CHAPTER 4
LECTURE 8
25 διὸ ἀποθέμενοι τὸ ψεῦδος λαλεῖτε ἀλήθειαν ἕκαστος μετὰ τοῦ πλησίον αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἐσμὲν ἀλλήλων μέλη. 26 ὀργίζεσθε καὶ μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε: ὁ ἥλιος μὴ ἐπιδυέτω ἐπὶ [τῷ] παροργισμῷ ὑμῶν, 27 μηδὲ δίδοτε τόπον τῷ διαβόλῳ.
25 Wherefore, putting away lying, speak ye the truth, every man with his neighbour; for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry, and sin not. Let not the sun go down upon your anger. 27 Give not place to the devil.
Supra posita generali monitione, ut novitatem induerent, hic apostolus ponit praecepta specialia. Circa quod duo facit. Having set down above the general admonition to put on a newness of life (4:17), now the Apostle determines on the particular precepts. Concerning this he does two things:
Primo inhibet eis peccata interiora corrumpentia spiritum;
secundo peccata exteriora, quae corrumpunt carnem, ibi fornicatio autem , et cetera.
First, he restrains them from committing interior sins which corrupt the spirit.
Secondly, he prohibits exterior sins which corrupt the flesh (5:3).
Prima in duas. The first has two divisions:
Primo prohibet peccata, quae in deordinatione propria consistunt;
secundo peccata, quae consistunt in deordinatione alterius, ibi omnis sermo malus , et cetera.
First, he forbids sins which consist in one’s personal deordination.
Secondly, then sins which consist in the deordination of others (4:29).
Prima iterum in tres, The first section again is divided into three parts since he forbids:
quia primo prohibet peccatum corrumpens rationalem;
secundo peccatum deordinans irascibilem, ibi irascimini, et nolite peccare , etc.;
tertio peccatum pertinens ad concupiscibilem, ibi qui furabatur , et cetera.
First, sin corrupting man’s rational powers.
Secondly, sin deordinating his irascible emotions (4:26).
Thirdly, sin pertaining to the concupiscible emotions (4:28).
Circa primum tria facit. Primo quia unum istorum prohibet; secundo inducit ad aliud; tertio rationem assignat. Prohibet ergo illud primo quod ad veterem hominem pertinet, ita ut ista littera sit expositiva huius, quod praedixerat: induite novum hominem , ad quem induendum primo prohibet mendacium, quia per hoc peccatum oris corrumpitur veritas rationis. Unde dicit propter quod , scilicet novum hominem induendum, sitis supple, deponentes mendacium , quia, ut dicitur in Ps. V, 7: perdes omnes qui loquuntur mendacium , scilicet perniciosum. Regarding the first of these he does three things. First, he forbids one of them; then he urges its opposite [virtue]; thirdly, he gives his reason. Hence, he first prohibits what is characteristic of the old man, thereby expounding what he said above (v. 24): “Put on the new man.” To accomplish this he first bans lying because through this sin of the tongue the truth of reason is corrupted. Wherefore to put on the new man you should be putting away lying, for “Thou [O Lord] wilt destroy all that speak a lie” (Ps. 5:7) maliciously.
Et postea inducit ad novitatem, dicens Zac. c. VIII, 16: loquimini veritatem unusquisque cum proximo suo . Et quare? Quoniam sumus invicem membra . Membra enim se invicem diligunt et se iuvant mutuo in veritate. Rom. XII, 5: unum corpus sumus in Christo, singuli autem alter alterius membra . Sequitur irascimini , et cetera. Then he urges them on to newness of life, saying with Zacharias (8:16) speak ye the truth, every man with his neighbor. And why? Because we are members of one another. For members are to love and mutually assist one another in truth. “We, being many, are one body in Christ; and every one members one of another” (Rom. 12:5).
Ubi prohibet peccatum, corrumpens irascibilem. Circa quod tria facit. When forbidding sins destructive of the order in the irascible emotions, be makes three points:
Primo ponit monitionem;
secundo eam exponit, ibi sol non occidat , etc.;
tertio rationem reddit, ibi nolite locum , et cetera.
First, he gives a warning.
Secondly, he explains.what he means (4:26b).
Thirdly, he gives the reason for his concern (4:27).
