The Nature of Divine Wrath

His heart. Perhaps the heart of the one who despises is hardened and becomes heavy, having received lawlessness, being weighed down like a talent of lead. The Apostle writes to the one who despises the existing fountain of goodness: 'Do you despise either the wealth of his kindness and his tolerance and his patience, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?' (Rom 2:4). 'But according to your hardness and unrepentant heart, you are treasuring wrath for yourself in the day of wrath' (Rom 2:5).

In this way Pharaoh and his heart were hardened. For, while being repeatedly subjected to great powers of those becoming rich in kindness, which are exhorting, but rather coercing, to come to recognition, the insolent man remained in audacity and roughness; the insolent man was being hardened, his heart being weighed down by the talent of lead, there being nothing other than lawlessness, whence, having enriched himself with the lead of lawlessness in like manner, 'he sank like lead in rough water,' as it is carried in the triumphal ode against him.

Since, therefore, no such heart was raised by God, but rather those having it possessed it by themselves, because of the hard and contrary, and being called stony—as we have such a ruling principle by ourselves—let us approach thus by choice to the one who removes the stony hearts, so that instead of them he may place fleshy hearts, tractable and well-guided, so that we may be able to keep his commands and ordinances, obeying the spiritual law, our heart changing from disobeying and not obeying the divine law into doing all things with persuasion that must be fulfilled according to law and the sent words in the Spirit of the Lord of the Pantokrator; and this is holy, as it was called a substance.

This also agrees with what was said here: 'Behold, I will command in my Spirit to my servants the prophets' (Zech 12:10). Interpreting what the sent words are and how they are given and where, he says they are given 'in the hands' of 'the prophets.' What the thought of this word turns out to be has been made clear previously in the small matter. Therefore, so that we do not repeat ourselves, often considering the same things, being satisfied with what has been said, we set forth the following words of the prophet.

A great wrath from the Lord of all. And there shall be such a way that they said and did not listen to him, thus they shall cry out and I will by no means listen to them, says the Lord of all (Zech 8:17). And I will cast them out into all the nations which they did not know, and the earth shall be destroyed following them from the one going through and from the one turning about; and they prepared an elect land for destruction.

The Lord, giving to each of the men according to his deed, to those committing many and great sins he is greatly angry, and he does this in part to those stumbling a little and few. For it has been said by him concerning the vessels of wrath being found fit for punishment: 'I indeed was angry a little, but they themselves persisted in evils' (Rom 9:22). And those accusing themselves for the things in which they acted lawlessly cry out to the merciful and compassionate Master: 'Do not be greatly angry with us.' For just as the way is 'being a just judge, strong and long-suffering, he does not bring wrath on every single day' (Ps 136:15), so in part he is angry with those being judged, not observing all their lawlessness.

These things being thus understood, if it were said that a great wrath from the Lord of all has come to be, we do not by any means call it great: 'for he will not take care to have mercy any longer, nor will he perceive in his wrath his mercies' (Ps 136:15). For of these indeed a father and source exists, but he brings the wrath until threatening to admonish; but if those sinning were to despise the threat, and by that trial of punishment were to enjoy themselves.

Having this pious reasoning, those possessing it cry out to the Benefactor: 'Do not be angry with us unto the end, or will you stretch out your wrath from generation to generation?' and again: 'God, you who having turned back will give us life, and turn away your anger from us.'

These things said concerning God of the Scriptures, let us not fall into such impiety and foolishness as to approach human passions toward the one saying: 'I do not change' (Mal 3:6), to whom the theologians say, the one is: 'You are the same,' and the other concerning him: 'With whom there is no change or shadow of turning' (Jas 1:17). For if he is the same, not changing, not being altered, not having a change of turning or a shadow, how would he stretch out for punishment? For nothing else is wrath or the stretching out for punishment.

Not thus indeed does God get angry, being impassive, but bringing...