THE XOEB CLASSICAL LIBRARY FOUNDED BY JAMES LOEB, LL.D.

EDITED BY

T. E. PAGE, C.H., MTT.D. E. CAPPS, PH.D., LL.D. W. H. D. ROUSE, litt.d.

SAINT BASIL THE LETTERS

IV

SAINT BASIL, t ^e Gr. THE LETTERS WITH AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION BY ROY J. DEFERRARI, Ph.D. OF THE CATHOLIC ITNIVERSITY OF AMERICA ADDRESS TO YOUNG MEN ON READING GREEK LITERATURE WITH AN ENGLISH TRANSLATION BY ROY JOSEPH DEFERRARI AND MARTIN R. P. McGUIRE OF THE CATHOLIC UNIVERSITY OF AMERICA

IN FOUR VOLUMES IV

LONDON WILLIAM HEINEMANN LTD CAMBRIDGE, MASSACHUSETTS HARVARD UNIVERSITY PRESS MCMXXXIV Printed in Oreat Britain PREFATORY NOTE

The present volume marks the fourth and last of the collected Letters of St. Basil in the Loeb Classical Library and includes Letters CCXLIX to CCCLXVIIL Of these, the last two are here added to the corpus of Basil's letters for the first time. Furthermore, many of the later letters of this volume appear here with an English translation for the first time. Most of the dubia and spuria are included in this volume, and wherever possible I have attempted to summarize the best scholarly opinion regarding their authenticity and to add such new evidence as I have been able to find. The text of this fourth volume has been treated exactly as that of the second and third volumes. Letters CCXLIX to CCCLVI, exclusive of Letter CCCII, appear in the MS. known as Coisslinianus 237 (sig. = E), and do not occur in any of the other MSS. collated by me. Letters CCCII and CCCLVII to CCCLXVIII appear in no MS. collated by me. Accordingly, as in the preceding two volumes, the readings from E are my own, all others have been taken over from the Benedictine and Migne editions, and the sigla used in these editions, though often unique, have been kept in all cases. As hitherto, by editi antiqui I mean all editions prior to the Bene- dictine ; by editi all existing editions. PREFATORY NOTE

For assistance in bringing the present volume to completion I wish to thank the members of my Greek Seminar during the academic years of 1928- 29 and 1929-30. I wish to thank also Sister M. J. Annette of the Sisters of Mercy of Hartford, Con- necticut, for very valuable assistance in preparing the MS. for the printer. At the completion of my entire task of four volumes, it would be ungrateful indeed did I not mention the unceasing patience and scholarly contributions throughout of Professor Edward Capps, one of the editors of the Loeb Classical Library. Roy J. Deferrari.

$^ CONTENTS

LETTER PAGE CCXLIX. WITHOUT ADDRESS, WITH KEFERENCK TO A PIOUS MAN 3

CCL. TO PATROPHILUS, BISHOP OF THE CHURCH OF 3

CCLI. TO THE PEOPLE OF EVAESAR 9

CCLII. TO THE BISHOPS OF THE DIOCESE OF THE 19

CCLIII. TO THE PRESBYTERS OF .... 21 CCLIV. TO PELAGIUS, BISHOP OF SYRIAN LAODICEA. 23 CCLV. TO VITUS, BISHOP OF CHARRAE .... 25 CCLVI. TO OUR MOST BELOVED AND REVEREND BRO- THERS AND FELLOW-PRESBYTERS, ACACIUS, AETIUS, PAULUS AND SILVANUS, AND TO THE DEACONS 8ILVINUS AND LUCIUS, AND TO THE BEST OF OUR BROTHER , FROM BASIL, BISHOP 27

CCLVII. TO MONKS HARASSED BY THE ARIANS . . 31 CCLVIII. TO BISHOP EPIPHANIUS 35

CCLIX. TO THE MONKS, PALLADIUS AND INNOCENT . 47 CCLX. TO BISHOP OPTIMUS 49 CCLXI. TO THE PEOPLE AT 73 CCLXII. TO THE URBICIUS 85

