# Homilies - Author: Anonymous - Latin title: *Homiliae Clementinae* - Date: 4th century (reworking earlier material) (disputed) - Source: Albert Schwegler, ed., Clementis Romani quae feruntur Homiliae XX (Stuttgart: A. Becheri, 1847) (Greek text: Albert Schwegler, Clementis Romani quae feruntur Homiliae XX (Stuttgart, 1847), digitized by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0) - Translation: Claude, from the original text, unless a passage says otherwise; each passage below gives the translator - Editions and translations: Bernhard Rehm, Die Pseudoklementinen I: Homilien, GCS 42, 3rd ed. by Georg Strecker (Berlin: Akademie, 1992) - Work page: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/ - Passages: 505 ## Homilies 1.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-1 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement introduces himself as a Roman who from boyhood was haunted by thoughts of death and of the world's beginning and end. ### Greek text Ἐγὼ Κλήμης, Ρωμαίων πολίτης ὥν, καὶ τὴν πρώτην ἡλικίαν σωφρόνως ζῆσαι δεδύνημαι, τῆς ἐννοίας μου οὐκ παιδὸς ἀποσχολούσης τὴν ἐν ἐμοὶ ἐπιθυμίαν εἴς τε ἀθυμίας καὶ πόνους. συνῆν γάρ μοι λογισμὸς οὐκ οἶδα πόθεν τὴν ἀρχὴν λαβών, περὶ θανάτου πυκνὰς ποιούμενος ὑπομνήσεις, ὅτι ἄρα θανὼν ἐκ εἰμὶ καὶ οὐδὲ μνήμην τις ποιήσει μού ποτε, τοῦ ἀπείρου χρόνου πάντων τὰ πάντα εἰς λήθην φέροντος, ἔσομαι δὲ ἐκ ὤν, ἐκ ὄντας εἰδώς, οὐ γνώσκων, οὐ γινωσκόμενος, οὐ γεγονώς, οὐ γινόμενος καὶ ἆρά ποτε γέγονεν ὁ κόσμος, καὶ πρὸ τοῦ γενέσθαι τί ἄρα ἦν; εἰ γὰρ ἦν ἀεὶ, καὶ ἔσται· εἰ δὲ γέγονε, καὶ λυθήσεται· καὶ μετὰ λύσιν τί ἄρα ἔσται πάλιν, εἰ μὴ τάχα σιγὴ καὶ λήθη; καὶ τάχα ἔσται τι, ὅ νῦν νοῆσαι οὐ δυνατόν. ### English translation (Claude) I, Clement, a citizen of Rome, was able to live chastely even in my early youth, because from boyhood my mind turned the desire within me aside into despondency and labours. For a train of thought was with me, which had its beginning I know not whence, and kept reminding me frequently of death: that when I died I should not exist, and no one would ever make any mention of me, since boundless time carries all things of all men into oblivion; that I should be as one who does not exist, not knowing those who do not exist, neither knowing nor known, neither having come to be nor coming to be. And I asked: was the world ever made? And before it was made, what then was there? For if it always was, it will also always be; but if it came into being, it will also be dissolved. And after its dissolution, what will there be again, unless perhaps silence and oblivion? Or perhaps there will be something which it is not now possible to conceive. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.1 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-1). ## Homilies 1.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-2 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement's anxious thoughts, though painful, later proved to be the cause of his finding the truth. ### Greek text Ταῦτά τε καὶ τὰ τούτοις ὅμοια ἐκ οἶδα πόθεν ἀπαύστως ἐνθυμούμενος ὀδυνηρὰν εἰχον λύπην τοσοῦτον, ὡς ὠχριακότα με τήκεσθαι· καὶ τὸ δεινότατον, εἴ ποτε ἀπώσασθαι τὴν φροντίδα ὡς ἀνωφελῆ ἐβουλευσάμην, ἀκμαιότερόν μοι μᾶλλον τὸ πάθος ἐγίνετο. καὶ ἠχθόμην ἐπὶ τούτῳ, ἐκ εἰδὼς σύνοικον καλὴν ἔχων ἔννοιαν, ἀθανασίας ἀγαθῆς αἰτίαν μοι γενομένην, ὡς ὕστερον τῇ πείρᾳ ἐπέγνων καὶ Θεῷ πάντων δεσπότῃ ἠυχαρίστησα. ὑπὸ γὰρ τῆς κατʼ ἀρχὰς θλιβούσης με ἐννοίας εἰς τὴν τῶν πραγμάτων ζήτησιν καὶ εὕρεσιν ἠναγκάσθην ἐλθεῖν· καὶ τότε ἐταλάνιζον οὕς τὴν ἀρχὴν διʼ ἄγνοιαν μακαρίζειν ἐκινδύνευον. ### English translation (Claude) Turning over these and similar thoughts unceasingly, I know not from what source, I was so painfully grieved that I grew pale and wasted away. And what was most dreadful: whenever I resolved to thrust the care away as useless, the suffering grew all the sharper. I was vexed at this, not knowing that I had in my thought a good companion, which became for me the cause of a blessed immortality, as I afterwards learned by experience and gave thanks to God, the Lord of all. For by the thought that at first afflicted me I was compelled to come to the inquiry into things and to the finding of them; and then I pitied those whom at the beginning, through ignorance, I had been inclined to call blessed. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.2 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-2). ## Homilies 1.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-3 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement studies with the philosophers but finds only debate, not certainty about the soul's immortality. ### Greek text Ἐκ παιδὸς οὖν ἡλικίας ὤν ἐν τοιούτοις λογισμοῖς, χάριν τοῦ μαθεῖν τι βέβαιον, εἰς τὰς τῶν φιλοσόφων ἐφοίτων διατριβάς καὶ οὐθὲν ἕτερον ἑώρων, ἢ δογμάτων ἀνασκευὰς καὶ κατασκευὰς καὶ ἔρεις καὶ φιλονεικίας καὶ συλλογισμῶν τέχνας καὶ λημμάτων ἐπινοίας. καὶ ὁτὲ μὲν ἐπεκράτει, φέρε λέγειν, ὅτι ἀθάνατος ἡ ψυχή, ὁτὲ δὲ ὅτι θνητή. εἴ ποτε οὖν ἐπεκράτει λόγος ὅτι ἀθάνατος, ἔχαιρον· ὁπότε δὲ [ὅτι θνητή, ἠνιώμην· πλέον δὲ πάλιν ἠθύμεν, ] ὅτι ἔδʼ ὁπότερον εἰς τὸν ἐμὸν βεβαιῶσαι νοῦν ἠδυνάμην. πλὴν συνενόεν ὅτι αἱ δόξαι τῶν ὑποθέσεων παρὰ τοὺς ἐκδικοῦντας ψευδεῖς ἢ ἀληθεῖς ὑπολαμβάνονται, καὶ οὐχ ὡς ἔχουσιν ἀληθείας φαίνονται. ἐπιστήσας οὖν ἤδη ποτὲ ὅτι οὐ παρὰ τὰς ἐκδικουμένας ὑποθέσεις ἡ κατάληψις γίνεται, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τοὺς ἐκδικοῦντας αἱ δόξαι ἀποφέρονται, ἔτι μᾶλλον ἰλιγγίων ἐν τοῖς πράγμασιν. διὸ ἐκ τοῦ τῆς ψυχῆς βάθους ἐστέναζον· οὔτε γάρ τι βεβαιῶσαι οἷός τε ἤμην, οὔτε τὴν τῶν τοιούτων φροντίδα ἀποσείσασθαι ἐδυνάμην, καί περ βουλόμενος, ὡς φθάσας εἶπον· ὅτι ἐμαυτῷ πυκνότερον ἡσυχάζειν ἐπιτάσσοντος, οὐκ οἶδά πως λανθανόντως μεθʼ ἡδονῆς ὁ τῶν τοιούτων μοι εἰσήρχετο λογισμός. ### English translation (Claude) Being, then, from boyhood in such reasonings, I frequented the schools of the philosophers for the sake of learning something certain. And I saw nothing else there than the overturning and establishing of doctrines, strife and contentiousness, the arts of syllogisms and the contrivance of premises. At one time the argument prevailed, let us say, that the soul is immortal; at another, that it is mortal. Whenever, then, the argument prevailed that it is immortal, I rejoiced; but whenever that it is mortal, I was grieved; and again I was yet more despondent because I could not settle either view firmly in my mind. Yet I perceived that opinions on these questions are taken as false or true according to those who defend them, and do not appear as they are in truth. Having at last come to see that conviction is formed not according to the questions defended but that opinions are carried off according to their defenders, I was still more dizzied in the matter. Therefore I groaned from the depth of my soul; for I was neither able to establish anything, nor could I shake off the care of such matters, though I wished to, as I have already said. For even when I often ordered myself to be quiet, somehow, I know not how, the reasoning about such things stole in upon me again with pleasure. ### Translation notes - The words “but whenever that it is mortal, I was grieved; and again I was yet more despondent” are bracketed in the edition (evidently supplied); they are needed for the sense and are translated. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.3 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-3). ## Homilies 1.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-4 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement weighs whether to fear punishment after death and resolves that it is safer to live piously, though he lacks certainty. ### Greek text Καὶ πάλιν ἀπορούμενος ἔλεγον ἐμαυτῷ· τί ματαιοπονῶ σαφοῦς ὄντος τοῦ πράγματος ὅτι εἰ μὲν θανὼν ἐκ εἰμί, νῦν ὄντα με λυπεῖσθαι οὐ προσῆκεν. διὸ τηρήσω τὸ λυπεῖσθαι εἰς τὴν τότε, ὅτε ἐκ ὤν οὐ λυπηθήσομαι. εἰ δʼ ἄρα εἰμί, τί νῦν ἐκ περισσοῦ μοι πρόςεστιν τὸ λυπεῖσθαι; καὶ εὐθέως μετὰ τοῦτο ἕτερός με εἰσῄει λογισμός. ἔλεγον γάρ, εἰ μή τί γε τοῦ νῦν με λυποῦντος ἐκεῖ χεῖρον παθεῖν ἔχω, μὴ βεβιωκὼς εὐσεβῶς, καὶ παραδοθήσομαι κατʼ ἐνίων φιλοσόφων λόγους Πυριφλεγέθοντι καὶ Ταρτάρῳ ὡς Σίσυφος ἢ Τίτυος ἢ Ἰξίων ἢ Τάνταλος, καὶ ἔσομαι ἐν ᾅδου τὸν αἰῶνα κολαζόμενος. πάλιν τε ἀνθυπέφερον λέγων, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἔστι ταῦτα. καὶ πάλιν ἔλεγον, εἰ δὲ ἔστιν; οὐ δήλου οὖν ὄντος τοῦ πράγματος, ἔλεγον, ἀκινδυνότερόν ἐστιν μᾶλλον εὐσεβῶς βιῶσαί με. καὶ πῶς δυνήσομαι τοῦ δικαίου χάριν, εἰς ἄδηλον ἐλπίδα ἀφορῶν, τῶν τοῦ σώματος κρατεῖν ἡδονῶν; ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ τί ποτέ ἐστι δίκαιον καὶ ἀρέσκον Θεῷ πεπληροφόρημαι, οὔτε εἰ ἡ ψυχὴ ἀθάνατος ἢ θνητὴ γινώσκω· οὔτε τις λόγος βέβαιος εὑρίσκεται, οὔτε τῶν τοιούτων λογισμῶν ἡσυχάζειν δύναμαι. ### English translation (Claude) And again, being at a loss, I said to myself: “Why do I labour in vain, since the matter is plain? If after death I shall not exist, it is not fitting that I should grieve now while I exist. Let me keep the grieving, then, for that time when, not existing, I shall not grieve. But if I shall exist, what does grieving now gain me?” And immediately after this another thought came to me. I said: “Unless perhaps I am to suffer there something worse than what grieves me now, if I have not lived piously, and I shall be handed over, as some philosophers say, to Pyriphlegethon and Tartarus, like Sisyphus or Tityus or Ixion or Tantalus, and shall be punished in Hades for ever.” And again I answered myself, saying: “But these things are not so.” And again I said: “But what if they are? Since the matter is not clear,” I said, “it is safer for me rather to live piously. Yet how shall I be able, for the sake of righteousness and looking to an uncertain hope, to master the pleasures of the body? Nor have I been fully assured what is righteous and pleasing to God, nor do I know whether the soul is immortal or mortal; no sure argument is found, and I cannot rest from such reasonings.” ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Od. 11.576–600 (Homer, Odyssey): allusion, medium confidence - Plato, Phaed. 113a–114b (Plato (works)): allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Pyriphlegethon, Tartarus, and the punished figures Sisyphus, Tityus, Ixion, and Tantalus are the underworld of Greek poetry (Homer, Od. 11.576–600) and of philosophers such as Plato (Phaed. 