The Threatened Series - 7
Basil of Caesarea, known as 'Basil the Great' was, with his brother
Gregory of Nyssa and Gregory of Nazianzus, one of the three
'Cappadocian Fathers'. Cappadocia is a region in what is now eastern
Turkey from which all three originated.
Basil (330-79), was educated at Caesarea in Cappadocia, at
Constantinople and Athens, in the best pagan and Christian learning of
his day. He became a hermit by the river Iris near Neocaesarea. About
364 he came out of his retreat at the request of his bishop, Eusebius
of Caesarea in Cappadocia, to defent orthodoxy against the Arian
emperor, Valens. In 370 he succeeded Eusebius as Bishop of Caesarea,
and held this office for the rest of his life.
This brought him into conflict with the extreme party of the Arians,
led by Eunomius, and with a new group called the Pneumatomachi,
literally 'spirit-fighters' - i.e. those who fought against the Holy
Spirit by denying his divinity.
He tried to reconcile the 'Semi-Arians' with the formula of Nicæa, and
to show that their word 'Homoiousios' had the same implications as the
orthodox 'Homoousios'. 'The virtual termination of the Arian
controversy at the Council of Constantinople in 381/2 shortly after his
death is a tribute to his success' (ODCC).
There is a huge bibliography which will be familiar to specialists;
beginners and amateurs, like myself, may be content to know of a
selection of his works in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, 2nd Series,
vol. 8. Selected works of Athanasius can be found in vol. 4 of the
same series, Gregory of Nyssa in vol. 5, and Gregory of Nazianzus in
vol. 7.
Oriens.
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