Illumination in Basil of Caesarea's Doctrine of the Holy Spirit

<p>Although Basil of Caesarea was the first to write a discourse on the Holy Spirit many scholars have since questioned if he fully believed in the Spirits divinity. Timothy P. McConnell argues that Basil did regard the Spirit as fully divine and an equal Person of the Trinity. However Basil refused to use philosophical terminology to make the point preferring to use what the Spirit revealed through divine act and Scripture. Thus illumination becomes the primary paradigm for Basil which later theologians would come to call revelation setting the stage for this studys high relevance for contemporary thought.</p>