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Early Church Fathers
Basil of Caesarea: His Life and Impact
Basil of Caesarea (329-379 AD) was a Greek Bishop in what is now Turkey. A thoughtful theologian, he was instrumental in the formation of the Nicene Creed. He fought a growing heresy, Arianism, that had found converts, including those in high positions of state. In the face of such a threat he showed courage, wisdom and complete confidence in God that we would do well to emulate today.About Early Church Fathers: this series relates the magnificent impact that these fathers of the early church made for our world today. They encountered challenges similar to ones that we face in our postmodern world, and they met them with extraordinary values that will encourage and inspire us today.
- GenresBiographyNonfiction
176 pages, Paperback
First published March 20, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
January 29, 2021
This brief introduction to the church father Basil walks through his life and major contribution to the church. Much of the book focuses on his contributions to the discussion in the 3rd and 4th centuries concerning the Trinity, and the closing chapters illustrate his defense of the full deity of the Holy Spirit. This is an extremely accessible book that does quite often from primary sources, but also relies on secondary and even tertiary sources to fill in the gaps. I think this is a must read for anyone seeking to better understand the history of the church and especially for anyone venturing into the study of Basil.
March 1, 2025
I was required to read this for seminary and to write a biographical sketch on Basil. Highly recommend this to anyone who wishes to learn more about early church leaders. It is very easy to read and understand.
There’s especially great insight into the teaching of the Holy Spirit in the early church, and I found many of the teachings helpful for my current understanding.
I plan to continue reading on early church fathers and mothers, thanks to this book.
There’s especially great insight into the teaching of the Holy Spirit in the early church, and I found many of the teachings helpful for my current understanding.
I plan to continue reading on early church fathers and mothers, thanks to this book.
July 31, 2023
I was left wondering who this book is aimed at. The arguments are at times dense and technical but the applications are popular and sometimes lacking in depth. I did not find the style of writing easy. I did find elements of the book interesting and informative so I persevered with it but I'm not sure I would recommend it to others if they wanted an accessible introduction to the fascinating figure of Basil.
June 14, 2014
Though I have no special expertise with the early church fathers, I’ve recently read Basil’s Hexaemeron as well as Dr. Michael Haykin’s wonderful introduction to the fathers, which has a section on Basil. So, it was with considerable excitement that I began this book. I must tip my hat to Jones for taking on this project. I’ve always pictured it as being hard to write a biography of a figure from over 1,000 years ago. That said, there are at least some advantages to the lack of proximity in time!
Basil is a 4th century Christian leader, a hero in the history of Christian orthodoxy. He was a skilled preacher and a theological “heavyweight”, so to speak. And yet, he was a dedicated pastor and a very humble man, so much so that Jones suggests that: “His life and ministry can be and should be stated in a single word — humility!”
Jones’ basic desire herein is to prove to the modern evangelical church that Basil is an important figure who has much to say to the present-day church. In that endeavor, I believe Jones succeeds. And in doing so he provides a valuable history to the contemporary church. I hope many evangelical and reformed Christians will take up and read, not only this book but also Basil’s works themselves. Jones portrays Basil skilfully and with the touch of one who loves his subject. He’s distinctly appreciative of Basil’s legacy, but isn’t fawning over him, either. He shows some of Basil’s key mistakes and carefully documents the development of his theology, in addition to his triumphs. I love that the book is very attentive to the environment around Basil. It spends a great deal of time covering the theological discussions, figures, and controversies in which Basil was immersed. You don’t get the feeling that you are reading a narrow biography, but rather that you are getting a tour of Basil’s world. No matter where you are at in terms of background, you will be be, to some degree, more broadly informed.
Though I generally think this is quite the fine book, sadly, there are some ways in which my admittedly high expectations were disappointed.
First, I found the overall writing style left something to be desired. These two sentences are a good example of what I mean: “The ecclesiastical compromise of worldliness and the attempt of the church to seek God’s glory must be renounced as sinful. The church simply cannot live worldly and seek God’s glory at the same time.” I would suggest that the first sentence isn’t sufficiently clear–potentially leaving the reader with the impression that seeking God’s glory should be renounced as sinful! The second sentence clarifies what the author really means, but there is also an awkward redundancy between the two sentences. I don’t think this example is an isolated one. Writing issues aside, the book is relatively readable and often moves quite well. That is not to say they aren’t challenging parts. Unless you’ve read a great deal of theology, you’ll likely stumble a bit on the discussions of “homoiousian” and “homoousios”. I certainly did, but don’t let those parts scare you off–it’s quite well worth it to slug through those parts.
