Basil’s predecessor Eusebius had in 364 persuaded him to accept ordination; he had completed his the third and final installment of Against Encomius in 365.

Having succeeded Eusebius in 370, Basil has flourished in his role as defender of orthodoxy among the churches of Anatolia, which have suffered from rifts caused by the Arian controversy.

He has applied his brilliant organizational gifts to the founding of hospitals, the fostering of monastic communities, and the reformation of the liturgy.

He has formulated a code for monastic life known as the Rule, which becomes the foundation of eastern monasticism.

His introduction of charitable service as a work discipline places monasticism in an urban context.

A prolific writer, he is celebrated for his influential 375 treatise, On the Holy Spirit.