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Chapter 12Erud.1.12

De studiosa discentis affectione.

The Nature of Study and the Desire to Know

Drawing on Cicero and Augustine, the author defines study as the mind's eager occupation and explains that love of learning begins with a desire for what is not yet fully known.

Furthermore, on the subject of study or eager affection, Cicero says in the first book of his Rhetorica: 'Study is the constant and vehement occupation of the mind, applied to some matter with great will.' On this point Augustine also says in the tenth book of On the Trinity: 'Because no one can love a thing altogether unknown, what kind of love belongs to learners must be considered.' This is not yet the love of those who know, but still of those who desire to know, however much they may long for it. . . Indeed, the authority of those who praise and proclaim most doctrines generally inflames us to learn them; and yet, unless we had briefly impressed upon the mind of each person some notion of the doctrine itself, we would burn with no desire at all to learn it. . .

Four Motivations for Pursuing Wisdom

The author introduces four chief motivations for the study of wisdom—its honorableness, pleasantness, lastingness, and usefulness—and supports the first, honorableness, with an extended quotation from the book of Wisdom.

Otherwise, we also marvel at the outer reaches of those teachings once we've heard them, and from this we're fired up to gain the capacity for learning by which we might be able to reach them. These are Augustine's words. Now there are four chief things that stir us up to the discipline or study of wisdom, namely: its honorableness, its pleasantness, its lastingness, and its usefulness. Concerning its honorableness, the wise one says, speaking about wisdom itself in the book of Wisdom, chapter 8: 'In it,' he says, 'there is honorableness without fail and distinction in the sharing of its teachings. Because of this brightness I'll have standing among crowds and honor among elders. When I'm silent they'll listen to me, and when I speak they'll watch me, and when I'm in conversation many will place their hands over their mouths, etc.' Those are his words.

Honoring Wisdom in the Aged

Scripture and poetry teach that wisdom, not merely age, deserves honor, and that understanding wins both friendship and renown.

Hence we are also commanded in the law to honor our elders for their wisdom more than for their age.✦ As we read in Job, chapter twelve: 'Wisdom belongs to the aged, and prudence to length of days.'✦1 And in the book of Wisdom, chapter four, it says: 'Old age is venerable — not because it lasts long, nor because of the number of years, but a person's gray hairs are their understanding,' and so on.2 And on this point the poet says: Understanding wins friendships, and understanding earns honors.

The Supreme Honorableness of Wisdom

The pursuit of wisdom is the most honorable occupation for a rational being; wisdom is sweet and beautiful, yet hidden from the worldly, perceived only by the few who prepare their hearts to receive her.

In short, there is no more honorable calling for a rational being than the pursuit of wisdom. Furthermore, the same wise one speaks of its sweetness, as quoted above: 'I loved her and sought her out from my youth; I sought to take her as my bride, and I became a lover of her beauty, because in her friendship there is good delight.'3 Consistent with this is what we read about Saint Gregory in the prologue to his Apologeticus: from boyhood he had kept the seal of chastity intact, and while he was still young and flourishing in philosophical studies at Athens, he saw in a dream two quite beautiful women sitting at his right and left as he sat reading. He looked at them with a sterner eye, driven by an instinct of chastity, and asked who they were and what they wanted from him.4 But they, embracing him more familiarly, say: 'Don't take this badly, young man; we are well known to you and are your companions. One of us is called Wisdom, the other Chastity, and we have been sent to dwell with you, because you have prepared a dwelling in your heart that is pleasant enough and pure enough for us.'5 On this point it is also said in Ecclesiasticus 6: 'The wisdom of instruction is named after her, and she is not revealed to many.'6 And if one were to say that wisdom is 'teachable,' that is exactly what she is — the kind of thing her name designates, namely:7 She is called 'savory knowledge' — from sapor ('taste') and scientia ('knowledge') — and only a few perceive her flavor and appreciate her worth.8 Whence it is read in Job 28: 'A person does not know her price, nor is she found in the land of those who live in sweetness.'✦9

Wisdom's Lasting Value Beyond Riches and Strength

Wisdom endures where strength fades and riches fail; it is more lasting than wealth because it cannot be taken away against one's will, and Scripture urges us to choose instruction over treasure.

