Review of "On the Holy Spirit" by St. Basil the Great

Reading On the Holy Spirit by St. Basil the Great is somewhat like reading two books simultaneously. The title gives the first subject, the Holy Spirit. The second, the state of the fourth century church, occurs inadvertently. Both are educational and enjoyable. St. Basil begins his defense of the divinity of the Holy Spirit by showing the similarities between the language used to describe Jesus and the language used for the Holy Spirit. At the time of his writing, the question of the deity of Jesus is largely settled. (I recommend On the Incarnation by St. Athanasius for a good defense of Jesus’ deity.) The argument then progresses to show the distinction between the Holy Spirit and the Father and Son. Several examples are expounded, such as passages dealing with blasphemy of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit’s intercession for us. Thus, he articulates the unity and distinction of the Holy Spirit with and within the Godhead. Ultimately, his discussion is persuasive.

The other thread that runs through the book is the state of the fourth century church. I was particularly interested in the role that Scripture played in relation to the teaching of the Fathers. St. Basil acknowledges both, but uses Scripture almost exclusively for his defense—although his Scripture includes several apocryphal books. All of this is being written to a church in turmoil. St. Basil laments, “To what can I compare our present condition? It is like a naval battle, kindled by old quarrels, fought by men who love war, who cultivate hatred for one another…The disorder and confusion is beyond description….” The comfort in all of this is that if we think the faith is in turmoil now, it surely was then too. But the battle did not quench the faith that still prevails today. As G. K. Chesterton says, “Five times in history the faith has had all the appearance of going to the dogs. Five times it has been the dog that died.”