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Popular Patristics Series #38
On Social Justice: St. Basil the Great
St Basil s homilies on the subject of wealth and poverty, although delivered in the fourth century, remain utterly fresh and contemporary. Whether you possess great wealth or have modest means, at the heart of St Basil's message stands the maxim: Simplify your life, so you have something to share with others. While some patristic texts relate to obscure and highly philosophical questions, St Basil s teachings on social issues are immediately understood and applicable. At a time when vast income disparity and overuse of limited environmental resources are becoming matters of increasing concern, St Basil s message is more relevant now than ever before.
111 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2009
107 people are currently reading
1513 people want to read
About the author
Basil the Great
312 books127 followersAfter 370, Christian leader Saint Basil, known as "the Great," Greek bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, vigorously opposed Arianism.
Arabic: باسيليوس الكبير
Greek: Μέγας Βασίλειος
People also call him of Mazaca in Asia Minor. He influenced as a 4th century theologian and monastic.
Theologically, Basil supported the Nicene faction of the church, not the followers of Apollinaris of Laodicea on the other side. Ability to balance theological convictions with political connections made Basil a powerful advocate for the Nicene position.
In addition to work as a theologian, Basil cared for the poor and underprivileged. Basil established guidelines, which focus on community, liturgical prayer, and manual labor for monastic life. People remember him, together with Pachomius, as a father of communal monasticism in east. The traditions of east and west consider him.
People refer collectively to Basil, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa as the fathers. The Eastern Orthodox Church and Catholics gave the title of hierarch to Basil, together with Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom. The Catholic Church recognizes him as a doctor. The epithet "revealer of heavenly mysteries," sometimes refers to Basil.
Arabic: باسيليوس الكبير
Greek: Μέγας Βασίλειος
People also call him of Mazaca in Asia Minor. He influenced as a 4th century theologian and monastic.
Theologically, Basil supported the Nicene faction of the church, not the followers of Apollinaris of Laodicea on the other side. Ability to balance theological convictions with political connections made Basil a powerful advocate for the Nicene position.
In addition to work as a theologian, Basil cared for the poor and underprivileged. Basil established guidelines, which focus on community, liturgical prayer, and manual labor for monastic life. People remember him, together with Pachomius, as a father of communal monasticism in east. The traditions of east and west consider him.
People refer collectively to Basil, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Gregory of Nyssa as the fathers. The Eastern Orthodox Church and Catholics gave the title of hierarch to Basil, together with Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom. The Catholic Church recognizes him as a doctor. The epithet "revealer of heavenly mysteries," sometimes refers to Basil.
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February 16, 2017
A while back a popular conservative commentator got all up in arms over the term "social justice", warning his listeners to flee their church if the pastor mentioned it because it was code for communism. He may be surprised to learn that the idea of social justice has roots as old as the Christian faith itself. I thought of his words when I began reading Basil the Great's On Social Justice. I realize that this is a title given by editors and that Basil wrote in Greek and that the book is a collection of sermons on poverty. That said, I still chuckled when I saw the title.
Then I started reading and my chuckling stopped. Soon I just moved back and forth form feeling incredibly challenged by these ancient words and feeling completely despondent in the face of my personal, and the church's collective, failure to live up to this challenge. One thing other readers note about Basil's work is that it needs little introduction and that readers with limited knowledge of his time period don't really need any. These sorts of sermons could have been preached last week (though, any preacher who preachers them will probably be looking for a job this week).
Basil's basic message here is that there is enough material goods in the world for everyone. If you have too much, you are robbing the poor. Those with a lot need to give it to those in need so we all have enough. Wow, maybe that conservative radio host was right! There is even a section where Basil points out that those who declare they worked hard and earned a comfortable life ignore the fact that they received so many blessings from God (or, to put it in contemporary terms, you didn't build it on your own).
Lest we think Basil was some sort of socialist and turn away from his work, we should probably remember that he is one of the primary theologians who hammered out the Nicene Creed. To be somewhat blunt, if you believe the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, that the Spirit truly is God, that is partly due to Basil's work (yes, I know the Bible and the Spirit had something to do with it too!). Seriously though, read his work On the Holy Spirit.
Also, while this work translates well to the modern reader, there may be differences we ought to keep in mind. Such differences ought not be mentioned with the goal to blunt Basil's tough words. If we look for cultural differences too quickly to free us from the bite of his words, our motives are wrong (of course, we Christians do that with Jesus' words all the time, don't we?). For example, we live in a world where many national governments have been influenced for centuries by Christian teaching. So our governments take on some duty in caring for the poor through various programs. This means that one question Christians discuss when talking on this is to what degree churches work in their own programs and to what degree do they advocate governmental work that lines up with justice. Basil does not talk about this at all. He does not write on the government's duty to care for the poor or how that all works. Does this mean Christians today just help the poor and not worry about the government? Maybe, though I'd say if our Christian convictions are worth anything we advocate for the government to do good, such as helping the neediest citizens. I assume Basil would agree, though he did not talk on it.
Another difference is that when Christians today think of helping the poor this is often thoughts of donating money, probably online, to some organization that helps people overseas. This is a good thing, but not what Basil meant. He meant the poor people right down the street. Basil would challenge us to rethink what it looks like to help others.
Overall, I think all Christians need to give this book a good read. I plan to reread it in the not too distant future.
Then I started reading and my chuckling stopped. Soon I just moved back and forth form feeling incredibly challenged by these ancient words and feeling completely despondent in the face of my personal, and the church's collective, failure to live up to this challenge. One thing other readers note about Basil's work is that it needs little introduction and that readers with limited knowledge of his time period don't really need any. These sorts of sermons could have been preached last week (though, any preacher who preachers them will probably be looking for a job this week).
Basil's basic message here is that there is enough material goods in the world for everyone. If you have too much, you are robbing the poor. Those with a lot need to give it to those in need so we all have enough. Wow, maybe that conservative radio host was right! There is even a section where Basil points out that those who declare they worked hard and earned a comfortable life ignore the fact that they received so many blessings from God (or, to put it in contemporary terms, you didn't build it on your own).
Lest we think Basil was some sort of socialist and turn away from his work, we should probably remember that he is one of the primary theologians who hammered out the Nicene Creed. To be somewhat blunt, if you believe the Holy Spirit is the third person of the Trinity, that the Spirit truly is God, that is partly due to Basil's work (yes, I know the Bible and the Spirit had something to do with it too!). Seriously though, read his work On the Holy Spirit.
Also, while this work translates well to the modern reader, there may be differences we ought to keep in mind. Such differences ought not be mentioned with the goal to blunt Basil's tough words. If we look for cultural differences too quickly to free us from the bite of his words, our motives are wrong (of course, we Christians do that with Jesus' words all the time, don't we?). For example, we live in a world where many national governments have been influenced for centuries by Christian teaching. So our governments take on some duty in caring for the poor through various programs. This means that one question Christians discuss when talking on this is to what degree churches work in their own programs and to what degree do they advocate governmental work that lines up with justice. Basil does not talk about this at all. He does not write on the government's duty to care for the poor or how that all works. Does this mean Christians today just help the poor and not worry about the government? Maybe, though I'd say if our Christian convictions are worth anything we advocate for the government to do good, such as helping the neediest citizens. I assume Basil would agree, though he did not talk on it.
