Miscellanies 6.11.95
Summary: All things were made through the Word, the cornerstone; the four cardinal virtues are already taught in Wisdom, so the Greeks received them from the Hebrews; we are born fitted to acquire virtue, not possessing it.
Greek text · Stählin 2:479–480
σύνες ἤδη μοι τὸ μυστήριον τῆς ἀληθείας, συγγνώμην ἀπονέμων, εἰ περαιτέρω προβαίνειν τῆς ἐξεργασίας ὀκνῶ, τουτὶ μόνον ἀνακηρύσσων· πάντα διʼ αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν. ἀμέλει λίθος ἀκρογωνιαῖος εἴρηται, ἐν ᾧ πᾶσα οἰκοδομὴ συναρμολογουμένη αὔξει εἰς ναὸν ἅγιον θεοῦ κατὰ τὸν θεῖον ἀπόστολον. σιωπῶ τὰ νῦν τὴν ἐν τῷ εὐαγγελίῳ παραβολὴν λέγουσαν· ὁμοία ἐστὶν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ σαγήνην εἰς θάλασσαν βεβληκότι κἀκ τοῦ πλήθους τῶν ἑαλωκότων ἰχθύων τὴν ἐκλογὴν τῶν ἀμεινόνων ποιουμένῳ. ἤδη δὲ καὶ τὰς τέσσαρας ἀρετὰς ἄντικρυς ἡ παρʼ ἡμῖν σοφία ὧδέ πως ἀνακηρύσσει, ὥστε καὶ τούτων τὰς πηγὰς τοῖς Ἕλλησιν παρὰ Ἑβραίων δεδόσθαι. μαθεῖν δʼ ἐκ τῶνδʼ ἔξεστιν· καὶ εἰ δικαιοσύνην ἀγαπᾷ τις, οἱ πόνοι ταύτης εἰσὶν ἀρεταί· σωφροσύνην γὰρ καὶ φρόνησιν ἐκδιδάσκει, δικαιοσύνην καὶ ἀνδρείαν, ὧν χρησιμώτερον οὐδέν ἐστιν ἐν βίῳ ἀνθρώποις. ἐπὶ πᾶσιν εἰδέναι αὐτοὺς κἀκεῖνο ἐχρῆν, ὅτι φύσει μὲν γεγόναμεν πρὸς ἀρετήν, οὐ μὴν ὥστε ἔχειν αὐτὴν ἐκ γενετῆς, ἀλλὰ πρὸς τὸ κτήσασθαι ἐπιτήδειοι.
English · Claude translation
Understand now, I pray, the mystery of the truth, and pardon me if I hesitate to go further in working it out, proclaiming only this: “All things came to be through him, and without him not one thing came to be.” Indeed he is called the cornerstone, “in whom the whole building, fitted together, grows into a holy temple of God,” according to the divine apostle. For now I pass over the parable in the Gospel that says: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who cast a net into the sea and from the multitude of fishes caught made a selection of the better ones.” And already our wisdom proclaims the four virtues outright, somewhat as follows, so that the springs of these too were given to the Greeks from the Hebrews. One can learn it from these words: “And if anyone loves righteousness, her labors are virtues; for she teaches self-restraint and prudence, righteousness and courage, than which nothing is more useful for human beings in life.” Above all, they ought to have known this too: that by nature we are born for virtue, not so as to have it from birth, but fitted to acquire it.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are John 1:3, Eph 2:20–21, Matt 13:47–48 (paraphrased), and Wis 8:7. The four virtues are the Greek cardinal virtues.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray period in the digital text; words repeated in the digital text): ἡ παρʼ ἡ παρʼ ἡμῖν → ἡ παρʼ ἡμῖν; ἐκδιδάσκει. δικαιοσύνην → ἐκδιδάσκει, δικαιοσύνην.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 6.11.95 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/6/11/95/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 6.11.95 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/6/11/95/).
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