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E01177: Gregory of Nazianzus in his Oration 43 of 382, On Basil of Caesarea, describes expressions of passionate grief and veneration during the funeral of *Basil (bishop of Caesarea, ob. 379, S00780), and invokes Basil’s intercession for Gregory’s own health. Composed in Greek, for a memorial ceremony held at Kaisareia/Caesarea of Cappadocia central Asia Minor).
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posted on 2016-03-07, 00:00 authored by erizosGregory of Nazianzus, Oration 43, On Basil of Caesarea (CPG 3010, BHG 245)
79. Ἔκειτο μὲν ὁ ἀνὴρ τὰ τελευταῖα πνέων καὶ παρὰ τῆς ἄνω χοροστασίας ἐπιζητούμενος, πρὸς ἣν ἐκ πλείονος ἔβλεπεν. Ἐχεῖτο δὲ περὶ αὐτὸν πᾶσα ἡ πόλις, τὴν ζημίαν οὐ φέροντες καὶ τῆς ἐκδημίας ὡς τυραννίδος καταβοῶντες καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς λαμβανόμενοι, ὡς καθεκτῆς καὶ βιασθῆναι δυναμένης ἢ χερσὶν ἢ δεήσεσιν. Ἐποίει γὰρ αὐτοὺς καὶ παράφρονας τὸ πάθος, καὶ προσθεῖναί τι τῆς ἑαυτῶν ζωῆς ἕκαστος ἐκείνῳ, εἴπερ οἷόν τε ἦν, πρόθυμος ἦν. Ὡς δὲ ἡττήθησαν - ἔδει γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐλεγχθῆναι ἄνθρωπον ὄντα - καὶ Εἰς χεῖράς σου παραθήσομαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου τελευταῖον εἰπών, τοῖς ἀπάγουσιν αὐτὸν ἀγγέλοις οὐκ ἀηδῶς ἐναπέψυξεν, ἔστιν ἃ τοὺς παρόντας μυσταγωγήσας καὶ βελτίους ποιήσας ταῖς ἐπισκήψεσι, τότε δὴ θαῦμα γίνεται τῶν πώποτε γενομένων ὀνομαστότατον.
80. Προσεκομίζετο μὲν ὁ ἅγιος, χερσὶν ἁγίων ὑψούμενος, σπουδὴ δ’ ἦν ἑκάστῳ τῷ μὲν κρασπέδου λαβέσθαι, τῷ δὲ σκιᾶς, τῷ δὲ τοῦ ἱεροφόρου σκίμποδος καὶ ψαῦσαι μόνον – τί γὰρ ἐκείνου τοῦ σώματος ἱερώτερόν τε καὶ καθαρώτερον; – τῷ δὲ τῶν ἀγόντων ἐλθεῖν πλησίον, τῷ δὲ τῆς θέας ἀπολαῦσαι μόνης, ὥς τι κἀκείνης πεμπούσης ὄφελος. Πλήρεις ἀγοραί, στοαί, διώροφοι, τριώροφοι, τῶν ἐκεῖνον παραπεμπόντων, προηγουμένων, ἑπομένων, παρεπομένων, ἀλλήλοις ἐπεμβαινόντων, μυριάδες γένους παντὸς καὶ ἡλικίας ἁπάσης, οὐ πρότερον γινωσκόμεναι. Ψαλμῳδίαι θρήνοις ὑπερνικώμεναι καὶ τὸ φιλόσοφον τῷ πάθει