113–114). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.4 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-4). ## Homilies 1.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-5 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement plans to seek proof of immortality through necromancy in Egypt but is dissuaded by a philosopher. ### Greek text Τιʼ οὖν χρὴ ποιεῖν; ἢ τοῦτο, εἰς Αἴγυπτον πορεύσομαι, καὶ τοῖς τῶν ἀδύτων ἱεροφάνταις καὶ προφήταις φιλιωθήσομαι, καὶ μάγον ζητήσας καὶ εὑρὼν χρήμασι πολλοῖς πείσω, ὅπως ψυχῆς ἀναπομπήν, τὴν λεγομένην νεκρομαντείαν ποιήση, ἐμοῦ ὡς περὶ πράγματός τινος πυνθανομένου· ἡ δὲ πεῦσις ἔσται περὶ τοῦ μαθεῖν εἰ ἀθάνατος ἡ ψυχή. ἡ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπόκρισις, ὅτι ἀθάνατός ἐστιν, οὐκ ἐκ τοῦ λαλῆσαι ἢ καὶ ἀκοῦσαι ἔσται μοι γνῶναι, ἀλλʼ ἐκ τοῦ ὀφθῆναι μόνον, ἵνα αὐτοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἰδὼν αὐτὴν αὐτάρκη καὶ ἱκανὴν ἀπόφασιν ἔχω, ἐκ τοῦ μόνον φανῆναι, ὅτι ἔστιν· καὶ ἐκ ἔτι δυνήσεται τὰ τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν ἴδία τὰ τῆς ἀκοῆς ἀνατρέψαι ἄδηλα ῥήματα. ὅμως καὶ αὐτὴν ταύτην τὴν σκέψιν ἀντέβαλλόν τινι συνήθει φιλοσόφῳ, ὅς συνεβέλευέν μοι, τῦτο μὴ τολμᾶν, κατὰ πολλοὺς τρόπους. εἴτε γὰρ ἐκ εἰσακούσεται, φησὶν, ἡ ψυχὴ τῷ μάγῳ, σὺ τοῖς ταῦτα ποιεῖν ἀπαγορεύουσι νόμοις ὡς ἀντιπράξας δυσσυνειδήτως βιώσεις εἰ δὲ ἐπακούσεται, μετὰ τοῦ δυσσυνειδήτως σε βιοῦν, οἶμαι τὰ τῆς εὐσεβείας σοι μηκέτι προχωρεῖν, οὗ εἵνεκεν καὶ ἐτόλμησας. ἐχθραίνειν γὰρ τὸ θεῖον λέγουσιν ἐπὶ τοῖς τῇ λύσει θανόντων σωμάτων σκύλλεσιν τὰς ψυχάς. ἐγὼ δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὀκνηρότερος μὲν πρὸς τὸ τοιοῦτον ἐγχειρῆσαι ἐγενόμην, τῆς δὲ ἀπαρχῆς μου ἐκ ἐπαυσάμην βουλῆς, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἐμποδισθεὶς τὴν ὁρμὴν ἠθύμουν. ### English translation (Claude) What, then, must I do? This: I will go to Egypt and make friends with the hierophants and prophets of the shrines; and I will seek out a magician, and when I have found him I will persuade him with much money to perform a calling-up of a soul, what is called necromancy, as though I were inquiring about some business. But the inquiry will be to learn whether the soul is immortal. And the soul's answer that it is immortal will not come to me from its speaking or my hearing, but only from its being seen, so that, seeing it with my own eyes, I may have a sufficient and adequate proof, from its mere appearing, that it exists; and no longer will the uncertain words of hearing be able to overturn what the eyes have themselves seen. Nevertheless I laid this very plan before a philosopher of my acquaintance, who advised me in many ways not to dare it. “For if the soul does not obey the magician,” he said, “you will live with an evil conscience, as one who has acted against the laws that forbid these practices; and if it does obey, then besides living with an evil conscience, I think the cause of piety, for whose sake you ventured it, will no longer prosper for you. For they say that the divine is hostile to those who trouble souls after their release from the body in death.” When I heard this I became more hesitant to attempt such a thing; yet I did not give up my first purpose, but was despondent, as one hindered in his impulse. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.5 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-5). ## Homilies 1.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-6 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: A report reaches Rome under Tiberius of a Jew in Judea preaching God's kingdom and working miracles. ### Greek text Καὶ ἵνα μή σοι τὰ τοιαῦτα μακρῷ διηγήσομαι λόγῳ, ἐν τοσούτοις λογισμοῖς καὶ πράγμασιν ὄντος μου φήμη τις ἠρέμα, ἐπὶ τῆς Τιβερίς Καίσαρος βασιλείας, ἐξ ἐαρινῆς τροπῆς τὴν ἀρχὴν λαμβάνουσα ἤυξανεν ἑκάστοτε καὶ ὡς ἀληθῶς ἀγαθὴ Θεοῦ ἄγγελος διήρχετο τὸν κόσμον, τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ βούλημα σιγᾶν καὶ στέγειν μὴ δυναμένη. ἑκάστοτε τῶν πλείων καὶ μείζων ἐγένετο, λέγουσα, ὧς τίς ποτε ἐν Ιουδαίᾳ, ἐξ ἐαρινῆς τροπῆς λαβὼν τὴν ἀρχήν, Ἰουδαίος τὴν τοῦ ἀϊδίου Θεοῦ εὐαγγελίζεται βασιλείαν, ἧς ἀπολαύειν λέγει ἐάν τις αὐτῶν προσκατορθώσει τὴν πολιτείαν· τοῦ δὲ πιστεύεσθαι αὐτὸν χάριν, ὅτι θειότητος γέμων ταῦτα πνέει, πολλὰ θαυμάσια σημεῖά τε καὶ τέρατα διαπράττεται κελεύσει μόνη, ὡς παρὰ Θεοῦ εἰληφὼς τὴν ἐξουσίαν· κωφοὺς γὰρ ποιεῖ ἀκούειν, τυφλοὺς ἀναβλέπειν, κυλλοὺς ποιεῖ περιπατεῖν, χωλοὺς ἀνορθοῖ, πᾶσαν νόσον ἀπελαύνει, πάντα δαίμονα φυγαδεύει ἀλλὰ καὶ λεπροὶ ψωροὶ ἐκ διαστήματος μόνον ἐνορῶντες αὐτῷ ἰώμενοι ἀπαλλάσσονται, νεκροὶ δὲ προσφερόμενοι ἐγείρονται, καὶ οὐδέν ἐστιν ὅ ἀδυνατεῖ ποιεῖν· καὶ ὅσφ γε μᾶλλον ὁ χρόνος προέκοπτεν, πολὺ μείζων διὰ πλειόνων τῶν ἐπιδημέντων καὶ βεβαιοτέρα ἐγίνετο, ἐκ ἔτι φήμη λέγω, ἀλλὰ τοῦ πράγματος ἡ ἀλήθεια. ἤδη γάρ ποτε καὶ συστήματα κατὰ τόπους ἐγίνετο βουλῆς καὶ σκέψεως, τὸ τίς ἄν εἴη ὁ φανεὶς καὶ τί βούλεται λέγειν. ### English translation (Claude) And not to recount such things to you at length: while I was in the midst of such reasonings and affairs, a report, beginning quietly in the reign of Tiberius Caesar, from the spring season, grew greater all the time and passed through the world like a truly good messenger of God, unable to keep silent and conceal the will of God. It grew greater and stronger on every occasion, saying that someone in Judea, beginning in the spring season, was proclaiming to the Jews the kingdom of the eternal God, which he said they would enjoy if they amended their way of life; and that, so that he might be believed to speak these things full of divinity, he was doing many wonderful signs and wonders by his command alone, as having received authority from God. For he makes the deaf hear and the blind see, makes the crippled walk, raises up the lame, drives away every disease, and puts every demon to flight; even scabby lepers, merely looking at him from a distance, go away healed; and the dead, when brought to him, are raised; and there is nothing he cannot do. And as time went on, through the greater number of those who arrived it grew much greater and firmer, no longer, I say, a report, but the truth of the matter. For now at last meetings were being held in various places for counsel and inquiry as to who he might be who had appeared, and what he meant to say. ### Scripture references - Matt 11:5: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 7:22: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The list of miracles echoes Jesus' answer to John the Baptist (Matt 11:5; Luke 7:22). - The digital text reads Ἰουδαίος (“a Jew”); the following “of them” shows that Ἰουδαίοις (“to the Jews”) is meant. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.6 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-6). ## Homilies 1.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-7 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: A preacher in Rome announces the Son of God in Judea and calls for repentance before judgment. ### Greek text Καὶ δήποτέ τις πρὸς αὐτῷ τῷ ἔτει φθινοπωρινῇ τροπῇ δημοσίᾳ στὰς ἐβόα λέγων· ἄνδρες Ῥωμαῖοι, ἀκούσατε· ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ υἱὸς ἐν Ἰουδαίᾳ πάρεστιν, ἐπαγγελλόμενος πᾶσι τοῖς βουλομένοις ζωὴν αἰώνιον ἐὰν τὰ κατὰ γνώμην τοῦ πέμψαντος αὐτὸν πατρὸς βιώσωσιν. διὸ μεταβάλλεσθε τὸν τρόπον, ἀπὸ τῶν χειρόνων ἐπὶ τὰ κρείττονα, ἀπὸ τῶν προσκαίρων ἐπὶ τὰ αἰώνια γνῶτε ἕνα Θεὸν εἶναι τὸν ἐπουράνιον, οὗ τὸν κόσμον ἀδίκως οἰκεῖτε ἐμπροσθὲν τῶν αὐτοῦ δικαίων ὀφθαλμῶν· ἀλλʼ ἐὰν μεταβάλλησθε καὶ κατὰ τὴν αὐτοῦ βούλησιν βιώσητε, εἰς ἕτερον αἰῶνα ἐνεχθέντες καὶ ἀΐδιοι γινόμενοι τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων αὐτοῦ ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσετε· ἐὰν δὲ ἀπειθήσητε, αἱ ψυχαὶ ὑμῶν κατὰ τὴν τοῦ σώματος λύσιν εἰς τὸν τόπον τοῦ πυρὸς βληθήσονται, ὅπου ἀϊδίως κολαζόμεναι ἀνωφέλητα μετανοήσουσιν. ὁ γὰρ τῆς μετανοίας καιρὸς ἡ νῦν ἑκάστου ζωὴ τυγχάνει. ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν ταῦτα ἀκούων ἠχθόμην, ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἐκ τοσούτων ὄχλων τηλικαύτην ἀγγελίαν ἀκούσας εἴρηκεν, εἰς Ιουδαίαν πορεύσομαι, ἵνα ἴδω εἰ ταῦθʼ οὗτος λέγων ἀληθεύει, ὡς ὅτι υἱὸς Θεοῦ ἐπιδεδήμηκεν τῇ Ιουδαίᾳ, ἀγαθῆς καὶ αἰωνίας ἐλπίδος χάριν, τὴν τοῦ ἀποστείλαντος πατρὸς βούλησιν ἐκφαίνων· καὶ ὅπερ λέγουσιν αὐτὸν κηρύσσειν, ἐκ ἔστιν μικρόν ὧν μὲν γὰρ τὰς ψυχὰς διαβεβαιοῦται αἰωνίους οὔσας αἰωνίων ἀπολαύσειν ἀγαθῶν, ὧν δὲ ἐν πυρὶ ἀσβέστῳ ῥιφθείσας τὸν αἰῶνα κολασθήσεσθαι. ### English translation (Claude) And in that same year, at the autumn season, a certain man stood in a public place and cried out, saying: “Men of Rome, listen! The Son of God is now in Judea, promising eternal life to all who are willing, if they live according to the will of the Father who sent him. Therefore change your ways from the worse to the better, from things temporal to things eternal. Know that there is one God, the heavenly one, whose world you inhabit unrighteously before his righteous eyes. But if you change and live according to his will, you will be brought into another age and, becoming everlasting, will enjoy his unspeakable good things. But if you disobey, your souls after the dissolution of the body will be cast into the place of fire, where, punished everlastingly, they will repent to no profit. For the time for repentance is each one's present life.” When I heard this, I was grieved that no one out of such great crowds, having heard so great a message, said: “I will go to Judea to see whether this man speaks the truth in saying that the Son of God has come to dwell in Judea for the sake of a good and eternal hope, revealing the will of the Father who sent him.” For what they say he preaches is no small thing: for some, he affirms, their souls, being eternal, will enjoy eternal good things; for others, cast into unquenchable fire, they will be punished for ever. ### Scripture references - Mark 9:43: echo, low confidence - Matt 3:12: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - In the Homilies this unnamed preacher is identified as Barnabas (compare 1.9); “unquenchable fire” echoes Mark 9:43 and Matt 3:12. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.7 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-7). ## Homilies 1.