Miscellanies 1.18.90
Summary: Isaiah shows that choice rests with us; God's wisdom is the teaching handed on through the Son; Paul exhorts those who think themselves wise to put on the new man, seek truth, and share it.
Greek text · Stählin 2:57–58
πρὸς τούτους ἡ προφητεία λέγει· κἂν θέλητε καὶ εἰσακούσητέ μου, τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς φάγεσθε, ἐφʼ ἡμῖν κείμενα διελέγχουσα καὶ τὴν αἵρεσιν καὶ τὴν ἐκτροπήν· θεοῦ δὲ σοφίαν εἴρηκεν ὁ ἀπόστολος τὴν κατὰ τὸν κύριον διδασκαλίαν, σοφίαν ἵνα δείξῃ τὴν ἀληθῆ φιλοσοφίαν διʼ υἱοῦ παραδιδομένην. ἀλλὰ γὰρ καὶ ὁ δοκησίσοφος παραινέσεις ἔχει τινὰς τὰς παρὰ τῷ ἀποστόλῳ κελευούσας ἐνδύσασθαι τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν κατὰ θεὸν κτισθέντα ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ὁσιότητι τῆς ἀληθείας. διὸ ἀποθέμενοι τὸ ψεῦδος λαλεῖτε ἀλήθειαν· μὴ δίδοτε τόπον τῷ διαβόλῳ. ὁ κλέπτων μηκέτι κλεπτέτω, μᾶλλον δὲ κοπιάτω ἐργαζόμενος τὸ ἀγαθόν. ἐργάζεσθαι δέ ἐστι τὸ προσεκπονεῖν ζητοῦντα τὴν ἀλήθειαν, σὺν γὰρ τῇ λογικῇ εὐποιίᾳ, ἵνα ἔχητε μεταδοῦναι τῷ χρείαν ἔχοντι καὶ τῆς κοσμικῆς περιουσίας καὶ τῆς θείας σοφίας. βούλεται γὰρ ἐκδιδάσκεσθαι τὸν λόγον καὶ εἰς τὰς τραπέζας τὸ ἀργύριον βάλλεσθαι δεδοκιμασμένον ἀκριβῶς εἰς τὸ ἐκδανείζεσθαι. ὅθεν ἐπιφέρει· λόγος σαπρὸς ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ὑμῶν μὴ ἐκπορευέσθω, σαπρὸς λόγος οὗτος ὁ ἐξ οἰήσεως, ἀλλʼ εἴ τις ἀγαθὸς πρὸς οἰκοδομὴν τῆς χρείας, ἵνα δῷ χάριν τοῖς ἀκούουσιν. ἀγαθοῦ δʼ ἂν ἀνάγκη θεοῦ ἀγαθὸν εἶναι τὸν λόγον. πῶς δὲ οὐκ ἀγαθὸς ὁ σῴζων;
English · Claude translation
To these the prophecy says, “If you are willing and listen to me, you will eat the good things of the land,” showing that both choice and turning away rest with us. And the apostle called the teaching according to the Lord “the wisdom of God,” to show that the true philosophy is handed down through the Son. But the one who thinks himself wise has certain exhortations from the apostle too, which command him “to put on the new man, created according to God in righteousness and holiness of truth. Therefore, putting away falsehood, speak truth; do not give place to the devil. Let the thief steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working what is good,” and to work is to labor further in seeking the truth, together with rational beneficence, “so that you may have something to share with the one in need,” both of worldly abundance and of divine wisdom. For he wishes the word to be taught, and the money, carefully tested, to be put with the bankers for lending. Hence he adds: “Let no rotten word come out of your mouth”; the rotten word is the one from conceit; “but whatever is good for building up as the need may be, that it may give grace to those who hear.” And the word of the good God must necessarily be good. How is the one who saves not good?
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Isa 1:19, 1 Cor 1:24, Eph 4:24–25, 27–29. The money put with the bankers recalls Matt 25:27.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (letter missing in the digital text; word repeated in the digital text): εἴρηκεν ὁ ἀπόστολος τὴν τὴν κατὰ → εἴρηκεν ὁ ἀπόστολος τὴν κατὰ; ἀγαθοῦ δʼ ἂν ἀνάκη θεοῦ → ἀγαθοῦ δʼ ἂν ἀνάγκη θεοῦ.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.18.90 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/18/90/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.18.90 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/18/90/).
Download citation:BibTeX ·RIS (Zotero, EndNote)
Whole work:BibTeX ·RIS ·Markdown text