Second, from the standpoint of one who has no real expertise on this subject, I do wonder if a few of his modern day applications might be a bit overextended. Perhaps even a tad oversimplified or anachronistic. I am not, however, in the position to judge that and I would gladly leave that task for a more qualified reviewer. I would just add that my suspicions in that regard, even if accurate, amount to a fairly minor quibble.
Third, I wish that the author took a bit more time to show how people in the quite large period between the early church and the present-day church have appropriated Basil’s legacy. What about the Protestant Reformers? I felt that the author rushed to a present-day application, and hence truncated our view of Basil’s significance and perhaps did his readers a disservice.
Fourth, while the breadth of coverage and background information is a clear strength of this book, it may be also its weakness. I feel that perhaps an inordinate amount of time and space was spent discussing Athanasius, Didymus, etc, and perhaps in some of those areas the author strayed a bit too far from the core of the book. Trimming these areas down and pointing the readers to additional helpful resources may have been more profitable.
Whereas some of these flaws I’ve outlined have demoted this book down to 4 stars, it’s still a wonderful book and Jones has done a great service to the church in writing it. The book gave me a renewed appreciation for those who have struggled through some very tough battles to hash out for the future generations a solid bedrock and legacy of truth. Even with its flaws, this book is an impressive work. We need to hear more stories of men and women who loved the truth like Basil did. This encounter with Basil’s life was certainly profitable and worthwhile. Overall, I recommend it for those who want to learn about the great Christian theologian named Basil. And I’m looking forward to checking out other books in this series!
Basil is a 4th century Christian leader, a hero in the history of Christian orthodoxy. He was a skilled preacher and a theological “heavyweight”, so to speak. And yet, he was a dedicated pastor and a very humble man, so much so that Jones suggests that: “His life and ministry can be and should be stated in a single word — humility!”
Jones’ basic desire herein is to prove to the modern evangelical church that Basil is an important figure who has much to say to the present-day church. In that endeavor, I believe Jones succeeds. And in doing so he provides a valuable history to the contemporary church. I hope many evangelical and reformed Christians will take up and read, not only this book but also Basil’s works themselves. Jones portrays Basil skilfully and with the touch of one who loves his subject. He’s distinctly appreciative of Basil’s legacy, but isn’t fawning over him, either. He shows some of Basil’s key mistakes and carefully documents the development of his theology, in addition to his triumphs. I love that the book is very attentive to the environment around Basil. It spends a great deal of time covering the theological discussions, figures, and controversies in which Basil was immersed. You don’t get the feeling that you are reading a narrow biography, but rather that you are getting a tour of Basil’s world. No matter where you are at in terms of background, you will be be, to some degree, more broadly informed.
Though I generally think this is quite the fine book, sadly, there are some ways in which my admittedly high expectations were disappointed.
First, I found the overall writing style left something to be desired. These two sentences are a good example of what I mean: “The ecclesiastical compromise of worldliness and the attempt of the church to seek God’s glory must be renounced as sinful. The church simply cannot live worldly and seek God’s glory at the same time.” I would suggest that the first sentence isn’t sufficiently clear–potentially leaving the reader with the impression that seeking God’s glory should be renounced as sinful! The second sentence clarifies what the author really means, but there is also an awkward redundancy between the two sentences. I don’t think this example is an isolated one. Writing issues aside, the book is relatively readable and often moves quite well. That is not to say they aren’t challenging parts. Unless you’ve read a great deal of theology, you’ll likely stumble a bit on the discussions of “homoiousian” and “homoousios”. I certainly did, but don’t let those parts scare you off–it’s quite well worth it to slug through those parts.
Second, from the standpoint of one who has no real expertise on this subject, I do wonder if a few of his modern day applications might be a bit overextended. Perhaps even a tad oversimplified or anachronistic. I am not, however, in the position to judge that and I would gladly leave that task for a more qualified reviewer. I would just add that my suspicions in that regard, even if accurate, amount to a fairly minor quibble.
Third, I wish that the author took a bit more time to show how people in the quite large period between the early church and the present-day church have appropriated Basil’s legacy. What about the Protestant Reformers? I felt that the author rushed to a present-day application, and hence truncated our view of Basil’s significance and perhaps did his readers a disservice.
Fourth, while the breadth of coverage and background information is a clear strength of this book, it may be also its weakness. I feel that perhaps an inordinate amount of time and space was spent discussing Athanasius, Didymus, etc, and perhaps in some of those areas the author strayed a bit too far from the core of the book. Trimming these areas down and pointing the readers to additional helpful resources may have been more profitable.
