This study radically corrects and fine-hones the generally accepted view of the humanist reception of antiquity. It focuses on the impact of Greek patristics with reference to all the printed works of St. Basil the Great (329–379) published in German-speaking Europe in the 15th and 16th centuries. The historical analyses focus on the printing, the literary aspects of the works, and the tradition in which they were handed down from one generation to the next. In so doing, they pinpoint the various social locations in which the Greek/Latin editions and their translations into the vernacular developed their impact. They also cast light on the diverging motives inspiring printers, editors, and readers.