And further on: 'It is hidden from the eyes of all the living.'✦10 On its lasting value, Ecclesiasticus chapter six says: 'My son, receive instruction from your youth, and you will find wisdom even to your gray hairs.'11 For this reason the book of Wisdom, chapter five, says: 'Wisdom is better than strength, and a prudent man more than a strong one.'12 For in old age strength is weakened, but wisdom is rather increased, and therefore it is more lasting than strength. Rightly too it is said to be better than riches, because riches can be taken away even against a person's will, but wisdom never, as long as life accompanies you.13 Hence Proverbs chapter eight says: 'Accept discipline, and not money; choose instruction rather than treasure.'✦14 For wisdom is better than all the most precious riches, and nothing desirable can be compared to it.15 And so the book of Wisdom, chapter eight, also says: 'If riches are desired in this life, what is more enriching than wisdom?'1617

Wisdom That Endures into Eternal Life

Wisdom not only lasts through this life but endures into eternity; though the Apostle says knowledge will be destroyed, this refers only to its imperfect mode, not its substance, and Jerome exhorts us to learn on earth what will remain in heaven.

And so, knowledge or wisdom doesn't only remain with us in this life — it will also remain in eternal life. For although, according to that passage of the Apostle — 1 Corinthians 13 — 'knowledge will be destroyed,' it is to be destroyed only with respect to its mode and imperfection, not with respect to its substance.✦ Hence in Ecclesiasticus 6, after it has been said of wisdom that 'it is not manifest to many,' it is immediately added: 'But those to whom it has been recognized' — that is to say — Through experience: 'It endures even to the sight of God' — that is, it will persevere in them even to the manifest vision of God. Hence Jerome to Paulinus: 'Let us learn,' he says, 'on earth, the knowledge of which will endure for us in heaven.' Finally, concerning its usefulness it is said in the same place, namely: In Ecclesiasticus 6: 'Come to her as one who plows and one who sows,' that is — — to be acquired, that is, with the labor of study and with the hope of receiving its fruit.

The Labor and Fruit of Learning

Like a farmer who plows and sows in hope, the student must labor patiently through discipline; teaching is like a nut—bitter shell, hard rind, sweet kernel—and the heart must be cleared of vice's thorns before wisdom's seed can take root.

For as the apostle says in his first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 9: the one who plows ought to plow in hope, and the one who threshes ought to thresh in hope of receiving fruit.✦ And so it is added in the same passage of Ecclesiasticus: 'And endure its good fruits,' about which, namely — It is said in Proverbs, chapter 3: 'Her first and purest fruits.' And rightly it says 'endure,' that is, wait patiently against those who, as soon as they have sown, immediately want to eat the fruit of the seed. For the seed of teaching, before it breaks forth and openly advances, is constrained by the harshness of labor and discipline, just as material seed, when cast abroad, is bound tight by the harshness of frost. Hence we see boys tormented every day with blows and rebukes for the sake of learning, who afterward, recognizing the fruit of teaching, willingly drive themselves as if beating out their brains by studying ever more keenly. For the teaching of wisdom is like a nut: it has a bitter shell on the outside, and then, within, it holds a hard rind enclosing a sweet and pleasant kernel. Again, just as the one who plows and sows first uproots the thorns and thistles from his field and, once the ground is broken, sows — so the one who wishes to receive the teaching of wisdom must first overturn the soil of his heart with diligent inquiry and uproot the sprout of vices, and only then at last will he be able to receive the seed once spoken of.

Preparing the Heart and Reaping Wisdom's Fruits

Wisdom will not enter a malevolent soul; once the heart is prepared, the fruits of knowledge follow: the uprooting of vice, serenity of mind, and consolation in tribulation.

