PROLEGOMENA. xix

After his visit to Constantinople and the reconciliation on his deathbed, a type of error arose that became known as "Macedonianism." St. Basil would, in later years, combat this with great success in his treatise On the Spirit. It combined a denial of the divinity of both the Holy Spirit and the Son. However, balancing these events were the acceptance of the HomoousionThe doctrine that the Son is of the same substance as the Father. by the Council of Paris, and the publication of Athanasius’ letters to Serapion regarding the divinity of the two Persons being attacked. It is to this period that Basil’s compilation of the Moralia is attributed.

The brief reign of the Emperor Julian would have affected Basil—and the Church in general—in two ways: first, the relief felt at the relative toleration shown to Catholics, which allowed orthodox bishops to return to their dioceses; and second, the distress of watching his old friend attempt to ridicule and undermine the Christian faith. More personal and immediate sorrow must have been caused by the harsh treatment of Cæsarea and the cruel taxes imposed on Cappadocia. We can only guess what behavior by the people of Cæsarea led Gregory of Nazianzus to describe Julian as "justly offended." It may have been the somewhat disorderly events surrounding the appointment of Eusebius to succeed Danius. However, there is no doubt regarding the suffering of Cæsarea, nor the martyrdom of Eupsychius and Damas, who were executed for their role in the destruction of the Temple of Fortune.

The exact role Basil played in the election of Eusebius can only be guessed. Eusebius—like Ambrose of Milan, a layman of rank and influence—was elevated to the episcopate per saltum (skipping the lower clerical ranks). Efforts were made by Julian and certain Christian objectors to have the appointment annulled by appealing to Gregory, Bishop of Nazianzus, on the grounds that it had been achieved through violence. Bishop Gregory refused to take any backward steps, believing that the scandal of accepting a tumultuous appointment was less damaging than the scandal of canceling a consecration. It is assumed that Gregory the Younger supported his father and that he linked Basil with himself as a likely target of imperial vengeance. However, he was at Nazianzus at the time of the election, and it is more likely that Basil was the active participant.

To this period we may attribute Basil’s receipt of the letter from Athanasius mentioned in Letter 204, section 6. Upon the accession of Jovian in June 363, Athanasius wrote to him affirming the Nicene Faith, but he was also greeted by a Semi-Arian manifesto from Antioch, signed first by Meletius.

When Valentinian and Valens took the throne the following year, they found the Church still divided over its fundamental doctrines. The battle lines were drawn, and from that point on, Basil would be an increasingly prominent combatant.

V. — THE PRESBYTERATE.

Not long after the accession of Valens, Basil was ordained a presbyter by Eusebius. An earlier date has been suggested, but the year 364 is accepted as it aligns better with Gregory’s comments regarding the free speech allowed to heretics. From that same letter, it can be concluded that Basil’s ordination—like Gregory’s own—was not entirely voluntary, and that he was compelled against his own inclinations to accept duties for which he felt uncertain of his desire or fitness. It was around this time that he wrote his books Against Eunomius; it may have been this work that specifically recommended him to Eusebius.