Letter 55: I have given patient attention to your letter, and I am astonished that when you are perfectly well able to furnish me with a short and easy defense by taking action at once, you should choose to persist in what is my ground of complaint, and endeavour to cure the incurable by writing a long story about it. I am not the first, Paregorius, nor th...

To the presbyter Paregorius. I read your letter with all patience, and I was amazed that, when you could easily and briefly defend yourself to us through your actions, you choose instead to persist in the things of which you are accused, and attempt with lengthy arguments to remedy what is incurable. We are neither the first nor the only ones, Paregorius, to have laid down the rule that women should not cohabit with men. Read the canon issued by our holy fathers at the Council of Nicaea, which clearly forbade the keeping of subintroductae. The dignity of celibacy consists precisely in being separated from living with a woman. So if someone who professes celibacy in name actually does what those who live with women do, he clearly pursues the honor of virginity only in title while not abstaining from unseemly pleasure. You should therefore have yielded to our request all the more readily, inasmuch as you say you are free from all bodily passion. For I am not persuaded that a man of seventy years cohabits with a woman out of passion, nor did we issue our ruling because of any improper act that had occurred, but because we were taught by the Apostle not to place a stumbling block or scandal before a brother. We know that what is done innocently by some becomes an occasion of sin for others. For this reason we gave the order, following the decree of the holy fathers, that you should separate yourself from the woman. Why, then, do you accuse the chorepiscopus and recall old enmities? Why blame the chorepiscopus, and those with ready ears for receiving accusations, rather than yourself for not bearing to give up your intimacy with the woman? Cast her out of your house, then, and establish her in a monastery. Let her be among virgins, and let you be served by men, so that the name of God may not be blasphemed on your account. As long as you do these things, the countless arguments you compose in your letters will profit you nothing; you will end your life idle and will give account to the Lord for your idleness. But if you dare, without correcting yourself, to cling to the priesthood, you shall be anathema to all the people, and those who receive you shall be cast out throughout every Church.

ST. BASIL OF CAESAREA To Paregorius, the presbyter. I have given patient attention to your letter, and I am astonished that when you are perfectly well able to furnish me with a short and easy defense by taking action at once, you should choose to persist in what is my ground of complaint, and endeavour to cure the incurable by writing a long story about it. I am not the first, Paregorius, nor the only man, to lay down the law that women are not to live with men. Read the canon put forth by our holy Fathers at the Council of Nicæa, which distinctly forbids subintroducts. Unmarried life is honourably distinguished by its being cut off from all female society. If, then, any one, who is known by the outward profession, in reality follows the example of those who live with wives, it is obvious that he only affects the distinction of virginity in name, and does not hold aloof from unbecoming indulgence. You ought to have been all the more ready to submit yourself without difficulty to my demands, in that you allege that you are free from all bodily appetite. I do not suppose that a man of three score years and ten lives with a woman from any such feelings, and I have not decided, as I have decided, on the ground of any crime having been committed. But we have learned from the Apostle, not to put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in a brother's way; Romans 14:13 and I know that what is done very properly by some, naturally becomes to others an occasion for sin. I have therefore given my order, in obedience to the injunction of the holy Fathers, that you are to separate from the woman. Why then, do you find fault with the Chorepiscopus? What is the good of mentioning ancient ill-will? Why do you blame me for lending an easy ear to slander? Why do you not rather lay the blame on yourself, for not consenting to break off your connection with the woman? Expel her from your house, and establish her in a monastery. Let her live with virgins, and do you be served by men, that the name of God be not blasphemed in you. Till you have so done, the innumerable arguments, which you use in your letters, will not do you the slightest service. You will die useless, and you will have to give an account to God for your uselessness. If you persist in clinging to your clerical position without correcting your ways, you will be accursed before all the people, and all, who receive you, will be excommunicate throughout the Church.

