Basil, a great saint of God and a divinely wise teacher of the Church, was born of noble and pious parents in the Cappadocian city of Caesarea , around the year 330, during the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great. Constantine the Great reigned from 324 to 337. His father was also named Basil , and his mother, Emmelia. The first seeds of piety were sown in his soul by his pious grandmother, Macrina, who in her youth was privileged to hear the teachings of St. Gregory the Wonderworker , and by his mother, the pious Emmelia. Basil's father instructed him not only in the Christian faith but also in secular sciences, which he knew well, as he himself taught rhetoric, oratory, and philosophy. When Basil was about fourteen years old, his father died, and the orphaned Basil spent two or three years with his grandmother, Macrina, not far from Neocaesarea, near the Iris River , in a country house owned by his grandmother, which was later converted into a monastery. From here, Basil often traveled to Caesarea to visit his mother, who lived with her other children in that city, her birthplace.
After Macrina's death, Basil, at the age of seventeen, returned to Caesarea to study various sciences in the local schools. Thanks to his exceptionally sharp intellect, Basil soon matched his teachers in knowledge and, seeking further knowledge, set out for Constantinople, where the young sophist Libanius was renowned for his eloquence at the time . But even there, Basil did not stay long and departed for Athens, the city considered the mother of all Hellenic wisdom . In Athens, he began to attend the lessons of a renowned pagan teacher named Euboulas, while also attending the schools of two other renowned Athenian teachers, Imerius and Proaresius . Basil was already in his twenty-sixth year at this time, demonstrating extraordinary zeal in his studies, but at the same time earning general approval for the purity of his life. He knew only two roads in Athens—one leading to church, the other to school. In Athens, Basil befriended another renowned saint, Gregory the Theologian , who was also studying in Athenian schools at the time . Basil and Gregory, similar in their good character, meekness, and chastity, loved each other as if they shared a single soul—and they preserved this mutual love forever. Basil was so captivated by the sciences that he often forgot to eat while reading. He studied grammar, rhetoric, astronomy, philosophy, physics, medicine, and the natural sciences. But all these secular, earthly sciences could not satisfy his mind, which sought higher, heavenly illumination. After spending about five years in Athens, Basil felt that worldly learning could not provide him with a firm foundation for Christian perfection. Therefore, he decided to go to those countries where Christian ascetics lived, and where he could fully become acquainted with true Christian science.
Thus, while Gregory the Theologian remained in Athens, having already become a teacher of rhetoric, Basil went to Egypt, where monastic life flourished . There, in the possession of a certain Archimandrite Porphyry, he found a large collection of theological works, studying which he spent an entire year, simultaneously practicing ascetic struggles. In Egypt, Basil observed the lives of famous ascetics of his time—Pachomius, who lived in the Thebaid, Macarius the Elder and Macarius of Alexandria , Paphnutius, Paul, and others. From Egypt, Basil traveled to Palestine, Syria, and Mesopotamia to explore the holy places and become acquainted with the lives of the ascetics there. But on his way to Palestine, he stopped in Athens and there conversed with his former mentor, Eubulus, and also debated the true faith with other Greek philosophers.
Wanting to convert his teacher to the true faith and thus repay him for the favor he himself had received from him, Basil began searching for him throughout the city. He was unable to find him for a long time, but finally encountered him outside the city walls while Eubulus was discussing some important subject with other philosophers. Having overheard the debate and without revealing his name, Basil joined in the conversation, immediately resolving the difficult question, and then, in turn, asked his teacher a new question. When the listeners were perplexed as to who could answer and contradict the renowned Eubulus in such a manner, the latter said:
- This is either some god, or Vasily 23 .
Having recognized Basil, Eubulus dismissed his friends and students and brought Basil to his home. They spent three whole days in conversation, eating almost nothing. Among other things, Eubulus asked Basil what, in his opinion, constituted the essential merit of philosophy.
“The essence of philosophy,” answered Vasily, “is that it gives a person the remembrance of death 24 .
At the same time, he pointed out to Eubulus the fragility of the world and all its pleasures, which at first seem truly sweet, but then become extremely bitter for those who have become too attached to them.
"Alongside these comforts," said Basil, "there are consolations of another kind, of heavenly origin. One cannot enjoy both at the same time— "No one can serve two masters" ( Matthew 6:24 )—but nevertheless, as far as possible, we share with those who are tied to worldly things the bread of true knowledge, and we bring those who, even through their own fault, have lost the garment of virtue under the shelter of good deeds, pitying them as we pity a naked man on the street."
Following this, Basil began to speak to Eubulus about the power of repentance, describing the images he had once seen of virtue and vice, which alternately attract a person to themselves, and the image of repentance, around which, like its daughters, various virtues stand 25 .
"But we have no need, Eubulus," added Basil, "to resort to such artificial means of persuasion. We possess the truth itself, which can be grasped 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 speak of this clearly to us: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, and David, and the divine Apostle Paul, as well as the Lord Himself, who calls us to repentance, who sought out the lost sheep, and who lovingly embraced the prodigal son as he returned in repentance, adorned him with a bright robe and a ring, and made a feast for him ( Luke 15 ). He gives an equal reward to those who came at the eleventh hour, just as He gives 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: Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love Him 27 .
When Basil gave Evbulus a brief history of the dispensation of our salvation, beginning with the fall of Adam and ending with the teaching about Christ the Redeemer, Evbulus exclaimed:
"O Basil, revealed by heaven! Through you, I believe in the One God, the Father Almighty, the Creator of all things, and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead and the life of the age to come, amen. And here is proof of my faith in God: I will spend the rest of my life with you, but now I desire to be born of water and the Spirit."
Then Vasily said:
"Blessed be our God from this time forth and forevermore, who has illuminated your mind with the light of truth, Eubulus, and led you from the depths of error to the knowledge of His love. If, as you said, you wish to live with me, then I will explain to you how we can provide for our salvation, freeing ourselves from the snares of this life. Let us sell all our possessions and give the proceeds to the poor, and then let us go to the holy city to see the miracles there ; there we will be strengthened even more in our faith."
Having thus distributed all their possessions to the needy and having bought for themselves the white garments which were required for those receiving baptism 29 , they went to Jerusalem and along the way converted many to the true faith.
Arriving in Antioch , they entered an inn. The innkeeper's son, Philoxenus, was sitting by the door, deeply distressed. A student of the sophist Libanius, he had borrowed some of Homer's poems from him , intending to set them for oratory, but was unable to do so and, in this dilemma, was greatly distressed. Basil, seeing him sad, asked:
- What are you sad about, young man?
Philoxenus said:
– Even if I tell you the reason for my sorrow, what benefit will you be to me?
When Basil persisted and promised that the youth would not tell him the reason for his grief in vain, the boy told him about the sophist and the verses, adding that the reason for his grief was that he could not clearly convey the meaning of those verses. Basil, taking the verses, began to expound on them, translating them into simple speech; the boy, amazed and delighted, asked him to write him the translation. Then Basil wrote the translation of those Homeric verses in three different ways, and the boy, joyfully accepting the translation, went with them the next morning to his teacher, Libanius. Libanius, having read it, was amazed 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 boy said:
“There is a wanderer in my house who wrote this interpretation very quickly and without any difficulty.
