From Clement of Rome* On Truth & Ignorance

Clement reporting on his association with Peter and identifying Peter as the source of these teachings (emphasis added).

From all these things, therefore, it is concluded that all evil springs from ignorance; and ignorance herself, the mother of all evils, is sprung from carelessness and sloth, and is nourished, and increased, and rooted in the senses of men by negligence.

He, therefore, whose aid is needed for the house filled with the darkness of ignorance is He, we say, who is called the true Prophet, who alone can enlighten the souls of men, so that with their eyes they may plainly see the way of safety. For otherwise it is impossible to get knowledge of divine and eternal things, unless one learns of that true Prophet.

Only Christ can enlighten us with truth, and we must get the truth directly from Him. For to remain ignorant offers no excuse. The light and knowledge is there, and to remain ignorant is a willful choice of darkness rather than light. We choose to avoid the light.

For when He came, He was not at all acknowledged by those who seemed to expect Him, in consequence of the tradition of their ancestors; whereas those who had heard nothing at all of Him, both believe that He has come, and hope that He is to come.

The Jews expected Christ, but because of their traditions, they rejected Him, and continue to hear nothing of Him. After the Jews rejected Christ, His gospel was taken to the Gentiles, who at first received it and brought forth good fruit. Likening this to ourselves, will our traditions cause us to reject the Lord's prophecies concerning His second coming, including rejecting the Lord's servant, as the Jews did John the Baptist? 

But this happened by the providence of God, that the knowledge of this good One should be handed over to the Gentiles, and those who had never heard of Him, nor had learned from the prophets, should acknowledge Him, while those who had acknowledged Him in their daily meditations should not know Him. 

But the first shall be last, and the last shall be first. It is now reversing where we, the Ephraimite Gentiles, who at first brought forth good fruit, will not know Him, notwithstanding our claims otherwise. At that time, many persons who are “of the covenant”—the Latter-day Saints—who will “not hear” his words and “not believe” the true nature of the Lord’s great and marvelous work, but instead “mar” the messenger, will be “cut off” from among God’s people.

For, behold, by you who are now present, and desire to hear the doctrine of His faith, and to know what, and how, and of what sort is His coming, the prophetic truth is fulfilled.

As will be fulfilled the prophetic truth that the Gentiles (us) will reject the fulness of His gospel.

For when one at the outset the truth of the Prophet is established on examination, the rest is to be heard and held on the ground of the faith by which it is already established that he is a teacher of truth. And as it is certain that all things which pertain to divine knowledge ought to be held according to the rule of truth, so it is beyond doubt that from one but Himself alone can it be known what is true.

The qualifier is to hear and hold fast to His words. Through His words we exercise faith in Him, that He is the sole source of truth.

Then Peter: "You have answered rightly, O Clement; for as no one can see without eyes, nor hear without ears, nor smell without nostrils, nor taste without a tongue, nor handle anything without hands, so it is impossible, without the true Prophet, to know what is pleasing to God."

Brilliant! "For Moses truly said unto the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people" (Acts 3:22-23 emphasis added).

And therefore we must labour for a little, that we may search out the presumptions of ignorance, and cut them off by means of knowledge, especially in those who are preoccupied with some erroneous opinions, by means of which ignorance is the more firmly rooted in them, as under the appearance of a certain kind of knowledge; for nothing is worse than for one to believe that he knows what he is ignorant of, and to maintain that to be true which is false. This is as if a drunk man should think himself to be sober, and should act indeed in all respects as a drunk man, and yet think himself to be sober, and should wish to be called so by others. 

Ignorance can only be eliminated by the knowledge of truth. How many erroneous opinions do we hold fast? And yet we claim to know! As Benoit Blanc said "It's a dangerous thing to mistake speaking without thought for speaking the truth.” 

Thus, therefore, are those also who do not know what is true, yet hold some appearance of knowledge, and do many evil things as if they were good, and hasten destruction as if it were to salvation. 

By our traditions we make His truth of none effect, but still hold to the appearance of knowledge, and the appearance that we are somehow righteous. And yet we remain ignorant. 

Since, indeed, as land neglected by the cultivator necessarily produces thorns and thistles, so your sense, by long neglect, has produced a plentiful crop of noxious opinions of things and dogmas of false science; there is need now of much care in cultivating the field of your mind, that the word of truth, which is the true and diligent husbandman of the heart, may cultivate it with continual instructions. 

Where is the urgency to cultivate our minds with His words, His truth? Where is the hunger and thirst after knowledge? Is it disguised as following the prophet, but not The Prophet?

It is therefore your part to render obedience to it, and to lop off superfluous occupations and anxieties, lest a noxious growth choke the good seed of the word. 

The parable of the Sower is everyone's story.

For it may be that a short and earnest diligence may repair a long time's neglect; for the time of everyone's life is uncertain, and therefore we must hasten to salvation, lest haply sudden death seize upon him who delays. 

