Miscellanies 2.23.145 · Sophia Scriptura

Greek text · Stählin 2:192–193

Καθαρὸν οὖν τὸν γάμον ὥσπερ τι ἱερὸν ἄγαλμα τῶν μιαινόντων φυλακτέον, ἀνεγειρομένοις μὲν ἐκ τῶν ὕπνων μετὰ κυρίου, ἀπιοῦσι δὲ εἰς ὕπνον μετʼ εὐχαριστίας καὶ εὐχομένοις, ἠμὲν ὅτʼ εὐνάζῃ καὶ ὅτʼ ἂν φάος ἱερὸν ἔλθῃ, μαρτυρομένοις τὸν κύριον παρʼ ὅλον ἡμῶν τὸν βίον, τὸ μὲν θεοσεβεῖν τῇ ψυχῇ κεκτημένοις, τὸ σῶφρον δὲ μέχρι καὶ τοῦ σώματος ἄγουσιν. θεοφιλὲς γὰρ τῷ ὄντι ἀπὸ τῆς γλώττης ἐπὶ τὰ ἔργα τὸ κόσμιον διαχειραγωγεῖν, ὁδὸς δὲ ἐπʼ ἀναισχυντίαν ἡ αἰσχρολογία, καὶ τέλος ἀμφοῖν ἡ αἰσχρουργία. ὅτι δὲ γαμεῖν ἡ γραφὴ συμβουλεύει οὐδὲ ἀφίστασθαί ποτε τῆς συζυγίας ἐπιτρέπει, ἄντικρυς νομοθετεῖ· οὐκ ἀπολύσεις γυναῖκα πλὴν εἰ μὴ ἐπὶ λόγῳ πορνείας· μοιχείαν δὲ ἡγεῖται τὸ ἐπιγῆμαι ζῶντος θατέρου τῶν κεχωρισμένων.

English · Claude translation

Marriage, then, must be kept pure from what defiles it, like a sacred image: rising from sleep with the Lord, going to sleep with thanksgiving and prayer, “both when you go to bed and when the holy light comes,” bearing witness to the Lord throughout our whole life, possessing godliness in the soul and carrying self-restraint even to the body. For it is truly dear to God to guide decency from the tongue to deeds; and shameful talk is a road to shamelessness, and the end of both is shameful action. And that Scripture counsels marriage and never allows the union to be dissolved, it plainly lays down: “You shall not put away your wife except for the reason of sexual immorality.” And it considers it adultery to marry again while either of those who have separated is alive.

About this passage

Source

Stählin 2:192–193 · Otto Stählin, ed., Clemens Alexandrinus, vol. 2, Stromata Buch I–VI, GCS 15 (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1906); vol. 3, Stromata Buch VII und VIII, GCS 17 (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1909) · Greek text: Otto Stählin, Clemens Alexandrinus 2–3 (GCS 15, 17, 1906–1909), digitized by the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0

Text

As printed in Stählin, GCS 15, 17. Manuscript variants and the editor's apparatus are not reproduced; no textual problem is noted in this passage.

Translation

Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Stählin (1906–1909); made independently of existing English translations.

Compare

Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 2 (1885) (an older public-domain English translation, whole volume at CCEL; checked against ours only after ours was made) · Book 3 is left partly untranslated (in Latin) there.

Scripture

Matt 5:32 · quotation, high confidence
Matt 19:9 · quotation, medium confidence
Mark 10:11 · allusion, medium confidence
Mark 10:12 · allusion, medium confidence
Eph 5:4 · echo, medium confidence

Extrabiblical texts

Hesiod, Op. 339 (Hesiod, Works and Days) · quotation, high confidence

Topics

Marriage, Divorce, Remarriage, Prayer

Notes

Translation notes

The quotations are Hesiod, Works and Days 339, and Matt 5:32 (19:9), in a free form. “Either of those who have separated” (θατέρου τῶν κεχωρισμένων) applies the rule to both husband and wife; compare Mark 10:11–12. This is an important early witness on divorce and remarriage.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (accent: grave on θεοφιλὲς): θεοφιλές γὰρ τῷ ὄντι → θεοφιλὲς γὰρ τῷ ὄντι.

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 2.23.145 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/2/23/145/).

Plain text

Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 2.23.145 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/2/23/145/).