Fight against the Anger – the Eighth Grade of the St. John Climacus’s “Ladder of Divine Ascent”
Abstract
In this paper we present the teachings of St. John Climacus about anger, from his work "Ladder of Divine Ascent": the phenomenon itself, its causes and effects, the way of fighting against it, and the monastic context of this struggle. According to St. John of the Ladder (as he is sometimes known), anger and gentleness are especially related to the eighth level (of thirty) of the spiritual ladder that leads to the pinnacle of love. The ladder is a picture and a metaphor, thus the sequence of phenomena it describes should not be understood literally. As to the development of passion, Climacus describes a sequence: sin – idleness – carelessness – passion – fall. He characterizes anger as a defect, and dispassion and gentleness as virtues. He describes the spiritual and moral effects of anger: agitation and bitterness of spirit, difficulties in prayer, a state of sin, and darkness of mind. The basis of fighting against anger is the will to relinquish self and to restrict self-love. Climacus also prescribes several practices as helpful in asceticism: repentance, humble acceptance of accusations and other unpleasant things, reciting the Psalms, meditating upon the Passion, and contemplation of one's own death. Climacus also considers the phenomenon of anger in the context of two forms of monastic life: common and hesychastic.
Keywords:
St. John Climacus, , anger, passion, asceticismReferences
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