To Understand the Words of Wisdom: Lessons from the Old Testament in Sunday School #

A Study Guide

Priest Ioann Kurbatsky. Kaluga, 2022

Foreword #

You are holding a study guide designed for Sunday school classes with teenagers aged 13–14 and older. It is no secret that after the age of twelve, children often stop going to church, lose interest in worship, and in matters of faith altogether. And while in earlier years parents might compel them, by adolescence this becomes impossible. Why does this happen? How can we interest and motivate children?

We are firmly convinced that the loss of interest and motivation is largely due to the fact that the beauty and depth of the Orthodox Christian faith have not been revealed to the children. Having superficially absorbed the basic expectations of piety, children assume they already know everything and begin to feel bored. As Nikolai Semenovich Leskov once said, “Rus’ was baptized, but not enlightened.” These words remain relevant a century and a half later.

Recognizing this, we developed this course with an emphasis on independent work with the text of the Bible. We proceed from the understanding that the Bible should be a central, ever-present book in the life of every Christian. “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works” (2 Timothy 3:16–17).

One of the goals of Sunday school is to teach children how to read the Bible, how to analyze and understand it, and how to draw from it comfort and inspiration along their path in life. It is important to reveal to students the inexhaustible wisdom of Holy Scripture, to show them that this book of books requires thoughtful, prayerful reading.

We are confident that if they are given the opportunity to experience for themselves that the Bible is not a dull book, but the all-wise “word of God, living and active, and sharper than any two-edged sword” (Hebrews 4:12), then the students of Sunday school will, once grown, continue to read and study the Scriptures and seek therein the answers to the most important questions of life. And at this stage, the lessons of the Old Testament will help keep them within the Church and open new horizons for them.

This goal cannot be achieved by simply retelling the sacred history without reference to the original text, nor by drilling them in ready-made answers to all questions. For this reason, we have consciously departed from the traditional Old Testament program of Sunday school, which typically presents the sacred history in an adapted paraphrase.

Hence the name of the course, taken from the Church Slavonic text of the Proverbs of King Solomon: “To understand the words of wisdom.” To understand them so as “to receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; to give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and discretion” (Proverbs 1:2–4).

We fully understand that the Bible is a vast book, and it is impossible to read and explain it entirely within the limits of a Sunday school course. Moreover, a number of its books require broad background knowledge for proper understanding—knowledge of Christian dogmatics and history, which adolescents do not yet possess. The books of the New Testament, and the Gospels in particular, are read regularly at church services, and these texts are explained in sermons and other Sunday school lessons.

For these reasons, we have selected one specific book from the Old Testament for this course: the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach. According to St. Athanasius the Great, this book, along with the book of Tobit, “is not included in the number of canonical books, but was appointed by the Fathers to be read by those newly coming to the Church and wishing to be instructed in words of piety.”

In our opinion, the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach is especially well suited for young people. It contains moral precepts and teachings that are accessible to teenagers and applicable directly to their lives—not abstract knowledge, but a guide to action. And that is very important. Children in all ages, but especially in our time, find it boring to read about events that took place thousands of years ago and seem entirely unrelated to their current interests, problems, and life situations. In this book, however, they will find practical moral lessons they can discuss with their friends and classmates under the guidance of a teacher.

The lessons offered here are not conducted in lecture format, but as seminars. The teacher gives students their homework in advance, indicating the passage to be read and providing a list of questions to which students must prepare answers at home. During the lesson, the students respond to the questions and discuss them together with the teacher. We have aimed to formulate multi-faceted questions that go beyond simply locating a suitable Bible verse (although this is also an important skill and such questions are certainly included). The questions are designed to encourage text analysis and the search for answers in other sources.

This course has been tested at the Sunday school of the Kaluga Orthodox Old-Rite community in honor of the Sign of the Most Holy God-bearer, where such lessons have already been held for three consecutive years. Both adults and teenagers participate—indeed, adults often outnumber the youth.

In lessons structured this way, the students learn to think, to look up definitions of various terms in dictionaries, to discover new concepts, and thereby to broaden their horizons. Within the course, we speak about the fear of God, reverence and impiety, parental blessings and curses, poverty and wealth, slavery and freedom, chastity and depravity, honesty and slander, friendship and enmity, envy and flattery, and many other topics. These themes arise naturally from the Old Testament texts that will be read in class. The titles of the lessons are drawn from the very passages of the Wisdom of Jesus, the Son of Sirach that are read during each session. The topics are quite diverse. It may seem that the proposed approach lacks a strict system. But that is intentional—we do not aim to cover the entire dogmatic teaching of the Church. That knowledge is provided in lessons on the Law of God. In this course, we seek to actualize that knowledge and learn how to apply it.

