Miscellanies 5.1.7
Summary: We are saved by grace, but not without good works and a sound will; we need grace, right teaching, and the Father's drawing; God cannot be seen clearly in this life, as Paul, Plato, and Moses say, but the pure in heart will see him; so the Savior was sent as divine teacher.
Greek text · Stählin 2:329–330
Ἐπεὶ δὲ οἳ μὲν ἄπιστοι, οἳ δὲ ἐριστικοί, οὐ πάντες τυγχάνουσι τῆς τελειότητος τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ. οὔτε γὰρ ἄνευ προαιρέσεως τυχεῖν οἷόν τε, οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ τὸ πᾶν ἐπὶ τῇ γνώμῃ τῇ ἡμετέρᾳ κεῖται, οἷον τὸ ἀποβησόμενον. χάριτι γὰρ σῳζόμεθα, οὐκ ἄνευ μέντοι τῶν καλῶν ἔργων, ἀλλὰ δεῖ μὲν πεφυκότας πρὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν σπουδήν τινα περιποιήσασθαι πρὸς αὐτό· δεῖ δὲ καὶ τὴν γνώμην ὑγιῆ κεκτῆσθαι τὴν ἀμετανόητον πρὸς τὴν θήραν τοῦ καλοῦ, πρὸς ὅπερ μάλιστα τῆς θείας χρῄζομεν χάριτος διδασκαλίας τε ὀρθῆς καὶ εὐμαθείας ἁγνῆς καὶ τῆς τοῦ πατρὸς πρὸς αὑτὸν ὁλκῆς· ἐνδεδεμένοι γὰρ τῷ γεώδει σώματι τῶν μὲν αἰσθητῶν διὰ σώματος ἀντιλαμβανόμεθα, τῶν δὲ νοητῶν διʼ αὐτῆς τῆς λογικῆς ἐφαπτόμεθα δυνάμεως. ἐὰν δέ τις αἰσθητῶς τὰ πάντα καταλήψεσθαι προσδοκήσῃ, πόρρωθεν τῆς ἀληθείας πέπτωκεν· πνευματικῶς γοῦν ὁ ἀπόστολος ἐπὶ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ θεοῦ γράφει· βλέπομεν γὰρ νῦν ὡς διʼ ἐσόπτρου, τότε δὲ πρόσωπον πρὸς πρόσωπον. ὀλίγοις γὰρ ἡ τῆς ἀληθείας θέα δέδοται. λέγει γοῦν καὶ Πλάτων ἐν τῇ Ἐπινομίδι· οὔ φημι δυνατὸν εἶναι πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις μακαρίοις τε καὶ εὐδαίμοσι γίνεσθαι πλὴν ὀλίγων· μέχρι περ ἂν ζῶμεν, τοῦτο διορίζομαι· καλὴ δὲ ἐλπὶς τελευτήσαντι τυχεῖν ἁπάντων. τὰ ἴσα τούτοις βούλεται τὰ παρὰ Μωυσεῖ· οὐδεὶς ὄψεταί μου τὸ πρόσωπον καὶ ζήσεται· δῆλον γὰρ μηδένα ποτὲ δύνασθαι παρὰ τὸν τῆς ζωῆς χρόνον τὸν θεὸν ἐναργῶς καταλαβέσθαι· οἱ καθαροὶ δὲ τῇ καρδίᾳ τὸν θεὸν ὄψονται, ἐπὰν εἰς τὴν ἐσχάτην ἀφίκωνται τελείωσιν. ἐπεὶ γὰρ ἠσθένει πρὸς κατάληψιν τῶν ὄντων ἡ ψυχή, θείου διδασκάλου ἐδεήθημεν· καταπέμπεται ὁ σωτήρ, τῆς ἀγαθοῦ κτήσεως διδάσκαλός τε καὶ χορηγός, τὸ ἀπόρρητον τῆς μεγάλης προνοίας ἅγιον γνώρισμα.
English · Claude translation
Since some are unbelieving and others contentious, not all attain the perfection of the good. For it is not possible to attain it without choice, nor does everything rest on our intention, such as the outcome. “For by grace we are saved,” not, however, without good works; but those born for the good must acquire some zeal for it; and we must also have a sound and unrepentant intention in the pursuit of the good, for which we most need divine grace, right teaching, pure docility, and the Father's drawing to himself. For, bound to an earthly body, we grasp sensible things through the body, but lay hold of intelligible things through the rational power itself. And if someone expects to grasp everything by the senses, he has fallen far from the truth. At any rate the apostle writes spiritually about the knowledge of God: “For now we see as through a mirror, but then face to face.” For the vision of the truth has been given to few. Plato too says in the Epinomis: “I do not say that it is possible for all men to become blessed and happy, except a few; as long as we live, this I define; but there is a fair hope that after death one may obtain everything.” The words of Moses mean the same: “No one will see my face and live.” For it is clear that no one can ever clearly grasp God during the time of life; but “the pure in heart will see God” when they arrive at the final perfection. For since the soul was too weak to grasp what is, we needed a divine teacher; the Savior is sent down, teacher and provider of the good possession, the holy token of the great providence, not to be spoken.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Eph 2:5, 8, John 6:44, 1 Cor 13:12, Plato, Epinomis 973c, 992c, Exod 33:20, and Matt 5:8.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray period in the digital text): καταλήψεσθαι προσδοκήσῃ. πόρρωθεν → καταλήψεσθαι προσδοκήσῃ, πόρρωθεν.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 5.1.7 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/5/1/7/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 5.1.7 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/5/1/7/).
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