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Shorter Rules

St Basil the Great, tr. Lowther Clarke, 1925

Rule 1: Is It Lawful or Expedient for a Man to Allow Himself to Do or Say What He Thinks…

Our Lord Jesus Christ says of the Holy Spirit: “He shall not speak from himself; but whatsoever things he shall hear these shall he speak²; and of Himself: ‘The Son can do nothing of himself”;³ and again: “For I spake not from myself; but the Father which sent me, he hath given me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life eternal; the things therefore which I speak, even as the Father hath said unto me, so I speak.”⁴ Who then would be so mad as to dare of himself to conceive anything even in thought, he who needs the holy and good Spirit for a guide, that he may be directed into the way of truth, both in thought and word and deed, and is living blind and in darkness without the sun of righteousness our Lord Jesus Christ Himself Who illumines us with His commandments as with rays? For “the commandment of the Lord”’ it says ‘is clear, enlightening the eyes.”⁵ But since of the things or words common among us some are ordered by the commandment of God in Holy Scripture and others are passed over in silence—as for those that are written no man whatever has any authority to do anything that is prohibited or to leave undone anything that is prescribed; since the Lord once for all proclaimed: Thou shalt keep the word which I command thee this day; thou shalt not add to it nor take away from it.”⁶ For there remains a fearful expectation of judgment and a fierceness of fire about to devour those who dare such a thing. But as for those things passed over in silence the apostle E Paul gave us a rule when he said: All things are lawful to me but all things are not expedient; all things are lawful to me but all things edify not. Let no man seek his own, but each his neighbour’s good.”⁷ So that it is absolutely necessary, either to be subject to God according to His commandment, or to others because of His commandment. For it is written: “Subjecting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ.”⁸ And the Lord says: ‘He that wisheth to be great among you let him be last of all and servant of all”’⁹—alienated that is from his own wishes, imitating the Lord Himself Who says: “I am come down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of my Father which sent me.”¹⁰

Notes

A typical example of B.’s attitude towards Scripture; cf. In Eun. ii. 27; 224C; Mor. xxvi. 1, lxxx. 22.
Jn. xvi. 13 ἂν ἀκούσῃ for ἀκούσει K, add ταῦτα before λαλήσει**.
Jn. v. 19.
Jn. xii. 49; 50.
Ps. xix. 8.
Deut. iv. 2. B. gives a free version of the LXX and transposes the clauses.
1 Cor. x. 23 add μοι before ἔξεστιν twice K; 24 add ἕκαστος after ἑτέρου K.
Eph. v. 21.
Mk. ix. 34 conflated with parallel passages.
Jn. vi. 38 ἐκ for ἀπό K, add πατρός after με. R. adds Mt. v. 41. Cf. Ben. Reg. vii, where the second grade of humility is to imitate the Lord Who said (Jn. vi. 38).