Miscellanies 7.16.104
Summary: The one who knows grows old in the Scriptures, holds the apostolic and church teaching, and lives by the Lord's tradition; not all who hear receive knowledge, and the knowledge that “puffs up” means either false knowledge or a lofty mind.
Greek text · Stählin 2
Ὁ γνωστικὸς ἄρα ἡμῖν μόνος ἐν αὐταῖς καταγηράσας ταῖς γραφαῖς, τὴν ἀποστολικὴν καὶ ἐκκλησιαστικὴν σῴζων ὀρθοτομίαν τῶν δογμάτων, κατὰ τὸ εὐαγγέλιον ὀρθότατα βιοῖ, τὰς ἀποδείξεις ἃς ἂν ἐπιζητήσῃ ἀνευρίσκειν ἀναπεμπόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου ἀπό τε νόμου καὶ προφητῶν. ὁ βίος γάρ, οἶμαι, τοῦ γνωστικοῦ οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἐστὶν ἢ ἔργα καὶ λόγοι τῇ τοῦ κυρίου ἀκόλουθοι παραδόσει. Ἀλλʼ »οὐ πάντων ἡ γνῶσις«. »οὐ θέλω γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί,« φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστολος, »ὅτι πάντες ὑπὸ τὴν νεφέλην ἦσαν καὶ πνευματικοῦ βρώματός τε καὶ πόματος μετέλαβον«. κατασκευάζων σαφῶς μὴ πάντας τοὺς ἀκούοντας τὸν λόγον κεχωρηκέναι τὸ μέγεθος τῆς γνώσεως ἔργῳ τε καὶ λόγῳ. διὸ καὶ ἐπήγαγεν· »ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτοῖς ηὐδόκησεν.« τίς οὗτος; ὁ εἰπών· »τί με λέγετε κύριε καὶ οὐ ποιεῖτε τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός μου;« τουτέστι τὴν διδασκαλίαν τοῦ σωτῆρος, ἥτις ἐστὶ βρῶμα ἡμῶν πνευματικὸν καὶ πόμα δίψαν οὐκ ἐπιστάμενον, »ὕδωρ ζωῆς« γνωστικῆς. ναί, φασίν, ἡ γνῶσις εἴρηται φυσιοῦν. πρὸς οὕς φαμεν· τάχα μὲν ἡ δοκοῦσα γνῶσις φυσιοῦν λέγεται, εἴ τις τετυφῶσθαι τὴν λέξιν ἑρμηνεύειν ὑπολάβοι· εἰ δέ, ὅπερ καὶ μᾶλλον, τὸ μεγαλείως τε καὶ ἀληθῶς φρονεῖν μηνύει ἡ τοῦ ἀποστόλου φωνή. λέλυται μὲν τὸ ἠπορημένον· ἑπόμενοι δʼ οὖν ταῖς γραφαῖς κυρώσωμεν τὸ εἰρημένον.
English · Claude translation
The one who knows, then, alone among us, having grown old in the Scriptures themselves and preserving the apostolic and ecclesiastical soundness of doctrine, lives most rightly according to the gospel, since he is sent back by the Lord to find in the law and the prophets whatever demonstrations he seeks. For the life of the one who knows, I think, is nothing else than deeds and words in keeping with the Lord's tradition. But “knowledge is not in all.” “For I do not want you to be ignorant, brothers,” says the apostle, “that all were under the cloud and partook of spiritual food and drink,” clearly showing that not all who hear the word have taken in the greatness of knowledge in deed and word. That is why he added, “But with not all of them was he well pleased.” Who is this? The one who said, “Why do you call me Lord, and do not do the will of my Father?” That is, the Savior's teaching, which is our spiritual food and a drink that knows no thirst, the “water” of knowing “life.” “Yes,” they say, “but knowledge is said to puff up.” To them we reply: perhaps it is apparent knowledge that is said to puff up, if one takes the word to mean “to be conceited”; but if, as is more likely, the apostle's word means to think in a lofty and true way, the difficulty is resolved. Still, following the Scriptures, let us confirm what has been said.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are 1 Cor 8:7, 1 Cor 10:1–5, Luke 6:46 (combined with Matt 7:21), and 1 Cor 8:1; “sound doctrine” echoes 2 Tim 2:15, and the drink that knows no thirst echoes John 4:14 and Rev 22:17.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray period in the digital text; stray periods in the digital text; stray space before the closing quotation mark; word split in the digital text): ναί. φασίν. ἡ γνῶσις → ναί, φασίν, ἡ γνῶσις; φυσιοῦν λέγεται. εἴ τις → φυσιοῦν λέγεται, εἴ τις; ὑπο λάβοι → ὑπολάβοι; ὅπερ καὶ μᾶλλον. τὸ → ὅπερ καὶ μᾶλλον, τὸ; οί, « → οί,«.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 7.16.104 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/7/16/104/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 7.16.104 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/7/16/104/).
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