On Vice

Each of us, let us acknowledge it, is the first author of his own vice. St. Basil the Great

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Inevitable necessity

If the origin of our virtues and of our vices is not in ourselves, but is the fatal consequence of our birth, it is useless for legislators to prescribe for us what we ought to do, and what we ought to avoid; it is useless for judges to honour virtue and to punish vice. The [...]

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Name your favorite modern master of Biblical exegesis

…giving themselves up to the distorted meaning of allegory, have undertaken to give a majesty of their own invention to Scripture. It is to believe themselves wiser than the Holy Spirit, and to bring forth their own ideas under a pretext of exegesis. Let us hear Scripture as it has been written.St. Basil the Great

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On "liturgical piety"

…it is difficult to reconcile oneself also to the term ‘liturgical piety.’ In the ordinary usage of words, piety is Christian faith, hope and love, independently of the forms of their expression. Such an understanding is instilled in us by the sacred Scriptures, which distinguish only authentic piety (piety is profitable unto all things – [...]

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On Creation

I want creation to penetrate you with so much admiration that everywhere, wherever you may be, the least plant may bring to you the clear remembrance of the Creator. …shall we, whom the Lord, the great worker of marvels, calls to the contemplation of His own works, tire of looking at them, or be slow [...]

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On Susceptibility

If you have not faith, do not fear beasts so much as your faithlessness, which renders you susceptible of all corruption.St. Basil the Great

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The least plants

The whole universe cannot give us a right idea of the greatness of God; and it is only by signs, weak and slight in themselves, often by the help of the smallest insects and of the least plants, that we raise ourselves to Him.St. Basil the Great

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To remember during Lent

The time which you lend to God is not lost: he will return it to you with large interest. St. Basil the Great And while you’re lending your time remember this.

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To continue with a theme…

…they are incapable from the debasement of their reasonings of raising their glances to the height of truth. St. Basil the Great

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Church

…where the voices of men, of children, and of women, arise in our prayers to God mingling and resounding like the waves which beat upon the shore. This Church also enjoys a profound calm, and malicious spirits cannot trouble it with the breath of heresy. St. Basil the Great

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Enemies of sound doctrine

The one aim of the whole band of these enemies of sound doctrine is to shake the faith of Christ down to its foundations, by utterly levelling apostolic tradition to the ground. They clamor for written proofs and reject the unwritten testimony of the Fathers as worthless, proving themselves worse than debtors who refuse to [...]

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St. Basil refutes the "Enlightenment" 1300 years before it commenced

…the corrupters of the truth, who, incapable of submitting their reason to Holy Scripture, distort at will the meaning of the Holy Scriptures…St. Basil the Great

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Life-giving grace

…the tradition we have received through life-giving grace must remain unchanged forever. He who redeemed our life from corruption gave us the power to be renewed, and the source of this power is hidden in an indescribable mystery. It brings great salvation to our souls, but to add or to take anything away from it [...]

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Band of Enemies

The one aim of the whole band of these enemies of sound doctrine is to shake the faith of Christ down to its foundations, by utterly levelling apostolic tradition to the ground. They clamor for written proofs and reject the unwritten testimony of the Fathers as worthless, proving themselves worse than debtors who refuse to [...]

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worldlings- a rodent similar to an R.O.U.S.

…it is those never content with accepted ways who despise the old as being stale, constantly welcoming innovation, like worldlings who are always chasing after the latest fashion. St. Basil the Great

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Those are some pretty powerful words there junior

De-gendrifying Lutherans Instructions begins with the proper use of speech, and syllables and words are the elements of speech. Therefore to scrutinize syllables is not a superflous task. …what theological term is so insignificant that it will not greatly upset the balance of the scales, unless it is used correctly? Those who are idle in [...]

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