At the same time, the teacher has the freedom to choose topics and to modify or supplement the homework assignments. Based on the interests of the children, their current challenges and questions, their level of preparedness, and other circumstances, it is not only acceptable but encouraged to build class discussions around other themes that arise in the chapters read from the Bible. Ideally, the children themselves will identify these themes, agree or disagree with what they read. The teacher’s task is to nurture this interest, to help the children understand the issue, to suggest ways to resolve any contradictions, to offer life examples, and to point them toward further sources of information.

It is desirable that students read, in addition to the Scriptural text, the supplementary material provided for each lesson. It must be acknowledged that good resources on the Law of God for teenagers are almost nonexistent. We have come across either textbooks aimed at elementary school children, or theological-popular articles that are overly simplified, or, conversely, serious writings by modern theologians or the Holy Fathers that are not only difficult to understand but also quite voluminous. We have tried to avoid these extremes and to offer serious material on each topic in a concise format of two to three pages, with abundant quotations from Holy Scripture (for this is a Bible course) and from the Fathers of the Church.

This is another distinctive feature of the course. Turning to the spirit and examples, to the lives and writings of the great Fathers of old, is no accident: through this we introduce young people to the inexhaustible treasury of wisdom which, unfortunately, too often remains “hidden under a bushel.” It is of fundamental importance to show young people what the Holy Fathers dedicated their great labors and their very lives to, what they pondered and wrote about, what they called others to do. In this sense, the course can be called a reader, in which biblical excerpts and patristic sayings are systematically selected. Familiarity with this heritage of the Church clearly demonstrates that the study of God’s word and theology are not something abstract or detached from life, but something every member of the Church needs. For those who wish to delve more deeply into a particular subject, each lesson ends with a brief list of recommended readings. These include not only biblical and patristic texts, but also works of literature that can and should be interpreted through the lens of Orthodox teaching.

Another important objective of the course is to teach children how to interpret Scripture systematically in connection with the rest of the Old and New Testaments, to recognize apparent contradictions and learn how to resolve them. For this reason, the assignments always include comparison of various Scripture phrases and the discovery of parallel passages. The Bible cannot be properly read and interpreted apart from the Church. Therefore, we seek to teach the students how to independently find patristic commentaries that reveal not only the literal meaning of the texts but also their historical and allegorical senses.

Clearly, such an approach requires the teacher to be well-prepared in the areas of moral and dogmatic theology. But this should not be a cause for fear. The course is designed in such a way that it can also be used independently, as a self-study guide. At the end of the book are answers to the homework questions for self-assessment, and each lesson includes a list of relevant literature. In preparing for lessons, the teacher will improve their own qualifications.

If this course awakens a living interest among teachers, adults, and teenagers in the deeper study of Holy Scripture, then our task will have been fulfilled.

How to Use This Study Guide #

This study guide is primarily intended for group classes with teenagers in Sunday school. The first, introductory lesson is conducted in lecture format, during which the teacher gives students their homework for the next class. The assignment consists of a passage to be read, questions for which students must prepare answers on their own, and a list of supplementary reading. We recommend first reading the assigned chapters of the Bible in their entirety before attempting to answer the questions. This teaches the students to read more attentively and thoughtfully.

During the class, students share their answers with each other under the guidance of the teacher. It is very important to ensure that the students come to class prepared. Otherwise, they themselves will find the lesson uninteresting, and the sessions will be largely unproductive.

This guide contains 30 lessons. Experience shows that this is the approximate number of sessions that can be conducted in a single academic year in Sunday school. We recommend that students who miss a group class for any reason complete the homework on their own so as not to fall behind.

In these seminar-style sessions, various topics are discussed. Each lesson explores a specific question prompted by the biblical text. It is very important to communicate this knowledge to the students and to give them the opportunity to read for themselves the teachings and sayings of the Church Fathers. Important terms and concepts are highlighted in bold. The teacher is not bound by the pre-assigned topic. If, during discussion, the students become interested in other questions and engage with them enthusiastically, it is often best to focus on those issues. It is especially helpful to illustrate the material being discussed with examples from life, from literature, from the lives of saints, and from biblical narratives.

We are confident that this approach will help make the students’ theoretical knowledge of Church doctrine, gained in other Sunday school lessons, more relevant and applicable. At the end of the book, answers to the homework assignments are provided for self-assessment.

The presence of questions and answers also allows this guide to be used as a self-study textbook. To do so, one must first read the assigned passage, then work out answers to the questions, and finally check those answers against the key at the back of the book. It should be noted that answers are given only for the questions directly related to the text of Holy Scripture. Discussion-based questions, which may allow for differing viewpoints or require personal life experience, are left for individual reflection. These may be discussed within the family, with fellow believers, or with a spiritual father.

In addition to completing the assignments, it is essential to study the content of the guide itself and read all the cited Scripture passages. Here, the reader will find exalted thoughts of the holy fathers, heartfelt interpretations of biblical words and events, lessons in theology and in the necessary asceticism—without which salvation is impossible, for “the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12).

