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Chapter 6InstN.1.6

Quales se debeant exhibere qui per doctrinam proficere volunt

The School of Virtues Demands Listeners, Not Arguers

Those entering the school of virtues must become humble listeners rather than wordy disputants, following the scriptural call to hear and observe in silence.

Since you're coming to the school of virtues to be instructed, you need to know that wordy disputes have nothing to do with you anymore. The study of spiritual teaching calls not for arguers but for listeners — just as Moses said when instructing the people in the law of God: "Hear, O Israel, and observe, so that you may do." It did not say, "And speak," but rather, "Be silent."✦ And as the apostle James admonishes: "Let everyone be quick to hear, slow to speak, and slow to anger."✦

The Tongue’s Unruly Fire and the Root of Pride

Excessive speech leads through disputes and curses to anger and hatred, revealing pride as the hidden root that loosens the tongue from humility’s guard.

Notice how fittingly, after he forbade excessive speech, he also added a command about guarding against anger — "slow to speak and slow to anger" — to make it plainly clear that anyone who won't restrain his tongue from too much talking won't, for long, be able to keep his mind unharmed by the fury of wrath. Excessive talk breeds disputes; disputes stir the tongue toward quarrels and curses; and curses, in turn, inflame the mind toward anger — and what is still worse — toward hatred of a brother. That is why Scripture says: "In much talking, sin will not be lacking," and, "In much talking, you will not escape sin." The apostle James asserts that every kind of beast can be tamed, but the tongue is a plague that cannot be tamed — it sets the whole wheel of our birth on fire. For this reason, the person who does not stumble in his own tongue is a perfect man.✦ There is no doubt that quarrels and disputes always arise from a pestilential root, since unless the heart first swelled up within through pride, the tongue would never on its own break loose from the guard of its humility into an outburst of insulting words. While we proudly want to be seen as wise before others, we bristle at having our ignorance corrected by others, or at the wisdom of others being acknowledged — as if it were a blow to our own standing.

Worldly Wisdom Against Heavenly Wisdom

Self-deception and carnal wisdom defend error and attack truth, but the wisdom from above is chaste, peaceful, and full of mercy.

And so sometimes we shamelessly defend our own error against our conscience, or we maliciously attack the truth of another. This is the wisdom of this world, which the same apostle James calls carnal and diabolical — a wisdom that is crafty and malignant, seeking out only the ways of cunning by which it can cover its own error and corrupt another's truth, however plain it is, in the opinion of fools and the unwise.✦ But the wisdom that comes from above is not like that. It does not know how to set itself against the truth; it is always ready either to seek humbly from those who have it the good it lacks, or to accuse truthfully, along with others and before others, the evil it endures.✦1 Therefore the same apostle James says this about it: "The wisdom that is from above is first indeed chaste, then peaceful, modest, persuasive, consenting to what is good, full of mercy and good fruits, judging without hypocrisy."✦2

Restraint of Speech and the Discipline of Listening

Novices must restrain their tongues, choose to listen rather than teach, and guard against opening a door to the enemy through indiscreet speech.

So then, dearest brothers, restrain your tongue not only from the excess of idle words, but even in things that are right, keep measure and limit, and in the gathering of the saints choose to be listeners rather than teachers. Keep your mouth closed and your ears open, and the more modest you are in speaking, the keener you should be in understanding. Let it be enough for you — if perhaps the situation demands it — to share humbly with those who ask what you know; but against those who resist, never presume stubbornly to defend your words, because, as we have already told you, quarrels supply the causes of many troubles, and as soon as the tongue is loosened indiscreetly into much speaking, a door is opened to the enemy for disturbing the peace of your heart.

The Humble Disciple and the Discipline of the Body

True disciples of truth receive teaching humbly from all, correct errors modestly, and adorn their learning with bodily discipline and modesty.

It remains, therefore, brothers, that if you truly desire to be disciples of truth, you should strive to show yourselves to be the kind of people to whom truth can easily be made persuasive — because the teaching of truth itself also loves such listeners: those who humbly receive it when it is offered by the wise, and who do not arrogantly despise it when it is administered by the simpler; those who, in the knowledge of God — that is, in the skill of acting well — consider everyone to be more prudent and wiser than themselves; who are not ashamed to have everyone as their teachers, from whom they can learn what they do not know; who gladly approve the good sayings of all, but as for the errors of others — insofar as they have recognized them as pertaining to themselves — they strive, according to the time, either to correct them modestly or to overlook them prudently.34 Those who, finally, adorn their zeal for knowledge with discipline of conduct, and show the gentleness and modesty of their own mind not only in guarding their speech but also in the bearing and gesture of their body.5 But now, regarding the good examples that I believe need to be shared with you at this time, I will briefly point out a few things, if I can.6

