The Greek Christian author Basil of Caesarea (c.330–379) is usually remembered by church historians of late antiquity for his defense of the deity of the Holy Spirit in the final stages of the Arian controversy during the 370s. That defense played a critical role in codifying the orthodox Christian teaching about the Trinity at the Council of Constantinople (381). Basil has much to teach us, though, about other areas of the Christian life. Take, for instance, the vital area of Christian friendship.
ORTHODOXY-ENERGIZING FRIENDSHIP
One of Basil’s closest friends was Eusebius, bishop of Samosata (c.305–380), a city on the Euphrates River some 300 miles from Caesarea. Samosata has been described by historian Lewis Ayres as a “strategically important city” since it was “close to the borders of the [Roman] Empire.” Samosata contained Greek speakers like Eusebius, but also many Syriac- and Armenian-speaking Christians. Most of what we definitely know about Eusebius is from the letters of Basil. There is little doubt the two men deeply enjoyed each other’s presence, and Basil delighted in having such a mentor.
Eusebius’s birth date is uncertain. Basil speaks of his “venerable age” in his Letter 98, which would probably place his birth between 303
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