Called to Freedom: Walk by the Spirit, Not the Flesh (Galatians 5:13–25)

In approaching the interpretation of Gal. 5:13, holy Chrysostom says: “Here the Apostle turns to the moral part of the epistle. However, in the epistle to the Galatians something is singular, which does not appear in any of his other epistles. All his other epistles he usually divides into two parts: in the first he expounds on dogmas, and in the second he sets forth rules for living. But in this epistle, having turned to moral teaching, he then again joins dogmatic teaching to it; for moral teaching again has need of dogmatic teaching.” The blessed Theodoret understands the turn of thought in the same way: “The Apostle now turns to moral counsels and commands that care be taken both of practical virtue.”

In the actual exposition of moral lessons it is not difficult to discern three divisions. In the first is indicated the general principle of Christian activity for the whole of life (Gal. 5:13–25); in the second is defined the proper character of those more perfect in the Christian community who are leaders, in their relation to those less perfect, with a brief indication of the relation of these latter to them (Gal. 5:26–6:6); in the third is shown the strongest incentive to spiritual life and to every good deed (Gal. 6:7–10).

1) The general principle of Christian life (Gal. 5:13–25)

From the words of the Apostle in this passage, this principle can be expressed thus: persevere in active mutual love and conduct spiritual life in struggle against passions and desires. To such a general rule the preceding discourse on freedom from the Law brought us. The Apostle speaks as if saying: in Christ Jesus you have been freed from the yoke of the Law, but not so that you might walk in the desires of your carnal heart; here a yoke is laid upon you—the yoke of love—a good yoke. You are freed from bondage to the Law because you have received the Spirit, who writes his spiritual laws in your heart: live therefore by the Spirit and do not fulfill the desires of the flesh.

Gal. 5:13. For you were called to freedom, brothers; only do not let your freedom become an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another.

The Law defined every step of a Jew. A Jew walked by habitual rules, as if along a narrow path. When these barriers are broken down, it is not surprising that questions might arise about how to act now. Freedom after constraint leads to licentiousness; there is a strong impulse to taste more and broader sorts of pleasures. Since sensual pleasures are nearer and more familiar, freedom is given over to them. But here a new bondage begins—a destructive one. To prevent this from happening, the Apostle warns: beware lest your freedom become an excuse for the flesh—that is, lest it serve as a pretext for indulging sensuality. “It is not for this,” says the blessed Theodoret, “that you are freed from bondage to the Law, in order that you might sin without fear.” “But through love serve one another.” There is a fitting occupation for you—to serve one another: to help one another, to assist one another in your deeds, to correct and console one another. This will be the best use of freedom and will provide you with ineffable consolation more to yourselves than to others; only take care to act in this way through love. Be filled with love toward one another. Then this love will give you no rest, compelling you unceasingly to do something for others, both according to your strength and beyond your strength. “Whoever truly loves does not refuse to serve the beloved,” says the blessed Theodoret. And not only does he not refuse, but he himself seeks ways to serve others, and grieves when he is unable to do anything for them.

Holy Chrysostom says: “Christ, says the Apostle, has freed us from the yoke of bondage and given us freedom to do what we wish; only that we use this freedom not for evil, but as a means to obtain greater reward, ascending to a more perfect wisdom, and inasmuch as the Apostle above and below calls the Law a yoke of bondage and mentions deliverance from the curse of the Law, in order that no one suppose that he persuades us to abandon the Law so that we might live lawlessly, he anticipates such a thought, saying: Christ freed us from the Law not so that we might live lawlessly, but so that we might attain a wisdom higher than the Law: because the bonds of the Law are loosed; and I say this not so that we might further abase ourselves, but so that we might further exalt ourselves. For both the fornicator and the virgin transgress the bounds of the Law, but not equally: one has fallen into what is worse, the other has risen to what is better; one transgressed the Law, while the other surpassed the Law. Thus holy Paul says: Christ removed the yoke from you not so that you, like horses, might leap and rage, but so that, freed from the burden, you might run in better order. Further the Apostle shows the easy way to attain this—what is it? ‘Through love,’ he says, ‘serve one another.’ So that, freed from the yoke of the Law, they might not become disorderly, he lays upon them another yoke—that of love, which, though greater and stronger than the first, is far easier and more pleasant.”

