John Chrysostom, On the Acts of the Apostles

the face of an angel, that he might draw them to himself. Let us therefore be pure from anger. The Holy Spirit does not dwell where there is anger; accursed is the wrathful man. Nothing wholesome can come forth from where anger issues. For just as in a sea-storm there is much clamor, great shouting, and one would not have an opportunity for philosophizing; so neither is it in anger. But if a soul is to say or to learn anything philosophical, 60.139 it ought first to be in a harbor. Do you not see how, when we wish to discuss some necessary things, we look for places free of noise, where there is quiet, where there is calm, that we may not be distracted? And if the noise from without distracts, much more the turmoil within. And if one prays, he prays in vain, doing this with wrath and anger; and if he speaks, he will be ridiculous; and if he is silent, again likewise; and if he eats, he is harmed even so; whether he drinks, or does not drink, whether he sits, or stands, or walks, or sleeps; for even in dreams such things appear. For what of such things is not amiss? Unpleasant eyes, a distorted mouth, limbs trembling and swelling, an unrestrained tongue sparing no one, a mind beside itself, an unseemly form, great unpleasantness. Behold for me the eyes of the possessed and of the drunken and of the mad, how do they differ from one another? Is not the whole thing madness? For what, if this happens for a time? For the madman is also possessed for a time; but what is worse than this? And they are not ashamed at their excuse: ‘I did not know,’ he says, ‘what I said.’ And why did you not know this, you a rational man, having reason? Why do you do the things of irrational creatures, like a wild horse carried away by anger and wrath? And yet the excuse is worthy of accusation. For would that you had known what you were saying. The words are of anger, he says, not mine. How his? And yet anger has no strength, unless it receives it from you. As one might also say: The wounds are of the hand, not mine. What do you think most needs anger? Is it not war and battle? But even there if anything is done with anger, the whole is corrupted and ruined. For those who fight especially ought not to be angry; those who insult especially ought not to be angry. And how is it possible to fight, he says? With reason, with meekness; for a fight is to stand in opposition. Or do you not see that even these wars are defined by law and ordinance and fixed times? For anger is nothing else than an irrational impulse; and by an irrational thing nothing rational can be done. δʹ. Since even he uttered such things, and was not angry. And Elijah said: How long will you limp on both your knees? and was not angry. And Phinehas