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Fool for Christ
Author: Linda DeLaine
Website: RL Online
Department:
Page: 1 ( 1) pages
Summary: What it means to be a 'fool for Christ' and specifically the life of St. Basil.
Basil was known as an idiot or
fool (yurodivi) for Christ. This is a distinction given to Christians
who live outside the bounds of accepted social behavior. Anywhere else, these
people would be locked up in mental facilities. Basil was a prophet who wore no
clothing in both summer and winter. His survival in winter is one of the
miracles credited to him. Holy fools are harmless and nonviolent. Everything
they do and their personal presentation is intended to reflect the teachings of
Christ. They are typically homeless and penniless.
Basil considered clothing to be nothing more than the trappings of society and an indication of ones position or lack thereof. God created man naked and equal, thus Basil simply went back to basics!
Uninhibited by the shackles of society, Basil could not be compromised and he soon became known for his prophecies and healing miracles. The most incredible aspect of Basil's life was his relationship with Tsar Ivan IV (the Terrible). Ivan was greatly feared. His opreichnina, a force of some 6,000 men, destroyed entire villages at the Tsar's command. The last thing anyone would intentionally do was challenge or contradict Ivan.
Basil was the exception. As the story goes, Basil gave Ivan a piece of uncooked meat during Lent. The Tsar, claiming to be a devout Orthodox Christian, refused the gift. Animal products of any kind were and are prohibited during the Orthodox Great Lent. Basil responded by asking the Tsar why he chose to follow the canon of Lent while he continued to spill the blood of Christians. Basil told Ivan that his murderous actions would doom him to hell if he did not repent.
Remarkably, Basil was the one person or thing that Ivan was scared of. Not only did the Tsar not have him beheaded, he sent him gifts instead and insured that no harm would ever come to the Holy Fool!
| The oprichnina policed lands separated from Muscovy by Ivan and placed under his personal control. Oprichnina refers to the police, the lands themselves and the policies used to control them. The oprichnina was situated in north and central Muscovy and was formed by the execution or removal of boyars whose families had owned the various estates for generations. The police, or oprichniki, were recruited from the lower classes and foreigners. They rained terror and destruction upon the region, destroying the entire city of Novgorod in 1570. The actions of the oprichniki served to centralize the Muscovite state around the Tsar. |
Basil was canonized not long after his death. Stories of his life are likely part legend and part truth. An old icon of St. Basil can be found in the cathedral. It shows the saint clad in only a loincloth and beard. He was quite popular during his lifetime and the faithful have prayed at the site of his grave ever since.
A
Long Walk to Church: A Contemporary History of Russian Orthodoxy
Nathaniel Davis
Paperback, 1st ed., 381pp.
Westview Press
February 1995
Images courtesy of Art Today