Treatises and other works1
Sermons and addresses14
- Homilies on the Six Days of Creation 76 sectionsBasil's sermons on the six days of creation in Genesis 1: Moses is a witness to trust, the world had a beginning and will have an end, God made matter itself, and evil…
- Homily against Drunkards 7 sectionslistenOne night of drinking seems to undo seven weeks of Lenten preaching, and Basil answers it: drunkenness is a demon people choose for themselves, it wrecks body and soul,…
- Homily in Time of Famine and Drought 9 sectionslistenBasil of Caesarea (c. 330–379) wrote this homily for the Christian congregation of Caesarea to call them to repentance and almsgiving.
- Homily on Envy 6 sectionslistenBasil calls envy the most deadly of the passions: it eats up the envious, drove Joseph's brothers and Christ's enemies, and is cured by prizing virtue above wealth and…
- Homily on Mercy and Judgment 3 sectionslistenA short homily: mercy and justice belong together, gifts to the poor must not come from money taken unjustly, and mercy shown to the poor is shown to Christ.
- Homily on Not Clinging to Worldly Things 10 sectionslistenPreached after a fire near the church: wealth and pleasure are not truly ours, the soul has its own lasting goods, and Job shows how to endure loss.
- Homily on Psalm 115 5 sectionslistenBasil of Caesarea (c. 330–379) addressed this homily to the Church of God, especially to those leaving the Church to gather in private houses.
- Homily on Thanksgiving 7 sectionslistenBasil on Paul's command to rejoice always and give thanks in everything: how a Christian keeps joy in loss, why Christ wept, and how Job gave thanks when all was taken…
- Homily on the Forty Martyrs of Sebaste 6 sectionslistenBasil argues that honoring martyrs proves love for God and prepares the hearer for imitation.
- Homily on the Holy Spirit 4 sectionslistenBasil preaches that the Holy Spirit is not a creature: he shares God's name and honor, gives his gifts, and brings new birth in baptism.
- Homily on the Martyr Barlaam 2 sectionslistenA festal homily delivered on the feast day of the martyr Barlaam, celebrating his endurance under torture and his victory over fire.
- Homily on “In the Beginning Was the Word” 4 sectionslistenBasil on the first words of John's Gospel: why John says beginning and Word rather than Son, and how the four phrases of John 1:1 guard the faith against those who make…
- Homily to the Rich 9 sectionslistenBasil of Caesarea (c. 330–379) wrote this homily for wealthy Christians, especially those who resist selling their possessions and giving to the poor.
- Second Homily on Psalm 28 4 sectionslistenBasil's second homily on Psalm 28 (29 in Hebrew numbering): worship only within the Church, and hear the Lord's voice over the waters as John the Baptist, a voice that…