Otherwise, as was said above, wisdom will not enter a malevolent soul. That's why Jeremiah 4 says: 'Prepare a new field for yourselves, and don't sow among thorns.'18 So at last, with the seed advancing and stretching toward perfection, one will be able to reap its fruit. Whence after the foregoing words it is added in Ecclesiasticus: 'In its work you will labor a little, and quickly you will eat of its generations' — as if to say, the labor will be moderate, but the fruit manifold and timely.19 And in the same book, chapter 23, in the person of Wisdom: 'Come over to me, all you who desire me,' she says, 'and be filled from my generations.'20 The first fruit, then, of knowledge or wisdom is the uprooting or exclusion of carnal vices, according to what Jerome writes to a rustic monk: 'Love,' he says, 'the knowledge of the Scriptures, and you will not love the vices of the flesh.' The second is serenity of mind or gladness, according to that passage in Wisdom 6: 'Bright is wisdom, and it never fades; it goes ahead of those who desire themselves, and shows itself to them cheerfully in its ways.'2122 The third is consolation in tribulation or refreshment in labor, according to that saying of Hugh quoted above: 'There is no greater solace in life than the study of wisdom.'

Tranquility of Mind: The Fourth Fruit of Wisdom

The fourth fruit of wisdom is peace of spirit; Jerome, Cicero, Seneca, and Scripture all testify that meditation on wisdom brings rest, joy, and freedom from bitterness amid life's storms.

So Jerome says in his prologue to the Epistle to the Ephesians: "If there's anything in this life that keeps a wise man steady and persuades him to stay calm in spirit amid the pressures and whirlwinds of the world, I consider that to be, first and foremost, meditation on and knowledge of the Scriptures." So in the eighth book of Wisdom the wise man says: "I resolved to bring her into my home to be my companion, knowing that she would share her good things with me and would be the comfort in my thinking and my weariness."23 And Cicero too says in the fifth book of the Tusculan Disputations: "What's sweeter than a learned leisure?" On the other hand, Seneca says to Lucilius: "Leisure without learning is death — and the burial of a living man." The fourth fruit is tranquility of mind — or peace of spirit — according to that passage from the last chapter of Ecclesiasticus: "Behold," it says, "I have labored only a little," namely,24 …in the pursuit of Wisdom, "and I have found great rest for myself." So in the eighth book of Wisdom: "When I enter," it says, "into my own home, I will rest with her." For her way of life has no bitterness, and companionship with her brings no weariness — but joy and gladness.

All Learning Ordered Toward Wisdom

Not all knowledge is wisdom in the strict sense, but all teaching should serve as a pathway leading toward the perception of wisdom.

And I don't say this because any knowledge whatsoever is wisdom, strictly speaking, but all teachings ought to tend toward the perception of wisdom as its attendants, just as will be shown below.

Read the original Latin

Porro de studio uel affectione studiosa dicit tullius in rethorica ia: ‘studium est assidua et uehemens animi ad rem aliquam applicata cum magna uoluntate occupacio.’ De hoc etiam dicit augustinus in libro de trinitate xo: ‘Quia prorsus ignotam rem nullus amare potest, cuiusmodi sit amor studencium, considerandum est. Hoc est nondum scientium, sed adhuc scire quamlibet cupiencium . . . Si quidem ad doctrinas plerasque cognoscendas plerumque nos laudantium et predicantium accendit auctoritas, et tamen, nisi breuiter impressam in animo cuiusque doctrine nocionem haberemus, nullo ad illam discendam studio flagraremus . . .

Alioquin eciam ipsarum doctrinarum fines auditos miramur et ex hoc inardescimus facultatem comparare discendi, quo ad eos peruenire possimus.’ Hec augustinus. Sunt autem quatuor precipua ad disciplinam uel studium sapiencie incitatiua, uidel. eius honestas, suauitas, diuturnitas et utilitas. De honestate dicit sapiens de ipsa sapiencia loquens in libro sapiencie viii: ‘In ipsa,’ inquit, ‘est honestas sine defectione et preclaritas in conmunicatione sermonum illius. Habebo propter hanc claritatem ad turbas et honorem apud seniores. Tacentem me sustinebunt et loquentem me respicient et sermocinante me plura manus ori suo imponent etc.’ Hec ille.

Hinc eciam seniores in lege iubemur honorare propter sapienciam magis quam propter etatem. ut enim legitur in iob xii: ‘In antiquis est sapiencia et in multo tempore prudencia.’ Et in libro sapiencie iiii dicitur, quod ‘senectus uenerabilis est non diuturna, neque annorum numero conputata, sed cani sunt sensus hominis etc.’ Hinc et poeta:

Sensus amicitias confert, dat sensus honores.