Libanius immediately hurried to the inn to see the stranger. Seeing Basil and Eubulus there, he was surprised by their unexpected arrival and rejoiced at their presence. He asked them to stay in his house, and when they arrived, he offered them a sumptuous meal. But Basil and Eubulus, as was their custom, having partaken of bread and water, offered thanks to God, the Giver of all blessings. After this, Libanius began to ask them various sophistical questions, and they offered him a discourse on the Christian faith. Libanius, having listened attentively, said that the time had not yet come for the acceptance of this discourse, but that if such were the will of Divine Providence, no one would be able to resist the teaching of Christianity .
“You would have done me a great service, Vasily,” he concluded, “if you had not refused to expound your teaching for the benefit of the students who are with me.”
Soon the disciples of Libanius gathered, and Basil began to teach them that they should acquire purity of soul, physical dispassion, modest gait, quiet speech, modest words, moderation in food and drink, silence in the presence of elders, attentiveness to the words of the wise, obedience to superiors, sincere love for their equals and for their inferiors, so that they should distance themselves from evil, passionate and attached to carnal pleasures, so that they should speak less and listen more and delve into things, not be reckless in speech, not be verbose, not laugh insolently at others, adorn themselves with modesty, not enter into conversation with immoral women, lower their eyes and turn their soul to grief, avoid disputes, not seek the rank of teacher, and consider the honors of this world as nothing. If anyone does anything for the benefit of others, let him expect a reward from God and eternal recompense from Jesus Christ, our Lord. Thus spoke Basil to the disciples of Libanius, and they listened with great amazement. Afterward, he and Eubulus set out on their journey again.
When they arrived in Jerusalem and toured all the holy places with faith and love, praying there to the One Creator of all, God, they appeared before the bishop of that city, Maximus , and asked him to baptize them in the Jordan . The bishop, seeing their great faith, granted their request: taking his clergy, he set out with Basil and Eubulus for the Jordan. When they stopped on the bank, Basil fell to the ground and tearfully prayed to God to show him some sign to strengthen his faith. Then, rising with trembling, he removed his clothes, and with them "laid aside the former way of life of the old man." And, entering the water, he prayed. As the saint approached to baptize him, a fiery bolt of lightning suddenly fell upon them, and a dove emerged from the lightning, plunged into the Jordan, stirred the water, and flew off to heaven . Those standing on the shore, seeing this, trembled and glorified God. Having been baptized, Basil emerged from the water, and the bishop, marveling at his love for God, clothed him in the garment of Christ's resurrection , praying. He baptized Eubulus as well, then anointed both with myrrh and administered the Divine Gifts.
Returning to the holy city, Basil and Eubulus remained there for one year. Then they went to Antioch, where Basil was ordained deacon by Archbishop Meletius, and then occupied himself with the explanation of Scripture . 38 A short time later, he departed with Eubulus for his homeland, Cappadocia. As they approached the city of Caesarea, Leontius, Archbishop of Caesarea, was informed in a dream of their arrival and told that Basil would eventually become archbishop of that city. Therefore, the archbishop, summoning his archdeacon 39 and several honorable clergy, sent them to the eastern gate of the city, commanding them to bring to him with honor two strangers whom they would meet there. They went and, meeting Basil and Eubulus as they entered the city, brought them to the archbishop. He, seeing them, was amazed, for they were the very ones he had seen in his dream, and glorified God. Having asked them where they were coming from and what their names were, and having learned their names, he commanded that they be taken to the refectory and treated to refreshments, he himself, having summoned his clergy and distinguished citizens, told them all that had been told to him in the vision from God about Basil. Then the clergy unanimously said:
- Since, for your virtuous life, God has indicated to you an heir to your throne, then do with him as you please; for truly, the man whom God's will directly indicates is worthy of all respect.
The archbishop then summoned Basil and Eubulus and began to discuss Scripture with them, desiring to discover their understanding. Hearing their discourses, he marveled at the depth of their wisdom and, keeping them with him, treated them with particular respect. Basil, while in Caesarea, lived the same life he had learned from many ascetics while traveling through Egypt, Palestine, Syria, and Mesopotamia and observing the ascetic fathers living in those lands. Thus, imitating their lives, he became a good monk, and the Archbishop of Caesarea, Eusebius , ordained him a priest and leader of the monks in Caesarea. Having been ordained a priest, 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 . Care for the monks he had gathered, preaching the word of God, and other pastoral concerns prevented him from being distracted by extraneous pursuits. In this new role, he quickly earned a level of respect unmatched by even the archbishop himself, who was still inexperienced in ecclesiastical affairs, having been chosen from among the catechumens for the throne of Caesarea. But barely a year into his priesthood, Bishop Eusebius, through human weakness, began to envy and ill-wisher Basil. Saint Basil learned of this and, not wishing to be the object of envy, withdrew to the Pontine Desert . In the Pontine Desert, Basil withdrew to the River Iris—a place where his mother Emmelia and his sister Macrina had retired before him, and which belonged to them. Macrina founded a monastery there. Nearby, at the foot of a high mountain, densely forested and watered by cold, clear streams, Basil settled. The desert was so pleasant to Basil with its undisturbed silence that he intended to end his days there. Here he imitated the exploits of those great men he had seen in Syria and Egypt. He struggled in extreme privation, covering himself with only a single garment—a srachitsa (a shirt) and a mantle. He also wore a hair shirt, but only at night, so as not to be seen. He subsisted on bread and water, seasoning this meager fare with salt and roots. From strict abstinence, he became very pale and emaciated, and fell into utter exhaustion. He never went to the bathhouse or lit a fire. But Basil did not live for himself alone: he gathered monks into a community; through his letters, he also attracted his friend Gregory to the desert.
In their solitude, Basil and Gregory did everything together; they prayed together; both abandoned the reading of secular books, which had previously consumed so much of their time, and began to devote themselves exclusively to Holy Scripture. Wishing to study it better, they read the works of the Church Fathers and writers who preceded them, especially Origen . Here, Basil and Gregory, guided by the Holy Spirit, wrote the rules of monastic communal life, which the monks of the Eastern Church largely follow today .
In their approach to physical life, Vasily and Gregory found pleasure in patience; they worked with their hands, carrying firewood, hewing stones, planting and watering trees, hauling manure, and lifting heavy loads, so that their hands were permanently calloused. Their dwelling had neither roof nor gate; there was never any fire or smoke. The bread they ate was so dry and poorly baked that it was barely chewable.
The time came, however, when both Basil and Gregory were forced to leave the desert, as their services were needed by the Church, which was then troubled by heretics. Gregory, his father, Gregory, an old man and therefore lacking the strength to firmly combat the heretics, took him to Nazianzus to help the Orthodox. Basil, however, was persuaded to return by Eusebius, Archbishop of Caesarea, who reconciled with him in a letter and asked him to assist the Church, which was being attacked by the Arians . Blessed Basil, seeing such a need for the Church and preferring it to the benefit of the hermit life, left solitude and came to Caesarea, where he labored greatly, defending the Orthodox faith from heresy through words and writings. When Archbishop Eusebius died, surrendering his soul to God in Basil's arms, Basil was elevated to the archbishopric and consecrated by a council of bishops. Among those bishops was the aged Gregory, father of Gregory of Nazianzus . Weak and weary with age, he ordered him to be escorted to Caesarea to persuade Basil to accept the archbishopric and prevent the elevation of any Arian to the throne.