Read the original Latin

Quoniam igitur ad scholam virtutum erudiendi acceditis, scire debetis contentiones verborum nullo modo deinceps ad vos pertinere, quia spiritualis doctrinae studium non litigantes, sed auscultantes requirit, sicut per Moysen populo in lege Dei erudiendo dicitur: Audi Israel et observa ut facias ; non dixit: Et loquere sed potius tace. Et sicut apostolus Jacobus admonet dicens: Sit autem omnis homo velox ad audiendum, tardus autem ad loquendum, et tardus ad iram . Et videte quam convenienter postquam multiloquium prohibuit, etiam de cavenda ira praeceptum subjunxit, dicens: tardus ad loquendum, et tardus ad iram, ut patenter ostenderet quod qui linguam suam a multiloquio non vult compescere, non poterit diu animum suum a furore iracundiae illaesum custodire. Multiloquium enim contentiones generat; contentiones vero ad jurgia et maledicta linguam excitant; maledicta autem ad iracundiam et (quod adhuc gravius est) ad fraternum odium animum inflammant. Propterea Scriptura dicit: In multiloquio peccatum non deerit et in multiloquio peccatum non effugies . Et Jacobus apostolus omne genus bestiarum domari posse asserit: Linguam, pestem esse indomabilem, quae universam rotam nativitatis nostrae inflammat, et ob hoc perfectum esse virum qui in lingua sua non offendit . Nam quin rixae et contentiones de pestifera semper radice oriantur, dubium non est, quoniam nisi cor prius intrinsecus per elationem intumesceret, nequaquam lingua foris a custodia humilitatis suae in contumeliam verborum se relaxaret. Sed dum superbe prae aliis sapientes videri volumus, erubescimus vel nostram ignorantiam ab aliis argui, vel aliorum sapientiam quasi ad nostram depressionem approbari.

Sicque nonnunquam contra conscientiam nostram, vel nostrum errorem impudenter defendimus, vel alterius veritatem malitiose impugnamus. Haec est sapientia hujus mundi, quam idem Jacobus apostolus carnalem vocat et diabolicam quae versuta est et maligna , illas solummodo astutiae vias exquirens quibus possit errorem suum tegere, et alienam veritatem quamvis manifestam, in opinione stultorum et insipientium hominum depravare. Sed non talis est sapientia quae desursum venit, quae nescit etiam semetipsam contra veritatem diligere, semper parata vel bonum quod non habet ab habentibus libenter petere, vel malum quod sustinet cum aliis et coram aliis veraciter accusare. Propterea de ipsa idem Jacobus apostolus sic ait: Sapientia autem quae desursum est primum quidem pudica est, deinde pacifica, modesta, suadibilis, bonis consentiens, plena misericordia et fructibus bonis, judicans sine simulatione . Proinde, fratres charissimi, linguam vestram a superfluitate non solum inanium verborum restringite, sed in ipsis etiam quae recta sunt mensuram et modum tenete, et in collatione sanctorum magis auditores quam doctores esse eligite. Os clausum et aures apertas habete, et quanto estis ad loquendum modestiores, tanto estote ad intelligendum sagaciores. Sufficiat vobis (si forte res sic exigat) quod sapitis petentibus humiliter insinuare, contra resistentes autem nunquam praesumatis pertinaciter dicta vestra defendere, quia sicut jam vobis praediximus. multarum molestiarum causas jurgia ministrant, et mox ut lingua indiscrete ad multiloquium resolvitur, ad disturbandam pacem cordis vestri quasi janua hosti aperitur.

Restat ergo, fratres, ut si vere discipuli veritatis esse cupitis, tales vos studeatis exhibere quibus veritas facile persuaderi possit, quia et ipsa doctrina veritatis tales auditores amat, qui eam et a sapientibus exhibitam humiliter suscipiunt, a simplicioribus quoque administratam arroganter non contemnunt, qui in scientia Dei, hoc est in peritia bene agendi cunctos prudentiores et sapientiores quam se esse existimant, nec erubescunt magistros habere omnes, a quibus discere possunt quod ignorant, qui bene dicta omnium libenter approbant, errores vero alienos (quantum ad se pertinere cognoverunt) pro tempore student vel modeste corripere, vel prudenter dissimulare. Qui denique studium scientiae, morum disciplina exornant, et mansuetudinem ac modestiam mentis suae non solum in custodia oris, sed etiam in habitu et gestu corporis sui demonstrant. Sed et de bonorum exemplis quae in praesenti vobis dicenda existimo, paucis nunc (si potero) verbis demonstrabo.

Scripture echoes

  1. ↩Deut.5.1 — Moses summoned all Israel and said to them: Hear, O Israel, the statutes and the ordinances that I am speaking in your ears today; learn them and be careful to do them.
  2. ↩Jas.1.19 — Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger;
  3. ↩Jas.3.2 — For we all stumble in many ways. If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.
  4. ↩Jas.3.15 — This is not the wisdom that comes down from above; it is earthly, unspiritual, demonic.
  5. ↩Jas.3.17 — But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere.
  6. ↩Jas.3.17;Jas.3.17 — But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere. Jas.3.17 — But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial, and sincere.

Notes

  1. 1 ↩nescire + infinitive rendered as 'does not know how to' — the sense is that such wisdom is incapable of loving itself against the truth, not merely ignorant of how to do so.
  2. 2 ↩Direct quotation from James 3:17 (Vulgate). The Latin follows the Vulgate closely; the English rendering preserves the biblical cadence.
  3. 3 ↩peritia bene agendi ('the skill of acting well') is rendered to capture the practical, moral sense of scientia Dei — knowledge of God expressed in right conduct, not merely intellectual knowledge.
  4. 4 ↩corripere is glossed as 'to correct' (from corripio, to rebuke/correct) rather than 'to corrupt' (corrumpo); the context of modest correction of errors supports this reading.
  5. 5 ↩denique is rendered as 'finally' functioning as a resumptive discourse marker, gathering the thread of the argument rather than introducing a strong adversative.
  6. 6 ↩Sed here functions as a resumptive/continuative discourse marker transitioning to a new topic rather than a strong adversative; rendered as 'But now' to capture the shift.

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