Here is the remedy prescribed for us in language we all can understand--hasten! We can repair the neglect, but we must hurry. 

Our Lord, when He sent us apostles to preach, enjoined us to teach all nations the things which were committed to us. We cannot therefore speak those things as they were spoken by Himself. For our commission is not to speak, but to teach those things, and from them to show how every one of them rests upon truth. 

And yet our prescribed subject matter is conference talks, compiled in the Gospel Library on the same level as the Scriptures. I leave it to you to decide whether modern-day apostles give talks or teach only what Christ taught. 

Nor, again, are we permitted to speak anything of our own. For we are sent; and of necessity he who is sent delivers the message as he has been ordered, and sets forth the will of the sender. 

And it is up to us to know the difference! 

For if I should speak anything different from what He who sent me enjoined me, I should be a false apostle, not saying what I was commanded to say, but what seems good to myself. For we apostles are sent to expound the sayings and affirm the judgments of Him who has sent us; but we are not commissioned to say anything of our own, but to unfold the truth, as I have said, of His words. 

Do you need anymore clarification? If so, here it is:

For there is one true Prophet, whose words we twelve apostles preach.

The will and counsel of God has for many reasons been concealed from men; first, indeed, through bad instruction, wicked associations, evil habits, unprofitable conversation, and unrighteous presumptions. On account of these, I say, first error, then contempt, then infidelity and malice, covetousness also, and vain boasting, and other such like evils, have filled the whole house of this world, like some enormous smoke, and preventing those who dwell in it from seeing its Founder aright, and from perceiving what things are pleasing to Him. 

Similar to what the Lord told Joseph Smith. "...upheld by the influence of that spirit which hath so strongly riveted the creeds of the fathers, who have inherited lies, upon the hearts of the children, and filled the world with confusion, and has been growing stronger and stronger, and is now the very mainspring of all corruption, and the whole earth groans under the weight of its iniquity. It is an iron yoke, it is a strong band; they are the very handcuffs, and chains, and shackles, and fetters of hell" (D&C 123:7-8 emphasis added).

The teaching of all doctrine has a certain order, and there are some things which must be delivered first, others in the second place, and others in the third, and so all in their order; and if these things be delivered in their order, they become plain; but if they be brought forward out of order, they will seem to be spoken against reason. 

This order is given to us in the Book of Mormon in the accounts to Ammon and Aaron teaching King Lamoni and His Father.

Do not think that we say that these things are only to be received by faith but also that they are to be asserted by reason. For indeed it is not safe to commit these things to bare faith without reason, since assuredly truth cannot be without reason. 

Why is the mind washed and anointed? The Holy Ghost communicates light and truth to our minds and intellect.

All were made equal by Him, and to all He has given equally to be receptive of truth. But that none of those who are born, are born with education, but education is subsequent to birth, no one can doubt. Since, therefore, the birth of men holds equity in this respect, that all are equally capable of receiving discipline, the difference is not in nature, but in education. 

Another reason why Alma and other Book of Mormon writers describe inequality as evil.

Who does not know that the things which any one learns, he was ignorant of before he learned them? If then in those arts which are in common use, one first learns and then teaches, how much more ought those who profess to be the educators of souls, first to learn, and so to teach, that they may not expose themselves to ridicule, if they promise to afford knowledge to others, when they themselves are unskillful? 

Like parents teaching (or not) their children to understand the doctrine of repentance? Or like bringing (or not) their children up in light and truth? 

You also pardon me (Peter speaking to Simon) this one thing, because I cannot do otherwise than the Prophet of truth has instructed me. First of all, then, he is evil, in the judgment of God, who will not inquire what is advantageous to himself. For how can any one love another, if he does not love himself? Or to whom will that man not be an enemy, who cannot be a friend to himself. 

I would have never thought that not inquiring what is best for me would be considered evil. Could it be that what is best for each of us has already been taught, the seeds sown, and to ignore it is evil?

In order, therefore, that there might be a distinction between those who choose good and those who choose evil, God has concealed that which is profitable to men, i.e., the possession of the kingdom of heaven, and has laid it up as a secret treasure, so that no one can easily attain it by his own power or knowledge. 

Oh how I love treasures! Especially secret treasures! And possession of the kingdom of Heaven is a priceless treasure. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth." (Colossians 3:1-2).

Yet He has brought the report of it, under various names and opinions, through successive generations, to the hearing of all: so that whosoever should be lovers of good, hearing it, might inquire and discover what is profitable and salutary to them; but that they should ask it, not from themselves, but from Him who has hidden it, and should pray that access and the way of knowledge might be given to them: which way is opened to those only who love it and above all the good things of this world; and on no other condition can any one even understand it. 

Again the parable of the Sower. The sowing of His words throughout the world beginning with Adam. No one can claim ignorance. "That their hearts might be comforted, being knit together in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the acknowledgement of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ; In whom are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" (Colossians 2:2-3).

