Exhortation to the Greeks 9.87
Summary: The inspired Scriptures make one wise for salvation; the Lord and Paul both proclaim that the kingdom is at hand.
Greek text · Stählin 1:65
ταύτην ὁ ἀπόστολος τὴν διδασκαλίαν θείαν ὄντως ἐπιστάμενος »σὺ δέ, ὦ Τιμόθεε,« φησίν, »ἀπὸ βρέφους ἱερὰ γράμματα οἶδας, τὰ δυνάμενά σε σοφίσαι εἰς σωτηρίαν διὰ πίστεως ἐν Χριστῷ.« ἱερὰ γὰρ ὡς ἀληθῶς τὰ ἱεροποιοῦντα καὶ θεοποιοῦντα γράμματα, ἐξ ὧν γραμμάτων καὶ συλλαβῶν τῶν ἱερῶν τὰς συγκειμένας γραφάς, τὰ συντάγματα, ὁ αὐτὸς ἀκολούθως ἀπόστολος »θεοπνεύστους« καλεῖ, »ὠφελίμους οὔσας πρὸς διδασκαλίαν, πρὸς ἔλεγχον, πρὸς ἐπανόρθωσιν, πρὸς παιδείαν τὴν ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ, ἵνα ἄρτιος ᾖ ὁ τοῦ θεοῦ ἄνθρωπος πρὸς πᾶν ἔργον ἀγαθὸν ἐξηρτημένος.« οὐκ ἄν τις οὕτως ἐκπλαγείη τῶν ἄλλων ἁγίων τὰς προτροπὰς ὡς αὐτὸν τὸν κύριον τὸν φιλάνθρωπον· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀλλʼ ἢ τοῦτο ἔργον μόνον ἐστὶν αὐτῷ σῴζεσθαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον. βοᾷ γοῦν ἐπείγων εἰς σωτηρίαν αὐτὸς »ἤγγικεν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν·« ἐπιστρέφει τοὺς ἀνθρώπους πλησιάζοντας τῷ φόβῳ. ταύτῃ καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος τοῦ κυρίου παρακαλῶν τοὺς Μακεδόνας ἑρμηνεὺς γίνεται τῆς θείας φωνῆς, »ὁ κύριος ἤγγικεν« λέγων, »εὐλαβεῖσθε μὴ καταληφθῶμεν κενοί.« ὑμεῖς δὲ ἐς τοσοῦτον ἀδεεῖς, μᾶλλον δὲ ἄπιστοι, μήτε αὐτῷ πειθόμενοι τῷ κυρίῳ μήτε τῷ Παύλῳ, καὶ ταῦτα ὑπὲρ Χριστοῦ δεδεμένῳ.
English · Claude translation
The apostle, knowing this truly divine teaching, says: “But you, Timothy, from infancy have known the sacred letters, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ.” For truly sacred are the letters that make holy and make divine; and the same apostle consistently calls the Scriptures composed of these sacred letters and syllables, the collected writings, “inspired by God, being profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” No one would be so struck by the exhortations of the other saints as by those of the Lord himself, who loves humankind; for this is his one and only work, that the human being be saved. He himself cries out, urging us to salvation: “The kingdom of heaven is at hand”; he converts people as they draw near to him through fear. So too the apostle of the Lord, exhorting the Macedonians, becomes the interpreter of the divine voice, saying: “The Lord is at hand; take care that we are not found empty.” But you are so fearless, or rather so unbelieving, that you obey neither the Lord himself nor Paul, and that though he was in chains for Christ.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are 2 Tim 3:15–17 (Clement applies “inspired by God” to the Scriptures made of sacred letters) and Matt 3:2 / 4:17. “The Lord is at hand” is Phil 4:5 (Philippi was in Macedonia); the words that follow (“take care that we are not found empty”) are not in Paul's letters and may be Clement's paraphrase or an unwritten saying.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray space before the closing quotation mark): όθεε, « → όθεε,«.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Protr. 9.87 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-protrepticus/9/87/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Protr. 9.87 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-protrepticus/9/87/).
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