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-8 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement leaves his affairs and sails for Judea, but winds carry him to Alexandria, where he hears of Jesus. ### Greek text Ταῦτα ἐγὼ λέγων περὶ ἄλλων καὶ ἐμαυτῷ ὡμίλησα λέγων· τί ἄλλους μέμφομαι, ἐν τῷ αὐτῷ τῆς ἀμελείας ὑπάρχων ἐγκλήματι; ἀλλʼ εἰς Ἰουδαίαν ὁρμήσω, πρότερον τὸν ἐμὸν διαθεὶς βίον. καὶ δὴ οὕτως βουλευσαμένε μου πολὺς ὁ τῆς παρολκῆς ἐγενήθη χρόνος, τῶν βιωτικῶν πραγμάτων δυσεκλύτων ὄντων. πέρας γοῦν συννοήσας ὧδέ ποτε τὴν τοῦ βίου φύσιν, ὅτι ἐλπίδι ἐκπλέκων τοὺς σπεύδοντας ἐνεδρεύει, οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅν ποτε εἰσεκλάπην χρόνον ἐλπίσιν δονούμενος, καὶ ὅτι οὕτως ἀσχολούμενοι οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἀποθνήσκομεν, τὰ πάντα μου ὡς ἔτυχεν ἀφεὶς εἰς πόντον ὥρμησα, καὶ εἰς τὸν λιμένα ἐλθών τε καὶ ἀναχθεὶς ἀνέμων ἔχθραις ἀντὶ τοῦ εἰς Ἰουδαίαν εἰς Ἀλεξάνδρειαν ἠνέχθην· καὶ ἀνέμων ἀπορίᾳ ἐπισχεθεὶς ἐκεῖ συνεφοίτων τοῖς φιλοσόφοις, καὶ τὰ τῆς φήμης καὶ τοῦ ἐν Ῥώμῃ φανέντος ἔλεγον τοὺς λόγους. οἱ δὲ ἀπεκρίναντο, ὅτι μὲν ἐν Ῥώμῃ φανέντα οὐκ ἴσμεν, περὶ δὲ τοῦ ἐν Ἰουδαίᾳ γενομένου καὶ υἱοῦ Θεοῦ ὑπὸ τῆς φήμης λεγομένου, καὶ παρὰ πολλῶν τῶν κᾀκεῖθεν ἐληλυθότων ἠκούσαμεν, καὶ περὶ πάντων ὧν λαλῶν ἐποίει θαυμασίων ἐμάθομεν. ### English translation (Claude) Saying this about others, I also addressed myself, saying: “Why do I blame others, when I am guilty of the same negligence? But I will set out for Judea, after first settling my affairs.” And indeed, when I had so resolved, a long time of delay followed, since the affairs of life are hard to disentangle. At last, however, considering the nature of life, how it lies in wait for those who are in haste, entangling them in hope, and also how much time I had already had stolen from me while tossed about by hopes, and that we men die while thus kept busy, I left all my affairs as they were and set out for the sea. Having come to the harbour and put to sea, I was carried by contrary winds to Alexandria instead of Judea; and being detained there for lack of winds, I associated with the philosophers and told them of the report and the words of the one who had appeared in Rome. They answered: “Of one who appeared in Rome we know nothing; but about the one who has arisen in Judea, who is called by report the Son of God, we have heard from many who have come from there, and have learned of all the wonders he did as he spoke.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.8 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-8). ## Homilies 1.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-9 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: In Alexandria Clement hears Barnabas, a Hebrew disciple, tell plainly what the Son of God did and said. ### Greek text Ἐμοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος, ἤθελόν τινι συντυχεῖν τῶν ἑωρακότων αὐτόν, εὐθὺς ἦγόν με λέγοντες, ἔστι τις ἐνταῦθα, οὐ μόνον ἱστορήσας αὐτὸν ἀλλὰ καὶ τῆς ἐκεῖθεν γῆς ὑπάρχων, ἀνὴρ Ἑβραῖος, ὀνόματι Βαρνάβας, ὃς καὶ ἕνα τῶν αὐτοῦ μαθητῶν ἑαυτὸν εἶναι λέγει, καὶ ἐνταῦθά που καθεζόμενος τῆς ἐκείνου ὑποσχέσεως τοὺς λόγους τοῖς βουλομένοις ἑτοίμως λέγει. καὶ δὴ συνῆλθον αὐτοῖς. καὶ ἐλθὼν, σὺν τῷ παρεστῶτι ὄχλῳ ἔστην ἐπακούων τῶν λόγων, καὶ συνενόεν τἀληθῆ οὐ διαλεκτικῇ τέχνῃ λέγοντα, ἀλλʼ ἀκάκως καὶ ἀπαρασκευάστως ἐκτιθέμενον ἅ τε ἤκουσεν καὶ ἑώρακεν τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ φανούντα υἱὸν πεποιηκέναι τε καὶ εἰρηκέναι· πολλοὺς δὲ μάρτυρας τῶν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ λεγομένων θαυμασίων τε καὶ λόγων, καὶ ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ παρεστῶτος ὄχλου, παρεῖχεν. ### English translation (Claude) When I said that I wished to meet one of those who had seen him, they immediately led me off, saying: “There is a man here who has not only seen him but is from that country, a Hebrew named Barnabas, who says that he himself is one of his disciples; he lodges somewhere here and readily tells the words of his promise to those who wish to hear.” So I went with them. And having come, I stood with the crowd that was present, listening to his words; and I perceived that he spoke the truth, not with dialectical art, but setting forth simply and without preparation the things he had heard and seen the Son of God, who had appeared, do and say. And he produced many witnesses of the wonders and words spoken of by him, even from the crowd that was standing there. ### Translation notes - In the parallel Recognitions (1.7) Clement meets Barnabas in Rome; the Homilies place the meeting in Alexandria. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.9 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-9). ## Homilies 1.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-10 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Philosophers mock Barnabas with a question about the gnat and the elephant, but he keeps to his message and offers eyewitnesses instead of syllogisms. ### Greek text Ἐπειδὴ δὲ πρὸς τὰ ἀπανέργως λεγόμενα ἡδέως οἱ ὄχλοι διετίθεντο, οἱ ἐκ παιδείας κοσμικῆς ὁρμώμενοι φιλόσοφοι γελᾶν αὐτὸν καὶ χλευάζειν ἐπεβάλλοντο, σκώπτοντες καὶ διασύροντες θράσει ἀμέτρῳ, ὡς μεγάλοις ὅπλοις κεχρημένοι τοῖς συλλογισμοῖς. ὁ δὲ ἀπωθούμενος αὐτῶν τὸν λῆρον οὐ συνέτρεχεν αὐτῶν τῇ πανούργῳ πεύσει, ἀλλʼ ἀκαταπλήκτως ὧν ἔλεγεν οὐκ ἀφίστατο. καὶ ποτέ τις αὐτοῦ ἐπύθετο, διὰ τί κώνωψ ἐγένετο, καὶ βραχύτατον ὄν, ἕξ πόδας ἔχον, ἔχει καὶ πτερά, ἐλέφας δέ, τὸ μέγιστον τῶν ζώων, ἄπτερος ὤν τέσσαρας μόνους ἔχει πόδας. ὁ δὲ μετὰ τὴν πεῦσιν τὸν ἐμποδισθέντα ἀναλαβὼν λόγον, ὡς πρὸς τὴν πεῦσιν ἀποκρινάμενος, τὸν αὑτῷ ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς προκείμενον ἀνελάμβανεν λόγον τούτῳ μόνῳ προοιμίῳ χρώμενος καθʼ ἑκάστην ἐγκοπήν ἡμεῖς τοῦ πέμψαντος ἡμᾶς τοὺς λόγους καὶ τὰς θαυμασίες πράξεις εἰπεῖν ὑμῖν μόνον ἔχομεν ἐντολήν, καὶ ἀντὶ τῆς λογικῆς ἀποδείξεως μάρτυρας παρέχομεν ὑμῖν τῶν ἐξ ὑμῶν παρεστώτων πολλοὺς, ὧν ἐγὼ εἴδη μέμνημαι, ὡς ἐμψύχους εἰκόνας ἱκανὰς μαρτυρίας. λοιπὸν ὑμετέρας ἐστὶν ἐξουσίας, ὑπείκειν ἢ ἀπειθεῖν. τοῦ δὲ λέγειν ὑμῖν τὸ συμφέρον οὐ παύσομαι, ὅτι ἐμοὶ μὲν ζημία τὸ σιωπᾶν, ὑμῖν δὲ τὸ ἀπειθεῖν βλάβη. ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν εἰκαίων ὑμῶν προβλημάτων τὰς ἀποδείξεις ἀποδοῦναι ἐδυνάμην, εἰ φιλαληθῶς ἐπυνθάνεσθε. κώνωπος δὲ καὶ ἐλέφαντος τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς διαφόρου δημιουργίας νῦν ὑμῖν εἰπεῖν ἐκ ἔστιν εὔκαιρον τοῖς τῶν ὅλων ἀγνοοῦσι Θεόν. ### English translation (Claude) Since the crowds were well disposed toward what was said without artifice, the philosophers, who set out from worldly learning, began to laugh at him and mock him, jeering and disparaging him with boundless insolence, using their syllogisms as though they were great weapons. But he, thrusting aside their nonsense, did not enter into their crafty questioning, but went on undaunted with what he was saying. At one point someone asked him why the gnat was made so that, though it is very small and has six feet, it also has wings, while the elephant, the largest of animals, is wingless and has only four feet. But he, after the question, took up again the speech that had been interrupted, as though answering the question, resuming the discourse he had set before himself from the start, using at each interruption only this preface: “We have a command only to tell you the words and wonderful deeds of him who sent us; and instead of logical demonstration we offer you as witnesses many of those standing here among you, whose faces I remember, as living images, sufficient testimony. For the rest, it is in your power to yield or to disobey. But I will not cease telling you what is to your advantage, for to be silent is loss to me, but to disobey is harm to you. I could indeed give you the answers to your idle problems, if you asked out of love of the truth. But to tell you now the cause of the different making of the gnat and the elephant is not timely, when you do not know the God of all things.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.10 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-10). ## Homilies 1.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-11 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement rebukes the laughing philosophers, arguing that God foresaw their unworthiness and now sends simple heralds of his will. ### Greek text Ταῦτα αὐτοῦ λέγοντος, ὡς ἐκ συμφωνίας ἄτακτον ἠφίεσαν γέλωτα, κατασιωπᾶν καὶ ἀπορεῖν αὐτὸν πειρώμενοι ὡς βάρβαρόν τινα δαιμονῶντα. ἐγὼ δὲ ταῦτα ὁρῶν, ζήλῳ οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅπως ληφθείς, εὐσεβεῖ θυμῷ τοῦ λοιποῦ σιγᾶν οὐκ ἐκαρτέρουν, ἀλλὰ μετὰ παῤῥησίας ἐβόων λέγων· εὐλόγως ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῖν ἀκατάληπτον τὴν αὐτοῦ βούλησιν ἔθετο, ἀναξίους προιδών, ὡς ἐκ τῶν νῦν τοὺς κριτικὸν νοῦν ἔχοντας πληροφορῶν φαίνεται. ἐπεὶ γὰρ νῦν τῆς αὐτοῦ βουλήσεως κήρυκες ἐξαπεστάλησαν, οὐ γραμματικὴν ἐπαγγελλόμενοι τέχνην, ἀλλʼ ἁπλοῖς καὶ ἀπανούργοις τὴν αὐτοῦ βούλησιν ἐκφαίνοντες, ὡς πάντα ὁντιναοῦν τὸν ἀκούσαντα νοεῖν τὰ λεγόμενα, καὶ οὐ μετὰ ἕξεως τινος φθονερᾶς, παρέχειν πᾶσιν ἑαυτὴν μὴ βουλομένης πάρεστε ὑμεῖς, πρὸς τῷ μὴ νοεῖν τὸ ὑμῖν συμφέρον, ἐπὶ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ βλάβῃ γελᾶν τὴν εἰς τὴν ὑμετέραν καταδίκην ἐν βαρβάροις πολιτευσαμένην ἀλήθειαν, ἣν καὶ ὑμῖν ἐπιδημήσασαν ξενίσαι οὐ βούλεσθε, διὰ τὰς ἀσελγείας ὑμῶν, καὶ τὸ λιτὸν τῶν λόγων αὐτῆς, ἵνα μὴ ἐλεγχθῆτε, ὅτι εἰ καὶ φιλόλογοί ἐστε, καὶ οὐ φιλαλήθεῖς φιλόσοφοι μέχρι μὲν οὖν πότε λαλεῖν μανθάνετε, οἱ τὸ λαλεῖν οὐκ ἔχοντες; πολλὰ γὰρ ὑμῶν ῥήματα ἑνὸς οὐκ ἄξια λόγου. τί ἄρα ἐρεῖ ὑμῶν τὸ ἑλληνικὸν πλῆθος μία ψυχὴ γενόμενον, εἴπερ ἔσται κρίσις, ὡς οὗτος λέγει; διὰ τί, ὦ θεέ, τὴν σὴν βούλησιν οὐκ ἐκήρυξας ἡμῖν; οὐ πάντως ἀκούσεσθε, εἴπερ ἀποκρίσεως καταξιωθήσεσθε, τάδε· ἐγὼ πάσας τὰς ἐσομένας πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου εἰδὼς προαιρέσεις, ἰδίως ἑκάστῳ πρὸς τὸ αὐτοῦ ἄξιον λανθανόντως προαπήντησα· τοῦτο δὲ αὐτὸ ὅτι οὕτως ἔχει, βουληθεὶς τοὺς προσπεφευγότας μοι πληροφορῆσαι, διὰ τί ἀπαρχῆς ἐκ προτέρων γενεῶν τὴν ἐμὴν βούλησιν δημοσίᾳ ἐκ εἴασα κηρυχθῆναι, νῦν πρὸς τῷ τέλει τοῦ βίου κήρυκας ἐμῆς βουλῆς ἀπέστειλα, οἱ καὶ ὑβριζόμενοι χλευάζονται ὑπὸ τῶν μηδὲν ὠφελεῖσθαι θελόντων καὶ ἐπιτεταμένως τὴν ἐμὴν φιλίαν παραιτησαμένων. ὢ μεγάλης ἀδικίας, μέχρι φθόνου κινδυνεύουσιν κήρυκες, καὶ ταῦτα ὑπὸ τῶν εἰς σωτηρίαν καλουμένων ἀνδρῶν. ### English translation (Claude) When he said this, they broke out as though by agreement into disorderly laughter, trying to silence him and put him at a loss, as a barbarian possessed by a demon. But I, seeing this, and seized, I know not how, with zeal, could no longer bear to keep silent in my pious anger, but cried out boldly, saying: “With good reason has God made his will incomprehensible to you, foreseeing that you would be unworthy, as is evident now to those who have discerning minds. For now that heralds of his will have been sent out, not professing the art of the grammarians but setting forth his will in simple and guileless words, so that anyone at all who hears may understand what is said, as of a will that does not wish, from some jealous disposition, to withhold itself from anyone, here you are, besides not understanding what is to your advantage, laughing, to your own harm, at the truth, which has lived among barbarians to your condemnation; and now that it has come to dwell among you, you will not receive it as a guest, because of your licentiousness and the plainness of its words, lest you be proved to be lovers of words but not truth-loving philosophers. How long will you be learning to speak, you who do not know how to speak? For many of your words are not worth one word. What then will your whole Greek multitude say, become as one soul, if there is to be a judgment, as this man says? ‘Why, O God, did you not proclaim your will to us?’ Will you not surely hear, if you are counted worthy of an answer, this: ‘I, knowing before the foundation of the world all the choices that would be made, met each one secretly beforehand according to what he deserved. And wishing to assure of this very thing those who have taken refuge with me, namely why I did not allow my will to be proclaimed publicly from the beginning in former generations, I have now, at the end of the age, sent out heralds of my will; and they are insulted and mocked by those who wish to gain nothing and who have earnestly refused my friendship.’ O great injustice! The heralds are in danger even of malice, and that from the very men who are called to salvation. ### Scripture references - Eph 1:4: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - “Before the foundation of the world” echoes Eph 1:4 and similar New Testament phrasing. - “In danger even of malice” renders φθόνου as printed; ANF's “loss of life” presupposes φόνου (“murder”). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.11 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-11). ## Homilies 1.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-12 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement continues God's imagined reply and rebukes the philosophers for barking down a messenger who meant them good. ### Greek text Τοῦτο δὲ τὸ ἀδίκως γινόμενον κατὰ τῶν ἐμῶν κηρύκων ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς ἄν εἰς πάντας ἐγίνετο, εἴπερ ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς εἰς σωτηρίαν ἐκαλοῦντο οἱ ἀνάξιοι. τὸ γὰρ νῦν γινόμενον ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ἀδίκως εἰς ἀπολογίαν τῆς ἐμῆς δικαίας γίνεται προνοίας, ὅτι καλῶς τὸν τιμῆς ἄξιον λόγον ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς δημοσίᾳ εἰς ὕβριν θεῖναι οὐκ ἐβηλήθην ἀνωφελῶς, ἀλλὰ σιγᾶσθαι αὐτὸν ὡς τίμιον ἐβουλευσάμην, οὐκ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς ἀξίων, οἷς καὶ μετέδωκα, ἀλλʼ ἀπὸ τούτων καὶ τῶν τοιούτων, ὡς ὁρᾶτε, ἀναξίων, τῶν ἐμὲ μισούντων καὶ ἑαυτοὺς φιλεῖν μὴ βουλομένων. καὶ νῦν γε παρέντες γελᾷν τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον ἐμοῦ πρὸς τὸ τούτου ἐπάγγελμα πυνθάνεσθε, ἢ πυνθανομένων ὁ βουλόμενος ἀποκρινάσθω. καὶ ὡς ἀσελγεῖς κύνες ὑλάκτετε, ψόφῳ ἀτάκτῳ μύοντες τῶν σώζεσθαι θελόντων τὰς ἀκοάς, ἄδικοι καὶ θεοστυγεῖς, καὶ τὸν σώζοντα λογισμὸν εἰς ἀπιστίαν ἀποσχολοῦντες. πῶς συγγνώμης τυχεῖν δυνήσεσθε, τὸν τὴν θεότητα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐπαγγελλόμενον ὑμῖν εἰπεῖν ὑβρίζοντες, καὶ ταῦτα ἄνθρωπον ὅν ἐχρῆν, εἰ καὶ μηδὲν ἀληθεύοντα, διὰ τὴν ἀγαθὴν αὐτοῦ πρὸς ὑμᾶς ἀποδέξασθαι προαίρεσιν; ### English translation (Claude) “For this wrong now done to my heralds would have been done from the beginning to all of them, if the unworthy had been called to salvation from the beginning. For what is now unjustly done by them serves as a defence of my just providence: that I rightly did not wish, from the beginning, to expose to insult publicly and to no profit the word worthy of honour, but chose that it be kept in silence as precious, not from those who were worthy from the beginning, to whom I also imparted it, but from these and such as these, who, as you see, are unworthy, who hate me and do not wish to love themselves.’ And now, stop laughing at this man; ask me about what he proclaims, or, if you ask, let whoever wishes answer. But like shameless dogs you bark, closing with disorderly noise the ears of those who wish to be saved, unrighteous and hateful to God, and diverting to unbelief the reasoning that saves. How will you be able to obtain pardon, when you insult the man who promises to tell you of the divinity of God, whom you ought, even if he spoke no truth at all, to have received for his good will toward you?” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.12 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-12). ## Homilies 1.13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-13 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: After the uproar Clement takes Barnabas to his house, is briefly instructed, and learns that Barnabas must return to Judea for a festival. ### Greek text Ταῦτά μου λέγοντος καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἀκόλουθα, πολὺς τῶν ὄχλων ἐγίνετο θρύλλος. καὶ οἱ μὲν ὡς τὸν Βαρνάβαν ἐλεοῦντες συνήραντό μοι οἱ δὲ ἠλίθιοι ὄντες δεινῶς κατʼ ἐμοῦ ἔβρυχον τοὺς ὀδόντας. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἤδη ποτὲ ἑσπέρα κατειλήφει, τῆς χειρὸς λαβὼν τὸν Βαρνάβαν, μὴ θέλοντα, βίᾳ εἰς τὴν ἐμὴν ἦγον οἰκίαν, ἔνθα καὶ μένειν αὐτὸν ἐποίησα, ἵνα μή τις αὐτῷ χεῖρας ἐπιβάλῃ. καὶ ἡμερῶν ὀλίγων διατρίψας, καὶ τοῦ ἀληθοῦς λόγου βραχέα κατηχήσας με ὀλίγον, ὡς ἐν ὀλίγαις ἡμέραις σπεύδειν ἔλεγεν εἰς Ἰουδαίαν τῆς κατὰ τὴν θρησκείαν ἑορτῆς χάριν, καὶ τοῦ λοιποῦ τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ ὁμοεθνέσιν συνεῖναι θέλων. ### English translation (Claude) As I was saying these things and more to the same effect, there arose a great commotion among the crowds. Some, as pitying Barnabas, took my side; but others, being foolish, gnashed their teeth at me fiercely. And since evening had now come on, I took Barnabas by the hand and led him, against his will, by force to my house, and there I made him stay, so that no one might lay hands on him. And after staying a few days and briefly instructing me a little in the true doctrine, as far as one could in a few days, he said that he was hastening to Judea for the sake of the festival of his religion, and because he wished for the future to be with his own countrymen. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.13 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-13). ## Homilies 1.14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-14 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Barnabas refuses to delay; Clement escorts him to the harbour and promises to follow soon. ### Greek text Φανερὸς δʼ ἦν μοι ἀποναρκήσας. ἐμοῦ γὰρ εἰπόντος· σύ μοι μόνον τοὺς τοῦ φανέντος ἀνδρὸς οὕς ἥκουσας ἐκτίθου λόγους, κἀγὼ τῷ ἐμῷ κοσμήσας λόγῳ τοῦ Θεοῦ κηρύξω τὴν βούλησιν, καὶ εἶθʼ οὕτως ἐντὸς ὀλίγων ἡμερῶν συμπλεύσω σοι· λίαν γὰρ ποθῶ ἐπὶ τὸν τῆς Ἰουδαίας γενέσθαι τόπον· τάχα δὲ καὶ συνοικήσω ὑμῖν τὸν πάντα μου τῆς ζωῆς βίον· ὁ δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούσας ἀπεκρίνατο· σὺ εἰ μὲν ἱστορῆσαι τὰ ἡμέτερα καὶ μαθεῖν τὸ συμφέρον θέλεις, ἐξ αὐτῆς μοι σύμπλευσον· ἐπεί γε τὰ σημεῖα τῆς οἰκήσεώς μου καὶ ὧν θέλεις ἐγώ σοι σήμερον ἐρῶ, ἵνα ὅτε βούλει ἐλθὼν ἐπιστῇς ἡμῖν· ἐγὼ γὰρ αὔριον πορεύσομαι ἐπὶ τὰ ἐμαυτοῦ. καὶ δὴ ἀδυσώπητον ἰδὼν συνῆλθον αὐτῷ μέχρι τοῦ λιμένος· καὶ μαθὼν παρʼ αὐτοῦ ἅπερ ἔλεγε σημεῖα τῶν οἰκήσεων, ἔφην αὐτῷ· εἰ μὴ ὅτι αὔριόν τι ἀπαιτῶ ὀφειλόμενόν μοι, ἐξ αὐτῆς ἄν σοι συνέπλεον· πλὴν τάχιόν σε καταλήψομαι. καὶ ταῦτα εἰπών, παραθέμενος αὐτὸν τοῖς τοῦ πλοίου ἡγουμένοις ὑπέστρεφον λυπούμενος, μεμνημένος τοῦ καλοῦ καὶ συνήθους φίλου. ### English translation (Claude) It was clear to me that he had grown weary of staying. For when I said, “Only set out for me the words of the man who appeared, which you heard, and I, adorning them with my own speech, will proclaim the will of God; and then within a few days I will sail with you, for I greatly long to be in the land of Judea, and perhaps I will even live with you all the rest of my life,” he answered on hearing this: “If you wish to see our affairs and learn what is to your advantage, sail with me at once; or else I will tell you today the signs of my dwelling-place and of the persons you wish to find, so that you may come and visit us whenever you wish. For tomorrow I am going home.” Seeing him unmoved, I went with him to the harbour; and having learned from him the signs of the dwellings of which he spoke, I said to him: “If it were not that tomorrow I am to collect something owed me, I would sail with you at once; but I shall overtake you soon.” And having said this and commended him to the masters of the ship, I returned in sorrow, remembering my good and dear friend. ### Translation notes - “It was clear to me that he had grown weary of staying” renders ἀποναρκήσας loosely; the sense of the word here is uncertain. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.14 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-14). ## Homilies 1.15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-15 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement lands at Caesarea, learns that Peter is to debate Simon of Gitta, and is introduced to Peter by Barnabas. ### Greek text Ἡμερῶν δὲ διατρίψας, καὶ τὸ χρέος οὐχ ὅλον λαβεῖν δυνηθείς, τάχους ἕνεκα ἀμελήσας τοῦ περιλειφθέντος, ὡς ἐμποδίου ὄντος, καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς Ἰουδαίαν ἀπέπλευσα, καὶ δεκαπέντε ἡμερῶν εἰς Καισάρειαν κατήντησα τὴν Στράτωνος. ἐπίβαντος δέ μου τῆς γῆς καὶ ξενίαν θηρωμένου, ἔμαθον ὅτι Πέτρος τις λεγόμενος, τοῦ ἐν Ἰουδαίᾳ εἰσφανέντος ἀνδρὸς τοῦ σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα πεποιηκότος ὁ δοκιμώτατος ὑπάρχων μαθητής, αὔριον Σίμωνι τῷ ἀπὸ Γιτθῶν Σαμαρεῖ ζήτησιν ποιεῖται λόγων. ἐγὼ δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούσας ἐδεήθην τὴν τούτου μοι μηνυθῆναι μονήν καὶ ὁμῶς ἔμαθον καὶ τῷ πυλῶνι ἐπέστην. οἱ δʼ ἀντέβαλλον τίς τε ὥν καὶ πόθεν ἥκω. καὶ ἰδοὺ Βαρνάβας ἐκβὰς ἄμα τῷ ἰδεῖν περιεπλάκη μοι, πολὺ χαίρων καὶ δακρύων· καὶ λαβόμενός μου τῆς χειρὸς εἰσέφερεν ἔνθα ἦν ὁ Πέτρος, λέγων μοι, οὗτός ἐστιν Πέτρος, ὅν μέγιστον ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ σοφίᾳ ἐπηγγελλόμην σοι, ᾧ ἀπαύστως σε ἀντέβαλλον. ὡς εἴσιθι ἐκ ταυτομάτου, ὅτι τὰ κατά σε καλὰ ὄντα ἀψευδῶς ἀντέβαλλον, ἅμα καὶ τὴν προαίρεσιν ἐξέφηνα, ὡς αὐτὸν γλίχεσθαι καὶ ἰδεῖν σε. μέγα οὖν αὐτῷ δῶρόν σε διὰ τῶν ἐμῶν προσφέρω χειρῶν. καὶ τοῦτο εἰπών, προσενέγκας ἔφη, οὗτός ἐστι Κλήμης, Πέτρε. ### English translation (Claude) After staying some days, and not being able to recover the whole debt, I neglected the remainder for the sake of speed, since it was a hindrance, and I too sailed for Judea, and in fifteen days arrived at Caesarea Stratonis. When I had landed and was looking for lodging, I learned that a certain man called Peter, the most esteemed disciple of the man who had appeared in Judea and done signs and wonders, was to hold a discussion the next day with Simon, the Samaritan from Gitta. On hearing this I asked to be shown his lodging; and when I had learned it I stood at the gate. The people there asked who I was and where I came from. And behold, Barnabas came out, and as soon as he saw me he embraced me, rejoicing greatly and weeping. And taking me by the hand he led me in to where Peter was, saying to me: “This is Peter, whom I told you of as the greatest in the wisdom of God, and to whom I have spoken of you unceasingly. Go in as one expected, for I have told him truly of your good qualities and have also revealed your purpose, so that he too longs to see you. I therefore bring you to him with my own hands as a great gift.” And having said this he presented me, saying: “This is Clement, Peter.” ### Scripture references - Acts 8:9: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Simon of Gitta is Simon Magus (Acts 8:9–24), whose home town Justin also names (1 Apol. 26). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.15 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-15). ## Homilies 1.16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-16 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter welcomes Clement, praises his hospitality to Barnabas, and invites him to travel with him as far as Rome. ### Greek text Ὁ δὲ ἀγαθὸς προσπηδήσας ἅμα τῷ ἀκοῦσαι τὸ ὄνομα κατεφίλησεν, καὶ καθισθῆναί με ποιήσας ἐξ αὐτῆς ἔφη· καλῶς ἐποίησας τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας κήρυκα ξενίσας Βαρνάβαν, εἰς τιμὴν τοῦ ὄντος Θεοῦ, μεγαλοφρόνως, ἐκ αἰδεσθείς, οὐ φοβηθεὶς τὸν τῶν ἀπαιδεύτων ὄχλων θυμόν. μακάριος ἔσῃ. ὡς γὰρ σὺ τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας πρεσβευτὴν οὕτω ἐξένισας πάσῃ τιμῇ, καὶ αὐτή σε ἡ ἀλήθεια ξένον ὄντα τῆς ἰδίας πόλεως καταστήσει πολίτην· καὶ τότε χαρήσῃ μεγάλως, ὅτι βραχεῖαν νῦν δανείσας χάριν, προαίρεσιν λόγων καλῶν λέγων, ἀϊδίων καὶ ἀναφαιρέτων ἀγαθῶν ἔσῃ κληρονόμος. καὶ μὴ κάμνε ἀντιβάλλειν μοι τὸ σὸν ἦθος· πάντα γὰρ τὰ κατά σε ὁ ἀψευδὴς ἡμῖν ἀντέβαλεν Βαρνάβας, σχεδὸν καθʼ ἡμέραν τὴν ἀγαθὴν ποιούμενος μνήμην. καὶ ἵνα σοι ἐν ἐπιτομῇ ὡς γνησίῳ τὸ προκείμενον ἐρῶ, εἰ μὴ σοί τι ἐμποδίζει, συνόδευσον ἡμῖν, μεταλαμβάνων τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας λόγον, ὅν κατὰ πόλιν ποιεῖσθαι μέλλω, μέχρι Ῥώμης αὐτῆς. καὶ σὺ δὲ εἴ τι βούλει λέγε. ### English translation (Claude) And the good Peter, as soon as he heard the name, ran to me and kissed me, and having made me sit down, said at once: “You did well to receive as your guest Barnabas, the herald of the truth, in honour of the God who is, nobly, not ashamed and not fearing the rage of the uneducated crowds. You will be blessed. For as you received the ambassador of the truth with all honour, so the truth itself will make you, who are a stranger, a citizen of its own city. And then you will rejoice greatly, because, having now lent a small favour, the goodwill of kind words, you will be heir of everlasting good things that cannot be taken away. And do not trouble to tell me of your character, for the truthful Barnabas has told us everything about you, mentioning you kindly almost every day. And to tell you briefly, as to a true friend, what lies before us: if nothing hinders you, travel with us, sharing in the word of truth, which I intend to preach from city to city as far as Rome itself. And you too, say whatever you wish.” ### Scripture references - Matt 10:41: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The motif of receiving a messenger and being rewarded echoes Matt 10:40–41. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.16 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-16). ## Homilies 1.17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-17 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement asks Peter his questions about the soul, judgment, righteousness, and the world, and Peter agrees to answer. ### Greek text Ἐγὼ ἐξεθέμην τὴν ἐξ ἀρχῆς μου προαίρεσιν, καὶ ὡς εἰς ζητήσεις ἀπόρους ἐκενώθην, καὶ πάντα ὅσα σοι τὴν ἀρχὴν προεδήλωσα, ὡς ἵνα μὴ τὰ αὐτὰ πάλιν γράφω. ἔλεγον δέ· σοὶ μὲν ἑτοίμως ἔχω συνοδεύειν· τοῦτο γὰρ οὐκ οἶδʼ ὅπως χαίρων θέλω· πλὴν περὶ ἀληθείας πρῶτον πληροφορηθῆναι θέλω, ἵνα γνῶ, εἰ ψυχὴ θνητὴ τυγχάνει, εἰ ἀθάνατός ἐστιν, καὶ ἀΐδιος οὐσα περὶ ὧν ἔπραξεν ἐνταῦθα ἔχει κριθῆναι· καὶ εἰ, τί ποτέ ἐστι δίκαιον ἢ ἀρέσκον Θεῷ· καὶ εἰ γέγονε κόσμος, καὶ διὰ τί γέγονε· καὶ εἰ οὐ λυθήσεται, καὶ εἰ λυθήσεται· καὶ εἰ κρείττων ἔσται, ἢ οὐδὲ ἔσται· καὶ ἵνα μὴ τὸ κατʼ εἶδος λέγω, ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τούτοις οὑπόμενα μαθεῖν εἶπον θέλειν. ὁ δὲ πρὸς ταῦτα ἀπεκρίνατο συντόμως σοι, ὦ Κλήμης, τὴν τῶν ὄντων γνῶσιν παρέξομαι· καὶ τὰ νῦν ἐξ αὐτῆς ἄκουσον. ### English translation (Claude) I set out my purpose from the beginning, and how I had been exhausted by insoluble inquiries, and everything that I made known to you at the beginning, so that I need not write the same things again. And I said: “I am ready to travel with you, for this, I know not how, I wish with joy. But first I wish to be fully assured about the truth, so that I may know whether the soul is mortal, or whether it is immortal and, being everlasting, is to be judged for what it has done here; and, if so, what it is that is righteous and pleasing to God; and whether the world came into being, and why it came into being; and whether it will not be dissolved, or whether it will be dissolved; and whether it will be better, or will not exist at all.” And, not to speak in detail, I said that I wished to learn these things and what follows from them. And he answered: “I will give you, Clement, the knowledge of the things that are, in brief; and hear it now at once.” ### Translation notes - The “you” addressed by Clement is James, to whom the Homilies are framed as a letter (see the prefatory Epistle of Clement to James). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.17 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-17). ## Homilies 1.18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-18 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter compares the world to a smoke-filled house whose inhabitants cannot see God until someone opens the door from outside. ### Greek text Ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ βουλὴ ἐν ἀδήλῳ γέγονε κατὰ πολλοὺς τρόπους. τὰ μὲν πρῶτα εἰσαγωγὴ κακὴ, συντροφία πονηρὰ, συνήθεια δεινὴ, ὁμιλία οὐ καλὴ, πρόληψις οὐκ ὀρθὴ, διὰ ταῦτα πλάνη· εἶτα ἀφοβία, ἀπιστία, πορνεία, φιλαργυρία, κενοδοξία, καὶ ἄλλα τοιαῦτα μυρία κακὰ, ὥσπερ καπνοῦ πλῆθος, ὡς ἕνα οἶκον οἰκοῦντα τὸν κόσμον, τῶν ἔνδοθεν οἰκούντων ἀνδρῶν ἐπεθόλωσαν τὰς ὁράσεις, καὶ οὐκ εἴασαν ἀναβλέψαντας ἐκ τῆς διαγραφῆς τὸν δημιουργὸν συγκατανοῆσαι Θεὸν, καὶ τὸ τούτῳ δοκοῦν γνωρίσαι. διὸ τοὺς φιλαλήθεις ἔσωθεν χρὴ ἐκ στέρνων βοήσαντας ἐπικουρίαν προσκαλέσασθαι, φιλαληθεῖ λογισμῷ, ἵνα τις ἐντὸς ὢν τοῦ οἴκου τοῦ πεπλησμένου καπνοῦ, προσιὼν ἀνοίξῃ θύραν, ὅπως δυνηθῇ τὸ μὲν ἐκτὸς τοῦ ἡλίου φῶς εἰσκριθῆναι τῷ οἴκῳ, ὁ δὲ ἐντὸς τοῦ πυρὸς ὣν ἐκβληθῆναι καπνός. ### English translation (Claude) “The will of God has become obscure in many ways. First there is bad upbringing, evil companionship, dreadful habit, unworthy conversation, wrong prejudgment, and through these, error; then fearlessness, unbelief, sexual immorality, love of money, vainglory, and countless other evils of the kind. Like a great mass of smoke filling the world, which is like one house, these have darkened the sight of the men who dwell within, and have not allowed them to look up and perceive God the Creator from his handiwork and to learn what pleases him. Therefore those within who love the truth must cry out from their breasts and call for help, with truth-loving reason, so that someone who is inside the house full of smoke may come near and open the door, so that the light of the sun outside may be let into the house, and the smoke of the fire within may be driven out.