From the pagan city of caesarea word came to the apostles and believers in jesus that god had also granted to the gentiles repentance to life acts 11. May 11, 2014 basil of caesarea or basil the great ca.
Saint basil and his presentation of the deity of the holy spirit saint basil 330379, the great fourthcentury archbishop of caesarea in cappadocia, has long been honoured as a defender of the doctrine of the trinity. Against the heretic aetius basil opposed the heretic aetius, who said that the father, son, and holy spirit had different natures because they are described differently in scripture. Who is the holy spirit sinclair ferguson download study. How does saint basil of caesaria present the holy spirit in his books. This volume presents a new translation of st basil s on the holy spirit, a classic expression of the churchs faith in the spirit, and a lasting testimony to the author s christian erudition. This document has been generated from xsl extensible stylesheet language source with renderx xep formatter, version 3.
John behr fall 1999 in defining the holy trinity as we orthodox understand it today, it is important to view the contributions of the cappadocian fathers. A t that same hour jesus rejoiced in the holy spirit and said, i thank you, father, lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants. The holy spirit gives gifts to various leaders in the old testament such as craftsmanship, prophecy, and leadership. Caesarea maritima, located about 65 miles northwest of jerusalem on the coast, was one of herod the greats most impressive building accomplishments. Anyway, basil looked through the biblical material about the holy spirit and argued that the spirit is just as much the. The book of saint basil the great, bishop of caesarea in cappadocia, on the holy spirit, written to amphilochius, bishop of iconium, against the pneumatomachi by basil, saint, bishop of caesarea, ca. Illumination in basil of caesareas doctrine of the holy. Against those who say that it is not right to rank the holy spirit with the father and the son. Basil the great on the holy spirit 3 in an age when the church was sorely divided, st. Peter immediately went to jerusalem where he had to convince church leaders that the holy spirit was falling on people outside of the nation of israel and outside of the jewish faith. The name caesarea maritima is used to distinguish it from the wellknown caesarea philippi, located northeast of the sea of galilee. Preface of trinity common of a theologian and teachercommon of a pastor common of a monastic or professed religiousof the holy trinityfor the ministryiiprayer traditional language almighty god, who hast revealed to thy church thine eternal being of glorious majesty and perfect love as one god.
Basil the great on the holy spirit basilius magnus, saint basil bishop of caesarea, david anderson on. The arguments presented here are most forceful if the opponents affirmed the divinity of the son but questioned or lessened that of the holy spirit. Oct 27, 2017 it is the setting of several critical events recorded in the book of acts including the roman centurion cornelius receiving of the holy spirit. If basil of caesarea receives mention in a standard course of lectures on christian theology or history it is as the fir. Basil the great 330379 ad was the bishop of caesarea in cappadocia modern day turkey. Gregory nazianzus and john chrysostom, and he is commemorated on january 1. Chapter ii the origin of the heretics close observation all syllables. Athanasius who had made himself wellknown in the west during earlier periods of exile. For this reason the holy spirit also shares certain titles e. Cyril of alexandria one of the greatest fathers and doctors of the early church here explains how the descent of the holy spirit transforms us, making us sharers in the divine nature of the word.
Basil of caesarea, gregory of nyssa, and the pneumatomachian. Swete, the holy spirit in the ancient church london, 1912, p. St vladimirs seminary press, 1980 basil the great, on social justice, trans. Bible, bible reading, bible study, caesarea, holy land, israel, paul keep in touch subscribe to michael easley incontext and receive the latest episodes straight to your inbox. He was an influential theologian who supported the nicene creed and opposed the heresies of the early christian church, fighting. English translation of st basil the great, on the holy spirit, by bl. The cambridge edition of early christian writings, volume two. Schaff wace, ed, postnicene fathers of the christian church, series ii, v. St basil the great on the holy spirit pdf basil the great on the holy spirit from. St basil the great, on the holy spirit full text, in english 1.
This great theologian and man of faith was also a champion and proponent of sola scriptura. On the holy spirit work by basil the great britannica. Their pertinacious contention is to show that the mention of father, son, and holy ghost is unlike, as though they will thence find it easy to demonstrate that there is. At the time when basil wrote his most famous work, on the. Sep, 2014 caesarea maritima caesarea is located on the north western coast. This respect and admiration has not been restricted to the. A lmighty god, you have revealed to your church your eternal being of glorious majesty and perfect love as one. It is in this same year, 374, that amphilochius, the first cousin of gregory of nazianzus and friend and spiritual son of basil, paid the first of his annual autumn visits to c.
For this group, since the holy spirit could not be. He is known as one of the cappadocian fathers who defended the doctrines of the trinity and the incarnation and worked on behalf of the poor. In the words of st gregory the theologian, st basil s treatise was written by a pen borrowed from the spirit s. Basil of caesarea was a socalled spiritfighter, that is to say someone who sought to emphasize the divine nature of the holy spirit.
Defenders of the faith basil of caesarea and the deity. On the holy spirit by basil the great basil the great was bishop of caesarea in cappadocia during the late fourth century a. Basil declares that the holy spirit is counted in the divine and blessed trinity. Chapter iv that there is no distinction in the scriptural use of these syllables. The book of saint basil the great, bishop of caesarea in.
A treatise on the holy spirit, biblical references to the trinity, baptism, and the relation of all this to christs church. Basil of caesarea defended the divinity of the spirit from a liturgical perspective. The novena in honor of the holy spirit is the oldest of all novenas since it was first made at the direction of our lord himself when he sent his apostles back to. The principal theological writings of basil are his on the holy spirit, a lucid and edifying appeal to scripture and early christian tradition to prove the divinity of the holy spirit, and his refutation of the apology of the impious eunomius, written in 363 or 364, three books against eunomius of cyzicus, the chief exponent of anomoian arianism.
That the holy spirit is in every conception inseparable from the father and the son, alike in the creation of perceptible objects, in the dispensation of human affairs, and in the judgment to come. Illumination in basil of caesareass doctrine of the holy. Ironically, the primary question about basil for scholars is whether he. St basil the great, on the holy spirit full text, in.
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