Moral Rules (Moralia)

Contents

Reading pages: 1–9 · 12–25 · 26–45 · 47–56 · 57–61 · 62–69 · 70 · 71–72 · 73.1–80

1. 1Basil's first rule: believers must repent first, now is the time for repentance, repentance must be heartfelt and bear fruit, and after death there is no more time for good deeds.
2. 2Basil's second rule: no one can serve God while bound to other things; the convert must first be cleansed, and nothing of this world may come before Christ.
3. 3Basil's third rule: the first commandment is love of God and the second love of neighbour, and love of God is shown by keeping Christ's commandments even to death.
4. 4Basil's fourth rule: doing God's will glorifies him, and breaking his law dishonours him.
5. 5Basil's fifth rule: Christians must love even enemies, show their discipleship by mutual love, avoid grieving a brother to the harm of his faith, seek reconciliation, and sometimes grieve those they love for their good.
6. 6Basil's sixth rule, on fearless confession of Christ, with Rules 7 (hearing without obeying condemns) and 8 (one must not doubt the Lord's words), whose headings the scan lost.
7. 9Basil's ninth rule, on attentive learning of God's will, with Rules 10 (the end of sin is death, of the commandment life) and 11 (God's judgments must be feared), whose headings the scan lost.
8. 12Basil's twelfth rule: every word of the Lord must be accepted without contradiction, human tradition must not override God's commandment, all that the Lord handed down must be kept, and God's will must be preferred to one's own.
9. 13Basil's thirteenth rule: Christians must always be watchful and ready, treating every season as fit for doing what pleases God.
10. 14Basil's fourteenth rule: each word and deed has its proper time, as Jesus taught about fasting.
11. 15Basil's fifteenth rule: no one may rely on the good works of others and neglect his own.
12. 16Basil's sixteenth rule: living alongside those who please God is no help to someone who does not set his own mind right.
13. 17Basil's seventeenth rule: Christians should read the signs of the times shown in Scripture and arrange their lives accordingly.
14. 18Basil's eighteenth rule: God's commandments must be done in the way the Lord directed, for God's glory, with a good conscience, faithfully in small things, with insatiable desire, and so that others are enlightened.
15. 19Basil's nineteenth rule, that no one may hinder those doing God's will, with Rule 20 on baptism into the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and on its meaning, whose heading the scan lost.
16. 21Basil's twenty-first rule: partaking of Christ's body and blood is necessary for eternal life, must be done with understanding and worthily, in remembrance of his obedience unto death, and with hymns.
17. 22Basil's twenty-second rule: sin estranges from the Lord and binds to the devil, and true kinship with the Lord comes from doing God's will.
18. 23Basil's twenty-third rule: one who sins against his will is held by an earlier sin which he serves willingly.
19. 24Basil's twenty-fourth rule: Christians must not lie but speak the truth.
20. 25Basil's twenty-fifth rule: Christians must avoid pointless and quarrelsome enquiries and every idle word.
21. 26Basil's twenty-sixth rule: every word and deed must be confirmed by the testimony of inspired Scripture, which also teaches from nature and common life.
22. 27Basil's twenty-seventh rule, on imitating God and the saints, with Rules 28 (testing those who counterfeit the truth), 29 (proving oneself by works) and 30 (not profaning holy things), whose headings the scan lost.
23. 31Basil's thirty-first rule, on what is set apart for those dedicated to God, with Rules 32 (render to each what is due) and 33 (on causing others to stumble), whose headings the scan lost.
24. 34Basil's thirty-fourth rule, that each should set a good example, with Rules 35 (on blaspheming the Holy Spirit by crediting his fruit to the adversary) and 36 (on receiving those who keep the Lord's teaching), whose headings the scan lost.
25. 37Basil's thirty-seventh rule, that eager service according to one's means is acceptable to God even from women, with Rule 38 on simple hospitality toward the brothers, whose heading the scan lost.
26. 39Basil's thirty-ninth rule: Christians must stand firm in the faith and not be moved from the good things of the Lord.
27. 40Basil's fortieth rule: those who teach other doctrines must not be tolerated.
28. 41Basil's forty-first rule: whatever causes stumbling must be cut off, however dear, while the weak in faith must be spared and helped toward perfection.
29. 42Basil's forty-second rule, that the Lord came to fulfil the law and the prophets, with Rule 43 on how the gospel goes beyond the law, whose heading the scan lost.
30. 44Basil's forty-fourth rule: Christ's yoke is kind and light, while everything foreign to the gospel is a heavy burden.
