HOMILY: THAT GOD IS NOT THE AUTHOR OF EVIL.
A 1. Many are the modes of instruction shown to us by the Spirit working in David. For sometimes the prophet, by narrating to us his own tribulations and calamities and how he bore what had happened to him with fortitude, leaves behind for us a most clear example of patience, as when he says: *O Lord, why are they multiplied that afflict me?* At other times, he commends the goodness of God and the speed of His succor, which He truly provides to those who seek Him, saying: *When I called, the God of my justice heard me*; speaking words equivalent to the prophet who said: *As you are yet speaking, He will say: Behold, I am here.* That is to say: I had not yet finished calling, and the hearing of God anticipated the end of the invocation. Again, when offering supplications and prayers to God, he teaches us in what manner it behooves those who are in sins to appease God: *O Lord, rebuke me not in your indignation, nor chastise me in your wrath.* B And in the twelfth psalm, indicating a certain prolongation of temptation when he says: *How long, O Lord, will you forget me unto the end?* and throughout the whole psalm teaching us not to fail in tribulations, but to expect the goodness of God, and to know that by a certain economy He delivers us to afflictions, measuring out the standard of trials according to the proportion of faith existing in each man. Therefore, after that which was said: *How long, O Lord, will you forget me unto the end?* and: *How long do you turn away your face from me?* he immediately passes to the wickedness of the impious, who, whenever anything C of their affairs in life runs counter to them, since they do not bear the more difficult circumstances of events, immediately become doubtful in their minds whether there is a God who cares for earthly things, whether He oversees each individual, or whether He distributes to each one according to desert. Then, when they see themselves lingering too long in unwanted trials, they establish within themselves a corrupt dogma, and they declare in their hearts that there is no God: *The fool said in his heart: There is no God.* And having cast this into his own mind, he henceforth proceeds unsparingly through every sin. For if there is no one who oversees, D if there is no one who renders to each according to the desert of their lives, what prevents one from oppressing the poor, slaying orphans, killing the widow and the sojourner, daring every impious deed, and being defiled by impure and abominable passions and
A be defiled by all bestial desires? It is for this reason that, describing what follows from not believing that there is a God, he added: "They were corrupted and became abominable in their dealings." For it is impossible to be diverted from the straight path unless one has allowed the soul to fall into the sickness of forgetting God.
2. From whence, I ask, have the nations been delivered over to a reprobate mind, and do the things that are not proper? Is it not because they said, "There is no God?" Whence have they fallen B into the passions of dishonor? And do the women among them exchange the natural use for that which is against nature, and the males commit indecency with males? Is it not because they changed the glory of the incorruptible God into the likeness of beasts and quadrupeds and reptiles? He, therefore, who says that there is no God is truly an unintelligent and foolish man, since he is truly bereft of mind and prudence. Similar to him, and in no way inferior in stupidity, is anyone who says that God is the author of evils. For I consider their sin to be equal, because both alike deny Him who is good; the one by saying that He does not exist at all, and the other by determining that He is not good. For if He is the author of evils, He is evidently not good; so that from both sides there is a denial of God. Whence then, he says, come diseases? Whence the untimely deaths? Whence the total destruction of cities, shipwrecks, wars, and plagues? C For these things, he says, are evils, and all are works of God. To whom else, then, can we transfer the cause of things that happen, if not to God? Come now, since we have fallen into this oft-repeated question, let us bring the argument to a conceded principle and attempt, having discussed the problem more diligently, to provide a clear and undistorted explanation concerning it.
