Cornelius a Lapide
Table of Contents
Synopsis of the Chapter
He continues to teach whom one must beware of, namely the impious and enemies. Therefore, from verse 1 to 8, he teaches that one should do good to the just, not to the impious. Then, from verse 8 to the end, he teaches that an enemy is not to be trusted even if he feigns friendship.
Vulgate Text: Ecclesiasticus 12:1-19
1. If you do good, know to whom you do it, and there will be much thanks for your good deeds. 2. Do good to the just, and you will find great recompense; and if not from him, certainly from the Lord. 3. For there is no good for him who is constant in evil, and who does not give alms: for the Most High also hates sinners, and has mercy on the penitent. 4. Give to the merciful, and do not receive the sinner: and He will repay vengeance to the ungodly and to sinners, keeping them for the day of vengeance. 5. Give to the good, and do not receive the sinner. 6. Do good to the humble, and do not give to the ungodly: withhold bread from him, lest thereby he become more powerful than you. 7. For you will find double evils in all the good things you do for him, since the Most High also hates sinners and will repay vengeance to the ungodly. 8. A friend will not be known in prosperity, and an enemy will not be hidden in adversity. 9. In a man's prosperity, his enemies are grieved; and in his sorrow and adversity, a friend is known. 10. Never trust your enemy: for as brass rusts, so does his wickedness. 11. And if he goes humble and bowed down, apply your mind and guard yourself against him. 12. Do not set him beside you, nor let him sit at your right hand, lest perhaps, turning into your place, he seek your seat: and in the end you recognize my words, and be stung by my sayings. 13. Who will pity a snake-charmer struck by a serpent, or all those who approach wild beasts? So it is with him who keeps company with a wicked man and is entangled in his sins. 14. For one hour he will remain with you: but if you falter, he will not endure. 15. An enemy speaks sweetly with his lips, but in his heart he plots to cast you into a pit. 16. An enemy weeps with his eyes, but if he finds an opportunity, he will not be satisfied with blood. 17. And if evils befall you, you will find him there first. 18. An enemy weeps with his eyes, and as if helping, he will undermine your feet. 19. He will shake his head, and clap his hand, and whispering many things, will change his countenance.
First Part of the Chapter: One Should Do Good to the Pious, Not to the Impious
Verse 1: If You Do Good, Know to Whom You Do It, and There Will Be Much Thanks for Your Good Deeds
First, therefore, and in the literal sense: When you do good, see that you do not do good to one who will abuse your kindness for luxury, gluttony, lust, pride, wickedness, or certainly for sloth and laziness. For many robust poor people beg, whom it would be better to work and provide their own livelihood by the labor of their hands: therefore whoever does good to such people nourishes their idleness and negligence. Hence in well-ordered cities such people are not permitted to beg.
Second: When you do good, see that you do not confer a benefit or office on one who is unworthy, or less worthy, while passing over one more worthy. For this is against distributive justice. Similar to this is that saying of Christ: "Do not give what is holy to dogs, nor cast your pearls before swine," Matthew 7:6.
Third: When you do good, see that you do not do good to the ungrateful, the deceitful, the envious, and the proud, who, armed with your kindness and having become more powerful, will rise against you and overthrow you.
Fourth, and best of all, Sirach wants a kindness not to be thrown indiscriminately, blindly, and without reason at anyone who happens by, but that care be taken to whom it is given, so that it may have grace. Now the grace and honor of a kindness consists in this, that it be fitting for the giver as well as the recipient. Give apples to a boy, money to a man, wine to an old man, cattle to a farmer, arms to a soldier, books to a student, a position to a teacher, a command to a nobleman -- for it is unfitting and useless if you offer a lance to a farmer or a hoe to a soldier.
Note: The discussion here is not about small and daily alms. As Palacius says, for these it is not necessary to consider and know who it is to whom we give; but the discussion is about greater benefits, which must be given to worthy persons. The Hebrews teach that four things are to be observed in a kindness: first, that it be given whenever the other person is in need; second, that alms be given secretly and in private; third, that it be given with a cheerful countenance, for "God loves a cheerful giver," 2 Corinthians 9:7; fourth, that we address the one to whom we give with kind words.
