James 1:20Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

One must also observe that the Apostle did not simply say "does," but used a form with a prefix, in the sense of "fulfills."

This means that anger is not utterly alien to righteousness. Some usefulness can be discerned in anger, because in it, as in every movement of the soul, one may find not only what is bad, but also something useful, where there is nothing praiseworthy.

To this we answer that in Holy Scripture no distinction is made in the word “man.” Sometimes this name is given to good and righteous people: “Blessed is the man who has not walked in the counsel of the ungodly” (Ps 1:1).

Again, “Blessed is the man who does these things” (Is 56:2). At other times it is given to evil and unjust people: “Let the lawless man forsake his counsels” (Is 55:7), and many similar passages.

It is also worth noting that the brother of God did not say “does not do,” but with a prefix, “does not work.” This means that anger is not absolutely deprived of all righteousness, since it is possible to find some benefit even in the passion of anger.

Saint Mitrophan adds that those who become angry thoughtlessly and irrationally should not take as help for their passion the expression “without cause,” as the Lord said, “whoever is angry with his brother without cause.”

Nor should they take the word “slow,” as James said above, and justify themselves by saying that they are angry righteously and always for the correction and benefit of those who sin.

No. Let them not “make excuses for sins,” but let them learn how to heal the passion of anger that is in them, and how to acquire longsuffering.

This is so that through anger they may not inflict wounds on their brothers, and especially on themselves.

For if according to Solomon “a meek man is physician to the heart” (Prov 14:30), then certainly an angry and fainthearted man becomes the corrupter of his own heart.

He harms his own soul both in the present life and in the future, since he is deprived of and loses the righteousness of God, as the brother of the Lord says here.

By losing the righteousness of God, he also loses the Kingdom of God. They are joined together, as the Lord joined them in the commandment, saying, “Seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness” (Mt 6:33).

Therefore, even if it is pardonable to be angry for a plausible cause, there is still no obstacle to not being angry at all.

Certainly, it is worthy of praise not to be disturbed by anger at all, but to remain in longsuffering and meekness.

“Better is a longsuffering man than a strong man, and he who restrains anger than he who takes a city” (Prov 16:32). Again, “The patient man is better than the proud in spirit” (Eccl 7:9).

Paul also said: “If a man is overtaken in some trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one,” not with anger, but “in a spirit of meekness” (Gal 6:1).

And in Sirach it is said, “My child, conduct your works in meekness” (Sir 3:17).

For we set anger and wrath against the passion of sensual pleasure. We drive away evil and shameful thoughts, hate sin and the demons, show zeal for faith in the commandments of God, and take vengeance on every transgression and disobedience.

As Basil the Great said: “Irascibility is the nerve of the soul, giving the soul strength for beautiful undertakings.

If it should happen that the soul is slackened by love of pleasure, irascibility hardens it as iron is hardened by immersion. From weak and very delicate it makes the soul manly and stern.

If you are not provoked against the evil one, it is impossible for you to hate him as much as you ought.

The Lord threatens judgment against the one who is angry without cause, but He does not forbid the use of anger where it is needed, as a kind of medicine.

For the words, ‘I will put enmity between you’ and the serpent (Gen 3:15), and ‘Be hostile to the Midianites’ (Num 25:17), are words teaching us to use irascibility as a weapon” (Homily Against the Angry).

Therefore Solomon also says, “Good is anger rather than laughter, for by the sternness of the face the heart will be made better” (Eccl 7:4).

By “sternness of the face,” Saint Mitrophan means righteous anger in the form of severity, through which evildoers have often been turned toward good deeds.

Therefore the God-bearing Maximus said: “If righteousness is the equal giving to each according to worth, then the Kingdom is lawful indwelling.”

To these, in fact, the holy Apostle James wrote his epistle. They reviled their opponents for this resistance and for the persecutions they suffered from them.

It is precisely these outbursts of fanaticism and intolerance that the holy Apostle James evidently wishes to heal by the words cited above.

Earlier he showed, on the one hand, that good-hearted and joyful endurance in temptations and calamities is the direct and best mark of true Christians.

On the other hand, he showed that the highest good which Christians joyfully possess is the word of Gospel truth that has regenerated them.

From this the holy Apostle naturally draws the following two edifying conclusions, or moral lessons.

If the word of Gospel truth serves for the regeneration of men, then let every man be swift to hear this word. This is the first consequence.

But what if the preached Gospel word is not only stubbornly rejected, but also provokes persecution and grievous insults? Then let no one give himself over to obstinacy.

In this case, let every man be slow to speak and slow to anger. This is the second consequence.

"For the anger of man does not work the righteousness of God," the Apostle adds. This means that even if one were to contend for the word of God with anger and violence, it would still not constitute God's righteousness.

That is, it would not prove to be a righteous and pleasing deed before the eyes of God.

By contrast, the word of truth, received with meekness, can lead to salvation. This happens if they keep it in a good and pure heart and bear fruit with patience, as Jesus Christ Himself said in the well-known parable of the sower (see Lk 8:15).