FIFTH BOOK Against the Demon of Anger

Against the soul that does not know that a gift readily extinguishes a brother’s long-standing grudge

Jacob said, “If I have found favor before you, receive the gifts from my hands. For this reason I have seen your face, as someone might see the face of God, and you will be pleased with me. Receive my blessings that I have brought to you, because God has been merciful to me and is everything to me.”

Against the thoughts of anger that arise along the way of righteous living

Do not get angry along the way.

Against the thought of bearing false witness that is born of anger

You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Against the thought that came from a slanderer and that arouses and stirs up rage against the brothers

You shall not accept an idle rumor.

Against the thought that is stirred up by anger and wants to revile the brothers

You shall abstain from every unjust word.

Against the thought that depicted in the intellect a brother who in hatred said something wicked or listened to something hateful—this is like what John the prophet, the seer of Thebes, used to report, “It is possible for this hatred not to continue if it has to do with wealth or food, but hatred on account of the glory that comes from human beings is difficult to uproot”

You shall not hate your brother in your thinking. But with a reproof rebuke your neighbor, and you will not take on sin because of him.

Against the soul that thinks that perfect humility is beyond [human] nature

And the human being Moses was very meek, beyond all the human beings that were upon the earth.

Against the soul that does not understand that revilings from human beings occur when God hands it over to be tested

David said to Abishai and to all his slaves, “Look, my son who came forth from my bowels seeks my soul, and also now the son of Benjamin. Let him revile, because the Lord has spoken to him. If somehow the Lord looks upon my lowliness, he will return to me good things instead of his reproaches on the last day.”

Against the soul that has neglects humility but longs to learn the ways of the Lord

He will guide the meek in judgment; he will teach the meek his ways.

Against the soul that accepts thoughts of anger and collects against the brothers wicked pretexts and false suspicions

Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; do not be anxious, so that you do evil. For the evildoers shall be destroyed, but those who wait for the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

Against the thought that is set in motion by slander of the brothers and that obscures the soul with a cloud of rage

Sitting, you slander your brother, and against your mother’s son you have placed a stumbling block.

To the Lord because the intellect realized that frightening visions in the night come from the tumult of rage, and it understood as well that they are extinguished through mercy and patience

You have made me wise in your commandment beyond my enemies, for it is mine forever. I have understood more than all my teachers, for your testimonies are my meditation.

Against the demon that provokes anger against the brothers and also persuades us to chant this psalm, where is written the command to be patient, which we do not keep—it [the demon] does this in order to mock us as we speak that commandment which we do not keep in action

How shall we sing the Lord’s song in a foreign land?

Against the thought that collects wicked ideas against a brother, for example, that he is negligent or he is a reviler or he does not do what he ought

Do not devise evil things against your friend, who lives near you and trusts in you.

Against the thought that came from hatred and wanted to quarrel with a brother about transitory affairs

Hatred stirs up strife, but love covers all who do not love strife.

Against the thought that compelled us to pronounce a curse against a brother

Righteous lips cover enmity, but those who pronounce curses are extremely foolish.

Against the anger that is agitated against a brother and at the time of prayer makes the intellect unseemly

Every blessed soul is sincere, but an angry man is unseemly.

Against the thought that arouses our anger against cattle that do not go straight on their path

A righteous person pities the souls of his cattle, but the feelings of the ungodly are unmerciful.

Against the thought that is quickly aroused by anger and, based on a trivial pretext, agitates the intellect

A fool immediately announces his anger, but a clever man conceals his disgrace.

Against the thought that thinks up treachery against a brother

A treacherous person will not catch game, but a pure man is a precious possession.

Against the soul that marches on the way of resentment and, by means of thoughts, drags the intellect along, so that the intellect becomes enflamed with anger, and even after the thought of this passion subsides and some time has passed, there remains a representation of a word or transitory matter that clouds and imprints the intellect

In the ways of righteousness is life, but the ways of those who carry resentments lead to death.

Against the thought of anger that disturbs and uproots patience and makes us consider acts of folly, the power of which comes from the desire for possessions and instead of which humility ought to be aroused

The patient man abounds in understanding, but the impatient one is very foolish.

Against the thought of anger that prevents us from answering with humility those who chastise us rightly

Anger destroys even wise persons; a submissive answer turns away anger, but a painful word raises up anger.

Against the thought that provokes us to strife with the brothers and prevents us from cutting off arguments

An irascible man prepares arguments, but a patient one soothes an argument that is just starting.

Against the soul that supposes that it is not the thought of anger that is an abomination before God, but only the sin that results from it

An unrighteous thought is an abomination to the Lord, but words of the pure ones are holy.

Against the thought that advised us to love angry people and words of wrath

Do not be a companion to an irascible man, and do not lodge with an angry friend, lest you learn his ways and receive snares for your soul.

Against the soul that has suffered wrong and wants to do wrong as well—this is an indication of an evil passion belonging to a soul that loves vain things

Do not say, “As he has treated me, I will treat him, and I will repay him the wrong he has done me.”

Against the intellect that is not merciful, does not have pity on its enemy when it sees him in bitter poverty, and does not want to dissolve his enmity with a meal

If your enemy is hungry, feed him, and if he is thirsty, give him drink. For by doing this you will heap hot coals upon his head, and the Lord will reward you with good things.

Against the soul’s thought that is quickly enflamed with anger and is swiftly embittered against the brothers

Do not be quick in your spirit to become angry, for anger rests in the breast of the foolish.

Against the soul that does not want to let go of pretexts for anger, but desires food, clothing, riches, and the glory that passes away; anger that is stirred up on account of these things does not depart from the heart, but rather plunges the intellect into the depths of perdition

Remove anger from your heart, and take evil from your flesh, for youth and folly are vanity.

