Letter 159: 1. You may well imagine what pleasure the letter of your excellencies gave me, if only from its very contents. What, indeed, could give greater gratification to one who prays ever to be in communication with them who fear the Lord, and to share their blessings, than a letter of this kind, wherein questions are asked about the knowledge of God?

From: Basil, Bishop of Caesarea To: Eupaterius and his daughter Date: ~366 AD Context: Basil responds to theological questions from a father and daughter, affirming the Nicene Creed and defending the divinity of the Holy Spirit. My dear Eupaterius and daughter, You can well imagine the pleasure your letter gave me, if only from its contents alone. What could bring greater satisfaction to someone who prays constantly to be in contact with those who fear the Lord than a letter asking questions about the knowledge of God? For if, as the Apostle says, "to live is Christ" [Philippians 1:21], then truly my words ought to be about Christ, my every thought and action ought to flow from his commandments, and my soul ought to be shaped in his image. So I rejoice at being asked about these things, and I congratulate you for asking. To put it briefly: I hold in honor above all later formulations the faith of the Fathers assembled at Nicaea [the Council of Nicaea, 325 AD, which established the foundational creed of Christian orthodoxy]. In that creed the Son is confessed to be of the same substance as the Father, sharing by nature the very being of the One who begot him -- for he was declared to be Light of Light, God of God, Good of Good, and so on. What those holy men proclaimed is what I proclaim now, praying that I may walk in their footsteps. But since a question has been raised in our time -- one that the Fathers passed over in silence simply because no one disputed it -- namely the question of the Holy Spirit, I will add a brief statement in keeping with Scripture. As we were baptized, so we profess our belief. As we profess our belief, so we offer praise. Since baptism was given to us by the Savior in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, our confession of faith accords with our baptism, and our worship accords with our confession. We glorify the Holy Spirit together with the Father and the Son, convinced that the Spirit is not separated from the divine nature -- for what is foreign by nature does not share in the same honors. This much I offer you. Hold fast to the faith you have received, and let no one shake you from it.

ST. BASIL OF CAESAREA To Eupaterius and his daughter. 1. You may well imagine what pleasure the letter of your excellencies gave me, if only from its very contents. What, indeed, could give greater gratification to one who prays ever to be in communication with them who fear the Lord, and to share their blessings, than a letter of this kind, wherein questions are asked about the knowledge of God? For if, to me, to live is Christ, Philippians 1:21 truly my words ought to be about Christ, my every thought and deed ought to depend upon His commandments, and my soul to be fashioned after His. I rejoice, therefore, at being asked about such things, and congratulate the askers. By me, to speak shortly, the faith of the Fathers assembled at Nicæa is honoured before all later inventions. In it the Son is confessed to be con-substantial with the Father and to be naturally of the same nature with Him who begot Him, for He was confessed to be Light of Light, God of God, and Good of Good, and the like. Both by those holy men the same doctrine was declared, and by me now who pray that I may walk in their footsteps. 2. But since the question now raised by those who are always endeavouring to introduce novelties, but passed over in silence by the men of old, because the doctrine was never gainsaid, has remained without full explanation (I mean that which concerns the Holy Ghost) I will add a statement on this subject in conformity with the sense of Scripture. As we were baptized, so we profess our belief. As we profess our belief, so also we offer praise. As then baptism has been given us by the Saviour, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost, so, in accordance with our baptism, we make the confession of the creed, and our doxology in accordance with our creed. We glorify the Holy Ghost together with the Father and the Son, from the conviction that He is not separated from the Divine Nature; for that which is foreign by nature does not share in the same honors. All who call the Holy Ghost a creature we pity, on the ground that, by this utterance, they are falling into the unpardonable sin of blasphemy against Him. I need use no argument to prove to those who are even slightly trained in Scripture, that the creature is separated from the Godhead. The creature is a slave; but the Spirit sets free. The creature needs life; the Spirit is the Giver of life. John 6:63 The creature requires teaching. It is the Spirit that teaches. John 14:26 The creature is sanctified; it is the Spirit that sanctifies. Romans 15:16 Whether you name angels, archangels, or all the heavenly powers, they receive their sanctification through the Spirit, but the Spirit Himself has His holiness by nature, not received by favour, but essentially His; whence He has received the distinctive name of Holy. What then is by nature holy, as the Father is by nature holy, and the Son by nature holy, we do not ourselves allow to be separated and severed from the divine and blessed Trinity, nor accept those who rashly reckon it as part of creation. Let this short summary be sufficient for you, my pious friends. From little seeds, with the co-operation of the Holy Ghost, you will reap the fuller crop of piety. Give instruction to a wise man and he will be yet wiser. Proverbs 9:9 I will put off fuller demonstration till we meet. When we do, it will be possible for me to answer objections, to give you fuller proofs from Scripture, and to confirm all the sound rule of faith. For the present pardon my brevity. I should not have written at all had I not thought it a greater injury to you to refuse your request altogether than to grant it in part. About this page Source. Translated by Blomfield Jackson. From Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series, Vol. 8. Edited by Philip Schaff and Henry Wace. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1895.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3202159.htm>. Contact information. The editor of New Advent is Kevin Knight. My email address is feedback732 at newadvent.org. (To help fight spam, this address might change occasionally.) Regrettably, I can't reply to every letter, but I greatly appreciate your feedback — especially notifications about typographical errors and inappropriate ads.