Basil successfully governed the Church of Christ, and he ordained his brother, Peter, as a priest to assist him in the work of the Church, and later appointed him bishop of the city of Sebaste . 45 At this time, their mother, Blessed Emmelia, departed to the Lord, having lived for over 90 years.
After some time, Blessed Basil asked God to enlighten his mind so that he could offer the bloodless sacrifice to God with his own words, and that the grace of the Holy Spirit would be sent down to him for this purpose . 46 Six days later, on the seventh day, when Basil, standing before the altar in the temple, began to offer the bread and 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 a bloodless service by reciting your prayers.
After this, Basil began to speak and write down the following words: "Let my lips be filled with praise, let me sing of Thy glory," "O Lord our God, create us and lead us into this life," and other prayers of the Holy Liturgy. At the end of the prayer, he raised the bread, fervently praying these words: "Hear, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, in the heavens of Thy dwelling and at the throne of Thy kingdom, and come to sanctify us, and sit upon this mountain and abide here with us invisibly: and grant with Thy hand to bestow upon us Thy most pure Body and Blood upon all of us people." 47 While the saint was doing this, Eubulus and the highest clergy saw a heavenly light illuminating the altar, the saint, and certain radiant men in white vestments who surrounded Saint Basil. Seeing this, they were greatly horrified and fell prostrate, shedding tears and glorifying God.
At that time, Basil, having called the goldsmith, ordered him to make a dove out of pure gold - in the image of the dove that appeared over the Jordan - and placed it over the holy throne, so that it would, as it were, guard the Divine Mysteries.
The Lord God, even during Basil's lifetime, bore witness to his holiness through several miraculous signs. Once, while he was celebrating the Divine Liturgy, a certain Jew, wishing to learn the nature of the Holy Mysteries, joined the other believers, pretending to be a Christian. Entering the church, he saw Saint Basil holding a baby in his arms and crushing it into pieces. As the believers began to receive Communion from the saint's hands, the Jew approached, and the saint, like the other Christians, offered him a portion of the Holy Gifts. Receiving it, the Jew saw that it was indeed flesh, and when he approached the chalice, he saw that it actually contained blood. He hid the remainder of Holy Communion and, returning home, showed it to his wife and told her everything he had seen with his own eyes. Believing that the Christian sacrament is truly awesome and glorious, he went the next morning to Blessed Basil and begged him to grant him holy baptism. Basil, having given thanks to God, immediately baptized the Jew and his entire family.
As the saint was walking along the road one day, a poor woman, wronged by a certain officer, fell at Basil's feet, begging him to write to the officer about her as someone he held in high esteem. The saint, taking a charter , wrote the following to the officer: "This poor woman has come to me, saying that my letter is of great importance to you. If so, then prove it to me in deed and show mercy to this woman." Having written these words, the saint gave the charter to the poor woman, and she took it and carried it to the officer. After reading the letter, the officer wrote back to the saint: "According to your letter, holy father, I would like to show mercy to that woman, but I cannot do so because she is subject to the public tax." The saint wrote back to him: "It is good if you wanted to, but could not do so; "And even if you were able but unwilling, God will place you among those in need, so that you will not be able to do what you wish." These words of the saint were soon fulfilled: a short time later, the emperor became angry with the official, for he learned that he was inflicting great oppression on the people, and he imprisoned him, compelling him to pay back all those he had wronged. From prison, the official sent a petition to Saint Basil, asking him to have mercy on him and, through his intercession, to appease the emperor. Basil hastened to intercede with the emperor on his behalf, and six days later a decree arrived, freeing the official from condemnation. The official, seeing how merciful the saint had been to him, hastened to him to express his gratitude, and he gave the aforementioned poor woman from his estate twice what he had taken from her.
While this saint of God, Basil the Great, was courageously fighting for the holy faith of Christ in Caesarea of Cappadocia , Emperor Julian the Apostate, a blasphemer and great persecutor of Christians , who boasted that he would destroy Christians, was waging war against the Persians. Saint Basil was then praying in church before an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, at whose feet was an image of the holy Great Martyr Mercurius, depicted as a warrior with a spear. Mercurius the warrior suffered a martyr's death in Caesarea of Cappadocia (commemorated on November 24). He prayed that God would not allow Julian, the persecutor and destroyer of Christians, to return alive from the Persian War. And so he saw that the image of Saint Mercurius, standing near the Most Holy Theotokos, changed, and for a time the image of the martyr became invisible. A short time later, the martyr reappeared, but with a bloody spear. At that very time, Julian was pierced during the Persian War by the holy martyr Mercurius, sent by the Most Pure Virgin Mary to destroy the enemy of God.
Saint Basil the Great also possessed a gift of grace. When he elevated the Holy Gifts during the Liturgy, the golden dove containing the Divine Gifts, suspended above the Holy Table, moved by the power of God, shook three times. Once, as Basil was serving and elevating the Holy Gifts, the usual sign of the dove, whose shaking indicated the descent of the Holy Spirit, was absent. As Basil pondered the cause, he saw one of the deacons holding the ripidia [51 ] looking at a woman standing in the church. Basil commanded the deacon to step away from the holy table of oblation and prescribed him a penance: to fast and pray for seven days, to spend entire nights without sleep in prayer, and to distribute alms to the poor from his possessions. From that time on, Saint Basil ordered that a curtain and partition be installed in the church before the altar, so that no woman could look into the altar during the Divine Service; he also ordered that the disobedient be led out of the church and excommunicated from Holy Communion 52 .
While Saint Basil was a bishop, the Church of Christ was troubled by Emperor Valens , blinded by the Arian heresy. He deposed many Orthodox bishops, elevated Arians to their positions, and compelled others, fainthearted and fearful, to join his heresy. He was enraged and tormented, seeing Basil fearlessly remain on his throne, an unshakable pillar of his faith, while he encouraged and exhorted others to abhor Arianism as a false teaching hateful to God. While touring his realms and oppressing the Orthodox everywhere, the emperor, en route to Antioch, arrived in Caesarea in Cappadocia and there began to use every means to win Basil over to Arianism. He persuaded his commanders, nobles, and advisers to use prayers, promises, and even threats to induce Basil to fulfill the Tsar's wishes. The Tsar's supporters persistently urged the saint to do so. Furthermore, certain noblewomen, favored by the Tsar, began sending their eunuchs to the saint, persistently advising him to align himself with the Tsar. But no one could persuade this hierarch, steadfast in his faith, to fall away from Orthodoxy. Finally, Eparch Modestus summoned Basil and, after failing to sway him with flattering promises to apostatize, began furiously threatening him with confiscation of his property, exile, and death. The saint, however, boldly responded to his threats:
"If you take my property from me, you will neither enrich yourself nor make me a beggar. I believe you have no need of these old clothes of mine and the few books that comprise my entire wealth. There is no exile for me, for I am not bound by place, and the place where I now live is not mine, and wherever I am exiled will be mine. Better yet, everywhere is God's place, wherever I may be a 'stranger and sojourner' ( Psalm 39:13 ). And what can torment do to me? I am so weak that perhaps only the first blow will be felt. Death, however, is a blessing for me: it will sooner lead me to God, for Whom I live and labor, and to Whom I have long striven.
