Miscellanies 2.22.134
Summary: The Christian goal is an endless end: obedience to God, likeness to right reason, and perfect adoption through the Son; Paul calls it eternal life and the fulfillment of hope through the love poured out by the Spirit.
Greek text · Stählin 2:187
Καὶ τὰ μὲν ὧδε ἐχέτω, αἱ δὲ ἀντιρρήσεις αἱ πρὸς τὰς εἰρημένας δόξας κατὰ καιρὸν τεθήσονται, ἡμῖν δὲ αὐτοῖς εἰς τέλος ἀτελεύτητον ἀφικέσθαι πρόκειται πειθομένοις ταῖς ἐντολαῖς, τουτέστι τῷ θεῷ, καὶ κατʼ αὐτὰς βιώσασιν ἀνεπιλήπτως καὶ ἐπιστημόνως διὰ τῆς τοῦ θείου θελήματος γνώσεως· ἥ τε πρὸς τὸν ὀρθὸν λόγον ὡς οἷόν τε ἐξομοίωσις τέλος ἐστὶ καὶ εἰς τὴν τελείαν υἱοθεσίαν διὰ τοῦ υἱοῦ ἀποκατάστασις, δοξάζουσαν ἀεὶ τὸν πατέρα διὰ τοῦ μεγάλου ἀρχιερέως τοῦ ἀδελφοὺς καὶ συγκληρονόμους καταξιώσαντος ἡμᾶς εἰπεῖν. καὶ ὁ μὲν ἀπόστολος συντόμως τὸ τέλος ἐν τῇ πρὸς Ῥωμαίους ἐπιστολῇ διαγράφων λέγει· νυνὶ δὲ ἐλευθερωθέντες ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, δουλωθέντες δὲ τῷ θεῷ, ἔχετε τὸν καρπὸν ὑμῶν εἰς ἁγιασμόν, τὸ δὲ τέλος ζωὴν αἰώνιον· διττὴν δὲ εἰδὼς τὴν ἐλπίδα, τὴν μὲν προσδοκωμένην, τὴν δὲ ἀπειλημμένην, ἤδη τέλος διδάσκει τὴν τῆς ἐλπίδος ἀποκατάστασιν· ἡ γὰρ ὑπομονή, φησί, δοκιμήν, ἡ δὲ δοκιμὴ ἐλπίδα· ἡ δὲ ἐλπὶς οὐ καταισχύνει, ὅτι ἡ ἀγάπη τοῦ θεοῦ ἐκκέχυται ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ἡμῶν διὰ πνεύματος ἁγίου τοῦ δοθέντος ἡμῖν. διʼ ἣν ἀγάπην καὶ ἡ εἰς τὴν ἐλπίδα ἀποκατάστασις, ἣν ἀνάπαυσιν ἀλλαχοῦ λέγει ἀποκεῖσθαι ἡμῖν.
English · Claude translation
Let these things stand thus; refutations of the opinions mentioned will be set out in due time. But for us the aim is to reach an endless end by obeying the commandments, that is, God, and living by them blamelessly and with understanding through the knowledge of the divine will. And the goal is likeness, as far as possible, to right reason, and restoration to perfect adoption through the Son, always glorifying the Father through the great high priest who has thought us worthy to be called brothers and fellow heirs. And the apostle, briefly describing the goal in the letter to the Romans, says: “But now, having been freed from sin and enslaved to God, you have your fruit for sanctification, and the end, eternal life.” And knowing that hope is twofold, one expected, the other received, he teaches that the goal is the restoration of hope: “For endurance,” he says, “produces character, and character hope; and hope does not put to shame, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.” Because of this love there is also the restoration to what is hoped for, which elsewhere he calls the rest laid up for us.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Rom 6:22 and Rom 5:4–5. The allusions are Heb 2:11–12, Rom 8:17, and Heb 4:9 (“rest”).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray period in the digital text): ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας. δουλωθέντες → ἀπὸ τῆς ἁμαρτίας, δουλωθέντες.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 2.22.134 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/2/22/134/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 2.22.134 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/2/22/134/).
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