John Chrysostom, On the Acts of the Apostles

Gentleness is sweeter than bile and audacity. And not this only, but the one the devil, the other God has commanded. You see, that I did not simply say, that even if there were no devil and God, the commands themselves would have been sufficient to turn us away. For the one is pleasant to himself and useful to others; but the other is unpleasant to himself and harmful to others. For nothing is more unpleasant than an angry man, nothing more burdensome, nothing more odious, nothing more shameful, just as nothing is sweeter than one who does not know how to be angry. It is better to live with a wild beast than with such a man. For that one, when once it is tamed, keeps its own law; but this one, however many times you tame him, becomes wild again, once having established himself in such a habit. For just as a bright and cheerful day, and a winter full of much gloom, are different from one another, so are the soul of the angry man and that of the gentle man. But let us not yet look at the harmful things that happen to others, but those to ourselves; and yet this too is no small harm, to give some evil to another; nevertheless, let us for now consider this. What executioner will be able to tear the sides like this? what heated spits have pierced a body? what madness would so displace one from his natural mind as anger and rage? I have known many who have begotten diseases from anger. And severe fevers are especially these. But if they thus injure the body, consider the soul. For do not reckon that you do not see it; but consider, that if that which receives the evil is so harmed, how much harm would that which begets it receive? Many have lost their eyes, many have fallen into a most grievous illness. But he who bears it nobly will endure all things easily. But nevertheless he commands such burdensome things, and for these he sets Gehenna as our reward. And he is a devil and an enemy of our salvation, and we obey him rather than Christ, who is Savior and benefactor, and says such things as are both sweeter and more beneficial and more useful, and help both us and those with us in the greatest things. Nothing is worse than anger, beloved, nothing than unseasonable wrath; it does not need much delay; the passion is swift. Often someone has cast out a word in anger, for the healing of which a whole life is needed; and he has done something that has overturned his whole life. For the difficult thing is this, that both in a short time, and through a single deed, and through a single word only, it has often cast us out from eternal good things, and has emptied countless labors. Therefore I entreat you, to do all things, so as to bridle this beast. But these things are about gentleness and anger; but if someone were also to bring forth in his discourse the other things, such as covetousness, contempt for money, licentiousness, self-control, envy, kindness, and were to compare them, he would see still another difference, Have you seen how from the commandments alone the one is shown to be God, and the other the devil? Let us therefore obey God, and not cast ourselves into pits, but while there is time, let us wash away all the things that injure the soul, that we may attain the eternal good things, by the grace and loving-kindness of our Lord Jesus Christ, with whom to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, be glory, might, honor, now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.

60.63 HOMILY VII. Now when they heard these words, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the

apostles, What shall we do, brethren? a. Do you see how great a good is gentleness? This more than vehemence the

hearts pierces, ours, and gives a sharper wound. For just as with hardened bodies, he who strikes does not so make the sensation sharp; but if someone first softens them, and makes them tender, then he pierces more sharply; so

