Wise man, who is he? (According to early Christian fathers)

In early Christian times, our fathers and teachers warned us about times, when good will be called evil, and evil – good.

“Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20)

Unfortunately, today, many of us Christians leave this warning behind. Instead, we fall into the lies of so called “professionals” who possess credentials that were given by another self-proclaimed professional. We fall into the lie that wisdom comes from a man with a PhD, or self-proclaimed pastors and teachers.

Today, almost all of us rely on them, and their words for us are sweeter than honey. We are taught to trust them with our lives and rely on their honesty. We are told in schools, don’t trust yourself because we are weak and stupid human beings who need professors and scientists as life guides. In the churches, pastors don’t pray to God anymore; they say God is the good thing but it is better to pray for a good doctor.

I don’t say that listening to a teacher, pastor or doctor is bad. I am just saying that we should be allowed to question their expertise. As they are humans as we are, therefore, their nature is weak as ours.

Some of them seek power over man, rather than help the man in weakness. They seek knowledge of lies that allows them to manipulate people, rather than wisdom to help those who are lost in the desert.

Dear Christians, let’s be careful to whom we trust our hearts.

And I want to leave you with the words of early Christian fathers, and what they thought about wise men. Today’s words come from Anthony the Great:

“People are usually called wise, by the misuse of this word. Not those are intelligent who have studied the sayings and writings of the ancient teachers, but those who keep wise word in the dwellings of their heart, who can judge what is good and what is evil; and what is evil for the soul, know and run away from it. They recognize what is good and the soul radiates of it, and does so with great thanksgiving to God. Truly these only and alone should be called wise people.”