Letter 221: You were previously known to me, my dear friends, by your far-famed piety, and by the crown won by your confession in Christ. Peradventure one of you may ask in reply who can have carried these tidings of us so far? The Lord Himself; for He puts His worshippers like a lamp on a lamp-stand, and makes them shine throughout the whole world.

You were already known to me, dear friends, by your far-famed devotion and by the crown you have won through your confession of Christ. If any of you wonders who carried these reports so far, the answer is the Lord Himself. He sets His worshippers like a lamp on a lampstand and makes them shine throughout the whole world. Are not athletes made famous by their victories, and craftsmen by the skill of their work? How much more will Christ honor those who honor Him? He will display the brightness of their radiance as He does the beams of the sun. But I have been moved to even greater longing for you by the letter you were kind enough to send -- a letter in which, beyond your former efforts for the truth, you have been even more generous with your abundant and vigorous zeal for the true faith. In all this I rejoice with you, and I pray with you that the God of the universe, whose is the struggle and the arena and who gives the crown, may fill you with courage, strengthen your souls, and make your work worthy of His approval.

ST. BASIL OF CAESAREA To the Beræans. You were previously known to me, my dear friends, by your far-famed piety, and by the crown won by your confession in Christ. Peradventure one of you may ask in reply who can have carried these tidings of us so far? The Lord Himself; for He puts His worshippers like a lamp on a lamp-stand, and makes them shine throughout the whole world. Are not winners in the games wont to be made famous by the prize of victory, and craftsmen by the skilful design of their work? Shall the memory of these and others like them abide for ever unforgotten, and shall not Christ's worshippers concerning whom the Lord says Himself, Them that honour me I will honour, be made famous and glorious by Him before all? Shall He not display the brightness of their radiant splendour as He does the beams of the sun? But I have been moved to greater longing for you by the letter which you have been good enough to send me, a letter in which, above and beyond your former efforts on behalf of the truth, you have been yet more lavish of your abounding and vigorous zeal for the true faith. In all this I rejoice with you, and I pray with you that the God of the universe, Whose is the struggle and the arena, and Who gives the crown, may fill you with enthusiasm, may make your souls strong, and make your work such as to meet with His divine approval. 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/3202221.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.