Lesson 1 #

1. On Holy Scripture, the Bible, and its translations

2. Brief overview of canonical and non-canonical books

3. On the Book of the Wisdom of Jesus, the Son of Sirach

4. How should we read the Bible?

“The fountain of wisdom is the word of God Most High” (Sirach 1:5)

The word Bible comes from the Greek and means “books.” It was written by many different people over a long period of time, in various languages and countries. Yet all the books that make up the Bible are divine revelation to mankind and form the foundation of Christian doctrine.

The chief feature that distinguishes the Bible from all other books, that gives it supreme power and unquestionable authority, is its divine inspiration. This word also comes from the Scriptures themselves. The holy Apostle Paul, in his Second Epistle to Timothy, teaches that “all Scripture is given by inspiration of God” (2 Timothy 3:16). This means that although the books of the Bible were written by human beings, they wrote under divine inspiration, and so we can rightly say that the Bible is the work of God Himself—the Word of God. St. John Chrysostom says: “All the Scriptures were written not by slaves, but by the Lord of all—God.” The same idea is expressed by St. Gregory the Great: “It is the Lord who speaks to us through the tongues of the holy prophets and apostles.”

The Bible is composed of the books of the Old and New Testaments; together, they are called Holy Scripture.

The Old Testament is the first and oldest part of the Bible. The books of the Old Testament were composed over more than a thousand years, beginning in the second half of the second millennium before the Nativity of Christ. They speak of the creation of the world and of man, of God’s covenant with mankind, and of the promise of the coming of the Savior—the Messiah. Many events and commandments given in the Old Testament period were prefigurations of what would later be fulfilled with the coming of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ.

The books of the New Testament were written in the first century after the birth of Christ.

Tradition divides the books of the Old Testament into three groups: the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings. The Law consists of the Pentateuch of Moses: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy. The Prophets include the books of the prophets: Joshua, Judges, the Books of Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the twelve minor prophets. The Writings contain the works of Israelite sages (such as Ecclesiastes and Proverbs) and poetic prayers (“The Song of Songs” and “The Psalms of David”). These books are filled with profound theological and moral-philosophical content.

After the return of the Jews from the Babylonian captivity—that is, after the 5th century B.C.—several more books were written in Hebrew and Greek: Judith, Tobit, the Wisdom of Solomon, the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach, the Epistle of Jeremiah, the Book of Baruch, the Maccabean books, and the Book of Ezra. All these books are “a fountain of wisdom” (Sirach 1:5).

We do not read the Bible in its original languages, but in translation. The first complete printed Bible in Rus’ was published in 1581 in the city of Ostrog. This is the so-called Ostrog Bible. Moscow’s first printer, Ivan Fyodorov—later glorified by the Church as a saint—played a direct role in its preparation. In church services, fragments from Old Testament books are read in Church Slavonic; these are called paremias. The Bible was translated into modern Russian in the mid-19th century. This translation is called the Synodal version. We use it for ease of comprehension and for quickly locating citations. There are also other Russian translations of individual books of the Bible. For example, in this guide all references to the Psalter are given according to the translation by Professor P.A. Yungerov, which closely matches the Church Slavonic sound familiar to every parishioner. However, for a fuller understanding of Holy Scripture when reading in Russian, it is necessary to cross-reference with the Ostrog Bible, as there are important differences in many passages.

The Church Slavonic translation of the Bible originates with Saints Cyril and Methodius and is based on the Septuagint—the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible. In the 3rd–2nd centuries B.C., the Hebrew Bible was translated into Greek for the famous Library of Alexandria in Egypt. Tradition holds that the translators were 70 (or 72) Jewish scholars. The Septuagint reflects the condition of the Hebrew text at the time of translation, whereas the Hebrew text that has come down to us—the so-called Masoretic Text—was revised up until the 8th century A.D. It was the Septuagint that was used by the authors of the New Testament and the Holy Fathers of the Church. In Orthodox worship, this text became part of the Church’s Sacred Tradition.

The books included in the Septuagint and the Ostrog Bible are considered canonical in our Church and are part of Holy Scripture. The term canon (Greek: “rule”) was used from ancient times to refer to those sacred books in which, according to the united tradition of the Church, the true rule and standard of the faith was found. The Holy Fathers—such as Athanasius the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Blessed Augustine, and Blessed Jerome—compiled lists of canonical books. Later, at the Church’s holy councils, the canon of the Divine Scriptures was officially affirmed (e.g., Canon 33 of the Council of Carthage, Canon 60 of the Council of Laodicea, and others).

In this course, we will be studying the Book of the Wisdom of Jesus, the Son of Sirach. This book is preceded by a preface from the translator, who explains that his grandfather Jesus wrote it in Hebrew in Palestine, being himself a scholar of the Law and the ancestral traditions. The grandson, having arrived in Alexandria—the capital of Egypt—noticed a lack of education and the difficulties faced by people who wished to live piously. Therefore, he deemed it necessary to translate the book written by his grandfather into Greek in the 38th year of King Euergetes’ reign (presumably in 132 B.C.).

