The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge: but fools despise wisdom and instruction.
All Commentaries on Proverbs 1:7 Go To Proverbs 1
Bede
AD 735
“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge.” Two things constitute the fear of the Lord: first, the servanthood which is called the beginning of knowledge or wisdom and, second, the friendship which accompanies the perfection of wisdom. Servile fear is the beginning of wisdom because whoever begins to taste it after the error of sins is corrected by this first divine fear, lest he be led into torments. But perfect love casts this fear out. Holy fear of the Lord then follows, remaining forever, and is augmented by charity, not removed by it. This is the fear with which the good son is afraid, lest he offend the eyes of his most loving father in the least degree. For the soul is still afraid with elementary servile fear, lest it suffer punishment from an angry Lord. But each fear will come to an end in the future life. Charity, however, never passes away, but will remain perpetually in the fulness of wisdom, which is to know the one, true God and Jesus Christ whom he has sent. .