3. Therefore, this one thing must be fixed and settled in our minds: that, being the work of the good God and being sustained by Him — He who provides for us in both small and great matters — we can neither suffer anything if God does not will it, nor is anything of that which we suffer harmful or destructive, or of such a kind that something better could even be conceived. For deaths are indeed from God; yet death is certainly not an evil, unless one speaks of the death of the sinner, since for him, departing from here is the beginning of punishments in hell. But, on the other hand, D the evils in hell do not have God as their author, but ourselves. For the principle and root of sin is the faculty within us and our free will. For those to whom it was granted, by abstaining from evil, to suffer no wrong, are the ones who, through pleasure
enticed into sin, what plausible excuse could we offer A for not being ourselves the authors of our own sufferings? Evil, therefore, is one thing when considered in terms of our own perception, and another in its own nature. That which is evil by nature originates from us: injustice, licentiousness, folly, cowardice, envy, murder, sorcery, craftiness, and whatever passions are akin to these, which defile the soul that was made in the image of its Creator and naturally tend to obscure its beauty. Again, we call "evil" that which is grievous and painful to our perception—bodily sickness, wounds of the body, the lack of necessities, disgrace, loss of wealth, and the bereavement of loved ones—every one of which is brought upon us by the wise and good Master for our own benefit. For He takes away wealth from those who use it badly, breaking the instrument by which they were perpetrating injustice; He sends disease to those for whom it is more profitable to have their limbs fettered than to have impulses for sinning unhindered; and deaths are brought about when the limits of life are fulfilled, which the just judgment of God, foreseeing from afar what is beneficial for each of us, established for everyone from the beginning. Famines, droughts, and excessive rains are certain common plagues of cities and nations, punishing that immoderation of evil. Just as the physician is a benefactor, even if he inflicts pains and sufferings upon the body (for he is fighting against the disease, not against the patient), so God is good, providing for the salvation of all through partial punishments. Yet you lay no blame upon the physician when he cuts, or burns, or entirely removes parts from the body; on the contrary, you even pay him money and call him a savior, because he stops the disease in a small part B before the affliction can spread throughout the whole body. But when you see a city shaken by an earthquake having collapsed upon its inhabitants, or a ship having perished in the sea along with all the men on board, you do not shrink from directing a blasphemous tongue against the true Physician and Savior. Yet you ought to have understood that diligence and useful care are applied if the sickness of the suffering people is moderate and curable; but when the disease has become too strong to be cured, then it becomes necessary to amputate the useless part, lest the disease, by spreading through continuity, reach the vital organs. Therefore, just as the physician is not the cause of the incision or the cautery, but the disease—so, too, the obliteration of cities, having its origin in the immoderation of those who sin, absolves God of all blame. C
4. But if God is not the author of evils, someone might say, how (40) can we offer any plausible excuse for not being the authors of our own afflictions? Therefore, evil is one thing according to our sense perception, another according to its own nature. D That which is evil in its nature depends upon us: injustice, licentiousness, folly, cowardice, envy, murders, sorceries, dishonesties, and all passions of this sort, which, while staining the soul created in the image of the Creator, are wont to obscure its beauty and elegance. Rursus—again—we call "evil" that which is troublesome to us and brings pain to the senses: bodily sickness, its wounds, the lack of necessary things, ignominies, loss of money, and the loss of families and necessary things. Each of which is inflicted upon us by the prudent and good Lord for our own utility. For He takes away riches from those who use them badly so that He may shatter the instrument by which they were doing injustice. He sends disease to those for whom it is more conducive to have the limbs hindered than to have their motions ready and prepared for sinning. Deaths also are introduced when the terms of life are fulfilled, which the just judgment of God—foreseeing far ahead what may be conducive to each of us—established for each one from the beginning. Now, in truth, famines, droughts, and excessive rains are certain common plagues of cities and nations, punishing the immoderation of evil. Just as, therefore, a physician is a benefactor, whether he brings labors or pains upon the body (for he struggles with the disease, not with the sick person): so God is good, who, by inflicting private penalties, provides for the salvation of all. But you, while you give no blame to the physician, who cuts some things, burns others, and removes others entirely from the body—nay, rather, you count out money to him and call him a savior because he stops the disease in a small part before the corruption is diffused into the whole body. But when you see a city shaken by an earthquake having collapsed upon the inhabitants, or a ship having perished at sea together with the men themselves, you do not fear to move a blasphemous tongue against the true physician and savior. And yet, it behooved you to understand that diligence and useful care are applied if the sickness of the sick men is moderate and curable; but when the disease has once become stronger than it is possible to be cured, then it is necessary for the useless part to be amputated, lest the disease, creeping by continuity, arrive at the vital parts. Thus, therefore, of the section or the burning, the physician is not the cause, but the disease: so those having God free from all crime and representation [index: entries preserved]
