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The Ascetic Works of Saint Basil: Author’s Preface and Introduction

W. K. L. Clarke

IX. Spiritual Value

A few words may be said in conclusion about the spiritual value of the Rules. St. Basil was a brilliant and versatile man and a deeply spiritual personality. The rhetoric of some of the Fathers sets up a barrier between modern readers and appreciation of their writings. In these heart to heart talks of the great Saint there is little of the kind to offend a fastidious reader. Some of the Longer Rules are excellently suited for reading aloud in religious houses or at retreats. The Morals are perhaps the finest guide for the devotional study of Scripture which has come down to us from antiquity. No one could meditate upon the 80th Rule, for example, without great spiritual benefit.

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