Aude Busine: Basil of Caesarea and the praise of the city

This paper shall deal with Basil’s use of the rhetorical form of the egkômion poleôs (praise of city). In his Homily on the Martyr Gordius, the Cappadocian Father built Gordius the genuine hero of Caesarea. On that occasion, Basil criticises the traditional way of praising a city. His emphasis on the qualities of the Saint leads him to reject the classical rules of urban rhetorics, according to which Greek rhetors needed to review the natural settings of a city, its history, including its mythical roots, its institutions and its buildings. However, Basil’ construction of the sainthood of Gordius reveals the ambivalence of Christian authors toward their local and terrestrial fatherland. On the one hand, they criticise that a city’s material goods could be a source of glory and, more generally, they refuse to praise a place symbolizing earthly sins. On the other hand, Basil’s discourse on the Caesarean martyr extoling the virtues of a local character betrays his civic patriotism and pride.