Letter 228 (375)
Priests and Hierarchs: Shepherds of Sheep
of. A right decision was taken with regard to our brother most beloved of God, Euphronios our concelebrant, by those unto whom the government of the Church has been en~ trusted; this decision was a necessary one in the actual situa~ tion, advantageous to the Church to which he was transferred and also to those from whom he was taken. Do not think that there is here a human maneuver or a calculation by earthly~ minded men, but be assured that it was done by those upon whom the care of the churches belongs, with the assistance of the Spirit. Trust in the pending decision and implement it with zeal. Accept peacefully and with thanksgiving what has happened, and be sure of this: that those who do not accept resolutions taken for the churches by those whom
God has chosen stand in opposition to God's order. Do not plead against your mother, the Church in Nicopolis .... One thing makes me very sad: it is that you said-and it seems to pass all measure-"1f we do not get what we want, we shall have the courts compel them, and we shall manage to enlist men for whom the subversion of the churches is the supreme concern." Let not some fellows swept away by a mad fury persuade you to carry some of this affair before the public assembly; it would be catastrophic. Let the weight of the dissension fall back on the head of those who have been the cause of it. Receive the advice we give you with a fatherly heart and accept the decision of the bishops most beloved of God, to conform with God's will. Wait for our arrival. If the Lord grants us His help, whatever we could not demand by letter from Your Piety we shall recommend to you person· ally, and we will bring you by deeds the consolation which is in us to give.
BASIL TO THE MAGISTRATES OF COLONIA,
LETTER 228 (375)
I have received the letters of Your Excellencies, and I
THE FATHERS SPEAK
gave thanks to the all-holy God that although you are kept busy with the care of the public good you do not overlook the affairs of the churches. Every one of you was concerned with these affairs as with something on which his own life depends, and you have written to Us your grief at being separated from your bishop most beloved of God, Euphronios. Now Nicopolis did not deprive you of him. The people of Nicopolis argue that it is their own bishop they have actually received. The Church at Nicopolis will praise you with the affection of a motherly love, for it shall share in common with you a father who will bestow his grace in turn upon each of YOll. God will not let the Colonians suffer from the assaults of their adversaries, nor shall He rob you of his customary protection. Think of the harshness of our time and let a spirit of wisdom make you understand the necessity of the resolution that was taken. Excuse the bishops who have taken this measure for making stable the churches of Our
Lord Jesus Christ, Apply to yourselves the counsel that belongs to men intimately acquainted with the situation, meaning for the best and knowing also how to receive sug~ gestions from those who love them. It may be that you do not know many of the actual events, because of your location at one extremity of Armenia; but we who are engaged in the midst of affairs, we have our ears worn out every day by ubiquitous rumors on the ruin of the churches and we are in great perplexity. We fear that the common enemy, envious of our life~Iong peace, may seed his tares even in your regions and that the land of the Armenians may become the prey of its adversaries. Somewhat later, if the Lord gives us license to go to you, you shall receive more precise infor~ mation on the events, if you judge it necessary.
Letter 85 illustrates an ethical problem on which Basil advised a local representative of the civil power, He wrote him a letter respectful but firm , to warn him against the abuse of oaths imposed upon tax payers by fiscal agents.
Priests and Hierarchs: Shepherds of Sheep
The title in the Greek manuscript reads that "one should not swear an oath," (TIE-pi TOG [lit &E.'lV 0pKOUV). The subject is for us of actuality. as the intricacies of tax returns and similar documents threaten to turn law-abiding citizens into crafty casuists or shameless liars.
BASIL, LETTER 85 (372)
We do not cease, in all our synods and our private conversations, to protest against tax collectors who ought not to impose upon country people the swearing of an oath for the payment of their taxes. It is still left for us to protest by letter, before God and men, regarding the same things. It is fitting that we should cease to bring death to the souls of men, and that we should figure out some other mode of taxation, permitting men to keep their souls from being wounded [by sin]. This we write to you, not because you need to be exhorted by words, for you possess at home every safeguard for fearing the Lord, but in order that those under you can Jearn through you not to provoke the Holy One, and not to regard such provocations an indifferent matter because of bad customs. The swearing of an oath is of no use for collecting taxes, and it causes men to admit into their soul an acknowledged evil. Once men have accustomed themselves to perjury, they are no longer in a hurry to acquit themselves of their debts, and they see in oaths a ready weapon of fraud
. and delay. And if the Lord would strike perjurors by His sharpest retributions, the tax collectors would have nobody any more to answer in the courts, because those liable to give account would have aU perished under the chastisement.
If the Master suffers in His longanimity, as I said before, that those who have experienced the kindness of the Lord still may disdain His goodness, let them not violate the law further with impunity and provoke God's wrath upon them-
THE FATHERS SPEAK
selves! We have spoken the words pertaining to our office.
Those who will not listen shall see.
Letter 31 was written when Basil, at that time a priest, served on the staff of the archbishop of Caesaraea. There had been a famine in Cappadocia and Basil was retained in the metropolis jar the organization of relief. He was sending in his stead his blood relative Hypatias, who was ailing, and whom he recommended to the charity and prayers of "the brethren," Gregory of Nazianzus, in his funeral oration on the death 0/ Basil, relates how he had organized "popular soups" jor the victims 0/ a famine.
BASIL TO BISHOP EUSEBONAS, LETTER 31 (369)
The famine here has not yet eased, and our presence in the city is necessary, either for the administration of the city, or in our sympathy with those who suffer. That is why
I could not presently accompany our venerable brother Hypatios-my brother; this is not just a way of speaking, but because of our natural relationship, as we are of the same blood.
Your Excellency does not ignore what ails him. We deplore that any hope of relief has been denied him, because those who have the charism of healing could not possibly do anything through their customary skill. Here is why he requests once more the help of your prayers. But now see to it that, through your pity for the sick and through our intercession, he may be comforted. If it is possible, call unto you the most prudent of the brethren so that the proper attention be given to him under your eyes; but if it is not possible, send him with a letter and recommend him to the brethren, as I have just mentioned.