Miscellanies 1.25.165
Summary: Plato learned legislation from Moses: he preferred a constitution with one aim, looking to one God and justice; the true statesman is the Creator, and good government unites fitting rulers and obedient subjects, as Moses sought.
Greek text · Stählin 2:103
Πλάτων δὲ ὁ φιλόσοφος ἐκ τῶν Μωυσέως τὰ περὶ τὴν νομοθεσίαν ὠφεληθεὶς ἐπετίμησε μὲν τῇ Μίνωος καὶ Λυκούργου πολιτείᾳ πρὸς ἀνδρείαν μόνην ἀποβλεπομέναις, ἐπῄνεσε δὲ ὡς σεμνοτέραν τὴν ἕν τι λέγουσαν καὶ πρὸς δόγμα ἓν νεύουσαν αἰεί· καὶ γὰρ ἰσχύι καὶ σεμνότητι καὶ φρονήσει πρέπειν ἂν μᾶλλον φιλοσοφεῖν ἡμᾶς λέγει πρὸς τὸ ἀξίωμα τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἀμετανοήτως χρωμένους γνώμῃ τῇ αὐτῇ καὶ περὶ τῶν αὐτῶν. ἆρʼ οὐ τὰ κατὰ τὸν νόμον ἑρμηνεύει νεύει πρὸς ἕνα θεὸν ἀφορῶν καὶ δικαιοπραγεῖν ἐντελλόμενος; τοῦ δὲ πολιτικοῦ δύο εἴδη λέγει, τὸ μὲν νομικόν, τὸ δὲ πολιτικὸν ὁμωνύμως ὠνομασμένον, καὶ πολιτικὸν μὲν κυρίως αἰνίττεται τὸν δημιουργὸν ἐν τῷ ὁμωνύμῳ βιβλίῳ τούς τε εἰς αὐτὸν ἀφορῶντας καὶ βιοῦντας ἐνεργῶς καὶ δικαίως σὺν καὶ τῇ θεωρίᾳ αὐτοὺς πολιτικοὺς ὀνομάζει, τὸ δὲ ἐπʼ ἴσης τῷ νομικῷ κεκλημένον πολιτικὸν εἴς τε κοσμικὴν μεγαλόνοιαν διαιρεῖ εἴς τε ἰδιωτικὴν σύνταξιν, ἣν κοσμιότητα καὶ ἁρμονίαν καὶ σωφροσύνην ὠνόμασαν, ὅταν ἄρχοντες μὲν πρέπωσι τοῖς ἀρχομένοις, πειθήνιοι δὲ οἱ ἀρχόμενοι τοῖς ἄρχουσι γίγνωνται, ὅπερ ἡ κατὰ Μωυσέα πραγματεία διὰ σπουδῆς ἔχει γενέσθαι.
English · Claude translation
Plato the philosopher, having benefited from the writings of Moses in legislation, criticized the constitutions of Minos and Lycurgus as looking only to courage, and praised as more venerable the one that speaks of one thing and always tends toward one doctrine; for he says it would befit us more to philosophize with strength, dignity, and prudence toward the dignity of heaven, using the same judgment about the same things without change. Does he not interpret the things of the law, looking toward one God and commanding just action? He speaks of two kinds of statesmanship, one legal, and the other called statesmanship by the same name. He hints that the Creator is the statesman properly speaking, in the book of that name; and he calls those who look to him and live actively and justly, together with contemplation, statesmen; and the statesmanship called equally legal he divides into worldly magnanimity and private arrangement, which they have called orderliness, harmony, and self-control, when rulers are fitting for those ruled, and those ruled become obedient to their rulers; which the work of Moses earnestly aims to bring about.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- Plato, Laws 1.630d–631a; Statesman.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (accent: grave on τὰ; accent: grave on ἓν; misspelling in the digital text): πρὸς δόγμα ἕν νεύουσαν → πρὸς δόγμα ἓν νεύουσαν; ἆρʼ οὐ τά κατὰ τὸν νόμον → ἆρʼ οὐ τὰ κατὰ τὸν νόμον; ἡ κατὰ Μωυσία πραγματεία → ἡ κατὰ Μωυσέα πραγματεία.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.25.165 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/25/165/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.25.165 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/25/165/).
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