Miscellanies 4.8.58
Summary: The Getae's chosen envoy is sacrificed, and the rest grieve at being passed over; the church is full of men and women who practice the life-giving death for Christ; anyone, without letters, of any race, age, or sex, may philosophize.
Greek text · Stählin 2:274–275
ἀποσφάττεται οὖν ὁ δοκιμώτατος κριθεὶς ἀνιωμένων τῶν φιλοσοφησάντων μέν, οὐχ αἱρεθέντων δέ, ὡς ἀποδεδοκιμασμένων εὐδαίμονος ὑπηρεσίας. μεστὴ μὲν οὖν πᾶσα ἡ ἐκκλησία τῶν μελετησάντων τὸν ζωοποιὸν θάνατον εἰς Χριστὸν παρʼ ὅλον τὸν βίον καθάπερ ἀνδρῶν οὕτω δὲ καὶ γυναικῶν σωφρόνων. ἔξεστι γὰρ τῷ καθʼ ἡμᾶς πολιτευομένῳ καὶ ἄνευ γραμμάτων φιλοσοφεῖν, κἂν βάρβαρος ᾖ κἂν Ἕλλην κἂν δοῦλος κἂν γέρων κἂν παιδίον κἂν γυνή· κοινὴ γὰρ ἁπάντων τῶν ἀνθρώπων τῶν γε ἑλομένων ἡ σωφροσύνη· ὡμολόγηται δʼ ἡμῖν τὴν αὐτὴν φύσιν κατὰ γένος ἕκαστον τὴν αὐτὴν καὶ ἴσχειν ἀρετήν.
English · Claude translation
The one judged most approved is slain, while those who practiced philosophy but were not chosen are grieved, as though rejected from a happy service. The whole church, then, is full of those, men and likewise self-restrained women, who have practiced throughout their life the life-giving death for Christ. For the one who lives as we do may philosophize even without letters, whether barbarian or Greek, slave or old man, child or woman. For self-restraint is common to all human beings who choose it; and we have agreed that the same nature in each race has the same virtue.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The allusion is Col 3:11 (Gal 3:28).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misreading in the digital text (γὰρ)): κοινὴ τὰρ ἁπάντων → κοινὴ γὰρ ἁπάντων.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.8.58 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/8/58/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.8.58 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/8/58/).
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