Another difference is that when Christians today think of helping the poor this is often thoughts of donating money, probably online, to some organization that helps people overseas. This is a good thing, but not what Basil meant. He meant the poor people right down the street. Basil would challenge us to rethink what it looks like to help others.
Overall, I think all Christians need to give this book a good read. I plan to reread it in the not too distant future.
March 12, 2016
Justice and Wealth
28 November 2011
Personally, I really do not know what to make of this book. Yes it does challenge those of us who are wealthy (and that pretty much includes most people who live in a developed country) but we still must remember that this book was written in the 4th Century and there are a lot of differences between the fourth century and now. In looking at this book I will first consider the differences, and I will then look at some of the themes that come out of this book. However, before I go into that I must point out that this book was not 'written' by St Basil but rather contains a small number of his essays, or sermons, that deal with the issue of wealth.
Now, first of all in the introduction the editor stated that this book was more relevant today that it was back then. I could not disagree more with this statement. I have noted that a lot of Christians do not like it when we suggest that things have changed in the interceding two thousand years, but they have. While the Bible is as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago, many of the writings that have come out of the Bible are not. Take for instance the writings of, I believe, Clement, who suggested that the animals that the Jews were forbidden to eat were forbidden because they represent some form of sin that we humans need not participate in. In particular the idea that weasals procreate through fallatio. As it turns out, weasels procreate like every other mammal that we know, so it turns out that Clement's theory was wrong.
With St Basil we must remember that when he was writing he might have been writing as a citizen of the most powerful empire at the time, but this empire was still an agrarian society. In those days people were tied to the mercy of the seasons and the weather. If there was a drought then people would starve. This is not true these days because we in Australia have just lived through a seven year drought, and I tell you what, I was fed every day, and there was little in the way of changes to the price of food. The only time that the price of food spiked was when Cyclone Larry, and later Cyclone Yasi, struck far north Queensland and wiped out our banana crop. To be honest, I was able to live without Bananas for the year that it took to replant the crops and grow them again. In our industrialised society we can go without.
However I would suggest that industrialised is a little backward to describe our society. I would call it computerised. The reason I raise that is that there is a lot of discussion on debt. Now, debt is not in itself bad. Our society was built of debt, but on the flip side, debt has brought it close to collapse. Now, going into debt always brings about a risk that you will not be able to pay it back, but it is not necessarily bad. Companies and businesses always go into debt to meet their day to day obligations, but these companies generally plan and make sure that they can service this debt. If you look at the average annual report from the average company you will discover that they all carry a debt. This debt is also used for expansion and growth, and there are even methods (such as 'Interest Cover') which measures a company's ability to service its debt. I am in debt, I had to go into debt to pay my way through University, but this debt is a government debt, and the government says that I can pay it back when I can afford it. As a friend of mine once said, 'I try my best to pay as little of this debt off as possible' and this friend of mine is a doctor. She definitely does not have money problems.
However let us consider the bad side of debt, and that bad side comes out in two ways: the first is through greed, and the second is through desperation. Now, the first comes about when people simply want to feather their nests in a way that they could not normally afford. Many people buy big houses, nice cars, lots of furniture and electronic gadgets, and suddenly discover that they are in over their head. Further, many of them get so caught up in the use of debt that they resort to debt to meet their obligations, such as phone and electricity bills. Secondly, there are those that simply struggle to make ends meet and get themselves into debt to get by. Now, Basil pretty much goes off at the first type if people, and goes off at those who exploit the second type of people. He was writing during a drought, and it is clear that the haves were loaning money to the poor at exorbitant rates, so they could buy food to eat. That generally does not happen anymore, but when I walk down the main street of Salisbury I notice that there are pawn brokers and payday loan shops everywhere. However, I will hold off on this now because there are other books that address this.
Now, what St Basil is really attacking is not so much wealth and debt, but the greed that lays behind it. He is a big believer in being generous, and it is not as if St Basil was poor and had a chip on his shoulder. Far from it: he was quite a wealthy man, but he used his wealth to help those less fortunate than him, and established what could be considered the ancient Roman version of the Salvation Army. He rebukes those who store up all their goods in barns but do not release it to those who need it. Remember, this is an agrarian society, so there were no banks (at least the modern type). Everything was traded in kind, though they did have money. If you grew crops, you will sell some and store others. It is to those who store up their wealth and let the poor suffer that he is rebuking.
Now, once again, there is a difference here. In those days they did not have pensions or an advanced welfare state. Pretty much everybody was left to fend for themselves and it was left to the generous to support them. These days we have pensions, but we also have the ability to save for our retirement. While on one hand Basil raises the parable of the man who wanted to build bigger barns, he forgets the passage where we are told not to be a burden to others. They did not have superannuation in those days, but they do now. Look, there is nothing wrong with saving or investing money, just as debt in the right context is okay. However, there are concerns when one becomes miserly and ungenerous, and it is this attitude that Basil, and indeed the Bible, attacks.
28 November 2011
Personally, I really do not know what to make of this book. Yes it does challenge those of us who are wealthy (and that pretty much includes most people who live in a developed country) but we still must remember that this book was written in the 4th Century and there are a lot of differences between the fourth century and now. In looking at this book I will first consider the differences, and I will then look at some of the themes that come out of this book. However, before I go into that I must point out that this book was not 'written' by St Basil but rather contains a small number of his essays, or sermons, that deal with the issue of wealth.
Now, first of all in the introduction the editor stated that this book was more relevant today that it was back then. I could not disagree more with this statement. I have noted that a lot of Christians do not like it when we suggest that things have changed in the interceding two thousand years, but they have. While the Bible is as relevant today as it was two thousand years ago, many of the writings that have come out of the Bible are not. Take for instance the writings of, I believe, Clement, who suggested that the animals that the Jews were forbidden to eat were forbidden because they represent some form of sin that we humans need not participate in. In particular the idea that weasals procreate through fallatio. As it turns out, weasels procreate like every other mammal that we know, so it turns out that Clement's theory was wrong.
With St Basil we must remember that when he was writing he might have been writing as a citizen of the most powerful empire at the time, but this empire was still an agrarian society. In those days people were tied to the mercy of the seasons and the weather. If there was a drought then people would starve. This is not true these days because we in Australia have just lived through a seven year drought, and I tell you what, I was fed every day, and there was little in the way of changes to the price of food. The only time that the price of food spiked was when Cyclone Larry, and later Cyclone Yasi, struck far north Queensland and wiped out our banana crop. To be honest, I was able to live without Bananas for the year that it took to replant the crops and grow them again. In our industrialised society we can go without.
However I would suggest that industrialised is a little backward to describe our society. I would call it computerised. The reason I raise that is that there is a lot of discussion on debt. Now, debt is not in itself bad. Our society was built of debt, but on the flip side, debt has brought it close to collapse. Now, going into debt always brings about a risk that you will not be able to pay it back, but it is not necessarily bad. Companies and businesses always go into debt to meet their day to day obligations, but these companies generally plan and make sure that they can service this debt. If you look at the average annual report from the average company you will discover that they all carry a debt. This debt is also used for expansion and growth, and there are even methods (such as 'Interest Cover') which measures a company's ability to service its debt. I am in debt, I had to go into debt to pay my way through University, but this debt is a government debt, and the government says that I can pay it back when I can afford it. As a friend of mine once said, 'I try my best to pay as little of this debt off as possible' and this friend of mine is a doctor. She definitely does not have money problems.