ἡδίων ἐπιείκεια χολῆς καὶ θρασύτητος. Καὶ οὐ τοῦτο μόνον, ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν ὁ διάβολος, τὸ δὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἐπέταξεν. Ὁρᾶτε, ὅτι οὐχ ἁπλῶς εἶπον, ὅτι εἰ καὶ μὴ διάβολος ἦν καὶ Θεὸς, αὐτὰ τὰ ἐπιτάγματα ἱκανὰ ἦν ἡμᾶς ἀποστῆσαι. Ὁ μὲν γὰρ καὶ ἑαυτῷ ἡδὺς, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ὠφέλιμος· ὁ δὲ καὶ ἑαυτῷ ἀηδὴς, καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις βλαβερός. Οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀτερπέστερον ἀνθρώπου χολῶντος, οὐδὲν φορτικώτερον, οὐδὲν ἐπαχθέστερον, οὐδὲν αἰσχρότερον, ὥσπερ οὖν τοῦ οὐκ εἰδότος χολᾷν οὐδὲν ἥδιον. Θηρίῳ συνοικεῖν κάλλιον, ἢ ἀνθρώπῳ τοιούτῳ. Ἐκεῖνο μὲν γὰρ ἐπειδὰν ἅπαξ ἡμερωθῇ, φυλάττει τὸν αὐτοῦ νόμον· τοῦτον δὲ ὁσάκις ἂν ἡμερώσῃς, πάλιν ἐκθηριοῦται, ἅπαξ εἰς ἕξιν ἑαυτόν τινα τοιαύτην καταστήσας. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἡμέρα λευκὴ καὶ φαιδρὰ, καὶ χειμὼν γέμων πολλῆς τῆς κατηφείας, ἕτερα ἀλλήλων εἰσίν· οὕτως ἡ τοῦ ὀργιζομένου ψυχὴ καὶ τοῦ ἐπιεικοῦς. Ἀλλὰ μήπω τὰ τοῖς ἄλλοις ἴδωμεν βλαβερὰ συμβαίνοντα, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἑαυτοῖς· καίτοι καὶ τοῦτο οὐ μικρὰ βλάβη, ἑτέρῳ τι δοῦναι κακόν· πλὴν ἀλλὰ τέως τοῦτο σκοπῶμεν. Ποῖος δήμιος πλευρὰς οὕτω καταξᾶναι δυνήσεται; τίνες ὀβελίσκοι πεπυρωμένοι διέπειραν σῶμα; ποία μανία οὕτως ἐκστήσειεν ἂν τῶν κατὰ φύσιν φρενῶν, ὡς ὀργὴ καὶ παραπληξία; Οἶδα πολλοὺς ἀπὸ ὀργῆς νόσους τεκόντας. Καὶ οἱ χαλεποὶ τῶν πυρετῶν, μάλιστα οὗτοί εἰσιν. Εἰ δὲ σῶμα οὕτω λυμαίνονται, ἐννόησον τὴν ψυχήν. Μὴ γὰρ λογίσῃ, ὅτι οὐχ ὁρᾷς· ἀλλ' ἐννόησον, ὅτι εἰ τὸ δεχόμενον τὴν κακίαν οὕτω βλάπτεται, τὸ τίκτον πόσην ἂν ὑποδέξηται βλάβην; Πολλοὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἀπώλεσαν, πολλοὶ εἰς νόσον βαρυτάτην κατέπεσον. Ὁ μέντοι φέρων γενναίως, πάντα ὑποστήσεται εὐκόλως. Ἀλλ' ὅμως καὶ τοιαῦτα ἐπιτάττει φορτικὰ, καὶ τούτων μισθὸν ἡμῖν τίθησι τὴν γέενναν. Καὶ διάβολός ἐστι καὶ ἐχθρὸς τῆς σωτηρίας τῆς ἡμετέρας, καὶ μᾶλλον τούτῳ πειθόμεθα ἢ τῷ Χριστῷ, Σωτῆρι ὄντι καὶ εὐεργέτῃ, καὶ τοιαῦτα λέγοντι, ἃ καὶ ἡδίω καὶ ὠφελιμώτερα καὶ χρησιμώτερά ἐστι, καὶ ἡμᾶς καὶ τοὺς συνόντας ἡμῖν ὠφελεῖ τὰ μέγιστα. Οὐδὲν ὀργῆς χεῖρον, ἀγαπητὲ, οὐδὲν ἀκαίρου θυμοῦ· οὐ δεῖται πολλῆς τῆς ἀναβολῆς· ὀξὺ τὸ πάθος ἐστί. Πολλάκις καὶ ῥῆμα ἐξέβαλέ τις ὑπὸ θυμοῦ, οὗ εἰς τὴν θεραπείαν ὁλοκλήρου δεῖται βίου· καὶ εἰργάσατό τι, ὃ πᾶσαν αὐτοῦ τὴν ζωὴν ἀνέτρεψε. Τὸ γὰρ χαλεπὸν τοῦτό ἐστιν, ὅτι καὶ ἐν βραχεῖ καιρῷ, καὶ διὰ μιᾶς πράξεως, καὶ δι' ἑνὸς ῥήματος μόνον τῶν αἰωνίων ἡμᾶς πολλάκις ἐξέβαλεν ἀγαθῶν, καὶ μυρίους ἐκένωσε πόνους. ∆ιὸ παρακαλῶ, πάντα ποιεῖν, ὥστε τὸ θηρίον τοῦτο χαλινοῦν. Ἀλλὰ ταῦτα μὲν περὶ ἐπιεικείας καὶ θυμοῦ· εἰ δὲ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τις προχειρίσαιτο τῷ λόγῳ, οἷον πλεονεξίαν, ὑπεροψίαν χρημάτων, ἀσέλγειαν, σωφροσύνην, φθόνον, χρηστότητα, καὶ ἀντεξετάσοι, καὶ ἄλλο εἴσεται ἔτι διάφορον, Εἴδετε, πῶς ἀπὸ τῶν προσταγμάτων μόνον ὁ μὲν Θεὸς, ὁ δὲ διάβολος ὢν δείκνυται; Πειθώμεθα τοίνυν τῷ Θεῷ, καὶ μὴ εἰς βάραθρα ἑαυτοὺς ἐμβάλωμεν, ἀλλ' ἕως ἐστὶ καιρὸς, πάντα ἀπονιψώμεθα τὰ τὴν ψυχὴν λυμαινόμενα, ἵνα τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν ἐπιτύχωμεν, χάριτι καὶ φιλανθρωπίᾳ τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, μεθ' οὗ τῷ Πατρὶ ἅμα τῷ ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι δόξα, κράτος, τιμὴ, νῦν καὶ ἀεὶ, καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. Ἀμήν.

60.63 ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Ζʹ. Ἀκούσαντες δὲ τοὺς λόγους τούτους, κατενύγη σαν τὴν καρδίαν, εἶπόν τε πρὸς τὸν Πέτρον καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς

ἀποστόλους· Τί ποιήσωμεν, ἄνδρες ἀδελφοί; αʹ. Ὁρᾷς, ὅσον ἐστὶν ἐπιείκεια ἀγαθόν; Αὕτη μᾶλλον τῆς σφοδρότητος τὰς

καρδίας κατακεντεῖ τὰς ἡμετέρας, καὶ ὀξυτέραν δίδωσι τὴν πληγήν. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐπὶ τῶν ἐσκιῤῥωμένων σωμάτων ὁ πλήττων οὐχ οὕτω ποιεῖ τὴν αἴσθησιν σφοδράν· ἂν δέ τις αὐτὰ μαλάξῃ πρότερον, καὶ ἁπαλὰ ἐργάσηται, τότε νύττει σφοδρότερον· οὕτω