Day 2 of Lent Madness delivered a saintly showdown for the ages ⚔️✨
South Africa’s Archbishop takes down America’s first saint! Desmond Tutu defeats Elizabeth Ann Seton. It wasn’t without a fight, but Tutu moves on with joy and momentum 🙌🔥
Now onto a saintly showdown that spans the globe 🌍. It’s a classic East/West rivalry as Benedict of Nursia faces Basil the Great. The Rule of Benedict vs the Rule of Basil. A rivalry as old as the Church itself 📜✝️
In Christ there may be no East or West… but in Lent Madness, there can only be ONE 👑
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Benedict of Nursia
Saint Benedict of Nursia, the father of Western monasticism, was born into a wealthy family in Nursia, Italy, around 480 A.D. Wise beyond his years, he lived a life rich in miracles while forging a balanced Rule that would sustain monastic communities, and much of Western Christianity, to this day. He had a twin sister named Scholastica. Sent to Rome for a liberal education, Benedict made the journey with his nurse. Beyond disgusted by the immoral people and licentious lifestyles he encountered there, he fled thirty miles outside the city with his nurse, settling in the Enfide mountains. He then secretly withdrew even farther to a cave near Subiaco, living as a hermit for three years. The only exception was a monk named Romanus, providing him with bread and essentials through a rudimentary pulley system.
Such solitude could not last forever. Local shepherds discovered Benedict and eventually converted from their “savage life” to a more virtuous one. Word of Benedict’s way of life spread quickly—his reputation attracted both secular men and those aspiring to a more solitary life. He decided to build twelve individual monasteries, each with their own priory, and he oversaw all of them.
Around 530 A.D., Benedict moved to Monte Cassino, establishing two chapels that eventually morphed into a famous abbey. He seems to have again lived a life of solitude until word spread about what he was building. He made one major change: bringing the monks together under one roof, a shift towards communal life governed by an abbot and deans—an interesting decision for a man who once cherished living alone. The abbey soon gained widespread renown, drawing both dignitaries and laymen to converse with Benedict, prompted no doubt by reports of his miracles, especially those attributed to him raising the dead. He likely composed his guide “Rule” during this time to outline monastic life. Benedict ventured outside the walls of the monastery, into the surrounding area, where he cared for the population and tended to those most in need.
Benedict predicted many events in his life, including his own death. In 547 A.D., six days before he died, he instructed monks to dig his grave. Once it was completed, he fell deathly ill. With the caring support of his fellow monks, he went to the chapel, received communion, prayed, lifted his arms toward heaven, and died. Benedict was laid to rest in the Oratory of St. John the Baptist, which he built on top of Apollo’s altar. Faithful to the end, Benedict reminds us that while few are called to the cave, all are called to resist the world’s corruption, step away from its noise, and reorder life more fully toward God.
— Sara Kay Hill
Collect for Benedict of Nursia
Gracious God, whose service is perfect freedom and in whose commandments there is nothing harsh nor burdensome: Grant that we, with your servant Benedict, may listen with attentive minds, pray with fervent hearts, and serve you with willing hands, so that we might live at peace with one another and in obedience to your Word, Jesus Christ our Lord, who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, now and for ever. Amen.
Basil the Great
Saint Basil was a prominent theologian in the early church whose contributions are the foundation for worship today. Reading the introduction to his Wikipedia article is reminiscent of that one scene in Prince Caspian in which Peter writes a letter to Miraz, and at least a third of it is all titles — Confessor, Cappadocian Father, Doctor of the Church, Great Hierarch, father of communal monasticism in the Eastern Church, and Revealer of Heavenly Mysteries. It is no wonder the Church simply calls him “the Great” to save time!
But who was he - not the saint, but the man?
Basil was born around 329 in Caesarea of Cappadocia (modern-day Turkey) into a large, wealthy, and pious Christian family. A brilliant student, he became a scholar and a lawyer in his young adulthood. By all accounts, that would have been his life’s course, had it not been for his family’s faithful witness, especially that of his sister, Macrina.