' CCLXIII. TO THE WESTERNERS 89 CCLXIV. TO BARSES, BISHOP OF , WHILE IN EXILE 101 CCLXV. TO EULOGIUS, ALEXANDER, AND HARPOCRA-

TION, EXILED BISHOPS OF EGYPT . . . 105

CCLXVI. TO PETER, BISHOP OF . . . 119 vii CONTENTS LETTER PAOE CCLXVII. TO BARSES, BISHOP OF EDESSA, WHILE IN EXILE 127

CCLXVIII. TO EUSEBIUS, WHILE IN EXILE . . . .131 CCLXIX. TO THE WIFE OF ARINTHAEUS, THE

GENERAL, IN CONSOLATION . . . .135

CCLXX. WITHOUT ADDRESS, CONCERNING RAPE . 141 CCLXXI. TO MY COMRADE EUSEBIUS, IN RECOMMENDA-

TION OF CYRIACUS THE PRESBYTER . . 143 CCLXXII. TO SOPHRONIUS, THE MASTER .... 147

CCLXXIII. WITHOUT ADDRESS, ABOUT HERA . . . 153 CCLXXIV. TO HIMERIUS, THE MASTER 163

CCLXXV. WITHOUT ADDRESS, ABOUT HERA . . . 155 CCLXXVI. TO THE ELDER HAKMATIUS 157 CCLXXVII. TO THE LEARNED MAXIMUS 159 COLXXVIII. TO VALERIAN 163 CCIiXXIX. TO THE PREFECT MODESTUS 165 CCLXXX. TO THE PREFECT MODESTUS 167 CCLXXXI. TO THE PREFECT MODESTUS 169 OOLXXXII. TO A BISHOP 169 CCLXXXIII. TO A WIDOW 171

CCLXXXIV. TO A CBN8IT0R, REGARDING MONKS . . 173 COLXXXV. WITHOUT ADDRESS, FOR THE PROTKOTION OF THE CHURCH 175 CCLXXX VI. TO A PRISON SUPERINTENDENT .... 177

CCLXXXVII. WITHOUT ADDRESS, REGARDING AVENGERS ^_7^ CCLXXXVIII. WITHOUT ADDRESS, REGARDING AVENGERS 181

CCLXXXIX. WITHOUT ADDRESS, RFOAPDTNO A WOMAN \ IN SORE DISTRESS 481 COXC. TO NECTARIU8 187

CCXCI. TO TIMOTHEUS, THE CHOBEPISCOPUS , 193

00X01 1, to' PALLADIUS 197

viii CONTENTS LETTER PAGE CCXCIII. TO JULIAN 199 CCXCIV. TO FESTUS AND MAGNUS 203 CCXCV. TO MONKS ^'20/ CCXCVI. TO A WIDOW "211 CCXCVII. TO A WIDOW 213 COXCVIII. WITHOUT ADDRESS, CONCERNING A DEVOUT MAN V21.5 CCXCIX. TO AN ASSESSOR OF TAXES 215 CCC. TO THE FATHER OF A STUDENT WHO HAS "^ DIED, CONSOLATORY '-5iJ^ CCCI. TO MAXIMUS, CONSOLATORY ..... 225

CCCII. TO THE WIFE OF BRISO, CONSOLATORY . 231

CCCIII, TO THE COMES PRIVATARUM 235 CCCIV, TO ABURGIUS 237 CCCV. WITHOUT ADDRESS, CONCERNING CERTAIN VIRTUOUS MEN 237 CCCVI. TO THE GOVERNOR OF .... 239 CCCVII. WITHOUT ADDRESS 241 CCCVIII. WITHOUT ADDRESS, CONCERNING PROTEC- TION 245 CCCIX. WITHOUT ADDRESS, CONCERNING A NEEDY PERSON 245 CCCX, WITHOUT ADDRESS, IN BEHALF OF RELA-

