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Saint Basil of Caesarea (c. 329–378/9 CE) was a monk, bishop, preacher, theologian, and social activist who had very down-to-earth views about eating, drinking, fasting, and feasts in honor of local martyrs. In this new collection of sermon translations—most offered here in English for the first time—Basil addresses such issues as drunkenness, hesitations over baptism, community benefits of...

fasting has interposed itself as a moderator and interrupted your continual self-indulgence, it will show you that eating is desired so long as it is postponed. Accordingly, if you wish to prepare yourself a table that arouses desire, accept the change introduced by fasting. But because you are overly attached to self-indulgence, you have failed to notice that you make self-indulgence banal to yourself and destroy its pleasure by love of pleasure. For while there is nothing so desirable that it does
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