Nicene and Post-Nicene Church Fathers Series 2 - The Still Small ...

lion hath roared: who will not fear?” National calamity is traced to national sin, specially
to neglect of the poor. Children, it appears, 638 were allowed a holiday from school to attend
the public services held to deprecate the divine wrath. Crowds of men, to whose sins the
distress was more due than to the innocent children, wandered cheerfully about the town
instead of coming to church.
Homily X. is against the angry. Section 2 contains a description of the outward appearance
of the angry men. “About the heart of those who are eager to requite evil for evil, the
blood boils as though it were stirred and sputtering by the force of fire. On the surface it
breaks out and shews the angry man in other form, familiar and well known to all, as though
it were changing a mask upon the stage. The proper and usual eyes of the angry man are
recognized no more; his gaze is unsteady, and fires up in a moment. He whets his teeth like
boars joining battle. His countenance is livid and suffused with blood. His body seems to
swell. His veins are ruptured, as his breath struggles under the storm within. His voice is
rough and strained. His speech—broken and falling from him at random—proceeds without
distinction, without arrangement, and without meaning. When he is roused by those who
are irritating him, like a flame with plenty of fuel, to an inextinguishable pitch, then, ah!
then indeed the spectacle is indescribable and unendurable. See the hands lifted against his
fellows, and attacking every part of their bodies; see the feet jumping without restraint on
dangerous parts. See whatever comes to hand turned into a weapon for his mad frenzy.
The record of the progress from words to wounds recalls familiar lines which probably Basil
never read. 639 Rage rouses strife; strife begets abuse; abuse, blows; blows, wounds; and from
wounds often comes death.”
St. Basil, however, does not omit to notice 640 that there is such a thing as righteous indignation,
and that we may “be angry and sin not.” “God forbid that we should turn into
occasions for sin gifts given to us by the Creator for our salvation! Anger, stirred at the
proper time and in the proper manner, is an efficient cause of manliness, patience, and endurance.…Anger
is to be used as a weapon. So Moses, meekest of men, armed the hands
of the Levites for the slaughter of their brethren, to punish idolatry. The wrath of Phinehas
was justifiable. So was the wrath of Samuel against Agag. Thus, anger very often is made
the minister of good deeds.”
Homily XI., against Envy, adduces the instances of Saul’s envy of David, and that of the
patriarchs against Joseph. It is pointed out that envy grows out of familiarity and proximity.
“A man is envied of his neighbour.” 641 The Scythian does not envy the Egyptian. Envy
638 § 3.
639 Jurgia proludunt; sed mox et pocula torques Saucius, et rubra deterges vulnera mappa. Juv., Sat. v. 26.
640 § 6.
641 Ecc. iv. 4.
Homiletical.
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