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.18 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-18). ## Homilies 1.19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-19 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter teaches that only the true Prophet can give certainty, and that once tested he must be believed in everything. ### Greek text Τὸν μὲν οὖν βοηθὸν ἄνδρα τὸν ἀληθῆ προφήτην λέγω, ὅς μόνος φωτίσαι ψυχὰς ἀνθρώπων δύναται, ὥτʼ ἄν αὐτοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς δυνηθῆναι ἡμᾶς ἐνιδεῖν τῆς αἰωνίου σωτηρίας τὴν ὁδόν. ἄλλως δὲ ἀδύνατον, ὡς οἶσθα καὶ σὺ μικρῷ τάχιον εἰπών, ὡς πᾶσα ὑπόθεσις ἀνασκευάζεται καὶ κατασκευάζεται, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ἐκδικοῦντος δύναμιν ἡ αὐτὴ ἀληθὴς καὶ ψευδὴς νομίζεται· ὡς μηκέτι τὰς ὑποθέσεις φαίνεσθαι ὅ εἰσιν, ἀλλὰ παρὰ τοὺς ἐκδικοῦντας φαντασίαν λαμβάνειν τοῦ εἶναι ἢ μὴ εἶναι ἀληθεῖς ἢ ψευδεῖς. τούτου εἵνεκεν προφήτου ἀληθοῦς ὅλον τὸ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἐδεήθη πρᾶγμα, ἵνα ἡμῖν ἐρῇ τὰ ὄντα ὥς ἐςιν, καὶ ὡς δεῖ περὶ πάντων πιςεύειν. ὥστε πρῶτον χρὴ τὸν προφήτην πάσῃ τῇ προφητικῇ ἐξετάσει δοκιμάσαντα καὶ ἐπιγνόντα ἀληθῆ, τοῦ λοιποῦ τὰ πάντα αὐτῷ πιστεύειν, καὶ μηκέτι τὸ καθʼ ἓν ἕκαστον τῶν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ λεγομένων ἀνακρίνειν, ἀλλὰ λαμβάνειν αὐτὰ βέβαια ὄντα, δοκούσῃ μὲν πίστει, ληφθέντα δὲ ἀσφαλεῖ κρίσει· ἀποδείξει γὰρ μιᾷ τῇ ἀπαρχῆς καὶ ἀκριβεῖ ἐξετάσει τῇ πανταχόθεν τὰ ὅλα ὀρθῷ εἴληπται λογισμῷ. διὸ πρὸ πάντων τὸν ἀληθῆ προφήτην ζητεῖν δεῖ, ὅτι ἄνευ τούτου βέβαιόν τι προσεἶναι ἀνθρώποις ἀδύνατον. ### English translation (Claude) “The helper, then, I call the true Prophet, who alone is able to enlighten the souls of men, so that we may be able to see with our own eyes the way of eternal salvation. Otherwise it is impossible, as you yourself know, having said a little earlier that every thesis is overturned and established, and the same thesis is held true or false according to the ability of its defender, so that theses no longer appear as they are, but take from their defenders the appearance of being or not being true or false. For this reason the whole matter of piety needed a true prophet, to tell us things as they are, and how we must believe about all things. So one must first test the prophet by every prophetic examination and, having recognized him as true, thereafter believe him in everything, and no longer examine each thing he says one by one, but accept his words as certain, received seemingly by faith but in fact by a sure judgment. For by one proof at the beginning and a precise examination on every side, the whole has been received by right reasoning. Therefore before all things one must seek the true Prophet, because without him it is impossible for men to have anything certain.” ### Translation notes - The “true Prophet” is the central Christological title of the Pseudo-Clementines; it refers to Christ. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.19 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-19). ## Homilies 1.20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-20 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter's teaching on the Prophet assures Clement, and Peter invites him to watch his coming debates with opponents. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁμῶς ἀνέπαυσέν με, ἐκθέμενός μοι τίς ἐστιν καὶ πῶς εὑρίσκεται, καὶ ἀληθῶς εὑρετόν μοι παρασχὼν αὐτόν, τῶν παρὰ ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁρωμένων ἐμφανεστέραν τῇ τοῦ προφήτου ὁμιλίᾳ τοῖς ὠσὶν δείξας τὴν ἀλήθειαν, ὡς ἐκπλαγέντα με θαυμάζειν, πῶς τῶν πᾶσι ζητουμένων ἔμπροσθεν κειμένων οὐδεὶς ἐνορᾷ. πλὴν γράψας τὸν περὶ προφήτου λόγον, αὐτοῦ κελεύσαντος, ἀπὸ τῆς Καισαρείας Στράτωνος διαπεμφθῆναί σοι ἐποίησεν τὸν τόμον, παρά σου ἐντολὴν ἔχειν εἰπὼν, τὰς καθʼ ἕκαστον ἐνιαυτὸν ὁμιλίας τε καὶ πράξεις γράφοντα διαπέμπειν σοι. ὅμως ἐν μιᾷ τῇ πρώτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἀρχὴν ἤδη μόνον ποιούμενος περὶ τοῦ τῆς ἀληθείας προφήτου, περὶ πάντων με ἐπληροφόρησεν. καὶ εἶθʼ οὕτως ἔφη ἐνόρα τοῦ λοιποῦ τὰς ἐξ ἐμοῦ πρὸς τοὺς ἐξ ἐναντίας γινομένας ζητήσεις καὶ εἰ τὸ ἧττον ἀπενέγκωμαι, οὐ δέδια μή πως σὺ περὶ τῆς παραδοθείσης σοι ἀληθείας διακριθῇς, εὖ εἰδὼς ὅτι ἐγὼ ἡττᾶσθαι ἔδοξα, οὐχὶ ἡ ὑπόθεσις ἡ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου παραδοθεῖσα ἡμῖν. πλὴν ἐλπίζω μηδὲ ἐν τῷ ἐξεταστικῷ λόγῳ τὸ ἧττον ἀπενέγκασθαι πρὸς τοὺς νοῦν ἔχοντας, φιλαληθεῖς λέγω, οἵτινες δύνανται γνωρίζειν τῶν λόγων τίνες εἰσὶ πιθανοί, ἔντεχνοί τε καὶ ἐπιτερπεῖς, τίνες τε λιτοὶ καὶ ἁπλοῖ, μόνῃ τῇ διʼ αὐτῶν ἀληθείᾳ πεποιθότες. ### English translation (Claude) And so he gave me rest, setting out for me who he is and how he is found; and he truly made him discoverable to me, showing to my ears, by his discourse on the Prophet, the truth more plainly than things seen with the eyes, so that I was astonished and wondered how no one perceives what all men seek though it lies before them. However, having written down the discourse about the Prophet at his command, he had the volume sent to you from Caesarea Stratonis, saying that he had instructions from you to write and send you year by year his discourses and acts. Still, on that one first day, while only making a beginning about the Prophet of the truth, he gave me full assurance about everything. And then he said: “Observe from now on the discussions I hold with those who oppose us; and even if I should come off worse, I am not afraid that you will waver about the truth handed on to you, knowing well that it is I who seemed to be worsted, not the doctrine handed on to us through the Prophet. But I hope not to come off worse even in the argument of examination, before those who have understanding, I mean lovers of truth, who can discern which words are persuasive, artful, and delightful, and which are plain and simple, trusting only in the truth that comes through them.” ### Translation notes - The volume is sent to James, the addressee of the Homilies; who wrote it down (Clement or Peter) is ambiguous in the Greek. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.20 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-20). ## Homilies 1.21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-21 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement assures Peter that he will never waver from the doctrine of the true Prophet. ### Greek text Ταῦτα αὐτοῦ εἰπόντος, ἀπεκρινάμην· ἥδη εὐχαριστῶ τῷ Θεῷ· ὡς γὰρ ἐβουλόμην πληροφορηθῆναι, οὕτως μοι καὶ παρέσχεν. πλὴν τὰ περὶ ἐμοῦ τοσοῦτον ἀμέριμνος ἴσθι, ὅτι οὐ πώποτε ἐνδοιάσω, τοσοῦτον, ὅσον εἰ καὶ αὐτὸς σὺ βουληθείης ποτὲ τῆς προφητικῆς ὑποθέσεως ἐκστῆσαί με, ἀδύνατον ἠδυνήσῃ, τοσοῦτον οἶδα ὅ παρείληφα. καὶ μή τοι νόμιζέ μέ σοι μέγα ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι, τοῦτο αὐτὸ τὸ μὴ ἐνδοιάσαι ποτέ· ἀλλʼ οὔτʼ αὐτὸς ἐγὼ, οὔτε τις ἀνθρώπων τὸν περὶ προφήτου λόγον ἐπακούσας ἐνδοιάσαι ποτὲ δυνήσεται περὶ τῆς ἀληθοῦς ὑποθέσεως, πρότερον ἐπακούσας καὶ νοήσας, τίς ἐστιν προφητικῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἀλήθεια. διὸ θάῤῥει τῷ θεοβουλήτῳ δόγματι πᾶσα γὰρ τέχνη κακίας νενίκηται. πρὸς γὰρ προφητείαν οὐδὲν δύνανται οὔτε τέχναι λόγων, οὔτε σοφισμάτων ἐπίνοιαι, οὐ συλλογισμοί, οὐκ ἄλλη τις μηχανή· ἐάν γε ὁ ἐπακούσας προφήτου ἀληθοῦς ἀληθείας ὄντως ὀρέγεται, καὶ οὐ προφάσει ἀληθείας ἕτερόν τι περιβλέπεται. ὥστε, κύριέ μου Πέτρε, μὴ ἀθύμει, ὡς ἀναισθήτῳ τὸ μέγιστον δωρησάμενος ἀγαθόν. αἰσθομένῳ γὰρ χάριτος ἐδώρησας, καὶ μὴ δυναμένῳ ἀπατηθῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ δοθέντος ἀληθοῦς. οἶδα γὰρ ὅτι ἕν ἐστιν ὧν βούλεταί τις καὶ ταχέως λαβεῖν καὶ βραδέως μὴ τυχεῖν· οἶδα οὖν μὴ καταφρονεῖν τοῦ δοθέντος μοι, διὰ τὸ τάχος, ἀσυγκρίτου καὶ μόνου ἀσφαλοῦς. ### English translation (Claude) When he had said this, I answered: “Already I give thanks to God; for as I wished to be fully assured, so he has granted me. But be so free from care about me that I will never waver; so much so that even if you yourself should ever wish to move me from the prophetic doctrine, you would not be able, so well do I know what I have received. And do not think that I promise you something great in this very thing, that I will never waver. For neither I nor any man who has heard the discourse about the Prophet will ever be able to waver concerning the true doctrine, once he has heard and understood what the truth of the prophetic promise is. Take courage, then, in the doctrine willed by God, for every art of wickedness has been conquered. Against prophecy neither the arts of words nor the devices of sophisms can do anything, nor syllogisms, nor any other contrivance, if indeed he who has heard the true Prophet truly longs for the truth and does not, under pretext of truth, look to something else. So, my lord Peter, do not be despondent, as though you had given the greatest good to one without perception. You have given it to one who perceives the grace, and who cannot be led astray from the truth that has been given. For I know that it is one of the things a man desires, both to receive quickly and not to obtain slowly. I know, then, not to despise, because of its speed, what has been given me, which is incomparable and alone secure.” ### Translation notes - The sentence “I know that it is one of the things…” is obscure in the Greek; the translation follows the words as printed. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.21 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-21). ## Homilies 1.22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-22 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter invites Clement to the next day's debate with Simon and eats apart from him, praying that Clement will be baptized and share his table. ### Greek text Ταῦτά μου εἰπόντος ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη χάριν ὁμολογῶ τῷ Θεῷ καὶ περὶ τῆς σῆς σωτηρίας καὶ περὶ τῆς ἐμῆς ἀπολαύσεως. ἀληθῶς γὰρ ἥδομαι εἰδὼς ὅτι ἐπέγνως τί ποτʼ ἔστιν προφητείας μέγεθος. ἐπεὶ οὖν, ὡς ἔφης, οὐδʼ ἄν αὐτὸς ἐγὼ θελήσω ποτέ, ὅπερ ἀπείη, εἰς ἕτερόν σε μεταστῆσαι δόγμα, οὐχ ἱκανὸς ἔσομαι πεῖσαί σε, ἄρξαι τοῦ λοιποῦ ἀπὸ τῆς αὔριον παρεῖναί μοι ἐν ταῖς τῶν ἀντικειμένων ζητήσεσιν. ἔστι δέ μοι ἡ αὔριον πρὸς Σίμωνα μάγον. καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν καὶ τροφῆς αὐτὸς μεταλαβὼν ἰδίᾳ κᾀμὲ μεταλαβεῖν ἐκέλευσεν. εὐλογήσας δὲ ἐπὶ τῆς τροφῆς καὶ εὐχαριστήσας, μετὰ τὸ κορεσθῆναι καὶ αὐτοῦ τούτου τὸν λόγον μοι ἀποδοὺς ἐπήγαγεν λέγων· δῴη σοι ὁ Θεὸς κατὰ πάντα ἐξομοιωθῆναί μοι, καὶ βαπτισθέντα τῆς αὐτῆς μοι μεταλαβεῖν τραπέζης. ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἡσυχάζειν μοι προσέταξεν. ἤδη γάρ που καὶ τὸν ὕπνον ἀπῄτει ἡ τοῦ σώματος φύσις. ### English translation (Claude) When I had said this, Peter said: “I give thanks to God both for your salvation and for my own enjoyment. For I truly rejoice, knowing that you have recognized how great prophecy is. Since, then, as you said, even if I myself should ever wish (which God forbid) to move you to another doctrine, I should not be able to persuade you, begin from tomorrow on to be present with me in the discussions with our opponents. And tomorrow I am to meet Simon the magician.” Having said this, he took food by himself, and told me also to take food. And after blessing the food and giving thanks, when he had eaten his fill, he explained to me the reason for this very thing, and added: “May God grant you to become like me in all things, and, when you have been baptized, to share the same table with me.” Having said this he bade me rest; for the nature of the body was now demanding sleep. ### Translation notes - Peter's refusal to eat with the unbaptized reflects the purity rules of the Pseudo-Clementines (compare Hom. 13.4). