Nicene and Post-Nicene Church Fathers Series 2 - The Still Small ...

Letter CXXV. 2407
A transcript of the faith as dictated by Saint Basil, and subscribed by Eustathius, bishop of
Sebasteia. 2408
1. Both men whose minds have been preoccupied by a heterodox creed and now wish
to change over to the congregation of the orthodox, and also those who are now for the first
time desirous of being instructed in the doctrine of truth, must be taught the creed drawn
up by the blessed fathers in the Council which met at Nicæa. The same training would also
be exceedingly useful in the case of all who are under suspicion of being in a state of hostility
to sound doctrine, and who by ingenious and plausible excuses keep the depravity of their
sentiments out of view. For these too this creed is all that is needed. They will either get
cured of their concealed unsoundness, or, by continuing to keep it concealed, will themselves
bear the load of the sentence due to their dishonesty, and will provide us with an easy defence
in the day of judgment, when the Lord will lift the cover from the hidden things of darkness,
and “make manifest the counsels of the hearts.” 2409 It is therefore desirable to receive them
with the confession not only that they believe in the words put forth by our fathers at Nicæa,
but also according to the sound meaning expressed by those words. For there are men who
even in this creed pervert the word of truth, and wrest the meaning of the words in it to suit
their own notions. So Marcellus, when expressing impious sentiments concerning the hypostasis
of our Lord Jesus Christ, and describing Him as being Logos and nothing more, 2410
had the hardihood to profess to find a pretext for his principles in that creed by affixing an
improper sense upon the Homoousion. Some, moreover, of the impious following of the
Libyan Sabellius, who understand hypostasis and substance to be identical, derive ground
for the establishment of their blasphemy from the same source, because of its having been
written in the creed “if any one says that the Son is of a different substance or hypostasis,
the Catholic and Apostolic Church anathematizes him.” But they did not there state hypostasis
and substance to be identical. Had the words expressed one and the same meaning,
what need of both? It is on the contrary clear that while by some it was denied that the Son
2407 Placed in 373.
2408 On Basil’s relations with Eustathius of Sebasteia (Siwas in Armenia Minor), the Vicar of Bray of the
Arian controversies, who probably subscribed more creeds than any other prominent bishop of his age, see
Letters cxxx. and ccxliv., and p. 171, n.
2409 1 Cor. i. 5.
2410 Marcellus of Ancyra (Angora) was represented to teach that the Son had no real personality, but was
only the outward manifestation (Πορφορικὸς Λόγος) of the Father, but he could always defend himself on the
ground that he was in communion with Julius and Athanasius, popes of Rome and Alexandria. cf. Jer., De Vir.
Ill. chap. lxxxvi.
A transcript of the faith as dictated by Saint Basil, and subscribed by…
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