The maxims of the philosophers agree with Sirach. Of Publilius Mimus: "He who gives to the worthy receives a benefit by giving." Of Ennius: "Good deeds badly placed I consider evil deeds." Of Democritus: "May you perish badly, because you have made the virgin Graces into harlots."
Verse 2: Do Good to the Just, and You Will Find Great Recompense; and If Not from Him, Certainly from the Lord
Here he shows to whom a kindness should be given, namely to the just, the merciful, the humble. For what is given to a just man is given to Christ, who dwells in the just through grace, and Christ considers it given to Himself. To show this in reality, He Himself from time to time sought and received alms in the guise of a poor man. Hence on the day of judgment He will say: "Come, blessed of My Father, possess the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me to eat," Matthew 25:34. And: "As long as you did it to one of these My least brethren, you did it to Me."
Hence from this saying of Christ, St. Ignatius rightly concludes in his Epistle to the Smyrnaeans: "He who honors one imprisoned for Jesus Christ will receive the reward of Martyrs." Therefore he who receives and supports Religious, Doctors, and Apostolic men, because they are such, will receive the reward of Religious, Doctors, and Apostles.
Verse 3: There Is No Good for the One Who Is Constant in Evil, and Who Does Not Give Alms
The sense is: Do good to the just, but not to the sinner, because there will be evil, indeed the worst, for the one who continually sins, who is constant and as it were fixed in sins, and therefore does not think of repentance and almsgiving.
Our translator adds: "For the Most High hates sinners, and has mercy on the penitent." These words give the reason why it does not go well for the sinner: namely because God hates sinners, and from God all good flows. But if the sinner turns away from sin and repents, God will receive him into grace.
Verse 4: Give to the Merciful, and Do Not Receive the Sinner
Among the just, those who are merciful to others are most worthy of kindness and mercy, so that those in whom others found mercy may find mercy with us, according to that saying of Christ: "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy," Matthew 5:7. He opposes the sinner to the merciful, because sinners are usually merciless, as the just are usually merciful.
You will ask in what sense Sirach forbids conferring a benefit on a sinner. St. Augustine responds, in Book III of On Christian Doctrine, chapter 16, that this precept is to be taken figuratively: "Do not receive the sinner" means do not receive his sin -- do not consent to, help, or support the sinner in committing sin. St. Thomas agrees, II-II, Question 32: "In a sinner there are two things, namely guilt and nature. Therefore one should help the sinner as regards sustaining his nature; but one should not help him to foster his guilt. For that would not be to do good, but rather to do evil."
Bellarmine judges that Sirach here is not speaking of alms given to a poor person, but of a benefit conferred on a friend or relative; therefore he prohibits pouring out money on actors, harlots, and parasites. Likewise, lest children and young people be enriched too much, who will thereby take occasion for prodigality, luxury, and pride. In this matter parents, prelates, and princes often sin, who load their loved ones with wealth and benefits, so that they grow fat and are smothered by their own fatness.
Verses 5-6: Give to the Good, and Do Not Give to the Impious; Withhold Bread from Him, Lest He Become More Powerful Than You
Among the just, the humble person is worthy of alms, but the proud person is unworthy, indeed worthy to hunger and be in want, so that he may learn to humble himself. The Syriac: do not give him the instruments of your weapons, lest he fight with them against you. Hence it is clear that by "sinner" is understood not just anyone, but the proud and deceitful. For the reason he forbids giving to the sinner is lest he, puffed up by the gift, suppress the giver.
Otherwise, alms should be given to a simple sinner in need, out of the obligation of charity and mercy: because the sinner is of the same nature as we are, namely a human being. Thus Aristotle, when he had bestowed a benefit on a wicked man, used to say that he had given it to a human being: "I pitied not his morals, but the man." And Seneca: "If you imitate the gods, give even to the ungrateful; for to the wicked also the sun rises, and the seas lie open to pirates."
