Shepherd of Hermas: Mandates 5

1“Be patient,” said he, “and of good understanding, and you will rule over every wicked work, and you will work all righteousness. For if you be patient, the Holy Spirit that dwells in you will be pure. He will not be darkened by any evil spirit, but, dwelling in a broad region, he will rejoice and be glad; and with the vessel in which he dwells he will serve God in gladness, having great peace within himself. But if any outburst of anger take place, forthwith the Holy Spirit, who is tender, is straitened, not having a pure place, and He seeks to depart. For he is choked by the vile spirit, and cannot attend on the Lord as he wishes, for anger pollutes him. For the Lord dwells in long-suffering, but the devil in anger. The two spirits, then, when dwelling in the same habitation, are at discord with each other, and are troublesome to that man in whom they dwell. For if an exceedingly small piece of wormwood be taken and put into a jar of honey, is not the honey entirely destroyed, and does not the exceedingly small piece of wormwood entirely take away the sweetness of the honey, so that it no longer affords any gratification to its owner, but has become bitter, and lost its use? But if the wormwood be not put into the honey, then the honey remains sweet, and is of use to its owner. You see, then, that patience is sweeter than honey, and useful to God, and the Lord dwells in it. But anger is bitter and useless. Now, if anger be mingled with patience, the patience is polluted, and its prayer is not then useful to God.” “I should like, sir,” said I, “to know the power of anger, that I may guard myself against it.” And he said, “If you do not guard yourself against it, you and your house lose all hope of salvation. Guard yourself, therefore, against it. For I am with you, and all will depart from it who repent with their whole heart. For I will be with them, and I will save them all. For all are justified by the most holy angel.”

᾿Εντολὴ ε΄. Μακρόθυμος, φησί, yivov καὶ συνετός, καὶ πάντων τῶν πονηρῶν ἔργων κατακυριεύσεις καὶ ἐργάσῃ πᾶσαν δικαιοσύ- yyy. ἐὰν γὰρ μακρόθυμος ἔσῃ, τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τὸ κατοικοῦν ἐν σοὶ καθαρὸν ἔσται, μὴ ἐπισκοτούμενον ὑπὸ éré- ρου πονηροῦ πνεύματος, ἀλλ᾽ ἐν εὐρυχώρῳ κατοικοῦν ὧγαλ- λιάσεται καὶ εὐφρανθήσεται μετὰ τοῦ σκεύους ἐν ᾧ κατοικεῖ, καὶ λειτουργήσει τῷ Θεῷ ἐν ἱλαρότητι πολλῇ, ἔχον τὴν εὐθη- νίαν dy davrg. ἐὰν δὲ ὀξυχολία τις ἐπέλθῃ, εὐθὺς τὸ «νεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, τρυφερὸν ὅν, στενοχωρεῖταει, μὴ ἔχον [τὸν] τόπον καθαρόν, καὶ ζητεῖ ἀποστῆναι ἐκ τοῦ τόπον᾽ πνίγεται γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ πνεύματος, μὴ ἔχον τόπον λειτουργῆσαι τῷ Κυρίῳ καθὼς βούλεται, μιαινόμενον ὑπὸ τῆς ὀξυχολίας. dy γὰρ τῇ μακροθυμίᾳ ὁ Κύριος κατοικεῖ, ἐν δὲ τῇ ὀξυχολίᾳ ὅ διάβολος. ἀμφότερα ody τὰ πνεύματα ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ κατοι- κοῦντα, ἀσύμφορόν ἐστιν καὶ πονηρὸν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐκείνῳ ἂν ᾧ κατοικοῦσιν. ἐὰν γὰρ λαβὼν ἀψίνθιον μικρὸν εἰς κερά- pow μέλιτος ἐπιχέῃς, οὐχὶ ὅλον τὸ μέλε ἀφανίζεται, καὶ τοσοῦτον μέλι ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐλαχίστου ἀψινθίου ἀπόλλυται καὶ ἀπόλλυσι τὴν γλυκύτητα τοῦ μέλιτος, καὶ οὐκέτι τὴν αὐτὴν 324 THE SHEPHERD OF HERMAS. με ὶ χάριν ἔχει παρὰ τῷ δεσπότῃ, ὅτι ἐπικράνθη καὶ τὴν χρῆσιν αὐτοῦ ἀπώλεσεν ; ἐὰν δὲ cig τὸ μέλε μὴ βληθὴ τὸ ἀψένθιον, αὐτοῦ. βλέπεους [οὖν] ὅτε ἡ μακροθυμία γλυκυτάτη ἐστὶν ὑπὲρ τὸ μέλε καὶ αὔχρῃηστός ἐστι τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ ἐν αὐτῇ κο- τοικεῖ. ἡ δὲ ὀξνχολία πικρὰ καὶ ἄχρηστός ἔστιν. ἐὰν οὖν φύλαξαι aw αὐτῆς" ἐγὼ γὰρ μετὰ σοῦ εἰμί. καὶ πάντες δὲ ἀφέξονται ax’ αὐτῆς, ὅσοι ἂν μετανοήσωσιν ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρ- δίας αὐτῶν" pet αὑτῶν γὰρ ἔσομαι καὶ συντηρήσω αὐτούς"

2“Hear now,” said he, “how wicked is the action of anger, and in what way it overthrows the servants of God by its action, and turns them from righteousness. But it does not turn away those who are full of faith, nor does it act on them, for the power of the Lord is with them. It is the thoughtless and doubting that it turns away. For as soon as it sees such men standing stedfast, it throws itself into their hearts, and for nothing at all the man or woman becomes embittered on account of occurrences in their daily life, as for instance on account of their food, or some superfluous word that has been uttered, or on account of some friend, or some gift or debt, or some such senseless affair. For all these things are foolish and empty and unprofitable to the servants of God. But patience is great, and mighty, and strong, and calm in the midst of great enlargement, joyful, rejoicing, free from care, glorifying God at all times, having no bitterness in her, and abiding continually meek and quiet. Now this patience dwells with those who have complete faith. But anger is foolish, and fickle, and senseless. Now, of folly is begotten bitterness, and of bitterness anger, and of anger frenzy. This frenzy, the product of so many evils, ends in great and incurable sin. For when all these spirits dwell in one vessel in which the Holy Spirit also dwells, the vessel cannot contain them, but overflows. The tender Spirit, then, not being accustomed to dwell with the wicked spirit, nor with hardness, withdraws from such a man, and seeks to dwell with meekness and peacefulness. Then, when he withdraws from the man in whom he dwelt, the man is emptied of the righteous Spirit; and being henceforward filled with evil spirits, he is in a state of anarchy in every action, being dragged hither and thither by the evil spirits, and there is a complete darkness in his mind as to everything good. This, then, is what happens to all the angry. Wherefore do you depart from that most wicked spirit anger, and put on patience, and resist anger and bitterness, and you will be found in company with the purity which is loved by the Lord. Take care, then, that you neglect not by any chance this commandment: for if you obey this commandment, you will be able to keep all the other commandments which I am to give you. Be strong, then, in these commandments, and put on power, and let all put on power, as many as wish to walk in them.”