TIVES . 247 CCCXI. TO A SUPERIOR 249 CCCXII. TO AN ASSESSOR OF TAXES 249 CCCXIII. TO AN ASSESSOR OF TAXES 251 CCCXIV, WITHOUT ADDRESS, CONCERNING A SERVANT 253 CCCXV. WITHOUT ADDRESS, IN BEHALF OF A RELA-

TIVE . . 255 CCCXVI. WITHOUT ADDRESS, IN BEHALF OF ONE AFFLICTED 257 ix CONTENTS LETTER PAGE CCCXVII. WITHOUT ADDRESS, IN BEHALF OF A NEEDY PEESON 257 CCCXVIII. BELONGING TO BASIL, WITHOUT ADDRESS,

IN BEHALF OF A COMPATRIOT . . . 259

CCCXIX. LIKEWISE, IN BEHALF OF A STRANGER . 261 CCCXX, WITHOUT ADDRESS, CONCERNING A SALU- TATION 263 OCCXXI. TO THECLA 265 CCCXXII. WITHOUT ADDRESS, CONCERNING SPENDING EASTER WITH A FRIEND 267 CCCXXIII. TO PHILAGRIUS ARCENUS 269 CCCXXIV. TO PASINICUS, A PHYSICIAN 271 OCOXXV. TO MAGNINIANUS 275 CCCXXVI. WITHOUT ADDRESS, CONVEYING AN ADMON- ITION 275 CCCXXVII. WITHOUT ADDRESS, CONVEYING AN EXHOK- TATION 277 CCCXXVIII. TO HYPERECHIUS 279 CCCXXIX. TO PHALERIUS 279 CCCXXX, WITHOUT ADDRESS 281 CCCXXXI. WITHOUT ADDRESS 231

CCCXXXII. ANOTHER LETTER WITHOUT ADDRESS . . 281 CCOXXXIII. TO A SCRIBE 283 CCCXXXIV. TO A CALLIGRAPHIST 283 CCCXXXV. BASIL TO LIBANIUS 285 CCCXXXVI. LIBANIUS TO BASIL 287 CCCXXXVII. BASIL TO LIBANIUS 293 CCCXXXVIII. LIBANIUS TO BASIL 295 CCCXXXIX. BASIL TO LIBANIUS 297 CCCXL. LIBANIUS TO BASIL 301 OCOXLI. LIBANIUS TO BASIL 303 X CONTENTS LETTER PACE CCCXLII. BASIL TO LIBANIUS 305 CCCXLIII. LIBANIUS TO BASIL 307 CCCXLIV. BASIL TO LIBANIUS 307 COOXLV. LIBANIUS TO BASIL 309 CCCXLVI. LIBANIUS TO BASIL 313 CCCXLVII. LIBANIUS TO BASIL 315 CCCXLVIII. BASIL TO LIBANIUS 315 CCCXLIX. LIBANIUS TO BASIL 317 CCCL. BASIL TO LIBANIUS 319 CCCLI. BASIL TO LIBANIUS 319 CCCLII. LIBANIUS TO BASIL 321 CCCLIII. BASIL TO LIBANIUS 323 CCCLIT. LIBANIUS TO BASIL 323 CCCLV. LIBANIUS TO BASIL 325 CCCLVL BASIL TO LIBANIUS 327 CCCLVII. LIBANIUS TO BASIL 327 CCCLVIII. LIBANIUS TO BASIL 327 CCCLIX. BASIL TO LIBANIUS 329 CCCLX. PROM HIS LETTER TO JULIAN THE APOS- TATE 329 CCCLXI. TO APOLLINARIUS 331 CCCLXII. APOLLINARIUS TO BASIL 337 CCCLXIII. TO APOLLINARIUS 341 CCCLXIV. APOLLINARIUS TO BASIL 343 CCCLXV. BASIL TO THE GREAT EMPEROR THEO- DOSIUS 347 CCCLXVI. BASIL TO URBIOIUS, A MONK, ON CON- :"': TINENCE i^ CCCLXVII. TO BASIL THE GREAT 355 CCCLXVIII. BASIL THE GREAT TO GREGORY .... 357 APPENDIX 359

xi CONTENTS PACE ST. BASIL'S ADDRESS TO YOUNG MEN ON HOW THEY MIGHT DERIVE BENEFIT \

FROM GREEK LITERATURE . . . 363'