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 1.22 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-1-22). ## Homilies 2.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-2-1 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement lists the sixteen companions of Peter whom he found with him before dawn. ### Greek text Τῇ μὲν οὖν ἐπιούσῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἐγὼ Κλήμης, ἔτι τῆς νυκτὸς οὔσης διυπνισθεὶς, καὶ μαθὼν τὸν Πέτρον ἐγρηγορότα καὶ τοῖς συνοῦσι περὶ θεοσεβείας διαλεγόμενον· οἵ ἦσαν δέκα ἕξ, ὧν καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα, ὡς ἕκαστον ἑξῆς χρόνου μαθὼν, ἐκθεῖναι ἐβουλευσάμην, ὅπως ἐπιγνῶς καὶ τίνες ἦσαν· ὧν πρῶτος Ζακχαῖος ὅ ποτε τελώνης, καὶ Σοφωνίας ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ, Ἰώσηφός τε καὶ ὁ τούτου σύντροφος Μιχαίας, προσέτι δὲ Θωμᾶς καὶ Ἐλιέζερος οἱ δίδυμοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ Ἀινείας καὶ Λάζαρος οἱ ἱερεῖς, προσέτι μήν τε καὶ Ἐλισσαῖος, Βενιαμίν τε καὶ ὁ τοῦ Σαφρᾶ, ὁμοίως γε Ρούβιλος καὶ Ζαχαρίας οἱ οἰκοδόμοι, Ἀνανίας τε καὶ Ἀγγαῖος οἱ Ἰαμμηνοὶ, ἔτι τε Νικήτης καὶ Ἀκύλας οἱ ἑταῖροι· πλὴν ἐπεισιὼν καὶ προσαγορεύσας ἐκαθέσθην, αὐτοῦ κελεύσαντος. ### English translation (Claude) On the following day, then, I, Clement, woke while it was still night, and learned that Peter was awake and conversing about the worship of God with those who were with him. They were sixteen, and I have decided to set down their names too, as I learned each of them in the course of time, so that you may know who they were. First of them was Zacchaeus, formerly a tax collector, and Sophonias his brother; Joseph and his foster-brother Michaeas; also Thomas and Eliezer, the twins; and Aeneas and Lazarus, the priests; and further Elisha, and Benjamin the son of Saphra; likewise Rubelus and Zacharias, the builders; Ananias and Haggai of Jamnia; and also Nicetes and Aquila, the companions. However, I went in, greeted them, and sat down, as he bade me. ### Translation notes - “Of Jamnia” renders Ἰαμμηνοί; the sense is uncertain. The sixteen are counted with Benjamin the son of Saphra as one person. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.1 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-2-1). ## Homilies 2.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-2-2 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains that he let Clement sleep, since a soul taken up with the body's troubles cannot receive teaching well. ### Greek text Ὁ δὲ τὸν προκείμενον ἐκκόψας λόγον, ὥσπερ ἀπολογούμενος ἐπληροφόρει τίνος ἕνεκεν οὐκ ἐξύπνισέν με, ὅπως τῶν λόγων ἐπακούσω, αἰτίαν τιθέμενος τὸν ἐκ τοῦ πλοῦ σκυλμόν· ἐκεῖνον πεφθῆναί μοι θέλων ἡσυχάζειν εἴασεν. ὁπότʼ ἂν ἡ ψυχὴ περὶ τὸ λεῖπον τῷ σώματι ἀσχολεῖται, τὰ προσφερόμενα μαθήματα οὐ κατʼ ἀξίαν προσίεται. τούτου ἕνεκα διαλέγεσθαι οὐ βούλομαι, οὔτε πάνυ διά τινα συμφορὰν λυπουμένοις, ἢ ἀμέτρως ὀργιζομένοις, ἢ πρὸς λύσσαν ἔρωτος ἐκτετραμμένοις, ἢ ὑπὸ βιωτικῶν φροντίδων περιωθουμένοις, ἢ ἄλλοις τισὶ πάθεσιν ὀχλουμένοις, οἷς ἡ ψυχή, ὡς ἔφην, ὑποπίπτουσα, καὶ τῷ σώματι πάσχοντι συναλγοῦσα, καὶ τὴν αὑτῆς φρόνησιν ἀσχολεῖ. ### English translation (Claude) He broke off the discourse in hand and, as though excusing himself, assured me why he had not woken me to hear the discussion: he gave as the reason the upset from the voyage, and wishing that to pass off, he had let me rest. “For whenever the soul is taken up with what the body lacks, it does not receive as it deserves the teaching offered to it. For this reason I do not wish to converse with those who are deeply grieved by some misfortune, or immoderately angry, or turned to the madness of love, or pushed about by the cares of life, or troubled by any other passions; for the soul, falling under these, as I said, and suffering with the suffering body, has its own understanding taken up as well.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.2 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-2-2). ## Homilies 2.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-2-3 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter teaches that the soul should be strengthened by instruction before trouble comes. ### Greek text Καὶ μὴ λεγέτω τις· οὐ χρὴ οὖν παραμυθίας καὶ νουθεσίας προσφέρειν τοῖς φαῦλόν τι πράττουσιν. φημί, εἰ μὲν ἀνύει τις, προσφερέτω· εἰ δὲ μή, τῷ καιρῷ εἰξάτω. ἐγὼ γὰρ οἶδα ὅτι πάντα καιρὸν ἴδιον ἔχει. διὸ χρὴ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τοὺς τὴν ψυχὴν ῥωννύντας λόγους πρὸ τῆς κακώσεως ἐπιδιδόναι, ἵνα εἴ ποτε ἐπέλθοι τι φαῦλον, ὁ νοῦς προωπλισμένος ὀρθῷ τῷ λογισμῷ τὸ ἐπενεχθὲν ὑποστῆναι δυνηθῇ. τότε γὰρ καὶ τῷ διὰ γνώμης ἀγαθῆς βοηθήσαντι παρὰ τὴν ἀκμὴν τοῦ πολέμου οἶδεν ὁ νοῦς συντρέχειν. ### English translation (Claude) “And let no one say, ‘Then we must not offer consolation and admonition to those who do wrong.’ I say: if one can accomplish something, let him offer it; if not, let him yield to the occasion. For I know that everything has its own time. Therefore we must give people the words that strengthen the soul before the affliction comes, so that if anything evil should come upon them, the mind, armed beforehand with right reason, may be able to endure what is brought upon it. For then the mind knows how to join with him who has helped it by good counsel, even at the height of the battle.” ### Scripture references - Eccl 3:1: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - “Everything has its own time” echoes Eccl 3:1. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.3 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-2-3). ## Homilies 2.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-2-4 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter proposes new teaching, but Clement asks him to keep expounding the doctrine of the Prophet. ### Greek text Πλὴν ἔμαθον, ὦ Κλήμης, ὡς ἐν τῇ Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ ὁ Βαρνάβας τὸν περὶ προφητείας λόγον τελείως σοι ἐξέθετο· ἢ γὰρ οὔ; κᾀγὼ ἀπεκρινάμην· ναί, καὶ πάνυ καλῶς. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· οὐκοῦν ἐκ ἀναγκαῖον, τὸν νῦν χρόνον δυνάμενον ἡμῖν ὑπηρετεῖν εἰς ἑτέρους λόγους οὕς οὐκ ἐπίστασαι, εἰς οὕς ἐπίστασαι ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἀσχολίαν. ἐγὼ ἔφην· ὀρθῶς ἔφης Πέτρε. ἐμοὶ δὲ τοῦτο χαρίζου πάντοτέ σοι συνεῖναι κρίναντι, τὸν περὶ προφήτου λόγον ἡδέως ἀκούοντι συνεχῶς ὑφηγεῖσθαι· ἄνευ γὰρ αὐτοῦ, ὡς ἔμαθον παρὰ Βαρνάβα, τὴν ἀλήθειαν μαθεῖν ἀδύνατον. ### English translation (Claude) “However, Clement, I have learned that in Alexandria Barnabas set out for you fully the discourse about prophecy; is it not so?” And I answered: “Yes, and very well.” And Peter said: “Then is it not necessary that the present time, which could serve us for other discourses that you do not know, should not be spent on those that you know?” I said: “You speak rightly, Peter. But grant me this, since I have decided to be with you always: to explain continually the discourse about the Prophet, to one who hears it gladly; for without it, as I learned from Barnabas, it is impossible to learn the truth.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.4 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/1-1/#p-2-4). ## Homilies 2.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-5 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter teaches that the highest goods can be gained only through knowledge that comes from the Prophet of the truth. ### Greek text Ὁ δὲ Πέτρος ἐπὶ τούτῳ μεγάλως ἡσθεὶς ἀπεκρίνατο· ἤδη μὲν ἡ πρὸς σὲ διόρθωσις τέλος εἴληφεν, ἐπεγνωκότα τῆς ἀπταίστου προφητείας τὸ μέγεθος, ἧς ἄνευ λαβεῖν τινὶ τὸ ἐν ὑπεροχῇ συμφέρον ἀδύνατον. πολλῶν γὰρ καὶ διαφόρων ἀγαθῶν ὄντων ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν ἢ ἔσεσθαι δυναμένοις, τὸ πάντων μακαριώτατον, εἴτε ἀΐδιός ἐστιν ζωή, ἢ παράμονος ὑγεία, ἢ τέλειος νοῦς, ἢ φῶς, ἢ χαρά, ἢ ἀφθαρσία, ἢ καὶ ἄλλο τι ὅ ἐν τῇ τῶν ὄντων φύσει ὑπερέχον ὑπάρχει καλὸν ἢ ὑπάρξαι δύναται τοῦτο — ἐκ ἄλλως ἔστιν αὐτὸ κτήσασθαι, μὴ πρότερον γνόντα τὰ ὄντα ὡς ἔστιν· τῆς δὲ γνώσεως οὐκ ἄλλως τυχεῖν ἔστιν, ἐὰν μὴ πρότερόν τις τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας προφήτην ἐπιγνῶ. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter, greatly pleased at this, answered: “Already the correction of you has reached its end, since you have recognized the greatness of the unerring prophecy, without which no one can obtain the supreme good. For though there are many and various good things among those that are or can come to be, the most blessed of all, whether it is eternal life, or lasting health, or perfect understanding, or light, or joy, or incorruption, or anything else that is or can be an excellent good in the nature of things, cannot be obtained otherwise than by first knowing things as they are; and one cannot attain that knowledge otherwise than by first recognizing the Prophet of the truth.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.5 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-5). ## Homilies 2.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-6 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter defines the true Prophet as all-knowing and sinless, and says that apart from him people can know only the basic rule of not wronging others. ### Greek text Προφήτης δὲ ἀληθείας ἐστὶν ὁ πάντοτε πάντα εἰδώς, τὰ μὲν γεγονότα ὡς ἐγένετο, τὰ δὲ γινόμενα ὡς γίνεται, τὰ δὲ ἐσόμενα ὡς ἔσται, ἀναμάρτητος, ἐλεήμων, μόνος τὴν ἀλήθειαν ὑφηγεῖσθαι πεπιστευμένος. ἀναγίνωσκε, καὶ εὑρήσεις τοὺς ἀφʼ ἑαυτῶν τὴν ἀλήθειαν εὑρεῖν νομίσαντας. τοῦτο γὰρ προφήτου ἴδιον, τὸ τὴν ἀλήθειαν μηνύειν, ὥσπερ ἡλίου ἴδιον τὸ τὴν ἡμέραν φέρειν. διὰ τοῦτο ὅσοι ποτὲ ἀλήθειαν γνῶναι ἐπεθύμησαν, παρὰ δὲ τούτου μαθεῖν αὐτὴν οὐκ εὐτύχησαν, μὴ εὑρόντες, ζητοῦντες ἐτελεύτησαν. ὁ γὰρ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ζητῶν παρὰ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ ἀγνοίας λαβεῖν πῶς ἄν δύναιτο; κᾄν γὰρ εὕροι, οὐκ εἰδὼς αὐτὴν ὡς οὐκ οὖσαν παρέρχεται. οὔτʼ αὖ παρʼ ἑτέρου, τοῦ ὁμοίως ὡς ἐξ ἀγνωσίας ἔχειν ἐπαγγελλομένου, ἀληθείας κρατεῖν δυνατὸς ἔσται· πλὴν πολιτείας μόνης, καὶ ταῦτα ἐκείνης τῆς διὰ τὸ εὔλογον γνωρισθῆναι δυναμένης, ἥτις ἑκάστῳ ἐκ τοῦ μὴ θέλειν ἀδικεῖσθαι, τοῦ μὴ δεῖν ἄλλον ἀδικεῖν τὴν γνῶσιν παρίστησιν. ### English translation (Claude) “Now the Prophet of the truth is he who always knows all things: things past as they happened, things present as they are happening, things to come as they will be; sinless, merciful, alone entrusted with guiding men to the truth. Read, and you will find that those who thought they had found the truth by themselves did not. For this is the proper work of a prophet, to reveal the truth, as it is the sun's proper work to bring the day. Therefore all who ever desired to know the truth but did not have the good fortune to learn it from him died still seeking it without finding it. For how could one who seeks the truth receive it from his own ignorance? Even if he found it, not recognizing it, he would pass it by as though it were not. Nor again will he be able to lay hold of the truth from another who professes to have it, but likewise out of ignorance, except only in matters of conduct, and then only such conduct as can be known by reasonableness, which gives each one, from his not wishing to be wronged, the knowledge that he ought not to wrong another.” ### Scripture references - Matt 7:12: echo, low confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Tob 4:15 (Tobit): echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The final clause resembles the negative form of the Golden Rule (compare Tob 4:15; Matt 7:12). