Basil of Caesarea
Basil of Caesarea, also called Saint Basil the Great (330 – 1 or 2 January 379), was an early Christian prelate. He served as Bishop of Caesarea Mazaca in Cappadocia from 370 until his death in 379. He was an influential theologian who supported the Nicene Creed and opposed heresies within the early Christian church such as Arianism and Apollinarianism.
In addition to his work as a theologian, Basil's most enduring legacy was the creation of the Basileias, which has been believed to be one of the earliest forms of a Christian hospital for the poor. Basil established guidelines for monastic life which focus on community life, liturgical prayer, and manual labor. Together with Pachomius, he is remembered as a father of communal monasticism in Eastern Christianity. He is considered a saint by the traditions of both Eastern and Western Christianity.
Basil, together with his brother Gregory of Nyssa and his friend Gregory of Nazianzus, are collectively referred to as the Cappadocian Fathers. The Eastern Orthodox Church and Eastern Catholic Churches have given him, together with Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom, the title of Great Hierarch. Along with them and Athanasius of Alexandria he is also regarded as one of the four Great Greek Church Fathers and is recognized as a Doctor of the Church in the Roman Catholic Church. He is sometimes referred to by the epithet Ouranophantor (Koine Greek: Οὐρανοφάντωρ), lit.'revealer of heavenly mysteries'.
In the Martyrology
- January 1 Deposition of Saint Basil, bishop of Cesarea in Cappadocia
- January 2 Saints Basil the Great, bishop of Cesarea in Cappadocia, and Gregory of Nazianzus, bishop of Constantinople, doctors of the Church