A of being the author and creator of evils. For He who said, "I who prepare light, and create darkness," through these things sets Himself forth as the Creator of the universe, not as the creator of any evil. Therefore, that you may not think there is one author of light and another of darkness, He said He was the maker and craftsman of those things which seem to be B contrary to one another in the creation, so that you might not seek another creator for fire, and another for water, nor another for air, and another for earth; since they seem in some way to be opposed to one another by the contrariety of their qualities. Which some, having already suffered, have turned to polytheism. But He "makes peace, and creates evils." He makes peace most of all within you, when by good doctrine He has quieted your mind, and reconciled the passions that are rebelling against the soul; and He "creates evils"—that is, He transforms them and leads them to a better state, so that, having put aside their being evils, they may take on the nature of2 the good. "Create in me a clean heart, O God." He does not mean, "create [it] now," but "renew what has grown old through wickedness." And, "that He might create in Himself the two into one new man." The word, "create," is used, not to bring forth from nothing, but to transform those who already existed. Likewise, "If any be in Christ, it is a new creature." And again, Moses says: "Is not He this same father of yours who possessed you, and made you, and created you?" For here, the word "created," which is placed after the word "made," clearly teaches us that the name of "creation" is for the most part used for a certain mutation for the better. Therefore, in "making peace," He so makes peace, namely, from the fact that He creates evils—that is, transforms and amends them. Furthermore, if you understand "peace" as an exemption from wars, and call the troubles that follow those who are at war "evil"—long expeditions, labors, vigils, fears, D sweats, wounds, slaughters, the storming of cities, servitude, exiles, the miserable spectacles of captives, and in sum, all the inconveniences that accompany wars—we say that these things come about by the just judgment of God, in that punishment is brought upon those who are worthy of correction, through the wars. [(47)] [(48)]
A Or do you wish that Sodom had not been burned after those acts of impiety and wickedness? Or that Jerusalem had not been overturned, and the temple desolated, after the horrific madness of the Jews against the Lord? But how else was it just that these things should happen, if not by the hands of the Romans, to whom the Jews, enemies of their own life, delivered our Lord? Therefore, it is sometimes just that the evils of war should be brought upon those worthy of them. And that saying, *I will kill and I will make to live*, receive it, if you wish, in its immediate and obvious sense. For fear edifies those who are simpler. *I will strike, and I will heal*. And this is useful when understood in that way: the blow causes fear, while the healing encourages them toward love. B Yet it is permissible for you to think more deeply about what has been said. *I will kill*—sin; *and I will make to live*—justice. For as much as our outward man is perishing, so much is the inner man being renewed. Therefore, He does not kill one person and give life to another; but He brings life to the same person through the means by which He kills; and through the means by which He strikes, He heals, according to the Proverb which says: *You will indeed strike him with a rod, but you will deliver his soul from death*. Flesh, therefore, is struck, that the soul may be healed; and sin is put to death, that justice may live. And the passage, *Evils have come down from the Lord upon the gates of Jerusalem*, interprets itself. What evils? The rumbling of chariots and horsemen. But when you hear, *Is there any evil in a city which the Lord has not done?*, understand the name of "evil" to mean that the affliction brought upon those who sin for the correction of their transgressions is what the discourse refers to by that name. For it says: *I have afflicted you, and I have constrained you by hunger*, that I might do you good; holding back, as it were, the injustice before it is poured out to an immeasurable extent, just as a stream is held back by some powerful barrier and dam. C Hence, plagues of cities and nations, droughts of the earth, and the harsher circumstances that happen to each person in life, cut off the increase of wickedness. So that such evils come from God, removing the origin of true evils. For both the afflictions of the body and external hardships are devised for the restraint of sin. Therefore, God removes evil; but evil is not from God. For a physician removes a disease, but does not cast disease into the body. And the destruction of cities, earthquakes and floods, the slaughter of armies, and shipwrecks, and all such massive destructions, whether occurring from earth, or sea, or air, or fire, or from any other cause whatsoever, happen D for the sober correction of those who remain, as God corrects common wickedness with public scourges. The evil, therefore, that is properly so called—namely, sin—which is above all worthy of the name of evil, depends on...