[Πρός: Παρηγορίῳ πρεσβυτέρῳ.] Ἐνέτυχόν σου τοῖς γράμμασι μετὰ πάσἡ̣̣̓ μακροθυμίας, καὶ ἐθαύμασα πῶς δυνάμενος ἡμῖν συντόμως καὶ εὐκόλως ἀπολογήσασθαι διὰ τῶν πραγμάτων, τοῖς μὲν κατηγορουμένοις ἐπιμένειν καταδέχῃ, λόγοις δὲ μακροῖς θεραπεύειν ἐπιχειρεῖς τὰ ἀνίατα. οὔτε πρῶτοι, οὔτε μόνοι, Παρηγόριε, ἐνομοθετήσαμεν γυναῖκας ἀνδράσι μὴ συνοικεῖν. ἀλλʼ ἀνάγνωθι τὸν ἐξενεχθέντα κανόνα παρὰ τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων ἡμῶν τῶν ἐν τῇ συνόδῳ Νικαίας, ὃς φανερῶς ἀπηγόρευσε συνεισακτοὺς μὴ εἶναι. ἀγαμία δὲ ἐν τούτῳ ἔχει τὸ σεμνόν, ἐν τῷ κεχωρίσθαι τῆς μετὰ γυναικὸς διαγωγῆς. ὡς ἐὰν ἐπαγγελλόμενός τις τῷ ὀνόματι, ἔργῳ τὰ τῶν γυναιξὶ συνοικούντων ποιῇ, δῆλός ἐστι τὸ μὲν τῆς παρθενίας σεμνὸν ἐν τῇ προσηγορίᾳ διώκων, τοῦ δὲ καθʼ ἡδονὴν ἀπρεποῦς μὴ ἀφιστάμενος. Τοσούτῳ οὖν μᾶλλον ἐχρῆν σε εὐκόλως εἶξαι ἡμῶν τῇ ἀξιώσει, ὅσῳπερ λέγεις ἐλεύθερος εἶναι παντὸς σωματικοῦ πάθους. οὔτε γὰρ τὸν ἑβδομηκονταετῆ γεγονότα πείθομαι ἐμπαθῶς συνοικεῖν γυναικί, οὔτε ὡς ἐπιγενομένῃ τινὶ ἀτόπῳ πράξει ὡρίσαμεν ἃ ὡρίσαμεν, ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ ἐδιδάχθημεν παρὰ τοῦ ἀποστόλου μὴ τιθέναι πρόσκομμα τῷ ἀδελφῷ ἢ σκάνδαλον. οἴδαμεν δὲ ὅτι τὸ παρά τινων ὑγιῶς γινόμενον, ἄλλοις ἀφορμὴ πρὸς ἁμαρτίαν ὑπάρχει. τούτου ἕνεκεν προσετάξαμεν ἑπόμενοι τῇ διαταγῇ τῶν ἁγίων πατέρων χωρισθῆναί σε τοῦ γυναίου. Τί οὖν ἐγκαλεῖς τῷ χωρεπισκόπῳ καὶ παλαιᾶς ἔχθρας μέμνησαι; τί χωρεπισκόπῳ, καὶ παλαιᾶς εὐκόλους ἀκοὰς ἔχοντας εἰς τὸ τὰς διαβολὰς προσίεσθαι; ἀλλʼ οὐχὶ σεαυτῷ μὴ ἀνεχομένῳ ἀποστῆναι τῆς πρὸς τὴν γυναῖκα συνηθείας; ἔκβαλλε τοίνυν αὐτὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ οἴκου σου, καὶ κατάστησον αὐτὴν ἐν μοναστηρίῳ. ἔστω ἐκείνη μετὰ παρθένων, καὶ σὺ ὑπηρετοῦ ὑπʼ ἀνδρῶν, ἵνα μὴ τὸ ὄνομα τοῦ Θεοῦ δι’ ὑμᾶς βλασφημῆται. ἕως δʼ ἂν ταῦτα ποιῇς, αἱ μυριάδες, ἅσπερ συγγράφεις διὰ τῶν ἐπιστολῶν, οὐδὲν ὠφελήσουσί σε, ἀλλὰ τελευτήσεις ἀργῶν, καὶ δώσεις τῷ Κυρίῳ λόγον τῆς σεαυτοῦ ἀργίας. ἐὰν δὲ τολμήσῃς, μὴ διορθωσάμενος σεαυτόν, ἀντέχεσθαι τῆς ἱερωσύνης, ἀνάθεμα ἔσῃ παντὶ τῷ λαῷ, καὶ οἱ δεχόμενοί σε ἐκκήρυκτοι κατὰ πᾶσαν Ἐκκλησίαν γενήσονται.