Sophia Scriptura

The Instructor 2.12.119

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

Summary: The jeweled walls of the heavenly Jerusalem are symbols of the apostles and the Spirit; those who read them literally as an excuse for luxury do not understand God's will.

Greek text · Stählin 1:228

λίθοις δὲ ἁγίοις τὴν ἄνω Ἱερουσαλὴμ τετειχίσθαι παρειλήφαμεν, καὶ τὰς δώδεκα τῆς οὐρανοπόλεως πύλας τιμίοις ἀπεικασμένας λίθοις τὸ περίοπτον τῆς ἀποστολικῆς [φωνῆς] αἰνίττεσθαι χάριτος ἐκδεχόμεθα. ἐπὶ γὰρ τῶν λίθων τῶν πολυτελῶν αἱ χρόαι τετάχαται, τίμιαι δὲ αὗται, τὰ δʼ ἄλλα ὕλη γεώδης καταλείπονται. συμβολικῶς τούτοις εἰκότως τειχίζεται τῶν ἁγίων ἡ πόλις πνευματικῶς οἰκοδομουμένη. πρὸς τὸ ἄνθος τῶν λίθων τὸ ἀμίμητον τὸ ἄνθος τοῦ πνεύματος τὸ ἀκήρατον καὶ ἅγιον τῆς οὐσίας νενοήκασιν· αἳ δέ, μὴ συνιεῖσαι τὸ συμβολικὸν τῶν γραφῶν, ὅλαι περικεχήνασι τοῖς λίθοις, τὸν θαυμάσιον ἐκεῖνον ἀπολογισμὸν προφερόμεναι· ὅ τι κατέδειξεν ὁ θεός, διὰ τί μὴ χρησώμεθα; καὶ πάρεστί μοι, διὰ τί μὴ τρυφήσω; καὶ τίσιν οὖν ταῦτα γέγονεν, εἰ μὴ ἡμῖν; τελέως δὲ ἠγνοηκότων τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ αἱ τοιαῦται φωναί.

English · Claude translation

We have received the tradition that the Jerusalem above is walled with holy stones, and we understand that the twelve gates of the heavenly city, likened to precious stones, hint at the conspicuous grace of the apostolic [voice]. For colors are set in the costly stones, and these are precious, while the rest is left as earthy matter. Fittingly, then, the city of the saints, spiritually built, is walled symbolically with these. By the inimitable bloom of the stones they have understood the pure and holy bloom of the Spirit's substance. But those women, not understanding the symbolism of the Scriptures, gape wholly after the stones, offering that marvelous defense: “What God has shown, why should we not use? It is at hand for me; why should I not enjoy it? For whom were these things made, if not for us?” Such words belong to those who are completely ignorant of God's will.

About this passage

Source
Stählin 1:228 · 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
Ethics, Eschatology

Notes

Translation notes

  • The allusions are Rev 21:12–21 (the twelve gates and jeweled foundations) and Gal 4:26. The bracketed word is marked by the editor as spurious (to be deleted).

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 2.12.119 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/2/12/119/).

Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 2.12.119 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/2/12/119/).

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