Miscellanies 7.2.9
Summary: Under the Son, the great High Priest, all creation is ranked in order; as a magnet draws a chain of iron rings, the Holy Spirit draws the virtuous upward, while the wicked fall away through their passions.
Greek text · Stählin 2
οὐδὲ τὸ μικρότατον ἀπολείπων τῆς ἑαυτοῦ διοικήσεως ἀφρόντιστον· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν ἔτι ἦν αὐτῷ τὸ ὅλον εὖ εἰργασμένον. δυνάμεως δʼ, οἶμαι, τῆς μεγίστης ἡ πάντων τῶν μερῶν καὶ μέχρι τοῦ μικροτάτου προήκουσα διʼ ἀκριβείας ἐξέτασις, πάντων εἰς τὸν πρῶτον διοικητὴν τῶν ὅλων ἐκ θελήματος πατρὸς κυβερνῶντα τὴν πάντων σωτηρίαν ἀφορώντων, ἑτέρων ὑφʼ ἑτέρους ἡγουμένους τεταγμένων. ἔστʼ ἄν τις ἐπὶ τὸν μέγαν ἀφίκηται ἀρχιερέα. ἀπὸ μιᾶς γὰρ ἄνωθεν ἀρχῆς τῆς κατὰ τὸ θέλημα ἐνεργούσης ἤρτηται τὰ πρῶτα καὶ δεύτερα καὶ τρίτα· εἶτα ἐπὶ τέλει τοῦ φαινομένου τῷ ἄκρῳ ἡ μακαρία ἀγγελοθεσία, καὶ δὴ μέχρις ἡμῶν αὐτῶν ἄλλοι ὑπʼ ἄλλοις ἐξ ἑνὸς καὶ διʼ ἑνὸς σῳζόμενοί τε καὶ σῴζοντες διατετάχαται. ὡς οὖν συγκινεῖται καὶ μακροτάτη σιδήρου μοῖρα τῷ τῆς Ἡρακλείας λίθου πνεύματι διὰ πολλῶν τῶν σιδηρῶν ἐκτεινομένῳ δακτυλίων, οὕτω καὶ τῷ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι ἑλκόμενοι οἱ μὲν ἐνάρετοι οἰκειοῦνται τῇ πρώτῃ μονῇ, ἐφεξῆς δʼ ἄλλοι μέχρι τῆς τελευταίας, οἱ δὲ ὑπὸ ἀσθενείας κακοί, διʼ ἀπληστίαν ἄδικον καχεξίᾳ περιπεπτωκότες, οὔτε κρατοῦντες οὔτε κρατούμενοι περικαταρρέουσιν ἑλιχθέντες τοῖς πάθεσι καὶ ἀποπίπτουσι χαμαί. νόμος γὰρ ἄνωθεν οὗτος, αἱρεῖσθαι τὸν βουλόμενον ἀρετήν.
English · Claude translation
leaving not even the smallest part of his government uncared for; for then the whole would no longer have been well made by him. It belongs, I think, to the greatest power to examine with precision all the parts, down to the smallest, all of them looking to the first administrator of the universe, who by the Father's will steers the salvation of all, some ranked under others as their leaders, until one reaches the great High Priest. For from one first principle above, working according to the will, the first, second, and third ranks depend; then, at the uppermost edge of the visible, is the blessed order of angels; and so, down to ourselves, some are ranked under others, being saved and saving from one and through one. As, then, even a very long chain of iron is moved together by the spirit of the Heraclean stone, extending through many iron rings, so too, drawn by the Holy Spirit, the virtuous are joined to the first dwelling place, and others in turn down to the last; but those who are bad through weakness, having fallen into an evil condition through unjust greed, neither mastering nor mastered, fall away, whirled about by their passions, and drop to the ground. For this is the law from above: that whoever wishes should choose virtue.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- “The Heraclean stone” is the magnet; the image of the chain of rings comes from Plato, Ion 533d–e. The allusion is Heb 4:14 (great High Priest); “dwelling place” (μονή) echoes John 14:2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray period in the digital text): δυνάμεως δʼ, οἶμαι. τῆς → δυνάμεως δʼ, οἶμαι, τῆς.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 7.2.9 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/7/2/9/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 7.2.9 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/7/2/9/).
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