Denique nulla est homini racionali honestior occupatio quam in sapiencie studio. Porro de suauitate dicit idem sapiens, ubi supra: ‘Hanc amaui et exquisiui a iuuentute mea; et quesiui eam michi sponsam assumere et amator factus sum forme illius, quoniam in amicicia eius est delectacio bona.’ Huic consonat, quod legitur de sancto gregorio in apologitici sui prohemio, quod ipse a puericia signaculum castitatis integrum custodiens, cum philosophie studiis adhuc iunior apud athenas floreret, uidit per soporem sedenti sibi et legenti duas satis decoras dextra leuaque feminas consedisse, quas ille castitatis instinctu oculo toruiore respiciens, quenam essent et quid sibi uellent, percunctabatur. At ille familiarius eum conplectentes aiunt: ‘Ne moleste accipias, iuuenis; note tibi satis et familiares sumus; altera enim ex nobis sapiencia, altera castitas dicitur, et misse sumus tecum habitare, quia iocundum satis et mundum in corde nobis habitaculum preparasti.’ De hoc etiam dicitur in ecclesiastico vi: ‘Sapiencia doctrine secundum nomen eius est, et non multis est manifesta.’ Ac si diceretur, sapiencia est docibilis, talis est, qualis per nomen suum designatur, sc. sapida, sciencia dicitur enim a sapore et sciencia, paucique senciunt eius saporem et estimant eius ualorem. unde legitur in iob xxviii, quod ‘nescit homo precium eius, nec inuenitur in terra suauiter uiuencium.’

Et post, ‘abscondita est ab oculis omnium uiuencium.’ De diuturnitate legitur in ecclesiastico vi: ‘Fili, a iuuentute tua excipe doctrinam et usque ad canos inuenies sapienciam.’ Ideo dicitur in libro sapiencie v, quod ‘melior est sapiencia quam vires, et vir prudens magis quam fortis.’ Nam in senectute fortitudo debilitatur, sapiencia uero pocius augmentatur et ideo diuturnior est quam fortitudo. Recte etiam dicitur melior quam diuicie, quia diuicie possunt inuito auferri etiam ab homine, sapiencia uero nequaquam uita comite. unde dicitur in prouerbiis viii: ‘accipite disciplinam et non pecuniam; doctrinam magis quam thesaurum eligite. Melior est enim sapiencia cunctis opibus preciosissimis et omne desiderabile non potest ei conparari. Hinc et in libro sapiencie viii dicitur: ‘Si diuicie appetantur in uita, quid locuplecius sapiencia?’

Denique sciencia uel sapiencia non solum manet nobis in hac uita, sed eciam manebit in eterna. licet enim secundum illud apostoli Ia ad corinthios xiii ‘sciencia destruetur,’ destruenda sit quantum ad modum et imperfectionem, non tamen quantum ad substanciam. unde in ecclesiastico vi, postquam dictum est de sapiencia, quod ‘non multis est manifesta,’ statim subiungitur: ‘Quibus autem agnita est,’ sc. per experienciam, ‘permanet usque ad conspectum dei,’ id est, perseuerabit in eis usque ad manifestam dei uisionem. unde ieronimus ad paulinum: ‘Discamus,’ inquit, ‘in terris, quorum sciencia nobis perseueret in celis.’ Denique de utilitate dicitur ibidem, scil. in ecclesiastico vi: ‘Quasi is, qui arat et qui seminat, accede ad illam,’ sc. acquirendam, id est, cum labore studij et cum spe fructus eius percipiendi.

