Letter Clxxiii
LETTER CLXXIII
mandments and needing not to be ashamed,! serving the Lord through a simple and not too elaborate confession, and preserving inviolate and not too elaborate their faith in the Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost.
LETTER CLXXIII
To Tueopora, a CaNnoness 2 We are rendered hesitant about writing by the fact that we are not entirely assured that our letters are placed in the hands of your Charity, but instead, through the baseness of our messengers, innumerable others read them first; and especially now when throughout the world things are so disturbed.
Therefore I am waiting to be found fault with in a measure and to have my letters forcefully demanded, so that I may treat this as itself a proof of their delivery.
However, both when writing and when silent we keep in our hearts one duty—to guard the memory of your Decorum and to pray the Lord to grant that you may complete the course of good conduct of life even as you have chosen. unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth."
2 Written about the year 374.
Canonicae were women who devoted themselves to education, district visiting, funerals, and various charitable works, and living in community apart from men,
Cf. Socrates 1. 17; Sozomen 8. 23.
Rules were laid down for their guidance, as Basil here sets forth, but St. Augustine in 423 drew up the first general rules for such communities of women.
They were distinguished from nuns in not being bound by vows, and from deaconesses
not so distinctly discharging ministerial duties,
COLLECTED LETTERS OF SAINT BASIL
γὰρ οὐ μικρὸς ἀγὼν ὁμολογοῦντι * τῆς ἐπαγγελίας τὰ ἐφεξῆς ἐπάγειν. τὸ μὲν γὰρ προελέσθαι τὴν κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον πολιτείαν παντός, τὸ δὲ καὶ μέχρι τῶν μικροτάτων ἄγειν τὴν παρατήρησιν, καὶ μηδὲν τῶν ἐκεῖ γεγραμμένων παρορᾶν, τοῦτο πάνυ ὀλίγοις τῶν εἰς ἡμετέραν γνῶσιν ἡκόντων κατώρθωται" ὥστε καὶ γλώσσῃ πεπεδημένῃ κεχρῆσθαι" καὶ ὀφθαλμῷ πεπαιδαγωγημένῳ κατὰ τὸ βούλημα τοῦ εὐαγγελίου, καὶ χερσὶν ἐνεργεῖν κατὰ τὸν σκοπὸν τῆς εὐαρεστήσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ πόδας κινεῖν καὶ ἑκάστῳ τῶν μελῶν οὕτω κεχρῆσθαι ὡς ἐξ ἀρχῆς ὁ Δημιουργὸς ἡμῶν φκονόμησε' τὸ ἐν τῇ καταστολῇ κόσμιον, τὸ ἐν ταῖς συντυχίαις τῶν ἀνδρῶν πεφυλαγμένον, τὸ ἐν βρώμασιν αὔταρκες, τὸ ἐν τῇ κτήσει 8 τῶν ἀναγκαίων ἀπέριττον. ταῦτα πάντα μικρὰ μὲν ἁπλῶς οὕτω λεγόμενα, μεγάλου δὲ tes eis TO κατορθωθῆναι χρήξοντα, ὡς ἐπ᾿ αὐτῆς ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας «ὕρομεν. καὶ μὲν καὶ τὸ ἐν τῇ ταπεινοφροσύνῃ τέλειον, ὡς μήτε προγόνων περιφανείας μεμνῆσθαι, μήτε, εἴ τι ὑπάρχει ἡμῖν ἐκ 5 φύσεως πλεονέκτημα ἢ κατὰ σῶμα ἢ κατὰ ψυχήν, τούτῳ ἐπαίρεσθαι, μήτε τὰς ἔξωθεν περὶ ἡμῶν ὑπολήψεις ἀφορμὴν ἐπάρσεώς τε καὶ φυσιώσεως ποιεῖσθαι, ταῦτα τοῦ ,εὐαγγελικοῦ ἔχεται βίου. τὸ ἐν ἐγκρατείᾳ εὔτονον, τὸ ἐν προσευχαῖς φιλόπονον, τὸ ἐν φιλαδελφίᾳ συμπαθές, τὸ πρὸς τοὺς δεομένους κοινωνικὸν, ἦ τὸ τοῦ φρονήματος καταβεβλημένον, ὁ συντριμμὸς τῆς καρδίας, τὸ τῆς πίστεως ὑγιές, τὸ ἐν σκυθρωπότητι ὁμαλόν, μηδέ1 δμολογοῦντά τι editi antiqi.
