Saint Basil the Great: Sermon on Humility

This sermon by St. Basil the Great is taken from the Patrologia Graeca, Volume 31

Saint Basil the Great (c. 330–379), born into a wealthy Christian family in Caesarea of Cappadocia, was a pivotal figure in early Christianity, renowned for his theological writings, ascetic vision, and charitable works. Educated in Athens alongside his close friend Gregory of Nazianzus, Basil pursued the monastic life, founding communities and establishing the influential Ascetical Rules that shaped Eastern communal monasticism. As bishop of Caesarea, he vigorously defended Nicene orthodoxy against Arianism, most notably through his treatise On the Holy Spirit, which articulated the divinity of the Holy Spirit. He also founded the Basiliad, a vast charitable institution for the poor, sick, and travelers—an early model of hospital care. Despite lifelong frail health, Basil’s sermons, theological works, and liturgical contributions, including the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil, secured his legacy as one of the most important Fathers of the Church, revered in both Eastern and Western Christianity.