Sophia Scriptura

Miscellanies 5.14.120

Clement of Alexandria · Miscellanies · ca. 198–203 · Alexandria · Read in context

Summary: Verses ascribed to Menander, echoing the psalm's “sacrifice of righteousness,” teach that God delights in just deeds and is always near.

Textual problem in this passage: the printed text is uncertain or disputed here. See the notes.

Greek text · Stählin 2:406–407

Καὶ πάλιν ὁ Μένανδρος παραφράζων τὴν γραφὴν ἐκείνην θύσατε θυσίαν δικαιοσύνης καὶ ἐλπίσατε ἐπὶ κύριον ὧδέ πως γράφει· μηδὲ βελόνης, ὦ φίλτατε, ἐπιθυμήσῃς ποτὲ ἀλλοτρίας· ὁ γὰρ θεὸς δικαίοις ἔργοις ἥδεται καὶ οὐκ ἀδίκοις, πονοῦντα δὲ ἐᾷ τὸν ἴδιον ὑψῶσαι βίον, τὴν γῆν ἀροῦντα νύκτα καὶ τὴν ἡμέραν. θεῷ δὲ θῦε διὰ τέλους δίκαιος ὤν, μὴ λαμπρὸς ὢν ταῖς χλαμύσιν ὡς τῇ καρδίᾳ. † βροντῆς ἐὰν † ἀκούσῃς, μὴ φύγῃς, μηδὲν συνειδὼς αὐτὸς αὑτῷ, δέσποτα· ὁ γὰρ θεὸς βλέπει σε πλησίον παρών. ἔτι σοῦ λαλοῦντος, φησὶν ἡ γραφή, ἐρῶ· ἰδοὺ πάρειμι.

English · Claude translation

And again Menander, paraphrasing that Scripture, “Offer a sacrifice of righteousness and hope in the Lord,” writes thus: “Do not ever, dearest friend, covet even a needle belonging to another; for God delights in just works and not in unjust ones, and he lets the one who toils raise up his own livelihood, plowing the land night and day. Sacrifice to God by being just throughout, bright not in your cloaks so much as in your heart. … If you hear thunder, do not flee, if you are conscious of nothing against yourself, master; for God sees you, being near.” “While you are still speaking,” says the Scripture, “I will say: Behold, I am here.”

About this passage

Source
Stählin 2:406–407 · 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; the problem in this passage is discussed in the notes.
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
  • Ps 4:5 (4:6 LXX) · quotation, high confidence
  • Isa 58:9 · quotation, high confidence
Topics
Ethics

Notes

Translation notes

  • The quotations are Ps 4:5 (4:6 LXX), further verses ascribed to Menander (probably not genuine), and Isa 58:9. The words around “if you hear thunder” are corrupt (dagger).

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 5.14.120 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/5/14/120/).

Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 5.14.120 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/5/14/120/).

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