Gregory of Nazianzus, Vita Basili Magni

The Life and Encomium of our Holy and God-clad Father the Great Basil, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, which was written by our holy and blessed father Gregory the Theologian. Bless, O Lord! 1. The great and God-clad Basil strongly urged me to write words of teaching and to compose an encomium of the struggles and life of the saints, while he was still with us. For he loved my words more than anyone loves his own words, as I suppose. And he urged me to speak concerning them by the divine dispensation. He himself was sometimes beforehand in setting himself before us for our encomium and in describing his own excellences, which are above human nature, and every tongue is too weak to speak of them worthily. For I say this so that every learned man, with great wisdom and powerful speech, if he wishes to test his own art and the power of his own words, may only equal this encomium. For it is above human speech and other deeds, which are the highest form. Let him set it before himself, as painters do a model, and display his own art and power in relation to it.

So great and beyond the power of speech is the praise of this wondrous man, not only for us, who have long since been sluggish in words and lacking in readiness of utterance, but also for those whose entire life's work consists only in words and panegyrics. And upon this rests their struggle, that they might greatly distinguish themselves in such deeds. I acknowledge this task to be great and unattainable, and I truly acknowledge it to be exceedingly true. But if now I do not employ the skill of words which I once learned, I know not whether I should employ it elsewhere, or what I should assign to such a good work, whether to myself, or to the lovers of virtue, or to the very skill of my own words, as this praise of this great and unattainable man. For let this task be for me the fulfillment of a promise, and a promise of good men. Just as every other commandment is a promise, so at the time of speech, let speech and the fulfillment of the desire of the lovers of virtue together be the praise of him. And secondly, a form of virtue: for whatever a man loves and praises, he strives toward that, and thus this good work is not for the sake of one alone, but for all.

Let skill in words be on both sides good, and let victory be granted; for if my skill in words should prove able to bring me near to what is fitting and worthy of his praise, then his power itself would be shown and would receive victory; but if far behind, envy-stricken, that skill of expression should fall short of what is worthy of his praise—which, apart from all envy, even this is attainable by all who wish to extol him—and if this should happen even so, then victory would still be theirs, the words, when I reveal by deed the impossibility of praising him worthily, concerning whom I would say that his praise is above the power of words.