BASIL. xx

Whether or not this work commended him to Eusebius, there is no doubt that he was soon actively engaged in the practical work of the diocese and proved very useful to the bishop. However, Basil's vigor and value seem to have caused friction between him and his bishop. His friend Gregory provides no specific details, but it may be inferred from his accounts that he believed Basil was being mistreated. Additionally, Basil's own allusions suggest he felt he was being treated with discourtesy and neglect. The situation became serious. Bishops who had objected to the tumultuous nomination of Eusebius, and had only with difficulty been persuaded to uphold the legality of his consecration, were prepared to consecrate Basil in his place. Yet, Basil immediately demonstrated his wisdom and magnanimity. A split among the orthodox clergy of Cappadocia would be dangerous to the cause. He would accept no personal advancement that would damage the Church. He retired with his friend Gregory to his monastic communities in Pontus, winning the battle by fleeing the field. Eusebius remained in his position, and Basil’s reputation stood higher than ever.

Basil’s retreat to Pontus seemed to provide an opportunity for his opponents in Cappadocia. According to Sozomen, the Emperor Valens himself was moved in 365 to threaten Cæsarea with a visit, motivated by the thought that the Catholics of Cappadocia were now deprived of their strongest champion. Eusebius wanted to call upon Gregory but leave Basil aside. Gregory, however, refused to act without his friend and, with great tact and kindness, succeeded in reconciling the two offended parties. Eusebius at first resented Gregory’s earnest advocacy for his absent friend, seeing it as the meddling of a junior. But Gregory appealed to the archbishop’s sense of justice and his ability to rise above the common reluctance of high-ranking officials to accept advice. Gregory assured him that in all he had written on the subject, he intended to avoid offense and remain within the bounds of spiritual and philosophical discipline. Basil returned to the metropolitan city, ready to cooperate loyally with Eusebius and to employ all his eloquence and learning against the proposed Arian aggression. To the grateful Catholics, it seemed as though the mere knowledge that Basil was in Cæsarea was enough to send Valens and his bishops into retreat; the news of the revolt of Procopius, delivered by a frantic rider, seemed a minor reason for the emperor’s departure by comparison.

There was now a lull in the storm. Basil, fully reconciled to Eusebius, began to consolidate the archiepiscopal power that he would later wield as his own over the various provinces where the metropolitan of Cæsarea held authority. Meanwhile, the Semi-Arians were beginning to share with the Catholics in the hardships inflicted by imperial power. At Lampsacus in 364, they had condemned the results of the councils of Ariminum and Constantinople, and had reasserted the Antiochene Dedication Creed of 341. In 366, they sent deputies to Liberius at Rome, who proved their orthodoxy by subscribing to the Nicene Creed. Basil had not been present at Lampsacus, but he had met Eustathius and other bishops on their way there and had undoubtedly influenced the synod's decisions. Now, the delegation to the West consisted of three bishops with whom he was in communication: Eustathius of Sebasteia, Silvanus of Tarsus, and Theophilus of Castabala. For Eustathius, this was an opportunity to regain a standing among the orthodox prelates. It could hardly have been without Basil’s persuasion that the delegation went as far as they did in accepting the homoousion (the belief that the Son is of the same substance as the Father). However, it is slightly singular—and indicates how slowly the Church as a whole was awakening to the danger of the degradation of the Holy Ghost—that no profession of faith on this specific subject was demanded from the Lampsacene delegates. In 367, the Council of Tyana accepted the restitution of the Semi-Arian bishops, and to that extent, peace had been promoted. To this period, we may likely attribute the compilation of the Liturgy that formed the basis for the one bearing Basil’s name.