καταλυόμενον. Ἀγὼν δὲ τοῖς ἡμετέροις πρὸς τοὺς ἐκτός, Ἕλληνας, Ἰουδαίους, ἐπήλυδας· ἐκείνοις πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ὅστις πλέον ἀποκλαυσάμενος πλείονος μετάσχῃ τῆς ὠφελείας. Πέρας τοῦ λόγου, καὶ εἰς κίνδυνον τελευτᾷ τὸ πάθος, συναπελθουσῶν αὐτῷ ψυχῶν οὐκ ὀλίγων, ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ὠθισμοῦ βίας καὶ συγκλονήσεως, αἳ καὶ τοῦ τέλους ἐμακαρίσθησαν, ὡς ἐκείνῳ συνέκδημοι, καὶ θύματα ἐπιτάφια, τάχα ἄν τις εἴποι τῶν θερμοτέρων. Μόγις δὲ τὸ σῶμα διαφυγὸν τοὺς ἁρπάζοντας καὶ νικῆσαν τοὺς προπομπεύοντας, οὕτω τῷ τάφῳ τῶν πατέρων δίδοται, καὶ προστίθεται τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ὁ ἀρχιερεύς, τοῖς κήρυξιν ἡ μεγάλη φωνὴ καὶ τοῖς ἐμοῖς ὠσὶν ἔνηχος, ὁ μάρτυς τοῖς μάρτυσι. Καὶ νῦν, ὁ μέν ἐστιν ἐν οὐρανοῖς, κἀκεῖ τὰς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, οἶμαι, προσφέρων θυσίας καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ προευχόμενος· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀπολοιπὼν ἡμᾶς παντάπασιν ἀπολέλοιπεν (……….)
81. Δεῦρο δὴ περιστάντες με πᾶς ὁ ἐκείνου χορός, ὅσοι τοῦ βήματος καὶ ὅσοι τῶν κάτω, ὅσοι τῶν ἡμετέρων καὶ ὅσοι τῶν ἔξωθεν, τὴν εὐφημίαν μοι συνεργάζεσθε, ἄλλος ἄλλο τι τῶν ἐκείνου καλῶν διηγούμενοι καὶ ζητοῦντες, οἱ τῶν θρόνων τὸν νομοθέτην, οἱ τῆς πολιτείας τὸν πολιστήν, οἱ τοῦ δήμου τὴν εὐταξίαν, οἱ περὶ λόγους τὸν παιδευτήν, αἱ παρθένοι τὸν νυμφαγωγόν, αἱ ὑπὸ ζυγὸν τὸν σωφρονιστήν, οἱ τῆς ἐρημίας τὸν πτερωτήν, οἱ τῆς ἐπιμιξίας τὸν δικαστήν, οἱ τῆς ἁπλότητος τὸν ὁδηγόν, οἱ τῆς θεωρίας τὸν θεολόγον, οἱ ἐν εὐθυμίᾳ τὸν χαλινόν, οἱ ἐν συμφοραῖς τὴν παράκλησιν, τὴν βακτηρίαν ἡ πολιά, τὴν παιδαγωγίαν ἡ νεότης, ἡ πενία τὸν ποριστήν, ἡ εὐπορία τὸν οἰκονόμον· δοκοῦσί μοι καὶ χῆραι τὸν προστάτην ἐπαινέσεσθαι, καὶ ὀρφανοὶ τὸν πατέρα, καὶ πτωχοὶ τὸν φιλόπτωχον, καὶ τὸν φιλόξενον οἱ ξένοι, καὶ ἀδελφοὶ τὸν φιλάδελφον, οἱ νοσοῦντες τὸν ἰατρόν, ἣν βούλει νόσον καὶ ἰατρείαν, οἱ ὑγιαίνοντες τὸν φύλακα τῆς ὑγείας, οἱ πάντες τὸν πάντα πᾶσι γενόμενον ἵνα κερδάνῃ τοὺς πάντας ἢ πλείονας.
