The Greek philosophers in general and Christian thinkers after them have seen the emotions (passions) as innate parts of human nature. Even the Stoics, who seem to condemn the passions, really only condemn disorderly, irrational passions, as Aquinas and others have noted.
John Chrysostom cautions against anger, but he implicitly means disorderly anger, as he sees both anger (the irascible appetite) and desire (the concupiscible appetite) as essential, and therefore God-created, parts of human nature.
Yet surely both are naturally implanted, and both are set in us for our profit, both anger, and desire: the one that we may chastise the evil, and correct those who walk disorderly; the other, that we may have children, and that our race may be recruited by such succession. (Homily XVII on Matthew V.28.28)
Of anger Chrysostom says:
And what is the proper time for anger? When we are not avenging ourselves, but checking others in their lawless freaks, or forcing them to attend in their negligence.
And what is the unsuitable time? When we do so as avenging ourselves….(Homily XVI. Matt.V.37)
(One author met someone who said the Israelis must forgive the Palestinians for their attacks on children and turn the other cheek; but this pacifist then went on an length and vituperatively about a colleague who had failed to give the pacifist proper mention in an academic article. I think we have all encountered the type. It is easy to tolerate evils done to others.)
As someone in the comments mentioned, this analysis of the role of the passions creates a problem for the doctrine of creation: if man was created in a world without evil (and God had pronounced it “very good) and was immortal, why are these two passions clearly designed for a world beset by evil and death?
Presumably, in an unfallen world the energies that we feel as anger and desire would take different forms – but the forms are unimaginable. And what will they be look in the new creation, when death and evil will be no more?
My tentative guess is that God, know that his rational creates would sin and fall, create the universe ruled by transiency (and therefore death) and created human nature such that it had these passions so that man could face with courage the evils of the world and reproduce in his warfare against death.
But that is just a guess.
It’s my understanding that even before the fall, our race was commanded to “be fruitful and multiply”. Once unfallen humanity had reached a number ordained by God, it would be assuned into a state of glory and be eternally confirmed in the state of grace. Indeed, St. Thomas Aquinas, in correcting some of his contemporaries’ pessimism about sex , said that the sexual act would have been more pleasurable in an unfallen state. So there’s the reason for one desire!
As for anger, whether through evolution or sudden creation, our physical makeup resembles that of other mammals and our brains and nervous systems are structured to produce emotions similar to theirs, including anger. In an unfallen state, anger would have been useful in resisting the devil and his angels, who had already fallen. God, in His eternal wisdom, knew Satan would tempt our first parents. If he hadn’t suceeded in seducing them, would he not have kept trying to corrupt us by tempting following generations? Probably Eve should have gotten angry at the serpent and told him to “bug off”! I think that fallen or no, anger is meant to be for us a strong force for resisting evil.
Great question and reflections, Mr. Podles. I like to ask my 6th graders questions about our prefallen state, so this is useful to me.
“before the fall, our race was commanded to “be fruitful and multiply”
Fr. Michael, that was going to be my answer!
As for anger, your thinking is new to me but I like it.
Thanks Christian! You teach one of the best age groups.
Just one more thought. Anger is also useful for overcoming obstacles. God mandated that we develop the Earth He gave us. Certainly this would have presented us with challenges, even if we were unfallen and immortal (“Dangnabbit that mountain is hard to move!”). Anger wouldn’t have to be directed at persons (say if Lucifer et al hadn’t fallen) but would energize us to plow through a given obstacle.
Since “fruitful & multiply” has come up, feel free to flog my post discussing that issue in my class:
http://platytera.blogspot.com/2009/10/babies-in-eden.html
Was man/woman ever suppose to reach a immortal perfection through the physical plane of mortality?.
If we were perfect spiritual beings who were brought forth into the physical plane of reality, and through the physical plane we encounter our “fallen nature/sin” aka imperfections of certain passions. What is it that draws a soul away from seeking all good and choose to do evil?.
Seems to me that many think that even though we came from a perfect spiritual plane born into the physical reality there is a way to reach immortality on a physical plane too?.
Maybe we are only meant to reach perfection going back to our original state after our physical death.
And any other ploys to get to a higher spiritual realm while still in the physical presence would and could be considered a form of power control over man/women.
We are not God.
New topic?
http://abyssum.wordpress.com/2010/02/09/reject-canon-law-and-all-hell-breaks-loose/