St. Basil the Great on the Holy Spirit [Paperback]

Basilius Magnus (Author), Saint Basil (Bishop of Caesarea) (Author), David Anderson (Translator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1980

St Basil the Great wrote his treatise On the Holy Spirit during the closing phase of the Trinitarian controversies of the fourth century. The Arians had previously denied the full divinity of the Son and the debate then turned to the Holy Spirit. In this work, without explicitly calling the Spirit 'God,' St Basil demonstrates that He, like the Son, is of one and the same nature with the Father, and that equal honor and worship therefore are due Him. This classic exposition of Trinitarian doctrine eloquently sets forth the distinction yet perpetual communion and conjunction of the divine Persons. At the same time it deals with the nature of theological language and with the theological significance of the Church's tradition of worship and proclamation. Its message, though specifically addressed to the fourth century, speaks to all ages. On the Holy Spirit is part of the POPULAR PATRISTIC SERIES.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Greek

Product Details

• Paperback: 118 pages
• Publisher: St Vladimirs Seminary Pr (November 1, 1980)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0913836745
• ISBN-13: 978-0913836743
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #708,525 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Clear, thoughtful, and revealing, January 13, 2009

By 

R. S. Fertig "Materials Scientist" (Cheyenne, WY United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: St. Basil the Great on the Holy Spirit (Paperback)

Reading "On the Holy Spirit" by St. Basil the Great is somewhat like reading two books simultaneously. The title gives the first subject, the Holy Spirit. The second, the state of the fourth century church, occurs inadvertently. Both are educational and enjoyable. St. Basil begins his defense of the divinity of the Holy Spirit by showing the similarities between the language used to describe Jesus and the language used for the Holy Spirit. At the time of his writing, the question of the deity of Jesus is largely settled. (I recommend On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius for a good defense of Jesus' deity.) The argument then progresses to show the distinction between the Holy Spirit and the Father and Son. Several examples are expounded, such as passages dealing with blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit's intercession for us. Thus, he articulates the unity and distinction of the Holy Spirit with and within the Godhead. Ultimately, his discussion is persuasive.

The other thread that runs through the book is the state of the fourth century church. I was particularly interested in the role that Scripture played in relation to the teaching of the Fathers. St. Basil acknowledges both, but uses Scripture almost exclusively for his defense--although his Scripture includes several apocryphal books. All of this is being written to a church in turmoil. St. Basil laments, "To what can I compare our present condition? It is like a naval battle, kindled by old quarrels, fought by men who love war, who cultivate hatred for one another...The disorder and confusion is beyond description...." The comfort in all of this is that if we think the faith is in turmoil now, it surely was then too. But the battle did not quench the faith that still prevails today. As G. K. Chesterton says, "Five times in history the faith has had all the appearance of going to the dogs. Five times it has been the dog that died."

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must read, April 16, 2006

By 

M. Harrington "M.A. Harrington" (Walla Walla, WA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: St. Basil the Great on the Holy Spirit (Paperback)

All too often we in the West tend to forget how influential Christianity has been on shaping and forming our culture. In St. Basil's work on the Holy Spirit we see how exacting the early Christian faith was in articulating its beliefs. St. Basil the great is known in Orthodoxy and one of the fathers of the Christian Church to bear the title, "Great." When you read this seminal work you can feel the passion and intensity that St. Basil has when dealing with the distortions to the faith. Yet, there is always a sense of hope, humility, and compassion for those who were outside of the Orthodox Church. Read this work and see how important a few little words are to the Christian Faith.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An important development both in ecclesiology and Trinitarianism, November 7, 2009

By 

Norse Gael "Baroque Norseman" (Louisiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: St. Basil the Great on the Holy Spirit (Paperback)

St Basil, much like St Gregory of Nazianzen, begins his work with a dense discussion of the terminology. It is easy for today's reader to miss what is important in the debate. St Basil spends the first few chapters sparring over the use of prepositions as they are applied to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. He makes the point that since all of the prepositions his opponents use (or use to say that because ______ is not applied to the Holy Spirit; therefore, the Holy Spirit is not God), he shows that the so-called "less than full deity" prepositions are also used of the Father, the fact that they are used of the Son and Spirit in no way implies that the latter two are lesser in divinity.

Interestingly, one of St Basil's key arguments is the oral tradition of the Fathers. The implications of this for ecclesiology are staggering. Merely going to "the bible alone" is not enough and is sometimes heretical! St Basil writes,

So like the debtors,--of course bona fide debtors--they clamour for written proof, and reject as worthless the unwritten tradition of the Fathers (X.25).

Salvation is found in the regenerating grace of Baptism--baptism in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (X.26). Concerning the sometimes omission of the Holy Spirit in baptism (the supposed contrast between Jesus's command and Peter's command), St Basil says, given the biblical witness, "the naming of Christ is the confession of the whole" (XII.28).

In XVIII St Basil gives a long and pregnant with meaning defense of the monarchia of the Father. Again, this is a crucial moment in the doctrine of the Church. Another key defense of the consubstantiality of the Holy Spirit is the "operations of the Spirit." Whether in the creation of the heavens or the advent of Christ, the Spirit is there (XIX).

One cannot help but wonder if St Basil's critique of those who advocate that the Spirit is free (free probably in the sense of "autonomous") would not also apply to Calvin's doctrine of the Son as "autotheos" (XX)?

The Spirit cannot be on the same level as "angels" because angels are circumscribed in place (XXIII), whereas the spirit is "everywhere present and fillest all things."

Conclusion:

Is this the most articulate, sophisticated presentation of the Holy Spirit? No, but it is an important--even crucial--moment in the life of the Church. St Basil placed his defense of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit within the tradition of the Church. To use modern analytic philosophical language, he removed it from the possibility of "Scriptural defeaters." One can reject his use of "tradition" as a question-begging defense, and in some ways perhaps it is, but one must grant at the same time continuity to his argument. The heretics do not use tradition--and often proudly admit it--therefore they remove themselves further from Christ and the apostles. Maybe they can quote the words of Christ, but they remove themselves from the ancient and venerated community of Christ