However let us consider the bad side of debt, and that bad side comes out in two ways: the first is through greed, and the second is through desperation. Now, the first comes about when people simply want to feather their nests in a way that they could not normally afford. Many people buy big houses, nice cars, lots of furniture and electronic gadgets, and suddenly discover that they are in over their head. Further, many of them get so caught up in the use of debt that they resort to debt to meet their obligations, such as phone and electricity bills. Secondly, there are those that simply struggle to make ends meet and get themselves into debt to get by. Now, Basil pretty much goes off at the first type if people, and goes off at those who exploit the second type of people. He was writing during a drought, and it is clear that the haves were loaning money to the poor at exorbitant rates, so they could buy food to eat. That generally does not happen anymore, but when I walk down the main street of Salisbury I notice that there are pawn brokers and payday loan shops everywhere. However, I will hold off on this now because there are other books that address this.
Now, what St Basil is really attacking is not so much wealth and debt, but the greed that lays behind it. He is a big believer in being generous, and it is not as if St Basil was poor and had a chip on his shoulder. Far from it: he was quite a wealthy man, but he used his wealth to help those less fortunate than him, and established what could be considered the ancient Roman version of the Salvation Army. He rebukes those who store up all their goods in barns but do not release it to those who need it. Remember, this is an agrarian society, so there were no banks (at least the modern type). Everything was traded in kind, though they did have money. If you grew crops, you will sell some and store others. It is to those who store up their wealth and let the poor suffer that he is rebuking.
Now, once again, there is a difference here. In those days they did not have pensions or an advanced welfare state. Pretty much everybody was left to fend for themselves and it was left to the generous to support them. These days we have pensions, but we also have the ability to save for our retirement. While on one hand Basil raises the parable of the man who wanted to build bigger barns, he forgets the passage where we are told not to be a burden to others. They did not have superannuation in those days, but they do now. Look, there is nothing wrong with saving or investing money, just as debt in the right context is okay. However, there are concerns when one becomes miserly and ungenerous, and it is this attitude that Basil, and indeed the Bible, attacks.
April 1, 2017
The book is a collection of homilies St Basil wrote during the famine that hit Cappadocia. The book exhibits his sheer rhetorical power. One almost wept with pity in his homily on those who lend at interest. One problem, though: The book is titled “On Social Justice,” which connotes blue-haired Antifa warriors on Tumblr. And the editor never really defines justice except pointing to a term St Basil used a lot: epanison. Normally translated “distribution,” it actually means “restore the balance.” I suppose that’s as good a definition as any.
To the Rich
What is the use of wealth? “When wealth is scattered as the Lord intends, it naturally returns; but when it is gathered, it naturally dispurses” (Basil 44).
I will tear down my barns
Main idea: sow righteousness (63). “Do not make common need a means of private gain.” “If you want storehouses, you have them in the stomachs of the poor” (68). “You are guilty of injustice to as many as you could have aided but did not” (70).
In Time of Famine and Drought
Main idea: Our needs are not provided for (per the drought) because we do not share with others (76).
Lessons for today
One of the difficulties in applying this is the contrast between Basil’s time and ours. The editor glowingly says “These could have been written yesterday.” Well, only superficially. Here is why I think that. There was no middle class during Basil’s time. The agrarian world was the norm and if there were drought and famine, it was a crisis. Things have changed somewhat to mitigate those disasters.
Secondly, his powerful prose targets the rich--those who l live like the Kardashians. It doesn’t target the plumber today who is struggling to pay his bills. Yes, he is absolutely right that those who squander their wealth on crap deserve scorn and we shouldn’t live beyond what is necessary. Ah, but 1600 years later how does one determine what is necessary? I think there are answers, to be sure, but they are far more difficult.
But fear not: this is a process. This is where the hard questions of ethics begin, not end. For starters, just don’t spend money like a thot and you will be okay. Basil always gives brilliant psychological insights on the tentacles of wealth. Sanctification is a process.
To the Rich
What is the use of wealth? “When wealth is scattered as the Lord intends, it naturally returns; but when it is gathered, it naturally dispurses” (Basil 44).
I will tear down my barns
Main idea: sow righteousness (63). “Do not make common need a means of private gain.” “If you want storehouses, you have them in the stomachs of the poor” (68). “You are guilty of injustice to as many as you could have aided but did not” (70).
In Time of Famine and Drought
Main idea: Our needs are not provided for (per the drought) because we do not share with others (76).
Lessons for today
One of the difficulties in applying this is the contrast between Basil’s time and ours. The editor glowingly says “These could have been written yesterday.” Well, only superficially. Here is why I think that. There was no middle class during Basil’s time. The agrarian world was the norm and if there were drought and famine, it was a crisis. Things have changed somewhat to mitigate those disasters.
Secondly, his powerful prose targets the rich--those who l live like the Kardashians. It doesn’t target the plumber today who is struggling to pay his bills. Yes, he is absolutely right that those who squander their wealth on crap deserve scorn and we shouldn’t live beyond what is necessary. Ah, but 1600 years later how does one determine what is necessary? I think there are answers, to be sure, but they are far more difficult.
But fear not: this is a process. This is where the hard questions of ethics begin, not end. For starters, just don’t spend money like a thot and you will be okay. Basil always gives brilliant psychological insights on the tentacles of wealth. Sanctification is a process.
July 5, 2017
"I know many who fast, pray, sigh, and demonstrate every manner of piety, so long as it costs them nothing, yet would not part with a penny to help those in distress. Of what profit to them is the remainder of their virtue?"
The rich man "does not rejoice at all the good things he has in store, but is rather pricked to the heart by the wealth that slips through his fingers, lest perhaps, as it overflows the storehouses, some of it should trickle down to those outside his walls, so as to become a source of aid for those in need."
Another reviewer suggests that the homilies gathered in this book aren't relevant to our world, because so much has changed since Basil was berating the rich of his congregation. After all, the reviewer points out, we live in an age of industry and computers.
We also live in an age of hypocritical piety, trickle-down economics, massive inequality, and horrific suffering--just like Basil. If you can read this, and not feel like a shit, I'm not sure whether to congratulate you for being a saint, to commiserate with you on your own poverty, or to scorn you because you have no conscience whatsoever.
The rich man "does not rejoice at all the good things he has in store, but is rather pricked to the heart by the wealth that slips through his fingers, lest perhaps, as it overflows the storehouses, some of it should trickle down to those outside his walls, so as to become a source of aid for those in need."
Another reviewer suggests that the homilies gathered in this book aren't relevant to our world, because so much has changed since Basil was berating the rich of his congregation. After all, the reviewer points out, we live in an age of industry and computers.
We also live in an age of hypocritical piety, trickle-down economics, massive inequality, and horrific suffering--just like Basil. If you can read this, and not feel like a shit, I'm not sure whether to congratulate you for being a saint, to commiserate with you on your own poverty, or to scorn you because you have no conscience whatsoever.
