(A.D. 363.)
[Roman Martyrology. By the Greeks on the same day. In the Syriac
Church, a S. Basil and his Companions are commemorated on March 1st,
and another S. Basil and his Companions on March 8th, and S. Basil, P.
M., on March 28th in the Coptic Kalendar. The Greek Acts are genuine,
and were written by a contemporary. Other versions of the Acts exist,
but they are corrupted by the intermixture of the Acts of another S.
Basil, a frequent mistake, when there are several saints of the same
name.]
S. Basil was a priest of Ancyra, very fervent in spirit, zealous in
upholding the Catholic faith, and combating the Arian heresy foot
to foot. An Arian synod of bishops ordered his degradation from his
office, in 360, and appointed Eudoxius, a bishop, and an Arian, in
his place. But Basil encouraged by the Catholic bishops refused to
budge, but maintained his ground, and was indefatigable in stimulating
the courage of the faithful, and encouraging the half-hearted. He was
the means of restoring large numbers of those who had been taught by
the Arians to disbelieve in the consubstantiality of the Son with
the Father to full Catholic faith, thereby exasperating the heretics
against him. He was one of those fiery enthusiasts of resistless
energy, uncompromising with himself and others, a type as needful as
the soft and gentle saint, winning through love. The burning faith
of Basil carried him dauntless into danger, and made him regardless
of opposition, and those spirits which looked to a strong nature for
support found a rock in Basil.
As soon as Julian assumed the purple, paganism was revived; and if
the Christians were not openly persecuted, every means which craft
could devise of breaking their resolution were resorted to, and with
such success that the mild measures of Julian proved more dangerous
to the Church than the fiery persecution of Decius. But the patience
of Julian gave way towards the end of his career, and it is certain
that in some cases he encouraged, and in others connived at the resort
to violence to punish the most zealous upholders of Christianity. The
charges against those most obnoxious were not always their religion,
but contempt of the edicts or seditious conduct. Basil worked so
effectually in Ancyra to counteract the imperial policy that the pagan
priests and governor were resolved to destroy him, hoping that, if
the prop of the Ancyran Christians were removed, their faith would
yield with a crash. Macarius, one of the priests of the idols, laid
hold of Basil as he was publicly denouncing heathen worship, and drew
him before the magistrate, Saturninus, on the charge of stirring up
the people against the established religion. "What meanest thou,"
cried Macarius, "going to and fro in the city, agitating the people
against the religion established by the emperor?" "God break thy
jaws, thou bondslave of Satan!" answered Basil. "It is not I who ruin
thy religion, but He who is in Heaven who confounds thy counsel and
dissipates thy lies."
Then Macarius cried out to the proconsul, "I charge this fellow with
making sedition in the city, stirring up the people to overthrow our
altars and defy the emperor." "Who art thou," asked Saturninus, "who
art so audacious as to do these things?" Basil replied, "I am the best
of everything,--a Christian."
"Then why, if thou art a Christian, dost not thou behave as a
Christian?" "I do," answered Basil; "it behoves every Christian to make
bare all acts."
"Why dost thou make revolt in the city, transgressing good laws, and
blaspheming the emperor?"
"I do not blaspheme the emperor or his religion. God is my emperor, and
He will bring your petty established religion to naught in no time."
"So the religion of the emperor is not true!"
"How can I regard that religion as true, and that worship as true which
consists in men running howling about the streets like rabid dogs with
raw flesh in their mouths."[83]
[83] He is alluding to the Omophagic rites of Zeus Zagreus, in which
the worshippers fell on a sheep and tore it with their teeth and ran
about with the blood dripping from their jaws.
"Hang him up and scrape him," said the proconsul. So Basil was
suspended by his wrists and ankles, and his flesh was torn with rakes.
And as he suffered he cried, "Lord God of ages, I thank thee that I am
deemed worthy to enter into the way of life through these torments,
walking through which I may behold the heirs of thy promises!" Then
he was taken down and cast into prison. And after that the proconsul
sent to the emperor Julian, to announce what had taken place, and to
ask further orders. Then the emperor sent three renegade Christians,
and advised the proconsul to endeavour by all means to persuade and
flatter Basil into apostasy. But though all efforts were used to shake
his resolution they failed, and Basil remained in chains till Julian
himself passed through Ancyra on his way east to the Persian war.
Then Basil was summoned before the emperor, and Julian endeavoured to
persuade him to conform to his religion, but the holy martyr blazed
forth in righteous zeal against the apostate. "Thou renegade hast
abdicated the throne prepared for thee in heaven," he said; "And verily
I believe that Christ whom thou hast abjured will take thee and pluck
thee out of thy dwelling, that thou mayest know how great is that God
whom thou hast offended. Thou hast not thought of His judgments, nor
venerated His altar where thou wast given salvation; thou hast not
kept His law which often thou didst declare with thy lips; wherefore
the great emperor Christ will not remember thee, but will take from
thee speedily thy earthly empire, and thy body shall be deprived of a
sepulchre, and thou shalt breathe forth thy soul in greatest anguish."
Then Julian ordered him to be taken away, and seven thongs to be cut
daily from his skin. This command was given to Frumentinus, Count of
the Squires (Comes Scutariorum.) And when this had been done, the
martyr gathered up one of the strips of skin cut off him, in his
hand, and besought that he might be conducted before the emperor. And
as Frumentinus believed that he was about to make adjuration of his
religion, he brought him into the council hall before Julian. Then he
cried, "Dumb and deaf and blind are thy idols, Apostate! To me to live
is Christ, and to die is gain. He is my helper in whom I trust, and for
whom I suffer. Here is meat for thee, Julian!" and he flung the strip
of skin in his face.
Then the count, alarmed at having occasioned this scene, by suffering
Basil to return into the emperor's presence, hurried him out and cast
him into prison. On the morrow Julian departed for Antioch, without
having seen the count, who feared that he had fallen into disgrace,
and therefore vented his spleen on the martyr. He had iron spikes
heated red-hot, and Basil thrown upon them, so that they burnt into
his bowels. But Basil prayed, "Christ is my light, and Jesus is my
hope, a calm port in tempest. I give Thee thanks, Lord God of my
fathers, because thou hast saved my soul from the abyss; keep Thy Name
inviolate in me, and make me an heir of eternal quiet, for the promise
made unto my fathers by the great High Priest, Jesus Christ, our Lord;
through whom I pray Thee receive my spirit into peace, persevering in
my confession; for Thou art merciful and long-suffering and full of
compassion; who livest and abidest through ages of ages. Amen." And
when he had ended his prayer, as one overcome with slumber, he ceased
and gave up his spirit.