Whereas some of these flaws I’ve outlined have demoted this book down to 4 stars, it’s still a wonderful book and Jones has done a great service to the church in writing it. The book gave me a renewed appreciation for those who have struggled through some very tough battles to hash out for the future generations a solid bedrock and legacy of truth. Even with its flaws, this book is an impressive work. We need to hear more stories of men and women who loved the truth like Basil did. This encounter with Basil’s life was certainly profitable and worthwhile. Overall, I recommend it for those who want to learn about the great Christian theologian named Basil. And I’m looking forward to checking out other books in this series!
January 7, 2020
Short, helpful introduction to the life and thought of Basil of Caesarea
January 1, 2023
A helpful book! But is repetitive in parts and does not always feel connected.
June 12, 2014
"[Basil's] sermons were Christ-centered. The homilies depicted a systematic theologian striving to proclaim the truth of Christ from the Old Testament and the New Testament. His concept of spirituality developed the body of believers, centered upon the Holy Spirit, revealing the truth of Christ to the congregant. He innovated to bring the truth of God's Word to the people of God so that the doxology [the way of worship] was theologically orthodox."
There is a good reason why a book like "Basil of Caesarea" is important to individual believers in the Lord Jesus Christ today. Simply put, what we believe about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit affects how we live from day to day. Most Christians today believe in the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. But we don't always look deeply enough to understand exactly what we believe about it. The task of the early church fathers was to make sense of God's nature, of the one who is not like anything or anyone on earth, and impart the knowledge to people living in a pagan world. Complications and barriers to understanding His nature was due to finite mental limitations trying to comprehend an infinite Being. Thus, the church in its early days struggled to find adequate language to contemplate and explain Him.
This book covers the background history of the early church's beliefs of the Godhead and how Basil helped refine these beliefs to the establishment of the foundation which would remain firmly orthodox to this day. The first part of the book follows Basil's life as he moved through the stages of maturity as pastor, a leader within the church, and eventually as wise theologian and prolific writer. There are over 300 letters and works available for study and cross reference with other church leaders of the time. These tomes aided the author in painting a vivid image of the spiritual struggles in the fourth century. I found all this fascinating reading since my own knowledge of this era is like Swiss Cheese--it is full of holes.
Producing precise language that dealt with the issues left unanswered by the Nicean counsel, that was closest to Scriptural truth as possible while unifying the factions splitting the church took a great deal of time and intellect. Basil, according to this author's assessment, was adequate to the task so that by the end of the fourth century the orthodox viewpoint was established and all the forms of Arianism were finally proven to be non-Scriptural.
While most of the content of this book relates the history of Basil's life and impact on the church as a whole, the author does take time to explain in each chapter how this knowledge could be valuable for the modern day Christian--in particular, evangelicals.
I appreciate the author's hard work collecting sources that are not readily available to most of us, to write with acuity the political and religious climate of the era and explain succinctly Basil's role in clarifying the Scripture's position of each member of the Trinity. All of this is accomplished in a short book whereas all the information could have filled several textbooks. I believe the author's purpose is to make this information widely available to the modern reader. If so, he has accomplished this goal. Some of the holes in my Swiss Cheese knowledge of Christian history has been filled in; my perception of early church struggles has been enhanced. I highly recommend this volume as a valuable reference source.
My one caveat is to warn the reader to be prepared for some tough vocabulary. I would recommend a good dictionary and/or the Internet to gain greater historical context. However, the benefits of learning and understanding the lives of pivotal church leaders of the past reminds me of a quote I heard from a movie recently--that in order to know where we are going, we must first know where we have been.
About the Author: Dr. Marvin Jones is the Assistant Professor of Church History and Theology, Louisiana College, Pineville, Louisiana, and the Chairman of the Christian Studies Department.
About the series editor: Michael Haykin is Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from Cross Focused Reviews (A Service of Cross Focused Media, LLC)on behalf of Christian Focus Publication. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
There is a good reason why a book like "Basil of Caesarea" is important to individual believers in the Lord Jesus Christ today. Simply put, what we believe about God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit affects how we live from day to day. Most Christians today believe in the Trinity: God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. But we don't always look deeply enough to understand exactly what we believe about it. The task of the early church fathers was to make sense of God's nature, of the one who is not like anything or anyone on earth, and impart the knowledge to people living in a pagan world. Complications and barriers to understanding His nature was due to finite mental limitations trying to comprehend an infinite Being. Thus, the church in its early days struggled to find adequate language to contemplate and explain Him.
This book covers the background history of the early church's beliefs of the Godhead and how Basil helped refine these beliefs to the establishment of the foundation which would remain firmly orthodox to this day. The first part of the book follows Basil's life as he moved through the stages of maturity as pastor, a leader within the church, and eventually as wise theologian and prolific writer. There are over 300 letters and works available for study and cross reference with other church leaders of the time. These tomes aided the author in painting a vivid image of the spiritual struggles in the fourth century. I found all this fascinating reading since my own knowledge of this era is like Swiss Cheese--it is full of holes.