December 26, 2025
A stunning and shocking polemical work by a respected church father that flies in the face of modern capitalism, western Christianity and Internet Orthobros all at once. The level of indignation and condemnation of excess, greed, oppression of the poor and the insistence on equality and mercy for the poor means many would easily condemn Basil as a pseudo-Marxist had he written in our era. Basil humanised the oppressed, not viewing them as a faceless monolith, but appealing to their conditions and psychological and physical conditions. More shockingly, this was not a work penned and put away for selective publishing, but a series of fiery sermons, delivered live and direct to many of the rich themselves, who must have been seething.
I highly recommend this book to orthodox Christians universally, but also to an Christian who is tired of the prosperity gospel, of Churches who seek to enrich themselves, of Clergy and religious folk who care northing for the poor. I also firmly believe that these sermons should also strike a chord with us, rather than be polemics against others, and thst we should all do more to help the less fortunate.
I cannot do this book justice so will post a few quotes:
'Care for the needy requires the expenditure of wealth: when all share alike, disbursing their possessions among them- selves, they each receive a small portion for their individua needs. Thus, those who love their neighbor as themselves pos- sess nothing more than their neighbor; yet surely, you seem to have great possessions! How else can this be, but that you have preferred your own enjoyment to the consolation of the many? For the more you abound in wealth, the more you lack in love.'
' In the same way, there are those who gladly undertake other tasks, but resist laying aside their possessions. I know many who fast, pray, sigh, and demonstrate every manner of piety, so long as it costs them nothing, yet would not part with a penny to help those in dis- tress. Of what profit to them is the remainder of their virtue? The Kingdom of Heaven does not receive such people, for "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God." '
' Yet you say, "I will enjoy all these things during my life, but afte: my death I will leave my goods to the poor, making them beneficiarie: of my will and granting them all my possessions." When you are no longer among your fellow human beings, then you will become a philan- thropist! When I see you dead, then I will call you a lover of your brother: and sisters! You deserve great thanks for your magnanimity, since you became so generous and noble hearted after you were laid in the grave and your body dissolved into the earth!'
' Do not enhance vour own worth by trafficking in the needs of others, Do not wait for a dearth of grain to open vour granary: "The people curse those who hold back grain."u Do not wait for a famine in order to acquire gold. Do not make common need a means of private gain. Do not become a dealer in humar misery. Do not attempt to turn the chastisement of God into an opportu nity for profit. Do not chafe the wounds of those who have alreadv beer scourge. You, however, have regard for gold, but not for your own brothers and sisters. You recognize the inscription on the face of a coin, and can tell the counterfeit from the genuine, but you completely ignore your brothers and sisters in their time of need. '
' Who are the greedy? Those who are not satisfied with what suffices for their own needs. Who are the robbers? Those who take for themselver what rightfully belongs to everyone. And you, are you not greedy? Are you not a robber? The things you received in trust as a stewardship, haveyou not appropriated them for yourself? Is not the person who strips an. other of clothing called a thief? And those who do not clothe the nakec when thev have the power to do so, should they not be called the same' The bread you are holding back is for the hungry, the clothes you keer put away are for the naked, the shoes that are rotting away with disuse are for those who have none, the silver you keep buried in the earth is for the needy. You are thus guilty of injustice toward as many as you might have aided and did not. '
I highly recommend this book to orthodox Christians universally, but also to an Christian who is tired of the prosperity gospel, of Churches who seek to enrich themselves, of Clergy and religious folk who care northing for the poor. I also firmly believe that these sermons should also strike a chord with us, rather than be polemics against others, and thst we should all do more to help the less fortunate.
I cannot do this book justice so will post a few quotes:
'Care for the needy requires the expenditure of wealth: when all share alike, disbursing their possessions among them- selves, they each receive a small portion for their individua needs. Thus, those who love their neighbor as themselves pos- sess nothing more than their neighbor; yet surely, you seem to have great possessions! How else can this be, but that you have preferred your own enjoyment to the consolation of the many? For the more you abound in wealth, the more you lack in love.'
' In the same way, there are those who gladly undertake other tasks, but resist laying aside their possessions. I know many who fast, pray, sigh, and demonstrate every manner of piety, so long as it costs them nothing, yet would not part with a penny to help those in dis- tress. Of what profit to them is the remainder of their virtue? The Kingdom of Heaven does not receive such people, for "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God." '
' Yet you say, "I will enjoy all these things during my life, but afte: my death I will leave my goods to the poor, making them beneficiarie: of my will and granting them all my possessions." When you are no longer among your fellow human beings, then you will become a philan- thropist! When I see you dead, then I will call you a lover of your brother: and sisters! You deserve great thanks for your magnanimity, since you became so generous and noble hearted after you were laid in the grave and your body dissolved into the earth!'
' Do not enhance vour own worth by trafficking in the needs of others, Do not wait for a dearth of grain to open vour granary: "The people curse those who hold back grain."u Do not wait for a famine in order to acquire gold. Do not make common need a means of private gain. Do not become a dealer in humar misery. Do not attempt to turn the chastisement of God into an opportu nity for profit. Do not chafe the wounds of those who have alreadv beer scourge. You, however, have regard for gold, but not for your own brothers and sisters. You recognize the inscription on the face of a coin, and can tell the counterfeit from the genuine, but you completely ignore your brothers and sisters in their time of need. '
' Who are the greedy? Those who are not satisfied with what suffices for their own needs. Who are the robbers? Those who take for themselver what rightfully belongs to everyone. And you, are you not greedy? Are you not a robber? The things you received in trust as a stewardship, haveyou not appropriated them for yourself? Is not the person who strips an. other of clothing called a thief? And those who do not clothe the nakec when thev have the power to do so, should they not be called the same' The bread you are holding back is for the hungry, the clothes you keer put away are for the naked, the shoes that are rotting away with disuse are for those who have none, the silver you keep buried in the earth is for the needy. You are thus guilty of injustice toward as many as you might have aided and did not. '
December 6, 2023
It is not lost on me that according to the Dallas Morning News I live in one of the Wealthiest Zip Codes in the city. It also isn’t lost on me that I make $15 an hour serving up coffees for 20 hours a week.
There are good works that have impacts on people, and there are paradigm shifting life changing works. Basil has delivered the latter. I have been reading excepts from the homilies alongside my Advent devotional. Basil kicked my butt. And when I was down, came and beat me up some more. And then served me up on a platter to the poor.
I cried. I sobbed ugly nasty tears reading this. I get so wrapped up in my head that I don’t have enough and don’t provide enough for my family. And then I eat every single night. We go out to eat really nice meals. I go to the doctor every time I have stomach ache or a sniffle. I buy legos and books because I can. My poverty is one of spirit.
Editorially, these are wonderfully anthologized. The editor was incredibly diligent about the order the works appear. And the translation is incredibly smooth. I imagine Basil is probably writing in some form of Attic or Koine, but these homilies are incredibly smooth in translation. The type face is inviting and the editor has offered the perfect amount of introduction and commentary in ratio to the homilies themselves.
I will be reading this again.
There are good works that have impacts on people, and there are paradigm shifting life changing works. Basil has delivered the latter. I have been reading excepts from the homilies alongside my Advent devotional. Basil kicked my butt. And when I was down, came and beat me up some more. And then served me up on a platter to the poor.