The book consists of a collection of short teachings, maxims, aphorisms, and brief portraits. It contains much advice about the love of wisdom and laughter, poverty and wealth, health and illness, relationships with parents and elders, friends and enemies, wives and children. The book does not have a strict structure. Sometimes chapters 1–42 are considered the moral section. Then follow chapters 42–43, which praise the power of God in nature. After that, in chapters 44–50, we see the action of God’s wisdom in history. The final chapter contains a prayer of thanksgiving and a petition for the acquisition of wisdom. The division into chapters is somewhat arbitrary, and sometimes a logical section continues into the next chapter, which can make understanding more difficult. In this course, we will cover only the first 43 chapters. The subsequent chapters require a solid knowledge of Old Testament history and may be the subject of separate study.

The Holy Fathers held the Wisdom of Jesus, the Son of Sirach in high regard and frequently cited it as Holy Scripture. For instance, St. Athanasius the Great refers to it as a book “not counted among the canonical books, but appointed by the Fathers to be read by those who are coming to the Church and wish to be instructed in words of piety.” St. John of Damascus calls it “beautiful and very beneficial.” This book has always been included in the Slavonic editions of the Bible (the Gennadiev Bible, the Ostrog Bible, the Elizabeth Bible), and it is also found in the Russian Synodal translation.

It is important to emphasize that this book contains moral instructions for human relationships with both God and neighbor that, without exaggeration, can be placed on the same level as the New Testament commandments of the Gospel—for example, chapter 7, verses 31–39, and chapter 8, verses 1–22.

For brevity, Bible references are cited using the standard format: the abbreviated title of the book, followed by a colon (or sometimes a comma), the chapter number, and the verse numbers. The examples mentioned above are written as: Sir. 7:31–39 and Sir. 8:1–22, where Sir. is the name of the book, 7 is the chapter, and 31–39 are the verses. A list of the accepted abbreviations for the books of the Bible is given in the table of contents.

Most editions of the Old and New Testaments include cross-references—passages, themes, or sayings that are either identical or closely related to others in the Bible. These are typically placed in the margins or at the bottom of the page. Cross-references help to understand the meaning of a passage more deeply and comprehensively, in connection with the rest of Scripture. We recommend always consulting these parallel places when reading the Bible.

The assignments in this course are structured to help students first and foremost learn how to read and understand Holy Scripture. But before moving on to homework and direct reading of the Bible, it is necessary to offer some advice on how to read it properly and with spiritual benefit.

The first condition for drawing benefit from the consistent reading of the Bible is prayerful appeal to God, that He may “open our eyes to behold and understand the wondrous things hidden in His law” (Psalm 118:18). We must approach reading the Bible seriously, honestly, and diligently, just as we would approach the study of any science. One must not skip lines or read hastily. Rather, read slowly, trying to understand what is being said, with the desire to discover and know the holy truth.

As we open this Book of Books, let us remember that it will determine our eternal fate. In it is expressed the holy will of God, and it is according to it that we will be judged. We must read it with reverence, as the word of God Himself.

Next, we need perseverance and consistency. Some passages will seem difficult or unclear at first. But we must not be discouraged. If we come across unfamiliar or hard words, we should pause to think, consult a dictionary, or ask someone for help. We should always turn to the commentaries of the Holy Fathers. The Bible was written by holy prophets and apostles under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit (2 Peter 1:21). Accordingly, its interpretation is also a gift of the Holy Spirit, given to the God-bearing teachers of the Church.

In our classes for this course, we will share our understanding of what we have read and discuss it among ourselves and with the teacher. Holy Scripture should be read regularly. One should not be content with fruitless reading—it is necessary to strive to fulfill what is commanded there. Figuratively speaking, we must “read the Bible with our deeds.”

So, let us begin! Lord, bless!

Lesson 2 #

Questions and Assignments

Read Sirach chapter 1 and answer the following questions:

1. Find all mentions of the fear of God.

2. Compare with parallel passages: Proverbs 1:7; 4:9; 9:10; 19:27; 19:23; Psalm 91:13.

3. What is the fear of God? How does it differ from ordinary fear?

4. How are the fear of God and love for God connected?

5. What do the words of the Apostle John mean: “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love” (1 John 4:18)?

6. What is the method (or “technology”) of acquiring Wisdom? Compare your answer with John 14:15 and 14:21.

7. Find references to human anger.

8. Compare the saying in Sirach about anger with James 1:20.

“Fear of the Lord is glory and honor, and gladness, and a crown of rejoicing.”

“The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” — so it is written in the Book of Proverbs (Proverbs 1:7; 9:10). Similarly, the Book of the Wisdom of Jesus, the Son of Sirach, begins with teachings on the fear of God as the foundation for acquiring wisdom. This book, and the whole of Holy Scripture, speaks extensively about the fear of God.

