TRANSLATION OF HOMILIA IN DIVITES BY BASIL OF CAESAREA WITH ANNOTATION AND DATING A Dissertation Submitted to the Temple University Graduate Board In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY by Dacy R. Boyd December 2014 Examining Committee Members: Dr. Vasiliki M. Limberis, Advisory Chair, Religion Dr. Khalid Y. Blankinship, Religion Dr. Mark A. Leuchter, Religion Dr. Jane DeRose Evans, External Member, Art History © Copyright 2014 by Dacy R. Boyd All Rights Reserved € ii ABSTRACT This dissertation provides an English translation of Basil of Caesarea's sermon Homilia in divites based on Yves Courtonne's Greek text. I have included details of Basil's scriptural content in the notes. The searches to identify the scriptural content were done using LXX and GNT as databases and employing the search capabilities of Accordance Bible Software. Many scholars' comments on the sermon are also included in the notes. No English translation and annotation of Basil of Caesarea's sermon Homilia in divites has been available, though a devotional book with the translation appeared in 2009 after I began this project. As far as I know, Courtonne's 1935 French language version is the only commentary. While scholars have made assumptions about the date of the sermon, questions remain. I include details of a rigorous search to identify the date of composition which pulls together existing scholarly thought and an intricate search of internal data. I believe the sermon was written in 371 as Basil raised funds for his Basileiados. He invited a group of wealthy men to arrive early for a panegyris and delivered Homilia in divites in the days prior to the panegyris. Moreover, Basil's exegetical and theological writings have received much attention, while this sermon, which is neither overtly exegetical or theological, has only had limited study. Thematically, Homilia in divites is a sermon for Basil's and our times. He vividly describes the way God planned for wealth to be used: wealth is to be distributed not stored. Equally as vividly, Basil describes the consequences of storing wealth. iii To my children Ruth E. Boyd-Galezewski and Griffin D. Wright, my husband Maurice W. Wright, and my father Ernest R. Boyd, Jr. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I want to mention a few people whose help was consequential in completing this dissertation. "Research" entered my life when I was a high school senior in Bluefield, West Virginia. Ms. Rosanna Reaser taught me the—then entirely new—intricate details of researching and writing a proper paper. She did a great job. During that same period, the Virginia Synod of, what now is, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America accepted me as a candidate for ordained ministry. Through its programs and sheparding, which involved psychological and I.Q. testing, I was able to see the world and myself in new ways. The members of my committee have given me valuable guidance and instruction. Dr. Leuchter, who was new to the faculty when he joined my committee, immediately assessed my needs and recommended particular readings, in order to bring my knowledge of the Hebrew Scriptures current, necessary because they were Basil's scriptures. He has given me support throughout the exam and dissertation process. When he teaches, Dr. Blankinship expresses a love for the subject matter in compelling ways. Both his manner and his knowledge base have been instructive for me. He is also practical and has worked with me on learning stratagems. Seeing the confluence of these elements in his teaching has freed me to consider life differently. In the fall of 2004 I attended a luncheon in the Department of Religion at Temple University. A woman stood up and said she was going to lead a Greek Readings group and everyone who was interested could join her. Since then I have been reading Greek texts with Dr. Limberis. Her expertise and guidance have been invaluable in my work v here, particularly in checking my translation, though she is not responsible for any errors you might find. She has helped me envision my larger project. Dr. Limberis manages to simultaneously be elegant and serious, a combination I find reassuring. Her ability to address a range of complex topics and also get people to laugh is top notch. My children and husband have supported me in returning to school in a variety of ways. For example, Ruth taught me Latin; Griffin taught me French. Maurice has proofread, coached, cooked, driven, and whatever else was necessary to support my study. I am fortunate to have such loving people around me. Thanks to all of you who have supported me in this endeavor. Dacy Boyd Wyncote, Pennsylvania 2014 vi TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT.......................................................................................................................iii DEDICATION ................................................................................................................... iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS................................................................................................... v CHAPTER 1. BASIL'S SERMON....................................................................................................... 1 The Message of the Sermon.................................................................................... 1 The Date and Circumstances of Composition......................................................... 6 Translation and Annotation................................................................................... 25 Basil's Use of the Scriptures.................................................................................. 28 2. TRANSLATION: HOMILIA IN DIVITES................................................................ 35 Section 1................................................................................................................ 35 Section 2................................................................................................................ 63 Section 3................................................................................................................ 81 Section 4................................................................................................................ 93 Section 5.............................................................................................................. 122 Section 6.............................................................................................................. 142 Section 7.............................................................................................................. 153 Section 8.............................................................................................................. 164 Section 9.............................................................................................................. 178 3. CONCLUSION......................................................................................................... 208 vii BIBLIOGRAPHY........................................................................................................... 218 Primary Sources .................................................................................................. 218 Secondary Sources .............................................................................................. 220 viii CHAPTER 1 BASIL'S SERMON This English translation of Homilia in divites by Basil of Caesarea is based on the Greek text collated by Yves Courtonne and published in Homélies sur la richesse,1 a commentary on two of Basil's sermons on wealth, and I have used the digital version of that text found in Thesaurus Linguae Graecae. After translating portions of In ebriosos several years ago, I wanted to translate another of Basil's sermons. Basil's Greek is eloquent and wonderful. His thinking is clear and he expresses ideas vividly. Having the opportunity to focus on translating and annotating Homilia in divites has been a treat. The Message of the Sermon Basil based Homilia in divites on the story of the rich young man who asks Jesus how to inherit eternal life. The pericope is Matt 19:16-24, though he does refer to later verses from Matthew 19 on a few occasions. Basil explicates Jesus' instruction in v. 21, "Go, sell what you possess and give to the poor." The sermon is written in nine sections 1 Basil of Caesarea, Homilia in Divites, collated by Yves Courtonne (Paris: Firmin-Didot et Cie, 1935) as published in Thesaurus Linguae Graecae, University of California, Irvine, an electronic database under a trademark of the Regents of the University of California. Courtonne's book which contains the Greek and French versions of Homilia in Divites is titled Homélies sur la Richesse, édition critique et exégétique (Paris: Firmin-Didot et Cie, 1935). which form an artful exegesis and carefully scrutinizes the pericope. The first sentence of the sermon indicates that the listeners and Basil have just heard the story about the young man read aloud. That sentence and the similarity of the subsequent sentences to Matt 19:16-24 suggest a meeting in which scripture reading and preaching took place. Based on the sermon's content, it is likely that the audience members are nearly all rich males, since Basil explicitly only acknowledges wealthy men. In section one Basil looks closely at the young man in the Matthean narrative by focusing on the contradiction between the young man's interest in what Jesus teaches, but his lack of interest in doing what Jesus instructs. Basil concludes, "This habit is a