Anatomia gniewu według Bazylego Wielkiego
The Anatomy of Anger according to St. Basil the Great

Summary/Abstract: The article opens with the background of the Basilian homily Against Anger and its moral and practical teachings. Afterwards, the causes and symptoms of anger are presented. St. Basil, in engaging the question of anger, causes each hearer to be more aware of this vice that can turn a man mad and bestial. He compares angry people with dangerous and venomous animals, afflicted by mental illness or possessed by the devil. Employing negative metaphors, the preacher shows the destructive force of anger and its fatal effects. But Basil also recognized the positive possibilities of anger, an affect which, properly evaluated and transformed, could turned to the service of numerous virtuous acts. Thus, Christians should activate anger in their battle against evil. The antidote to anger is calm, obedience to the word of God, and the imitation of Christ and the biblical examples.

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