Saints Basil the Great and Gregory Nazianzen
St. Basil the Great (329AD - 379AD) was the son of St. Basil the Elder and Macrina. He was one of ten children, three others of whom, Macrina the Younger, Gregory (of Nyssa) and Peter of Sebaste are also honoured as saints. Their father died when he was young, and they moved onto their grandmother St Macrina the Elder's estate in Pontus. He was educated at Caesarea, Constantinople and Athens. It was in Athens that he became friends with St. Gregory Nazianzen. Another of his fellow students would later become the emperor Julian the Apostate. His success as a university student and professor made him feel worldly and self sufficient.
He was baptised by Dianius, Bishop of Caesarea. He came under the influence of his sister, St Macrina the Younger, who had founded a religious community on her grandmother's estate in Annesi. He experienced a conversion of heart while at Annesi. Hearing the Gospel passage about selling one's belongings and giving them to the poor, he decided to do just that. He then visited several monasteries in Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Mesopotamia before founding one of his own across the river from Annesi.
Many other communities of both men and women followed his model, and he would become known as the Father of Oriental Monasticism. He became involved in some theological controversies such as the opposition to Arianism starting in 360. It was at about this time that he wrote his monastic rules. He was ordained priest by Eusebius, the successor to Dianius, in 363, and given a prominent administrative role. He proved to be a very capable administrator.
He succeeded Eusebius as Bishop of Caesarea in 370. Caesarea was a very powerful, influential, and important See at the time. His letters show him to have had prodigious energy and widespread impact. He also helped in the development of the liturgical life of the Church, though how much of the Mass of St. Basil is really his authorship is in dispute. His death in 379 was mourned not only by Christians but also by Jews and Pagans.
His feast day was initially observed on June 14, when it was supposed he was ordained bishop. A Greek martyrology places his feast on January 1. In 1081 the Patriarch of Constantinople proclaimed his feast day of January 30, in conjunction with John Chrysostom and Gregory Nazianzen. This feast is called the Synaxis of the Three Holy Heirarchs. In the Roman Rite, his feast was observed on June 14 until the 1969 revision of the Roman Liturgical Calendar, which moved the feast day to January 2. The Coptic Orthodox Church observes his feast day on January 14. He is considered to be one of the most important figures in Church history. He was made a Doctor of the Church because of his contributions to the struggle against Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ.
St. Gregory Nazianzen (325AD - 389AD) was the son of Bishop Gregory of Nazianzus (329-374). His father's feast day is January 1. His mother Nonna's feast day is August 5. His family was relatively well-off and came from the village of Arianzus near Caesarea in Cappadocia. He became friends with both Basil and his brother Gregory while studying at Caesarea. He was ordained by his father. One of his early sermons on the rule and duties of the priest was an influence on both St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great. He was made first bishop of Sasima in Cappadocia shortly after his friend Basil was made Bishop of Caesarea and Metropolitan of Cappadocia. Not really wanting the job, he withdrew to a monastery in Seleuci in 375. He was there for three years.
He would later become Bishop of Constantinople (this was a different office from the Patrriarch of Constantinople) and in 381 called the First Council of Constantinople. The Council was deeply divided between Arians and Catholics and there was much acrimonious debate. Gregory resigned as Bishop of Constantinople after a few months and retired to his home village of Arianzus.
In his retirement, he embarked on a literary career, something which was much more suited to his temperament. His literary output fell into three categories, poems, letters, and orations. Most of his poetry has been lost, but what survives is mostly autobiographical epigrams and epitaphs. His surviving letters are some of the finest examples of epistolary writing from his age. He is also one of the greatest orators of his age as well. He was one of the finest prose and rhetorical stylists of the Patristic period. He had a great impact on the development of Trinitarian Theology. He is one of the "Cappadocian Fathers", with Gregory of Nyssa and Basil the Great.
The exact date of his death is uncertain, but it is thought to have been in 389 or 390. His orations were considered authoritative by the Council of Ephesus in 431. The Council of Chalcedon gave him the title of "Theologian". His Feast Day was originally on May 9 but has been moved to January 2. Among Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthocox Christians his Feast Days are January 25 and January 30.
