Miscellanies 5.6.40
Summary: The perfected knower, purified in word and life, receives the unseen inheritance, becomes son and friend, and sees God face to face; the high priest's changing of robes signifies both Christ's incarnation and the believer's putting on the holy garment.
Greek text · Stählin 2:353–354
καθαρὸς μὲν οὖν τὴν καρδίαν πᾶσαν, κατορθώσας δʼ εὖ μάλα καὶ τὴν πολιτείαν ἐπʼ ἄκρον, πέρα τοῦ ἱερέως ἐπὶ μεῖζον αὐξήσας, ἀτεχνῶς ἡγνισμένος καὶ λόγῳ καὶ βίῳ, ἐπενδυσάμενος τὸ γάνωμα τῆς δόξης, τοῦ πνευματικοῦ ἐκείνου καὶ τελείου ἀνδρὸς τὴν ἀπόρρητον κληρονομίαν ἀπολαβών, ἣν ὀφθαλμὸς οὐκ εἶδεν καὶ οὖς οὐκ ἤκουσεν καὶ ἐπὶ καρδίαν ἀνθρώπου οὐκ ἀνέβη, υἱὸς καὶ φίλος γενόμενος, πρόσωπον ἤδη πρὸς πρόσωπον ἐμπίπλαται τῆς ἀκορέστου θεωρίας. οὐδὲν δὲ οἷον αὐτοῦ ἐπακοῦσαι τοῦ λόγου, πλείονα τὸν νοῦν διὰ τῆς γραφῆς ἐνδιδόντος. λέγει γὰρ ὧδε· καὶ ἐκδύσεται τὴν στολὴν τὴν λινῆν, ἣν ἐνδεδύκει εἰσπορευόμενος εἰς τὰ ἅγια, καὶ ἀποθήσει αὐτὴν ἐκεῖ. καὶ λούσεται τὸ σῶμα αὐτοῦ ὕδατι ἐν τόπῳ ἁγίῳ καὶ ἐνδύσεται τὴν στολὴν αὐτοῦ. ἄλλως δʼ, οἶμαι, ὁ κύριος ἀποδύεταί τε καὶ ἐνδύεται κατιὼν εἰς αἴσθησιν, ἄλλως ὁ διʼ αὐτοῦ πιστεύσας ἀποδύεταί τε καὶ ἐπενδύεται, ὡς καὶ ὁ ἀπόστολος ἐμήνυσεν, τὴν ἡγιασμένην στολήν. ἐντεῦθεν κατʼ εἰκόνα τοῦ κυρίου ἀρχιερεῖς ἀπὸ τῆς ἁγιασθείσης ᾑροῦντο φυλῆς οἱ δοκιμώτατοι καὶ οἱ εἰς βασιλείαν καὶ οἱ εἰς προφητείαν ἐκλεκτοὶ ἐχρίοντο.
English · Claude translation
Pure, then, in all his heart, having brought his conduct too very well to its height, having grown beyond the priest to something greater, simply purified in word and life, having put on the brightness of glory, having received the unspeakable inheritance of that spiritual and perfect man, “which eye has not seen and ear has not heard and has not entered the heart of man,” having become son and friend, he is now filled face to face with insatiable contemplation. Nothing is like hearing the Word himself, who gives more understanding through Scripture. For he says thus: “And he will take off the linen robe which he had put on when entering the holy place, and lay it aside there. And he will wash his body with water in a holy place and put on his robe.” In one way, I think, the Lord takes off and puts on, coming down into sense; in another way the one who has believed through him takes off and puts on, as the apostle too indicated, the consecrated robe. Hence, in the image of the Lord, high priests were chosen from the consecrated tribe, the most approved, and those chosen for kingship and for prophecy were anointed.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations and allusions are 1 Cor 2:9, 1 Cor 13:12, and Lev 16:23–24, with Col 3:9–10 or Eph 4:22–24.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 5.6.40 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/5/6/40/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 5.6.40 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/5/6/40/).
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