Gal. 5:14. For the whole Law is fulfilled in one word: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

“Having examined the Law from all sides, he says: if you wish to fulfill the Law, then do not be circumcised; for it is fulfilled not in circumcision, but in love,” says holy Chrysostom. The Apostle speaks as if saying: thus it turns out according to the spirit of the new life in Christ Jesus, that you serve one another through love; but the same thing comes out according to the very essence of the Law itself. If you are a zealot of the Law, then love your neighbor as yourself, and the whole Law is fulfilled by you. For the Law is fulfilled through love. Every precept of the Law in regard to the brethren pointed to a work of love. Whoever fulfilled it displayed love. But only in that time did he display it. But whoever has kindled love in his heart bears in his heart at all times readiness for all works of love. The particular acts of love do not exhaust the entire source from which they flow. It is both more powerful and more abundant than they. The zealous legalist displayed intermittent acts of love, having an empty heart all the time when it was not occupied with a work of love. In Christ Jesus it is not so. Here love does not run dry, but is constant. It does not come into being and manifest itself only when some occasion prescribed by the Law presents itself; but it acts constantly in the heart and does not wait for an occasion determined by the Law, but seeks it out itself and, when it acts, does not act according to the measure of the Law, but according to its own breadth, which has no measure. The difference is great, and especially in this: that then works of love came from external precepts, but now they come from the prompting and drawing of the heart, with self-initiative. Now the Christian is completely free, and yet is a fulfiller of the Law, more perfect and more complete. For the love of God is poured into his heart by the Holy Spirit, given to us. The blessed Jerome writes: “what we formerly did out of necessity of the Law, now that we are free from the Law, we should do out of love. Love is so great a good that the whole Law is contained in it.”

The blessed Augustine asks at this point: “Why does the Apostle speak of love only toward one’s neighbor, when the whole Law and the Prophets rest not on this love alone, but rather on love for God?” And he resolves this question thus: “love for God and love for one’s neighbor are inseparable. Whoever loves God with all his heart necessarily also loves his neighbor, because there is a clear commandment from Him whom he loves with all his heart. Love properly is one: it loves God and for God’s sake loves one’s neighbor. Inasmuch as in this lies all the essence of saving disposition, it was necessary to point out the most reliable sign for a sure determination of whether one has such love or not. In love for one’s neighbor everyone can quite clearly know; therefore can tangibly determine whether he has it or not. Love for God might someone falsely suppose himself to have without having it. That is why only love for one’s neighbor is set forth by the Apostle: for whoever has it has also love for God. From the negative side it is even more certain: whoever does not have love for one’s neighbor cannot at all boast of love for God.” (given not word for word). And the Savior Himself set the true sign of His disciples in their mutual love for one another. His beloved disciple and teacher of love says: “If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates his brother, he is a liar; for one who does not love his brother whom he has seen cannot love God whom he has not seen. And this commandment we have from Him, that whoever loves God loves also his brother.” (1 Jn. 4:20–21). And the purpose the Apostle has here prompted him to do this. The disagreement that crept in among the Galatians led them to strife and discord. It is evident that love was growing cold. The Apostle, by pointing out the great importance of love in the matter of pleasing God, wishes to bring them to the realization that they took a wrong direction when, because of false teachings, they allowed the bonds of love to weaken in themselves. With this purpose he speaks further.

Gal. 5:15. But if you bite and devour one another, beware lest you be consumed by one another.

Although one might suppose, by placing these words in direct connection with verse 13, that holy Paul wanted to present in them an exhortation to mutual active love and from the destructive consequences that mutual hatred ordinarily brings; yet one cannot fail to see that through this concepts are introduced to which there has been neither prior occasion nor subsequent similar mention.