Astonished by these words, the ruler said to Vasily:
– No one has ever spoken to me so boldly before!
"Yes," the saint replied, "because you have never spoken with a bishop before. In all other matters we display meekness and humility, but when it comes to God, and people dare to rebel against Him, then we, dismissing all else as nothing, look only to Him alone. Then fire, sword, beasts, and iron that tear at our bodies will delight us rather than frighten us."
Reporting to Valens about the steadfastness and fearlessness of Saint Basil, Modestus said:
"We have been defeated, Tsar, by the abbot of the Church. This man is above threats, firmer than arguments, stronger than convictions."
After this, the Tsar forbade disturbing Vasily and, although he did not accept communication with him, being ashamed to show himself changed, he began to look for a more decent justification.
The feast of the Epiphany of the Lord arrived. The Tsar and his retinue entered the church where Basil was serving, and by entering among the people, he wished to demonstrate a semblance of unity with the Church. Beholding the splendor and order of the church and listening to the singing and prayers of the faithful, the Tsar marveled, saying that he had never seen such order and splendor in his Arian churches. Saint Basil approached the Tsar and began to converse with him, instructing him from Holy Scripture . Gregory Nazianzus, who happened to be there at the time, was also present during this conversation and wrote about it. From that time on, the Tsar began to treat Basil more favorably. But, having retired to Antioch, he again became irritated with Basil, having been incited to this by evil men. Believing their denunciations, he condemned Basil to exile. But when the emperor was about to sign this decree, the throne on which he sat shook, and the reed with which he was to sign broke . The emperor took another reed, but the same thing happened with it; the same thing happened with the third. Then his hand began to tremble, and fear fell upon him; seeing in this the power of God, the emperor tore up the charter. But the enemies of Orthodoxy again began persistently pestering the emperor about Basil, urging him not to leave him alone, and a dignitary named Anastasius was sent by the emperor to bring Basil to Antioch. When this dignitary arrived in Caesarea and informed Basil of the emperor's command, the saint replied:
"I, my son, learned some time ago that the king, heeding the advice of foolish men, broke three canes, wishing to sign the decree for my imprisonment and thereby obscure the truth. The unfeeling canes restrained his irresistible momentum, agreeing to be broken rather than serve as weapons for his unjust sentence."
Having been brought to Antioch, Basil appeared before the eparch, and to the question: “Why does he not adhere to the faith that the Tsar professes?” he answered:
– It will never happen that I, having deviated from the true Christian faith, become a follower of the impious Arian teaching; for I have inherited from my fathers the faith in consubstantiality 56 , which I confess and glorify.
The judge threatened him with death, but Vasily answered:
- What then? Let me suffer for the truth and be freed from bodily bonds; I have long desired this – only you will not break your 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 Tsar, inflamed with anger, began to think of ways to destroy Vasily. But at that very moment, the Tsar's son, Galat, suddenly fell ill, and the doctors had already condemned him to death. His mother, coming to the Tsar, spoke to him with irritation:
“Because you believe incorrectly and persecute the high priest of God, the boy dies for this.”
Hearing this, Valens called Basil and said to him:
“If the teaching of your faith is pleasing to God, then heal my son with your prayers!”
The saint answered:
"Oh, Tsar! If you convert to the Orthodox faith and grant peace to the churches, your son will remain alive."
When the Tsar promised to fulfill this, Saint Basil immediately turned to God in prayer, and the Lord granted the Tsar's son relief from his illness. After this, Basil was sent back to his throne with honors. The Arians, hearing and seeing this, were inflamed with envy and malice and said to the Tsar:
- And we could do it!
They again deceived the emperor, so he did not prevent them from baptizing his son. But when the Arians seized the emperor's son to baptize him, he immediately died in their arms. The aforementioned Anastasius witnessed this with his own eyes and reported it to Emperor Valentinian , the brother of the Eastern Emperor, Valens, who reigned in the West. Valentinian, amazed at this miracle, glorified God and, through Anastasius, sent Saint Basil large gifts. Basil accepted these gifts and established hospitals in the cities of his diocese, providing shelter for many of the infirm and needy.
Blessed Gregory of Nazianzus also reports that Saint Basil also healed that eparch Modestus, who was so severe towards the saint, through prayer from a serious illness, when he, in his illness, humbly sought help from his holy prayers.
After some time, a relative of the emperor named Eusebius was appointed eparch in Modestus's place. In Caesarea at that time, there lived a widow—young, rich, and very beautiful, named Vestiana, the daughter of Araxes, a member of the senate. Eusebius, the eparch, wanted to force her into marriage with a dignitary, but she, being chaste and desiring to preserve the purity of her widowhood unblemished for the glory of God, did not wish to marry. When she learned that they were planning to abduct her by force and force her into marriage, she fled to the church and fell at the feet of the high priest of God, Saint Basil . Having taken her under his protection, he refused to hand her over from the church to the men who had come for her, and then secretly sent her to a convent for women, to his sister, the Venerable Macrina. Enraged at Blessed Basil, the eparch sent soldiers to take the widow from the church by force, and when she was not found there, he ordered a search for her in the saint's bedchamber. The eparch, an immoral man, believed that Basil had sinfully retained her and hidden her in his bedchamber. Unable to find her anywhere, however, he summoned Basil and with great fury berated him, threatening to torture him if he did not surrender the widow. But Saint Basil proved himself prepared for the torments.
“If you order my body to be shaved with iron,” he said, “then you will heal my liver, which, as you see, is bothering me greatly 59 .
At this point, the citizens, having learned of the incident, rushed to the eparch's palace—not only men but also women—with weapons and spears, intending to kill him for their holy father and shepherd. Had Saint Basil not calmed the people, the eparch would have been killed. The eparch, however, seeing such public outrage, became greatly alarmed and released the saint unharmed and free.
Helladius, an eyewitness to Basil's miracles and his successor to the episcopal throne, a virtuous and holy man, related the following: A certain Orthodox senator named Proterius, visiting holy places, intended to give his daughter to the service of God in a monastery. The devil , the eternal hater of goodness, aroused in one of Proterius's slaves a passion for his master's daughter. Seeing his desire futile and not daring to mention his passion to the maiden, the slave went to a sorcerer living in that city and told him of his predicament. He promised the sorcerer much gold if he would use his magic to help him marry his master's daughter. The sorcerer initially 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 slave said:
“Whatever he commands me, I promise to do.”
The wizard then said:
– Will you renounce your Christ and give a receipt for this?
The slave said:
– I’m ready for this too, 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, strive to wean people away from the Christian faith and bring them under your rule to increase your subjects, I now send you the bearer of this letter, a young man inflamed with passion for a maiden, and I ask for your assistance in fulfilling his desire. Through this, I will gain glory and attract more admirers to you."