I cried. I sobbed ugly nasty tears reading this. I get so wrapped up in my head that I don’t have enough and don’t provide enough for my family. And then I eat every single night. We go out to eat really nice meals. I go to the doctor every time I have stomach ache or a sniffle. I buy legos and books because I can. My poverty is one of spirit.
Editorially, these are wonderfully anthologized. The editor was incredibly diligent about the order the works appear. And the translation is incredibly smooth. I imagine Basil is probably writing in some form of Attic or Koine, but these homilies are incredibly smooth in translation. The type face is inviting and the editor has offered the perfect amount of introduction and commentary in ratio to the homilies themselves.
I will be reading this again.
April 1, 2025
It feels like St. Basil wrote this yesterday.
I can’t help but wonder how the world could have looked like if these precepts truly informed the christian values that too many of our leaders flaunt only as a means to conceal their predatory and malevolent intentions.
I can’t help but wonder how the world could have looked like if these precepts truly informed the christian values that too many of our leaders flaunt only as a means to conceal their predatory and malevolent intentions.
January 25, 2021
2020 reads: 46/52
Rating: 4 stars
When was the last time you heard a sermon addressed to "the rich"? Such a feat was not beyond the scope or intent of Basil the Great's ministry during the 4th century AD. Of course, monastic sentiments abound during this period, but I don't think this should deter us from reading the homilies of the patristics. Their pre-industrialization, pre-modernism, pre-capitalism perspective is refreshing, striking, and sincerely pastoral.
This collection of essays on social justice, i.e., righteous societal living (if that's easier on your ears), Basil has homilies speaking directly to the rich, to those who will "tear down my barns", counsel amidst times of famine, as well as a treatise against those who lend at interest. Basil did not bark such orders and teaching from an ivory tower. Inheriting substantial wealth himself, Basil sold most of his property and possessions and began a community of sharing and welfare. His contemporaries referred to him as a "second Joseph". Beyond this he also served as bishop of Caesarea.
These homilies are short, to the point, razor sharp in application and sensitivity to the social context and actually have a ton of application today. Who knows what the fathers would have said had they seen the excess of today's materialism. Basil warns of the deceitfulness of riches, the insatiable desire for more, man's habit of building bigger walls before clothing his neighbour, even suggesting that withholding good and resources from those in need in analogous to theft. These are words we need to hear today, words that push against the very fabric of our individualized society, where each person is left to fend for themselves and every effort is spent in maintaining the status quo, despite the fact that many of our societies still languish because of institutional discrimination and injustice. These homilies emboldened me in my own thinking and writing on wealth and poverty and aiding those around us. May we speak with such clarity and resolve today as Basil exemplifies in these texts.
Rating: 4 stars
When was the last time you heard a sermon addressed to "the rich"? Such a feat was not beyond the scope or intent of Basil the Great's ministry during the 4th century AD. Of course, monastic sentiments abound during this period, but I don't think this should deter us from reading the homilies of the patristics. Their pre-industrialization, pre-modernism, pre-capitalism perspective is refreshing, striking, and sincerely pastoral.
This collection of essays on social justice, i.e., righteous societal living (if that's easier on your ears), Basil has homilies speaking directly to the rich, to those who will "tear down my barns", counsel amidst times of famine, as well as a treatise against those who lend at interest. Basil did not bark such orders and teaching from an ivory tower. Inheriting substantial wealth himself, Basil sold most of his property and possessions and began a community of sharing and welfare. His contemporaries referred to him as a "second Joseph". Beyond this he also served as bishop of Caesarea.
These homilies are short, to the point, razor sharp in application and sensitivity to the social context and actually have a ton of application today. Who knows what the fathers would have said had they seen the excess of today's materialism. Basil warns of the deceitfulness of riches, the insatiable desire for more, man's habit of building bigger walls before clothing his neighbour, even suggesting that withholding good and resources from those in need in analogous to theft. These are words we need to hear today, words that push against the very fabric of our individualized society, where each person is left to fend for themselves and every effort is spent in maintaining the status quo, despite the fact that many of our societies still languish because of institutional discrimination and injustice. These homilies emboldened me in my own thinking and writing on wealth and poverty and aiding those around us. May we speak with such clarity and resolve today as Basil exemplifies in these texts.
November 6, 2022
"If you want storehouses, you have them in the stomachs of the poor."
Read this in a book club with a few close friends this fall, and it sparked lots of great discussion.
Read this in a book club with a few close friends this fall, and it sparked lots of great discussion.
February 6, 2025
i read the Cappadocians in college and forgot how much i liked them. Basil is on fire here.
October 28, 2024
A collection of homilies delivered by Basil the Great sometime during a time of famine and drought while he was Bishop of Caesarea. It's not a surprise, therefore, that the question of our responsibility to the poor looms large. Basil interprets Christ's command to love our neighbour as ourselves as requiring that we live sustainably to leave enough for those in need. Relatedly, he interprets human stewardship over Creation as entailing that the rich have their wealth because they have been entrusted to distribute it to those in need. An interesting enough glimpse into early Christian teachings, and no doubt thought-provoking from a devotional standpoint, but there really isn't much that'll be new here to anyone already familiar with Christian ethics.
January 1, 2021
Absolutely amazing. This book presents a serious challenge to all in how we view wealth and society and especially inequalities. This is by far the most radical argument for wealth redistribution that I’ve heard, and it’s 1,700 years old which makes it so much more cool
May 16, 2025
This guy pulls no punches. Amazing work.
July 6, 2025
One word to sum up: damning. A handful of homilies on money, consumerism, and our treatment of the poor; diatribes in the vein of James 5. 1500 years later you’d hope there’s some sermons we no longer need to hear; but that’s assuming we hadn’t been ignorin’ ‘em.
July 30, 2025
Book of the year for me
August 25, 2022
This book was deeply offensive to me in the best way. St. Basil's homilies on wealth and poverty and our call to freely share with others remain as utterly fresh and relevant today as they were in the 4th century.
The five stars isn't because I agree with everything St. Basil says (e.g. there's a little too much hellfire for me). But this is timeless wisdom. His words are convicting to anyone that reads them.
The five stars isn't because I agree with everything St. Basil says (e.g. there's a little too much hellfire for me). But this is timeless wisdom. His words are convicting to anyone that reads them.
March 5, 2016
A great little collections from Basil, primarily on money and wealth.
3 sermons are directed toward the rich and Basil is severely critical of those who hoard their wealth and throw money around lavishly. He exhorts his parishioners to invest their wealth "in the stomachs of the poor."
Per what I have come to expect of Basil, he has some great one-liners:
"Those who love gold do not mind being bound with manacles, so long as their chains are of gold."
"You have acres and acres of arable land....But what comes after this? Is not all that awaits you a six-foot plot."
Basil has a carefully nuanced approach to money as well. He understands that creating and earning money are important. He himself was incredibly wealthy, but he wants to leverage the resources for present and long-term needs.
It's helpful to remember that Basil's statements toward assisting the poor are in a context where there is no social security net for the poor at all. Taxes go to support the military, not social programs. People would often sell themselves of their child(ren) into slavery in order to provide and have food and shelter. Today, people pay 25-35% of their income in taxes and Christians often give 7-10% of their income to the church. Even though many still have significant wealth after that, that is a large portion of income that one already gives. One of the ways which we might be able to help the poor now is to care how our government spends the money since they have all but monopolized caring for the homeless and the poor.
