Sirach 1:18

Ben Sira, Ecclesiasticus
Deuterocanon

18 The fear of the Lord is the crown of wisdom, making peace and perfect health to flourish. 19 She rained down knowledge and discerning comprehension, and she heightened the glory of those who held her fast. 20 To fear the Lord is the root of wisdom, and her branches are long life. 21 A furious man cannot be justified; for the sway of his fury shall be his destruction. 22 Unjust anger cannot be justified, for anger tips the scale to one's ruin.

Clement of Alexandria The Instructor 1.8

Paedagogus
Patristic

But if our unrighteousness commend the righteousness of God, what shall we say? Is God unrighteous, who takes vengeance? God forbid. He says, therefore, threatening, I will sharpen my sword, and my hand shall lay hold on judgment; and I will render justice to mine enemies, and requite those who hate me. I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my sword shall devour flesh from the blood of the wounded. It is clear, then, that those who are not at enmity with the truth, and do not hate the Word, will not hate their own salvation, but will escape the punishment of enmity. The crown of wisdom, then, as the book of Wisdom says, is the fear of the Lord. Very clearly, therefore, by the prophet Amos has the Lord unfolded His method of dealing, saying, I have overthrown you, as God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrha; and you shall be as a brand plucked from the fire: and yet you have not returned unto me, says the Lord .

 Notes and References

"... Within early Christianity, the Letter of Barnabas echoes Sirach 5:12–14 about the danger of a double tongue, as well as the warning in Sirach 4:31 against an ungenerous attitude (Barnabas 19:7–9). Origen (d. 254 ce) quotes Ben Sira as scriptural when commenting on several Old Testament passages (Genesis 12:5; Joshua 15:6; Jeremiah 16:6). Clement of Alexandria (d. 215 CE) quotes about eighty Sirach verses, while John Chrysostom (d. 407 CE) includes about three hundred citations from the book. Augustine (d. 430 CE) not only cites Sirach about 300x, but also preached sermons on Sirach passages. Rabanus Maurus (d. 856 CE), abbot of Fulda in Germany, composed the earliest surviving Latin commentary on Sirach ..."

Corley, Jeremy "Sirach" in Oegema, Gerbern S. (ed.) The Oxford Handbook of the Apocrypha (pp. 284-305) Oxford University Press, 2021

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