Producing precise language that dealt with the issues left unanswered by the Nicean counsel, that was closest to Scriptural truth as possible while unifying the factions splitting the church took a great deal of time and intellect. Basil, according to this author's assessment, was adequate to the task so that by the end of the fourth century the orthodox viewpoint was established and all the forms of Arianism were finally proven to be non-Scriptural.
While most of the content of this book relates the history of Basil's life and impact on the church as a whole, the author does take time to explain in each chapter how this knowledge could be valuable for the modern day Christian--in particular, evangelicals.
I appreciate the author's hard work collecting sources that are not readily available to most of us, to write with acuity the political and religious climate of the era and explain succinctly Basil's role in clarifying the Scripture's position of each member of the Trinity. All of this is accomplished in a short book whereas all the information could have filled several textbooks. I believe the author's purpose is to make this information widely available to the modern reader. If so, he has accomplished this goal. Some of the holes in my Swiss Cheese knowledge of Christian history has been filled in; my perception of early church struggles has been enhanced. I highly recommend this volume as a valuable reference source.
My one caveat is to warn the reader to be prepared for some tough vocabulary. I would recommend a good dictionary and/or the Internet to gain greater historical context. However, the benefits of learning and understanding the lives of pivotal church leaders of the past reminds me of a quote I heard from a movie recently--that in order to know where we are going, we must first know where we have been.
About the Author: Dr. Marvin Jones is the Assistant Professor of Church History and Theology, Louisiana College, Pineville, Louisiana, and the Chairman of the Christian Studies Department.
About the series editor: Michael Haykin is Professor of Church History and Biblical Spirituality at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky
Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary review copy of this book from Cross Focused Reviews (A Service of Cross Focused Media, LLC)on behalf of Christian Focus Publication. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”
June 13, 2014
What value does the early church hold for evangelicals today? How can the life and work of the early church fathers inform our theology today? The Early Christian Fathers series by Christian Focus Publications hopes to fill this gap by connecting ancient Christianity to evangelicals today. The latest offering highlights the life and theological contribution of Basil of Caesarea. Marvin Jones, Assistant Professor of Church History and Theology at Louisiana College, gives us an accessible introduction to this pivotal fourth century church father. Basil's contribution has remained in obscurity for evangelicals and Jones does well to remove him from the woodwork. Leaning on key primary and secondary works, Jones filters academic content in order to provide a succinct apologetic for why evangelicals today need to know Basil.
Recognizing the underlying threat of Arianism, Jones does well to focus much attention on this issue as the background for so much theological work in the fourth century. At stake was the essence of orthodox Christianity–a trinitarian God who offering salvation to man. Jones notes, "Arius introduced a half-god, half-man, so that, through Arius' [sic] preaching, the Christian church was worshipping a demigod" (Loc. 247-248). The theological echo of Arius resounded throughout the fourth century. Jones promotes this as one of the factors in the rise of monasticism. Jones asserts, "[S]ince Arianism had engulfed the teaching of the church, the viable response was to separate from the unorthodox teaching, retreat to a place for solitude, and engage the Lord in order to conduct a ministry to the church" (Loc. 584-585). Certainly other factors influenced the rise of monastacism, but Jones helps readers make yet another connection, especially as it intersects with the life of Basil.
Jones also highlights the theological journey of Basil. He observes, "Against Eunomius revealed Basil as a `budding theologian' beginning to emerge as a theological force within the fourth-century ecclesiastical debates" (Loc. 720-721). Jones helps us understand the trinitarian heritage afforded to us by Basil. One of the greatest contributions in this text is highlighting Basil's pastoral theology and practice. Basil shined a light on Christ in both in preaching and outreach. Jones notes, "Although Basil was practical in his preaching, he did not neglect the sole purpose of preaching (i.e., the gospel message)" (Loc. 990-991). Also, "Thus, his passion for the pulpit included the spiritual development of the body of Christ" (Loc. 996-997). Basil's spirituality included a focus on liturgy in forming the believer around doctrine and doxology "imbedded with the truth of God" (Loc. 1026-1028). Evangelicals would do well to consider this aspect of Basil's pastoral theology and practice!
