Works and Knowledge

Ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος θεοῦ σύνεσις δὲ ἀγαθὴ πᾶσι τοῖς ποιοῦσιν αὐτήν εὐσέβεια δὲ εἰς θεὸν ἀρχὴ αἰσθήσεως σοφίαν δὲ καὶ παιδείαν ἀσεβεῖς ἐξουθενήσουσιν. Ἀληθὴς γὰρ φόβος, ἡ κατὰ σεβὰσμον εὐλαβεια· σύνεσις δὲ, ἀγαθή. Εἰς τόδε ὑποστικτέον. Οὐκ ἀρκεί γὰρ εἰς μακαριότητα τὸ εἰδῆναι τὸ αγαθὸν εἰ μὴ καὶ πράττοι τις αὐτό· εὐσέβεια δὲ εἰς Θεὸν, ἀρχὴ συνέσεως. Δίδυμος Αλεξανδρεύς, Εἰς Παροιμιας

The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God and there is good understanding to all that practice it, and piety toward God is the beginning of discernment, but the ungodly will reject wisdom and instruction. 1 For true fear in religion is reverence, and good is the understanding. Here one must pause. For one does not rise to blessedness by the knowledge of goodness if one does not practice it. So reverence to God is the beginning of knowledge. Didymus the Blind, On Proverbs, fragment 1 Proverbs 1.7