Monitionem autem ponit, cum dicit irascimini , et cetera. Quod potest exponi dupliciter, quia duplex est species irae, quaedam bona, quaedam mala. Mala quidem quando inordinate tendit in vindictam, scilicet contra iustitiam; bona vero quando in vindictam debitam, quando scilicet quis irascitur quando oportet, cum quibus, et quantum oportet. Et de utraque potest exponi. Si de mala, sic est sensus: non praecipit, sed permittit; quasi dicat: si sic est, quod motus irae insurgat, quod humanum est, nolite peccare, id est nolite perducere ad effectum per consensum. I Cor. X, 13: tentatio vos non apprehendat nisi humana . Quia certe, qui aliter irascitur fratri suo, reus erit iudicio , ut dicitur Matth. V, 22. De hac ira monebat Ioseph fratres suos Gen. XLV, 24: ne irascimini in via . He gives his warning when he says Be angry, and sin not . This is susceptible of two interpretations; for there are two types of anger, a good one and an evil one. Anger is evil when, contrary to justice, it strives inordinately for revenge. It is good when it seeks a just vindication, namely, when the person is vexed at the time, with whom, and to the degree that, he should be. The [above warning] is applicable to both. If it concerns evil anger, the sense is that he does not command it but permits it. As though he said: Should it happen that anger wells up within you—which is human enough—do not sin. You must not be led on to perform [what the inordinate passion craves] through consenting to it. “Let no temptation take hold on you, but such as is human” (1 Cor. 10:13). For, without doubt, whoever is angered against his brother in any other way “shall be in danger of the judgment” (Mt. 5:22). Joseph counselled his brothers against such anger: “Be not angry in the way” (Gen. 45:24).
Si autem exponatur de bona, sic tenetur non solum permissive, ut primo, sed imperative, irascimini, scilicet contra peccata vestra, quoniam duplex est vindicta, quam homo appetit. Una de seipso peccante, et sic poenitentia est quaedam vindicta, quam homo facit et capit de seipso. Et haec est bona ira, et de hac dicitur imperative irascimini , scilicet contra peccata vestra, et nolite peccare , scilicet de caetero, nec talia committere, contra quae iterum oporteat irasci. If it is interpreted concerning righteous anger it is not simply permitted, like the first, but imperative. Be angry against your sins, for man desires a twofold vindication. One regarding himself when he sins, so that penance becomes a certain type of vindication which man inflicts and receives in himself. Such a wrath is good, and with respect to it the imperative is used: be angry against your sins, and sin not any more, nor commit those types of sin with which you must again be exasperated.
Modo credunt aliqui quod homo secure possit sibi ipsi irasci propter peccata sua, sed non proximo suo propter sua; sed non est ita: sicut enim contra seipsum quis irascitur propter peccata propria, ita proximo suo propter sua; ergo irascimini contra vitia aliena, et hoc cum zelo. Num. XXV, 11: Phinees avertit iram meam a filiis Israel, quia zelo meo commotus est contra eos . Sic Helias III Reg. XIX, 10: zelo zelatus sum pro domino Deo exercituum, quia dereliquerunt pactum domini filii Israel , et cetera. Et nolite peccare praeveniendo rationem, sed potius sequendo. Iac. I, 19: sit autem omnis homo velox ad audiendum, tardus autem ad loquendum, et tardus ad iram , et cetera. Now, some are doubtless of the opinion that a man can be mad at himself for his own sins safely, but that this does not hold true concerning his neighbors and their sins. This is false; a man can be mad at himself for his own sins, and at his fellow man because of his sins. Therefore, zealously be angry at other people’s offenses. “Phinees hath turned away my wrath from the children of Israel because he was moved with my zeal against them” (Num. 25:11). And Elias said: ‘With zeal have I been zealous for the Lord God of Hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant” (3 Kg. 19:10). By following the dictates of reason, rather than acting before [reason has had time to reflect], you sin not. “Let every man be swift to hear, but slow to speak, and slow to anger” (Jas. 1:19).
Sequitur sol non occidat , et cetera. Ubi exponit quod dixerat, et, secundum tres praedictas expositiones, potest tripliciter exponi, quia si de mala ira, tunc sic: sol , etc., id est: non persistatis in ira concepta sed ante solis occasum deponatis, quia licet permittatur motus, propter fragilitatem, non permittitur mora. In Let not the sun go down upon your anger he explains what he had said, and the explanation can be interpreted according to the three above expositions. If it concerns evil anger, then he would be saying: Do not nurture seeds of wrath, cast them off before sunset; for although the first impulses of temper are excusable, due to human frailty, it is illicit to dwell on them.
