Gregory of Nazianzus, Moral Songs

a story worthy of memory. Who was it? One of those in authority once provoked him against us, not bearing that we were honored with such great honors (for he was most pious, if ever any other of the kings, whom we know, was); and having said to many also some such word: “What is more gentle than the bee? But not even she spares those who gather the honey.” He heard: “How do you not know, O best of men, that not even for her is the sting safe? For she strikes, but she herself immediately perishes.” You have so many remedies for the passion, but greater than all of which I spoke, the commandment, which does not permit to insult even him who strikes. “For you shall not kill,” was commanded to those of old; 835 to you it is commanded not even to be angry, much less to strike, nor indeed to dare murder. Forbidding the first, it does not allow the second; destroying the seed, it has prevented the ear of grain. Not even to look with evil intent is the cutting off of adultery. Not even to swear is the remedy for perjury. Not even to be angry is a safeguard against murder. For consider thus: anger sends forth a word, and a word a blow, and a blow wounds; and from wounds we know murder. Anger has appeared as the father of bitter murder. For not killing, who ever bore away a prize? Not even being angry is among the things praised; for the reward of the one is the flight from danger; but the recompense of this is a portion of the precious land. Hear what Christ wills for the meek 836 in the beatitudes, which he enumerated, defining the measures of the hopes from thence. For this reason he also writes such laws for you. Does one strike your cheek? How then do you leave the other fruitless? If it is not willing, it has not yet suffered a great thing; but something greater is left, if you wish. Add also the willing one, so that it may be for a reward. Does one strip your tunic? Add also a second, and if you should have a third garment, let him strip it. Of these you have the profit, if you give them up to God. If we are reviled, let us bless the evil ones; If we are spit upon, let us hasten to have honor from God. Are we persecuted? Surely not also from God? This alone of all things cannot be taken away. If someone curses, you pray for him. Does he threaten to act? Threaten in return to endure. 837 He takes hold of deeds; your action is doing well. For thus you will gain two most excellent things; you yourself will be the best guardian of the law, and you will make him gentle with your gentleness, an enemy a disciple, conquered by the very things in which he prevails. Do you see? Most of all he wishes you not to be angry; for this is also the safest thing; But if it happens, to release the transport of passion before evening. Do not let the sun set upon your anger; whether, then, the one which sends its rays from outside the eyes, or the one which shines within for the wise. For this one sets for those whose minds are struck, just as it shines forth for the best and noble, giving a greater shining to those who see. But what? "Has not nature given anger?" he says. And indeed the power to control anger. And who gave reason? 838 And who gave sight, or who hands, or the step of feet? God and nature gave all things, but for a good purpose. But I do not praise you for not using them well. Thus it is also with the other passions of the soul. They are gifts from God, being moved both by the guidance and generalship of reason. A weapon of zeal, indeed, is anger breathing moderately; and without desire God cannot be apprehended. I know reason as the teacher of good things. But if these should have their inclination towards worse things. The one pouring out both insolence and wickedness, and the other being driven madly to the worst pleasures, and the other not restraining these things, and weaving plots, thus the good things become the destroyer's. But it is not good to mix a gift of God with evil. And hearing of God in the Scriptures being angry, 839 or as a leopard, or as a bear maddened by desire, raging from drunkenness and debauchery, or also a sword being sharpened for the wicked. Do not make this a comfort for the passion to which you have clung; for you seek not a release from evil. Hear rightly, not wrongly, of the matter. For God suffers nothing of what I suffer. Let no one say this; for indeed he is not ever beside himself. For these things belong to the composite being, and of those that have begun to fight from many parts. But He is, this is very clear, an immutable nature. How then are these things figured? By the laws of trope. How? To frighten the minds of the more simple, just as many of the things revealed by word. 840 For understand a reversal, and you have the whole thing. For since we ourselves strike when we are angry, we have written that the One who strikes the wicked is angry, as sight,

ἄξιον μνήμης λόγον Τίς δ' ἦν; ἐκεῖνον τῶν τις ἐν τέλει ποτὲ, Παρώξυν' ἡμῖν, οὐ φέρων τιμωμένους Τιμαῖς τοσαύταις (καὶ γὰρ εὐσεβέστατος, Εἴ πέρ τις ἄλλος βασιλέων, ὧν ἴσμεν, ἦν)· Πολλοῖς δ' ἐπειπὼν καί τινα τοιοῦτον λόγον· «Τί τῆς μελίσσης ἐστὶν ἡμερώτερον; Ἀλλ' οὐδ' ἐκείνη τῶν τρυγώντων φείδεται·» Ἤκουσε· «Πῶς οὐκ οἶδας, ὦ βέλτιστε σὺ, Ὡς οὐδ' ἐκείνῃ κέντρον ἐστὶν ἀσφαλές; Παίει μὲν, αὐτὴ δ' εὐθέως ἀπόλλυται.» Τοσαῦτ' ἔχεις σὺ τοῦ πάθους τὰ φάρμακα, Πάντων δὲ μεῖζον, ὧν ἔφην, τὴν ἐντολὴν, Ἣ μηδὲ τὸν πλήσσοντα ὑβρίζειν ἐᾷ. «Οὐ γὰρ φονεύσεις,» τοῖς πάλαι τεταγμένον· 835 Σοὶ μηδὲ χολοῦσθαί ἐστιν ἐντεταγμένον, Μή τοί γε παίειν, μήτε δὴ τολμᾷν φόνον. Τὸ πρῶτον εἴργων, οὐκ ἐᾷ τὸ δεύτερον Τὸ σπέρμ' ἀναιρῶν, τὸν στάχυν κεκώλυκε. Τὸ μηδ' ὁρᾷν κάκιστα, μοιχείας τομή. Τὸ μηδ' ὀμνύειν, φάρμακον ψευδορκίας. Τὸ μηδὲ θυμοῦσθ', ἀσφάλεια πρὸς φόνον. Σκόπει γὰρ οὕτω· θυμὸς ἐκπέμπει