Basil's final sermon is actually for the poor and he rails against going into debt in order to secure your lifestyle because it takes away freedom.
Perhaps the most striking thing about these sermons is their transferability and relevance for today. Basil has a keen awareness of human nature, and these sermons show that "ancient man" really isn't all that different from "modern man." Which gives me encouragement and hope for the gospel message, because it remains the same through the ages as well.
3 sermons are directed toward the rich and Basil is severely critical of those who hoard their wealth and throw money around lavishly. He exhorts his parishioners to invest their wealth "in the stomachs of the poor."
Per what I have come to expect of Basil, he has some great one-liners:
"Those who love gold do not mind being bound with manacles, so long as their chains are of gold."
"You have acres and acres of arable land....But what comes after this? Is not all that awaits you a six-foot plot."
Basil has a carefully nuanced approach to money as well. He understands that creating and earning money are important. He himself was incredibly wealthy, but he wants to leverage the resources for present and long-term needs.
It's helpful to remember that Basil's statements toward assisting the poor are in a context where there is no social security net for the poor at all. Taxes go to support the military, not social programs. People would often sell themselves of their child(ren) into slavery in order to provide and have food and shelter. Today, people pay 25-35% of their income in taxes and Christians often give 7-10% of their income to the church. Even though many still have significant wealth after that, that is a large portion of income that one already gives. One of the ways which we might be able to help the poor now is to care how our government spends the money since they have all but monopolized caring for the homeless and the poor.
Basil's final sermon is actually for the poor and he rails against going into debt in order to secure your lifestyle because it takes away freedom.
Perhaps the most striking thing about these sermons is their transferability and relevance for today. Basil has a keen awareness of human nature, and these sermons show that "ancient man" really isn't all that different from "modern man." Which gives me encouragement and hope for the gospel message, because it remains the same through the ages as well.
December 13, 2021
I've read this roughly once every two weeks for the past five years. It is one of the three most influential books in my life, and reading it is a necessary part of being able to know who I am. These homilies helped to shatter my comfortable worldview and provide a constant challenge to how I am living my life.
December 19, 2025
St Basil minces no words with this book.
The first homily is on selling all we have and giving to the poor. Detachment from the world is the first step toward perfection. He argues that this isn’t a suggestion but it is a command from Christ.
"You gorgeously array your walls, but do not clothe your fellow human being; you adorn horses, but turn away from the shameful plight of your brother or sister; you allow grain to rot in your barns, but do not feed those who are starving; you hide gold in the earth, but ignore the oppressed!"
The second homily is about storing up treasures in heaven vs storing money in the earth where it can’t be used for the good of those around us.
“But whom do I treat unjustly," you say, "by keeping what is my own?" Tell me, what is your own? What did you bring into this life? From where did you receive it? It is as if someone were to take the first seat in the theater, then bar everyone else from attending, so that one person alone enjoys what is offered for the benefit of all in common-this is what the rich do. They seize common goods before others have the opportunity, then claim them as their own by right of preemption. For if we all took only what was necessary to satisfy our own needs, giving the rest to those who lack, no one would be rich, no one would be poor, and no one would be in need.”
His third homily is on famine and drought and how they are brought about by our lack of generosity and repentance.
“It is on your account that this catastrophe was decreed, because you have but do not give, because you neglect the hungry, because you pay no heed to the plight of the miserable, because you show no mercy to those who prostrate themselves before you. Evil things come upon the people for the sake of a few; for one person's depravity the people are punished.”
His fourth homily is on lending with interest and how this is the greatest inhumanity, to prey on the suffering for gain.
“Tell me, do you really seek riches and financial gain from the des-titute? If this person had the resources to make you even wealthier, why did he come begging to your door? He came seeking an ally, but has found an enemy.”
The first homily is on selling all we have and giving to the poor. Detachment from the world is the first step toward perfection. He argues that this isn’t a suggestion but it is a command from Christ.
"You gorgeously array your walls, but do not clothe your fellow human being; you adorn horses, but turn away from the shameful plight of your brother or sister; you allow grain to rot in your barns, but do not feed those who are starving; you hide gold in the earth, but ignore the oppressed!"
The second homily is about storing up treasures in heaven vs storing money in the earth where it can’t be used for the good of those around us.
“But whom do I treat unjustly," you say, "by keeping what is my own?" Tell me, what is your own? What did you bring into this life? From where did you receive it? It is as if someone were to take the first seat in the theater, then bar everyone else from attending, so that one person alone enjoys what is offered for the benefit of all in common-this is what the rich do. They seize common goods before others have the opportunity, then claim them as their own by right of preemption. For if we all took only what was necessary to satisfy our own needs, giving the rest to those who lack, no one would be rich, no one would be poor, and no one would be in need.”
His third homily is on famine and drought and how they are brought about by our lack of generosity and repentance.
“It is on your account that this catastrophe was decreed, because you have but do not give, because you neglect the hungry, because you pay no heed to the plight of the miserable, because you show no mercy to those who prostrate themselves before you. Evil things come upon the people for the sake of a few; for one person's depravity the people are punished.”
His fourth homily is on lending with interest and how this is the greatest inhumanity, to prey on the suffering for gain.
“Tell me, do you really seek riches and financial gain from the des-titute? If this person had the resources to make you even wealthier, why did he come begging to your door? He came seeking an ally, but has found an enemy.”
June 17, 2025
A powerful critique of greed and wealth. St. Basil asks the question “How can one possibly become wealthy if Jesus commands us to radically give to the poor and to give away what we own?”
That question doesn’t come from the American evangelical’s favorite straw man: the left-leaning, young, hypocritical, theological liberal who was indoctrinated to liberalism by their university education to challenge capitalism— nope. This question comes from St Basil the Great. One of the most influential theological minds behind the Nicene Creed. The guy who literally wrote the book on the Holy Spirit.
I think the degree to which one walks away from this book and applies it to their lives is up to each reader. This isn’t part of the Biblical canon or Holy-Spirit breathed, after all, and I don’t expect readers to treat this as inerrant or without flaw (I certainly saw some flaws). I guess my fear is that people may decide that St Basil’s words are too radical and too culturally-situated to be applicable to our hearts and our actions today. That would be a real shame, because I think that his warnings against greed and wealth help us to reflect Jesus and think of Him highly right here and now, where we live.
Also— the fact that our heritage in the church is not just an intellectual one but a rich humanitarian one that fights for the poor and loves the mistreated is important to me. Thankful to see the ones who went before us serve and love too.
That question doesn’t come from the American evangelical’s favorite straw man: the left-leaning, young, hypocritical, theological liberal who was indoctrinated to liberalism by their university education to challenge capitalism— nope. This question comes from St Basil the Great. One of the most influential theological minds behind the Nicene Creed. The guy who literally wrote the book on the Holy Spirit.
I think the degree to which one walks away from this book and applies it to their lives is up to each reader. This isn’t part of the Biblical canon or Holy-Spirit breathed, after all, and I don’t expect readers to treat this as inerrant or without flaw (I certainly saw some flaws). I guess my fear is that people may decide that St Basil’s words are too radical and too culturally-situated to be applicable to our hearts and our actions today. That would be a real shame, because I think that his warnings against greed and wealth help us to reflect Jesus and think of Him highly right here and now, where we live.