Si de bona, et hoc contra peccata propria, tunc sic: sol , id est Christus, Mal. IV, 2: orietur vobis timentibus nomen meum sol iustitiae , etc., non occidat super iracundiam vestram , id est super peccata vestra, pro quibus iterum oporteat vos irasci, et vosmetipsos punire. Si contra peccata aliena, sic accipitur sol, scilicet rationis. Eccle. XII, 1: memento creatoris tui in diebus iuventutis tuae, antequam veniat tempus afflictionis, et appropinquent anni, de quibus dicas: non mihi placent, antequam tenebrescat sol , et cetera. Sol non occidat super iracundiam vestram , id est non obtenebretur dictamen rationis. Iob V, 2: virum stultum interficit iracundia . In reference to good anger, as it is directed against one’s personal sins, the sun is Christ. “Unto you that fear my name the sun of justice shall arise” (Mal. 4:2) Let not it go down upon your anger , that is, on your sins, on account of which you must be angered again and punish yourselves. When the sins of others are in question the sun refers to reason. “Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth, before the time of affliction come, and the years draw nigh of which thou shalt say: They please me not; before the sun... is darkened” (Eccl. 12:1). The sun should not set on your anger, that is, the dictates of reason must not be clouded over. “Anger indeed killeth the foolish” (Job 5:2).
Sequitur nolite locum dare Diabolo , ubi assignat rationem monitionis. Diabolus enim habet locum in nobis per peccatum, vel per consensum. Io. XIII, 2: cum Diabolus iam misisset in cor, ut traderet eum Iudas , et cetera. Et sequitur ibid., quod post buccellam introivit in eum Satanas . Nunc autem huiusmodi passiones multum inclinant ad consensum et maxime quando pervertunt iudicium rationis, et hoc specialiter facit ira, quae consistit in accensione sanguinis, quae quidem ratione velocitatis sui motus praecedit iudicium rationis. Et quia, sic nobis perturbatis, Diabolus incipit locum habere in nobis, ideo dicit nolite locum dare Diabolo , quasi dicat: non perseveretis in ira, quia per hoc datis locum Diabolo, quia totus Diabolus iracundus est. Ps. XVII, 48: liberator meus de inimicis meis iracundis . Intrat autem hominem cum furore et ira. Apoc. XII, 12: descendit Diabolus ad vos, habens iram magnam . Hoc autem non potest facere saltem in anima, quamdiu homo iustus est. Haec autem iustitia per iram amittitur, quia ira viri iustitiam Dei non operatur , ut dicitur Iac. I, 20. Si ergo non vultis locum dare Diabolo, saltem in anima, sol non occidat super iracundiam vestram. Eccle. XI, 10: aufer iram a corde tuo . The reason for the warning is indicated in Give not place to the devil. The devil gains entrance to us either through sin or consent to it. “The devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray him” (Jn. 13:2), after which it says: “After the morsel, Satan entered into him” ( ibid. 27). Passions of this kind easily pull one’s consent [toward their desires], especially when they have biased the judgment of reason. Anger particularly does this since it involves the rapid, raising of blood, the speed of whose movement precedes any rational judgment. Excited like this, the devil wins a foothold within us; thus he says give not place to the devil. You ought not to persist, he seems to say, in your ill temper, for you will only invite the demon who is himself continually angered. God is “my deliverer from my infuriated enemies” (Ps. 17:48). “The devil is come down unto you, having great wrath” (Apoc. 12:12). He cannot accomplish this, at least in the soul of a just man. But this justice is forfeited through anger: “For the anger of man worketh not the justice of God” (Jas. 1:20). If you do not want to give Satan a place, at least in your soul, do not let the sun set on your wrath. “Remove anger from thy heart” (Eccl. 11:10).
* he says rather let him labor, working with his hands. The Apostle himself practiced this: “For such things as were needful for me and them that are with me, these hands have furnished” (Ac. 20:34). “For you yourselves know how you ought to imitate us: for we were not disorderly among you; neither did we eat any man’s bread for nothing, but in labor and in toil we worked night and day, lest we should be chargeable to any of you” (2 Thess. 3:7-8). * while idleness can be avoided in other ways and the immoral tendencies of the flesh can be controlled and checked by other means. It is sufficient if these latter are accomplished in some way.