Miscellanies 6.7.58
Summary: The first teacher of all, men and angels alike, is the first-begotten Son, God's Wisdom and counselor, who has taught in many ways from the beginning; so Christ says to call no one on earth teacher.
Greek text · Stählin 2:461
λείπεται τοίνυν ὑπεξαναβάντας ἡμᾶς καὶ τὸν τούτων διδάσκαλον ποθεῖν. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἓν μὲν τὸ ἀγέννητον ὁ παντοκράτωρ θεός, ἓν δὲ καὶ τὸ προγεννηθέν, διʼ οὗ τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο καὶ χωρὶς αὐτοῦ ἐγένετο οὐδὲ ἕν (εἷς γὰρ τῷ ὄντι ἐστὶν ὁ θεός, ὃς ἀρχὴν τῶν ἁπάντων ἐποίησεν, μηνύων τὸν πρωτόγονον υἱὸν ὁ Πέτρος γράφει, συνεὶς ἀκριβῶς τό· ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν), σοφία δὲ οὗτος εἴρηται πρὸς ἁπάντων τῶν προφητῶν, οὗτός ἐστιν ὁ τῶν γενητῶν ἁπάντων διδάσκαλος, ὁ σύμβουλος τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ τὰ πάντα προεγνωκότος. ὃ δὲ ἄνωθεν ἐκ πρώτης καταβολῆς κόσμου πολυτρόπως καὶ πολυμερῶς πεπαίδευκέν τε καὶ τελειοῖ. ὅθεν εἰκότως εἴρηται· μὴ εἴπητε ἑαυτοῖς διδάσκαλον ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. ὁρᾷς ὁπόθεν ἔχει τὰς λαβὰς ἡ φιλοσοφία ἡ ἀληθής. κἂν ὁ νόμος εἰκὼν καὶ σκιὰ τῆς ἀληθείας τυγχάνῃ, σκιά γε ὁ νόμος τῆς ἀληθείας, ἀλλʼ ἡ φιλαυτία τῶν Ἑλλήνων διδασκάλους τινὰς ἀνθρώπους ἀνακηρύττει.
English · Claude translation
It remains, then, that we climb higher still and long for their teacher. And since the unbegotten is one, God Almighty, and one also is the first-begotten, “through whom all things came to be, and without him not one thing came to be” (“For truly God is one, who made the beginning of all things,” Peter writes, indicating the first-born Son, understanding accurately the words: “In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth”), and he is called Wisdom by all the prophets, he is the teacher of all created beings, the counselor of God who foreknew all things; and he from above, from the first foundation of the world, has taught “in many ways and in many portions” and brings to perfection. Hence it is fittingly said: “Do not call anyone on earth your teacher.” You see where the true philosophy has its handles. Even if the law is an image and shadow of the truth (the law is indeed a shadow of the truth), yet the self-love of the Greeks proclaims certain men as teachers.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations and allusions are John 1:3, the Preaching of Peter, Gen 1:1, Heb 1:1, Matt 23:8–9, and Heb 10:1. Clement reads “beginning” in Gen 1:1 as the Son.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 6.7.58 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/6/7/58/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 6.7.58 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/6/7/58/).
Download citation:BibTeX ·RIS (Zotero, EndNote)
Whole work:BibTeX ·RIS ·Markdown text