Letter 92 TO THE ITALIANS AND GAULS, excerpt
prelude 1: the letters of basil
Letter 92 TO THE ITALIANS AND GAULS, excerpt15 This letter was written in 37216 to the bishops of the west, on behalf of the alliance of Neo-nicene bishops in Cappadocia and in the diocese of 'Oriens' headed by Meletius of Antioch. There are two Gregorys mentioned here. The first is surely Gregory Senior of Nazianzus. His son,
Gregory Nazianzen, at this stage is not operational as a bishop—having retired from Sassima to assist his father at Nazianzus. From the letters above, uncle Gregory might reasonably be ruled out. So the second is quite possibly Gregory of Nyssa, newly ordained a bishop, in which case this would the first historical reference to Gregory as bishop.
To our most God-beloved and most holy brothers, fellow-ministers in Italy and Gaul, bishops of like mind with us, we Meletius, Eusebius,
Basil, Bassus, Gregory, Pelagius, Paul, Anthimus, Theodotus, Vitus, Abraham, Jobinus, Zeno, Theodoret, Marcian, Barach, Abraham,
Libanius, Thalassius, Joseph, Boethus, Atrius,17 Theodotus, Eustathius, Barsumas, John, Chosroes, Iosaces, Narses, Maris, Gregory, Daphnus, greetings in the Lord . . .
Letter 98 TO EUSEBIUS, BISHOP OF SAMOSATA, excerpt18 According to Loofs19 this letter was written in June 372 at Sebasteia, shortly after Valens' division of Cappadocia. Fedwick20 would date it to the same month, but a year later. Basil refers to a recent meeting with Eustathius of Sebasteia, rumours of whose doctrinal slipperiness were reaching him, though for the present, Eustathius has convinced him of his orthodoxy.
Here Basil answers the regret expressed by Eusebius of Samosata that Basil's brother was not been appointed to a more important see. Eusebius was one of Basil's greatest mentors, friends and collaborators in the Neo-nicene cause, who co-consecrated him a bishop in 370.
15 Mss.: VPBM, LC, ed.: Courtonne I, 198–203 at 198, Def 2.132–145 at 132–133, tr.: NPNF 2nd ser. 8.177.
16 Fedwick, Basil of Caesarea, Christian, Humanist, Ascetic p. 13.
17 fiãtriow (physician) C. Maran plausibly reads Otreios (of Melitene).
18 Mss.: VPBM, LC, ed.: Courtonne I, 211–213 at 213, Def 2.164–171 at 132–133, tr.: NPNF 2nd ser. 8.182.
19 Eustathius von Sebaste und die Chronologie der Basilius-Briefe, p. 30.
20 Op. cit., p. 16.