31. 45Basil's forty-fifth rule, that the kingdom belongs to those who treat one another as equals like children and love the lowest place, with Rule 46 on showing greater zeal in greater things, whose heading the scan lost.
32. 47Basil's forty-seventh rule, on treasure in heaven, with Rules 48 (on mercy, sharing, poverty, freedom from anxiety and the duty to work) and 49 (on not going to law or taking revenge), whose headings the scan lost.
33. 50Basil's fiftieth rule: Christians must lead others into the peace of Christ.
34. 51Basil's fifty-first rule: one must correct one's own faults before accusing another.
35. 52Basil's fifty-second rule: Christians must grieve over sinners, rebuke them, keep company with them only to call them to repentance, and treat the obstinate as outsiders.
36. 53Basil's fifty-third rule: Christians must forgive from the heart those who wrong them.
37. 54Basil's fifty-fourth rule: Christians must not judge one another in matters Scripture leaves free, nor doubt in them, nor judge hidden things, nor judge with partiality or without a hearing.
38. 55The opening of Basil's fifty-fifth rule: every good thing, even endurance in suffering for Christ, is God's gift.
39. 56A repetition in the scan of Basil's fifty-third rule, on forgiving from the heart.
40. 57Rules 55 (every good is God's gift, and thanksgiving), 56 (on persevering in prayer, and how to pray) and 57 (against pride in one's good deeds), preceded in the scan by a repetition of Rule 54.
41. 58Basil's fifty-eighth rule: God's gifts cannot be bought; they are given by measure of faith for the common good, must be given freely, and grow or are lost according to how they are used.
42. 59Basil's fifty-ninth rule: Christians must not seek human glory or excessive honour, and must correct those who give it.
43. 60Basil's sixtieth rule: since the Spirit's gifts differ, each must be content with his gift and all must agree in Christ's love like members of one body.
44. 61Basil's sixty-first rule: those who serve the Lord's grace must not be despised for their lowliness, since God delights in such people.
45. 62Basil's sixty-second rule, on preparing for temptation after baptism, not seeking it, fleeing at the right time and answering it from Scripture, with Rule 63 on courage in danger, whose heading the scan lost.
46. 64Basil's sixty-fourth rule: Christians must rejoice to suffer anything, even death, for the Lord's name and commandments.
47. 65Basil's sixty-fifth rule: one must pray fittingly even at the moment of death.
48. 67Basil's sixty-sixth rule, that those who struggle for godliness must not be abandoned and must be prayed for, and his sixty-seventh, that those assured of the resurrection should not grieve over the dead.
49. 68Basil's sixty-eighth rule: the life of the resurrection is angelic and free from need, and the Lord's coming will not be local or fleshly but in glory over the whole world at once.
50. 69Basil's sixty-ninth rule sets out, in Scripture's own lists, the vices that are forbidden together and carry a sentence, and the virtues that are approved together and receive blessings.
51. 70Basil's seventieth rule, in thirty-seven chapters, on those entrusted with preaching the word: how they are to be appointed, what and how they must teach, and how they are to care for, lead and, when necessary, leave those entrusted to them.
52. 71Basil's seventy-first rule gathers the precepts of Scripture on bishops and presbyters, and on deacons.
53. 72Basil's seventy-second rule, on hearers: they are to test teachers by the Scriptures or by the fruits of the Spirit, receive true teachers as the Lord, and accept the commandments and reproof as the way to life.
54. 73.1Basil's rule that husband and wife may not separate except for sexual immorality or a hindrance to godliness, supported from Matthew, Luke and Paul.
55. 73.2Basil's rule that neither the husband who puts away his wife nor the woman put away may marry again, supported by Matt 19:9.
56. 73.3Basil's rule that husbands must love their wives as Christ loved the church, from Ephesians 5.
57. 73.4Basil's rule that wives must be subject to their husbands as the church is to Christ, from Ephesians 5 and Titus 2.
58. 73.5Basil's rule that women should adorn themselves with good works rather than finery, from 1 Timothy 2.
59. 73.6Basil's rule that women should be silent in church and learn at home, from 1 Corinthians 14 and 1 Timothy 2.
60. 74This section holds Basil's rules 74–76: on widows, on slaves and masters, and on children and parents.
61. 77Basil's seventy-seventh rule: virgins should be free of worldly cares so as to serve God undistracted in mind and body.
62. 78Basil's seventy-eighth rule: soldiers must not use violence to extort or bring false accusations.
63. 79Basil's seventy-ninth rule: rulers are avengers of God's ordinances, and one must obey them in everything that does not break God's commandment.
64. 80Basil's eightieth and last rule: what the word wants Christians, and those entrusted with preaching, to be, ending with his summary of the marks of a Christian.