82. Ταῦτά σοι παρ’ ἡμῶν, ὦ Βασίλειε, τῆς ἡδίστης σοί ποτε γλώττης καὶ ὁμοτίμου καὶ ἥλικος. Εἰ μὲν τῆς ἀξίας ἐγγύς, σοὶ τοῦτο χάρις· σοὶ γὰρ θαρρῶν, τὸν περὶ σοῦ λόγον ἐνεστησάμην· εἰ δὲ πόρρω καὶ παρὰ πολὺ τῆς ἐλπίδος, τί χρὴ παθεῖν καὶ γήρᾳ καὶ νόσῳ καὶ τῷ σῷ πόθῳ τετρυχωμένους; Πλὴν καὶ Θεῷ φίλον τὸ κατὰ δύναμιν. Σὺ δὲ ἡμᾶς ἐποπτεύοις ἄνωθεν, ὦ θεῖα καὶ ἱερὰ κεφαλή, καὶ τὸν δεδομένον ἡμῖν παρὰ Θεοῦ σκόλοπα τῆς σαρκός, τὴν ἡμετέραν παιδαγωγίαν, ἢ στήσαις ταῖς σεαυτοῦ πρεσβείαις ἢ πείσαις καρτερῶς φέρειν· καὶ τὸν πάντα βίον ἡμῖν διεξάγοις πρὸς τὸ λυσιτελέστατον. Εἰ δὲ μετασταίημεν, δέξαιο κἀκεῖθεν ἡμᾶς ταῖς σεαυτοῦ σκηναῖς, ὡς ἂν ἀλλήλοις συζῶντες καὶ συνεποπτεύοντες τὴν ἁγίαν καὶ μακαρίαν Τριάδα, καθαρώτερόν τε καὶ τελεώτερον, ἧς νῦν μετρίως δεδέγμεθα τὰς ἐμφάσεις, ἐνταῦθα σταίημεν τῆς ἐφέσεως, καὶ ταύτην λάβοιμεν ὧν πεπολεμήκαμεν καὶ πεπολεμήμεθα τὴν ἀντίδοσιν. Σοὶ μὲν οὖν οὗτος παρ’ ἡμῶν ὁ λόγος· ἡμᾶς δὲ τίς ἐπαινέσεται μετὰ σὲ τὸν βίον ἀπολείποντας, εἰ καί τι παράσχοιμεν ἐπαίνου τοῖς λόγοις ἄξιον;
‘79. He lay, drawing his last breath, and the choir above, upon which he long had fixed his gaze, was eagerly awaiting him. There poured about him the whole city, unable to endure his loss, crying out against his departure as against an act of tyranny, and seeking to lay hold of his soul, as though they could restrain and hold it with their hands and their prayers. Their grief drove them mad, and each one was eager to give him a part of his own life, if that were possible. But they were defeated, for he had to give proof that he was a mortal. When he had spoken his last words: 'Into Thy hands I commend my spirit,’ he joyfully gave up his soul to the angels who carried him away. He had previously delivered some mystical teaching to those who were present and rendered them better men by his final injunctions. Then occurred a wonder more extraordinary than anything so far.
80. The holy one was being carried out on the hands of the holy, and every single person rushed, some to seize the hem of his garment [Luke 8:44], others its shadow [Acts 5:15], or just to touch the bier carrying that holy burden. For what could be holier and purer than that body? Others sought to draw near those carrying it, others only to enjoy its sight, as if that alone conveyed some benefit. Market places, porticoes, and buildings two or three stories high were filled with people escorting, preceding, following, accompanying him, and trampling upon each other. Tens of thousands of every race and age, beyond all previous experience. Psalmody was overborne by lamentation, and restraint was overwhelmed by emotion. Our people [=Christians] vied with outsiders, Jews, Greeks, and strangers, and they with us, who would weep more and earn a greater benefit. To close my story, commotion culminated in a dangerous situation, since no mean number of souls followed him in his departure, due to the violence of the pushing and confusion. These people were held blessed for their end, becoming as they did his companions in his departure – a more passionate speaker might even call them funeral sacrifices. Having nearly escaped those attempting to seize it, and overcome those walking before it, the body was consigned to the tomb of the fathers, and thus the archpriest joined the priests, the mighty voice – still ringing in my ears! – joined the heralds, the martyr the martyrs. And now he is in heaven where, I believe, he offers sacrifices for us and leads the prayers of the people. Indeed, although he has gone away from us, he has not left us completely. (………)
81. Come then, all his chorus surrounding me, both those on the tribunal and those below, those from our people and those from outside [= Christians and non-Christians], and join me in building his praise, telling and enquiring one another about his various benefactions: those sitting on thrones tell of Basil the lawmaker; those of state, of him the statesman; those of the people, the guarantor of public order; the learned, the instructor; the unmarried girls, the arranger of marriages; the married women, the moraliser; those pursuing the eremitical life, your heartener; those pursuing the cenobitic life, the man who established your rules; those of the simple living, the guide; those of the contemplative living, the theologian; those living in happiness, your bridle; those living in misfortune, your consoler; the elderly, your support; the young, your tutor; the destitute, your nourisher; the rich, the manager. I believe that the widows will also have words of praise for him as a defender, and the orphans for him as a father; and the poor for his charity; and the strangers for his hospitality; and the brothers for his brotherly love; the sick about him the healer in any sickness and treatment you may think of; the healthy about him the keeper of health. Let everyone speak of this man who made himself everything for everyone in order to win everyone, or at least as many as possible [1 Cor. 9:19].
