Letter 49: I thanked the Holy God when I read your letter, most pious brother. I pray that I may not be unworthy of the expectations you have formed of me, and that you will enjoy a full reward for the honour which you pay me in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I was exceedingly pleased to hear that you have been occupied in a matter eminently becoming a...
Basil of Caesarea→Arcadius, Imperial Treasurer|c. 360 AD|basil caesarea
arianismimperial politics
Persecution or exile; Military conflict; Miracles & relics
From: Basil of Caesarea
To: Arcadius, Bishop [location unknown]
Date: ~371 AD
Context: Basil expresses relief at hearing from Arcadius after a long silence, and encourages him to stand firm during the Arian persecution.
To Arcadius the Bishop.
I thanked God when I received your letter, for two reasons: first, because I heard from you at all after so long a silence, and second, because the content of your letter revealed a soul in good health. To hear that a brother bishop stands firm in the faith during times like these is no small comfort.
The pressures you describe are real, and I won't pretend they aren't. The Arian party [Christians who followed Arius's teaching that the Son was less than the Father; in the 370s, the Emperor Valens was an Arian and was actively persecuting Nicene bishops in the East] has the ear of the powerful, and those who refuse to compromise are paying a serious price. But that is exactly the kind of test that proves what a man actually believes. Endure it. The churches that are watching you will be strengthened by your example.
Write to me again when you can. Even in difficult times — perhaps especially in difficult times — knowing that a friend is holding firm somewhere is worth a great deal.
ST. BASIL OF CAESAREA
To Arcadius the Bishop.
I thanked the Holy God when I read your letter, most pious brother. I pray that I may not be unworthy of the expectations you have formed of me, and that you will enjoy a full reward for the honour which you pay me in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I was exceedingly pleased to hear that you have been occupied in a matter eminently becoming a Christian, have raised a house to the glory of God, and have in practical earnest loved, as it is written, the beauty of the house of the Lord, and have so provided for yourself that heavenly mansion which is prepared in His rest for them that love the Lord. If I am able to find any relics of martyrs, I pray that I may take part in your earnest endeavour. If the righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance, I shall without doubt have a share in the good fame which the Holy One will give you.
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/3202049.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.
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From:Basil of Caesarea
To:Arcadius, Bishop [location unknown]
Date:~371 AD
Context:Basil expresses relief at hearing from Arcadius after a long silence, and encourages him to stand firm during the Arian persecution.
To Arcadius the Bishop.
I thanked God when I received your letter, for two reasons: first, because I heard from you at all after so long a silence, and second, because the content of your letter revealed a soul in good health. To hear that a brother bishop stands firm in the faith during times like these is no small comfort.
The pressures you describe are real, and I won't pretend they aren't. The Arian party [Christians who followed Arius's teaching that the Son was less than the Father; in the 370s, the Emperor Valens was an Arian and was actively persecuting Nicene bishops in the East] has the ear of the powerful, and those who refuse to compromise are paying a serious price. But that is exactly the kind of test that proves what a man actually believes. Endure it. The churches that are watching you will be strengthened by your example.
Write to me again when you can. Even in difficult times — perhaps especially in difficult times — knowing that a friend is holding firm somewhere is worth a great deal.
Modern English rendering for readability. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek for scholarly use.