Though the content is refreshing and helpful, Jones's writing style is a tad sluggish. In quoting sources, Jones oddly uses the past tense ("stated", "noted", etc.). This tends to stunt the narrative and hurt the flow of the overall text. Additionally, the text seems to lack a coherent connection. Though the topic is clear, the narrative could have been more taut in order to aid in reader engagement. As single chapters, they stand well on their own but the arc of the text feels inhibited. Jones's first chapter on Basil's life ends rather abruptly with the death of Gregory of Nyssa. Jones's chapter on conversion and theology ends with an exhortation which seems more appropriate as a conclusion to the entire text. Each chapter generally feels like individual treatises rather than pieces which grow organically into a complete narrative. Jones would also do well to refer to more contemporary introductory church history texts. While Philip Schaff is generally helpful, the age of the text shows and demands that researchers look towards more recent church history introductions.
As an introductory text on Basil, Marvin Jones has certainly helped the church here. He introduces the life and theology of this fourth-century pastor and theologian in a way evangelicals should appreciate. Despite some of the literary idiosyncrasies, this book is worth owning for the quality of content and the strong evangelical appeal. Readers of all sorts will learn something from this book. Other recent offerings might probe deeper into the theological nuances of Basil (see Hildebrand for instance), but Jones finds a sweet spot by handing readers an approachable text in order to learn from this wise sage of the fourth-century church.
Thanks for Christian Focus for providing a free review copy in exchange for an honest review!
Recognizing the underlying threat of Arianism, Jones does well to focus much attention on this issue as the background for so much theological work in the fourth century. At stake was the essence of orthodox Christianity–a trinitarian God who offering salvation to man. Jones notes, "Arius introduced a half-god, half-man, so that, through Arius' [sic] preaching, the Christian church was worshipping a demigod" (Loc. 247-248). The theological echo of Arius resounded throughout the fourth century. Jones promotes this as one of the factors in the rise of monasticism. Jones asserts, "[S]ince Arianism had engulfed the teaching of the church, the viable response was to separate from the unorthodox teaching, retreat to a place for solitude, and engage the Lord in order to conduct a ministry to the church" (Loc. 584-585). Certainly other factors influenced the rise of monastacism, but Jones helps readers make yet another connection, especially as it intersects with the life of Basil.
Jones also highlights the theological journey of Basil. He observes, "Against Eunomius revealed Basil as a `budding theologian' beginning to emerge as a theological force within the fourth-century ecclesiastical debates" (Loc. 720-721). Jones helps us understand the trinitarian heritage afforded to us by Basil. One of the greatest contributions in this text is highlighting Basil's pastoral theology and practice. Basil shined a light on Christ in both in preaching and outreach. Jones notes, "Although Basil was practical in his preaching, he did not neglect the sole purpose of preaching (i.e., the gospel message)" (Loc. 990-991). Also, "Thus, his passion for the pulpit included the spiritual development of the body of Christ" (Loc. 996-997). Basil's spirituality included a focus on liturgy in forming the believer around doctrine and doxology "imbedded with the truth of God" (Loc. 1026-1028). Evangelicals would do well to consider this aspect of Basil's pastoral theology and practice!
Though the content is refreshing and helpful, Jones's writing style is a tad sluggish. In quoting sources, Jones oddly uses the past tense ("stated", "noted", etc.). This tends to stunt the narrative and hurt the flow of the overall text. Additionally, the text seems to lack a coherent connection. Though the topic is clear, the narrative could have been more taut in order to aid in reader engagement. As single chapters, they stand well on their own but the arc of the text feels inhibited. Jones's first chapter on Basil's life ends rather abruptly with the death of Gregory of Nyssa. Jones's chapter on conversion and theology ends with an exhortation which seems more appropriate as a conclusion to the entire text. Each chapter generally feels like individual treatises rather than pieces which grow organically into a complete narrative. Jones would also do well to refer to more contemporary introductory church history texts. While Philip Schaff is generally helpful, the age of the text shows and demands that researchers look towards more recent church history introductions.
As an introductory text on Basil, Marvin Jones has certainly helped the church here. He introduces the life and theology of this fourth-century pastor and theologian in a way evangelicals should appreciate. Despite some of the literary idiosyncrasies, this book is worth owning for the quality of content and the strong evangelical appeal. Readers of all sorts will learn something from this book. Other recent offerings might probe deeper into the theological nuances of Basil (see Hildebrand for instance), but Jones finds a sweet spot by handing readers an approachable text in order to learn from this wise sage of the fourth-century church.
Thanks for Christian Focus for providing a free review copy in exchange for an honest review!
January 7, 2015
If you grew up in American evangelicalism, like I did, your grasp of church history, especially of the church fathers, may be relatively weak. Like a good fundamentalist, I grew up knowing all about D.L. Moody, George Whitfield, and Billy Sunday. I also had heard of Martin Luther and John Calvin, although I had more suspicion of them. But the church fathers were Roman Catholics from who knows when, and they didn’t have anything to teach me.