ut enim dicit apostolus Ia ad corinthios ix: ‘debet in spe qui arat, arare, et qui triturat in spe fructus percipiendi.’ unde ibidem in ecclesiastico subiungitur: ‘Et sustine bonos fructus illius,’ de quibus scil. dicitur in prouerbiis iii: ‘primi et purissimi fructus eius.’ Et recte dicit ‘sustine,’ id est, pacienter exspecta contra illos, qui cum seminauerint, statim uolunt fructum seminis comedere. Nam doctrine semen, antequam erumpat et aperte proficiat, asperitate laboris ac discipline cogitur, sicut semen materiale iactum asperitate gelu constringitur. Hinc pueros cotidie uidemus ad discendum angi uerberibus et increpacionibus, qui postea doctrine fructum agnoscentes spontanei se quasi excerebrant studendo parisius. Est enim sapiencie doctrina quasi nux habens corticem amarum exterius, et post intra duram testam nucleum habet dulcem atque suauem. Iterum, sicut qui arat et seminat, primo quidem ab agro suo spinas et tribulos extirpat et sic euersa terra seminat, sic, qui sapiencie doctrinam uult excipere, primo debet cordis sui terram inquisicione diligenti euertere ac germen uiciorum extirpare, et tunc demum poterit semen dictum recipere.

Alioquin, ut dictum est supra, in maliuolam animam non introibit sapiencia. unde dicitur in ieremia iiii: ‘Nouate uobis nouale et nolite serere super spinas. Sic tandem semine proficiente et ad perfectionem tendente poterit fructus illius metere.’ unde post predicta uerba in ecclesiastico subditur: ‘In opere illius exiguum laborabis et cito edes de generacionibus illius,’ ac si dicatur, labor erit modicus, sed multiplex fructus ac tempestiuus. unde et in eodem dicitur xxiii in persona sapiencie: ‘transite,’ inquit, ‘ad me omnes, qui concupiscitis me et a generacionibus meis implemini.’ Primus itaque sciencie siue sapiencie fructus est viciorum carnalium extirpacio uel exclusio, iuxta quod scribit ieronimus rustico monacho: ‘Ama,’ inquit, ‘scienciam scripturarum et carnis uicia non amabis.’ Secundus est mentis serenatio siue letificatio, secundum illud sapiencie vio: ‘Clara est, et que numquam marcescet, sapiencia preoccupat eos, qui se concupiscunt, et in uiis suis ostendit se illis hilariter.’ Tercius est in tribulacione consolacio uel in labore recreatio, secundum illud hugonis superius positum: ‘Nullum maius in uita solacium, quam sapiencie studium.’

unde ieronimus dicit in prologo super epistolam ad ephesios: ‘Si quicquam est, quod in hac uita sapientem uirum teneat et inter pressuras ac turbines mundi equo animo manere persuadeat, id esse uel primum reor meditacionem et scientiam scripturarum.’ Hinc et in libro sapiencie viii dicit sapiens: ‘Proposui hanc adducere michi ad conuiuendum, sciens, quia mecum comunicabit de bonis, et erit alloquutio cogitacionis et tedij mei.’ Hinc etiam dicit tullius in tusculanis libro v: ‘Quid dulcius ocio litterato?’ Econtra uero dicit seneca lucilio: ‘Ocium sine litteris mors est et hominis uiui sepultura.’ Quartus est animi tranquillitas siue quietudo, secundum illud ecclesiastici ultimo: ‘videte,’ inquit, ‘quia modicum laboraui,’ sc. circa sapiencie inquisicionem, ‘et inueni michi multam requiem.’ Hinc et in libro sapiencie viii: ‘Intrans,’ inquit, ‘in domum meam, conquiescam cum illa. Non enim habet amaritudinem conuersatio illius, nec tedium conuictus illius, sed leticiam et gaudium.’

