Was Basil the Great (c.330-379) a Universalist?

 The question of whether Basil the Great (c. 330–379) was a universalist, i.e., whether he believed in the eventual salvation of all souls, is a nuanced and contested issue in patristic scholarship. While Basil is not typically cited as a full proponent of apokatastasis (universal restoration), a close examination of his theological writings, especially in relation to his Cappadocian context and his interactions with Origenist thought, reveals compelling evidence that he held at least a hopeful and possibly systematic view of universal salvation.

Basil’s engagement with the theology of Origen of Alexandria, who openly taught the doctrine of apokatastasis, is crucial. While Basil does not explicitly endorse Origen’s universalism in the radical form (e.g., the salvation of the devil), he shows great respect for Origen’s exegesis and theology. In his Philocalia, a compilation of Origen's writings that Basil co-edited with Gregory Nazianzen, Basil preserves and promotes passages from Origen that express universalist ideas, including the purification of all souls through divine fire (Philocalia, ch. 27). Basil's inclusion of these texts implies at least tacit approval of their theological orientation.

Further, in Homily on Psalm 28, Basil speaks of divine punishment as corrective, not retributive:

“The punishment of God is a purgatorial fire, removing the filth of the soul, like a physician’s cautery.”

This echoes Origen’s doctrine of restorative punishment and aligns closely with the theology of Gregory of Nyssa, Basil’s brother, who was a firm universalist. Gregory openly taught that even hell is remedial and will ultimately lead to reconciliation with God (On the Soul and the Resurrection, Catechetical Oration).

Moreover, Basil’s understanding of divine justice and mercy leans toward a theodicy compatible with universalism. In On the Holy Spirit (ch. 9), Basil emphasizes God's economy (οἰκονομία) and love (ἀγάπη) over wrath. He writes of God as “not willing that any should perish,” reflecting 2 Peter 3:9, a verse often cited by patristic universalists.

While Basil does not make a systematic case for universal salvation and avoids explicit statements that would align him with the more radical Origenist apokatastasis condemned later at the Second Council of Constantinople (553), the trajectory of his theology — especially his views on divine pedagogy, restorative punishment, and his familial and theological proximity to Gregory of Nyssa — makes a strong case that Basil the Great was at least a hopeful universalist.

References:

• Basil of Caesarea, On the Holy Spirit, trans. David Anderson (St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, 1980).

• Basil and Gregory Nazianzen, Philocalia of Origen, in Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Series II, Vol. 9.

• Gregory of Nyssa, On the Soul and the Resurrection, trans. Catherine P. Roth.

• Ilaria Ramelli, The Christian Doctrine of Apokatastasis (Brill, 2013).