This idea, mind you, was “caught,” not “taught.” Church history has much to teach us, and the church fathers wouldn’t so easily fit into the mold of Catholicism as we know it. The early church fathers, especially, are worthy of study, and to them we owe thanks for an orthodox understanding and articulation of such important doctrines as the deity of Christ, the Trinity, and the deity of the Holy Spirit.
Basil of Caesarea (329-379 AD), a Greek-speaking Bishop in what is now Turkey, was so important a figure in the fight for biblical orthodoxy, that he is remembered as Basil the Great. He may be the most significant church father that most people haven’t heard of. Athanasius gets more notoriety for defending the Trinity contra mundum (against the world), but Basil was right there with him. Basil’s writings against the Arians, and his work On the Holy Spirit, helped to provide the church with some of the terminology that would eventually make up the orthodox definition of the Trinity: “one essence, but three persons.”
Marvin Jones provides a useful introduction to Basil’s life and thought in Basil of Caesarea: His Life and Impact. The book is short and accessible and aims to allow Basil to influence the modern Evangelical church. Due to a collection of 350 letters of Basil to his impressive family (his father, sister and brother are all considered saints by the Eastern Orthodox Church) and others, we know more about Basil than any other Christian of the ancient church with the exception of Augustine of Hippo. Basil wrote on a variety of topics too. He aimed at reforming the liturgy or worship of his church, he appreciated but also critiqued monasticism, writing a helpful book with rules geared toward reforming the movement. He interacted with several key figures of the day and became more and more orthodox in his understanding of the Trinity over the course of his ministry. He even left us two series of sermons, one of which is one of the earliest known literal interpretations of the book of Genesis, including a defense of literal 24-hour days in Genesis 1.
Excerpt:
This excerpt focuses on Basil’s capable defense of the deity of Jesus Christ.
"Basil reviewed [his opponents'] rationale by stating, 'They say that the Son is not equal to the Father, but comes after the Father. Therefore it follows that glory should be ascribed to the Father through Him, but not with Him. With Him expresses equality but through Him indicates subordination.'
"Basil refuted this concept with a discussion on the word after. Basil asked, 'In what way do they say that the Son is after the Father? Is He later in time, or in rank, or in dignity?' The issue is that one cannot conceive of the Father without the Son as if there was an interval in their relationship or existence. He quoted John 1:1 and focused upon the word was as settling the issue of the Son’s eternality. Basil stated, 'No matter how far your thoughts travel backward, you cannot get beyond the was. No matter how hard you strain to see what is beyond the Son, you will find it impossible to pass outside the confines of the beginning. Therefore, true religion teaches us to think of the Son with the Father.'" (Kindle location 2106-2112)
Evaluation:
This book does what it aims to do: it introduces the reader to Basil and the theological debates of his era. In reading some of Basil’s arguments and by considering the doctrines debated, I am impressed by his forceful and clear grasp of the significance of the doctrine of God, and his recognition of the key place that Scripture, over and above tradition, holds. His literal approach to Genesis and his reformer’s approach to monasticism should make studying important and relevant for today’s church.
This book and others in the “Early Church Fathers” series, would make for a great supplement to a homeschool or Christian school curriculum. Many parents, like me, should also read up on this forgotten father. I highly recommend this brief work, and hope that Basil’s passion for the truth will continue to bless the wider church, now and always.
Disclaimer:
This book was provided by Christian Focus via the CrossFocusedReviews.com. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.
This idea, mind you, was “caught,” not “taught.” Church history has much to teach us, and the church fathers wouldn’t so easily fit into the mold of Catholicism as we know it. The early church fathers, especially, are worthy of study, and to them we owe thanks for an orthodox understanding and articulation of such important doctrines as the deity of Christ, the Trinity, and the deity of the Holy Spirit.
Basil of Caesarea (329-379 AD), a Greek-speaking Bishop in what is now Turkey, was so important a figure in the fight for biblical orthodoxy, that he is remembered as Basil the Great. He may be the most significant church father that most people haven’t heard of. Athanasius gets more notoriety for defending the Trinity contra mundum (against the world), but Basil was right there with him. Basil’s writings against the Arians, and his work On the Holy Spirit, helped to provide the church with some of the terminology that would eventually make up the orthodox definition of the Trinity: “one essence, but three persons.”
Marvin Jones provides a useful introduction to Basil’s life and thought in Basil of Caesarea: His Life and Impact. The book is short and accessible and aims to allow Basil to influence the modern Evangelical church. Due to a collection of 350 letters of Basil to his impressive family (his father, sister and brother are all considered saints by the Eastern Orthodox Church) and others, we know more about Basil than any other Christian of the ancient church with the exception of Augustine of Hippo. Basil wrote on a variety of topics too. He aimed at reforming the liturgy or worship of his church, he appreciated but also critiqued monasticism, writing a helpful book with rules geared toward reforming the movement. He interacted with several key figures of the day and became more and more orthodox in his understanding of the Trinity over the course of his ministry. He even left us two series of sermons, one of which is one of the earliest known literal interpretations of the book of Genesis, including a defense of literal 24-hour days in Genesis 1.