our own choice, it being within our power either to abstain from wickedness or to be evil. A As for the rest, some things are presented as trials for the demonstration of fortitude—such as the loss of children to Job, the disappearance of all his property in a single moment of time, and the plague of the ulcer—while others are for the healing of sins, such as the shame regarding his house brought upon David, who was paying the penalty for an unlawful desire. And again, we have observed another type of terrible thing brought about by the just judgment of God, in order to make those who are slippery and prone to sin more sensible: as when Dathan and Abiron were swallowed by the earth, as pits and chasms opened up to receive them. For here, they themselves were not made better by this kind of punishment (for how could those who had descended into Hades be?), B but they made others more sensible by their example. Thus, Pharaoh also was drowned with his entire army. Thus were those who formerly inhabited Palestine exterminated. Therefore, even if the Apostle should say at some time, "Vessels of wrath fitted for destruction," let us not suppose that Pharaoh was some evil work (for in that way the cause would be more righteously transferred to the Maker); but when you hear "vessels," understand that each one of us was fashioned for something useful. And just as in a great house there is a gold vessel, a silver one, an earthen one, and a wooden one (the free will of each providing the likeness of these materials; and a gold vessel is one who is pure in conduct and guileless; a silver one, he who is inferior to the former in worth; an earthen one, he who thinks on earthly things and is fit to be broken; and a wooden one, he who is easily defiled by sin and C becomes fuel for the eternal fire), so too is a "vessel of wrath" one who has received all the operation of the devil, like a container, and because of the stench arising in him from corruption, he can no longer be brought to any use, but is worthy only of being made to disappear and of destruction. Therefore, since he had to be broken, the wise and prudent steward of souls D
A statuted that he should become illustrious and renowned among all, so that he might at least be useful to others through his misfortune, since he himself was incurable due to excessive malice. He hardened him, increasing his malice by forbearance and the delay of punishment, so that when his wickedness had reached its final measure, the justice of the divine judgment might be manifest in him. For this reason, starting from smaller blows and always adding to and intensifying the scourges, He did not soften his insubordination, but found him both scorning the forbearance of God and accustomed by habit to the evils brought upon him. And not even so did He deliver him to death, until he himself made himself drown, B having dared, in the pride of his heart, to traverse the path of the just, and having thought that, just as for the people of God, so too for him would the Red Sea be passable.
Having therefore learned these things from God, and having distinguished within yourself the kinds of evil, and knowing what is truly evil—namely sin, whose end is destruction—and what is only apparently evil—because of the pain it causes in the senses, yet having the force of good, as are the punishments brought upon us to restrain sin, the fruits of which is the eternal salvation of souls, cease from being displeased at the divine dispensations. In a word, do not regard God as the author of the substance of evil, nor imagine that evil has any proper subsistence of its own. For wickedness does not subsist like some living creature, C nor can we represent its essence as having an independent existence. For evil is a privation of good. The eye was created, but blindness supervened upon the loss of the eyes. So that, if the eye were not of a corruptible nature, blindness would have had no access. Thus also, evil does not exist in its own proper substance, but it supervenes upon the conditions of the soul. For it is neither unbegotten, as is the argument of the impious, who make wickedness equal to the good nature, if indeed both lack a beginning and are superior to generation; nor is it begotten. For if all things are from God, how is evil from the good? Neither is the shameful from the honorable, nor vice from virtue. Read the creation of the world, D and you will find there "all things good, and very good." Therefore, evil was not created along with the good things. Nor was the intelligible creation, brought into being by the Creator, produced with some wickedness mixed into its nature. For if corporeal things did not have evil in themselves created along with them—
how could intelligible things, which differ so greatly in purity and holiness, have had a common subsistence with evil? A Yet evil does exist, and its activity shows it spread throughout the whole of life. Whence, then, does it have its existence, if it is neither without beginning, as he says, nor has been created? Whence come diseases? Whence the defects of the body? For disease is neither unbegotten, nor is it a work of God. Animals were indeed created with a structure suitable for them according to nature, and they were brought forth B into life with their members complete and perfect; but they became sick when they were displaced from their natural state. For they lose their health either because of a bad diet or because of some other cause that produces disease. Therefore, God created the body, not disease; and God created the soul, not sin; but the soul was corrupted, having been displaced from its natural state. And what was the primary good for it? It was to remain near God and to be joined to Him through love; having fallen from this, it was corrupted by various and manifold C infirmities. Why, however, is it at all capable of evil? Because of that self-determining impulse which is very appropriate to a rational nature. For since it is freed from all necessity, and since it obtained from the Creator a life under its own control—because it was made in the image of God—it perceives the good and knows its enjoyment, and it has the power and the capacity, while continuing in the contemplation of the good and in the enjoyment of intelligible things, to preserve its own life according to nature; but it also has the power to turn away at some point from the good. And this happens to it when, having become sated with blessed delight and, as it were, weighed down by a certain drowsiness, and having slipped away from the things above, it becomes mixed with the flesh for the sake of enjoying shameful pleasures.
