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Homily against those who are angry

HOMILY 10. Against those who are angry.

Just as with medical instructions, when they are well-aimed and according to the logic of the art, their benefit is shown especially after experience; so also with spiritual exhortations, when the instructions especially receive an outcome that bears witness to them, then their wisdom and benefit for the correction of life and the perfection of those who are persuaded becomes manifest. For hearing the Proverbs openly declaring that, *Anger destroys even the prudent*; and hearing also the apostolic exhortations, *Let all anger and wrath and clamor be put away from you, with all malice*; and the Lord saying that *he who is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment*; now when we have come to the experience of the passion—it not having occurred in us, but having fallen upon us from without like some unexpected tempest—then especially we recognized the wonder of the divine precepts. Having ourselves given place to anger, like an outlet to a violent stream, and observing in quiet the unseemly disturbance of those possessed by the passion, we recognized in their actions the accuracy of the saying: that *An angry man is not graceful*. For once the passion, having pushed aside the reasonings, takes over the dominion of the soul, it completely bestializes the man, and does not permit him to be a man, no longer having the help of reason. For what venom is to venomous creatures, this wrath becomes to those who are provoked. They rage like dogs, they dart like scorpions, they bite like snakes.

Scripture also knows to call those who are overcome by the passion by the names of the beasts, to which they have made themselves akin through their wickedness. For it calls them dumb dogs, and serpents, a generation of vipers, and such things. For those who are ready for mutual destruction and for harm against their 31.356 own kind would rightly be numbered with beasts and venomous creatures, in whom an irreconcilable hatred towards men exists by nature.

Because of wrath there are unbridled tongues, and unlocked mouths; unrestrained hands, insults, reproaches, slanders, blows, and the other things that one could not even enumerate, are all passions born of anger and wrath. Because of wrath a sword is also sharpened; the death of a man is dared by the hand of a man. Because of this, brothers have not known one another, and parents and children have forgotten their nature. For those who are angry first do not know themselves, and then all their associates as well. For just as torrents, rushing down into the hollows, drag along whatever they encounter, so the impulses of the angry are violent and unrestrained, passing through all things alike. For the wrathful, grey hair is not venerable, nor a virtuous life, nor kinship of family, nor prior kindnesses, nor anything else of value. Wrath is a short-lived madness. Indeed, they often cast themselves into manifest evil, neglecting their own welfare in their eagerness for revenge. For as if stung by a gadfly with the memory of those who have caused pain, with their anger convulsing and leaping, they do not stop before they inflict some evil on the one who provoked them, or perhaps even receive some in addition, if it so happens; just as often things that are violently shattered suffer more than they inflict, being broken against resistant objects.

Who could grasp the evil? how those quick to anger are ignited by any chance pretext, shouting and growing wild, and of what venomous creature not

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Homilia adversus eos qui irascuntur

ΟΜΙΛΙΑ Ιʹ. Κατὰ ὀργιζομένων.

Ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τῶν ἰατρικῶν παραγγελμάτων, ὅταν εὐστόχως καὶ κατὰ τὸν

λόγον τῆς τέχνης γίγνη ται, μετὰ τὴν πεῖραν μάλιστα τὸ ἀπ' αὐτῶν ὠφέλιμον διαδείκνυται· οὕτως ἐπὶ τῶν πνευματικῶν παραινέσεων, ἐπειδὰν μάλιστα τὴν ἔκβασιν μαρτυ ροῦσαν λάβῃ τὰ παραγγέλματα, τότε τὸ σοφὸν αὐτῶν καὶ ὠφέλιμον πρὸς τὴν ἐπανόρθωσιν τοῦ βίου καὶ τὴν τῶν πειθομένων τελείωσιν ἀναφαίνεται. Ἀκούον τες μὲν γὰρ τῶν Παροιμιῶν διαῤῥήδην ἀποφαινομέ νων, ὅτι Ὀργὴ ἀπόλλυσι καὶ φρονίμους· ἀκούον τες δὲ καὶ ἀποστολικῶν παραινέσεων· Πᾶσα ὀργὴ καὶ θυμὸς καὶ κραυγὴ ἀρθήτω ἀφ' ὑμῶν σὺν πάσῃ κακίᾳ· καὶ τοῦ Κυρίου λέγοντος τὸν ὀργιζό μενον εἰκῆ τῷ ἀδελφῷ αὐτοῦ ἔνοχον εἶναι τῇ κρίσει· νῦν ὅτε εἰς πεῖραν ἤλθομεν τοῦ πάθους, οὐκ ἐν ἡμῖν γενομένου, ἀλλ' ἔξωθεν ἡμῖν προσπεσόντος ὥσπερ καταιγίδος τινὸς ἀδοκήτου, τότε μάλιστα τὸ θαυ μαστὸν τῶν θείων παραγγελμάτων ἐπέγνωμεν. ∆όν τες μὲν αὐτοὶ τῇ ὀργῇ τόπον, ὥσπερ ῥεύματι βιαίῳ διέξοδον, καταμανθάνοντες δὲ ἐν ἡσυχίᾳ τὴν ἀσχή μονα ταραχὴν τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ πάθους κατεχομένων, ἐπέγνωμεν ἐπὶ τῶν ἔργων τὴν εὐστοχίαν τοῦ ῥήμα τος· ὅτι Ἀνὴρ θυμώδης οὐκ εὐσχήμων. Ἐπειδὰν γὰρ ἅπαξ παρωσάμενον τοὺς λογισμοὺς τὸ πάθος αὐτὸ τὴν δυναστείαν τὴν ψυχῆς παραλάβῃ, ἀποθη ριοῖ παντελῶς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ οὐδὲ ἄνθρωπον εἶναι συγχωρεῖ, οὐκέτι ἔχοντα τὴν ἐκ τοῦ λόγου βοήθειαν. Ὅπερ γὰρ τοῖς ἰοβόλοις ἐστὶν ὁ ἰὸς, τοῦτο τοῖς παροξυνθεῖσιν ὁ θυμὸς γίνεται. Λυσσῶσιν ὥσπερ οἱ κύνες, ᾄττουσιν ὥσπερ οἱ σκορπίοι, δάκνου σιν ὥσπερ οἱ ὄφεις.