82. This is our tribute to you, Basil, from this tongue which once was for you most sweet, and your peer in rank and age. If our words have been close to your worth, we owe this to you, for we undertook to speak of you out of confidence in you. But if our speech has fallen way short of what we hoped to achieve, why take offence at a man worn out with age and disease and your regret? After all, even God is contempt, if one does what he can. Now may you watch over us from above, oh figure divine and hallowed, and may you restrain, by your intercession, this thorn of the flesh, which has been given to us by God for our correction, or may you hearten us to suffer it with patience. And may you lead our whole life towards our greatest profit. Were we to depart, may you welcome us into your tabernacle, so that we may dwell together and gaze in greater clarity and fullness the holy and blessed Trinity Whose manifestations we have received in a modest manner during this life. And may we achieve that ultimate desire, and receive that reward for all those battles we have given and endured. This then is our eulogy for you. But who will be there to say ours, when we leave this life after you – should we indeed offer any matter worthy of a eulogy?’
Text: Bernardi 1992
Translation: E. Rizos.
79. Ἔκειτο μὲν ὁ ἀνὴρ τὰ τελευταῖα πνέων καὶ παρὰ τῆς ἄνω χοροστασίας ἐπιζητούμενος, πρὸς ἣν ἐκ πλείονος ἔβλεπεν. Ἐχεῖτο δὲ περὶ αὐτὸν πᾶσα ἡ πόλις, τὴν ζημίαν οὐ φέροντες καὶ τῆς ἐκδημίας ὡς τυραννίδος καταβοῶντες καὶ τῆς ψυχῆς λαμβανόμενοι, ὡς καθεκτῆς καὶ βιασθῆναι δυναμένης ἢ χερσὶν ἢ δεήσεσιν. Ἐποίει γὰρ αὐτοὺς καὶ παράφρονας τὸ πάθος, καὶ προσθεῖναί τι τῆς ἑαυτῶν ζωῆς ἕκαστος ἐκείνῳ, εἴπερ οἷόν τε ἦν, πρόθυμος ἦν. Ὡς δὲ ἡττήθησαν - ἔδει γὰρ αὐτὸν ἐλεγχθῆναι ἄνθρωπον ὄντα - καὶ Εἰς χεῖράς σου παραθήσομαι τὸ πνεῦμά μου τελευταῖον εἰπών, τοῖς ἀπάγουσιν αὐτὸν ἀγγέλοις οὐκ ἀηδῶς ἐναπέψυξεν, ἔστιν ἃ τοὺς παρόντας μυσταγωγήσας καὶ βελτίους ποιήσας ταῖς ἐπισκήψεσι, τότε δὴ θαῦμα γίνεται τῶν πώποτε γενομένων ὀνομαστότατον.
