l26.
The letters of Saint Basil (330–379), Loeb Classical Library. The quotation is from letter 123, in volume 2, pp 254–257. There were deep divisions in the church caused by the Arian heresy, and natural disasters including drought and famine (in response to which Bishop Basil set up a soup kitchen). The “Caesarea” referred to was not the one in Israel, but Kayseri in modern Turkey. Its turbulence included exposure to attack by the Persians (who had destroyed the city 100 years before) and it remained vulnerable until the Emperor Justinian I fortified it with a wall 100 years later. The first two words of the translation “Do please” have been inserted by the author in place of “Pray do”, in order to avoid confusion with the second meaning of “pray” later in the passage.