Having written such a message to the devil, the wizard gave it to the young man and sent it with these words:
- Go at this hour of the night and stand in the Hellenic cemetery 60 , raising the charter up; 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 summon demons. Immediately, the evil spirits appeared before him and joyfully led the deceived man to their prince. Seeing him seated on a high throne, with the darkness of evil spirits surrounding him, the slave handed him the letter from the sorcerer. The devil, taking the letter, said to the slave:
- Do you believe in me?
He answered: “I believe.”
The devil asked again:
– Do you renounce your Christ?
“I renounce,” the slave answered.
Then Satan said to him:
"You often deceive me, Christians: when you ask me for help, you come to me, but when you achieve your goal, you renounce me again and turn to your Christ, who, as kind and merciful, accepts you. So give me a receipt stating that you voluntarily renounce Christ and baptism and promise to be mine forever, and from the day of judgment you will endure eternal torment with me: in that case, I will fulfill your wish."
The slave, taking the charter, wrote what the devil wanted from him . Then the destroyer of souls, the ancient serpent (i.e., the devil), sent demons of adultery, and they aroused such a strong love for the boy in the maiden that, overcome by carnal passion, she fell to the ground and began to cry out to her father:
"Have pity on me, have pity on your daughter, and marry me to our slave, whom I have fallen deeply in love with. If you do not do this for me, your only daughter, you will soon see me die from terrible torment and will answer for me on Judgment Day."
Hearing this, the father was horrified and said with tears:
Woe is me, a sinner! What has happened to my daughter? Who has stolen my treasure from me? Who has 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 I myself hoped to receive salvation for your sake, yet you shamelessly talk about marriage! Do not lead me down to hell in sorrow, my child; do not disgrace your noble calling by marrying a slave.
She, not paying attention to her parent’s words, said one thing:
- If you don’t do as I wish, I’ll kill myself.
The father, unsure what to do, on the advice of his relatives and friends, agreed to fulfill her will rather than see her die a cruel death. Calling his servant, he gave him his daughter and his large estate in marriage and said to his daughter:
"Go ahead, you unfortunate woman, and get married! But I think you'll deeply regret your actions later, and it won't do you any good."
Some time after the marriage took place and the devil's work was accomplished, it was noticed that the newlywed was not attending church or receiving Holy Communion. This was also reported to his unfortunate wife:
“Don’t you know,” they said to her, “that your husband, whom you have chosen, is not a Christian, but is alien to the faith of Christ?”
She, hearing this, became extremely sad and, falling to the ground, began to tear her face with her nails, tirelessly beat herself on the chest with her hands and screamed like this:
"No one who disobeyed their parents could ever be saved! Who will tell my father of my shame? Woe to me, unfortunate one! What doom have I fallen into! Why was I born, and why did I not perish at birth?"
While she was sobbing, her husband heard her and rushed to ask the reason for her sobs. Upon learning the reason, he began to console her, saying that she had been told a lie about him, and he assured her that he was a Christian. She, somewhat calmed by his words, said to him:
“If you want to convince me completely and remove the sadness from my unfortunate soul, then come with me to church in the morning and receive the Most Pure Mysteries before me: then I will believe you.
Her unfortunate husband, seeing that he could not conceal the truth, was forced, against his will, to tell her everything about himself—how he had given himself over to the devil. She, forgetting her feminine weakness, hastily went to Saint Basil and cried out to him:
"Have mercy on me, disciple of Christ, have mercy on me who has disobeyed my father's will, who has succumbed to demonic deception!" and she 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 tearfully replied:
"Yes, Saint of God, it's all true! And if I remain silent, my deeds will cry out about it," and he recounted everything in order, how he surrendered himself 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 replied.
“Why not?” Vasily asked.
“Because,” answered the husband, “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 merciful and accepts those who repent.
The woman, falling at the feet of the saint, begged him, saying:
– Disciple of Christ! Help us in any way you can.
Then the saint said to the slave:
– Do you believe that you can still be saved?
He replied:
- I believe, sir, help my unbelief.
The saint then took him by the hand, made the sign of the cross, and locked him in a room within the church enclosure, commanding him to pray to God without ceasing. He himself remained in prayer for three days, and then visited the penitent and asked him:
- How are you feeling, child?
"I am in an extremely dire situation, lord," the youth replied. "I cannot bear the demons' cries, the terrors, the shooting, and the blows with stakes. For the demons, holding my receipt in their hands, revile me, saying, 'You came to us, not we to you!'"
The saint said:
- Do not be afraid, child, just believe.
And, having given him a little 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, my child?
He replied:
– From afar I can still hear their threats and cries, but I can’t see them themselves.
Basil, having given him some food and prayed for him, locked him up again and left. Then he came to him on the fortieth day and asked him:
- How are you living, child?
He also said:
- Good, holy father, for I saw you in a dream, how you fought for me and defeated the devil.
Having prayed, the saint led him out of seclusion and into his cell. The next morning, he summoned the entire clergy, the monks, and all Christ-loving people and said:
– Let us glorify, brothers, God the Lover of mankind, for now the Good Shepherd wants to take the lost sheep 61 on his shoulder and bring him to the church: on this night we must implore His goodness, that He may conquer and shame the enemy of our souls.
The believers gathered in the church and prayed all night for the penitent, crying out: “Lord have mercy.”
When morning came, Basil, taking the penitent by the hand, led him and all the people into the church, chanting psalms and hymns. And then the devil, shamelessly and invisibly, came there with all his destructive power, wanting to snatch the youth from the saint's hands. The youth began to cry out:
- Saint of God, help me!
But the devil, with such audacity and shamelessness, attacked the youth, causing pain even to Saint Basil, dragging the youth along with him. Then the blessed one addressed the devil with these words:
"Most shameless murderer, prince of darkness and destruction! Isn't the destruction you've brought upon yourself and those with you enough? Will you not cease persecuting the creation of my God?"
The devil cried out to him:
"You're insulting me, Vasily!" and many heard this devilish voice. Then the saint said:
- May the Lord forbid you, O devil!
The devil said to him again:
"Vasily, you insult me! After all, it wasn't I who came to him, but he to me: he renounced his Christ, giving me a receipt, which I hold in my hand, and which I will show to the Judge of all on the Day of Judgment."
Vasily said:
– Blessed be the Lord my God! These people will not lower their hands raised to heaven until you give them that receipt.
Then, turning to the people, the saint said:
"Lift your hands high and cry out, 'Lord, have mercy!'" And so, after the people, with their hands raised to heaven, had cried out with tears for a long time, "Lord, have mercy!" the young man's receipt, before everyone's eyes, was carried through the air straight into the hands of Saint Basil. Taking the receipt, the saint rejoiced and gave thanks to God, and then, aloud to everyone, he said to the young man:
– Do you know this receipt, brother?
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 apart before everyone and, bringing the youth into the church, administered the Divine Mysteries to him and offered a plentiful meal to all present. Afterward, having instructed the youth and shown him the proper rules of life, he returned him to his wife, who, without ceasing, glorified and gave thanks to God.
The same Helladius also related the following about Saint Basil: Once, our great father Basil, illuminated by divine grace, said to his clergy:
– Follow me, children, and we will see the glory of God, and together we will glorify our Lord.