80. Προσεκομίζετο μὲν ὁ ἅγιος, χερσὶν ἁγίων ὑψούμενος, σπουδὴ δ’ ἦν ἑκάστῳ τῷ μὲν κρασπέδου λαβέσθαι, τῷ δὲ σκιᾶς, τῷ δὲ τοῦ ἱεροφόρου σκίμποδος καὶ ψαῦσαι μόνον – τί γὰρ ἐκείνου τοῦ σώματος ἱερώτερόν τε καὶ καθαρώτερον; – τῷ δὲ τῶν ἀγόντων ἐλθεῖν πλησίον, τῷ δὲ τῆς θέας ἀπολαῦσαι μόνης, ὥς τι κἀκείνης πεμπούσης ὄφελος. Πλήρεις ἀγοραί, στοαί, διώροφοι, τριώροφοι, τῶν ἐκεῖνον παραπεμπόντων, προηγουμένων, ἑπομένων, παρεπομένων, ἀλλήλοις ἐπεμβαινόντων, μυριάδες γένους παντὸς καὶ ἡλικίας ἁπάσης, οὐ πρότερον γινωσκόμεναι. Ψαλμῳδίαι θρήνοις ὑπερνικώμεναι καὶ τὸ φιλόσοφον τῷ πάθει καταλυόμενον. Ἀγὼν δὲ τοῖς ἡμετέροις πρὸς τοὺς ἐκτός, Ἕλληνας, Ἰουδαίους, ἐπήλυδας· ἐκείνοις πρὸς ἡμᾶς, ὅστις πλέον ἀποκλαυσάμενος πλείονος μετάσχῃ τῆς ὠφελείας. Πέρας τοῦ λόγου, καὶ εἰς κίνδυνον τελευτᾷ τὸ πάθος, συναπελθουσῶν αὐτῷ ψυχῶν οὐκ ὀλίγων, ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ὠθισμοῦ βίας καὶ συγκλονήσεως, αἳ καὶ τοῦ τέλους ἐμακαρίσθησαν, ὡς ἐκείνῳ συνέκδημοι, καὶ θύματα ἐπιτάφια, τάχα ἄν τις εἴποι τῶν θερμοτέρων. Μόγις δὲ τὸ σῶμα διαφυγὸν τοὺς ἁρπάζοντας καὶ νικῆσαν τοὺς προπομπεύοντας, οὕτω τῷ τάφῳ τῶν πατέρων δίδοται, καὶ προστίθεται τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ὁ ἀρχιερεύς, τοῖς κήρυξιν ἡ μεγάλη φωνὴ καὶ τοῖς ἐμοῖς ὠσὶν ἔνηχος, ὁ μάρτυς τοῖς μάρτυσι. Καὶ νῦν, ὁ μέν ἐστιν ἐν οὐρανοῖς, κἀκεῖ τὰς ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν, οἶμαι, προσφέρων θυσίας καὶ τοῦ λαοῦ προευχόμενος· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀπολοιπὼν ἡμᾶς παντάπασιν ἀπολέλοιπεν (……….)
