Letter 191: On reading the letter of your reverence I heartily thanked God. I did so because I found in your expressions traces of ancient affection. You are not like the majority.

From: Basil, Bishop of Caesarea To: Amphilochius, Bishop of Iconium Date: ~368 AD Context: Basil thanks Amphilochius for initiating correspondence and proposes a plan to restore fellowship between divided churches through mutual recognition and hospitality. On reading your reverence's letter I gave hearty thanks to God, because I found in your words the traces of an old affection. You are not like most people: you did not stubbornly refuse to be the first to write. You have grasped the greatness of the prize promised to the saints for humility, and so you have chosen to win the race by taking second place. Among Christians these are the terms of victory -- the one content to come second wins the crown. But I must not fall behind in this virtuous competition, so I return your greeting and share my thoughts with you. Since we are now in agreement on the faith, nothing further prevents us from being "one body and one spirit, called in one hope of our calling" [Ephesians 4:4]. It is for you, in your generosity, to follow up this good beginning -- to rally like-minded men to your side and to propose both a time and a place to meet. Then, by God's grace and through mutual accommodation, we may govern the churches with the kind of love that prevailed in ancient times: welcoming brothers from the other side as our own members, sending to them as to our own people, and receiving from them as from kin. This was once the great boast of the Church. Brothers traveling from one end of the world to the other carried small tokens of identification and found fathers and brothers everywhere. The enemy of Christ's churches has robbed us of this privilege. Now we are each confined to our own city, and everyone eyes his neighbor with suspicion. What more can be said? "Our love has grown cold" [Matthew 24:12] -- the very thing by which alone, as our Lord told us, his disciples are recognized [John 13:35]. So if you are willing, start by making yourselves known to one another, that I may learn with whom I am to be in agreement. Then, by common consent, we will settle on a time and place.

ST. BASIL OF CAESAREA To Amphilochius, bishop of Iconium. On reading the letter of your reverence I heartily thanked God. I did so because I found in your expressions traces of ancient affection. You are not like the majority. You did not persist in refusing to begin an affectionate correspondence. You have learned the greatness of the prize promised to the saints for humility, and so you have chosen, by taking the second place, to get before me. Among Christians such are the conditions of victory, and it is he who is content to take the second place who wins a crown. But I must not be behindhand in this virtuous rivalry, and so I thus salute your reverence in return; and inform you as to how I am minded, in that, since agreement in the faith is established among us, there is nothing further to prevent our being one body and one spirit, as we have been called in one hope of our calling. It is for you, then, of your charity to follow up a good beginning to rally men of like mind to stand at your side, and to appoint both time and place for meeting. Thus, by God's grace, through mutual accommodation we may govern the Churches by the ancient kind of love; receiving as our own members brothers coming from the other side, sending as to our kin, and in turn receiving as from our own kin. Such, indeed, was once the boast of the Church. Brothers from each Church, travelling from one end of the world to the other, were provided with little tokens, and found all men fathers and brothers. This is a privilege whereof, like all the rest, the enemy of Christ's Churches has robbed us. We are confined each in his own city, and every one looks at his neighbour with distrust. What more is to be said but that our love has grown cold, Matthew 24:12 whereby alone our Lord has told us that His disciples are distinguished? John 13:35 First of all, if you will, do you become known to one another, that I may know with whom I am to be in agreement. Thus by common consent we will fix on some place convenient to both, and, at a season suitable for travelling, we will hasten to meet one another; the Lord will direct us in the way. Farewell. Be of good cheer. Pray for me. May you be granted to me by the grace of the Holy One? 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/3202191.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.