Knowledge and Goodness

μὴ ἔλεγχε κακούς, ἵνα μὴ μισῶσίν σε    Οὐ δεῖ ἁμαρτάνοντας ἐλέγχειν τοὺς κακούς, μᾶλλον δὲ περὶ φόβου θεοῦ αὐτοῖς διαλέγεσθαι, ὅστις πείθει αὐτοὺς ἀποστῆναι κακίας.   τὸ δὲ γνῶναι νόμον διανοίας ἐστὶν ἀγαθῆς   Εἰ «τὸ γνῶναι τὸν νόμον διανοίας ἐστὶν ἀγαθῆς», καὶ τὸ ποιῆσαι τὴν ἐντολὴν διανοίας ἐστὶν ἀγαθῆς. Πλὴν πρότερον τὸ ποιῆσαι τὴν ἐντολὴν τοῦ γνῶναι τὸν νόμον, εἴπερ ἡ γνῶσις μετὰ τὴν κάθαρσιν προσγίνεσθαι πέφυκεν.   ὃς ἐρείδεται ἐπὶ ψεύδεσιν, οὗτος ποιμανεῖ ἀνέμους· ὁ δ' αὐτὸς διώξεται ὄρνεα πετόμενα   Παντὶ ἀνέμῳ τῆς διδασκαλίας περιφερόμενος καὶ ναυαγήσας περὶ τὴν πίστιν.   ἀπέλιπεν γὰρ ὁδοὺς τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ ἀμπελῶνος· τοὺς δὲ ἄξονας τοῦ ἰδίου γεωργίου πεπλάνηται   Ἀπέλιπεν γὰρ τὴν ἄμπελον τὴν εἰποῦσαν· «ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ἄμπελος, ὑμεῖς τὰ κλήματα», καί· «ὁ πατήρ μου ὁ γεωργός ἐστιν.»   συνάγει δὲ χερσὶν ἀκαρπίαν  Ἀκαρπία ἐστὶ κακία καὶ ἄγνοια. Εὐάγριος ὁ Ποντικός, Σχολια Εἰς Τας Παροιμιας

Do not despise the wicked lest they hate you. 1 It is not necessary to despise the evil of the sinner, rather speak to them of the fear of God which will persuade them to refrain from evil. To have knowledge of the law is good discernment. 2 If to have knowledge of the law is good discernment, then to perform the commandments is good discernment. But before one can perform the commandments is knowledge of the law, and knowledge comes after the work of purification has been done. He who fixes himself on deceit, is like one who herds the winds. This one pursues birds in flight 3 And by every wind of teaching they are carried off and their faith is shipwrecked. 4   For he has abandoned the paths of his vineyard and the axles of his fields have wandered. 3   For he has abandoned the vineyard of which it is said, I am the vine and you are the branches, 5 and My father is the farmer. 6 And the gathering of the hand is fruitless 3 Fruitless is evil and ignorance.   Evagrius Ponticus, Scholia on Proverbs 1 Prov 9.8 2 Prov 9.10 3 Prov 9.12 LXX 4 cf Ephes 4.14 5 Jn 15.5  6. Jn 15.1