The Church Fathers · c. 358–375
The Longer Rules
Asketikon
Basil the Great · c. 330–379
What it is
Questions and answers on the common life, arguing that solitude makes the commandment to love one's neighbour unpracticable, and binding monks to hospitals, orphanages, and schools.
Why it lasted
The foundation of Eastern monasticism, and the reason Orthodox monasteries have always been tied to works of mercy.
Where to read it
This work is in the public domain and can be read in full, free, at the archives below. The Library catalogues it; it does not host the text.
These open a search on each archive rather than a direct link, which is the honest way to point at an edition nobody here has checked line by line.
Read next