Born to a wealthy landowning family (Basil & Emmelia; grandfather martyr, grandmother Macrina the Elder, disciple of Greg.Thaum.) and privileged with the finest education available in his time (48/9 Libanios, 50 Athens with Prohaeresius & Himerius, 55/6 back), Basil left a promising career as a rhetorician behind. He pursued a monastic life in Pontus (57) instead, also taking time to travel through the Eastern world, visiting important monastic figures. He become deacon in Caesarea in 360 (that year he attended with bishop synod of CP. Eun & pbs); by 364 he was a priest (Basiliades, famine 68); and in 370, he attained the position of bishop, which office he held until his death. 372/3 visit of Valens and division of the province. Break with Eusth (who accuses him of relationship with Apollinarians). 375: quest for union in the East. Letters with Damasus. 378 death of Valens. Three major challenges faced Basil during his episcopate: 1) theological controversies, with the Anomeans and then the Macedonians, 2) Basil tried to achieve unity in Cappadocia as well as in Antioch vis a vis doctrinal controversies, and 3) oversight of various monastic communities and the relations between monasteries and the church.
Basil's most famous dogmatic work is the De spiritu sancto, in which he argued that the Spirit should be worshipped as God equally with Father and Son, but did not make his status as homoousios explicit. 10-27 edited version of the dialogue with Eusthasius of June 372
The Contra Eunomium offers an Athanasian-style refutation of the positions of Eunomius. Answers (63/4) the Apology (60/1) in 3 books rebutting Anhomoian Trinitarian theology. I. agenneton. II Creation of Son.III No difference in Substance of HS. Divinity is assumed in the name "HS" and "Paraclete" but not explicitly.
Philokalia: 27 chapters on 3 topics: acces to SE, defense of them due to their lesser literary value, autexusía
His Corpus asceticum consisted of 7 writings mostly directed to monastic communities(regulae morales, 59/60 organized collection of scriptural passages.2nd ed. With double preface: On God's judgment, On Faith) summarize in 80 rules. Small Asketikon (60-70) [origin of later short & long rules] extant only in Rufinus' translation. 11 long + 192 short. Great Asketikon (LR + SR) after 73. After Basil attains the form of 50 long (originally 1-11) and 313 SR (originally 12-203). Finally the Prolog to the Hypotyposis as a cover letter contains Bible citations. Together with the C.Asc are ep. 2 (more eremitic), 22 (more cenobitic) and 173 (written to a female ascetic called Theodora). Bapt after 370
Homilies: ethic and religious (23), on Psalms (15), Hexaemeron (9, year 378).
The most extensive part of his works are the homilies, the most famous of which are the Hexaemeron, a commentary on the first six days of creation in which he descries allegory. The Philocalia, a compendium of works from Origen, show B. and G. of Nazianzus' interest in the famous Alexandrian scholar and theologian. Basil. left a number of letters behind, ranging from the occasional to the dogmatic.
In may respects his effects are larger than the direct influence: Pn, biblical argumentation, doctrine of creation, social critique, GP energies. Humanists appretiated his Hellenistic culture. Basil's greatest legacy was in finding middle ground between opposing parties in the Christian church-he was the great church politician of the4th century. While Basil's reputation earned him the appellation "Great" immediately after his death, his greatest influence was years, decades, and centuries after his time. His Regulae fusius and brevius shaped St. Benedict's thinking about monastic life (by way of Rufinus' Latin translation). His promotion of the cenobitic way of life over the eremitical formed monastic communities in the East and especially in the West. His pneumatology paved the way for the conclusions of the Council of Constantiople in 381 as well as for Gregory of Nazianzus' and Gregory of Nyssa's later work. A letter/treatise called Ad adolescents proved influential among the Renaissance humanists, offering a way for Christians to appropriate pagan culture.