While he was away at school, Macrina founded a religious community in their family home. Upon returning home and learning about this way of life, dedicated to God and community, Basil turned his eyes to the Gospel. He wrote, “I beheld the wonderful light of the Gospel truth, and I recognized the nothingness of the wisdom of the princes of this world.”
Drawing on his learnings, he and his friends formed their own monastery. He wrote about monasticism and, with Gregory of Nazianzus, compiled the Longer and Shorter Rules, which set the rhythm of communal monastic life. This writing became the foundation for monastic traditions in the Eastern Orthodox Church.
From there, he was ordained a priest and later named a bishop. In these roles, he pushed back hard on the popular Arian heresy - that Jesus and the Holy Spirit were creations of God and therefore subordinate to God. Not only was this heresy a threat to theology, but it was tearing Christian communities apart. He wanted Christianity united under a set of beliefs and advocated that Trinitarian theology be a part of that set. His writings on this subject shaped how we understand the Trinity today. Unfortunately, he did not live to see the end result of his work - dying two years before the Second Ecumenical Council that set the Nicene Creed as a foundation for our faith.
His legacy lives on, though, and not just through our theology. As a bishop, when not fighting theological battles, his mission was to care for the poor, the sick, and the lonely. He founded one of the first hospitals in the world and set the tradition of Christians sponsoring free healthcare. Sincerely, he was a great and honorable man.
— Bekah Scolare
Collect for Basil the Great
Almighty God, who has revealed to your church your eternal Being of glorious majesty and perfect love as one God in Trinity of Persons: Give us grace that, like your bishop Basil of Caesarea, we may continue steadfastly in the confession of this faith and remain constant in our worship of you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit; every one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
110 comments on “Benedict of Nursia vs. Basil the Great”
Benedict’s rule still affects our book of common prayer and what monastic life looks like. This one’s easy!!!
As an older sister who cheers on her brother's success, I find myself rooting for Basil's sister Macrina!
Exactly! She created the concept, quietly lived it, and he gor all the titles. Macrina the Great!
someone needs to nominate her next year!
She was in the race in both 2013 and 2017; she didn't make it to the 2nd round either time.
If she's Macrina the Younger, she was nominated in 2013 and 2017. In neither year did she make it into the second round.
While I esteem both of these faithful men, I went with Benedict because his rule has had such an influence on my life.
The description of Basil’s life and beliefs, especially his devotion to living the Gospel and his advocacy for the idea of the Trinity, made me reconsider my original assumption about voting. Basil it is!
I went for Basil because of his defense of Orthodoxy!
Being in the medical field, how could I NOT vote for Basil, who built the first hospital? And I love the Nicene Creed, which his writings and teachings helped to create!
But he did NOT build the first hospital. St Fabiola did. Again, men getting the honours for something women did!
St Benedict wrote about "listening with the ear of the heart," and helped shape the practice that became Lectio Divina. As someone who finds this prayer practice deeply grounding, he has my vote.
Not sure that attacking Arianism is a good thing. The Christians who created the mosaics in Ravenna, Italy were Arians, and those are among the most profound works of Christian art in the world. Who are we to try and put a limit, or a definition, on divinity?
John Milton was an Arian too, as were many bishops at ome time. That doesn't make it a good idea. One reason I voted for Basil was his defense of the Trinity. Christianity is founded on paradoxes, beginning with the Incarnation.
1,600 years of modern Trinitarianism says so.
A limit on divinity? A triune Godhead does not seem like a limit. Rather declaring the son and holy spirit as created beings does that.
My vote for St. Basil the Great is a vote for the Holy Trinity. Strangely, I've seen the Holy Trinity under attack by evangelicals (or maybe just robots pretending to be evangelicals) on social media lately. I'm shocked that such a basic piece of our faith is being rejected. Since that was St. Basil's battle millennia ago, he gets my vote. St. Basil, pray for us.
I was going to pick St Benedict because his practice was and is still very influential today (my church always uses some variation of his Rule for devotional purposes!) but the way St Basil is described... I picked St Basil in the end.
(If St Augustine is the "Hippo Saint" does that make St Basil a herb saint?)
Please give the prior day’s results in numbers and or percentages rather than just a statement of the results. Blessings and hope always.