7. Adam was once in the heights, not in a place, but in D disposition, when, having just received a soul and looked up toward heaven, he became exceedingly joyful at the things he saw, loving the Benefactor above all, who had granted him the enjoyment of eternal life, who had made him rest in the delights of paradise, who had given him a rule like that of the angels, who had made him a fellow-citizen with the archangels, and a hearer of the divine voice—besides all these things, protected by God and enjoying His goods, he was quickly sated with it all, and, as if having committed an outrage through overindulgence, he preferred what seemed pleasant to the eyes of the flesh to the intelligible beauty, and he considered the satiety of the belly more honorable than spiritual enjoyments.
A He was immediately outside of Paradise, and outside of that blessed course of life, having become evil not out of necessity, but out of thoughtlessness. On account of this, he both sinned through a depraved will and died through sin; for "the wages of sin is death" (Rom. VI, 23). For by as much as he departed from life, by so much did he approach death. For God is life; but the deprivation of life is death. Thus Adam prepared death for himself through his departure from God, according to that which is written: "Behold, they who distance themselves from thee shall perish" (Ps. LXXII, 27). Thus God did not create death, but we ourselves drew it upon ourselves from an evil intention. Nor, indeed, did He prevent our dissolution for the reasons mentioned before, so that He might not preserve in us an immortal sickness. Just as if someone were unwilling to commit a leaking earthen vessel to the fire, until he might cure the defect inherent in it through reshaping it. B But why, one might say, did we not receive in our creation a nature that is incapable of sinning, so that not even if we wished to should we have the power to sin? Because you, too, do not consider your servants to be well-disposed when you have them in chains, but when you see them fulfilling their duties toward you willingly. And so, to God, that which is forced is not pleasing, but that which is achieved through virtue. Virtue, however, comes from the will, and not from necessity. And the will depends upon things that are within our power. And that which is within our power is the capacity of free choice. Therefore, he who blames the Creator for not having created us naturally incapable of sinning does nothing other than prefer an irrational nature to a rational one, and an immovable and unmotivated nature to one that is capable of choice and active. C These things, even if stated by way of digression, have been said of necessity, so that you, having fallen into an abyss of speculations, might not also be deprived of God Himself, in addition to the loss of those things which you are eager to possess. Let us therefore cease to correct the Wise One. Let us cease to seek anything better than the things which He has done. For even if the reasons for the individual things which are managed by His providence and counsel escape us, yet let that one dogma be fixed and firm in our souls: that no evil comes from the Good.
8. There follows upon this, in the logical order of thoughts, the question concerning the devil. Whence is the devil, if not from God D are evils? What, then, do we say? That the same argument which we provided regarding human wickedness will suffice for us for this question as well. For whence is man evil? From his own will. Whence is the devil evil? From the same cause; since he too possessed a free life, and the power lay with him either to remain with God or to become estranged from the Good. Gabriel is an angel, and he has stood constantly before God. Satan was also an angel, but he fell completely from his own rank. And as for the one, his free will kept him in the heavens, and as for the other, it was the freedom of his will that cast him down.
