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

Against Eustathius of Sebasteia.Against Eustathius of Sebasteia. 2877Letter CCXXIII. 28761. There is a time to keep silence and a time to speak, 2878 is the saying of the Preacher.Time enough has been given to silence, and now the time has come to open my mouth forthe publication of the truth concerning matters that are, up to now, unknown. The illustriousJob bore his calamities for a long time in silence, and ever showed his courage by holdingout under the most intolerable sufferings, but when he had struggled long enough in silence,and had persisted in covering his anguish in the bottom of his heart, at last he opened hismouth and uttered his well-known words. 2879 In my own case this is now the third year ofmy silence, and my boast has become like that of the Psalmist, “I was as a man that hearethnot and in whose mouth are no reproofs.” 2880 Thus I shut up in the bottom of my heartthe pangs which I suffered on account of the calumnies directed against me, for calumnyhumbles a man, and calumny makes a poor man giddy. 2881 If, therefore, the mischief ofcalumny is so great as to cast down even the perfect man from his height, for this is whatScripture indicates by the word man, and by the poor man is meant he who lacks the greatdoctrines, as is the view also of the prophet when he says, “These are poor, therefore theyshall not hear;…I will get me unto the great men,” 2882 he means by poor those who arelacking in understanding; and here, too, he plainly means those who are not yet furnishedin the inner man, and have not even come to the full measure of their age; it is these whoare said by the proverb to be made giddy and tossed about. Nevertheless I thought that Iought to bear my troubles in silence, waiting for some indication to come out of them. Idid not even think that what was said against me proceeded from ill will; I thought it wasthe result of ignorance of the truth. But now I see that hostility increases with time, andthat my slanderers are not sorry for what they said at the beginning, and do not take anytrouble to make amends for the past, but go on and on and rally themselves together to attaintheir original object. This was to make my life miserable and to devise means for sullyingmy reputation among the brethren. I, therefore, no longer see safety in silence. I have bethoughtme of the words of Isaiah: “I have long time holden my peace, shall I always be still2876 Placed in 375.2877 On the mutual relations of Basil and Eustathius up to this time, cf. Prolegomena.2878 Eccles. iii. 7.2879 Job iii. 1, seqq.2880 Ps. xxxviii. 14.2881 cf. ἡ συκοφαντία περιφέρει σοφόν. Eccles. vii. 8, LXX. Calumnia conturbat sapientem et perdet roburcordis illius. Vulg.2882 Jer. iv. 5, LXX.737