The Instructor 3.2.12
Summary: Moses forbade images; God chose David for his heart, not his looks; Abraham left all his wealth to follow God; only Esther adorned herself rightly, to save her people.
Greek text · Stählin 1:242–243
εἰ δὲ οὐδεμίαν εἰκόνα ὁ Μωυσῆς παραγγέλλει ποιεῖσθαι τοῖς ἀνθρώποις ἀντίτεχνον τῷ θεῷ, πῶς ἂν εὐλόγως ποιοῖεν αἱ γυναῖκες αὗται σφῶν κατὰ ἀνάκλασιν ἀπομιμούμεναι τὰς εἰκόνας εἰς τοῦ προσώπου τὴν ψευδοποιίαν; ἀλλὰ καὶ τῷ Σαμουὴλ τῷ προφήτῃ, ὁπότε πέμπεται ἕνα χρῖσαι τῶν υἱῶν Ἰεσσαὶ εἰς βασιλέα, [καὶ] τὸν πρεσβύτατον τῶν παίδων αὐτοῦ καλὸν καὶ μέγαν ἰδόντι, ὁπότε τὸ χρῖσμα προέβαλεν ὁ Σαμουὴλ ἡσθεὶς ἐπʼ αὐτῷ, »εἶπεν«, φησίν, »ὁ κύριος αὐτῷ· μὴ ἐπιβλέψῃς εἰς τὴν ὄψιν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὸ ὕψος τοῦ μεγέθους αὐτοῦ, ὅτι ἀπῶσμαι αὐτόν. ἄνθρωπος μὲν γὰρ εἰς ὀφθαλμοὺς ὄψεται καὶ κύριος εἰς καρδίαν«, καὶ οὐκ ἔχρισε τὸν καλὸν τὸ σῶμα, ἀλλὰ τὸν καλὸν τὴν ψυχήν. εἰ οὖν τὸ φυσικὸν τοῦ σώματος κάλλος ἔλαττον τοῦ ψυχικοῦ λογίζεται κύριος, τί περὶ τοῦ νόθου φρονεῖ, ἅπαν τὸ ψεῦσμα ἄρδην ἐκβαλών; »διὰ πίστεως γὰρ περιπατοῦμεν, οὐ διὰ εἴδους.« σαφέστατα γοῦν ὁ κύριος διὰ τοῦ Ἀβραὰμ διδάσκει καὶ πατρίδος καὶ συγγενέων καὶ κτήσεως καὶ πλούτου παντὸς καταφρονεῖν τὸν ἑπόμενον τῷ θεῷ, ποιήσας αὐτὸν ἔπηλυν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καὶ »φίλον« αὐτὸν ὠνόμασεν τῆς οἴκοι καταφρονήσαντα περιουσίας· εὐπατρίδης γὰρ ἦν καὶ εὔπορος σφόδρα. τριακοσίοις γοῦν καὶ ὀκτωκαίδεκα οἰκέταις ἰδίοις κεχείρωται τοὺς τέσσαρας βασιλεῖς τοὺς αἰχμαλωτεύσαντας τὸν Λώτ. μόνην εὑρίσκομεν τὴν Ἐσθὴρ δικαίως κοσμουμένην. ἐκαλλωπίζετο μυστικῶς ἡ γυνὴ βασιλεῖ τῷ ἑαυτῆς, ἀλλὰ τὸ κάλλος αὐτῆς ἐκεῖνο λύτρον εὑρίσκεται φονευομένου λαοῦ.
English · Claude translation
If Moses commands human beings to make no image to rival God, how can these women reasonably make images of themselves by reflection, imitating them for the falsification of the face? When Samuel the prophet was sent to anoint one of the sons of Jesse as king, and saw the eldest of his sons, handsome and tall, and was pleased with him and brought out the anointing oil, “the Lord said to him,” it says, “Do not look on his appearance or the height of his stature, for I have rejected him. For man looks on the eyes, but the Lord on the heart”; and he did not anoint the one beautiful in body, but the one beautiful in soul. If, then, the Lord considers the natural beauty of the body less than that of the soul, what does he think of counterfeit beauty, he who casts out all falsehood entirely? “For we walk by faith, not by sight.” Most clearly the Lord teaches through Abraham that the one who follows God must despise fatherland, kindred, possessions, and all wealth, making him a sojourner; and for this he called him “friend,” since he despised his wealth at home; for he was of noble birth and very rich. With three hundred and eighteen of his own servants he overcame the four kings who had taken Lot captive. We find Esther alone rightly adorned. The woman beautified herself mystically for her king; but that beauty of hers proved to be the ransom of a people being slaughtered.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The allusions and quotations are Exod 20:4, 1 Sam 16:6–7, 2 Cor 5:7, Gen 12:1, Jas 2:23 (Isa 41:8), Gen 14:14–16, and Esth 5:1 (with the Greek additions).
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 3.2.12 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/3/2/12/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 3.2.12 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/3/2/12/).
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