3 χρῆσθαι editi antiqi.
LETTER CLXXIII
For truly it is no slight struggle for one who makes a profession to carry out the consequences of his promise.
For choosing the evangelical life is in the _power of anyone, but carrying out its observance even to the smallest details, and overlooking none of the written rules—this has been accomplished successfully by very few who have come to our knowledge; as, for example, to keep the tongue fettered and the eye disciplined according to the intent of the Gospel, and to work with the hands with a view to pleasing God, and to move the feet and so to use each of the limbs as our Creator ordained from the beginning; modesty in dress, circumspection in the society of men, moderation in food, simplicity in the acquisition of necessities.
All these things are small when thus simply mentioned, but require a great struggle to be observed successfully, as in very truth we have discovered.
And, furthermore, perfection in humility, so that we shall neither remember any distinction of ancestry, nor, if we possess by nature any advantage whether of body or of mind, be elated by this, nor to make others' opinions of ourselves an occasion of exaltation and pride—these things belong to the evangelical life.
Also constancy in self-control, assiduity in prayer, sympathy in fraternal charity, generosity toward the needy, subjection of pride, contrition of heart, soundness of faith, equability in despondκτήσει ἘΣ ; κυήσει editi. ὡς ἐπ᾽ αὐτῆς] εὑρήκαμεν editi antiqi. ἐνυπάρχει editi antiqi.
6 ἐκ om. ΕἸ, τὸ πρὸς τοὺς δεομένους κοινωνικόν om. ΠΕ, 8 τὺ πρὸς τοὺς δεομένους κοινωνικόν add. KE. a σοὶ.» &
COLLECTED LETTERS OF SAINT BASIL
ποτε τῆς ἐννοίας ἡμῶν λειπούσης τοῦ φοβεροῦ καὶ ἀπαραιτήτου δικαστηρίου τὴν μνήμην πρὸς ὃ ἐπειγόμεθα μὲν ἅπαντες, μέμνηνται δὲ αὐτοῦ καὶ τὴν aT αὐτοῦ ἔκβασιν ἀγωνιῶσιν ἐλάχιστοι.
CLXXIV Πρὸς ἐλευθέραν Ἔγω, καὶ πάνυ βουλόμενος συνεχῶς ἐπιστέλλειν τῇ εὐγενείᾳ ὑμῶν, ἐπέσχον 1 ἐμαυτὸν ἀεί, μήπως δόξω τινὰς ὑμῖν πειρασμοὺς ἐπεγείρειν διὰ τοὺς φιλέχθρως " πρὸς ἡμᾶς διακειμένους Kai, ὡς ἀκούω, μέχρι Kal τούτων τὴν ἔχθραν ἐλαύνοντας, ὥστε πολυπραγμονεῖν 8 εἴ πού τις καὶ γράμμα ἡμέτερον δέχοιτο. ἐπειδὴ δὲ αὐτή, καλῶς ποιοῦσα, κατῆρξας τοῦ γράμματος καὶ ἐπέστειλας ἡμῖν ἃ 3 ἐχρῆν περὶ τῶν κατὰ τὴν , ψυχήν σου πραγμάτων ἀνακοινουμένη, προετράπην εἰς τὸ ἀντεπιστεῖλαι, ὁμοῦ μὲν τὰ ἐν τῷ παρελθόντι χρόνῳ ἐλλειφθέντα ἐπανορθούμενος, ὁμοῦ δὲ καὶ πρὸς τὰ ἐπεσταλμένα παρὰ τῆς σῆς εὐγενείας
"Ὅτι μακαρία ἐστὶ ψυχὴ ἡ νυκτὸς καὶ ἡμέρας μηδεμίαν ἄλλην μέριμναν στρέφουσα ἢ πῶς ἐπὶ τῆς μεγάλης ἡμέρας, καθ᾽ ἣν πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις περιστήσεται τὸν κριτὴν τὰς εὐθύνας τῶν πεπραγμένων ἀποδιδοῦσα, καὶ αὐτὴ δυνηθῇ κούφως ἀπο1 ἀπέσχον editi antiqi.
2 pirex Os editi antiqi.