In order for these words to connect coherently with verse 13, one must introduce into it the following thought—serve one another through love, and through this raise your well-being. Then it will follow directly: if there is hatred among you and you do evil to one another, beware lest you destroy one another. In this way the verse will be connected not directly to verse 13, but to the supposed consequence of the way of life it prescribes. But is it right to proceed this way?

Thus it is not at all an unnecessary question: why did holy Paul speak this way, or give such a turn of speech?

Holy Chrysostom understands these words to mean that they do not express a general thought, but tacitly expose the unworthy condition of the Galatians, to enlighten them and, by indicating its source in the heresy that came among them, thereby also represent the heresy itself in an unfavorable light. Even under verse 13, to the words: “serve one another through love”—he said: “The Apostle makes it understood that the cause of their delusion was love of contention, disagreement, love of power, and pride, for the mother of heresies is the passion for power. And by the words: ‘serve one another’—he showed that the evil arose precisely from this vanity and pride. Therefore he presents a remedy corresponding to it. Since, he says, you have divided among yourselves, each wanting to rule over the other, serve one another, and you will be united again. However, he does not explicitly name their sin, but simply proposes a means of correction, so that from this they might know their sin themselves, just as if someone, without directly telling a dissolute man that he is dissolute, merely persuaded him to self-control.” This same thought Chrysostom carries through under verse 15: “he did not state his thought here directly so as not to grieve them, though he knew that this is what was happening among them; but he says the same thing, only with the appearance of some doubt. For he did not say: since you are ‘biting’ one another—nor did he say directly further: ‘you will be consumed by one another.’ Such speech is fitting for one who only warns and advises, not for one who condemns. But he used the most striking and harsh words. For he did not only say: ‘biting,’—which sometimes an irritated person does—but added: ‘devouring,’—which is characteristic of one hardened in malice. The one who bites only satisfies the passion of anger, while the one who devours reveals in himself the utmost degree of brutality. However, he does not mean physical biting and devouring, but something far worse. For one who devours the flesh of a man does not harm as much as one who bites the soul. For, inasmuch as the soul is more precious than the body, the evil caused to it is more grievous. ‘Beware lest you be consumed by one another.’ Since deceivers and malicious men come in order to destroy others, beware, he says, lest the matter come to you. Divisions and quarrels corrupt and consume both those who accept them and those who sow them, and even more than moths they eat away at everything.”

The blessed Jerome carries through a different thought. “One must,” he says, “interpret this passage so that it does not seem that holy Paul suddenly turns to unexpected instructions that stand outside all connection with the content of the epistle. He wants to tell them: having received freedom from the Law, serve one another through love. And this will be the very best fulfillment of the Law itself. And if you remain with the Law, then you will already have to receive, to take ‘an eye for an eye.’ Following this, you will bite and devour one another. Beware! See what the Law will lead you to! You will be destroyed by one another.” (not word for word)

Gal. 5:16. But I say, walk by the Spirit, and do not fulfill the desires of the flesh.

Let us pass over this introductory explanation and return to the main thought of the Apostle: freed from the Law, live in active love toward one another. Standing in this thought, we cannot but ask: in what relation to that law of love does the present rule stand—to walk by the Spirit and not to fulfill the desires of the flesh? Holy Chrysostom answers: in the relation of means to end. “Thus he shows another way, which facilitates virtue and contributes to the fulfillment of what was said above, which produces love and is sustained by love. For nothing makes us full of love as much as life according to the Spirit, and nothing persuades the Spirit to dwell in us as much as the power of love.”

