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

Exegetic.whereof the Apostle says, ‘Ye are come unto Mount Sion, and unto the city of the livingGod, the heavenly Jerusalem,’ where is the general assembly of ‘angels, and church of thefirst-born, which are written in heaven.’” 493The Second Homily on Psalm xiv. (xv.) has a special interest in view of the denunciationof usury alike in Scripture and in the early Church. The matter had been treated of at Nicæa.With it may be compared Homily VII., De Avaritia. 494After a few words of introduction and reference to the former Homily on the samePsalm, St. Basil proceeds;—“In depicting the character of the perfect man, of him, that is,who is ordained to ascend to the life of everlasting peace, the prophet reckons among hisnoble deeds his never having given his money upon usury. This particular sin is condemnedin many passages of Scripture. Ezekiel 495 reckons taking usury and increase among thegreatest of crimes. The law distinctly utters the prohibition ‘Thou shalt not lend upon usuryto thy brother’ 496 and to thy neighbour. Again it is said, ‘Usury upon usury; guile uponguile.’ 497 And of the city abounding in a multitude of wickednesses, what does the Psalmsay? ‘Usury and guile depart not from her streets.’ 498 Now the prophet instances preciselythe same point as characteristic of the perfect man, saying, ‘He that putteth not out hismoney to usury.’ 499 For in truth it is the last pitch of inhumanity that one man, in need ofthe bare necessities of life, should be compelled to borrow, and another, not satisfied withthe principal, should seek to make gain and profit for himself out of the calamities of thepoor. The Lord gave His own injunction quite plainly in the words, ‘from him that wouldborrow of thee turn not thou away.’ 500 But what of the money lover? He sees before hima man under stress of necessity bent to the ground in supplication. He sees him hesitatingat no act, no words, of humiliation. He sees him suffering undeserved misfortune, but heis merciless. He does not reckon that he is a fellow-creature. He does not give in to his entreaties.He stands stiff and sour. He is moved by no prayers; his resolution is broken byno tears. He persists in refusal, invoking curses on his own head if he has any money abouthim, and swearing that he is himself on the lookout for a friend to furnish him a loan. Hebacks lies with oaths, and makes a poor addition to his stock in trade by supplementing inhumanitywith perjury. Then the suppliant mentions interest, and utters the word security.493 Heb. xii. 22, 23.494 cf. note on Basil’s xivth Can., p. 228.495 xxii. 12.496 Deut. xxiii. 19.497 Jer. ix. 6, LXX.498 Ps. lv. 11, LXX.499 Ps. xv. 5.500 Matt. v. 42.81