Οἶδε καὶ ἡ Γραφὴ τοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ πάθους κεκρατημένους ταῖς τῶν θηρίων προσηγο ρίαις ἀποκαλεῖν, οἷς ἑαυτοὺς διὰ τῆς πονηρίας ᾠκε ίωσαν. Κύνας γὰρ ἐννεοὺς, καὶ ὄφεις, γεννήματα ἐχιδνῶν, καὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα προσαγορεύει. Οἱ γὰρ ἕτοι μοι πρὸς τὴν κατ' ἀλλήλων φθορὰν, καὶ τὴν κατὰ τῶν 31.356 ὁμοφύλων βλάβην, εἰκότως ἂν θηρίοις καὶ ἰοβό λοις συναριθμοῖντο, οἷς ἀδιάλλακτον ἐκ φύσεως ἐν υπάρχει πρὸς ἀνθρώπους τὸ μῖσος.

∆ιὰ θυμὸν ἀχάλινοι γλῶσσαι, καὶ ἀπύλωτα στόματα· χεῖρες ἀκρα τεῖς, ὕβρεις, ὀνείδη, κακηγορίαι, πληγαὶ, τὰ ἄλλα ὅσα οὐδ' ἂν ἐξαριθμήσαιτό τις, ὀργῆς καὶ θυμοῦ ἔκγονά ἐστι πάθη. ∆ιὰ θυμὸν καὶ ξίφος ἀκο νᾶται· θάνατος ἀνθρώπου ἐκ χειρὸς ἀνθρωπείας τολμᾶται. ∆ιὰ τοῦτον ἀδελφοὶ μὲν ἀλλήλους ἠγνόησαν, γονεῖς δὲ καὶ τέκνα τῆς φύσεως ἐπελάθοντο. Ἀγνοοῦσι μὲν γὰρ ἑαυτοὺς πρῶτον οἱ ὀργιζόμενοι, ἔπειτα καὶ πάντας ὁμοῦ τοὺς ἐπιτηδείους. Ὥσπερ γὰρ αἱ χαράδραι, πρὸς τὰ κοῖλα συῤῥέουσαι, τὸ προστυχὸν παρασύρουσιν· οὕτως αἱ τῶν ὀργιζομένων ὁρμαὶ βίαιοι καὶ ἀκάθεκτοι διὰ πάντων ὁμοίως χωροῦσιν. Οὐ πολιὰ τοῖς θυμουμένοις αἰδέσιμος, οὐκ ἀρετὴ βίου, οὐκ οἰκειότης γένους, οὐ προλαβοῦσαι χάριτες, οὐκ ἄλλο τι τῶν τιμίων. Μανία τίς ἐστιν ὀλιγοχρόνιος ὁ θυμός. Οἵ γε καὶ εἰς προὖπτον κακὸν ἑαυτοὺς πολλάκις ἐμβάλλουσι, τῇ πρὸς τὴν ἄμυναν σπουδῇ τοῦ καθ' ἑαυτοὺς ἀμελοῦντες. Οἱονεὶ γὰρ οἴστρῳ τῇ μνήμῃ τῶν λελυπηκότων περικεντούμενοι, σφαδά ζοντος αὐτοῖς τοῦ θυμοῦ καὶ πηδῶντος, οὐ πρότερον ἀπολήγουσι, πρὶν ἢ κακόν τι δοῦναι τῷ παροξύ ναντι, ἤ πού τι καὶ προσλαβεῖν, ἐὰν τύχῃ· ὥσπερ που πολλάκις τὰ βιαίως καταῤῥηγνύμενα ἔπαθέ τι πλέον ἢ ἔδρασε τοῖς, ἀντιτύποις περιθραυ σθέντα.

Τίς ἂν ἐφίκοιτο τοῦ κακοῦ; ὅπως οἱ ὀξύῤῥοποι πρὸς θυμὸν ὑπὸ τῆς τυχούσης προφάσεως ἐξαπτόμε νον, βοῶντες καὶ ἀγριαίνοντες, καὶ τίνος οὐχὶ ἰοβό λων