Passions and Perfection

Οἱ δὲ ἀπόστολοι, ὀργῆς και φόβου, καὶ ἐπιθυμίας διὰ τῆς Κυριακῆς διδασκαλίας γνωστικώτερον κρατήσαντες, καὶ τὰ δοκοῦντα ἀγαθὰ τῶν παθητικῶν κινημάτων, οἶον θάρσος, ζῆλον, χαρὰν, ἐπιθυμίαν, οὐδε αὐτα ἀνεδέξαντο, ἐμπέδῳ τινὶ τῆς διανοίας καταστάσει μηδὲ καθ' ὀτιουν μεταβαλλόμενοι, ἀλλ' ἐν ἔξει ἀσκήσεως ἀεὶ μένοντες ἀναλλοίωτοι, μετά γε τὴν τοῦ Κυρίου ἀνάστασιν. Κἂν γὰρ μετὰ λόγου γινόμενα τὰ προειρημένα ἀγαθά τις ἐνδέχηται, ἀλλ' οὖν γε ἐπὶ τοῦ τελείου οὐ παραδεκτέον, ὅς οὔτε θαρσεῖν ἔχει· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐν δεινοῖς γίνεται, μηδὲν δεινὸν ἡγούμενος τῶν ἐν τῷ βίῳ, οὐδὲ ἀποστῆσαι τι καὶ τούτου αὐτὸν τῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἀγάπης δύναται· οὐδὲ εὐθυμίας χρεία ἐστίν· οὖτε γὰρ εἰς λύπην ἐμπίπτει, πάντα καλῶς γίνεσθαι πεπεισμένος· οὐδὲ μὴν θυμοῦνται· οὐδὲ γάρ ἐστιν ὅ τι συγκινήσει αὐτὸν πρὸς θυμὸν, ἀγαπῶντα ἀεὶ τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ πρὸς τούτῳ μόνῳ ὅλον τετραμμένον, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο μηδὲν  τῶν  κτισμάτων τοῦ Θεοῦ μεμισηκόντα. Ἀλλ οὐδὲ ζηλοϊ· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐνδεϊ τι αὐτῷ πρὸς ἐξομοίωσιν τῷ καλῷ καὶ ἀγαθῷ εἶναι· οὐδε ἄρα φιλεῖ τινα τὴν κοινὴν ταύτην φιλίαν, ἀλλ' ἀγαπᾷ τὸν Κτίστην διὰ τῶν κρισμάτων. Οὔτ' οὔν ἐπιθυμίᾳ καὶ ὀρέξει τινὶ περιπίπτει, οὔτε ἐνδεής ἐστι κατά γε τὴν ψυχὴν τῶν ἄλλων τινὸς, συνὼν ἤδη δι' ἀγάπης τῷ ἑραστῷ· ᾦ δὴ ᾠκείωται κατὰ τὴν αἵρεσιν, καὶ τῇ ἐξ ἀσκήσεως ἔξει, τούτῳ προσεχέστερον συνεγγίζων, καὶ μακάριος ὤν διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν περιουσίαν.   Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λόγος Ἕκτος, Κεφ θ'

And the Apostles, having most wisely mastered, by the teaching of the Lord, anger and fear and lust, were not even moved by the seemingly good passions, courage, zeal, joy, desire, not receiving them through a steady state of mind, not changing at all, for they remained ever in a changeless condition of training after the resurrection of the Lord. And let it be that the passions, produced rationally, are goods, yet they are nevertheless inadmissible for the one who is perfect, he who does not have courage since he does not enter into fear, not judging that there is something fearsome in this life, and there is nothing that can dislodge him from this, the love he has towards God; nor is there cheerfulness for him, for he does not fall into grief, being persuaded that all things happen well; nor is he angry, for there is nothing to drive him to anger when he always loves God and to Him alone is entirely turned, and because of this he despises none of God's creatures. He does not envy, for he wishes to acquire nothing that he be excellent and good, nor then does he love anyone with this common affection, but he loves the Creator through creatures. Nor, then, does he fall into any desire or keenness, nor does he want, as pertains to his soul, anything from others now that he associates through love with the Beloved, to whom he is joined by choice, and by his training he approaches closer to Him and is blessed by an abundance of good things. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, Book 6, Ch 9.