Also— the fact that our heritage in the church is not just an intellectual one but a rich humanitarian one that fights for the poor and loves the mistreated is important to me. Thankful to see the ones who went before us serve and love too.
December 23, 2025
"Thus, those who love their neighbour as themselves possess nothing more than their neighbour; yet surely, you seem to have great possessions! How can this be, but that you have preferred your own enjoyment to the consolation of the many? For the more you abound in wealth, the more you lack in love."
Short read for book club, but hugely impactful and carries the mantle of 1 Thessalonians 4. Main takeaways:
(1) “Mom: “There’s food at home”” is actually so valid if we are to love our neighbour as ourselves. Should I really feel comfortable in the McDonalds’ drive-thru if the man sitting out front of the restaurant has no means of feeding himself?
(2) I love Basil’s Against Those Who Lend at Interest as an exercise of imagination for what the Kingdom of heaven looks like. Interest is a slave master for many, why borrow under its terms? And how can those who have enough dare request interest from those without? Sad that the wealth disparity we see today in a capitalist society makes Basil's exhortations largely impractical for the 99%. Maranatha man, Maranatha.
4.5 stars.
Short read for book club, but hugely impactful and carries the mantle of 1 Thessalonians 4. Main takeaways:
(1) “Mom: “There’s food at home”” is actually so valid if we are to love our neighbour as ourselves. Should I really feel comfortable in the McDonalds’ drive-thru if the man sitting out front of the restaurant has no means of feeding himself?
(2) I love Basil’s Against Those Who Lend at Interest as an exercise of imagination for what the Kingdom of heaven looks like. Interest is a slave master for many, why borrow under its terms? And how can those who have enough dare request interest from those without? Sad that the wealth disparity we see today in a capitalist society makes Basil's exhortations largely impractical for the 99%. Maranatha man, Maranatha.
4.5 stars.
November 24, 2022
There are some premises that I cannot quite follow with his strong language, but nonetheless a great read to soften my heart towards the needy.
December 24, 2025
The full cost
Here we have some of the homilies of St. Basil the Great. From his own words we see his abiding concern with mercy, and the cost of discipleship.
Here we have some of the homilies of St. Basil the Great. From his own words we see his abiding concern with mercy, and the cost of discipleship.
June 15, 2021
many “Christian” conservatives could use a read of this book…
“You gorgeously array your walls, but do not clothe your fellow human being; you adorn horses, but turn away from the shameful plight of your brother or sister; you allow grain to rot in your barns, but do not feed those who are starving; you hide gold in the earth, but ignore the oppressed”
“Those who obtain their wealth through injustice may not simply return part of what has been taken from the poor and call it ‘charity’”
“You gorgeously array your walls, but do not clothe your fellow human being; you adorn horses, but turn away from the shameful plight of your brother or sister; you allow grain to rot in your barns, but do not feed those who are starving; you hide gold in the earth, but ignore the oppressed”
“Those who obtain their wealth through injustice may not simply return part of what has been taken from the poor and call it ‘charity’”
August 29, 2023
In a world of greed Basil speaks some timeless biblical truths to us. It would be very difficult to live out much what he calls for here, but they be the point as he really tries to draw out the need that Christians must live counter-culturally. A worthwhile read for those wanting to navigate culture in a unique way on matters of social injustice. An even more important work for those wanting to understand ancient Christianity and ascetic living.
June 19, 2022
One of the best books on money, giving, and our standards of living that I've ever read!
Here are some of my favorite quotes:
"You gorgeously array your walls, but do not clothe your fellow human being." (p.47) -- So applicable today, with all the home decor stores, HGTV, and Pinterest telling us we need to have beautiful homes!
"For if what you say is true, that you have kept from your youth the commandment of love and have given to everyone the same as to yourself, then how did you come by this abundance of wealth?" (p.43) -- Ouch!
"Like a mighty river that is divided into many streams in order to irrigate the fertile soil, so also are those who give their wealth to be divided up and distributed in the houses of the poverty-stricken. Wells become more productive if they are drained completely, while they silt up if they are left standing. Thus wealth left idle is of no use to anyone, but put to use and exchanged it becomes fruitful and beneficial for the public." (p. 66) -- Love this insight!
And one more:
"If you want storehouses, you have them in the stomachs of the poor. Lay up for yourself treasure in heaven." (p. 68)
Here are some of my favorite quotes:
"You gorgeously array your walls, but do not clothe your fellow human being." (p.47) -- So applicable today, with all the home decor stores, HGTV, and Pinterest telling us we need to have beautiful homes!
"For if what you say is true, that you have kept from your youth the commandment of love and have given to everyone the same as to yourself, then how did you come by this abundance of wealth?" (p.43) -- Ouch!
"Like a mighty river that is divided into many streams in order to irrigate the fertile soil, so also are those who give their wealth to be divided up and distributed in the houses of the poverty-stricken. Wells become more productive if they are drained completely, while they silt up if they are left standing. Thus wealth left idle is of no use to anyone, but put to use and exchanged it becomes fruitful and beneficial for the public." (p. 66) -- Love this insight!
And one more:
"If you want storehouses, you have them in the stomachs of the poor. Lay up for yourself treasure in heaven." (p. 68)
December 26, 2011
St Basil leaves no room for compromise in this little treasure of a book. Applicable to all times and places, St Basil teaches us to look at the heart of the teachings of Christ and recognize our obsession with mammon to be the idol that it is. And in an age where debt has left so many as slaves (whether they know it or not) the lessons presented here are more timely than ever. This, like so many of the teachings of the Fathers of the Church, is not at all to be understood as something as something that 'was fine then, but times are different now'. These teachings are applicable here and now. There can be no excuse. We should think of this the next time we feel the urge to buy 200 dollar tennis shoes!
November 6, 2015
This is simple, yet powerful. After reading this book, I don't think our budget will ever be the same again.
The blurb on the back of the book is true: "There is no way to describe the power, simplicity, wisdom, and freedom of his words...you will think they were written yesterday--not 1600 years ago! ...Precisely he describes our modern struggle with material wealth, our responsibility to our fellow man, and how to live a life in balance."
The blurb on the back of the book is true: "There is no way to describe the power, simplicity, wisdom, and freedom of his words...you will think they were written yesterday--not 1600 years ago! ...Precisely he describes our modern struggle with material wealth, our responsibility to our fellow man, and how to live a life in balance."
February 8, 2022
For such a short text it incredibly convicting to the Christian heart. Basil’s words have certainly gotten me thinking about what I do with my excess, such as it is, and in that light what also counts as excess that can benefit the poor and needy.
I was compelled to give four stars because Basil tends to lean on works-based salvation which is antithetical to the word of God. Your works are a manifestation of your faith, the proof in the pudding, not the other way around. Ephesians 2:8 states “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” You cannot work your way into the Kingdom, and Basil seems to lean on this argument.