“But I say”—not the thought: in prescribing to you the law of love, I speak the same thing as: “walk by the Spirit”; but this: to this, or alongside this, I say to you: walk by the Spirit. In order that you might remain in mutual love, “walk by the Spirit, and do not fulfill the desires of the flesh.” Why thus? Here is why: the desire of the flesh is the same as sin dwelling in us; it is called in another place the mind-set of the flesh. This “mind-set of the flesh does not submit to the Law of God, nor can it” (Rom. 8:7). But love is the fulfillment of the Law. It turns out that these are incompatible opposites. The desire of the flesh is a negation of the Law, and love is a negation of all lawlessness. Where love acts with power, there is no place for the desire of the flesh; and where the desire of the flesh is, do not look for love. Whoever heeds the promptings of love will not heed the temptations of the desire of the flesh. But in order not to heed the temptations of the flesh, one must receive the grace of the Spirit and walk in the Spirit. Thus it is evident that holy Paul wanted to say to the Galatians: having been freed from the Law, you are obliged to walk in love, and in order to walk in love, walk by the Spirit and do not fulfill the desires of the flesh.

What does it mean to walk by the Spirit? We have our own spirit—a godlike power breathed into man by God, whose purpose is to lead man into life in God and keep him in it. The elements of our spirit are: the consciousness of Godhead with the feeling of complete dependence on Him in all respects, the fear of God, the consciousness of obligation to please God, and confidence in blessed eternity. With all these elements the spirit impels man away from himself and from all creation toward God as the ultimate goal, turning everything else into a means to that end. When man fell, he fell away from God and stopped at himself, setting himself as the chief goal of life. The spirit lost its power over him, and in its place self-love began to hold sway in him. From self-love were developed pride, selfishness, sensual desire, and from these then—all the multitude of passions. All of them in different shades became the rulers of human life. The spirit fell silent, and if it sometimes gave voice, no one listened to it.

The Lord and Savior brought down to earth the grace of the All-Holy Spirit, which along with the preaching of the Gospel went forth over the face of the earth. The power of the Gospel’s preaching comes from grace. Together with the word, through hearing, grace enters the heart and awakens man’s spirit. The Gospel preaches: “Awake, sleeper” (Eph. 5:14). When grace acts upon the spirit, it rises. Together with it arise and come alive all its elements: fear of God, obligation to please God, and expectation of a better life. Whoever submits to these demands of the spirit, enlivened by the Spirit of God, renounces himself, tramples on self-love and all the multitude of passions, and begins to labor zealously for the Lord in defiance of all earthly considerations. From this moment there begins in him life by the spirit or by the Spirit, with the trampling of self-love and all passions. Life by the spirit or by the Spirit can therefore be described thus: whoever, being stirred and sanctified by the grace of God through the sacraments, enters into himself and, standing before the Lord in his heart, directs all his deeds, both inner and outer, toward pleasing God through steadfast walking in His will as set forth in the Word of God and received into conscience, in hope of blessed eternity in God, with the trampling of self-love and forgetfulness of earthly interests—such a one lives by the spirit and by the Spirit.

From this explanation the question is itself resolved: which spirit does the Apostle mean in this place—ours or the Holy Spirit? Both of them in combination. Our spirit does not have the power to give us spiritual life by itself. And the Spirit of God will not give it if it is not received by our spirit. But when they are united, then our spirit becomes strong from the Spirit of God, and the Spirit of God through our spirit acts upon us and upon all that we are and sanctifies and perfects all things. The one who walks by the spirit—walks by the Spirit of God, but walks according to the elements of the spirit originally breathed into man.