Behold, the fear of the Lord is true wisdom, and to depart from evil is understanding (Job 28:28). The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever (Psalm 18:10). The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom; a good understanding have all they who follow it (Psalm 110:10). The fear of the Lord is to hate evil; pride, and arrogance, and the evil way, and the perverse mouth do I hate (Proverbs 8:13). The fear of the Lord adds days, but the years of the wicked shall be shortened (Proverbs 10:27). The fear of the Lord is a fountain of life, turning one away from the snares of death (Proverbs 14:27). The fear of the Lord teaches wisdom, and humility precedes glory (Proverbs 15:33). By mercy and truth iniquity is purged, and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil (Proverbs 16:6). Whether a man be rich or honored or poor, their praise is the fear of the Lord (Sirach 10:25). Sanctify the Lord of Hosts Himself, and let Him be your fear, and let Him be your dread (Isaiah 8:13). And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good; and I will put My fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from Me (Jeremiah 32:40). Knowing therefore the fear of the Lord, we persuade men (2 Corinthians 5:11).

The fear of God is a reverent attitude toward God, expressed in the awareness and perception of the Divine presence, in the desire not to lose communion with God, and in the fear of offending God by sinful thought, word, or deed. Such fear manifests in spiritual vigilance and is a virtue that is formed and strengthened in a person by the grace of God.

The fear of God is fundamentally different from natural fear, which is part of human nature. In the face of a concrete threat to life, health, or well-being, a person’s sense of danger intensifies, and he instinctively seeks to escape or eliminate the threat.

The fear of God is altogether different. Though it too is inherent in human nature, it is not connected with a sense of threat from God, but rather with a sense of reverence, a concern not to lose the grace-filled communion with Him as the source of life, joy, and mercy. Reverent fear of God arises from awareness of one’s sinfulness and unworthiness before the majesty of God, His goodness, righteousness, wisdom, boundless power, and authority.

An example of such sacred trembling may be found in the words of the prophet Isaiah: “Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of Hosts” (Isaiah 6:5). The fear of the Lord gives rise to true reverence for God.

Reverence for God must hold the first and foremost place in a person’s life and activity; it should be the chief object of one’s knowledge. It is in this sense that it is said, “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” For this reason, every instruction in divine matters begins with this theme. The source of wisdom is God Himself. Only by acknowledging this can one begin to attain wisdom.

To better understand what the fear of God is and what its significance is in the work of salvation, let us turn to the sayings of the Holy Fathers.

St. Ambrose of Milan: If a person fears God, he will avoid errors and direct his steps along the path of virtue. But if someone does not fear God, he cannot refrain from sin.

St. Ephraim the Syrian: Fear the Lord, and you will find grace, for the fear of the Lord produces those morals and habits through which virtues are formed in us, while fearlessness gives rise to bitter rivalry, schemes, and the like. The fear of the Lord is the fountain of life. The fear of the Lord is the fortress of the soul. The fear of the Lord orders our spiritual thoughts. The fear of the Lord is the storehouse of the soul. In every task, the fear of the Lord gives grace to the one who fears God. The fear of the Lord is the helmsman of the soul. The fear of the Lord enlightens the soul. The fear of the Lord destroys wickedness. The fear of the Lord weakens the passions. The fear of the Lord restores love. The fear of the Lord puts to death every evil desire. The fear of the Lord cuts off sensual indulgence. The fear of the Lord is the school of the soul, and it proclaims to her good hopes. The fear of the Lord rewards with peace. The fear of the Lord fills the soul with holy thoughts and places in her the scepter of the Heavenly Kingdom.

*St. Abba Dorotheus: *Saint John says in his Catholic Epistle, “Perfect love casteth out fear” (1 John 4:18). What is the holy Apostle trying to tell us by these words? What kind of love is he speaking of, and what kind of fear? For the prophet David says in the psalm: “Fear the Lord, all ye His saints” (Psalm 33:10), and we find many similar sayings in the Divine Scriptures. So then, if even the saints, who love the Lord so greatly, fear Him, how can Saint John say, “Perfect love casteth out fear”?

The saint wishes to show us that there are two kinds of fear: one that is beginning, and one that is perfect. One belongs, so to speak, to those who are just starting out in the life of piety; the other is the fear of the saints who have attained the measure of perfect love. For example, someone who does the will of God out of fear of punishment, as we have said, is still a beginner. He does not do good for the sake of good itself, but out of fear of punishment. But another person does the will of God out of love for God, loving Him simply in order to please Him. This person understands what true good is; he has come to know what it means to be with God.

This person possesses the true love that Saint John calls perfect. And that love leads him to perfect fear—not the fear of punishment, not in order to escape torment, but rather, because he has tasted the sweetness of communion with God, he fears to lose it. He fears being cut off from that sweetness. And this perfect fear, which is born of love, drives out the initial, beginner’s fear. That is why the Apostle says, “Perfect love casteth out fear.”