By "sinner" here understand one who is constant in evil, that is, the impenitent and obstinate, especially the proud, the deceitful, and the treacherous. Ben Sira agrees: "Do not do good to the wicked, and evil will not come upon you." Above all, honors and dignities should not be conferred on the wicked; for they are accustomed to abuse these to the ruin of all good people. Here is relevant the fable of Phaedrus about the wolf and the crane: the crane extracted a bone from the wolf's throat at its own peril; and when demanding a reward, received this reply: "You are ungrateful -- you who have withdrawn your head unharmed from our mouth, and now you ask for a reward."
This is the second and most powerful reason why one should do good to a sinner: that through benefits we may draw him to the love of God, to repentance, to salvation. Thus St. Vitalis paid harlots each day as much money as they could have earned from sin each night, on condition that they abstain; and by this charity he converted many to repentance.
Verse 7: You Will Find Double Evil in All the Good Things You Do for Him
"Double," that is, manifold: the more you do him good, the more evil you will receive from him. Double, because you have both lost your benefit, and through it you have made a powerful enemy, so that he repays evil for good. Hence that saying of Socrates: "He who does good to the wicked feeds wolves."
"Because the Most High hates sinners, and will repay vengeance on the impious." Why do you love sinners whom God hates? Why do you bestow generosity on the enemies of God, whom God reserves for the harshest vengeance? Truly St. Augustine says: "It is more useful to take bread from one who is hungry, if, secure in his food, he neglects justice, than to break bread for the hungry man so that, seduced, he may acquiesce to injustice."
So St. Thomas teaches that everyone is obligated in conscience to choose the better and more worthy person for benefits. St. Augustine: "All men are to be loved equally; but since you cannot help all, those should be helped above all who are more closely joined to you." Therefore in giving benefits, parents should be preferred to relatives, citizens to strangers, the grateful to the ungrateful, the worthy to the unworthy, the good to the wicked.
Second Part of the Chapter: One Must Not Trust an Enemy, Even If He Pretends to Be a Friend
Verses 8-9: A Friend Is Not Known in Prosperity, and an Enemy Is Not Hidden in Adversity
The reason is that in good and prosperous times many pretend to be friends who are not truly friends, in order to share in your prosperity. But in adversity, the false friend withdraws and the true enemy is revealed. Hence Ovid: "When you are fortunate, you will count many friends; / If times become cloudy, you will be alone." And: "He who is a friend loves at all times, and a brother is proved in distress."
The maxims of the philosophers agree. Demetrius of Phalerum: "True friends are present when called in happy times, but in adversity they come uncalled." Ennius: "A sure friend is discerned in an unsure situation." Publilius Syrus: "Prosperous times acquire friends; adverse times test them."
Verse 10: Never Trust Your Enemy; for as Bronze, So Does His Wickedness Corrode
He warns that an enemy, even if he seems reconciled and pretends friendship, should not easily be trusted, because just as bronze, though polished and shining, easily contracts verdigris again if moistened, so likewise an enemy, though he may seem reconciled and gleaming with the splendor of friendship, easily returns to his old hatreds; for the root of malice remains lodged in his soul, which naturally tends to burst forth into its accustomed slander and malice.
Rightly is enmity compared to verdigris: first, because both are a defect and corruption; second, both are biting and corrosive; third, just as verdigris has a bad smell, so enmity has a bad reputation; fourth, both are bitter and green; fifth, both are tenacious and often perpetual; sixth, both are acidic; seventh, just as verdigris corrodes bronze, so spite corrodes the envious person. Hence Seneca: "Avoid an angry man briefly, an enemy for a long time."
Some understand "bronze" to mean a mirror, which in ancient times was made of polished bronze. A mirror is an image of friendship: just as the image in a mirror accommodates itself to the object, so a friend shapes himself to the will of his friend. "To want the same things and to reject the same things -- that at last is firm friendship," says St. Jerome. But if the mirror is of bronze, it represents a vitiated friendship, one veiled with hypocrisy, deceit, and enmity -- for it always spews forth verdigris again.
Understand what has been said as applying only when it is not established that the enemy has put aside all enmity. But now after Christ, His example and grace dominate nature; for from Christ we hear: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you," Matthew 5:44. The charity of Christ is so powerful that it uproots all the fibers of enmity from the soul. Do you wish to conquer an enemy and make him a friend? Do good to your enemy, and do not cease until with the fire of your charity you have set ablaze and consumed his hostility.