From this same explanation it is evident what the desire of the flesh is. It is self-love together with all passions. It is called the desire of the flesh because the primary seat of self-love and passions is in the flesh. It happened that since the norm of human life, according to its original constitution, is spiritual life—in God—when man fell, he fell into the opposite of the spirit and God, into fleshly life with gratifying himself through creatures in this life, with forgetfulness of God and the life to come. When the spirit is awakened and takes strength, then self-love with passions, or this desire of the flesh, is rejected, and the law is received—never in anything to heed the promptings, demands, and impulses of this desire: “let sin” not “rule over you, so as to obey it in its desires” (Rom. 6:14, 12). The appointed lot of this old man is to be crucified, “so that the body of sin might be brought to nothing” (Rom. 6:6). That is where it will end. But until that time, the wisdom of God has allowed it to stand against the spirit within us, yet in the capacity of something foreign to us, unloved, persecuted, and rejected. Through consciousness and freedom man turns to the side of the spirit and there performs all his deeds; while self-love with passions, though within him, approaches him as if from without, draws and tempts him. The work of the Christian, being attentive to himself and standing by the spirit before the Lord, is to notice the unrighteous movements and suggestions that approach and tempt him from self-love or the desire of the flesh and to repel them in the name of the Lord. This is precisely what the Apostle expressed in the word: walk by the spirit, and do not fulfill the desires of the flesh. To make this desire completely dead—that is the work of God: our work is not to accept any of its movement or suggestion and, no matter how much it may trouble us, to do nothing to gratify it. In this is the whole life of the Christian! It is a constant struggle, as the Apostle says right after this.

Gal. 5:17. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not able to do what you want.

Is the Apostle writing natural psychology or describing the state under grace? The state under grace; for in the natural—fallen—state, the spirit, although not destroyed, has no power over self-love and passions. Sometimes the fear of God, sometimes conscience, sometimes remembrance of life to come speak something against them, but although this voice is heard because it cannot be unheard, it is left unheeded, despised, trampled on, sometimes even with hostile hardening against it. Therefore there is no true struggle. The struggle begins when our spirit is awakened and gains strength from the Spirit of God. After this the spirit stands on one side, and self-love with passions and desires on the other. The latter strives to recover its lost prey, while the former strives to keep it for itself. Thus the struggle. Self-love with passions stirs up sinful thoughts, impulses, and sympathies; and the spirit, with fear of God and zeal in pleasing God, repels them by the power of the grace of the Holy Spirit. “The flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit”—can be paraphrased either thus: the flesh, that is, self-love with passions, generates desires contrary to the spirit, or thus: the flesh rises up in hostility against the spirit; similarly “the Spirit desires what is contrary to the flesh”—means either: the Spirit generates desires contrary to self-gratification, or: the Spirit stands in hostility to them. Regarding the latter meaning it is remarkable that the rule of the holy ascetics: when temptation approaches from self-love and passions, hasten to stir up aversion and anger against it, and it will flee in the twinkling of an eye.

“They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not able to do what you want.” The Apostle speaks as if saying: this is what happens within you if you stand as you should in the spirit! A struggle takes place. When self-gratification intends something contrary to God, the spirit does not allow you to fulfill its suggestion and desire; but when the spirit requires something in defiance of self-gratification, the latter binds your hands and feet so that you do not do what the spirit requires. Neither side wants to allow you to do anything in defiance of it, to please the opposite side. In this is the purpose of the struggle, the purpose of each of the warring sides. But what then? And you stand in the middle, neither one way nor the other! What is the one standing in the middle to do, drawn now this way, now that way? The Apostle does not say; for this is evident of itself; and besides, it has already been indicated above: “walk by the Spirit, and do not fulfill the desires of the flesh.” Here, having pointed out the struggle that takes place within, he does not say which way to incline; but it is obvious that he wishes that you would heed not the flesh but the spirit. He suggests as if: and you yourselves see which way you ought to incline. If you must walk by the Spirit and not fulfill the desires of the flesh, then it is evident that you must always go in defiance of self-love to gratify the demands and impulses of the spirit, stopping before no sacrifice of self-denial.

All our interpreters understand the words: “you are not able to do what you want” directly as an exhortation that believers not fulfill the desires of the flesh and strictly resist them. Holy Chrysostom says: “The Apostle has pointed here to the struggle of evil and good thoughts. But to will and not to will—is a matter of the soul. Therefore he says: ‘They are in conflict with each other’—so that you do not allow your soul to walk in its evil desires. He said this as an instructor and teacher, stirring up fear.” The blessed Theodoret writes: “By flesh the Apostle means the inclination of the will toward the worse; by spirit—the grace dwelling there; for it guides the soul toward the better. How then is it possible to overcome the passions of the flesh? ‘You are not able to do what you want.’ Do not follow unseemly thoughts, that is, overcome them, having the aid of the grace of the Spirit.”