“Ἄκουε νῦν, φησί, τὴν ἐνέργειαν τῆς ὀξυχολίας, πῶς πονηρά ἐστι, καὶ πῶς τοὺς δούλους τοῦ Θεοῦ καταστρέφει τῇ ἑδαντῆς ἐνεργείᾳ, καὶ πῶς ἀποπλανᾷ αὐτοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς δικαιο- σύνης. οὐκ ἀποπλανᾷ δὲ τοὺς πλήρεις ὄντας ἐν τῇ πίστει, οὐδὲ ἐνεργῆσαι δύναται εἰς αὐτούς, ὅτι ἡ δύναμες τοῦ Κυρίου per’ αὐτῶν ἐστίν" ἀποπλανᾷ δὲ τοὺς ἀποκένους καὶ διψύχους ὄντας. ὅταν γὰρ ἴδῃ τοὺς τοιούτους ἀνθρώπους εὐστα- θοῦντας, παρεμβάλλει ἑαυτὴν εἰς τὴν καρδίαν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ μηδενὸς ὁ ἀνὴρ ἢ ἡ γυνὴ πικραΐνεται ἕνεκεν βιωτι- κῶν πραγμάτων, ἢ περὶ ἐδεσμάτων ἢ μικρολογίας τινός, ἢ περὶ φίλου τινός, ἢ περὶ δόσεως ἢ λήψεως, ἢ περὶ τοιούτων μωρῶν πραγμάτων. ταῦτα γὰρ πάντα μωρά ἐστι καὶ κενὰ καὶ ἄφρονα καὶ ἀσύμφορα τοῖς δούλοις τοῦ Θεοῦ. ἡ δὲ μακροθυμία μεγάλη ἐστὶ καὶ ὀχυρά, καὶ ἰσχυρὰν δύναμεν ἔχουσα καὶ στιβαράν, καὶ εὐθηνουμένη ἐν πλατυσμῷ μεγάλῳ, λαρά, ἀγαλλιωμένη, ἀμέριμνος οὖσα, δοξάζουσα τὸν Κύριον ἂν παντὶ καιρῷ, μηδὲν ἐν ἑαυτῇ ὄχουσα πικρόν, παραμένουσα ᾿ κατοικοῖ μετὰ τῶν τὴν πίστιν ἐχόντων ὁλόκληρον. ἡ δὲ ὀξνχολία πρῶτον μὲν μωρά ὄστιν, ἐλαφρά τε καὶ ἄφρων. εἶτα dc τῆν ἀφροσύνης γίναται πικρία, ἐκ δὰ τῆς πικρίας θυμός, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ θυμοῦ ὀργή, ἐκ δὲ τῆς ὀργῆς μῆνις" εἶτα ἡ μῆνις ἐκ ᾿ φοσούτων κακῶν συνισταμένη γίνεταε ἁμαρτία μεγάλη καὶ ἀνίατος. ὅταν γὰρ ταῦτα τὰ πνεύματα πάντα ἐν ἑνὶ ὠγγείῳ κατοικβῇ, οὗ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον κατοικεῖ, οὐ χωρεῖ τὸ ἄγγος ἐκεῖνο, ἀλλ’ ὑπερπλεονάζει. τὸ τρυφερὸν οὖν πνεῦμα, μὴ ἔχον συνήθειαν μετὰ πονηροῦ πνεύματος κατοι- κεῖν μηδὲ μετὰ σκληρότητος, ἀποχωρεῖ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τοῦ τοιούτου καὶ ζητεῖ κατοικεῖν μετὰ πραότητος καὶ ἡσυχίας. εἶτα ὅταν ὁποστῇ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐκείνου οὗ κατοικεῖ, γίνεται 6 ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖνος κενὸς ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος τοῦ δικαίου, καὶ τὸ λοιπὸν πεπληρωμένος τοῖς πνεύμασι τοῖς πονηροῖς ἀκαταστατεῖ ἐν πάσῃ πράξει αὐτοῦ, περισπώμενος. ὧδε κἀκεῖ ἀπὸ τῶν πνευμάτων τῶν πονηρῶν, καὶ ὅλως ἀπο- * τυφλοῦται ἀπὸ τῆς διανοίας τῆς ὠγαθῆς. οὕτως οὖν συμβαί- νει πᾶσι τοῖς ὀξνχόλοις. ἀπέχου οὖν ἀπὸ τῆς ὀξυχολίας, τοῦ πονηροτάτου πνεύματος" ἔνδυσαι δὲ τὴν μακροθυμίαν καὶ ἀντίστα τῇ ὀξυχολίᾳ καὶ τῇ πικρίᾳ, καὶ ἔσῃ εὑρισκόμενος μετὰ τῆς σεμνότητος τῆς ἡἠγαπημένης ὑπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου. βλέπε οὖν μήποτε παρενθυμηθῇς τὴν ἐντολὴν ταύτην" ἐὰν γὰρ ταύτης τῆς ἐντολῆς κυριεύσῃς, καὶ τὰς λοιπὰς ἐντολὰς δυνήσῃ φυλά- ξαι, ds cos μέλλω ἐντέλλεσθαι. ἰσχυροῦ ἐν αὐταῖς καὶ ἐνδυ- ναμοῦ, καὶ πάντες ἐνδυναμούσθωσαν ὅσοι ἐὰν θέλωσιν ἂν αὐταῖς πορεύεσθαι. ᾿