Oration in Praise of Saint Basil

Also known as: Oratio 43, Funeral Oration for Basil the Great
Author: St. Gregory Nazianzen

Gregory Nazianzen's panegyric on his friend St. Basil of Caesarea, delivered as a funeral oration. One of the great masterpieces of patristic oratory.

Preliminaries

TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI. — Cited as testimony that Basil was the Moses of his age
"Saint Basil was the Moses of his age, says his peer Blessed Gregory Nazianzen in his Oration in Praise of Saint Basil"
TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI. — Gregory Nazianzen cited on Basil and Gregory's thirteen years reading Moses and Sacred Scriptures after studying at Athens
"Rufinus attests that after Saint Basil and Saint Gregory Nazianzen had studied eloquence and philosophy at Athens, they devoted thirteen years to reading and meditating upon Moses and the Sacred Scriptures."
TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI. — Gregory Nazianzen cited on Basil's progression to priesthood
"After he had first read the sacred books and become their interpreter, he was ordained a priest by Hermogenes, Bishop of Caesarea"
TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI. — Gregory Nazianzen cited on Basil's meekness overcoming adversaries
"Saint Basil, the Christian Moses, vanquished his adversaries by his steady kindness, as Saint Gregory Nazianzen writes of him."
TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI. — Gregory Nazianzen cited on Basil's relief of a public famine
"Saint Gregory Nazianzen testifies that a public famine was relieved by Saint Basil's efforts"
TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI. — Gregory Nazianzen quoted on Basil's life being a rule of living
"the life of Basil was for all a rule of living"
TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI. — Gregory Nazianzen as source for the exchange between Basil and the Prefect Modestus
"Modestus, the Prefect of Valens, as Gregory Nazianzen testifies, pressed Basil to follow the religion of the Emperor."
TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI. — Gregory Nazianzen cited on the great crowds at Basil's funeral
"At the death and funeral of Saint Basil, Saint Gregory Nazianzen writes that there was so great a gathering of mourners — even of Jews and pagans — that several were crushed and killed in the crowd."
TO THE MOST REVEREND AND MOST ILLUSTRIOUS LORD HENRY FRANCIS VAN DER BURCH, ARCHBISHOP AND DUKE OF CAMBRAI, PRINCE OF THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, COUNT OF CAMBRAI. — Gregory Nazianzen quoted on Basil giving light to the whole world through Caesarea
"Basil, through the single Church of Caesarea, gave light to the whole world."

Chapter I (The Six Days of Creation)

Verse 26: Let Us Make Man in Our Image and Likeness — Cited (Oration 43) on God furnishing the world like a banquet before introducing man
"and Nazianzen, Oration 43"