Sophia Scriptura

The Instructor 1.7.53

Clement of Alexandria · The Instructor · ca. 190–200 · Alexandria · Read in context

Summary: Our Instructor is Jesus, the Good Shepherd, who leads his children to salvation; godliness is his instruction.

Greek text · Stählin 1:121–122

Ἐπεὶ τοίνυν ἀπεδείξαμεν παῖδας ἡμᾶς τοὺς πάντας ὑπὸ τῆς γραφῆς καλουμένους οὐ μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς Χριστῷ κατηκολουθηκότας ἡμᾶς νηπίους ἀλληγορουμένους, μόνον δὲ εἶναι τέλειον τὸν πατέρα τῶν ὅλων (ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ ὁ υἱὸς καὶ ἐν τῷ υἱῷ ὁ πατήρ), ὥρα ἡμῖν ἑπομένοις τῇ τάξει καὶ τὸν παιδαγωγὸν ἡμῶν εἰπεῖν ὅστις ἐστί. καλεῖται δὲ Ἰησοῦς. ἔσθʼ ὅτε οὖν ποιμένα ἑαυτὸν καλεῖ καὶ λέγει »ἐγώ εἰμι ὁ ποιμὴν ὁ καλός«, κατὰ μεταφορὰν ἀπὸ τῶν ποιμένων τῶν καθηγουμένων τοῖς προβάτοις ὁ καθηγούμενος τῶν παιδίων παιδαγωγὸς νοούμενος, ὁ τῶν νηπίων κηδεμονικὸς ποιμήν· ἁπλοῖ γὰρ οἱ νήπιοι ὡς πρόβατα ἀλληγορούμενοι· »καὶ γενήσονται«, φησίν, »οἱ πάντες μία ποίμνη καὶ εἷς ποιμήν.« παιδαγωγὸς οὖν εἰκότως ὁ λόγος ὁ τοὺς παῖδας ἡμᾶς εἰς σωτηρίαν ἄγων. ἐναργέστατα γοῦν ὁ λόγος περὶ ἑαυτοῦ διὰ Ὠσηὲ εἴρηκεν »ἐγὼ δὲ παιδευτὴς ὑμῶν εἰμι«. παιδαγωγία δὲ ἡ θεοσέβεια, μάθησις οὖσα θεοῦ θεραπείας καὶ παίδευσις εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν ἀληθείας ἀγωγή τε ὀρθὴ ἀνάγουσα εἰς οὐρανόν.

English · Claude translation

Since, then, we have shown that Scripture calls all of us children, and also speaks figuratively of us who have followed Christ as infants, and that the Father of all alone is perfect (for the Son is in him and the Father in the Son), it is time, following our order, to say who our Instructor is. He is called Jesus. Sometimes he calls himself a shepherd and says, “I am the good shepherd,” by a metaphor from shepherds who lead sheep: he is understood as the Instructor who leads children, the shepherd who cares for infants; for infants, being simple, are figuratively called sheep. “And they shall all become,” he says, “one flock and one shepherd.” The Word, then, who leads us children to salvation, is rightly called the Instructor. Most clearly the Word has said of himself through Hosea, “I am your instructor.” And godliness is instruction, being the learning of the service of God and training for the knowledge of the truth, and right guidance leading up to heaven.

About this passage

Source
Stählin 1:121–122 · Otto Stählin, ed., Clemens Alexandrinus, vol. 1, Protrepticus und Paedagogus, GCS 12 (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1905) · Greek text: Otto Stählin, Clemens Alexandrinus 1: Protrepticus und Paedagogus (GCS 12, 1905), digitized by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0
Text
As printed in Stählin, GCS 12. Manuscript variants and the editor's apparatus are not reproduced; no textual problem is noted in this passage.
Translation
Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Stählin (1905); made independently of existing English translations.
Compare
Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 2 (1885) (an older public-domain English translation, whole volume at CCEL; checked against ours only after ours was made)
Scripture
Topics
Christology

Notes

Translation notes

  • The quotations are John 10:11, John 10:16, and Hos 5:2 (LXX, “I am your instructor”); the allusions are John 14:10 and 1 Tim 2:4.

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 1.7.53 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/1/7/53/).

Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 1.7.53 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/1/7/53/).

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