λόγον, Λόγος δὲ πληγὴν, ἡ δὲ πληγὴ τραύματα· Ἐκ τραυμάτων δὲ τὸν φόνον γινώσκομεν. Θυμὸς πατὴρ πέφηνε τοῦ πικροῦ φόνου. Τοῦ μὴ φονεῦσαι τίς ποτ' ἤνεγκε γέρας; Τὸ μηδὲ θυμοῦσθ' ἐστὶ τῶν αἰνουμένων· Τοῦ μέν γ' ὁ μισθὸς, ἡ φυγὴ τοῦ κινδύνου· Τούτου δ' ἀμοιβὴ, γῆς μέρος τῆς τιμίας. Ἄκουε Χριστοῦ, τοῖς πράοις ἃ βούλεται 836 Ἐν τοῖς μακαρισμοῖς, οἷς ἀπηριθμήσατο, Τὰ μέτρ' ὁρίζων τῶν ἐκεῖθεν ἐλπίδων. Τούτου χάριν σοι καὶ νόμους τοίους γράφει. Παίῃ παρειάν; πῶς δὲ τὴν ἄλλην ἐᾷς Ἄκαρπον; εἰ μὲν οὐχ ἑκοῦσ', οὔπω μέγα Πέπονθε, μεῖζον δ', ἢν θέλῃς, τὶ λείπεται Καὶ τὴν ἑκοῦσαν πρόσθες, ὡς ἔμμισθος ᾖ. Χιτῶνα γυμνοῖ; προστίθει καὶ δεύτερον, Ἔσθημ' ἂν ᾖ σοι καὶ τρίτον, γυμνωσάτω Τούτων ἔχεις τὸ κέρδος, ἂν πρόῃ Θεῷ. Ἂν λοιδορώμεθ', εὐλογῶμεν τοὺς κακούς· Ἂν ἐκπτυώμεθ', ἐκ Θεοῦ τιμὴν ἔχειν Σπεύδωμεν. Ἐκδιωκόμεθ'; οὔτι καὶ Θεοῦ; Τοῦτ' οὐκ ἀφαιρετόν γε τῶν πάντων μόνον. Ἄν τις καταρᾶται, σὺ προσεύχου τοῦδ' ὕπερ. ∆ράσειν ἀπειλεῖ; ἀνταπείλει καρτερεῖν. 837 Ἔργων ἔχεται· σὴ πρᾶξις ἡ εὐπραξία. ∆ύω γὰρ οὕτω τὰ κράτιστα κερδανεῖς· Αὐτός τ' ἄριστος τοῦ νόμου φύλαξ ἔσῃ, Κἀκεῖνον ἕξεις τῷ πράῳ τῷ σῷ πρᾶον, Ἐχθρὸν μαθητὴν, οἷς κρατεῖ νικώμενον. Ὁρᾷς; μάλιστα μέν σε μὴ χολᾷν θέλει· Τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι καὶ τὸ ἀσφαλέστατον· Εἰ δ' οὖν, προλύειν ἑσπέρας τὴν ἔκστασιν ∆ύεσθ' ἐπ' ὀργῇ μὴ δέχου τὸν ἥλιον· Εἴτ' οὖν, ὃς ἐκτὸς ὀμμάτων πέμπει βολάς, Εἴτ' οὖν, ὃς ἔνδον τοῖς σοφοῖς αὐγάζεται. ∆ύει γὰρ οὗτος τοῖς πεπληγόσι φρένας, Ὡς τοῖς ἀρίστοις καὶ καλοῖς ἐκλάμπεται, Πλεῖον τὸ λάμπειν τοῖς βλέπουσιν ἐνδιδούς. Τί δ'; οὐ φύσις δέδωκε, φησὶ, τὸν χόλον; Καὶ τὸ κρατεῖν γε τοῦ χόλου. Λόγον δὲ τίς; 838 Τίς δ' ὄψιν, ἢ τίς χεῖρας, ἢ ποδῶν βάσιν; Θεὸς τὰ πάντα καὶ φύσις, πλὴν εἰς καλόν. Σὲ δ' οὐκ ἐπαινῶ μὴ καλῶς κεχρημένον. Οὕτως ἔχει καί τ' ἄλλα τῆς ψυχῆς πάθη. ∆ωρήματ' ἐστὶν ἐκ Θεοῦ, κινούμενα Λόγου ποδηγίᾳ τε καὶ στρατηγίᾳ. Ζήλου μὲν ὅπλον θυμὸς ἐμμέτρως πνέων· Πόθου δὲ χωρὶς οὐχ ἁλώσιμος Θεός. Λογισμὸν οἶδα τῶν καλῶν διδάσκαλον. Εἰ δ' εἰς τὰ χείρω ταῦτα τὴν ῥοπὴν ἔχοι. Ὁ μὲν χέων ὕβριν τε καὶ μοχθηρίαν, Ὁ δ' εἰς κακίστας ἡδονὰς οἰστρηλατῶν, Ὁ δ' οὐ κατάγχων ταῦτα, καὶ πλοκὰς στρέφων, Οὕτω τὰ καλὰ γίγνεται τοῦ φθορέως. Θεοῦ δὲ δῶρον οὐ καλὸν κακῷ φύρειν. Θεὸν δ' ἀκούων ἐν Γραφαῖς χολούμενον, 839 Ἣ πάρδαλίν τιν', ἣ παροιστρῶσαν πόθῳ Ἄρκτον, ζέοντα ἐκ μέθης καὶ κραιπάλης, Ἣ καὶ μάχαιραν τοῖς κακοῖς στιλβουμένην. Μὴ τοῦτο ποιοῦ τοῦ πάθους παρήγορον Ὧ προσπλακείς· ζητεῖς γὰρ οὐ λύσιν κακοῦ Καλῶς ἄκουε, μὴ κακῶς, τοῦ πράγματος. Πάσχει γὰρ οὐδὲν ὧν ἐγὼ πάσχω Θεός. Μή τις τοῦτ' εἴπῃ· καὶ γὰρ οὐδ' ἐξίσταται Αὐτός ποθ' αὑτοῦ. Ταῦτα γὰρ τοῦ συνθέτου, Καὶ τῶν μάχεσθαι ἠργμένων ἐκ πλείονος. Ὁ δ' ἔστι, τοῦτ' εὔδηλον, ἄτρεπτος φύσις. Πῶς οὖν τυποῦται ταῦτα; τῆς τροπῆς νόμοις. Πῶς; δειματῶσαι τῶν ἁπλουστέρων φρένας, Ὥσπερ τὰ πολλὰ τῶν λόγῳ δηλουμένων. 840 Ἀντιστροφὴν νόει γὰρ, καὶ τὸ πᾶν ἔχεις. Ἐπεὶ γὰρ αὐτοὶ πλήσσομεν χολούμενοι, Χολᾷν τὸ πλῆσσον τοὺς κακοὺς ἐγράψαμεν, Ὡς ὄψιν,