Wisdom And Fear

Ἀρχὴ σοφίας φόβος θεοῦ σύνεσις δὲ ἀγαθὴ πᾶσι τοῖς ποιοῦσιν αὐτήν εὐσέβεια δὲ εἰς θεὸν ἀρχὴ αἰσθήσεως σοφίαν δὲ καὶ παιδείαν ἀσεβεῖς ἐξουθενήσουσιν. Οἱ κτώμενοι κακίαν, τῷ κακοὶ εἶναι ἐξουδενοῦσι σοφίαν· καὶ μὴ ἔχοντες φόβον τὸν ποιοῦντα ἀρχὴν αἰσθήσεως, ἀναισθητοῦσι καὶ ἐξουδενοῦσι σοφίαν· πῶς; τῷ μὴ πράττειιν μηδὲ μετιέναι· πᾶς γὰρ ὁ τὰ φαῦλα πράττων, μυσεῖ τὸ φῶς· ἀλλ' οὐ παρὰ τὴν οἰκείαν φύσιν ἀτιμάζεται, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τὴν ἐκείνων ἄγνοιαν· ἀλλ' οἱ εὐσεβεῖς αἱροῦνται τὴν παιδείαν, ἵνα τὴν ψυχὴν καθαρθέντες, εἰσδέχωνται τὴν εἰς κακότεχνον ψυχὴν μὴ εἰισουσαν σοφίαν· οἱ δὲ μὴ ἔχοντες φόβον Θεοῦ, τὸν ποιοῦντα ἀρχὴν αἰσθήσεως, ἀναισθητοῦσι σοφίας καὶ παιδείας, καὶ ἐξουθενοῦσιν ἀμφότερα· ὡς οἱ τὴν Παλαιὰν μὴ δεχόμενοι, καὶ τὸν Δημιουργὸν ὡς ὠμὸν διαβάλλοντες. Ὠριγένης, Ἐκλογαὶ Εἰς Παροιμίας, Κεφ A´ Source: Migne PG 17.196a

The beginning of wisdom is the fear of God and a good understanding is for all who do it, and piety is the beginning of understanding, but the impious scorn wisdom and discipline. 1 Those who are wicked, being wicked, scorn wisdom, and do not have the fear which makes the beginning of knowledge, therefore they are fools and contemptuous of wisdom. How? They neither do, nor do they understand. For everyone who does evil hates the light. 2 But not on account of its true nature is it scorned by them, but because of their ignorance. Pious men, however, embrace discipline, so that with a clean soul they may receive wisdom, which does not enter into a wicked soul. 3 And those who do not have the fear of God, who attempt the beginning of understanding, they do not understand either wisdom or discipline but they scorn both, like those who do not accept the Old Testament, and accuse the Creator of stupidity. 4 Origen, On Proverbs, Chap 1 1 Prov 1.7 2 Jn 3.20 3 Wisdom 1.4 4 Gnostics