Verse 11: If He Goes Humbled and Bowed Down, Apply Your Mind and Guard Yourself
If you pay careful attention, you will see that his humility is temporary and feigned, and that he has put aside his wickedness only outwardly, while inwardly he still preserves its remnants and roots -- just as when you clean a bronze mirror, you only clean its outer surface, from which it will in time pour forth its usual verdigris.
12. "Do not set him beside you, nor let him sit at your right hand, lest he turn into your place and seek your seat." 13. "Who will pity a snake-charmer struck by a serpent?" So it is with one who associates with a wicked man and is entangled in his sins.
Verse 14: For One Hour He Will Remain with You; but If You Falter, He Will Not Endure
A wicked person, that is, a false friend, will remain with you during the hour of prosperity; but if you decline from prosperity and fall into adversity, he will not persevere in your friendship, but will desert you, like swallows, which come in spring and fly away in winter. Hence Seneca: "A false friend comes with fortune and departs with fortune."
Verse 15: On His Lips the Enemy Speaks Sweetly, but in His Heart He Plots to Cast You into a Pit
On his lips the enemy speaks sweet things, but in his heart he hatches bitter plots by which to cast you headlong into a pit, that is, into ruin and destruction. So Homer says of Nestor that his speech was sweeter than honey. More divinely, the Psalmist declares that the words of God are "sweeter than honey and the honeycomb," Psalm 18:11. And Solomon: "The lips of a harlot are a dripping honeycomb, and her throat is smoother than oil; but her end is bitter as wormwood," Proverbs 5:3. Hence, tropologically, Palacius infers: "So then our flesh is our enemy; even if it speaks sweet words, even if it sheds tears, it must by no means be given trust: for it lies in wait to cast us into the grave of hell."
Verses 16-18: With His Eyes the Enemy Weeps; and If He Finds Opportunity, He Will Not Be Satisfied with Blood
Not only with feigned words but also with his eyes does the enemy flatter. But given the opportunity to harm, he will rush upon you with hostility and destroy you, to such a degree that he cannot be satisfied with the blood he has thirsted for, until he has shed all of it and slain you; indeed, even after your death he will rage against your corpse, your tomb, your reputation, your offspring, and your family. Great is the power of deceiving with feigned tears. Thus the impious Ishmael went along walking and weeping, and so deceived eighty men, whom he immediately slaughtered, Jeremiah 41:6. Here the old saying is true: "The eye of a dove in a serpentine heart."
17. "And if evils befall you, you will find him there first" -- not to offer feigned sympathy, but to truly harm you. If you fall into misfortunes, the enemy will be there ahead of you, and will either be the first to stir them up or will increase them once stirred.
18. "As if helping, he will undermine your feet" -- he will pretend that he wants to help you, and will weep as though sympathizing, but secretly will cause you to fall, just as one who digs away the earth from under someone's feet causes him to fall into a ditch placed beneath.
Verse 19: He Will Shake His Head, and Clap His Hand, and Whispering Much, Will Change His Countenance
Out of joy that he has tripped up his enemy, which he so greatly desired, he will nod his head, clap his hands, and secretly murmuring many things that he dares not say openly, he will change his face from its former feigned sadness to gladness.
Tropologically, these things will befall the sinner in the hour of death and judgment. For then the devil, who flatters in this life, will mock him, accuse him, and -- rejoicing, clapping, taunting, and cackling -- drag him, condemned by Christ, down to the underworld. Equally memorable and horrible is what is written about the clapping of the demon and the lamentation of Udo, Bishop of Magdeburg, in the year of our Lord 940. For when Udo, living impurely, was admonished by a heavenly voice -- "Udo, Udo, cease from your sport, for you have played enough, Udo" -- but nonetheless persisted, he was snatched to the tribunal of Christ. His soul was brought before Lucifer, who mocked him with feigned courtesy, then subjected him to hideous torments. When Udo began to blaspheme in despair, all the demons clapped their hands, saying: "Truly this one deserves to remain with us, because he knows our business perfectly well." And they hurled him into the abyss. You who read this, be wise by the example of Udo, and beware of the flattering suggestions of the devil as the snares of a mortal enemy.