Yet one cannot arrive at perfect fear except through the initial fear. As Saint Basil the Great says, there are three ways in which a person may seek to please God: One may please Him out of fear of punishment—this is the state of a slave. One may fulfill God’s commandments in pursuit of a reward—this is the state of a hired servant. Or one may do good for the sake of good itself—this is the state of a son.

A son, when he comes to full age and understanding, fulfills the will of his father not because he fears being punished, nor in order to receive a reward, but precisely because he loves his father and shows him due honor. He knows that all his father’s goods belong also to him. Such a one is worthy to hear: “Thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Jesus Christ” (Galatians 4:7).

Such a one no longer fears God with that beginner’s fear, but loves Him—as Saint Anthony also says: “I no longer fear God, but I love Him.”

Recommended Reading:

1. Abba Dorotheus, Spiritual Teachings

2. Saint Symeon the New Theologian, Homily 39: “How should one understand the saying, ‘The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom’?”

Lesson 3 #

Questions and Assignments

Read Sirach chapters 2–3 and answer the following:

1. What advice is given to a person who desires to serve God?

2. How are those who are pleasing to God tested?

3. Find mentions of faith in God and faith toward God.

4. What does it mean to “fall into the hands of the Lord” (2:18)?

5. Find references to honoring one’s parents.

6. What is the significance and consequence of a father’s and mother’s blessing or curse?

“The blessing of a father establisheth the houses of children,
but the curse of a mother rooteth out the foundations.”

Of the Ten Commandments given by God on Mount Sinai, the first four speak of love for God and reverence toward Him, while the remaining six speak of love for one’s neighbor and proper relationships with others. “Honor thy father and thy mother [that it may be well with thee, and] that thy days may be long upon the land,” says the fifth commandment of God’s Law (Exodus 20:12). As the Apostle Paul notes, this is “the first commandment with promise” (Ephesians 6:2)—that is, it contains a reward promised for its fulfillment. The greatest earthly blessing is a happy old age and long life. This is what God has promised to those who keep the fifth commandment.

In Holy Scripture we find many quotations about the importance and God-pleasing nature of honoring one’s parents. The wise king Solomon instructs: “Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when she is old” (Proverbs 23:22). The Apostle Paul teaches: “Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right” (Ephesians 6:1). “Children, obey your parents in all things, for this is well-pleasing unto the Lord” (Colossians 3:20). The same is discussed at length in the third chapter of the Wisdom of Jesus the Son of Sirach.

Through their parents, children are called into life. That fact alone obliges them to love, value, and honor their father and mother. Parents raise their children, educate them, care for them in sickness, and help them in countless ways. One cannot count how many sufferings and difficulties they endure in the process of raising their children—especially during times of illness or when their children are afflicted by troubles.

We may recall the Gospel account of the Canaanite woman, how she pleaded with the Savior: “Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou Son of David; my daughter is grievously vexed with a devil” (Matthew 15:22). The daughter was suffering, but the mother suffered doubly, and therefore begged the Lord to have mercy on her. As Saint Ambrose of Milan said, “If we consider what our parents have done for us, we will be overwhelmed by the immeasurable debt we owe them.”

The greatest treasure on earth for a person is the blessing of one’s parents. A Russian proverb says, “A mother’s prayer can raise one up from the depths of the sea.” There are many examples of this, including in the lives of the saints. One day, Saint Gregory the Theologian, while still unbaptized, found himself caught in a terrible storm at sea. He describes the event himself in his poem On His Life (translated by Fr. Andrei Zuevsky):

But later—the raging sea
Tossed us endlessly in circles.
We no longer knew where we were or where we were going;
It seemed even God could not save us.
We all feared death—but more than that
I feared the death of my soul,
For this merciless darkness
Separated me from the life-giving waters of baptism!
Oh, how I grieved for this!
I lamented, I called upon God in despair.
My voice, full of anguish, sometimes drowned out
The howling winds and the sea’s unceasing roar.
And then—what a wonder! But it truly happened!
All who were aboard, forgetting themselves,
Began to pray for me! Thus did shared grief
Bestow faith upon us all!

That very night, the parents of Saint Gregory, who were on land, were shown a vision revealing their son’s situation, and they too rose to prayer. God calmed the violent storm, and a great stillness came over the sea. All those aboard the ship, realizing they had been delivered from certain death and as though snatched from the bonds of destruction, glorified Christ our God.

Later, one young man who had traveled with Gregory recounted how he had seen in a dream that night the blessed Nonna, Gregory’s mother, walking across the sea, lifting the sinking ship in her hands, and guiding it to shore. Gregory’s father, who had prayed with tears for his son and then fallen asleep, had a different vision. He saw a furious demon trying to destroy Gregory at sea, but Gregory seized the demon and overcame him. From this vision, Gregory’s father understood that his son had been saved from destruction, and he and his wife gave thanks to God.

