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Shorter Rules

St Basil the Great, tr. Lowther Clarke, 1925

Rule 119: Is a Man Allowed to Refuse the Work Assigned to Him and Seek Another? (R. 69)

Since, as has been said already, the limit of obedience is death, he that refuses the work assigned to him and seeks another, in the first place destroys obedience and plainly has not denied himself; and secondly is the cause of other and greater evils both to himself and the rest. For he both opens the door of gainsaying to others and accustoms himself to it. For since the individual cannot decide for himself what is expedient he often chooses for himself a work that is harmful. And he arouses evil suspicions in the brethren that he has had experience of the work which he seeks beyond that of his fellow-workers. So that in general not to obey is the root of many great evils. But if any one thinks he has a reason for refusing his work let him reveal it to the Superiors¹ and leave it to their discretion.²

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