Basil the Great (330—379) is one of the most important figures in christian history and a theologian and spiritual teacher of ecumenical significance. At a time when the sources of their rich spiritual heritage are beingre—appropriated by Christians of many traditions, it is strange that little attention has been given to basilian spirituality.a life Pleasing to God tells the story of Basil's own spiritual development in the theologically turbulent fourth—century. Its core is a study of those passages of the Ascetic on which illustrate his understanding of the foundation of the christian life and lay out the possibilities, and problems, of christian community.