With these words, he left the city, but no one knew where he intended to go. At that time, in a certain village lived the priest Anastasius with his wife Theognia. They had lived together for forty years in virginity, and many thought Theognia barren, for no one knew of their secret, pure virginity. Anastasius, however, had been granted the grace of the Spirit of God for his holy life, and he was a clairvoyant. Foresaw in spirit that Basil wished 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 Basil, for he is coming to visit us sinners.
She was surprised by her master's words, but she carried out his orders. When Saint Basil was not far from Anastasius's house, Theognia came out to meet him and bowed to him.
"Are you well, Lady Theognia?" Vasily asked. She, hearing him call her by name, was horrified and said:
- I am healthy, holy lord!
The saint said:
- Where is Mr. Anastasius, your brother?
She replied:
- 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 became even more frightened, for she realized that the saint had penetrated their secret, and with trembling she fell at the saint’s feet 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 went on. As he entered the priest's house, Anastasius himself met him and, kissing the saint's feet, said:
- How can I know that the saint of my Lord has come to me?
The saint, having given him a kiss in the Lord, said:
“It’s good that I have found you, disciple of Christ; let’s go to church and celebrate God’s service.”
The priest had the custom of fasting every day of the week except Saturday and Sunday, and ate nothing but bread and water. When they arrived at church, Saint Basil ordered Anastasius to serve the Liturgy, but he refused, saying:
– You know, Master, 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 celebrating the Liturgy, during the elevation of the Holy Mysteries, Saint Basil and others who were worthy beheld the Holy Spirit descending in the form of fire and surrounding Anastasius and the holy altar. After the Divine Service, everyone entered Anastasius's house, and he offered a meal to Saint Basil and his clergy.
During the meal, the saint asked the priest:
– Where do you get your treasure from and what is your life like? Tell me.
The presbyter answered:
- Saint of God! I am a sinful man and subject to public taxes; I have two yoke of oxen, one of which I work myself, and the other is worked by my hired hand; what I earn from one yoke of oxen I spend on providing for travelers, and what I earn from the other yoke goes to paying the tax: my wife also works with me, serving travelers and me.
Vasily said to him:
- Call her your sister, as she really is, and tell me about your virtues.
Anastasius 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, “do not go in there, because there is nothing there except household items.”
Vasily said:
- But I came for these things.
Since the priest still refused to open the door, the saint opened it with his word and, entering, found there a man afflicted with severe leprosy , many of whose body parts had already fallen off and rotted away. No one knew about him except the priest himself and his wife.
Basil said to the presbyter:
- Why did you want to hide this treasure of yours from me?
“He is an angry and quarrelsome man,” answered the presbyter, “and therefore I was afraid to show him, lest he should offend your holiness with any word.”
Then Vasily said:
“You are performing a good deed, but let me also serve him this night, so that I too may be a participant in the reward that you will receive.
And so Saint Basil remained alone with the leper and, having locked himself in, spent the entire night in prayer, and in the morning he brought him out completely unharmed and healthy. The priest, his wife, and all who were there, having witnessed such a miracle, glorified God. Saint Basil, after a friendly conversation with the priest and an instruction given by him to those present, returned to his home.
When Saint Ephraim the Syrian , 64 who lived in the desert, heard of Saint Basil , he began to pray to God to show him what Basil was like. And then one day, in a state of spiritual ecstasy, he saw a pillar of fire whose head reached to heaven, and heard a voice saying:
"Ephraim, Ephraim! As you see this pillar of fire, so is Vasily."
Saint Ephraim immediately took a translator with him—for he could not speak Greek—and set out for Caesarea, arriving there on the feast of the Theophany of the Lord. Standing at a distance, unnoticed by anyone, he saw Saint Basil approaching the church with great solemnity, dressed in light-colored vestments, and his clergy, also dressed in light-colored vestments. Turning to the translator accompanying him, Ephraim said:
“It seems, brother, that we have labored in vain, for this is a man of such high rank that I have never seen his like.”
Entering the church, Ephraim stood in the corner, invisible to anyone, and spoke to himself thus:
" We, who have borne the burden and heat of the day" ( Matthew 20:12 ), have achieved nothing, but this one, who enjoys such glory and honor among people, is at the same time a pillar of fire. This amazes me.
When Saint Ephraim was thus reasoning about him, 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 a monk standing in the corner of the church with another man, almost beardless and short. Tell him: go and ascend the altar, for the archbishop is calling you."
The archdeacon, with great difficulty pushing his way through the crowd, approached the place where Saint Ephraim stood and said:
– Father! Go, I beg you, and ascend the altar: the archbishop is calling you.
Ephraim, having learned through the translator what the archdeacon had said, answered the latter:
"You're mistaken, brother! We're outsiders and unknown to the archbishop."
The archdeacon went to tell Basil about this, who was at that time expounding the Holy Scriptures to the people . And then Saint Ephraim saw fire coming from the mouth of Basil as he spoke.
Then Vasily said to the archdeacon again:
- Go and tell that visiting monk: Lord Ephraim! I ask you to ascend the holy altar: the archbishop is calling you.
The archdeacon went and spoke as he was ordered. Ephraim was amazed at this and glorified God. Then, bowing to the ground, he said:
– Truly great is Basil, truly he is a pillar of fire, truly the Holy Spirit speaks through his lips!
Then he asked the archdeacon to inform the archbishop that after the end of the holy service he wanted to bow to him in a secluded place and greet him.
When the Divine Service was over, Saint Basil went into the vessel-keeper's room and, calling Saint Ephraim, gave him the kiss of the Lord and said:
"I greet you, Father, who multiplied Christ's disciples in the desert and, by the power of Christ, cast out demons from it! Why, Father, did you take upon yourself such a labor, coming to see a sinful man? May the Lord reward you for your labor!"
Ephraim, answering Basil through an interpreter, told him everything that was on his heart, and he and his companion received the Most Pure Mysteries from Basil's holy hands. When they sat down to eat in Basil's house, Saint Ephraim said to Saint Basil:
- Most Holy Father! I ask one favor of you - please grant it to me.
Basil the Great said to him:
- Tell me what you need: I am greatly indebted 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; but I want you to implore His goodness to grant me the ability to speak Greek.”
Vasily answered:
“Your request is beyond my strength, but since you ask with firm hope, then let us go, venerable father and desert teacher, to the temple of the Lord and pray to the Lord, Who can fulfill your prayer, for it is said: “He fulfills the desire 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, lord!" Ephraim answered him through the translator.
"Oh, if only I had your sins!" said Vasily, adding, "let us bow to the ground."
When they fell to the ground, Saint Basil placed his hand on the head of Saint Ephraim and said the prayer required for ordination to the deaconate. Then he said to the saint:
- 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, preserve us, O God, with Your grace” 65 .
Everyone glorified God for giving Ephraim the ability to understand and speak Greek. Saint Ephraim stayed with Saint Basil for three days, in spiritual joy. Basil ordained him a deacon and his translator a priest, and then sent them away in peace.