Together with the promise of blessings for fulfilling the fifth commandment of God’s Law, the Bible also speaks of punishment for those who violate it. “He that curseth his father or his mother shall surely be put to death” (Exodus 21:17; cf. Matthew 15:4). “Cursed be he that setteth light by his father or his mother” (Deuteronomy 27:16). “Cursed is he by the Lord who provoketh his mother” (Sirach 3:16).

A story from the life of Saint Alexander of Svir illustrates this truth. For the consecration of a church dedicated to the Holy Trinity, people from all the surrounding villages gathered, each bringing a donation to the monastery. The saint and the brethren received all offerings graciously, placing them into the folds of his vestment. However, when a man named Gregory from the village of Pidmozero approached and attempted to place money in the vestment, Saint Alexander pushed his hand away and folded up the garment. This happened several times. After the feast, Gregory persuaded a monk he knew to take him to the saint’s cell.

Entering the elder’s cell, Gregory knelt and said: “O holy father, man of God, do not despise me, a sinner. Have mercy on me and tell me, for God’s sake, why you received everyone else’s offerings but rejected mine and even pushed away my hand? You do not know me nor anything about my background.”

The saint replied: “You speak truly, my child. I do not know you and have never seen you before, nor do I know your family. But one thing I do know: your hand is deeply defiled and gives off a great stench.”

Gregory did not answer, and then the elder continued: “Remember, child, the sins you have committed before God by transgressing His commandments. The Scripture says, ‘Honor thy father and thy mother, that it may be well with thee and that thou mayest live long on the land the Lord thy God giveth thee.’ But you always dishonor your mother—you strike her with your hands and kick her with your feet. You continually insult her and refuse to repent. Because of this, my child, you have greatly angered God and bear heavy sins upon yourself.”

After this rebuke, Gregory confessed his sins and asked for advice. The saint instructed him to beg his mother’s forgiveness and amend his life. Gregory accepted this counsel, repented, and later became the elder’s spiritual son and a regular pilgrim to the Svir monastery.

Sometimes, when driven to despair by their children’s misbehavior, parents utter curses in anger. It must be understood that parental cursing includes not only formal maledictions but also all insulting or harmful words. The Lord speaks about this in the Gospel: “But I say unto you, that whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, ‘Raca,’ shall be in danger of the council; but whosoever shall say, ‘Thou fool,’ shall be in danger of hell fire” (Matthew 5:22). This is undoubtedly a sin. But children who provoke their parents to such extreme words commit an even greater sin. The consequences of such transgressions are grave. Children who treat their parents with disrespect lose God’s blessing and His mercy.

The Wise One says: “Honor thy father and mother in word and deed, that a blessing may come upon thee from them. For the blessing of the father establisheth the houses of children; but the curse of the mother rooteth out the foundations” (Sirach 3:7–8).

A monk once told the following story: A widow had four children. When they grew up, none of them married. The mother wept in grief and asked the monk to pray for them. He agreed, but his prayers brought no results. This puzzled everyone. The children began to believe someone had cursed them. “Perhaps your mother once cursed you?” the monk suggested. And it turned out to be true. When the children were young and misbehaved constantly, their mother, in frustration, used to say, “May you all end up as stumps!” Remembering this, the mother offered heartfelt repentance and began to bless her children every day. Within a year and a half, all four of them had married and started families.

Knowing this, let us strive to fulfill the fifth commandment precisely, that we may be saved. “He that honoureth his father shall be cleansed from sins, and he that respecteth his mother is like one that layeth up treasure” (Sirach 3:3–4).

Recommended Reading:

1. Saint Basil the Great, Moral Rules

2. Watch the play Make Way for Tomorrow, based on the script by Viña Delmar.

3. William Shakespeare, King Lear

Lesson 4 #

Questions and Assignments

Read Sirach chapters 3–4 and answer the following questions:

1. To whom are the mysteries of God revealed?

2. What cleanses sin?

3. Find references to mercy.

4. Find references to love for Wisdom.

5. How does Wisdom test the soul?

6. Find references to the confession of sins.

7. What do the lines in 4:25 mean?

8. What do the words “do not hold back the flow of a river” mean in the context of 4:30?

9. Find references to standing for the truth.

10. Find references to the consistency between words and deeds.

“He who loves wisdom loves life”

The son of Sirach frequently turns to praise of Wisdom in his book. This theme is developed especially in chapter one and even more fully in chapter twenty-four, which forms the so-called Praise of Wisdom. There is much said here about the fruits Wisdom gives to those who walk in her ways. She gives joy (1:11), health (1:18), “length of days,” meaning a long life (1:12, 20), “a blessing on the day of death” (1:13), strength (4:12), and the blessing of God (4:14), and so forth. Divine Wisdom is the science of sciences, imparted to man by God! Wisdom exalts her children and lays hold of those who seek her: “He who loves her loves life, and those who seek her early shall be filled with joy; he who possesses her shall inherit glory, and wherever he goes, the Lord will bless him; those who serve her serve the Holy One, and the Lord loves those who love her; he who listens to her shall judge the nations, and he who attends to her shall dwell securely” (Sirach 4:12–16).

