The letter of St. Basil to Young Men: Address to Young Men On How They Might Derive Benefit From Greek Literature

Saint Basil’s letter “Address to the Young Men on How They Might Derive Benefit From Greek Literature” has been the most widely read of any text by the Fathers, since the year 1459 when it was first published in a Latin translation. It has generated many editions and commentaries. Erasmus considered it unsurpassed by all the orators of antiquity. It constitutes a literary masterpiece equal to Demosthenes’ rhetoric and Plato’s dialectic. In St. Basil’s letter virtue is depicted in the eyes of the young as a brilliant mosaic made out of golden tiles of ancient Greek poets, orators and philosophers and a guide to Him who said: “I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.” (John, 14:6)The question of what work of literature it is and to whom it was addressed remains until today an unsolved timeless enigma. Through this book, maybe for the first time, the answer to this enigma is brought to the readers’ judgement, based on revealing evidence taken from Saint Basil’s extant correspondence.The original text is also accompanied by enriched annotation and referrals to other ancient texts.