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

To Ascholius, bishop of Thessalonica.To Ascholius, bishop of Thessalonica. 2552Letter CLXV. 2551God has fulfilled my old prayer in deigning to allow me to receive the letter of yourveritable holiness. What I most of all desire is to see you and to be seen by you, and to enjoyin actual intercourse all the graces of the Spirit with which you are endowed. This, however,is impossible, both on account of the distance which separates us, and the engrossing occupationsof each of us. I therefore pray, in the second place, that my soul may be fed by frequentletters from your love in Christ. This has now been granted me on taking your epistleinto my hands. I have been doubly delighted at the enjoyment of your communication. Ifelt as though I could really see your very soul shining in your words as in some mirror; andI was moved to exceeding joy, not only at your proving to be what all testimony says of you,but that your noble qualities are the ornament of my country. You have filled the countrybeyond our borders with spiritual fruits, like some vigorous branch sprung from a gloriousroot. Rightly, then, does our country rejoice in her own offshoots. When you were engagingin conflicts for the Faith she heard that the goodly heritage of the Fathers was preserved inyou, and she glorified God. And now what are you about? You have honoured the landthat gave you birth by sending her a martyr who has just fought a good fight in the barbariancountry on your borders, just as a grateful gardener might send his first fruits to those whohad given him the seeds. Verily the gift is worthy of Christ’s athlete, a martyr of the truthjust crowned with the crown of righteousness, whom we have gladly welcomed, glorifyingGod who has now fulfilled the gospel of His Christ in all the world. Let me ask you to rememberin your prayers me who love you, and for my soul’s sake earnestly to beseech theLord that one day I, too, may be deemed worthy to begin to serve God, according to theway of His commandments which He has given us to salvation.2172551 Placed in 374.2552 So all the mss. But it is the opinion of Maran that there can be no doubt of the letter being addressed,not to Ascholius, but to Soranus, duke of Scythia. We have seen in letter 255 that Basil requested his relativeJulius Soranus to send him some relics of the Gothic martyrs. This letter appears to refer to his prompt compliancewith the request by sending relics of Saint Sabas.625