Letter 113: On meeting this man, I heartily thanked God that by means of his visit He had comforted me in many afflictions and had through him shown me clearly your love. I seem to see in one man's disposition the zeal of all of you for the truth. He will tell you of our discourses with one another.

To the presbyters of Tarsus [a major city in Cilicia, southern modern Turkey — birthplace of the Apostle Paul]. When I met this man, I thanked God from my heart. His visit was a comfort to me in the middle of so many troubles, and through him I could see clearly how much all of you care about the truth. His character alone tells me everything about your community's commitment. He'll fill you in on our conversations. But here's what I need to tell you directly. The churches are falling apart. I've seen it coming for a long time now. Nobody is building up the church. Nobody is correcting errors. Nobody shows compassion to the struggling or stands up for the faithful. We have no cure for the sickness already among us, and no plan to prevent what's coming next. Honestly, the state of the church is like an old coat — always tearing, impossible to restore to its original strength. In times like these, we need serious effort to help the churches however we can. One real advantage would be reuniting communities that have been split apart. And we can do that if we're willing to meet the weaker side halfway — as long as it doesn't compromise anyone's soul. Here's the practical issue: many people are openly attacking the Holy Spirit [the theological debate over whether the Holy Spirit was fully divine or a created being — a central controversy after the Council of Nicaea in 325 AD]. Tongues are sharpened for blasphemy against Him. So I'm asking you to do what you can to shrink the number of blasphemers. Receive into communion everyone who does not claim the Holy Spirit is a creature. Leave the blasphemers isolated. Either they'll be ashamed and come back to the truth, or they'll stay in their error — but their small numbers will make them irrelevant. Let's not demand more than this. Propose the Nicene Creed [the statement of faith from the Council of Nicaea, 325 AD, affirming the full divinity of Christ] to every brother willing to join us. If they accept it, then add one further requirement: the Holy Spirit must not be called a creature, and no one who says so should be admitted to communion. I don't think we should push beyond that. I'm convinced that through continued relationship and shared experience — without fighting — if anything else needs clarifying, the Lord who "works all things together for good for those who love Him" will provide it in time.

ST. BASIL OF CAESAREA To the presbyters of Tarsus. On meeting this man, I heartily thanked God that by means of his visit He had comforted me in many afflictions and had through him shown me clearly your love. I seem to see in one man's disposition the zeal of all of you for the truth. He will tell you of our discourses with one another. What you ought to learn directly from me is as follows. We live in days when the overthrow of the Churches seems imminent; of this I have long been cognisant. There is no edification of the Church; no correction of error; no sympathy for the weak; no single defense of sound brethren; no remedy is found either to heal the disease which has already seized us, or as a preventive against that which we expect. Altogether the state of the Church (if I may use a plain figure though it may seem too humble an one) is like an old coat, which is always being torn and can never be restored to its original strength. At such a time, then, there is need of great effort and diligence that the Churches may in some way be benefited. It is an advantage that parts hitherto severed should be united. Union would be effected if we were willing to accommodate ourselves to the weaker, where we can do so without injury to souls; since, then, many mouths are open against the Holy Ghost, and many tongues whetted to blasphemy against Him, we implore you, as far as in you lies, to reduce the blasphemers to a small number, and to receive into communion all who do not assert the Holy Ghost to be a creature, that the blasphemers may be left alone, and may either be ashamed and return to the truth, or, if they abide in their error, may cease to have any importance from the smallness of their numbers. Let us then seek no more than this, but propose to all the brethren, who are willing to join us, the Nicene Creed. If they assent to that, let us further require that the Holy Ghost ought not to be called a creature, nor any of those who say so be received into communion. I do not think that we ought to insist upon anything beyond this. For I am convinced that by longer communication and mutual experience without strife, if anything more requires to be added by way of explanation, the Lord Who works all things together for good for them that love Him, Romans 8:28 will grant it.

