Miscellanies 2.6.28
Summary: Faith is a willing preconception, confidence a firm judgment; we trust God alone, who keeps his promises; Abraham's faith was reckoned as righteousness, and we, his seed by hearing, must believe; the one God gave both covenants.
Greek text · Stählin 2:127–128
τίς δʼ ἂν εἴη δυνατώτερος θεοῦ; ἡ δὲ ἀπιστία ὑπόληψις τοῦ ἀντικειμένου ἀσθενὴς ἀποφατική, καθάπερ ἡ δυσπιστία ἕξις δυσπαράδεκτος πίστεως. καὶ ἡ μὲν πίστις ὑπόληψις ἑκούσιος καὶ πρόληψις εὐγνώμων πρὸ καταλήψεως, προσδοκία δὲ δόξα μέλλοντος· ἡ δὲ τῶν ἄλλων προσδοκία δόξα ἀδήλου· πεποίθησις δὲ διάληψις βεβαία περί τινος. διὸ πιστεύομεν, ᾧ ἂν πεποιθότες ὦμεν, εἰς δόξαν θείαν καὶ σωτηρίαν· πεποίθαμεν δὲ τῷ μόνῳ θεῷ, ὃν γινώσκομεν ὅτι οὐ παραβήσεται τὰ καλῶς ἡμῖν ἐπηγγελμένα καὶ διὰ ταῦτα δεδημιουργημένα καὶ δεδωρημένα ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ ἡμῖν εὐνοϊκῶς. εὔνοια δέ ἐστι βούλησις ἀγαθῶν ἑτέρῳ ἕνεκεν αὐτοῦ ἐκείνου. ὃ μὲν γάρ ἐστιν ἀνενδεής· εἰς ἡμᾶς δὲ ἡ εὐεργεσία καὶ ἡ παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου εὐμένεια καταλήγει, εὔνοια θεία οὖσα καὶ εὔνοια πρὸς τὸ εὖ ποιεῖν οὖσα. εἰ δὲ τῷ Ἀβραὰμ πιστεύσαντι ἐλογίσθη εἰς δικαιοσύνην, σπέρμα δὲ Ἀβραὰμ ἡμεῖς διʼ ἀκοῆς, καὶ ἡμῖν πιστευτέον. Ἰσραηλῖται γὰρ ἡμεῖς οἱ μὴ διὰ σημείων, διʼ ἀκοῆς δὲ εὐπειθεῖς. διὰ τοῦτο εὐφράνθητι, στεῖρα ἡ οὐ τίκτουσα, ῥῆξον καὶ βόησον, φησίν, ἡ οὐκ ὠδίνουσα· ὅτι πολλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐρήμου μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς ἐχούσης τὸν ἄνδρα. ἐβίωσας εἰς τὸ περίφραγμα τοῦ λαοῦ, ἐνευλογήθησαν τὰ τέκνα σου εἰς τὰς σκηνὰς τῶν πατέρων. εἰ δὲ αἱ αὐταὶ αἱ μοναὶ ὑπὸ τῆς προφητείας ἡμῖν τε αὖ καὶ τοῖς πατριάρχαις καταγγέλλονται, εἷς ἀμφοῖν ταῖν διαθήκαιν δείκνυται ὁ θεός.
English · Claude translation
And who could be stronger than God? Unbelief is a weak negative supposition of the opposite, as incredulity is a state that hardly admits faith. Faith is a voluntary supposition and a well-disposed preconception before apprehension; expectation is an opinion about the future, while the expectation of others is an opinion about what is uncertain; confidence is a firm judgment about something. That is why we believe in whom we have confidence, for divine glory and salvation. And we have confidence in God alone, whom we know will not transgress what he has nobly promised us, and what he has created and given us for these ends out of goodwill. Goodwill is wishing good things to another for his own sake. For he needs nothing; but the benefaction and the kindness from the Lord end in us, being divine goodwill and goodwill directed to doing good. And if “Abraham believed and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and we are the seed of Abraham through hearing, we too must believe. For we are Israelites, obedient not through signs but through hearing. That is why it says: “Rejoice, barren one who does not bear; break forth and shout, you who are not in labor; for the children of the desolate are more than those of her who has a husband.” “You have lived in the enclosure of the people; your children were blessed in the tents of the fathers.” And if the same dwellings are proclaimed by the prophecy to us and to the patriarchs, the one God of both covenants is shown.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Gen 15:6 (Rom 4:3), Isa 54:1 (Gal 4:27), and an unidentified prophetic saying. The allusion is Gal 3:7.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (wrong breathing on εἷς): εἶς ἀμφοῖν ταῖν διαθήκαιν → εἷς ἀμφοῖν ταῖν διαθήκαιν.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 2.6.28 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/2/6/28/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 2.6.28 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/2/6/28/).
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