slew, and was not angry. For anger does not allow one to see, but just as in a night battle, having bound everything, both eyes and ears, it leads one wherever it wishes. Let us therefore be rid of this demon, let us restrain it at its beginning, let us place the seal upon the breast like some bridle. Anger is a shameless dog; but let it learn to obey the law. If there is a dog in a flock so savage as not to obey the commanding herdsman, nor to recognize his voice, everything is lost and ruined. It grazes with the sheep; but if it tastes of the sheep, it is useless and is slaughtered. If it has learned to obey you, feed the dog; it is useful, barking against wolves, against pirates, against the robber chief, not against sheep, nor against one's own. If it does not obey, it corrupts everything; if it learns to despise, it destroys everything. Therefore, let not anger consume the gentle part in you, but let it guard it and make it fat; and it will guard it, and establish it to graze in much safety, if it consumes the defiled and wicked thoughts, if it drives the devil away from everywhere. Thus gentleness is preserved, when we nowhere reckon any evil to our neighbor; thus we become venerable, when 60.140 we do not learn to be shameless. For nothing makes one so shameless as a wicked conscience. Why are prostitutes shameless? Why are virgins modest? Is it not from sin in the one case? Is it not from chastity in the other? For nothing makes one so shameless as sin. And yet the contrary, he says,

πρόσωπον ἀγγέλου, ἵν' αὐτοὺς ἐφελκύσηται. Καθαροὶ τοίνυν θυμοῦ ὦμεν. Οὐ κατοικεῖ τὸ Πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἔνθα θυμός· ἐπικατάρατος ὁ θυμώδης. Οὐκ ἔστιν οὐδὲν ὑγιὲς προελθεῖν, ὅθεν θυμὸς ἔξεισι. Καθάπερ γὰρ ἐν χειμῶνι θαλαττίῳ πολὺς ὁ θόρυβος, μεγάλη ἡ κραυγὴ, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἔχοι τις καιρὸν φιλοσοφεῖν· οὕτως οὐδὲ ἐν θυμῷ. Ἀλλ' εἰ μέλλει τι φιλόσοφον ἢ λέγειν ἢ παιδεύεσθαι 60.139 ψυχὴ, ὀφείλει πρότερον ἐν λιμένι εἶναι. Οὐχ ὁρᾷς πῶς, ὅταν βουλώμεθα περί τινων ἀναγκαίων διαλεχθῆναι, τόπους θορύβου καθαροὺς παρατηροῦμεν, ἔνθα ἡσυχία, ἔνθα γαλήνη, ἵνα μὴ ἐκκρουώμεθα; Εἰ δὲ ὁ ἔξωθεν ἐκκρούει θόρυβος, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ἡ ἔνδον ταραχή. Κἂν εὔχηταί τις, εἰκῆ εὔχεται, μετὰ ὀργῆς καὶ θυμοῦ τοῦτο ποιῶν· κἂν φθέγγηται, καταγέλαστος ἔσται· κἂν σιγᾷ, πάλιν ὁμοίως· κἂν ἐσθίῃ, καὶ οὕτως ἐβλάβη· κἂν πίνῃ, κἂν μὴ πίνῃ, κἂν καθέζηται, κἂν στήκῃ, κἂν βαδίζῃ, κἂν καθεύδῃ· καὶ γὰρ ἐν τοῖς ὀνείροις τοιαῦτα φαντάζονται. Τί γὰρ τῶν τοιούτων οὐκ ἄτοπον; Ὀφθαλμοὶ ἀηδεῖς, στόμα διεστραμμένον, μέλη κεκινημένα καὶ οἰδαίνοντα, γλῶσσα ἀκράτητος καὶ οὐδενὸς φειδομένη, διάνοια ἐξεστηκυῖα, σχῆμα ἀπρεπὲς, πολλὴ ἡ ἀηδία. Ἴδε μοι τῶν δαιμονώντων τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ τῶν μεθυόντων καὶ μαινομένων, τί διεστήκασιν ἀλλήλων; οὐχὶ μανία τὸ πᾶν ἐστι; Τί γὰρ, εἰ πρὸς καιρὸν τοῦτο γίνεται; Καὶ γὰρ ὁ μαινόμενος πρὸς καιρὸν κατέχεται· τούτου δὲ τί χεῖρον; Καὶ οὐκ αἰσχύνονται ἐπὶ τῇ ἀπολογίᾳ· Οὐκ ᾔδειν, φησὶ, τί εἶπον. Καὶ διὰ τί μὴ ᾔδεις τοῦτο ὁ λογικὸς ἄνθρωπος, ὁ λογισμὸν ἔχων; διὰ τί τὰ τῶν ἀλόγων ποιεῖς, καθάπερ ἵππος ἄγριος ἀπὸ θυμοῦ καὶ ὀργῆς συναρπαγείς; Καὶ μὴν ἡ ἀπολογία, ἐγκλήματος ἀξία. Εἴθε γὰρ ᾔδεις, ἃ ἔλεγες. Τοῦ θυμοῦ, φησὶν, ἐστὶ τὰ ῥήματα, οὐκ ἐμά. Πῶς ἐκείνου; Καὶ μὴν ὁ θυμὸς οὐκ ἔχει ἰσχὺν, ἂν μὴ παρὰ σοῦ λάβῃ. Ὡς καὶ ἂν εἴποι τις· Τῆς χειρός ἐστιν, οὐκ ἐμὰ τὰ τραύματα. Τί οἴει μάλιστα δεῖσθαι θυμοῦ; οὐχὶ πόλεμον καὶ μάχην; Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐκεῖ ἂν μετὰ θυμοῦ τι γίνηται, τὸ πᾶν διέφθαρται καὶ ἀπόλωλε. Μάλιστα γὰρ τοὺς μαχομένους θυμοῦσθαι οὐ χρή· μάλιστα τοὺς ὑβρίζοντας θυμοῦσθαι οὐ χρή. Καὶ πῶς ἔνι μάχεσθαι, φησίν; Λόγῳ, ἐπιεικείᾳ· μάχη γάρ ἐστι τὸ ἐξ ἐναντίας στῆναι. Ἢ οὐχ ὁρᾷς καὶ τούτους τοὺς πολέμους νόμῳ καὶ διατάξει καὶ καιροῖς ὡρισμένους; Θυμὸς γὰρ οὐδέν ἐστιν, ἢ ὁρμὴ ἄλογος· ἀλόγῳ δὲ οὐδὲν λογικὸν γενέσθαι δυνατόν. δʹ. Ἐπεὶ καὶ οὗτος τοιαῦτα ἐφθέγγετο, καὶ οὐκ ἐθυμοῦτο. Καὶ ὁ Ἠλίας ἔλεγεν· Ἕως πότε χωλανεῖτε ἐπ' ἀμφοτέραις ταῖς ἰγνύαις ὑμῶν; καὶ οὐκ ἐθυμοῦτο. Καὶ ὁ Φινεὲς ἔσφαξε, καὶ οὐκ ἐθυμοῦτο. Ὁ γὰρ θυμὸς οὐκ ἀφίησιν ἰδεῖν, ἀλλὰ καθάπερ ἐν νυκτομαχίᾳ πάντα συνδήσας, καὶ ὀφθαλμοὺς καὶ ὦτα, οὕτως ἄγει, ὅπουπερ ἂν ἐθέλῃ. Ἀπαλλαγῶμεν οὖν τούτου τοῦ δαίμονος, ἀρχόμενον αὐτὸν καταστείλωμεν, τὴν σφραγῖδα ἐπιθῶμεν τῷ στήθει καθάπερ τινὰ χαλινόν. Κύων ἐστὶν ἀναιδὴς ὁ θυμός· ἀλλὰ μαθέτω ἀκούειν τοῦ νόμου. Ἂν ᾖ κύων ἐν ποίμνῃ οὕτως ἄγριος, ὡς μὴ πείθεσθαι προστάττοντι τῷ βουκόλῳ, μηδὲ ἐπιγινώσκειν αὐτοῦ τὴν φωνὴν, πάντα ἀπόλωλε καὶ διέφθαρται. Μετὰ τῶν προβάτων νέμεται· ἀλλ' ἐὰν ἀπογεύηται τῶν προβάτων, ἄχρηστός ἐστι καὶ κατασφάττεται. Εἰ ἔμαθεν ἀκούειν σου, θρέψον τὸν κύνα· χρήσιμός ἐστι, κατὰ τῶν λύκων, κατὰ τῶν πειρατῶν, κατὰ τοῦ λῃστάρχου ὑλακτῶν, οὐ κατὰ προβάτων, οὐδὲ κατὰ οἰκείων. Ἂν μὴ ἀκούῃ, πάντα διαφθείρει· ἂν μάθῃ καταφρονεῖν, πάντα ἀπολλύει. Τὸ τοίνυν ἥμερον τὸ ἐν σοὶ μὴ ἀναλισκέτω, ἀλλὰ φυλαττέτω ὁ θυμὸς καὶ πῖον ποιείτω· φυλάξει δὲ, καὶ ἐν ἀσφαλείᾳ πολλῇ νέμεσθαι καταστήσει, ἂν τοὺς μιαροὺς λογισμοὺς καὶ τοὺς πονηροὺς καταναλίσκῃ, ἂν τὸν διάβολον διώκῃ πανταχόθεν. Οὕτως ἐπιείκεια διασώζεται, ὅταν μηδαμοῦ τῷ πλησίον κακόν τι λογιζώμεθα· οὕτως αἰδέσιμοι γινόμεθα, ὅταν 60.140 μὴ μανθάνωμεν ἀναισχυντεῖν. Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἀναίσχυντον ποιεῖ, ὡς πονηρὸν συνειδός. ∆ιὰ τί αἱ πόρναι ἀναίσχυντοί εἰσι; διὰ τί αἱ παρθένοι αἰσχυντηλαί; Οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας ἐκεῖναι; οὐκ ἀπὸ τῆς σωφροσύνης αὗται; Οὐδὲν γὰρ οὕτως ἀναίσχυντον ποιεῖ, ὡς ἁμαρτία. Καὶ μὴν τοὐναντίον, φησὶ,