These words were fulfilled in the lives of the holy saints of God, who with all their hearts and minds applied themselves from an early age to the pursuit of earthly and heavenly wisdom. Here is how they themselves speak of this.

St. Gregory the Theologian
From the Funeral Oration for Basil, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia:

I think that everyone endowed with intelligence would agree that the first of all blessings for us is learning—not only that noblest form of our learning, which disdains ornamentation and eloquence for the sake of salvation and the beauty of contemplative knowledge, but also external learning, which many Christians despise, out of poor understanding, as harmful and dangerous and leading one away from God.
Heaven, earth, the air and all things therein should not be despised merely because some have misunderstood them and worshipped creation instead of the Creator. On the contrary, we ought to use what is beneficial in them for life and enjoyment, avoiding what is dangerous, and not be like fools who glorify the creature above the Creator. Rather, let us ascend from the creation to the Creator, as the divine Apostle says, “bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
Similarly, about fire, food, iron, and other things—none of these are inherently good or evil; it depends on how they are used. Even among serpents and creeping things, there are some which are used in healing. Thus, in the sciences, we have borrowed their investigations and reasoning, but rejected what leads to demons and error and ruin. We have drawn from them even what is useful for piety, learning good from evil, and turning their weakness into strength for our doctrine.
Therefore, learning should not be belittled, as some do, but rather we should consider those foolish and ignorant who hold such views and wish to make everyone like themselves, hoping to conceal their own deficiency in the shared lack of others and avoid being exposed in their ignorance.

St. Gregory of Nyssa
From the Letter on the Life of the Blessed Macrina:

Having passed the threshold of infancy, [the girl] began to show ability in everything taught to children, and in whatever her parents directed her, she displayed sparks of giftedness. Her mother indeed wanted to educate her, but not with that kind of broad outward education which begins with the study of poets’ works at a very early age.
The mother considered it unworthy and wholly inappropriate that the impressionable and tender soul of the child should be formed by the passions of tragic women (which inspired the poets and make up the content of their writings), or by the obscenities of comedies, or by [learning about] the causes of Troy’s disasters—for all these shameless stories about women could only sully her soul.
Instead of these, she was given to study the inspired books of Scripture, especially those that are accessible to the understanding of a young child. Above all, she loved the Wisdom of Solomon, and particularly those passages that called the soul to a life of high virtue. The works of the Psalmist were not unknown to her either, and she read through a designated portion of them at appointed times. Whether rising from her bed or sitting down to study, eating or finishing a meal, lying down or rising in prayer—everywhere she was accompanied by the singing of psalms, like a good and constant companion who never left her.
Amid such activities and others like them, and having also trained her hands in the skill of spinning wool, she reached the age of twelve—an age when the flower of youth begins to unfold with great force.

Blessed Augustine
From the book Confessions:

Living in such an environment, at that unstable age of mine, I studied books on rhetoric, with shameful and frivolous aims, hoping to become a renowned orator for the sake of human vanity. Following the prescribed course of study, I came across a book by a certain Cicero,¹ whose style everyone admires, though his heart does not inspire the same admiration. This book urged the reader to turn to philosophy and was titled Hortensius.
This book changed my outlook, changed my prayers, and turned them toward You, Lord—it changed my requests and desires. Suddenly, all my vain hopes became repugnant to me; in my inner turmoil, I began to long for immortal wisdom and rose up to return to You. I did not take up that book to sharpen my tongue, but rather to be taught not how to speak, but what to speak.
How I burned, O Lord! How I burned with desire to rise up to You and flee all that is earthly. I did not yet know what You were doing with me. With You is wisdom (Job 12:13). Love of wisdom is called philosophy in Greek; it was this love that was ignited in me by that work.
There are those who lead others astray through philosophy, who dress up and decorate their errors with this noble and appealing word. Nearly all such philosophers—contemporary and ancient—are mentioned and refuted in this book. In it we find a clear warning of salvation, issued by Your Spirit through Your faithful and godly servant:
“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ. For in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Colossians 2:8–9).
At that time—You know this, O Light of my heart—I did not yet know these words of the Apostle. Still, I delighted in that book because it urged me to love not this or that philosophical school, but wisdom itself, in whatever form it might appear. It encouraged me to love her, to seek her, to strive after her, to attain her, and to cling to her with all my being. That work set me ablaze. I burned with zeal, and only one thing restrained me: it contained no mention of Christ.
But Your name, O Lord—Your name, my Savior, the name of Your Son—this name I had absorbed with my mother’s milk, and it had deeply settled in my childish heart. And so any writings that lacked this name, no matter how skillful, polished, or filled with truth, could never wholly captivate me.

Suggested Reading

1. Confessions by Blessed Augustine

2. Funeral Oration for Basil, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia by Saint Gregory the Theologian

3. Letter on the Life of the Blessed Macrina by Saint Gregory of Nyssa