Humility and Meekness

Καὶ ὅτι πρὸς τοῦτο μάλιστα τὸ πάθος ὁ Λόγος βλέπει, δῆλόν ἐστιν ἐκ τοῦ μετὰ τὴν ταπεινοφροσύνην νομοθετῆσαι ἡμῖν τὴν πραότητα. Ἔοικε γὰρ ἔχεσθαι τοῦ ἐτέρου τὸ ἔτερον, καὶ οἴον μήτηρ τις εἴναι τῆς κατὰ τὸ πρᾶον ἔξεως ἡ τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης κατάστασις. Εἰ γὰρ ὑφελοις τοῦ ἤθους τὸν τῦφον, καιρὸν οὐκ ἔχει τὸ κατὰ θυμὸν ἐγγενέσθαι πάθος. Ὓβρις γὰρ καὶ ἀτιμία τῆς τοιαύτης ἀῥῥωστίας τοῖς ὀργισθεῖσιν αἰτία γίνεται. Ἀτιμία δὲ οὐχ ἄπτεται τοῦ ἑαυτὸν ταπεινοφροσύνῃ παιδαγωγήσαντος. Εἰ γάρ τις κεκαθαρμένον ἔχοι τὸν λογισμὸν ἐκ τῆς ἀνθρωπίνης ἀπάτης, καὶ βλέποι τὸ οὐτιδανὸν τῆς φύσεως ᾖ συγκεκλήρωται, ἀφ' οἴας ἀρχῆς τὴν σύστασιν ἔχει, καὶ εἰς ὅ τι φέρεται τέλος τὸ βραχὺ καὶ ὠκύμορον τῆς τῇδε ζωῆς,  καὶ τὸν συνεζευγμένον τῇ σαρκὶ ῥύπον, καὶ τὸ πενιχρὸν της φύσεως, τὸ μὴ εἰναι αὐτὴν αὐτάρκη δι' ἑαυτῆς πρὸς τὴν ἰδίαν σύστασιν, εἰ μὴ τῇ περιουσίᾳ τῶν ἀλόγων τὸ ἐνδέον ἀναπληρώσειεν· λύπας τε πρὸς τούτοις καὶ πένθη καὶ συμφορὰς, τάς τε πολυτρόπους τῶν νοσημάτων ἰδέας, αἶς ὑπόκειται ἡ ἀνθρωπίνη ζωὴ, ὦν οὐκ ἔστιν ὅστις ἐκ φύσεως ἀτελής ἐστι καὶ ἐλεύθερος. Ταῦτα δι' ἀκριβείας κεκαθαρμένῳ τῷ τῆς ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμῷ βλέπων, οὐκ ἄν ῥᾳοιως πρὸς τὰς τῶν τιμῶν ἐλλείψεις ἀγανακτήσειεν. Τὸ ἐναντίον μὲν οὖν ἀπάτην ἡγήσεται τὴν ἐπὶ τινι προσαγομένην αὐτῷ παρὰ τοῠ πέλας τιμὴν, οὐκ ὄντος ἡμῖν ἐν τῇ φύσει τοιούτου τινὸς, ὅ δύναται τὴν πρὸς τὸ τίμιον κοινωνίαν ἔχειν, εἰ μὴ κατὰ ψυχὴν μόνον, ἧς ἡ τιμὴ οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν κατὰ τὸν κόσμον τοῦτον ἐπιζητουμένων συνίσταται. Τὸ γὰρ ἐπὶ πλούτῳ κομπάζειν, ἤ γένει σεμνύνεσθαι, ἤ πρὸς δόξαν ὁρᾷν, ἤ τὸ δοκεῖν ὑπὲρ τὸν  πέλας εἴναι, δι' ὦν αἰ ἀνθρώπιναι πληροῦνται τιμαί ταῦτα πάντα καθαίρεσις τῆς ψυχῆς καταμολύνεσθαι. Τὸ δὲ οὕτως ἔχειν οὐδὲν ἕτερον, ἤ ἐν ἔξει βαθείᾳ τῆς ταπεινοφροσύνης ἐστὶν εἶναι, ἦς κατορθωθείσης, οὐ δεμίαν εἴσοδον ὁ θυμὸς κατὰ τῆς ψυχῆς ἔξει. Ἅγιος Γρηγόριος Νύσσης, Εἰς Τους Μακαρισμους

And so it is clear that the Word, noting this great passion, prescribes meekness for us after humility. For it seems that the one and the other are linked, and it is as if humility is like a mother giving peace to meekness. For if a person draws himself away from the delusion of pride it is unlikely that the passion of anger will take hold. A proud person is shaken by abuse and driven to anger by it but insults do not trouble the person practiced in humility. If a man had clear thoughts concerning the condition of men and he looked into his nature, how fallen it was from its original state, that the end of life rushes upon us so soon, the bodily waste and other discharges of our nature, that he is not sufficient in himself but must supply himself with what he lacks from the goods of brute animals, and, further, let him think on the pains, miseries and various fell diseases and so let him see human life, that no one is by nature free and untroubled. So with the eye of the soul sharpened by such purification, a man is not easily irritated by a lack of respect from others. And, on the other hand, if someone should give us honour for some reason, we do not hold it as a part of own nature since we do not have such things. He who receives honour in the world, after his soul has departed, has no more honour from those who continue to go about in the world. For to base your worth on amount of money gained or the rank of one's family, or observable glory, or other measures by which you judge yourself to excel other men, are the things that pollute the purity of your soul. He who has nothing of these things has the depths of humility, he who has been cleansed allows no access to passion to seize his soul. Saint Gregory of Nyssa, On The Beatitudes