Church Father · c. AD 330–379

Basil of Caesarea (Basil the Great)

Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, one of the three "Cappadocian Fathers" (with Gregory of Nazianzus and his own brother Gregory of Nyssa). De Spiritu Sancto (On the Holy Spirit) defends the full divinity of the Holy Spirit against those willing to affirm the Son's divinity but not the Spirit's — notably, Basil's own public language in the work is deliberately cautious (he avoids flatly calling the Spirit "God" in his own voice in places, for pastoral/strategic reasons he explains), which is itself debated by scholars as a rhetorical strategy rather than doctrinal hesitation; read his stated reasoning before concluding either way.

Brief introduction from the source collection. A full library biography has not yet been prepared.