Heaven or Paradise in the Homilies of Saint Basil: text and context of the proposal

Abstract

Saint Basil is the first to deal, from a physical point of view, with the origin and constitution of the empyrean heaven, with a notable influence on medieval theology. For him, the sky is much older than the visible world, it is even eternal without relation to time. It can be said that for the saint it is a place or something analogous, suitable for receiving angelic natures. It is not, as the Gnostics maintained, that only pneumatics reach heaven and that ascension is the effect of a special intellectual quality, but that Heaven is the result of Faith in Christ as much as of honest conduct. To present to us the idea of heaven, Basilio works by showing something like the reverse of the plot: faced with the pain and suffering of this passing world, God awaits us in that other and new world where each pain will correspond to joy and joy without end. And, furthermore, those who are already there because of their testimony or his good works, intercede for each one of us so that we can all enjoy eternally with Him and with them.