[Πρός: Τοῖς ἐν Ταρσῷ πρεσβυτέροις] Συντυχὼν τῷδε, πολλὴν ἔσχον τῷ ἁγίῳ Θεῷ τὴν χάριν, ὅτι με καὶ διὰ τῆς αὐτοῦ παρουσίας ἀπὸ πολλῶν θλίψεων παρεμυθήσατο, καὶ τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀγάπην ἐναργῶς ἔδειξε δι’ αὐτοῦ. σχεδὸν γὰρ τὸν πάντων ὑμῶν περὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ζῆλον ἐν τῇ τοῦ ἑνὸς ἀνδρὸς προαιρέσει κατέμαθον. ἃ μὲν οὖν ἰδίᾳ διελέχθημεν πρὸς ἀλλήλους αὐτὸς ὑμῖν ἀπαγγελεῖ· ἃ δὲ παρʼ ἐμοῦ γνωρισθῆναι ὑμῶν προσῆκε τῇ ἀγάπῃ, ταῦτά ἐστιν. Ὁ καιρὸς πολλὴν ἔχει ῥοπὴν πρὸς καταστροφὴν τῶν ἐκκλησιῶν, καὶ τοῦτο πολὺν ἔχομεν ἤδη χρόνον ἐξ οὗ καταμανθάνομεν. οἰκοδομὴ δὲ Ἐκκλησίας, καὶ σφαλμάτων διόρθωσις, καὶ συμπάθεια μὲν πρὸς τοὺς ἀσθενοῦντας ὑπερασπισμὸς δὲ πρὸς τοὺς ὑγιαίνοντας τῶν ἀδελφῶν οὐδὲ εἷς. ἀλλʼ οὔτε βοήθημα ἢ θεραπευτικὸν τῆς προκατασχούσης νόσου, ἢ προφυλακτικὸν τῆς προσδοκωμένης οὐδέν. καὶ ὅλως ἔοικε λοιπὸν ἡ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας κατάστασις (ἵνα ἐναργεῖ χρήσωμαι τῷ ὑποδείγματι, κἂν εὐτελέστερον εἶναι δοκῇ) ἱματίῳ παλαιῷ, ὑπὸ τῆς τυχούσης προφάσεως ῥᾳδίως καταρρηγνυμένῳ, ὃ πρὸς τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἰσχὺν ἐπανελθεῖν πάλιν ἀδυνατεῖ. ὡς οὖν ἐν καιρῷ τοιούτῳ, μεγάλης χρεία τῆς σπουδῆς καὶ πολλῆς τῆς ἐπιμελείας εὐεργετηθῆναί τι τὰς ἐκκλησίας. εὐεργεσία δέ ἐστιν ἑνωθῆναι τὰ τέως διεσπασμένα. ἕνωσις δʼ ἂν γένοιτο, εἰ βουληθείημεν, ἐν οἷς μηδὲν βλάπτομεν τὰς ψυχάς, συμπεριενεχθῆναι τοῖς ἀσθενεστέροις. Ἐπεὶ οὖν πολλὰ στόματα ἤνοικται κατὰ τοῦ Πνεύματος τοῦ ἁγίου καὶ πολλαὶ γλῶσσαι ἠκόνηνται εἰς τὴν κατʼ αὐτοῦ βλασφημίαν, ἀξιοῦμεν ὑμᾶς, ὅσον ἐστὶν ἐφʼ ὑμῖν, εἰς ὀλίγον ἀριθμὸν περιστῆσαι τοὺς βλασφημοῦντας· καὶ τοὺς μὴ λέγοντας κτίσμα τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον δέχεσθαι εἰς κοινωνίαν, ἵνα μόνοι καταλειφθῶσιν οἱ βλάσφημοι, καὶ ἢ καταισχυνθέντες ἐπανέλθωσι πρὸς τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ἢ ἐπιμένοντες τῇ ἁμαρτίᾳ ἀναξιόπιστοι ὦσι διὰ τὴν ὀλιγότητα. μηδὲν τοίνυν πλέον ἐπιζητῶμεν, ἀλλὰ προτεινωμεθα τοῖς βουλομένοις ἡμῖν συνάπτεσθαι ἀδελφοῖς τὴν ἐν Νικαίᾳ πίστιν· κἂν ἐκείνῃ συνθῶνται, ἐπερωτῶμεν καὶ τὸ μὴ δεῖν λέγεσθαι κτίσμα τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, μηδὲ κοινωνικοὺς αὐτῶν εἶναι τοὺς λέγοντας. πέρα δὲ τούτων ἀξιῶ μηδὲν ἐπιζητεῖσθαι παρʼ ἡμῶν. πέπεισμαι γάρ, ὅτι τῇ χρονιωτέρα συνδιαγωγῇ καὶ τῇ ἀφιλονείκῳ συγγυμνασίᾳ, καὶ εἴ τι δέοι πλέον προστεθῆναι εἰς τράνωσιν, δώσει ὁ Κύριος ὁ πάντα συνεργῶν εἰς ἀγαθὸν τοῖς ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτόν.