Compendium

and to distribute them to others. For this reason the words which follow, "to consecrate," and "to perfect divine [mysteries]," are said either by synecdoche, or by hysteron proteron, or perhaps (as was said above) signifying a more manifest invocation, which was not so openly contained in the words of the Savior. ^A

These are the things I have had to say in the present regarding the sacrament of the Eucharist, just as I had promised from the beginning. Wherein, if I am not mistaken, I have so resolved the arguments and proofs of the adversaries that no opportunity for struggling in vain and fruitlessly should seem to remain afterward; provided that all remember how manifest, and how far beyond all contention, the testimonies of the saints are, by which it is shown that it is the words of the Lord that integrally complete the holy mystery of the Eucharist, and that therefore all other words ought not to be dragged to these, nor these to others; and furthermore, that these are to be believed above all others, both because all are unanimous and of one opinion, whether they be Eastern ^B or Western, and because they speak of this matter so clearly and manifestly that no doubt whatsoever remains for you. The things which are said on the contrary side are so obscure and enfolded in, as it were, certain shadows, that they receive many various and scarcely disentangleable expositions. But all the learned both think and order that clearer things should be used for the understanding of those things which are more obscure. Since these things are so, finally, we exhort and beseech those into whose hands these may happen to come that, all contention cast aside, reading these with an eagerness only for finding the truth, they may approach that very truth, accept what is found, and make what is accepted known to others. Farewell, however, to all those who, not following the path of reason at all, are not ashamed to belch forth and vomit out—with contention and often even with wrangling and insults—whatever has come into their mind, or rather, into their mouth, sparing no one.

COMPENDIUM OF THE ASCETIC CONSTITUTIONS OF SAINT BASIL BY BESSARION, CARDINAL OF THE HOLY ROMAN CHURCH

Codex CV, without a title, [contains] the index of the work immediately following: *Prologue to the following ascetic Constitutions of our blessed Father Basil, composed by the most reverend and most wise Father in Christ, Bessarion, Cardinal of Nicaea.*

These ascetic Constitutions are not, indeed, the entire body of the Rule of Saint Basil, but only a compendium of it, which the same Bessarion, as he himself testifies in the Prologue, compiled from the massive volume of the same for the sake of the Basilian cenobites living throughout all Italy and Sicily. Since, however, every index of books, every notice, and even the catalogue of the library of St. Mark itself—which that most lettered of the purple-clad, having acquired it with the greatest zeal from everywhere and purchased it for thirty thousand gold pieces, gave as a gift to the Senate of Venice—is silent concerning this Greek labor of Bessarion, whether printed or manuscript, it seems to me that I shall do a thing surely very welcome to readers desirous of learning monastic discipline if I, in turn, set forth the Index and Prologue of so recondite a work as a specimen.

INDEX.

Chap. 1. Prologue to the following ascetic Constitutions of our all-blessed Father Basil. ^C Chap. 2. What are the types of the monastic state, and which of them is both better and safer. Chap. 3. What kind of person the superior ought to be. Chap. 4. Concerning the fact that he must do everything with the counsel of the brothers. Chap. 5. How he ought to be anxious for the correction of those who sin, and how one must deal with those who do not correct themselves after a third admonition. Chap. 7. ^D How and from what age those who approach the monastery from the lay life are to be received; and how the younger ones ought to be led and educated. Chap. 8. Concerning the manner of life of those who have renounced the world, and concerning obedience to those who are set over them. And that everything ought to be common to them, and [that they ought] to have nothing as their own; and how they ought to dispose themselves toward their kinsmen according to the flesh. Chap. 9. How and at what hours one ought to pray. Chap. 10. Whether it is permitted, and for what reasons it is permitted, to depart from the monastery and the brotherhood.

Chap. 11. Whether those who depart from another monastery are to be received. Chap. 12. How the superior is to be corrected if he is suspected of sinning in something. Chap. 13. What kind of men those entrusted with the care of the cellar and other ministries ought to be; and how the vessels committed to them are to be cared for. Chap. 14. Concerning sick brothers, and whether medical treatments are to be used. Chap. 15. Concerning garments and food proper to a monk. Chap. 16. Whether monks ought to work with their own hands, and what works. Chap. 17. Concerning those not present at the time of the common reception of food. Chap. 18. Concerning reading at the table, and how it is to be listened to. Chap. 19. Concerning silence, which is to be kept not only in prayers, but everywhere. Chap. 20. That after the superior, another must occupy his place in his stead. Chap. 21. To which of the brothers one ought to grant absences, and how to examine them upon their return. Chap. 22. Concerning the love of monks for one another, and that societies of two or three ought not to exist in an ascetic institution. Chap. 23. Whether it is permitted to all to give alms. Chap. 24. Penances for those who sin in various ways.

The individual headings of this index of chapters correspond clearly to the headings inscribed within the work itself, except for the fourth chapter, where in place of [the original] is substituted [that] of the eighth, in which is contained [that] which pertains to the renunciation of the world, etc.; [and] of the tenth, where after the word [there] is doubled; [and] finally the heading of the thirteenth, which does not exhibit "not caring for" but "caring for."

PROLOGUE

Our most blessed and great Father Basil, by reason of his wisdom and divine virtue, composed a work on the ascetic life [that is] most useful and rich in its variety of matter. Nevertheless, some men who follow the monastic life, and who—especially in Italy and Sicily—presume to observe the laws and rules of that life, are unskilled in the Greek tongue—inasmuch as they are descended from Latin parents—and are unable to read Greek; or, if they do read, they are often in error and understand little of what is read. Others, moreover, while they might understand a little, see only dimly the brief canons and statutes under which they have promised to live. And as for what the Teacher has said concerning the monastic state, they know only as much as they have gleaned from reading his books. Therefore, it seemed good to me to take our divine Father’s book—which those I have mentioned are unable to taste due to the vastness of the subject-matter and their ignorance of the language—and to expound it briefly, so that they may select from it what is useful and advantageous for those living in a cenobitic life for their daily usage. And indeed, I shall set forth these rules insofar as they respond to common use, from the observance of which monks will be able to attain perfection. For when my work has been reduced to a compendium, those who take pleasure in this brevity will also wish to know the larger work, and those who cannot yet understand the matter will easily grasp it with application. For the rules will be delivered in the very words of the holy doctor, and it will be indicated everywhere from which chapter or section each has been taken, so that he who wishes to return to the source may see that we have not added even the slightest thing of our own, but that whatever we provide are the words of the holy doctor himself. But whoever wishes may also embrace the broader meaning of the sayings and the causes, if they so desire. Therefore, brothers, let us turn our mind to his divine words; let us lend our ear to the utterances of his mouth. For his lips will pour forth wisdom, and his heart will utter prudence; and when we have listened with all diligence, let us observe his precepts.

^A For as the Apostle Paul says, “not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.” For if we bring what is within our own power, the Master who said to us, “Without me you can do nothing,” will pour forth his own grace, cooperating with us in good things and working with us. If this grace of the kingdom of heaven, whatever that may be, works with us, we shall undoubtedly attain it; for it is the ultimate of all good things, the highest of those things to be desired, and the only final end of the rational creation.

The second chapter of this ascetic compendium, or rather the first, if the Prologue did not usurp the primacy, begins: “There are two orders of monks: the cenobitic order, and the order of hermits.” The last, which comprises the Penances, ends: “If anyone sends to someone a blessing or receives anything whatever apart from the archimandrite, let him be deprived of the blessing.”

Continuously written in red letters is

The End of the Ascetic works of the Great Basil contracted into an epitome

Furthermore, so that I may bring forward something certain regarding the work just reviewed—which neither Allatius in Italy, nor Garnerius, the editor of St. Basil’s works, in Gaul, nor Fabricius in Germany explained to me—it was at length revealed in Spain by Ludovicus ab Angelis, a monk of the Basilian order. For to him we owe not only the knowledge of this praised work, but also the correction of the Spanish interpretation, which he himself diligently collated with a Latin exemplar subscribed by the hand of Cardinal Sirleto, the protector of the same order, which interpretation was published at Seville in the year 1615 (1). The same edition was reprinted at Madrid in the year 1664 (2). Then, an anonymous Basilian at the same place published the Sevillan edition, having purged it of several errors, in the year 1699 (3). Lastly, P. Franciscus de Bejar, formerly abbot of the Basilian monastery of Madrid, ordered the same work to be published again in that city, following the faithfulness of this last edition (4), emulating both the minute lettering and the minimal format of the booklet of the Rule of St. Benedict, which is in everyone’s hands.

The Greek book and the Spanish interpretation differ between themselves in that the former contains only fifty-nine chapters, even though it claims fifty-nine, because one chapter—the beginning of which is “If anyone acts out of season”—is distributed into two, namely fifty-one and fifty-two; the latter, however, contains sixty-two. Indeed, in the former, three are missing which are numbered ninth, forty-ninth, and sixtieth in the Spanish interpretation. I have little leisure to weigh and compare the rest pertaining to this. I cannot, however (as far as the Greek manuscripts compared with printed Greek texts are concerned), pass over in silence that among the mistakes published by Garnerius in the Basilian edition, the exemplar of our copy is lacking [in]