Illumination in Basil of Caesarea’s Doctrine of the Holy Spirit

If Basil of Caesarea receives mention in a standard course of lectures on Christian theology or history it is as the first person to write a dedicated discourse on the Holy Spirit. Ironically, the primary question about Basil for scholars is whether he fully believed in the divinity of the Holy Spirit himself. Timothy McConnell argues that Basil did regard the Holy Spirit as fully divine and an equal Person of the Holy Trinity. However, Basil refused to use philosophical terminology to make the point, preferring instead to prove the divinity of the Holy Spirit by what the Spirit himself revealed through divine act and Holy Scripture. Thus, "illumination" becomes the primary paradigm that Basil used to argue the divinity of the Holy Spirit, rather than philosophical rationalism of his time. What Basil called illumination, later theologians would come to refer to as 'theology of revelation' setting the stage for this study's high relevance for contemporary thought. Although Basil of Caesarea was the first to write a discourse on the Holy Spirit, many scholars have since questioned if he fully believed in the Spirit's divinity. Timothy P. McConnell argues that Basil did regard the Spirit as fully divine and an equal Person of the Trinity. However, Basil refused to use philosophical terminology to make the point, preferring to use what the Spirit revealed through divine act and Scripture. Thus, "illumination" becomes the primary paradigm for Basil, which later theologians would come to call revelation, setting the stage for this study's high relevance for contemporary thought. Book jacket Although Basil of Caesarea was the first to write a discourse on the Holy Spirit, many scholars have since questioned if he fully believed in the Spirit's divinity. Timothy McConnell argues that Basil did regard the Spirit as fully divine and an equal Person of the Trinity. However, Basil refused to use philosophical terminology to make the point, preferring to use what the Spirit himself revealed through divine act and Scripture. Thus, "illumination" becomes the primary paradigm for Basil setting the stage for this study's high relevance for contemporary thought Abbreviations ix Preface xi Introduction: Basil and Knowledge of God 1 1. Illumination and the Holy Spirit 9 2. In Divine Light—Baptism as Illumination 31 3. The Divine Light over Creation 71 4. The Divine Light over Scripture 145 5. Conclusion: To Speak of the Spirit of God 215 Bibliography 227 Index of Subjects and Names 241 Index of Biblical References 245 vii