A For the former was preserved by an insatiable love for God, while the latter was rendered reprobate by his withdrawal from God. This is what evil is: alienation from God. A small turning of the eye makes us be either with the sun or in the shadow of our own body. If you look toward the light, you are promptly and quickly illuminated; but if you turn toward the shadow, you necessarily dwell in darkness. In this way is the devil evil: he has malice by his own will; it is not his nature that is opposed to the good. Whence, then, arises his war against us? It is because, being a vessel of all malice, he received also the disease of envy, and he envied us our honor. For he could not bear our life, led in paradise without sadness; but by deceits and wiles he deceived man, and the desire which he himself had, to be made like God, he used to deceive him; he showed him the tree, and promised that if he were to eat of it, he would make him like God. B For if you eat, he says, you will be as gods, knowing good and evil. He was not, therefore, created as an enemy to us, but became an enemy to us out of envy. For when he saw himself cast out from the assembly of the angels, he could not bear to see a terrestrial being elevated by his own advancement in virtue to the dignity of the angels.
9. Since he had therefore become an enemy, God placed enmity within us against him, when he spoke thus to the serpent whose work he had used, directing the threats toward the devil: I will put enmity between you and between her seed. For in very deed, friendships formed with malice are harmful, since this law of friendship is naturally wont to occur between those connected by a certain likeness. Whence it is rightly said: Bad company corrupts good morals. For just as in pestilential places the air breathed in little by little engenders a hidden disease in the inhabitants, so acquaintance begun with wicked C things introduces great evils into the soul, even if the harm is not felt immediately. For this reason the enmity toward the serpent is implacable. And if the instrument is worthy of such great hatred, how much hatred does it behoove us to bear toward the one who set that instrument in motion? But why, one might ask, was the tree in paradise, through which the devil was to launch his attack against us? For if he had not possessed the enticement of deceit, how would he have led us through disobedience into death? Because our obedience had to be tested by a commandment. For that reason the plant was fertile with beautiful fruits, so that by abstaining from pleasure, we might demonstrate the virtue of temperance and be justly rewarded with the crowns of patience. D Eating, however, was followed not only by the violation of the commandment, but also by the knowledge of nakedness. For they ate, he says, and their eyes were opened.
A It had been better, however, not to know nakedness, so that the human mind might not be distracted by seeking to supply what was lacking, by devising clothing for itself and comforts for its nakedness, and by becoming wholly preoccupied with the care of the flesh, thus being drawn away from the contemplation of God. Why then were garments not fashioned for him at the very beginning with himself? Because it was fitting that they be neither natural nor artificial. For natural things belong to irrational animals, such as wings, and hair, and thick hides, which are able to ward off winters and endure heats, in which one differs nothing from another, since a similar and equal nature is inherent in all of them; but for man, according to the proportion of his love toward God, it was fitting that things more excellent be bestowed as rewards for his goodness. On the other hand, the study of arts would have given B occasion and opportunity for worldly business; this was most especially to be avoided, as it was destructive to man. Wherefore the Lord, recalling us to the life in paradise, casts out the anxiety of souls, saying: *Be not anxious for your life, what you shall eat; nor for your body, what you shall put on* (Matt. VI, 25). Neither, then, by nature nor by art was it fitting for him to have coverings; but other things were prepared, if he had demonstrated virtue—things that would have blossomed forth upon man by the grace of God, and would have shone forth with certain bright vestments, like those of the angels, surpassing the variety of flowers, surpassing the brightness and brilliance of the stars. Therefore, garments were not given to him at once, because they were prizes of virtue stored up for man, which the ambush of the devil did not permit him to reach. C The devil, therefore, has become a combatant against us on account of the fall that happened to us long ago through his treachery, the Lord having arranged this contest for us against him, so that through obedience we might wrestle back and be crowned over the adversary. Would indeed that he had not become a devil, but had remained in the order in which he was stationed from the beginning by the Commander! But since he became a deserter, he became an enemy both of God and of men who were created in the image of God (for this is why he is a hater of mankind, because he is also a fighter against God; and he hates us as possessions of the Master, and he hates us as images of God). Consequently, He who wisely and providently directs human affairs used his wickedness for the training of our souls, just as a physician uses the poison of a viper D for the preparation of life-saving remedies. Who, then, was the devil? and what was his order? and what was his dignity? and whence, in total, is he called Satanas? Satanas, indeed, [is so named] because he acts in opposition to the good; for this is what the Hebrew word signifies, as we have learned from the books of Kings: For it says, the Lord raised up a Satan against Solomon, Ader the king of Sy-
- A rians. But he is called "devil," since he becomes both the accomplice of our sin and our accuser; rejoicing in our destruction, yet holding us up as examples for the things we have done. His nature is incorporeal, according to the Apostle who says: "We possess no struggle against blood and flesh, but against the spiritual hosts of wickedness." His dignity is an imperial one, for he says: "Against principalities, and powers, and the world-rulers of this darkness." The place of his principality is the air, as the same Apostle says: "According to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the sons of disobedience." For this reason he is also called the prince of the world, since his principality encompasses the sphere of the earth. And thus the Lord speaks: "Now is B the judgment of this world; now the prince of this world shall be cast out." And again: "The prince of this world cometh, and in me he shall find nothing."
