Miscellanies 1.7.38
Summary: Good deeds without faith do not profit after death; the Scriptures were translated into Greek so the Greeks would have no excuse; many ways lead to the one gate of righteousness, which is Christ, as 1 Clement shows.
Textual problem in this passage: the printed text is uncertain or disputed here. See the notes.
Greek text · Stählin 2:25
Ἤδη δὲ κἀκεῖνο σκοπῶμεν, ὡς εἴ ποτε οἱ μὴ ἐπιστάμενοι διαβιοῦσι καλῶς † εὖ ποιεῖν· εὐποιίᾳ γὰρ περιπεπτώκασιν, ἔνιοι δὲ καὶ εὐστοχοῦσι διὰ συνέσεως εἰς τὸν περὶ ἀληθείας λόγον, Ἀβραὰμ δὲ οὐκ ἐξ ἔργων ἐδικαιώθη, ἀλλʼ ἐκ πίστεως. οὐδὲν οὖν ὄφελος αὐτοῖς μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν τοῦ βίου, κἂν εὐεργεῖς ὦσι νῦν, εἰ μὴ πίστιν ἔχοιεν. διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ Ἑλλήνων φωνῇ ἡρμηνεύθησαν αἱ γραφαί, ὡς μὴ πρόφασιν ἀγνοίας προβάλλεσθαι δυνηθῆναί ποτε αὐτούς, οἵους τε ὄντας ἐπακοῦσαι καὶ τῶν παρʼ ἡμῖν, ἢν μόνον ἐθελήσωσιν. ἄλλως τις περὶ ἀληθείας λέγει, ἄλλως ἡ ἀλήθεια ἑαυτὴν ἑρμηνεύει. ἕτερον στοχασμὸς ἀληθείας, ἕτερον ἡ ἀλήθεια, ἄλλο ὁμοίωσις, ἄλλο αὐτὸ τὸ ὄν, καὶ ἣ μὲν μαθήσει καὶ ἀσκήσει περιγίνεται, ἣ δὲ δυνάμει καὶ πίστει. δωρεὰ γὰρ ἡ διδασκαλία τῆς θεοσεβείας, χάρις δὲ ἡ πίστις. ποιοῦντες γὰρ τὸ θέλημα τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ θέλημα γινώσκομεν. ἀνοίξατε οὖν, φησὶν ἡ γραφή, πύλας δικαιοσύνης, ἵνα ἐν αὐταῖς εἰσελθὼν ἐξομολογήσωμαι τῷ κυρίῳ. ἀλλʼ αἱ μὲν εἰς δικαιοσύνην ὁδοί, πολυτρόπως σῴζοντος τοῦ θεοῦ (ἀγαθὸς γάρ), πολλαί τε καὶ ποικίλαι καὶ φέρουσαι εἰς τὴν κυρίαν ὁδόν τε καὶ πύλην. ἐὰν δὲ τὴν βασιλικήν τε καὶ αὐθεντικὴν εἴσοδον ζητῇς, ἀκούσῃ· αὕτη ἡ πύλη τοῦ κυρίου, δίκαιοι εἰσελεύσονται ἐν αὐτῇ. πολλῶν τοίνυν ἀνεῳγμένων πυλῶν ἡ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ αὕτη ἦν ἐν Χριστῷ, ἐν ᾗ μακάριοι πάντες οἱ εἰσελθόντες καὶ κατευθύνοντες τὴν πορείαν αὐτῶν ἐν ὁσιότητι γνωστικῇ. αὐτίκα ὁ Κλήμης ἐν τῇ πρὸς Κορινθίους ἐπιστολῇ κατὰ λέξιν φησὶ τὰς διαφορὰς ἐκτιθέμενος τῶν κατὰ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν δοκίμων· ἤτω τις πιστός, ἤτω δυνατὸς γνῶσιν ἐξειπεῖν, ἤτω σοφὸς ἐν διακρίσει λόγων, ἤτω γοργὸς ἐν ἔργοις.
English · Claude translation
Let us also consider this: if ever those who do not know live well … to do good (for they have happened upon good deeds, and some even aim well, through understanding, at the account of truth), yet “Abraham was justified not by works but by faith.” So there is no benefit to them after the end of life, even if they do good now, unless they have faith. That is why the Scriptures were translated into the language of the Greeks, so that they might never be able to put forward the excuse of ignorance, being able to hear also what we have, if only they are willing. One speaks about the truth in one way, and the truth interprets itself in another. A guess at the truth is one thing, the truth another; likeness is one thing, the being itself another; the one is attained by learning and exercise, the other by power and faith. For the teaching of godliness is a gift, and faith is grace. “For by doing the will of God we know the will.” “Open, then,” says Scripture, “the gates of righteousness, that entering them I may give thanks to the Lord.” But the ways to righteousness, since God saves in many ways (for he is good), are many and varied, and lead to the Lord's way and gate. If you seek the royal and authoritative entrance, you will hear: “This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous will enter by it.” Of the many gates that are open, then, the one in righteousness is the one in Christ, in which blessed are all who enter and direct their course in the holiness of knowledge. Thus Clement, in his letter to the Corinthians, setting out the differences among those approved in the church, says word for word: “Let one be faithful, let one be able to utter knowledge, let one be wise in the discernment of words, let one be energetic in deeds.”
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The text is corrupt near the beginning (dagger). “The Scriptures were translated into the language of the Greeks” refers to the Septuagint. The quotations are Rom 4:2–3 (compare Gal 2:16), an unidentified saying (compare John 7:17), Ps 118:19–20 (117:19–20 LXX), and 1 Clem. 48.5, with the gate of 1 Clem. 48.2–4.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misspelling in the digital text; words repeated in the digital text): μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν τοὺ βίον → μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν τοῦ βίου; ἀλλʼ αἱ μὲν εἰς μὲν εἰς δικαιοσύνην → ἀλλʼ αἱ μὲν εἰς δικαιοσύνην.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.7.38 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/7/38/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.7.38 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/7/38/).
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