NPNF2-08. Basil: Letters and Select Works - Holy Bible Institute

Homiletical.it is of no small importance, with a view to man’s sound condition, 609 that he should notdevote himself to any sciences whatsoever, but should become acquainted with the educationwhich is most profitable. It has ere now happened that men who have spent their time inthe study of geometry, the discovery of the Egyptians, or of astrology, the favourite pursuitof the Chaldæans, or have been addicted to the loftier natural philosophy 610 which is concernedwith figures and shadows, have looked with contempt on the education which isbased upon the divine oracles. Numbers of students have been occupied with paltry rhetoric,and the solution of sophisms, the subject matter of all of which is the false and unreal. Evenpoetry is dependent for its existence on its myths. 611 Rhetoric would not be but for craftin speech. Sophistics must have their fallacies. Many men for the sake of these pursuitshave disregarded the knowledge of God, and have grown old in the search for the unreal.It is therefore necessary that we should have a full knowledge of education, in order tochoose the profitable, and to reject the unintelligent and the injurious. Words of wisdomwill be discerned by the attentive reader of the Proverbs, who thence patiently extracts whatis for his good.”The Homily concludes with an exhortation to rule life by the highest standard.“Hold fast, then, to the rudder of life. Guide thine eye, lest haply at any time throughthine eyes there beat upon thee the vehement wave of lust. Guide ear and tongue, lest theone receive aught harmful, or the other speak forbidden words. Let not the tempest ofpassion overwhelm thee. Let no blows of despondency beat thee down; no weight of sorrowdrown thee in its depths. Our feelings are waves. Rise above them, and thou wilt be a safesteersman of life. Fail to avoid each and all of them skilfully and steadily, and, like someuntrimmed boat, with life’s dangers all round about thee, thou wilt be sunk in the deep seaof sin. Hear then how thou mayest acquire the steersman’s skill. Men at sea are wont tolift up their eyes to heaven. It is from heaven that they get guidance for their cruise; by dayfrom the sun, and by night from the Bear, or from some of the ever-shining stars. By thesethey reckon their right course. Do thou too keep thine eye fixed on heaven, as the Psalmistdid who said, ‘Unto thee lift I up mine eye, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.’ 612 Keepthine eyes on the Sun of righteousness. Directed by the commandments of the Lord, as bylix609 σωτηρία.610 μετεωρολογία. The word had already been used by Plato in a certain contemptuous sense. cf. Pal. 299B.: μετεωρόλογον ἀδολέσχην τινὰ σοφιστήν. But not always, e.g. Crat. 401, B.: κωδυνεύουσι γοῦν οἱ πρῶτοιτὰ ὀνόματα τιθέμενοι οὐ φαῦλοι εἶναι, ἀλλὰ μετεωρολόγοι τινὲς καὶ ἀδολέσχαι.611 Gregory of Nazianzus was publishing verses which formed no unworthy early link in the Catena PoetarumChristianorum, in our sense of the word poet. Basil may have in his mind the general idea that the Poetics ofthe heathen schools were all concerned with mythical inventions.612 Ps. xxiii. 1.103