Sophia Scriptura

Miscellanies 6.8.66

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

Summary: Even if philosophy came from the devil, who disguises himself as an angel of light, he can deceive only by saying true things; so what is said must be judged by its truth, not by its speaker.

Greek text · Stählin 2:465

Ναὶ μὴν οἱ λέγοντες τὴν φιλοσοφίαν ἐκ τοῦ διαβόλου ὁρμᾶσθαι κἀκείνῳ ἐπιστησάτωσαν, ὅτι φησὶν ἡ γραφὴ μετασχηματίζεσθαι τὸν διάβολον εἰς ἄγγελον φωτός, τί ποιήσοντα; εὔδηλον, ὅτι προφητεύσοντα. εἰ δὲ ὡς ἄγγελος φωτὸς προφητεύει, ἀληθῆ ἄρα ἐρεῖ. εἰ ἀγγελικὰ καὶ φωτεινά, προφητεύσει καὶ ὠφέλιμα τότε, ὅτε καὶ μετασχηματίζεται καθʼ ὁμοιότητα ἐνεργείας, κἂν ἄλλος ᾖ κατὰ τὸ ὑποκείμενον τῆς ἀποστασίας. ἐπεὶ πῶς ἂν ἀπατήσειέν τινα, μὴ διὰ τῶν ἀληθῶν ὑπαγόμενος τὸν φιλομαθῆ εἰς οἰκειότητα καὶ οὕτως ὕστερον εἰς ψεῦδος ὑποσύρων; ἄλλως τε καὶ ἐπιστάμενος τὴν ἀλήθειαν εὑρεθήσεται, καὶ εἰ μὴ καταληπτικῶς, ἀλλʼ οὖν οὐκ ἄπειρός γε αὐτῆς. οὐ τοίνυν ψευδὴς ἡ φιλοσοφία, κἂν ὁ κλέπτης καὶ ὁ ψεύστης κατὰ μετασχηματισμὸν ἐνεργείας τὰ ἀληθῆ λέγῃ, οὐδὲ μὴν διὰ τὸν λέγοντα προκαταγνωστέον ἀμαθῶς καὶ τῶν λεγομένων, ὅπερ καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν προφητεύειν νῦν δὴ λεγομένων παρατηρητέον, ἀλλὰ τὰ λεγόμενα σκοπητέον, εἰ τῆς ἀληθείας ἔχεται.

English · Claude translation

Indeed, let those who say that philosophy takes its rise from the devil consider this too: Scripture says that the devil transforms himself into an angel of light. To do what? Clearly, to prophesy. And if he prophesies as an angel of light, he will say true things. If they are angelic and luminous, he will then prophesy useful things too, when he is transformed in likeness of activity, even if he is different in the substance of his apostasy. For how could he deceive anyone unless he drew the lover of learning into familiarity by true things, and so afterward dragged him down into falsehood? Besides, he will be found to know the truth, and if not with firm apprehension, at least not without experience of it. Philosophy, then, is not false, even if the thief and liar speaks true things by a transformation of activity; nor must we ignorantly condemn beforehand what is said because of the speaker (which must also be observed with those who are now said to prophesy), but we must examine what is said, whether it holds to the truth.

About this passage

Source
Stählin 2:465 · 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.
Scripture

Notes

Translation notes

  • The allusions are 2 Cor 11:14 and John 8:44 (the thief and liar, compare John 10:1). “Those who are now said to prophesy” may refer to the Montanist prophets (uncertain).

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 6.8.66 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/6/8/66/).

Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 6.8.66 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/6/8/66/).

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