It behooves, therefore, the good to love that way above all things, that is, above riches, glory, rest, parents, relatives, friends and everything in the world. But he who perfectly loves this possession of the kingdom of heaven, will undoubtedly cast away all practice of evil habit, negligence, sloth, malice, anger, and such like. For if you prefer any of these to it, as loving the vices of your own more than God, you shall not attain to the possession of the heavenly kingdom; for truly it is foolish to love anything more than God. 

His love works in us to more fully love the possession of this secret treasure--the kingdom of Heaven.

He, therefore, who will not seek after that which is profitable to himself, is evil, to such an extent that his wickedness exceeds the very prince of impiety. For he abuses the goodness of God to the purpose of his own wickedness. 

When we want for ourselves what God wants for us, then are wills are aligned. If we don't want for ourselves what He wants for us, then we ignore His goodness, and to ignore it, is to abuse His goodness.

Wherefore we must, above all things, hasten to the knowledge of the truth, that, as with a light kindled thereat, we may be able to dispel the darkness of errors; for ignorance, as we have said, is a great evil; but because it has no substance, it is easily dispelled by those who are; in earnest. For ignorance is nothing else than not knowing what is good for us; once know this, and ignorance perishes. Therefore the knowledge of truth ought to be eagerly sought after; and no one can confer it except the True Prophet. 

Amen! Again that word hasten. For us the time is short on this earth and to not hasten for the knowledge of His truth is the worst kind of ignorance for we never learn what is best for ourselves. Eager implies enthusiasm and thirst for His knowledge. Those who are uninterested, indifferent or apathetic make a choice to choose darkness. 

Then Peter began to say: Those who speak the word of truth, and who enlighten the souls of men, seem to me, to be like the rays of the sun, which, when once they have come forth and appeared to the world, can no longer be concealed or hidden, while they are so much seen by men, as they afford sight to all.

I love this comparison. Rays of the sun bring light. I remember driving across Kansas just before the sun started to rise. The rays of light shown over the horizon, and then with no mountains or hills to hide behind, the sun was there in all its beauty and glory. 

For it very frequently happens that he who defends the truth does not gain the victory, since the hearers are either prejudiced, or have no great interest in the better cause.

This doesn't mean that we give up or give in, but that we brighten His rays in us and sharpen His sword of truth to shed more light wherever we may be. Christ exercises patience because He is merciful, and He can foresee that many of the ungodly can become godly.

Peter rose up, and began to speak to the following effect: To me it is exceedingly wonderful, that things which can easily be found out men make difficult by recondite thoughts and words; and those especially who think themselves wise, and who, wishing to comprehend the will of God, treat God as if He were a man, yea, as if He were something less than a man: for no one can know the purpose or mind of a man unless he himself reveal his thoughts; and neither can any one learn a profession unless he be for a long time instructed by a master. 

Worship the creature rather than the Creator. I am so grateful to have been instructed by the Master, who continually allows me to find new hidden treasures. I love my treasure chest, and go there often to hold and cherish them and give thanks to Him in whom are hidden all treasures.

How much more must it be, that no one can know the mind or the work of the invisible and incomprehensible God, unless He himself send a prophet (Christ) to declare His purpose, and expound the way of His creation, so far as it is lawful for men to learn it! 

I can only shout for joy that He has revealed Himself to me. He alone enlightens the souls of men, so that with their eyes they may plainly see the way of safety. But they must look.

For you ought not to seek a foreign and extraneous sense, which you have brought from without, which you may confirm from the authority of the Scriptures, but to take the sense of truth from the Scriptures themselves; and therefore it behooves you to learn the meaning of the Scriptures from him who keeps it according to the truth handed down to him from his father, so that he can authoritatively declare what he has rightly received. 

I can think of many, but Alma springs to mind. He believed the words of Abinadi, wrote them all down, and taught others the words of God, which became His words. Among us what do the fathers teach their children? 

But when one has received an entire and firm rule of truth from the Scriptures, it will not be improper if he contribute to the establishment of true doctrine anything from common education and from liberal studies.

But if one's source is the truth of His words, then like this post, one can contribute to His true doctrine from any source whereby it is found.

But he who, hearing those things, willingly receives them, and is thankful that the teaching of good things has been brought to him, inquires more eagerly, and does not cease to learn, until he ascertains whether there be truly another world, in which rewards are prepared for the good. And when he is assured of this, he gives thanks to God because He has shown him the light of truth; and for the future directs his actions in all good works, for which he is assured that there is a reward prepared in the world to come; while he constantly wonders and is astonished at the errors of other men, and that no one sees the truth which is placed before his eyes.

Liken all scriptures unto ourselves. Ignorance is in itself a most deadly poison, which is sufficient to ruin the soul without any aid from another. There is no one who is ignorant who shall escape through ignorance. Be careful not to laugh at the absurdities of others, while through long custom and tradition, you do not see your own.

*Clement of Rome is dated at approximately 100 AD. It was available in 400 AD to the Nicene Council, but was discarded as heresy because it did not conform to their creeds. More on Clement.