Arnaud PERROT: Basil and Amelius.

The Homily on: “In the beginning was the Word (Jn 1:1)” (= Homily 16) alludes to the admiration of the Gentiles for the Prologue of the Gospel of John and to the use that they have done of this text in their own writings. Behind these words, one can easily recognize an allusion to the Neoplatonist Amelius. It is well known that ‘Basil’s Neoplatonism’ has caused much debate. In this paper, I will try to show that Basil did not read Amelius. Like the other Christian writers who refer to this passage– for example, Theodoret of Cyrus or Cyril of Alexandria–, Basil depends on Eusebius’ Evangelical Preparation and the way Eusebius has distorted the ‘testimony’ of the Platonist.