INDEX OF REFEEBNCES TO SCRIPTURE .... 437 INDEX OF PROPER NAMES ...... 445 INDEX OF REFERENCES TO GREEK AND LITERATURE 458 THE BASII^LIBANIUS CORRESPONDENCE

(Letters CCCXXXV to CGCLIX)

LiBANius was the greatest of the pagan rhetoricians of the fourth century. Basil was for a short period one of his pupils ; and Libanius is said to have pos- sessed great admiration for the extraordinary intelligence and virtue of the young Christian. Twenty-five letters, CCCXXXV to CCCLIX, in the Benedictine edition of Basil's letters have been ascribed to a correspondence between these two men. The authenticity of this correspondence, however, has been the subject of much dispute. The general status of the question to-day may be

summarized as follows : Letters CCGXXXVI to CCCXLIII, and Letters CCCXLV and CCCLVIII, are authentic because of their position in the manu- script tradition and because of the historical informa- tion contained therein; Letters CCGXLIV and CCGXLVI are authentic because of their position next to Letter CCCXLV in the Aa family, and because of the relation of Letter CCCXLIV to Letter CCCXLIII; Letters CCCXLVII to CCGLVI are spurious in spite of the mention of the speech of Libanius in several of them, since they are ignored in the best manuscripts both of Basil and Libanius,

xiii THE BASII^LIBANIUS CORRESPONDENCE and since their content and style are quite unworthy of the two men ; Letters CCCLVII and CCCLIX are spurious or at least very doubtful, because they are lacking in all the Basilian manuscripts and no positive reason exists for considering them authentic. The entire question, however, needs to be studied anew, especially in the light of our new know- ledge of the manuscript tradition and of our better understanding of St. Basil's language. The following works will give the reader a history of the controversy and a detailed presentation of the status of the question :

" Pauly-Wissowa : Realencyclopaedie, Art. Libanios," Vol. XII, 2523-2526. " Bessieres, Abbe J. : La Tradition manuscrite de la Correspondance de Saint Basile " in The Journal of Theological Studies, XXI (1919), 1 ff. Pub. separately. Oxford, 1923.

De Paola, F. : S. Basilio e Libanio, saggio critico. Altari, 1909.

Krabinger, J. : " Uber die Unachtheit des Brief- wechsels des Basilius des Grossen und des Libanios " in Bulletin der Kbnigl. Akademie der Wissenschaft zu Munchen, 1850, 265-286.

Laube, A. : De Literarum Libanii et Basilii commercio. Diss. Breslau, 1913.

Maas, P. : " Zu den Beziehungen zwischen Kir chenvatern und Sophisten " in Sitzungsbericht

der Berliner Akad. der Wissenschaft, 1912 : I. XLIII, 988-999; II. XLIX, 1112-1126. In Berl. Ph. Woch., 33 (1913), 1470-1472.

Markowski, H. : " Zum Briefwechsel zwischen xiv THE BASIL-LIBANIUS CORRESPONDENCE

Basileios und Libanios " in Berl. Ph. Woch., 33 (1913), 1150-1152.

Pasquali, G. : " De literarum Libanii et Basili " commercio in Stud. Ital. Filol. Class., 3 (1923), 129-136. In Berl. Ph. Woch., 34 (1914), 1508- 1519.

Schaefer, J. : Basilius des Grossen Beziehungen zum

Ahendlande. Miinster i. W., 1909.

Seeck, C. : " Die Briefe des Libanius zeitlich geordnet " in Texte und Untersuckungen, 30 N.F. 15, 1906-30-34; 468-471. In Rhein. Mus., 73 (1920), 84-101.

Tillemont : Memoires pour servir a I'histoire ecclesi- astique des six premiers siecles, IX, 628—691. Paris, 1714.

