Aphorisms Unplugged: Charity Begins at Home

S
ometimes that well-worn adage doesn’t really mean what our literal-minded, text-focused, Google-driven world thinks it means. One reason this happens is that, quite simply, language evolves.

To further complicate matters, as with books, all too often the context of these popular wisdoms has been forgotten. Though these aphorisms may still contain some good advice, their original message is typically richer and more profound than our contemporary interpretation.

This Book is Banned proffers a few proverbs, sayings, and other pearls of wisdom that have been “unplugged,” as it were. We’ve rebooted, gone back-to-basics, and re-discovered their intended message. For example:

Charity Begins at Home

“Charity begins at home.” We’ve all heard the expression. Usually in response to financial aid going to other nations. Or when we’re asked to donate to an organization that serves people outside our immediate circle.

“Charity begins at home” is effectively understood to mean charity ends at home. Once again, however, that is precisely the opposite of what this aphorism is actually meant to convey.

Misunderstanding of the adage “charity begins at home” hinges on a shift in the interpretation of the word charity. These days, charity is understood as almsgiving, monetary donations to provide help for those in need – typically through organizations set up to do so.

But charity’s original meaning can be traced back to the 4th Century, when St. Jerome translated the Bible from Greek into Latin. [1] And, he translated the Greek agape (ἀγάπη) into the Latin charitas.

Charity is described as “a state and disposition of the heart.”[2] It is defined as the spirit of universal good-will that promotes a concern for the welfare of others, and as a result, calls good deeds into action. Monetary contributions are the manifestation of this altruistic state.[3]

The phrase “Charity begins at home” is often thought to have biblical origins, but it does not. The original understanding of charity is, however, considered a theological virtue. Sir Thomas Browne is credited with coining the phrase in his 1643 spiritual testament titled Religio Medici.[4]

Browne begins his observations on the virtue of charity by stating that, without it, “Faith is a meer notion.”[5] He continues by noting:

I have ever endeavoured to nourish the mercifull disposition, and humane inclination I borrowed from my Parents, and regulate it to the written and prescribed Lawes of Charity.[6]

In short, he learned the virtuous disposition known as charity, and received instruction about how to put it into practical action from his parents. Hence, “charity begins at home.”

Browne also points out that an unwillingness to help those in need is nothing short of sinful. That sin being pride, you know, one of the seven deadlies. Because it’s only “nimbler & conceited heads, that never [look] a degree beyond their nests.”[7]

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Check out more unplugged proverbs, sayings,
and other pearls of wisdom here.

#aphorisms unplugged            #the art of reading

Endnotes:

[1] Taggart, Deborah R. “Charity.” Learning to Give.org    https://www.learningtogive.org/resources/charity

[2] Rev. T. H. Stokoe, M.A. The Use and Abuse of the Proverb, “Charity begins at home.” London: John Henry and James Parker, 1859. Pg 9.

[3] Rev. T. H. Stokoe, M.A. The Use and Abuse of the Proverb, “Charity begins at home.” London: John Henry and James Parker, 1859. Pg 8.

[4] Kastan, David Scott. “How This World Goes: On Shakespeare and Charity.” April 23, 2020. Beinecke Rare book & Manuscript Library.
https://beinecke.library.yale.edu/article/how-world-goes-david-scott-kastan-shakespeare-and-charity

[5] Sir Thomas Browne. Religio Medici. 1642.The Second Part. Section 1.
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/relmed/relmed.html

[6] Sir Thomas Browne. Religio Medici. 1642.The Second Part. Section 1.
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/relmed/relmed.html

[7] Sir Thomas Browne. Religio Medici. 1642.The Second Part. Section 8.
https://penelope.uchicago.edu/relmed/relmed.html

Image:

Charity Begins at Home:  Photo by Tim Marshall on Unsplash      Edited.