Excerpt:
This excerpt focuses on Basil’s capable defense of the deity of Jesus Christ.
"Basil reviewed [his opponents'] rationale by stating, 'They say that the Son is not equal to the Father, but comes after the Father. Therefore it follows that glory should be ascribed to the Father through Him, but not with Him. With Him expresses equality but through Him indicates subordination.'
"Basil refuted this concept with a discussion on the word after. Basil asked, 'In what way do they say that the Son is after the Father? Is He later in time, or in rank, or in dignity?' The issue is that one cannot conceive of the Father without the Son as if there was an interval in their relationship or existence. He quoted John 1:1 and focused upon the word was as settling the issue of the Son’s eternality. Basil stated, 'No matter how far your thoughts travel backward, you cannot get beyond the was. No matter how hard you strain to see what is beyond the Son, you will find it impossible to pass outside the confines of the beginning. Therefore, true religion teaches us to think of the Son with the Father.'" (Kindle location 2106-2112)
Evaluation:
This book does what it aims to do: it introduces the reader to Basil and the theological debates of his era. In reading some of Basil’s arguments and by considering the doctrines debated, I am impressed by his forceful and clear grasp of the significance of the doctrine of God, and his recognition of the key place that Scripture, over and above tradition, holds. His literal approach to Genesis and his reformer’s approach to monasticism should make studying important and relevant for today’s church.
This book and others in the “Early Church Fathers” series, would make for a great supplement to a homeschool or Christian school curriculum. Many parents, like me, should also read up on this forgotten father. I highly recommend this brief work, and hope that Basil’s passion for the truth will continue to bless the wider church, now and always.
Disclaimer:
This book was provided by Christian Focus via the CrossFocusedReviews.com. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.
June 3, 2014
Everything I know about Basil of Caeserea I learned from this book. Seriously. Before reading this new work from Marvin Jones, I knew absolutely nothing of this immensely important Church Father and I would not be surprised if you knew almost as little I did. That is a shame.
I was stunned to come to know that we (yep, I am throwing you under the bus with me) knew so little about someone who played such a pivotal role at such a crucial point in church history. But fret you not, this newest volume in the Early Church Fathers Series is set to rectify this massive injustice! And it does a fine job.
This work serves the reader in many ways. It introduces us to Basil and shows us the Christ-centered way in which he filled the numerous roles entrusted to him. We see Basil-the humble theologian as he grows in his understanding of the Trinity and wrestles with ousia and stases and all those issues that are complex to us with 1600 more years of Church history to draw from than that to which Basil was privileged.
We see Basil the moderate monk who sought to bring some outward focus to the monastic life. We see Basil the courageous Church statesman as he went to war for truth and Scriptural fidelity, losing friends and prestige along the way but being used by God posthumously in a mighty way (Council of Constantinople). We see Basil the pastor as he guides his flock through the depths of Genesis in a world of heresy-breeding allegory, ever-concerned with the spiritual health of those entrusted to him. You will not walk away from this work without an appreciation of the grace of God that operated lavishly in the life of Basil of Ceasarea.
As far as this volume goes, there were points that it was a bit redundant. I’ll let you decide if this is a benefit or detriment since the redundancy is good in that it reinforces the information but bad since this can also be a bit tedious. Also, for one who has a basic working knowledge of early church history, some of the coverage (of Arianism and Nicea and elsewhere) is a bit of rehash.
The ordering of the book at times was confusing. The chapters did not seem to necessarily build off each other and had some overlapping content. If you are reading this straight through that can be slightly off-putting, but it is neat because the chapters have an essay feel where they can be read individually and still be beneficial.
The chapter on Basil’s Hexaemeron was really good in parts (the pastoral aspect of Basil’s teaching is a wonderful challenge and ecnouragement) but Jones’ focus on the anti-evolution aspect of Basil’s Genesis exposition does not simply “risk being anachronistic”, it runs head on into anachronism and embraces it fully. The comparison between Basil’s rejection of a Platonic worldview and the modern Evangelical’s struggle with a Darwinian worldview was interesting and helpful, if at times a tad overstated.