If you click on the contest you're interested in (listed on the right at the top of the page) and scroll to the bottom, the details you're seeking should be there.
If you are on the website, over on the right hand side is a link to each day's bracket fight. At the bottom of the articles is where you can find the numbers to EVERY competition, in both raw numbers and percentages.
That's where I've been getting the numbers. But it was a whole lot easier when the percentages were part of the daily report!
Just click on yesterday's post and you can see yesterday's results.
I was ordained on June 14, which was Trinity Sunday in 1981. But also the day if for the Cappadocians
My ordination to the diaconate was also on June 14th.
Well I was all set to vote for Benedict even before reading the bios. But for some reason Basil hit home with his defense of the Trinity. I’m sure I’ll be on the losing side but I accept that.
This is a really tough one. I went with Basil.To my surprise, they're running neck-to-neck as of 9 a.m. ET 2/21. Why surprise? Because Basil was not only long ago, but far away -- the East, that glorious heritage "foreign" to so many Episcopalians. And a theologian rather than a "practical" saint. Who reads Basil? Almost nobody. Whose spiritual life has been enriched by Benedict's legacy? All Anglicans. Even so, I believe Basil is a foundational figure in Christian thought and worship and so he got my vote.
Basil the Great just seemed to do so much more all his life than Benedict did.
A little tough, but think Basil did a lot more than Benedict.
Hard choice, but Basil seemed to spend more of his life doing good things.
Almost couldn't vote...Wanted to vote for both of them. I voted The Great, knowing Beneictine would get many votes because of The Rule.
I am drawn toward Benedict because his faith and expressions of it change throughout his lifetime.
I've been noticing females who have had great impact on some of these males, but/and their names don't go down in history. I've also noticed how many have come from rich families.
Interesting that they both had famous sisters!
It's Benedict for me, remembering my beautiful experiences of the hospitality of Benedictine sisters in Mexico.
Basil’s actions for universal health care won me over!
I'm with KZC. Benedict was the early (obvious?) choice for me until I read Basil's story and his fight for the Trinity. I see Basil is just behind Benedict. I'm holding my breadth.
Ouch - I could have voted for either Saint today. I love what St. Benedict built for the Church and St. Basil the Great was one of my favorite parts of church history. My love for our liturgy is what shifted me gently to Basil.
I'm learning more about these saints with chat gpt and its
Benedict of Nursia
Spiritual vibe:
• “Ora et labora” (Pray and work)
• Practical holiness
• Community life with structure
• Moderation (not extreme asceticism)
Why vote Benedict?
If you like:
• Systems that endure
• Spiritual rhythms
• Stability in chaotic times
• A saint who built something that shaped Europe for 1,500 years
--------------------Basil the Great
Spiritual vibe:
• Brilliant theologian
• Fierce defender of Nicene faith
• Founded hospitals and care systems for the poor
• Deeply communal monastic vision
Why vote Basil?
If you like:
• Intellectual firepower
• Church doctrine defended boldly
• Care for the poor baked into theology
• Eastern Christian richness
He shaped both theology and organized charity.
Alas, my Eastern heritage has decided my vote.
Basil for the win!
I thought surely I would vote for Benedict, but as I read more about Basil- and then the clincher on healthcare- it became clear that he was the one.
I read Benedict's Rule each day! He gets my vote!
I voted Benedict but chat gpt says Basil : )
Chat GPT Says:
If it were my vote today? I’d lean slightly toward Basil the Great.
Here’s why.
Lent is about sharpening clarity — stripping away fuzziness — and Basil was fearless about truth. He defended the divinity of the Holy Spirit when it was politically risky. He combined theological brilliance with concrete action (founding hospitals, caring for the poor). That mix of intellect + courage + mercy feels very Lenten.
But…
There is something deeply powerful about Benedict of Nursia. If your Lent this year is about rhythm, discipline, building something sustainable , Benedict is extremely compelling. He built systems that lasted 1,500 years. That’s long-game holiness.
So my nuanced answer:
• If you want boldness → Basil
• If you want structure → Benedict
why can't I vote????