Fear of God

Fear of God is the first step to wisdom.

In brief, human beings attain truth by way of reason because, enlightened by faith, they discover the deeper meaning of all things and most especially of their own existence. Rightly, therefore, the sacred author identifies the fear of God as the beginning of true knowledge: "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Prov 1:7; cf. Sir 1:14). (Papal Encyclical, Fides et Ratio, 14 September 1998).