Gal. 5:18. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.

If in the internal struggle you will always take the side of the spirit and act to gratify it in defiance of the suggestions of self-love, then you will be led by the Spirit. If you are led by the Spirit, then you are not under the Law.

Again the Apostle has an unexpected coupling of concepts. This has given rise to many guesses. But it seems most straightforward to suppose that the Apostle intends to connect moral teaching to doctrinal teaching. Just as there, in proceeding to prove that the Law is unnecessary for Christians, the Apostle began with the question of receiving the Spirit and from the fact that they received Him apart from the Law drew the conclusion: why then do you need the Law? (The force of the proof lies in this: the Law was necessary to restrain passions; but the Spirit of God, having come, burns up passions: why then do you need the Law when you already have more than the Law can give?) So here, having set forth the struggle with passions and shown that they overcome them by being led by the Spirit, he concludes: you are already not under the Law. The Law restrained passions from without, but you have cast them out of your heart and pursue them, which means the Law has already fallen away from you, as the shell falls away when the chick is hatched, or the scaffolding falls when the house is built. Holy Chrysostom says: “What sequence is there between these concepts? The most strict and evident. For whoever has the Spirit extinguishes in himself, with its help, every evil desire. And whoever is freed from evil desires no longer has need of the help of the Law, having become far above its teaching. He who does not become angry—why should he hear: ‘do not kill’? He who does not look with lustful eyes has no need of the instruction—‘do not commit adultery.’ And who will speak of the deeds of evil to one who has uprooted even the very root of evil? For the root of killing is anger, of adultery—the inquisitive and lustful look. Therefore he says: ‘if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the Law.’ If the Law before the coming of the Spirit took the place of the Spirit as much as it could, then there is no need now to remain under a tutor. Then we were rightly under the Law, that, impelled by fear, we might restrain our desires until the Spirit appeared; but now, when we have been given grace, which not only commands us to abstain from them, but itself dries them up and raises man to a more perfect life, what need is there for the Law? If someone does more by himself, what need has he for a tutor? A philosopher has no need of a teacher of grammar. So why do you so abase yourselves? You showed readiness at first to serve the Spirit, but now you again heed the Law.”

Gal. 5:19–21. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident: sexual immorality, impurity, indecency, idolatry, sorcery, enmity, strife, jealousy, anger, wrath, selfish ambition, dissension, faction, envy, murder, drunkenness, revelry, and things like these. I am warning you, as I warned you before: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

The Apostle advised that in our internal struggle we must resist self-love and self-gratification and always follow the demands and impulses of the spirit. Now he shows the realm and field of spiritual struggle—from what to abstain and what to resist.

In enumerating the deeds of self-gratification, the Apostle does not bring forth everything and in what he sets forth does not indicate subtle shadings, but only names the most prominent deeds of self-gratification and in their most crude and repulsive form. This is because fleshly pagan life manifested itself in such most prominent deeds, as everyone saw and knew; and because when aversion is stirred up to disapproved deeds, there is also formed a rejection of their thoughts and desires, and in the first one cannot succeed well without having the second.

“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident.” “Evident,” φανερα—manifest, known to all by the general moral sense and the voice of conscience. Or evident to you as Christians: and an honest citizen will not approve them, let alone a Christian reborn by grace. Or evident: this is the disgrace of rational creation before your eyes; look at how the pagans and all impenitent sinners live, in forgetfulness of God and their future lot. “The deeds of the flesh”—are the deeds of self-love, self-gratification, that principle ruling human life which attached itself to him as a result of the fall and causes him, instead of pleasing God, to please himself, instead of following the impulses of the spirit to follow the impulses of the flesh, instead of loving and tasting the eternal goods to love and taste only the temporal.