In the city of Nicaea , the impious emperor once stopped, and representatives of the Arian heresy appealed to him with a request that he expel the Orthodox from the cathedral church of that city and hand over the church to the Arian rabble. The emperor, himself a heretic, did just that: he forcibly took the church from the Orthodox and gave it to the Arians, then departed for Constantinople. When the entire large congregation of Orthodox Christians was plunged into great sorrow, the common intercessor and protector of all churches, Saint Basil the Great, arrived in Nicaea. Then the entire Orthodox flock came to him with wailing and lamentation, and told him of the insult they had suffered at the hands of the emperor. The saint, having consoled them with his words, immediately went to the emperor in Constantinople and, appearing before him, said:
" And the king's power loveth justice" ( Psalm 99:4 ). Why then, O king, have you pronounced an unjust sentence, expelling the Orthodox from the Holy Church and handing over its governance to the unrighteous?
The king said to him:
"You've started insulting me again, Vasily! It's not proper for you to act like that."
Vasily replied:
– It would be good for me to die for the truth.
While they were competing and arguing with each other, the king's chief cook, Demosthenes, was listening in. Wanting to help the Arians, he said something rude, reproaching the saint.
The saint said:
– Here we see before us the unlearned Demosthenes 67 .
The ashamed cook again said something in response, but the saint said:
“Your job is to think about food, not to cook up church dogmas.”
And Demosthenes, disgraced, fell silent. The king, now aroused by anger, now feeling shame, said to Basil:
- Go and examine their case; however, judge so that you do not appear to be helping your fellow believers.
“If I judge unfairly,” answered the saint, “then send me into exile, and 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 Tsar has given me the power to conduct a trial between you and the Orthodox regarding the church that you seized by force.
They answered him:
– Judge, but according to the royal judgment 68 .
The saint said then:
"Go, you Arians, and you Orthodox, and shut the church; having locked it, seal it with seals: you with yours, and you with yours, and post a reliable guard on both sides. Then first, you Arians, pray for three days and three nights, and then approach the church. And if, through your prayer, the church doors open of their own accord, then let the church be yours forever; but if this does not happen, then we will pray for one night and go with the litany 69 , singing sacred hymns, to the church; if it opens for us, then we will possess it forever; but if it does not open to us, then the church will again be yours.
The Arians were pleased with this proposal, but the Orthodox were upset with the saint, saying he had judged not according to truth, but out of fear of the emperor. Then, when both sides had firmly locked the holy church, a vigilant guard was posted before it, after it had been sealed. When the Arians, having prayed for three days and three nights, arrived at the church, nothing miraculous occurred: they prayed there from morning until the sixth hour, standing and crying out, "Lord, have mercy." But the church doors did not open to them, and they left in shame. Then Basil the Great, gathering all the Orthodox with their wives and children, left the city for the Church of the Holy Martyr Diomedes and, having celebrated the all-night vigil there, went with everyone in the morning to the sealed cathedral church, singing:
– Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us!
Stopping before the church doors, he said to the people:
– Raise your hands to heaven and cry out with fervor: “Lord have mercy!”
Then the saint commanded everyone to be silent and, approaching the doors, he blessed them three times with the sign of the cross and said:
– Blessed be the Christian God always, now and ever and unto the ages of ages.
When the people cried out, "Amen," the earth immediately shook, and the bars began to crumble, the bolts fell, the seals shattered, and the gates swung open as if from a strong wind and storm, so that the doors slammed against the walls. Saint Basil began to chant:
– “Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O everlasting doors, and the King of glory will come in!” ( Ps. 24:7 ).
He then entered the church with a multitude of Orthodox and, having performed the Divine Service, dismissed the people with joy. Countless Arians, having witnessed this miracle, abandoned their error and joined the Orthodox. When the emperor learned of Basil's just decision and this glorious miracle, he was greatly astonished and began to blaspheme Arianism. However, blinded by impiety, he did not convert to Orthodoxy and subsequently perished miserably. Namely, when he was struck and wounded in war in the land of Thrace, he fled and hid in a barn where straw was stored. His pursuers surrounded the barn and set it on fire, and the emperor, consumed there, descended into the unquenchable fire . The emperor's death occurred after the death of our holy father Basil, but in the same year in which the saint also reposed.
Once, Saint Basil's brother, Bishop Peter of Sebaste, was slandered. It was said that he was continuing to cohabit with his wife, whom he had left before being consecrated a bishop—it is not proper for a bishop to be married. Hearing this, Basil 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 Sebaste, Peter recognized in spirit his brother's arrival, for Peter, too, was filled with the Spirit of God and lived with his so-called wife not as a wife, but as a sister, chastely. So, he went out of the city to meet Saint Basil, eight miles away , and, seeing his brother with a large number of companions, he smiled and said:
- Brother, how would you act against me like a robber?
Having exchanged a kiss in the Lord, they entered the city and, after praying in the Church of the Holy Forty Martyrs, arrived at the bishop's house. Basil, seeing his daughter-in-law, said:
- Hello, my sister, or rather, my bride of the Lord; I have come here for you.
She replied:
– Greetings 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, to spend the night with your wife in the church tonight.
“I will do whatever you command me,” answered Peter.
When night fell, and Peter was sleeping in the church with his wife, Saint Basil was there with five virtuous men. Around midnight, he awakened these men and said to them:
- What do you see above my brother and above my sister-in-law?
They also said:
– We see the Angels of God fanning them and anointing their immaculate bed with fragrances.
Vasily then said to them:
- Be silent, and don’t tell anyone what you saw.
The next morning, Basil ordered the people to gather in the church and bring a brazier with burning coals. After this, he said:
- Stretch out your clothes, my honest daughter-in-law.
And when she had done this, the saint said to those holding the brazier.
- Put some burning coals in her clothes.
They carried out this command. Then the saint said to her:
- Keep these coals in your clothes until I tell you.
Then he again ordered that new burning coals be brought and said to his brother:
– Stretch out your phelonion, brother 72 .
When he had carried out this order, Vasily said to the servants:
“Pour the coals from the brazier into the phelonion,” and they poured them out.
When Peter and his wife held live coals in their clothes for a long time and suffered no harm from it, the people who saw this were amazed and said:
– The Lord protects His saints and grants them blessings while still on earth.
When Peter and his wife cast the coals onto the ground, no smoky odor was detected, and their clothes remained unscorched. Then Basil commanded the aforementioned five virtuous men to tell everyone what they had seen, and they told the people how they had seen angels of God in the church hovering over the bed of blessed Peter and his wife, anointing their immaculate couch with perfume. After this, everyone glorified God, who cleanses His saints from the false slander of men.
In the days of our venerable father Basil, there was a widow of noble birth in Caesarea, exceedingly wealthy. Living a life of sensuality and indulging her flesh, she had completely enslaved herself to sin and for many years dwelt in fornication and impurity. God, Who desires all to repent ( 2 Peter 3:8 ), touched her heart with His grace, and the woman began to repent of her sinful life. Alone one day, she reflected on the immeasurable multitude of her sins and began to lament her situation:
Woe is me, a sinner and a prodigal! How will I answer to the righteous Judge for the sins I have committed? I have defiled the temple of my body, I have defiled my soul. Woe is me, the most grievous of sinners! To whom can I compare myself in my sins? To a harlot, or to a publican? But no one has sinned as I have. And—what is especially terrible—I have committed so much evil even after receiving baptism. And who will tell me whether God will accept my repentance?
