The Instructor 1.5.16
Summary: Christ's “children” are not the unreasoning but the humble, who have renounced the world and seek holy wisdom.
Greek text · Stählin 1:99–100
Ἀμέλει καὶ ἡμεῖς τὰ κάλλιστα καὶ τελεώτατα τῶν ἐν τῷ βίῳ κτημάτων παιδικῇ προσηγορίᾳ τιμήσαντες παιδείαν καὶ παιδαγωγίαν κεκλήκαμεν. παιδαγωγίαν δὲ ὁμολογοῦμεν εἶναι ἀγωγὴν ἀγαθὴν ἐκ παίδων πρὸς ἀρετήν. ἐμφαντικώτερον δʼ οὖν ἡμῖν ἀποκαλύπτων ὁ κύριος τὸ σημαινόμενον ἐκ τῆς παιδίον προσηγορίας »γενομένης ζητήσεως ἐν τοῖς ἀποστόλοις, ὅστις αὐτῶν εἴη μείζων, ἔστησεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐν μέσῳ παιδίον εἰπών· ὃς ἐὰν ἑαυτὸν ταπεινώσῃ ὡς τὸ παιδίον τοῦτο, οὗτος μείζων ἐστὶν ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ τῶν οὐρανῶν.« οὐκ ἄρα κατακέχρηται τῇ τῶν παιδίων προσηγορίᾳ ὡς ἀλογίστων ἡλικίᾳ, ᾗ τισιν ἔδοξεν, οὐδʼ ἂν εἴπῃ »ἢν μὴ γένησθε ὡς τὰ παιδία ταῦτα, οὐκ εἰσελεύσεσθε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ,« ἀμαθῶς ἐκδεκτέον. οὐκ ἄρʼ ἔτι κυλιόμεθα οἱ νήπιοι χαμαὶ οὐδὲ ἕρπομεν ὡς τὸ πρόσθεν ἐπὶ γῆς ὄφεων δίκην, ὅλῳ τῷ σώματι περὶ τὰς ἀνοήτους ἐπιθυμίας ἐλυσπώμενοι, ἀνατεινόμενοι δὲ ἄνω τῇ ἐννοίᾳ, κόσμῳ καὶ ἁμαρτίαις ἀποτεταγμένοι, »ὀλίγῳ ποδὶ ἐφαπτόμενοι τῆς γῆς,« ὅσον ἐν κόσμῳ εἶναι δοκεῖν, σοφίαν μεταδιώκομεν ἁγίαν· μωρία δὲ αὕτη τοῖς εἰς πανουργίαν ἠκονημένοις δοκεῖ.
English · Claude translation
Indeed, we too have honored the finest and most perfect possessions in life with a name drawn from childhood, calling them education (paideia) and instruction (paidagōgia). We agree that instruction is good training from childhood toward virtue. The Lord reveals to us more expressively what is meant by the name “child”: “When a question arose among the apostles as to which of them was greatest, Jesus set a child in their midst, saying, Whoever humbles himself like this child, he is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” So he did not use the name “children” for the age of those who lack reason, as some have thought; nor, when he says, “Unless you become like these children, you will not enter the kingdom of God,” is it to be taken ignorantly. We infants no longer roll on the ground, nor creep on the earth like snakes as before, wriggling with our whole body around senseless desires; but, stretched upward in our thought, having renounced the world and sins, “touching the earth with a light foot,” only so far as to seem to be in the world, we pursue holy wisdom, which seems folly to those who are sharpened for knavery.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Matt 18:1–4 (Luke 9:46–48) and Matt 18:3 (with “kingdom of God,” as in John 3:5). “Touching the earth with a light foot” is a poetic phrase of unknown source. The allusion is 1 Cor 1:18–23.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray space before the closing quotation mark): οῦ, « → οῦ,«; ῆς, « → ῆς,«.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 1.5.16 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/1/5/16/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 1.5.16 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/1/5/16/).
Download citation:BibTeX ·RIS (Zotero, EndNote)
Whole work:BibTeX ·RIS ·Markdown text