Eighteen kinds of sinful deeds the holy Apostle enumerates; but evidently they divide into two groups: deeds of the faculty of desire and deeds of the faculty of anger. I borrow such names from the writings of the Fathers who are ascetics, under whom all unsuitable movements of the soul are subsumed under these two faculties, which they sometimes call more briefly—desire and anger. They oppose to them the intellect, which is the same as what we have called the spirit; and they reduce all internal struggle to the struggle of the intellect-spirit with desire and anger, or with the movements of the faculty of desire and the faculty of anger of the soul. It is evident that their teachings are completely in accord with the indications of holy Paul. And everyone can notice in himself that he is constantly moved between these two, passing from desire to anger and from anger to desire, when he does not have in view what is better—that which the spirit indicates.

First the Apostle enumerates the unseemly deeds of the faculty of desire or desire, when it does not listen to the suggestions of the intellect or spirit. He presents the most shameful. “Sexual immorality”—fleshly sins, more in the marriage union, “and impurity”—fleshly sins outside that union; “indecency and debauchery”—fleshly sins contrary to nature. Under indecency, however, may also be understood the defilement of the soul by shameful thoughts with gratification and desire for the deed; and under debauchery—an overflow of lustfulness to shamelessness and mania, when one is not even ashamed before people. “Idolatry” relates here in that aspect in which lustfulness appeared as most active. The pagans had deities to whom service was performed through the satisfaction of this passion. “And sorcery” is mentioned here because part of it was directed to aid fleshly sins, such as compositions of herbs and roots and various incantations, with the aim of producing mutual enchantment, or, as we say, bewitchment. In the life of Cyprian and Justina one can see how this was done (see the Menology, October 2).

The works of the wrathful power, or anger, are indicated thus: “enmities”—when one person with another, or household with household, or clan with clan are in enmity—they do not see each other, do not meet, do not speak, and if they do not scheme evil, they wish it to befall the other side and are glad when it does; “strife”, ερεις,—quarrels, brawling, cursing, disputes, when they will not yield to another in anything and want to assert their will at every point; “jealousy”—not the same as envy, but rather: ζηλοι,—when one contends with all one’s strength so that another does not surpass oneself in something, in honor, in wealth, in things, in positions, in whatever, and this presupposes ill will toward the one who stands out, with a desire to trip him up: this is rivalry perverted by selfishness; “rage”, θυμοι,—hot-temperedness, irascibility, when one is like gunpowder, prone to outbursts of anger at the slightest thing, brawling and even fighting; “selfish ambition”, εριθειαι,—when one vexes others, sows discord, incites some against others, kindles all manner of disorder in society, in households and among private persons; “divisions”, διχοστασια,—a splitting in two or disintegration, when one is at peace with no one, is not a peacemaker, is a troublemaker, or when one creates factions, an unpeaceful factious spirit; “dissensions”—these are not in the Greek—scandals or making scenes, as they say: such-and-such a person made a scene for me; “heresies”,—it may be that this is not division in matters of belief, for the Apostle writes a picture from pagan life, where divisions of this sort did not occur; rather, it is division in general, of whatever kinds, but only with a hostile, inimical spirit, requiring the expulsion or death of one’s opponents; “envies”, φθονοι,—when one begrudges another’s happiness and is angered at anyone who has good fortune, with a deadly, nonetheless, enmity toward them, from which flows hatred breathing murder; “murders”, (φονοι),—it is not by mere sound similarity that it is placed after φθονοι,—but by the nature of the matter itself it happens so: φθονοςis fully satisfied in φονος. This is the height of hostile relations with another. The example is Cain.

The last two: “drunkenness and carousing”—are set forth not in the sense that the Apostle wished to complete the works of lust with them, but in the sense that in these two both lust and rage find their satisfaction. They are as it were houses in which they dwell. The drunk man is ready both to commit shameful deeds and to foment discord. Likewise at feasts both lust and anger are played out widely. Carousing, κωμοι,—feasts arranged only for the sake of amusing oneself and making merry noisily.