Miscellanies 3.2.7
Summary: Epiphanes claims that God gave all things equally, while human laws, introducing “mine and yours,” created lawbreaking and theft; Clement notes that he misunderstands Paul on the law revealing sin.
Textual problem in this passage: the printed text is uncertain or disputed here. See the notes.
Greek text · Stählin 2:198–199
ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ τὰ τῆς γενέσεως νόμον ἔχει γεγραμμένον (μετεγράφη γὰρ ἄν), σπείρουσι δὲ καὶ γεννῶσιν ἐπʼ ἴσης, κοινωνίαν ὑπὸ δικαιοσύνης ἔμφυτον ἔχοντες. κοινῇ πᾶσιν ἐπʼ ἴσης ὀφθαλμὸν εἰς τὸ βλέπειν ὁ ποιητής τε καὶ πατὴρ πάντων δικαιοσύνῃ νομοθετήσας τῇ παρʼ αὐτοῦ παρέσχεν, οὐ διακρίνας θήλειαν ἄρρενος, οὐ λογικὸν ἀλόγου, καὶ καθάπαξ οὐδενὸς οὐδέν, ἰσότητι δὲ καὶ κοινότητι μερίσας τὸ βλέπειν ὁμοίως ἑνὶ κελεύσματι πᾶσι κεχάρισται. οἱ νόμοι δέ, φησίν, ἀνθρώπων ἀμαθίαν κολάζειν μὴ δυνάμενοι παρανομεῖν ἐδίδαξαν· ἡ γὰρ ἰδιότης τῶν νόμων τὴν κοινωνίαν τοῦ θείου νόμου κατέτεμεν καὶ παρατρώγει, μὴ συνιεὶς τὸ τοῦ ἀποστόλου ῥητόν, λέγοντος διὰ νόμου τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἔγνων· τό τε ἐμὸν καὶ τὸ σόν φησι διὰ τῶν νόμων παρεισελθεῖν, μηκέτι εἰς καινότητα κοινά τε γὰρ καρπουμένων μήτε γῆν μήτε κτήματα, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ γάμον· κοινῇ γὰρ ἅπασιν ἐποίησε τὰς ἀμπέλους, αἳ μήτε στρουθὸν μήτε κλέπτην ἀπαρνοῦνται, καὶ τὸν σῖτον οὕτως καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους καρπούς. ἡ δὲ κοινωνία παρανομηθεῖσα καὶ τὰ τῆς ἰσότητος ἐγέννησε θρεμμάτων καὶ καρπῶν κλέπτην.
English · Claude translation
Nor do the matters of generation have a written law (for it would have been rewritten); they sow and beget equally, having a fellowship implanted by justice. The Maker and Father of all, legislating by his own justice, gave the eye for seeing to all in common and equally, not distinguishing female from male, rational from irrational, nor, in short, anything from anything, but, distributing sight by equality and community, he has granted it alike to all by one command. But the laws,” he says, “being unable to punish men's ignorance, taught them to transgress. For the particularity of the laws cut up and gnaws away the fellowship of the divine law”; not understanding the apostle's saying, “Through the law I knew sin.” And he says that “mine” and “yours” came in through the laws, so that people no longer enjoy … in common either land or possessions, nor indeed marriage. “For he made the vines for all in common, which refuse neither sparrow nor thief, and the grain likewise, and the other fruits. But fellowship, once transgressed, and the rules of equality, begot the thief of flocks and fruits.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotation of Epiphanes continues. The allusion is Rom 7:7. The text is corrupt at “no longer enjoy … in common.”
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 3.2.7 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/3/2/7/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 3.2.7 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/3/2/7/).
Download citation:BibTeX ·RIS (Zotero, EndNote)
Whole work:BibTeX ·RIS ·Markdown text