A Life Pleasing To God: The Spirituality of the Rules of Saint Basil PDF
Preview A Life Pleasing To God: The Spirituality of the Rules of Saint Basil
A Life Pleasing to God The Spirituality of the Rules of St Basil AUGUSTINE HOLMES osb CISTERCIAN STUDIES SERIES: NUMBER ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY-NINE A Life Pleasing to God CISTERCIAN STUDIES SERIES: NUMBER ONE HUNDRED EIGHTY- A Life Pleasing to God THE SPIRITUALITY OF THE RULES OF ST BASIL Augustine Holmes osb CISTERCIAN PUBLICATIONS Kalamazoo, Michigan — Spencer, Massachusetts Thomas J. Bata Library TRENT UNIVERSITY PETERBOROUGH, ONTARIO 5X 3?G.2 ,25 WUM 0.00 0 The work of Cistercian Publications is made possible in part by support from Western Michigan University to The Institute of Cistercian Studies. First published in 2000 by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd 1 Spencer Court 140-142 Wandsworth High Street London swi8 41J and by Cistercian Publications WMU Station Kalamazoo, Michigan 49008 © 2000 Augustine Holmes osb isbn o 87907 689 5 Cum permissu superiorum. Designed by Sandie Boccacci Phototypeset in ioV2/i3V2pt Minion by Intype London Ltd Printed and bound in Great Britain by Redwood Books, Trowbridge, Wiltshire Contents St Basil: Select Chronology vii Acknowledgements ix Abbreviations xi Map of the Eastern Mediterranean in the Time of St Basil xiii Introduction xv PART ONE: The Background to the Rules 1 The Family and Formation of a Christian Leader 3 2 Two Friends 12 3 Eustathius and the Wider Ascetic Scene 24 4 Basil Develops his own Teaching 34 5 The Asceticon: Text and Life 45 PART TWO: The Life of the Commandments A COMMENTARY ON THE FIRST SEVEN LONGER RULES ILLUSTRATING THE KEY IDEAS OF BASIL’S SPIRITUAL TEACHING Introduction to Part Two 59 6 The Commandment of Love 61 Longer Rule 1 7 Our Natural Desire for God 68 Longer Rule 2 8 Love of Neighbour and the Fear of God 89 Longer Rules 3, 4 9 The Heart of Basilian Spirituality: Diathesis and the Undistracted Memory of God 107 Longer Rule 5 10 ‘Come out from among them and be separate’ 127 Longer Rule 6 vi Contents 11 ‘Whose feet will you wash?’: Solitude or Community? 139 Longer Rule 7 PART THREE: ‘Let All be Done Decently and in Order’ A COMMENTARY ON ELEVEN RULES DEALING WITH CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY Introduction to Part Three 167 12 The Anatomy of Community 169 Shorter Rule 114, Longer Rule 24 13 ‘Obedience unto death’: The Case of the Disobedient Brother 182 Longer Rule 28 14 ‘Those who profess great things’: Admission to the Community and the Clothing of the Christian 193 Longer Rules 10, 22 15 ‘Are we not their equals in everything?’: Gender and Asceticism 209 Longer Rule 33 16 Daily Life: Work and Prayer 223 Longer Rules 37, 38 17 Self-Control: Food and Laughter 241 Longer Rules 19, 17, 13 Epilogue 259 Appendix: The Canons of the Council of Gangra 261 Bibliography 263 Index of Scriptural Quotations 271 Index of Greek Terms 274 General Index 276 St Basil: Select Chronology C.300 Birth of Eustathius >325 Eustathius enters the clergy 325 Council of Nicaea C.330 Birth of Basil at Caesarea c.340 (or >36os) Council of Gangra 346-348 Basil a student at Caesarea, meets Gregory 349-355 Basil a student at Athens c.350 Basil’s mother and sister take up the ascetic life at Annisa in Pontus 356 Basil follows Eustathius in visiting ascetic centres of the western Mediterranean >357 Eustathius elected bishop of Sebaste 357 or 358 Basil baptised, begins ascetic life at Annisa 358 Gregory of Nazianzus joins him 359-360 Basil at Synod of Constantinople 362 Basil ordained presbyter, returns to Caesarea 363 Basil returns to Annisa 365 Basil recalled to Caesarea and takes up public ecclesiastical career 370 Basil elected bishop of Caesarea 372 or 373 Meeting between Basil and the Emperor Valens Gregory ordained bishop of Sasima 372 End of friendship between Basil and Eustathius 373-375 c-377 Death of Eustathius Death of Basil 379 381 Council of Constantinople (Dates taken from the work of Gribomont, Fedwick and Rousseau. Many of them are the subject of controversy amongst scholars.) ’ ■ *
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