That being said, this is an excellent work that covers topics that are just as crucial today as when they were being formalized and attacked early in our history. The Trinity, the deity of Christ and the Spirit, the strange bed-fellows of Secular/civil government and the church, all are areas of importance today. There is so much in Christian thought and practice that we, almost 2000 years removed from the cross, take for granted. Issues that had to be discussed and debated and fought for and we are the recipients of so much work and struggle, hardship and enduring. God blessed the Church with men like Basil that we might enjoy the fruit of their effort and God’s grace. We would do well to learn about these men so that we might thank God for his continued faithfulness to his people throughout the ages. that we would benefit from learning from Basil’s teaching and experience.
I received a copy of this book for review purposes.
I was stunned to come to know that we (yep, I am throwing you under the bus with me) knew so little about someone who played such a pivotal role at such a crucial point in church history. But fret you not, this newest volume in the Early Church Fathers Series is set to rectify this massive injustice! And it does a fine job.
This work serves the reader in many ways. It introduces us to Basil and shows us the Christ-centered way in which he filled the numerous roles entrusted to him. We see Basil-the humble theologian as he grows in his understanding of the Trinity and wrestles with ousia and stases and all those issues that are complex to us with 1600 more years of Church history to draw from than that to which Basil was privileged.
We see Basil the moderate monk who sought to bring some outward focus to the monastic life. We see Basil the courageous Church statesman as he went to war for truth and Scriptural fidelity, losing friends and prestige along the way but being used by God posthumously in a mighty way (Council of Constantinople). We see Basil the pastor as he guides his flock through the depths of Genesis in a world of heresy-breeding allegory, ever-concerned with the spiritual health of those entrusted to him. You will not walk away from this work without an appreciation of the grace of God that operated lavishly in the life of Basil of Ceasarea.
As far as this volume goes, there were points that it was a bit redundant. I’ll let you decide if this is a benefit or detriment since the redundancy is good in that it reinforces the information but bad since this can also be a bit tedious. Also, for one who has a basic working knowledge of early church history, some of the coverage (of Arianism and Nicea and elsewhere) is a bit of rehash.
The ordering of the book at times was confusing. The chapters did not seem to necessarily build off each other and had some overlapping content. If you are reading this straight through that can be slightly off-putting, but it is neat because the chapters have an essay feel where they can be read individually and still be beneficial.
The chapter on Basil’s Hexaemeron was really good in parts (the pastoral aspect of Basil’s teaching is a wonderful challenge and ecnouragement) but Jones’ focus on the anti-evolution aspect of Basil’s Genesis exposition does not simply “risk being anachronistic”, it runs head on into anachronism and embraces it fully. The comparison between Basil’s rejection of a Platonic worldview and the modern Evangelical’s struggle with a Darwinian worldview was interesting and helpful, if at times a tad overstated.
That being said, this is an excellent work that covers topics that are just as crucial today as when they were being formalized and attacked early in our history. The Trinity, the deity of Christ and the Spirit, the strange bed-fellows of Secular/civil government and the church, all are areas of importance today. There is so much in Christian thought and practice that we, almost 2000 years removed from the cross, take for granted. Issues that had to be discussed and debated and fought for and we are the recipients of so much work and struggle, hardship and enduring. God blessed the Church with men like Basil that we might enjoy the fruit of their effort and God’s grace. We would do well to learn about these men so that we might thank God for his continued faithfulness to his people throughout the ages. that we would benefit from learning from Basil’s teaching and experience.
I received a copy of this book for review purposes.
August 21, 2016
While slowing reading through “God Has Spoken: A History of Christian Theology” by Gerald L. Bray I thought I would pause to read about the Basil. This series on the early Christian fathers is designed to be a history of the person as well as their theological contributions. For the most part the book was excellent, and fit very nicely with the larger book. This life of Basil digresses from the main theme when discussing the Hexaemeron of Basil. Here Jones implies that all evangelicals support the most narrow literal interpretation of Genesis 1 – the young earth variety, and uses the Hexaemeron to support this view. I have only skimmed the actual Hexaemeron, and so cannot argue with the author, but this aside distracted from the rest of the book and created an unnecessary conflict within evangelical thought.
June 18, 2014
This is a good introduction to Basil of Caesarea and some of the issues of his day. However I felt at times the author was writing as if for academic theologians, and at others for lay readers with little background in historical theology. For example, there are regular explanatory notes on terms such as homoousia, Sabellianism, Arianism etc. - good for the beginner - but often after they've already been used a few times without explanation.
Each chapter is an excellent introductory essay in its own right, and the sections on the development of the "one God, three persons" formula were fascinating. I'm just not quite sure who the audience of the book was intended to be!
Each chapter is an excellent introductory essay in its own right, and the sections on the development of the "one God, three persons" formula were fascinating. I'm just not quite sure who the audience of the book was intended to be!
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