Sobbing, she recalled everything she had done from youth to old age, sat down, and wrote it down on a charter. Lastly, she wrote down one most grievous sin and sealed the charter with a lead seal. Then, choosing a time when Saint Basil was going 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; and she, handing him the sealed charter, said:
- Behold, my lord, I have written all my sins and iniquities on this charter and sealed it; but you, servant of God, do not read it or remove the seal, but only cleanse them with your prayer, for I believe that He 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 how much more can You cleanse the transgressions of this single soul? For although all our sins are numbered before You, Your mercy is immeasurable and unsearchable!"
Having said this, Saint Basil entered the church, holding the charter in his hands, and, falling down before the altar, spent the whole night in prayer for that woman.
The next morning, after performing the Divine Service, the saint called the woman and gave her the sealed charter in the same form in which he had received it, and at the same time said to her:
– Have you heard, woman, that “who can forgive sins but God alone” ( Mark 2:7 )?
She also said:
“I heard, honest father, and that is why I troubled you with a request to implore His goodness.
Having said this, the woman untied her charter and saw that her sins had been blotted out; only the grave sin she had written down afterward had not been blotted out. Seeing this, the woman was horrified and, striking her chest, fell at the saint's feet, crying out:
- Have mercy on me, servant of the Most High God, and as you had mercy on all my iniquities and prayed to God for them, so pray for this too, that it may be completely cleansed.
The archbishop, shedding tears of pity for her, said:
"Rise, woman: I myself am a sinner, and I stand in need of mercy and forgiveness. He who cleansed your other sins can also cleanse your still-unblotted sin. If you will guard yourself from sin in the future and begin to walk in the way of the Lord, you will not only be forgiven, but also be deemed worthy of heavenly glorification. This is my advice to 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, following the saint's word, went into the desert and, after traveling a great distance, found the cell of Blessed Ephraim. Knocking on the door, she said:
- Have mercy on me, a sinner, holy father!
Saint Ephraim, recognizing in his spirit 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 Basil has sent me to you so that you, by praying to God, would cleanse me of my sin, which is written in this charter; he has cleansed the rest of my sins, but you do not refuse to pray for one sin, for I have been sent to you."
The Venerable Ephraim said:
"No, child, he who could pray to God for your many sins can pray for one more. So go, go without delay, so that you can find him alive before he departs to the Lord."
Then the woman, having bowed to the monk, returned to Caesarea.
But she arrived just in time for Saint Basil's burial, for he had already passed away, and his holy body was being carried to the burial site. Upon meeting the funeral procession, the woman burst into loud sobs, threw herself to the ground, and spoke to the saint as if he were alive:
"Woe is me, Saint of God! Woe is me, unfortunate one! Did you send me into the desert so that, undisturbed by me, you could leave the body? And so I return empty-handed, having made the arduous journey into the desert in vain. May God see this and judge between you and me, that you, having the ability to help me yourself, sent me to another."
Thus crying out, she threw the charter over the saint's bed, telling everyone of her grief. One of the clergy, wanting to see what was written on the charter, took it and, untying it, found no words on it: the entire charter was blank.
“Nothing is written here,” he said to the woman, “and in vain are you sad, not knowing the ineffable love of God for mankind that has been revealed to you.”
All the people, seeing this miracle, glorified God, who gave such power to His servants even after their death.
In Caesarea lived a Jew named Joseph. He was so skilled in the art of healing that he could determine the day of death of a patient three or five days in advance by observing the blood flow in his veins, and even pinpoint the exact hour of death. Our God-bearing father, Basil, foreseeing his future conversion to Christ, loved him dearly and, often inviting him to converse with him, urged him to abandon the Jewish faith and accept holy baptism. But Joseph refused, saying:
– I want to die in the faith I was born into.
The saint said to him:
"Believe me, neither you nor I will die until you are 'born of water and the Spirit' ( John 3:5 ), for without such grace one cannot enter the Kingdom of God. Were not your fathers baptized 'in the clouds and in the sea' ( 1 Corinthians 10:1 )? Didn't they drink from the stone that prefigured the spiritual stone—Christ, born of the Virgin for our salvation? Your fathers crucified this Christ, but He, being buried, rose again on the third day and, ascending into heaven, sat at the right hand of the Father and will come from there to judge the living and the dead.
The saint told him many other things beneficial to the soul, but the Jew remained steadfast in his unbelief. When the time came for the saint's death, he fell ill and summoned the Jew, as if needing his medical help. He asked him:
- What do you say about me, Joseph?
The same one, having examined the saint, said to his household:
- Prepare everything for the burial, because we must expect his death any minute.
But Vasily said:
- You don’t know what you’re saying!
The Jew answered:
“Believe me, lord, that your death will come before sunset.
Then Vasily said to him:
- And if I stay alive until the morning, until six o’clock, what will you do then?
Joseph replied:
- Let me die then!
“Yes,” said the saint, “die, but die to sin, so as to live for God!”
"I know what you mean, lord!" the Jew replied, "and so I swear to you that if you live until morning, I will fulfill your wish."
Then Saint Basil began to pray to God that He would prolong his life until morning for the salvation of the Jew's soul, and he received his request. The next morning he sent for him, but the servant did not believe the man who told him that Basil was alive. Nevertheless, he went to see him, whom he thought already dead. When he saw him truly alive, he fell into a frenzy, and then, falling at the saint's feet, he said in a heartfelt fervor:
"Great is the Christian God, and there is no other God but Him! I renounce the ungodly Judaism and convert to the true Christian faith. Command, then, holy father, that I be immediately baptized, as well as my entire household."
Saint Basil said to him:
- I baptize you with my own hands!
The Jew approached him, touched the saint’s right hand and said:
“Your strength, my lord, has weakened, and your whole being has become completely exhausted; you will not be able to baptize me yourself.
“We have a Creator who strengthens us,” Vasily answered.
And, rising, he entered the church and, in the presence of all the people, baptized the Jew and his entire family. He named him John and administered the Divine Mysteries to him, himself celebrating the Liturgy that day. Having instructed the newly baptized man about eternal life and addressed words of edification to all his rational flock, the saint remained in the church until the ninth hour. Then, having given everyone a final kiss and forgiveness, he began to thank God for all His ineffable blessings. While the word of thanksgiving was still on his lips, he commended his soul into the hands of God and, as a bishop, joined the departed bishops, and as a great verbal thunderbolt , joined the preachers on the first day of January 379 , during the reign of Gratian , who succeeded his father, Valentinian.
Saint Basil the Great pastored the Church of God for eight years, six months and sixteen days, and the total years of his life were forty-nine.
The newly baptized Jew, seeing the saint dead, fell on his face and said with tears:
- Truly, God's servant Vasily, you would not have died even now if you had not wanted to.
The burial of Saint Basil was a momentous event and demonstrated the high esteem in which he was held. Not only Christians, but also Jews and pagans flocked to the streets in great numbers and persistently pressed toward the tomb of the deceased saint. Saint Gregory of Nazianzus also arrived for Basil's burial and wept profusely for the saint. The assembled bishops sang funeral hymns and interred the precious relics of the great saint of God, Basil, in the Church of the Holy Martyr Eupsychius , praising God, One in Trinity, to whom be glory forever. Amen .