Miscellanies 5.8.46 · Sophia Scriptura

Summary: Symbolic interpretation serves theology, piety, and wisdom; children's primers teach the elements through obscure words like the Phrygian “bedy,” meaning water or air.

Greek text · Stählin 2:357

Χρησιμώτατον ἄρα τὸ τῆς συμβολικῆς ἑρμηνείας εἶδος εἰς πολλὰ καὶ πρὸς τὴν ὀρθὴν θεολογίαν συνεργοῦν καὶ πρὸς εὐσέβειαν καὶ πρὸς ἐπίδειξιν συνέσεως καὶ πρὸς βραχυλογίας ἄσκησιν καὶ σοφίας ἔνδειξιν· σοφοῦ γὰρ τὸ χρῆσθαι τῇ συμβολικῇ φράσει δεξιῶς, φησὶν ὁ γραμματικὸς Δίδυμος, καὶ τὸ γνωρίσαι τὸ διὰ ταύτης δηλούμενον. Ναὶ μὴν ἡ στοιχειωτικὴ τῶν παίδων διδασκαλία τὴν τῶν τεττάρων στοιχείων περιείληφεν ἑρμηνείαν. βέδυ μὲν γὰρ τοὺς Φρύγας τὸ ὕδωρ φησὶ καλεῖν, καθὰ καὶ Ὀρφεύς· καὶ βέδυ νυμφάων καταλείβεται ἀγλαὸν ὕδωρ. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ θύτης Δίων ὁμοίως φαίνεται γράφων· καὶ βέδυ λαβὼν κατὰ χειρῶν καταχέου καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν ἱεροσκοπίην τρέπου. ἔμπαλιν δὲ ὁ κωμικὸς Φιλύλλιος βέδυ τὸν ἀέρα βιόδωρον ὄντα διὰ τούτων γινώσκει· ἕλκειν τὸ βέδυ σωτήριον προσεύχομαι, ὅπερ μέγιστόν ἐστιν ὑγιείας μέρος, τὸ τὸν ἀέρα ἕλκειν καθαρόν, οὐ τεθολωμένον.

English · Claude translation

Most useful, then, is the form of symbolic interpretation for many things, contributing to right theology, to piety, to the display of intelligence, to the practice of brevity, and to the showing of wisdom. “For it belongs to the wise man,” says Didymus the grammarian, “to use symbolic expression skillfully, and to recognize what is indicated by it.” Indeed the elementary teaching of children has included the interpretation of the four elements. For it says the Phrygians call water bedy, as Orpheus too: “And bedy, the bright water of the nymphs, is poured down.” And Dion the sacrificer also clearly writes: “And taking bedy, pour it over your hands and turn to the inspection of the victims.” Conversely the comic poet Philyllius understands bedy as the air, being life-giving (biodōros), in these words: “I pray to draw in the saving bedy,” which is the greatest part of health, to draw in pure air, not polluted.

About this passage

Source

Stählin 2:357 · 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; no textual problem is noted in this passage.

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.

Extrabiblical texts

Orpheus (attributed), Orph. frag. (Orpheus (attributed), Orphic poems (fragments)) · quotation, high confidence

Topics

Scripture and canon

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 5.8.46 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/5/8/46/).

Plain text

Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 5.8.46 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/5/8/46/).