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15Ε_186 Matthew 5. Everyone who is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment.

837 Ephesians 4. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil.

Let all bitterness, and wrath, be put away from you, with all malice. Proverbs 27. A stone is heavy, and the sand weighty; but a fool's wrath is heavier

than them both. Proverbs 16. A man that is long-suffering is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his anger, as

one who takes a city. The king's wrath is a messenger of death; but a wise man will pacify it. Sirach 30. Anger and wrath shorten days. Basil. But defending yourself and placing yourself on an equal footing with the reviler, what also

will you say in your defense? That he provoked you by starting it? And of what pardon is this worthy? For not even the fornicator who shifts the blame to the prostitute, as one who has provoked him to sin, is considered less worthy of condemnation.

What is more foolish than anger? If you remain without anger, you have shamed the insolent one, having shown self-control by your deed.

Wrath raises up a fight, and a fight begets revilings; and revilings, blows; and blows, wounds; and from wounds, often death.

15Ε_188 Of the Theologian. Neither are there crowns without contestants; nor a fall without an adversary.

Wrath is blind and grievous, and especially when righteous indignation is present.

Chrysostom. But when someone insults you, consider the punishment by which he is punished; and not only will you not have anger, but you will also shed tears. For no one is provoked by one who has a fever, nor by one who is inflamed, but pities him completely and weeps. And if you wish to defend yourself, be silent, and you will have given him a timely blow. But if, having been stung, you insult him back, you force what was said to be believed as true. For why does the rich man, hearing that he is poor, laugh? Because he is not conscious of poverty in himself. If therefore we are to laugh at insults, we shall provide the greatest proof by not being conscious of what is said.

Nothing so clouds the purity of mind and the clarity of thought, as a disordered wrath, rushing forth with great force.

We need more vigorous zeal against anger. For the passion is tyrannical, and often sweeps away those who are not sober, and brings them down to the very pit of destruction.

Are you prone to anger? Be so against your own sins; rebuke your soul; scourge your conscience. Be a severe judge and a (840) bitter jurist for your own sins. This is the benefit of anger; for this reason God placed it in us.

Of Evagrius. One who abstains from food or drink, but irrationally stirs up wrath, is like a sea-faring ship that has a demon as its pilot.

Of Cyril. What beast is so savage and untamed, as an irascible man, tyrannized by unrestrained wrath?

From the Fathers. Anger is generated through four things: giving and receiving, and doing one's own will, and loving judgments, and thinking oneself to be wise.

15Ε_190 Of Dionysius of Halicarnassus. To be angry among us will be limited to ceasing from sins. "For be angry, he says, and do not sin."

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15Ε_186 Ματθ. ε´. Πᾶς ὁ ὀργιζόμενος τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ εἰκῆ, ἔνοχος ἔστι τῇ κρίσει.

837 Ἐφ. δ´. Ὁ ἥλιος μή ἐπιδυέτω ἐπί τῷ παροργισμῷ ὑμῶν· μηδέ δίδοτε τόπον τῷ διαβόλῳ.

Πᾶσα πικρία καί ὀργή ἀρθήτω ἀφ᾿ ὑμῶν, σύν πάσῃ κακίᾳ. Παροιμ. κζ´. Βαρύ λίθος, καί δυσβάστακτον ἄμμος· ὀργή δέ ἄφρονος βαρυτέρα

ἀμφοτέρων. Παροιμ. ις´. Κρεῖσσον ἀνήρ μακρόθυμος ἰσχυροῦ· ὁ δέ κρατῶν ὀργῆς, ὡς

καταλαμβάνων πόλιν. Θυμός βασιλέως, ἄγγελος θανάτου· ἀνήρ δέ σοφς ἐξιλάσει αὐτόν. Σιράχ λ´. Ὀργή καί θυμός ἐλαττοῦσιν ἡμέρας. Βασιλ.´Ἀμυνόμενος δέ καί εἰς ἴσον ἀντικαθιστάμενος τῷ λοιδόρῳ, τί καί

ἀπολογήσῃ; Ὅτι παρώξυνε κατάρξας; Καί ποίας τοῦτο συγγνώμης ἄξιον; Οὐδέ γάρ ὁ πόρνος ἐπί τήν ἑταίραν μετατιθείς τήν αἰτίαν, ὡς πρός τήν ἁμαρτίαν διερεθίσασαν, ἧττον τῆς κατακρίσεως ἀξιοῦται.