81. Δεῦρο δὴ περιστάντες με πᾶς ὁ ἐκείνου χορός, ὅσοι τοῦ βήματος καὶ ὅσοι τῶν κάτω, ὅσοι τῶν ἡμετέρων καὶ ὅσοι τῶν ἔξωθεν, τὴν εὐφημίαν μοι συνεργάζεσθε, ἄλλος ἄλλο τι τῶν ἐκείνου καλῶν διηγούμενοι καὶ ζητοῦντες, οἱ τῶν θρόνων τὸν νομοθέτην, οἱ τῆς πολιτείας τὸν πολιστήν, οἱ τοῦ δήμου τὴν εὐταξίαν, οἱ περὶ λόγους τὸν παιδευτήν, αἱ παρθένοι τὸν νυμφαγωγόν, αἱ ὑπὸ ζυγὸν τὸν σωφρονιστήν, οἱ τῆς ἐρημίας τὸν πτερωτήν, οἱ τῆς ἐπιμιξίας τὸν δικαστήν, οἱ τῆς ἁπλότητος τὸν ὁδηγόν, οἱ τῆς θεωρίας τὸν θεολόγον, οἱ ἐν εὐθυμίᾳ τὸν χαλινόν, οἱ ἐν συμφοραῖς τὴν παράκλησιν, τὴν βακτηρίαν ἡ πολιά, τὴν παιδαγωγίαν ἡ νεότης, ἡ πενία τὸν ποριστήν, ἡ εὐπορία τὸν οἰκονόμον· δοκοῦσί μοι καὶ χῆραι τὸν προστάτην ἐπαινέσεσθαι, καὶ ὀρφανοὶ τὸν πατέρα, καὶ πτωχοὶ τὸν φιλόπτωχον, καὶ τὸν φιλόξενον οἱ ξένοι, καὶ ἀδελφοὶ τὸν φιλάδελφον, οἱ νοσοῦντες τὸν ἰατρόν, ἣν βούλει νόσον καὶ ἰατρείαν, οἱ ὑγιαίνοντες τὸν φύλακα τῆς ὑγείας, οἱ πάντες τὸν πάντα πᾶσι γενόμενον ἵνα κερδάνῃ τοὺς πάντας ἢ πλείονας.
82. Ταῦτά σοι παρ’ ἡμῶν, ὦ Βασίλειε, τῆς ἡδίστης σοί ποτε γλώττης καὶ ὁμοτίμου καὶ ἥλικος. Εἰ μὲν τῆς ἀξίας ἐγγύς, σοὶ τοῦτο χάρις· σοὶ γὰρ θαρρῶν, τὸν περὶ σοῦ λόγον ἐνεστησάμην· εἰ δὲ πόρρω καὶ παρὰ πολὺ τῆς ἐλπίδος, τί χρὴ παθεῖν καὶ γήρᾳ καὶ νόσῳ καὶ τῷ σῷ πόθῳ τετρυχωμένους; Πλὴν καὶ Θεῷ φίλον τὸ κατὰ δύναμιν. Σὺ δὲ ἡμᾶς ἐποπτεύοις ἄνωθεν, ὦ θεῖα καὶ ἱερὰ κεφαλή, καὶ τὸν δεδομένον ἡμῖν παρὰ Θεοῦ σκόλοπα τῆς σαρκός, τὴν ἡμετέραν παιδαγωγίαν, ἢ στήσαις ταῖς σεαυτοῦ πρεσβείαις ἢ πείσαις καρτερῶς φέρειν· καὶ τὸν πάντα βίον ἡμῖν διεξάγοις πρὸς τὸ λυσιτελέστατον. Εἰ δὲ μετασταίημεν, δέξαιο κἀκεῖθεν ἡμᾶς ταῖς σεαυτοῦ σκηναῖς, ὡς ἂν ἀλλήλοις συζῶντες καὶ συνεποπτεύοντες τὴν ἁγίαν καὶ μακαρίαν Τριάδα, καθαρώτερόν τε καὶ τελεώτερον, ἧς νῦν μετρίως δεδέγμεθα τὰς ἐμφάσεις, ἐνταῦθα σταίημεν τῆς ἐφέσεως, καὶ ταύτην λάβοιμεν ὧν πεπολεμήκαμεν καὶ πεπολεμήμεθα τὴν ἀντίδοσιν. Σοὶ μὲν οὖν οὗτος παρ’ ἡμῶν ὁ λόγος· ἡμᾶς δὲ τίς ἐπαινέσεται μετὰ σὲ τὸν βίον ἀπολείποντας, εἰ καί τι παράσχοιμεν ἐπαίνου τοῖς λόγοις ἄξιον;
‘79. He lay, drawing his last breath, and the choir above, upon which he long had fixed his gaze, was eagerly awaiting him. There poured about him the whole city, unable to endure his loss, crying out against his departure as against an act of tyranny, and seeking to lay hold of his soul, as though they could restrain and hold it with their hands and their prayers. Their grief drove them mad, and each one was eager to give him a part of his own life, if that were possible. But they were defeated, for he had to give proof that he was a mortal. When he had spoken his last words: 'Into Thy hands I commend my spirit,’ he joyfully gave up his soul to the angels who carried him away. He had previously delivered some mystical teaching to those who were present and rendered them better men by his final injunctions. Then occurred a wonder more extraordinary than anything so far.
