Worse than the Pharisees

I sincerely think that, if anyone is accused, then it is he who should be asked about the matter first of all, for it is he who knows both the theory and practice of what he is doing, and he will be able to clarify the points that are made to him. Sometimes, however, the impression is given that the mistake is confused with the one mistaken, and there are those who think that what really is of interest is to condemn the one who made the mistake, without trying to correct the error: among other things, because there isn’t any error anyway.

Even the Pharisees – et qui missi fuerant erant ex pharisaeis¹ (John 1:24) – acted in a more noble manner, for they asked the Baptist directly: tu, quis es? (John 1:19), who are you? And this was in spite of the fact that, videns autem multos pharisaeorum (Matt 3:7), seeing a group of Pharisees, he berated them calling them a brood of vipers (ibid.).