St. Basil the Great (329AD - 379AD) was the son of St. Basil the Elder and Macrina. He was one of ten children, three others of whom, Macrina the Younger, Gregory (of Nyssa) and Peter of Sebaste are also honoured as saints. Their father died when he was young, and they moved onto their grandmother St Macrina the Elder's estate in Pontus. He was educated at Caesarea, Constantinople and Athens. It was in Athens that he became friends with St. Gregory Nazianzen. Another of his fellow students would later become the emperor Julian the Apostate. His success as a university student and professor made him feel worldly and self sufficient.
He was baptised by Dianius, Bishop of Caesarea. He came under the influence of his sister, St Macrina the Younger, who had founded a religious community on her grandmother's estate in Annesi. He experienced a conversion of heart while at Annesi. Hearing the Gospel passage about selling one's belongings and giving them to the poor, he decided to do just that. He then visited several monasteries in Egypt, Palestine, Syria and Mesopotamia before founding one of his own across the river from Annesi.
Many other communities of both men and women followed his model, and he would become known as the Father of Oriental Monasticism. He became involved in some theological controversies such as the opposition to Arianism starting in 360. It was at about this time that he wrote his monastic rules. He was ordained priest by Eusebius, the successor to Dianius, in 363, and given a prominent administrative role. He proved to be a very capable administrator.
He succeeded Eusebius as Bishop of Caesarea in 370. Caesarea was a very powerful, influential, and important See at the time. His letters show him to have had prodigious energy and widespread impact. He also helped in the development of the liturgical life of the Church, though how much of the Mass of St. Basil is really his authorship is in dispute. His death in 379 was mourned not only by Christians but also by Jews and Pagans.
His feast day was initially observed on June 14, when it was supposed he was ordained bishop. A Greek martyrology places his feast on January 1. In 1081 the Patriarch of Constantinople proclaimed his feast day of January 30, in conjunction with John Chrysostom and Gregory Nazianzen. This feast is called the Synaxis of the Three Holy Heirarchs. In the Roman Rite, his feast was observed on June 14 until the 1969 revision of the Roman Liturgical Calendar, which moved the feast day to January 2. The Coptic Orthodox Church observes his feast day on January 14. He is considered to be one of the most important figures in Church history. He was made a Doctor of the Church because of his contributions to the struggle against Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ.
St. Gregory Nazianzen (325AD - 389AD) was the son of Bishop Gregory of Nazianzus (329-374). His father's feast day is January 1. His mother Nonna's feast day is August 5. His family was relatively well-off and came from the village of Arianzus near Caesarea in Cappadocia. He became friends with both Basil and his brother Gregory while studying at Caesarea. He was ordained by his father. One of his early sermons on the rule and duties of the priest was an influence on both St. John Chrysostom and St. Basil the Great. He was made first bishop of Sasima in Cappadocia shortly after his friend Basil was made Bishop of Caesarea and Metropolitan of Cappadocia. Not really wanting the job, he withdrew to a monastery in Seleuci in 375. He was there for three years.
He would later become Bishop of Constantinople (this was a different office from the Patrriarch of Constantinople) and in 381 called the First Council of Constantinople. The Council was deeply divided between Arians and Catholics and there was much acrimonious debate. Gregory resigned as Bishop of Constantinople after a few months and retired to his home village of Arianzus.
In his retirement, he embarked on a literary career, something which was much more suited to his temperament. His literary output fell into three categories, poems, letters, and orations. Most of his poetry has been lost, but what survives is mostly autobiographical epigrams and epitaphs. His surviving letters are some of the finest examples of epistolary writing from his age. He is also one of the greatest orators of his age as well. He was one of the finest prose and rhetorical stylists of the Patristic period. He had a great impact on the development of Trinitarian Theology. He is one of the "Cappadocian Fathers", with Gregory of Nyssa and Basil the Great.
The exact date of his death is uncertain, but it is thought to have been in 389 or 390. His orations were considered authoritative by the Council of Ephesus in 431. The Council of Chalcedon gave him the title of "Theologian". His Feast Day was originally on May 9 but has been moved to January 2. Among Eastern Catholic and Eastern Orthocox Christians his Feast Days are January 25 and January 30.