10. Since, however, it has been said concerning the army of the devil that "the spiritual hosts of wickedness are in the heavenly places," we must know that Scripture is accustomed to call the air "heaven," as in, "the birds of the heaven," and, "they ascend up to the heavens," which is to say, they are lifted high into the air. For this reason, the Lord also "saw Satan falling as lightning from heaven"—that is, falling from his own principality and becoming lowly, so that he might be trampled by those who have placed their hope in Christ. For He gave to His own disciples power to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy. Since, therefore, his wicked tyranny has been cast out, C and the region around the earth has been cleansed through the saving Passion of Him who reconciled things on earth and things in the heavens, the kingdom of the heavens is henceforth preached to us. John says: "The kingdom of the heavens is at hand"; the Lord everywhere preaches the Gospel of the kingdom; and even before this, the angels were shouting: "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace"; and those who were rejoicing at the entry of our Lord into Jerusalem were crying out: "Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest." In sum, there are a myriad of victory cries that testify to the final overthrow of the enemy, showing that no struggle nor contest remains for us in the things above, nor is there anyone to resist us and turn us aside from the blessed life; but we shall henceforth possess a pleasant and joyful succession
A of it, and we shall enjoy the tree of life eternally, of which we were forbidden to partake from the beginning because of the guile of the serpent. For God ordained the flaming sword to guard the way of the tree of life; having passed which without hindrance, we shall be admitted within to the enjoyment of good things in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen.
HOMILY X.
Against those who are angry.
1. Just as in medical precepts, when they are performed aptly and according to the logic of the art, their utility is especially demonstrated after experience; so also in spiritual exhortations, when the commandments have especially received the outcome which bears witness, then their wisdom and their utility for the correction of life and the perfection of those who are persuaded is made manifest. For when we hear the Proverbs declaring expressly that "anger destroys even the prudent," and when we hear the apostolic exhortations: "Let all anger and wrath and clamor be removed from you with all malice," and the Lord saying that he who is angry with his brother without cause is liable to judgment; now, when we have come to the experience of the passion—not as it is generated within us, but as it has fallen upon us from without like some unexpected storm—then especially have we known the marvelous quality of the divine commands. Giving place ourselves to anger, like an outlet for a violent stream, yet observing in stillness the unseemly disturbance of those who are possessed by the passion, we have recognized by our deeds the accuracy of the saying: "A wrathful man is not orderly." For since, once the passion has thrust aside the reasoning B faculties and taken to itself the dominion of the soul, it turns the man wholly into a beast and does not even allow him to be a man, no longer having the help that comes from reason. For what poison is to venomous creatures, this passion of anger becomes to those who are provoked. They rage C like dogs, they dart like scorpions, they bite like serpents. Scripture also knows how to call those who are held fast by this passion by the names of the beasts with which they have rendered themselves akin through their wickedness. For it calls them "dumb dogs," and "serpents," and "brood of vipers," and such like. For those who are ready for mutual destruction and the ruin of their D fellow-creatures, since they are prepared for the harming of their own kind, can neither be called men...