80. The holy one was being carried out on the hands of the holy, and every single person rushed, some to seize the hem of his garment [Luke 8:44], others its shadow [Acts 5:15], or just to touch the bier carrying that holy burden. For what could be holier and purer than that body? Others sought to draw near those carrying it, others only to enjoy its sight, as if that alone conveyed some benefit. Market places, porticoes, and buildings two or three stories high were filled with people escorting, preceding, following, accompanying him, and trampling upon each other. Tens of thousands of every race and age, beyond all previous experience. Psalmody was overborne by lamentation, and restraint was overwhelmed by emotion. Our people [=Christians] vied with outsiders, Jews, Greeks, and strangers, and they with us, who would weep more and earn a greater benefit. To close my story, commotion culminated in a dangerous situation, since no mean number of souls followed him in his departure, due to the violence of the pushing and confusion. These people were held blessed for their end, becoming as they did his companions in his departure – a more passionate speaker might even call them funeral sacrifices. Having nearly escaped those attempting to seize it, and overcome those walking before it, the body was consigned to the tomb of the fathers, and thus the archpriest joined the priests, the mighty voice – still ringing in my ears! – joined the heralds, the martyr the martyrs. And now he is in heaven where, I believe, he offers sacrifices for us and leads the prayers of the people. Indeed, although he has gone away from us, he has not left us completely. (………)
81. Come then, all his chorus surrounding me, both those on the tribunal and those below, those from our people and those from outside [= Christians and non-Christians], and join me in building his praise, telling and enquiring one another about his various benefactions: those sitting on thrones tell of Basil the lawmaker; those of state, of him the statesman; those of the people, the guarantor of public order; the learned, the instructor; the unmarried girls, the arranger of marriages; the married women, the moraliser; those pursuing the eremitical life, your heartener; those pursuing the cenobitic life, the man who established your rules; those of the simple living, the guide; those of the contemplative living, the theologian; those living in happiness, your bridle; those living in misfortune, your consoler; the elderly, your support; the young, your tutor; the destitute, your nourisher; the rich, the manager. I believe that the widows will also have words of praise for him as a defender, and the orphans for him as a father; and the poor for his charity; and the strangers for his hospitality; and the brothers for his brotherly love; the sick about him the healer in any sickness and treatment you may think of; the healthy about him the keeper of health. Let everyone speak of this man who made himself everything for everyone in order to win everyone, or at least as many as possible [1 Cor. 9:19].
82. This is our tribute to you, Basil, from this tongue which once was for you most sweet, and your peer in rank and age. If our words have been close to your worth, we owe this to you, for we undertook to speak of you out of confidence in you. But if our speech has fallen way short of what we hoped to achieve, why take offence at a man worn out with age and disease and your regret? After all, even God is contempt, if one does what he can. Now may you watch over us from above, oh figure divine and hallowed, and may you restrain, by your intercession, this thorn of the flesh, which has been given to us by God for our correction, or may you hearten us to suffer it with patience. And may you lead our whole life towards our greatest profit. Were we to depart, may you welcome us into your tabernacle, so that we may dwell together and gaze in greater clarity and fullness the holy and blessed Trinity Whose manifestations we have received in a modest manner during this life. And may we achieve that ultimate desire, and receive that reward for all those battles we have given and endured. This then is our eulogy for you. But who will be there to say ours, when we leave this life after you – should we indeed offer any matter worthy of a eulogy?’
Text: Bernardi 1992
Translation: E. Rizos.
