Saint Who?
Saints Who Taught about the Holy Spirit
Saint Basil the Great
Bishop and Doctor († 379)Feast: January 2
Basil’s grandparents had remained faithful Christians despite persecution, and both of his parents and three of his nine siblings are also now known as saints. It’s not surprising that Basil was a serious, devout young man when he studied at Athens.
Basil was also brilliant and a natural leader. When he decided to leave the promise of a successful career for God’s sake, other men quickly sought him out, leading him to establish a monastery. It wasn’t long before Basil’s abilities were noticed within the Church, and he was made bishop of Caesarea.
As bishop, Basil had to defend not only Catholic theology, but also the rights of his diocese against imperial persecution. He earned his enemies’ respect through his oratorical skills, intelligent arguments, and steadfastness under pressure. During his lifetime, Catholics leaders were seeking to develop theological terms to describe the mysteries of the new Christian faith. Basil’s theological writings, such as On the Holy Spirit, brought clarity to that complexity. For example, he pointed out that the doxologies found in the New Testament do not separate the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, so why should we? At the same time, he diplomatically avoided terms that might reignite past feuds. Basil, truly “the Great,” was named a Doctor of the Church by Saint Pius V.
Spirit of God, give us the gift of wisdom,
that we might know the things of God.