COLLECTED LETTERS OF SAINT BASIL

VOL. IV. :

TOY EN AriOIS nATP02 HMON BA2IAEIOY Eni2TOAAI

CCXLIX

'Av€Triypa(f)0<;, eV dvBpt evXa^el

Zvyx^alpw T&) aBeXipM TwSe, koI tS)V ivravOa Oopv^wv uTTaWaaaopjivw, koX tt)v arjv evXd^eiav KaraXa/jL^dvovTi. dya66v yap avro) i(f)68iou

7r/309 rov i(f>€^7]<; aloiva, ttjv /Ltera twi/ (f)o/3ovp,iv(ov TQV Kvpiov dyaOrjv Biaycoy^v, i^€\e^aTO. ov kuI 7rapariOep,edd aov Tjj rifiiOTrjTi, Koi irapaKaXco 81* avTov ev)(^€(Tdai virep Ti]v ^to?}?, Xva, pvadevT€

CCL

HaTpo(}>LXo}, iiria-KOTrw t^9 iv Alyeal^ €KKXrjaia

Oyjre p,ev iSe^dprju Td

^ i^id/jLtda editi antiqui. * om. E.

1 Written in 376. * Written in the summer of 376. Cf. Loofs, p. 8, note 2. Aegae, a city of Cilicia, modern Ayas. Cf. Lucan, 3. 227 Malloa, et extremae resonant navalibus Aegae. " and remote Aegae resound with dockyards." There were also towns of the same name in Achaia, Macedonia, Euboea, and Aeolia. COLLECTED LETTERS OF SAINT BASIL

LETTER CCXLIX

Without Address, with Reference to a Pious Man ^

I congratulate this brother, both for freeing him- self from the tumults of this world and for visiting your Reverence. For a good viaticum has he chosen for himself to the future world—a goodly life with those who fear the Lord. And him do we commend to your Honour, and I urge you through him to pray for our miserable life, that being freed from these present trials we may begin to serve the Lord accord- ing to the Gospel.

LETTER CCL

To Patrophilus, Bishop of the Church of Aegae ^

Late indeed did I receive the answers to my former letters, but nevertheless I did receive them through

During the controversy between Eustathius, Bishop of Sebaste, and St. Basil, their mutual friend, Patrophilus, Bishop of Aegae, was troubled about his relations with the two opposing bishops. For some time he pursued the policy of silence with respect to Basil. When finally persuaded to resume his correspondence with Basil, he addressed himself to him on behalf of Eustathius. Basil replied with Letter CCXLV, wherein he laments the errors of Eustathius and asks

b2 COLLECTED LETTERS OF SAINT BASIL

Trodeivordrov ^TparrjyLov, koX €v-)(apLaTri(Ta ro)

J^vplcp, ore Bia/xevet<; 6 avTo

afydirr]. a he. vvv KaTr)^i(o(Ta<; irepl Trj<; avTrj

VTToOea6co<; iiriareiXai, uTToSei^cv ex^i' t^9 dyadrj'i (70V 7rpoatp€a€Q)<;, ort (f)popel

T(oi> e7T€aTd\p,evo)v nrapd rrj

TO KaXov KOLVcovia<;' el Be rj 7rpo

ep^icrrjaav rjpd<;, dXX^ oi rrj^i piepiBo

pLepLvfjadai,. ovroi koI iKXrjdrjcyav Trap* avrdv el

^ fxaKp6v tres cod. antiqui. * fvprivalov Vat., Reg. sec, et Coisl. sec. ' ffK6ifi\(Tou ecliti antiqui.

