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On Jealousy and Envy

Cyprian of Carthage

Section 3

About this work

Author: Cyprian of Carthage

3. Wherefore, beloved brethren, against all the devil’s deceiving

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snares

or

open

threatenings

,

the

mind

ought

to

stand

arrayed

and

armed

,

ever

as

ready

to

repel

as

the

foe

is

ever

ready

to

attack

.

And

since

those

darts

of

his

which

creep

on

us

in

concealment

are

more

frequent

,

and

his

more

hidden

and

secret

hurling

of

them

is

the

more

severely

and

frequently

effectual

to

our

wounding

,

in

proportion

as

it

is

the

less

perceived

,

let

us

also

be

watchful

to

understand

and

repel

these

,

among

which

is

the

evil

of

jealousy

and

envy

.

And

if

any

one

closely

look

into

this

,

he

will

find

that

nothing

should

be

more

guarded

against

by

the

Christian

,

nothing

more

carefully

watched

,

than

being

taken

captive

by

envy

and

malice

,

that

none

,

entangled

in

the

blind

snares

of

a

deceitful

enemy

,

in

that

the

brother

is

turned

by

envy

to

hatred

of

his

brother

,

should

himself

be

unwittingly

destroyed

by

his

own

sword

.

That

we

may

be

able

more

fully

to

collect

and

more

plainly

to

perceive

this

,

let

us

recur

to

its

fount

and

origin

.

Let

us

consider

whence

arises

jealousy

,

and

when

and

how

it

begins

.

For

so

mischievous

an

evil

will

be

more

easily

shunned

by

us

,

if

both

the

source

and

the

magnitude

of

that

same

evil

be

known

.

Notes

6
[Chrysostom, vol. iv. p. 473, ed. Migne. This close practical preaching is a lesson to the younger clergy of our days.]