Against the demon that seeks through many temptations to extinguish our love for the brothers

Much water will not be able to extinguish love, and rivers will not drown it.

Against the thought that provokes me to write to the person who has caused us trouble harmful words that will strike his heart

Woe to those who write evil, for it is by writing that they write evil.

To the Lord concerning thoughts of anger that no longer provoke us

You have judged, Lord, the causes of my soul; you have redeemed my life. You saw my troubles; you have judged my case. You have seen all their vindictiveness; [you have seen] into all their thoughts against me.

Against the thoughts of anger that our parents and siblings present to us at the time when they persecute us on account of the Lord’s name

Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Against the thought that is agitated against a brother due to listlessness

If you are angry with a brother, you will be liable to judgment.

Against the intellect that has become angry with someone who struck it and, because of a second strike, does not want to let go of the thought that came because of the original strike

If anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn the other also.

Against the thoughts that provoke us to hate and curse our enemies

Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven.

Against the thought of anger that is not satisfied with a brother’s repentance but rather becomes newly embittered against him

If your brother sins, you must rebuke him, and if he repents, you must forgive him. And if he sins against you seven times a day, and turns back to you seven times and says, “I repent,” you must forgive.

Against the intellect that accepts thoughts of anger against the brothers and perverts the commandment of love, which is called “new”

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.

Against the thoughts of anger that are embittered against love

Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

Against the thoughts of envy that rejoice in the misfortune of our enemies

Rejoice with those who rejoice; weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another.

Against the thought that holds a grudge and endeavors to repay evil to the one who grieved it

Do not repay anyone evil for evil, but take thought for what is noble in the sight of all.

Against the thoughts of anger that advise us to take advantage and to defraud

Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—and brothers at that.

Against the thought of anger that becomes enraged against someone who taunted us about [our] slavery

Were you a slave when called? Do not be concerned about it. If you can become free, avail yourself of the opportunity. For whoever was called in the Lord as a slave is a freed person belonging to the Lord.

Against the soul that is not permitted the frank speech of love but is deprived of it by a thought of anger

If I speak in the tongues of mortals and of angels, but do not have love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries, and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give away all my possessions, and if I hand over my body so that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in any wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends.

Against the soul that is swiftly angry but wants to find within itself the frontier of the knowledge of truth

The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

Against the thoughts that cast us into grief over the brothers’ failings

Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you fulfill the law of Christ.

Against the soul’s thoughts that feed on anger against someone who received many good things from us and then complained about them

So let us not grow weary in doing what is right, for we will reap at harvest time, if we do not give up.

Against the thoughts of anger that do not permit us to be reconciled to the brothers because they depict before our eyes pretexts that are “suitable” yet actually are shame, fear, and pride—“Did he not fall into the very same offenses as earlier, he who transgressed in this matter?”—this is an indication of the craftiness of the demon, which does not want to let the intellect become free of resentment

Do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil.

Against the thoughts of any kind that are born of anger about matters of different sorts

Put away from you all bitterness and wrath and anger and wrangling and slander, together with all malice.

Against the thoughts of anger that dare to murmur about service to the brothers

Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish, in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation.

Against the thoughts that derive from enflamed anger and that, from their heat, give birth to blasphemy and treachery

But now you must get rid of all such things—anger, wrath, malice, slander, and abusive language from your mouth. Do not lie to one another.

Against the thoughts that want to repay evil for evil

See that none of you repays evil for evil, but always seek to do good to one another and to all.

Against the soul that does not know the aim of God’s commandment and, because of thoughts of anger, perverts it

The aim of such instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and sincere faith.

Against the intellect that by means of thoughts stirs up conflict in its thinking

The Lord’s slave must not be quarrelsome, but kindly to everyone.

Against the thought of anger that happens to me because of persecution, when I am persecuted by my parents and my relatives because of the Lord’s name

All who want to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.

Against the thought that provokes anger in us over a brother who accepted money or something else that he needed and is not working to repay it

If he has wronged you in any way, or owes you anything, charge that to my account.

Against the soul that gets angry swiftly but seeks the righteousness of God

Let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness.

Against the thought that has filled the intellect with anger but wants to see its soul in God’s wisdom

But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without a trace of partiality or hypocrisy. And a harvest of righteousness is sown in peace for those who make peace.

Against the thought that is moved by slander of the brothers and scorns the lawgiver—“He did not act justly when he established this law that he commanded, saying, ‘Do not slander your brother’ ”

Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. Whoever speaks evil against another or judges another, speaks evil against the law and judges the law; but if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law, but a judge. There is one lawgiver and judge who is able to save and to destroy.

Against the intellect that wants to repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse and does not want, through blessings, to forget abusive and slanderous thoughts

Do not repay evil for evil or abuse for abuse; but, on the contrary, repay with a blessing. It is for this that you were called—so that you might inherit a blessing.

Against the intellect that has said that the fear of God is in it but hates its brother

Whoever says, “I am in the light,” while hating a brother, is still in darkness.

Against the thoughts that are born of hatred and make the intellect murderous toward a brother

All who hate a brother are murderers, and you know that murderers do not have eternal life dwelling in them.

Against the intellect that professes to love God but, thanks to hatred toward a brother, has renounced the earlier love

Those who say, “I love God,” and hate their brothers, are liars; for those who do not love a brother whom they have seen, cannot love God whom they have not seen. Blessed is our Lord Jesus Christ, our God, who has given us the victory over the thoughts of the demon of anger, so that we might defeat it! 133