Patrophilus whether he will remain in his communion or will join Eustathius. After some delay, Patrophilus replied, ex- pressing his loyalty to Basil, but still pleading for his friend, Eustathius. Basil answered with the present letter. He LETTER CCL most beloved Strategius,^ and I thanked the Lord that you were continuing the same in your love towards us. And what you have now deigned to write on the same subject gives proof of your good-will, since you think what is fitting, and you advise what is to our advantage. But yet, since I again perceive that my discussion will become too long, if I set out to answer each of the matters about which your Intelligence wrote,

I shall say only this : that regarding the blessing of peace, if it is limited by the name of peace alone, it is ridiculous for us, selecting one here and one there, to share a life of peace with these only, but to exclude countless others from sharing in the bless- ing. But if agreement with the harmful under the appearance of peace brings acts of hostility upon those who accept it, consider who those are with whom they have mingled—men who hated us with an unjust hatred; who belong, moreover, to the faction of those not in communion with us ; for I need not now mention them by name. These have even been summoned by them to Sebaste, and they have taken over the church, and they have performed the sacrifice on the altar,^ and they have shared their own bread with all the laity ,^ being proclaimed first expresses his gratitude for Patrophilus' decision, but reaffirms his position with respect to Eustathius. ^ The presbyter through whom letters about Eustathius passed between Basil, Patrophilus, and Theophilus. Cf. Letters CCXLIV and CCXLV. ^ Cf. Ex. 28. 43 : orai' irpoairopixicavTai XnTovpyitv irphs rh dv

Krjpva-aofievoi napa rw ixel KKrjpw koL 8ia 7r«0"»;9

T^9 ')(W)pa

KarayeXacTTOV icrriv i/c rcov 6vv)(^(ov dp^efrdai, koI fiT} avTal<; avTcov rat? K€(f}aXal<; irpoaSiaXiyeadai. Et fxev ovv ovhiva hel kuOoXov alperiKOV vofii^eiv ovSe iKxpeirecrOac, avrl rivo^;, elwe /xoi, creavrov d(fiopi,^ei<;

Koivwviav ; el he elaC rcve'i (j^evKToi, Kara top tt)9 aKpi^eia

uKpi^el^, rrj(i 7roia

Be dBid(f)opa Kpivei

8e')(op,€voi

^ iirriydyovro Medicaeus Codex. * avyyv

^ In the early days election of a bishop was made by the people. According to St. Cyprian the choice of the bishop rested with the community and the neighbouring bishops. Later, the Council of Nicaea required that the bishops of the province be present at the election. Three sufficed, provided the others confirmed the choice in writing. Confirmation of a bishop so elected was reserved to the metropolitan. This rule was evidently disregarded by the clergy in question. * i.e. if communion with those whom Eustathius advocates must be accepted, it is ridiculous not to give the same honour 6 ^

LETTER CCL bishops by the clergy there ,^ and being escorted by them throughout the whole country as if they were saints and in communion. If we must adopt the faction of these men, it is ridiculous to begin with the toe-nails instead of addressing ourselves to their very heads. Now, if we ought to regard nobody at all as heretical nor turn away from him, for what reason, tell me, do you separate yourself and avoid the communion of some ? But if any are to be shunned, let them, precise as they are in all things, follow the methods of precision and tell us to what faction those belong whom they have invited from Galatia to join them ? If these matters seem deplorable to you, attribute the separation to those who are responsible for these things; but if you judge these things indifferent, forgive us for not suffering ourselves to become of the leaven of those who teach a different doctrine.' Therefore, if so it seems best, discarding those specious arguments, with all outspokenness refute those who do not walk uprightly according to the truth of the Gospel.*

to their leaders, Euzoius, Eudoxius, and the more impudent Arians.

' Cf. Matt. 16. 12 : t<^t6 (rwrJKai' on ovk elirey irpoirsx*"'

" Kttl ^aSdovKaiwv. Then they understood that he said not that they should beware of the leaven of bread, but of the doctrine of the Pharisees and Sadducees." Cf. also Greg. Naz., Orat. 12, where he speaks in similar vein. Cf. also 1 Tim. 1.3: " 'Iva irapciy'yei\ris rialv /j-ij eTepoSiSa(TKoi\e7v. That thou mightest charge some not to teach a different doctrine." * Cf. Gal. 2. 14 : d\X' ore f'lSov on ovk 6pdowoSov

CCLI

Toi9 Kvaicrrji'oc'i^

Et Kal TToXv TO irXrjdo'i twv ireptexovrcov ^ i7/4a9 Trpayfidrojv Kal (f)povTLcn ixvpiat