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Books > Christianity > Early Church
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Letters, Volume 1 (1-185) - Vol. 13 (Paperback)
Loot Price: R1,331
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Letters, Volume 1 (1-185) - Vol. 13 (Paperback)
Series: Fathers of the Church Series
Expected to ship within 10 - 15 working days
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The letters of St. Basil, three hundred and sixty-eight in number,
which comprise the most vivid and most personal portion of his
works, give us, perhaps, the clearest insight into the wealth of
his rich and varied genius. They were written within the years from
357, shortly before his retreat to the Pontus, until his death in
378, a period of great unrest and persecution of the orthodox
Catholic Church in the East. Their variety is striking, ranging
from simple friendly greetings to profound explanations of
doctrine, from playful reproaches to severe denunciations of
transgressions, from kindly recommendations to earnest petitions
for justice, from gentle messages of sympathy to bitter
lamentations over the evils inflicted upon or existent in the
churches. As may be expected, the style in these letters is as
varied as their subject matter. Those written in his official
capacity as pastor of the Church, as well as the letters of
recommendation and the canonical letters, are naturally more formal
in tone, while the friendly letters, and those of appeal,
admonition, and encouragement, and, more especially, those of
consolation, show St. Basil's sophistic training, although even in
these he uses restraint. He had the technique of ancient rhetoric
at his fingertips, but he also had a serious purpose and a sense of
fitness of things. To St. Basil's letters can be ascribed the
qualities he attributed to the heartily approved book written by
Diodorus, which qualities may be summed up as fullness of thought,
clearness, simplicity, and naturalness of style. He himself
disapproved of a too ornate style and carefully avoided it. His
early education, however, had trained him for the use of rich
diction and varied and charming figures, and, when the occasion
warranted it, he proved himself a master in their use. Whether we
look at them from an historical, an ecclesiastical, or a
theological point of view, the letters are an important
contribution.
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