Τί ὀργῆς ἀφρονέστερον; Ἐάν μείνῃς ἀόργητος, ᾔσχυνας τά ὑβρίσαντα, ἔργῳ τήν σωφροσύνην ἐπιδειξάμενος.

Θυμός ἐγείρει μάχην, μάχη δέ γεννᾷ λοιδορίας· αἱ δέ λοιδορίαι, πληγάς· πληγαί δέ τραύματα· ἐκ δέ τραυμάτων, πολλάκις θάνατος.

15Ε_188 Θεολόγου. Οὔτε στέφανοι χωρίς ἀνταγωνιστῶν· οὔτε πτῶμα χωρίς ἀντιπάλου.

Τυφλόν ὁ θυμός καί ἐπίλυπον, καί μάλιστα ὅταν τό δικαίως ἀγανακτεῖν παρῇ.

Χρυσοστ. Ὅταν δέ τις ὑβρίσῃ, ἐννόησον τήν κόλασιν ἥν κολάζεται· καί οὐ μόνον οὐχ ἕξεις ὀργήν, ἀλλά καί δάκρυα ἀφήσεις. Οὐδέ γάρ πρός πυρέττοντά τις παροξύνεται, οὔτε πρός τόν φλεγμαίνοντα ἀλλ᾿ ἐλεεῖ πάντως καί δακρύει. Εἰ δέ καί ἀνύνασθαι βούλει, σίγησον, καί καιρίαν ἔδωκας αὐτῷ τήν πληγήν. Ἄν δέ δηχθείς ὑβρίσῃς, ἀναγκάζεις ἀληθῆ νομίζεσθαι τά λεγόμενα. ∆ιατί γάρ ὁ πλούσιος ἀκούων ὅτι πένης ἐστί, γελᾷ; ὅτι μή σύνοιδεν ἑαυτῷ πενίαν. Εἰ τοίνυν μέλλομεν γελᾷν· ἐπί ταῖς ὕβρεσι, μεγίστην ἀπόδειξιν παρεξόμεθα, τό μή συνειδέναι τοῖς λεγομένοις.

Οὐδέν οὕτω καθαρότητα νοῦ καί τό διειδές θολοῖ τό τῶν φρενῶν, ὡς θυμός ἄτακτος, καί μετά πολλῆς τῆς ῥύμης φερόμενος.

Εὐτονωτέρας ἐπί τῆς ὀργῆς χριῄζομεν τῆς σπουδῆς. Τυραννικόν γάρ τό πάθος, καί πολλάκις παρασύρει τούς μή νήφοντας, καί πρό τό βάραθρον αὐτό κατάγει τῆς ἀπωλείας.

Ὀργίλος εἶ; ἔσο κατά τήν τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων τῶν σαυτοῦ τοιοῦτος· ἐπίπληττε τῇ ψυχῇ· μάστιζε τῇ συνειδήσει σου. Σφοδρός ἔσο κριτής καί (840) πικρός δικαστής τοῖς οἰκείοις ἁμαρτήμασι. Τοῦτο τῆς ὀργῆς τό κέρδος ἐστί· διά τοῦτο ἡμῖν αὐτήν ἐνέθηκεν ὁ Θεός.

Εὐαγρίου. Βρωμάτων ἤ πομάτων ἀπεχόμενος, θυμόν δέ ἀλόγως κινῶν, οὗτος ἔοικε ποντοπορούσῃ νηΐ, καί ἐχούσῃ δαίμονα κυβερνήτην.

Κυρίλλου. Ποῖον οὕτω θηρίον ὠμόν καί ἀνήμερον, ὡς δύσοργος ἀνήρ, καί ἀκράτῳ θυμῷ τυραννούμενος;

Ἐκ τῶν Πατέρων. ∆ιά τεσσάρων πραγμάτων ἡ ὀργή ἐγγίνεται, τοῦ δοῦναι καί λαβεῖν, καί τοῦ ποιῆσαι τό ἴδιον θέλημα, καί τοῦ ἀγαπᾷν δίκας, καί τοῦ νομίζειν φρόνιμον εἶναι ἑαυτόν.

15Ε_190 ∆ιονυσίου Ἀλικαρν. Τό ὀργίζεσθαι παρ᾿ ἡμῖν ἄχρι τοῦ παύειν τά ἁμαρτήματα περιορισθήσεται. " Ὀργίζεσθε γάρ, φησί, καί μή ἁμαρτάνετε. "