Nec ideo hoc dico, quia quelibet sciencia sit sapiencia proprie loquendo, sed omnes doctrine tendere debent ad percepcionem sapiencie tanquam eius pedisseque, sicut inferius ostendetur.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Lev.19.32 — You shall rise before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.
  2. ↩Job.12.12 — With the aged is wisdom, and length of days is understanding.
  3. ↩Job.28.13 — No mortal knows its worth, nor is it found in the land of the living.
  4. ↩Job.28.21 — It is hidden from the eyes of every living thing, and concealed from the birds of the heavens.
  5. ↩Prov.8.10-Prov.8.11 — Receive my instruction, and not silver, and knowledge rather than choice gold. Prov.8.11 — For wisdom is better than pearls, and all desirable things cannot equal her.
  6. ↩1Cor.13.8 — Love never fails. But as for prophecies, they will be done away with; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will be done away with.
  7. ↩1Cor.9.10 — Surely he speaks for our sake, doesn't he? For it was written for our sake, because the one who plows ought to plow in hope, and the one who threshes ought to thresh in hope of sharing in the crop.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩The quotation aligns with Job 12:12 (Vulgate: 'In antiquis est sapientia, et in multo tempore prudentia'). Final Moses resolution pending.
  2. 2 ↩The quotation aligns with Wisdom (Sirach/Deuterocanonical) 4:8–9 (Vulgate). Final Moses resolution pending. The deuterocanonical source is preserved without quotation-mark styling per policy.
  3. 3 ↩The quoted passage echoes Wisdom 8:2 ('I loved her and sought her from my youth, and I chose to take her for my spouse') and related sapiential language. Final scriptural resolution deferred to tx-08 Moses check.
  4. 4 ↩The work cited as 'apologitici' likely refers to Gregory of Nazianzus's apologetic or autobiographical writings; the exact source identification is uncertain.
  5. 5 ↩Ne moleste accipias is a prohibitive subjunctive: 'Do not take it amiss' — rendered as a natural English imperative.
  6. 6 ↩Quoted from Ecclesiasticus (Sirach) 6. Final verse numbering and wording deferred to tx-08 Moses resolution.
  7. 7 ↩Docibilis ('teachable, capable of being taught') is a rare Latin adjective. The abbreviation 'sc.' stands for scilicet ('namely'), introducing the explanation that follows.
  8. 8 ↩The wordplay on sapida (savory), sapor (taste), and scientia (knowledge) is etymological: sapientia/sapida derives from sapor. The translation preserves the sensory metaphor.
  9. 9 ↩Quoted from Job 28:13 (Vulgate numbering) or nearby. Final wording and verse resolution deferred to tx-08 Moses check.
  10. 10 ↩The quoted clause matches Job 28:21 (Vulgate), where wisdom's hiding from every living creature is described. Final resolution deferred to tx-08 Moses.
  11. 11 ↩Quotation from Sirach (Ecclesiasticus) 6:18 (Vulgate numbering). Final resolution deferred to tx-08 Moses.
  12. 12 ↩Quotation from Wisdom of Solomon 6:1 (Vulgate). Final resolution deferred to tx-08 Moses.
  13. 13 ↩The phrase 'nequaquam vita comite' is rendered 'never, as long as life accompanies you,' capturing the ablative absolute sense that wisdom cannot be lost while life itself remains as its companion.
  14. 14 ↩Quotation from Proverbs 8:10–11 (Vulgate). Final resolution deferred to tx-08 Moses.
  15. 15 ↩This sentence closely echoes Wisdom of Solomon 7:8–9 and 8:5, though it may be a paraphrase rather than a direct quotation. Final resolution deferred to tx-08 Moses.
  16. 16 ↩Quotation from Wisdom of Solomon 8:5 (Vulgate). Final resolution deferred to tx-08 Moses.
  17. 17 ↩The comparative adverb 'locuplecius' (more enriching / more wealth-producing) is rendered 'more enriching' to capture the sense that wisdom surpasses riches as a source of true wealth.
  18. 18 ↩Scripture citation (Jeremiah 4) is a candidate allusion pending Moses resolution.
  19. 19 ↩Scripture citation (Ecclesiasticus) is a candidate allusion pending Moses resolution.
  20. 20 ↩Scripture citation (Wisdom / Ecclesiasticus 23) is a candidate allusion pending Moses resolution.
  21. 21 ↩Scripture citation (Wisdom 6) is a candidate allusion pending Moses resolution.
  22. 22 ↩The reading 'vio' for the chapter number is uncertain; rendered as '6' following the most plausible intended reference.
  23. 23 ↩alloquutio (rare form) rendered as 'comfort' — could also mean 'conversation' or 'consolation'; chosen to fit the context of weariness and companionship with Wisdom.
  24. 24 ↩sc. = scilicet, left unexpanded in the source; rendered as 'namely' to carry the explanatory force.

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