This however does not undermine the command to give to the poor and destitute. God still expects you to do that regardless of “rendering unto Caesar” through paying taxes. You’re not off the hook because you live in a country or state that has a welfare system of some kind (for lack of a better term). Christ commanded us to pay our taxes in a place and time when you paid taxes to a government that actively oppressed you in a way that greatly exceeds ANYONE’S ideas of what constitutes government oppression in the West today. The Chinese pay taxes and will still be put into prison if they are Christian. I know, I know “tHat’S NoT reAl COmMuniSm…” Regardless, you are expected to give generously in addition to paying taxes.
Some readers have claimed that it’s not necessarily relevant today because we have an abundance of social welfare programs and a lack of slave markets where we can trade our children for our financial stability. I get that it’s not literally the same thing but we do actually have systems of oppression that spring up from government, private, and illegitimate sources. If you’re poor and destitute you can lose everything up to and including your home or dignity. This world has an incredibly bad sex trafficking problem that is very difficult to address, particularly in impoverished areas. Basil makes a compelling plea which is as relevant in his era as it is in ours. Take care of the poor and destitute and don’t allow them to fall into hands of those who would harm them.
A very relevant and convicting text to say the least. Everyone has something they can give to someone else. We are given things temporarily to keep in trust for God to dispense as necessary. I would say to take some heart in the idea that Christ didn’t necessarily mean “Sell all your stuff and/or give it to the poor,” in a strictly literal sense. He also said to gouge out your eye or cut off your hand if it causes you to sin meaning “get rid of the thing or the circumstance that’s prompting you to sin.” Of course you absolutely can do these things, it’s not NOT an option… But in regards to giving freely; God has blessed you with things but they don’t actually belong to you. You give them freely knowing that He will pay you back. This is a command to not be attached to the things of this world and to understand that none of it actually belongs to you. All of it belongs to God and you are merely the one who dispenses it.
Again to my four-star review; you’re saved through faith alone (Sola Fida) and you cannot buy or work your way into Heaven. That work has already been done for you through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Basil is wrong on works based salvation, but 100% right on the command to do these things as it brings glory to God.
I was compelled to give four stars because Basil tends to lean on works-based salvation which is antithetical to the word of God. Your works are a manifestation of your faith, the proof in the pudding, not the other way around. Ephesians 2:8 states “By grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.” You cannot work your way into the Kingdom, and Basil seems to lean on this argument.
This however does not undermine the command to give to the poor and destitute. God still expects you to do that regardless of “rendering unto Caesar” through paying taxes. You’re not off the hook because you live in a country or state that has a welfare system of some kind (for lack of a better term). Christ commanded us to pay our taxes in a place and time when you paid taxes to a government that actively oppressed you in a way that greatly exceeds ANYONE’S ideas of what constitutes government oppression in the West today. The Chinese pay taxes and will still be put into prison if they are Christian. I know, I know “tHat’S NoT reAl COmMuniSm…” Regardless, you are expected to give generously in addition to paying taxes.
Some readers have claimed that it’s not necessarily relevant today because we have an abundance of social welfare programs and a lack of slave markets where we can trade our children for our financial stability. I get that it’s not literally the same thing but we do actually have systems of oppression that spring up from government, private, and illegitimate sources. If you’re poor and destitute you can lose everything up to and including your home or dignity. This world has an incredibly bad sex trafficking problem that is very difficult to address, particularly in impoverished areas. Basil makes a compelling plea which is as relevant in his era as it is in ours. Take care of the poor and destitute and don’t allow them to fall into hands of those who would harm them.
A very relevant and convicting text to say the least. Everyone has something they can give to someone else. We are given things temporarily to keep in trust for God to dispense as necessary. I would say to take some heart in the idea that Christ didn’t necessarily mean “Sell all your stuff and/or give it to the poor,” in a strictly literal sense. He also said to gouge out your eye or cut off your hand if it causes you to sin meaning “get rid of the thing or the circumstance that’s prompting you to sin.” Of course you absolutely can do these things, it’s not NOT an option… But in regards to giving freely; God has blessed you with things but they don’t actually belong to you. You give them freely knowing that He will pay you back. This is a command to not be attached to the things of this world and to understand that none of it actually belongs to you. All of it belongs to God and you are merely the one who dispenses it.
Again to my four-star review; you’re saved through faith alone (Sola Fida) and you cannot buy or work your way into Heaven. That work has already been done for you through the person and work of Jesus Christ. Basil is wrong on works based salvation, but 100% right on the command to do these things as it brings glory to God.
February 27, 2023
This collection of Basil's sermons by St. Vladimir's Press in their Popular Patristics Series was a delight to read and these are sermons that I will be revisiting in years to come. The translation by Schroeder is wonderful, and I think does a good job of keeping Basil's language while making it understandable to a modern audience. If all the translations are of this quality I'm going to be picking up more of these!
The actual content of the sermons themselves are very powerful. The title "On Social Justice" gives a hint, but that isn't the name of any of the sermons in particular. In fact, using the term "Social Justice" makes sense for us as moderns, but wouldn't have been a concept that Basil would necessarily understand, though I do not think he would be hostile. These collections deal with the preaching of Basil when it came to the inequalities and injustices of his day, especially when it came to the hoarding of wealth, lending at interest, and the starvation of the poor. On all of these issues I believe Basil does a wonderful job challenging people in how much stock they put on earthly possessions. I myself was challenged pretty fiercely and had to sit back and think.
I'm in a denomination that, for better or worse (but mostly for worse), stresses social justice as the main end of the church, but the way that we envision it today is wrapped up in politics and is chiefly concerned with "systems." I found Basil's way of attacking this stuff to be way more effective as it was not concerned with impersonal systems but rather the individual and their indifference or participation in sinful activities. It also in some places avoids a victim complex that can be popular with these modern narratives and does hold people accountable for their actions. A good example of this is in his sermon against lending at interest he also rebukes those who try to get loans as prizing money (and the benefits it brings) in a way that they should not. That type of language would be completely absent from modern discourse.
I think this is great and should be read by every Christian. "The poor will always be with you," as our Lord said, and this world will never be a paradise, but sermons like this help us to be used by the Spirit to make it less bad for the least of these.
The actual content of the sermons themselves are very powerful. The title "On Social Justice" gives a hint, but that isn't the name of any of the sermons in particular. In fact, using the term "Social Justice" makes sense for us as moderns, but wouldn't have been a concept that Basil would necessarily understand, though I do not think he would be hostile. These collections deal with the preaching of Basil when it came to the inequalities and injustices of his day, especially when it came to the hoarding of wealth, lending at interest, and the starvation of the poor. On all of these issues I believe Basil does a wonderful job challenging people in how much stock they put on earthly possessions. I myself was challenged pretty fiercely and had to sit back and think.
I'm in a denomination that, for better or worse (but mostly for worse), stresses social justice as the main end of the church, but the way that we envision it today is wrapped up in politics and is chiefly concerned with "systems." I found Basil's way of attacking this stuff to be way more effective as it was not concerned with impersonal systems but rather the individual and their indifference or participation in sinful activities. It also in some places avoids a victim complex that can be popular with these modern narratives and does hold people accountable for their actions. A good example of this is in his sermon against lending at interest he also rebukes those who try to get loans as prizing money (and the benefits it brings) in a way that they should not. That type of language would be completely absent from modern discourse.
I think this is great and should be read by every Christian. "The poor will always be with you," as our Lord said, and this world will never be a paradise, but sermons like this help us to be used by the Spirit to make it less bad for the least of these.
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