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.6 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-6). ## Homilies 2.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-7 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter argues that philosophers who sought truth by their own conjectures were deceived. ### Greek text Πάντες μὲν οὖν ὅσοι ποτὲ ἐζήτησαν τὸ ἀληθές, τὸ δύνασθαι εὑρεῖν ἑαυτοῖς πιστεύσαντες, ἐνηδρεύθησαν. τοῦτο ὅπερ πεπόνθασιν καὶ οἱ τῶν Ἐλλήνων φιλόσοφοι, καὶ βαρβάρων οἱ σπουδαιότεροι. ἐκ στοχασμῶν γὰρ ἐπιβάλλοντες τοῖς ὁρατοῖς περὶ τῶν ἀδήλων ἀπεφήναντο, τὸ ὅπως ποτὲ παραστὰν αὐτοῖς, τοῦτο ἀληθὲς εἶναι νομίσαντες. ὡς γὰρ εἰδότες ἀλήθειαν, οἱ ἀλήθειαν ἔτι ζητοῦντες, τῶν παρισταμένων αὐτοῖς ὑπολήψεων ἃ μὲν ἀποδοκιμάζουσιν, ἅ δὲ κρατύνουσιν, ὥσπερ εἰδότες, μὴ εἰδότες ποῖα μέν ἐστιν ἀληθῆ, ποῖα δὲ ψευδῆ. καὶ δογματίζουσιν περὶ ἀληθείας, οἱ ἀλήθειαν ἐπιζητοῦντες, οὐκ εἰδότες ὅτι ὁ ἀλήθειαν ζητῶν παρὰ τῆς αὑτοῦ πλάνης μαθεῖν αὐτὴν οὐ δύναται. οὔτε γὰρ, ὡς ἔφην, παρεστηκυῖαν αὐτὴν ἐπιγνῶναι δύναται, ἤν ἀγνοεῖ. ### English translation (Claude) “All, then, who have ever sought the truth, trusting that they could find it by themselves, have been ensnared. This is what happened both to the philosophers of the Greeks and to the more learned of the barbarians. For, applying themselves by conjecture to visible things, they made pronouncements about things unseen, thinking that whatever occurred to them was true. As though they knew the truth, those who are still seeking the truth reject some of the notions that occur to them and confirm others, as though they knew, while not knowing which are true and which false. And those who are still seeking the truth lay down doctrines about the truth, not knowing that he who seeks the truth cannot learn it from his own error. For, as I said, he cannot recognize it even when it is present, since he does not know it.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.7 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-7). ## Homilies 2.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-8 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter says that people left to themselves take what pleases them for truth, as the Greek philosophers did with their consistent but false systems. ### Greek text Πείθει δὲ ἕκαστον ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ ζητοῦντα μαθεῖν οὐ πάντως τὸ ἀληθές, ἀλλὰ τὸ τέρπον. ἐπεὶ οὖν ἄλλον ἄλλο τέρπει, ἄλλου ἄλλο κρατεῖ ὡς ἀληθές. τὸ δὲ ἀληθές ἐστιν τὸ δοκοῦν τῷ προφήτη, οὐ τὸ ἑκάστῳ ἡδύ. πολλὰ γὰρ ἄν ἦν τὸ ἕν, εἰ τὸ τέρπον ἀληθὲς ἦν, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἀδύνατον. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ οἱ τῶν Ἑλλήνων φιλόλογοι, οὐ φιλόσοφοι, διὰ στοχασμῶν τοῖς πράγμασιν ἐπιβάντες, πολλὰ καὶ διάφορα ἐδογμάτισαν, τὴν οἰκείαν τῶν ὑποθέσεων ἀκολουθίαν ἀλήθειαν εἶναι νομίσαντες, οὐκ εἰδότες ὅτι αὐτῶν ψευδεῖς ἀρχὰς ἑαυτοῖς ὁρισαμένων, τῇ μὲν ἀρχῇ αὐτῶν τὸ τέλος συμφωνίαν εἴληφεν. ### English translation (Claude) “What persuades each one who seeks to learn by himself is not at all the truth, but what pleases him. Since, then, one thing pleases one and another another, one man holds one thing as true and another another. But the truth is what seems good to the Prophet, not what is pleasant to each. For the one would be many, if what pleases were true, which is impossible. For this reason also the lovers of words among the Greeks, not lovers of wisdom, approaching things by conjecture, laid down many and various doctrines, thinking that the internal consistency of their premises was the truth, not knowing that, since they had set down false first principles for themselves, their conclusions agreed only with their principles.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.8 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-8). ## Homilies 2.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-9 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter says God has made the true Prophet easy for anyone, learned or not, to recognize. ### Greek text Ὅθεν δεῖ πάντα παρελόμενον μόνῳ τῆς ἀληθείας πιστεύειν ἑαυτὸν προφήτῃ, ὅν πάντες κρῖναι δυνάμεθα, εἰ προφήτης ἐστίν, κἄν πάνυ ἀμαθεῖς ὦμεν, καὶ σοφισμῶν ἰδιῶται, καὶ γεωμετρίας ἄπειροι, καὶ μουσικῆς ἀμύητοι. εὐκολωτέραν γὰρ τὴν περὶ αὐτοῦ εὕρεσιν ὁ Θεὸς τέθεικεν πᾶσιν, ὡς πάντων κηδεμών· ἵνα μήτε βάρβαροι ἐξασθενῶσιν αὐτὸν, μήτε Ἕλληνες ἀδυνατῶσιν εὑρεῖν. ῥᾳδία μὲν οὖν περὶ αὐτοῦ εὕρεσις ὑπάρχει· ἔστιν δὲ ἥδε. ### English translation (Claude) “Therefore one must set everything aside and entrust oneself to the Prophet of the truth alone, whom we can all judge, whether he is a prophet, even if we are altogether unlearned, unskilled in sophistries, inexperienced in geometry, and uninitiated in music. For God, as the guardian of all, has made the finding of him easy for all, so that neither barbarians should be too weak to find him nor Greeks unable. The way of finding him is easy indeed; and it is this.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.9 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-9). ## Homilies 2.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-10 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter argues that fulfilled predictions prove the Prophet's foreknowledge, so he must be believed above all. ### Greek text Εἰ προφήτης ἐστὶν, καὶ δύναται εἰδέναι ὡς ἐγένετο ὁ κόσμος, καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτῷ γινόμενα, καὶ τὰ εἰς τέλος ἐσόμενα· ἐὰν ἡμῖν ᾖ τι προειρηκὼς, ὃ εἰς τέλος ἐγνώκαμεν γεγενημένον, καλῶς αὐτῷ ἐκ τῶν ἤδη γεγενημένων καὶ τὰ ἐσόμενα ἔσεσθαι πιστεύομεν, οὐ μόνον ὡς γινώσκοντι, ἀλλὰ καὶ προγινώσκοντι. τίνι οὖν, κᾂν βραχὺν νοῦν ἔχοντι, οὐ φαίνεται, ὡς χρὴ τούτῳ παρὰ πάντας πιστεύειν τὰ τῷ Θεῷ δόξαντα, ὃς μόνος παρὰ πάντας ἀνθρώπους καὶ μὴ μαθὼν ἐπίσταται; διό, ἂν τῷ τοιούτῳ, λέγω δὲ τῷ πρόγνωσιν ἔχοντι διὰ τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ τοῦ πνεύματος θειότητα, τὸ ἀληθὲς εἰδέναι μὴ διδόναι τις θέλοι, τινὶ ἑτέρῳ δοὺς εἰδέναι, ἐκ ἐνδεὴς ὑπάρχει φρενῶν, ἀποδεδωκὼς τῷ μὴ προφήτῃ, ἃ προφήτῃ εἰδέναι δοῦναι οὐκ ἐβουλήθη; ### English translation (Claude) “If he is a prophet, he is able to know how the world came to be, and what happens in it, and what will be at the end. If he has foretold something to us which we have known to have come to pass at last, we rightly believe him, from what has already happened, that what is to come will also come to pass, as one who not only knows but foreknows. To whom, then, having even a little understanding, is it not plain that one must believe him above all others concerning what God has decided, him who alone of all men knows without having learned? Therefore, if anyone will not grant to such a one, I mean one who has foreknowledge through the divinity of the Spirit in him, that he knows the truth, but grants knowledge to someone else, is he not lacking in sense, having granted to one who is not a prophet what he would not grant a prophet to know?” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.10 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-10). ## Homilies 2.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-11 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter teaches that once the Prophet is recognized, his teaching must be followed without doubt, and apparent difficulties are our failure to understand. ### Greek text Ὅθεν πρὸ πάντων πάσῃ κρίσει διὰ τῆς προφητικῆς ἐπαγγελίας τὸν προφήτην ζητεῖν δεῖ, καὶ γνόντα, τοῖς λοιποῖς τῆς διδασκαλίας αὐτοῦ λόγοις ἀνενδοιάστως ἕπεσθαι, καὶ θαῤῥοῦντα περὶ τῶν ἐλπιζομένων, πολιτεύεσθαι τῇ πρώτῃ κρίσει, γνόντα ὅτι ὁ ταῦτα εἰπὼν πρὸς τὸ ψεύσασθαι φύσιν οὐκ ἔχει. διὸ ἐάν τι τοῦ λοιποῦ τῶν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ ῥηθέντων δοκῇ ἡμῖν οὐ καλῶς εἰρῆσθαι, εἰδέναι χρὴ ὅτι οὐκ αὐτὸ εἵρηται κακῶς, ἀλλʼ αὐτὸ ἡμεῖς καλῶς ἔχον οὐκ ἐνοήσαμεν. ἄγνοια γὰρ γνῶσιν οὐκ ὀρθῶς κρίνει, ἅτε δὴ οὔτε γνῶσις πρόγνωσιν ἀληθῶς κρίνειν πέφυκεν. ἀλλʼ ἡ πρόγνωσις τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσιν παρέχει τὴν γνῶσιν. ### English translation (Claude) “Therefore before all things one must seek the Prophet with all judgment by means of the prophetic promise; and having known him, follow without hesitation the other words of his teaching; and, confident about what is hoped for, live by that first judgment, knowing that he who said these things has not the nature to lie. Therefore, if afterwards anything he has said seems to us not well said, we must know that it was not said badly, but that we have not understood what is well. For ignorance does not rightly judge knowledge, just as knowledge by nature cannot truly judge foreknowledge; but foreknowledge gives knowledge to the ignorant.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.11 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-11). ## Homilies 2.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-12 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter states that the Prophet alone knows the truth, which is that the one Creator God will judge each person by his deeds. ### Greek text Ὅθεν, ὦ φίλε Κλήμης, εἴγε τὰ τῷ Θεῷ διαφέροντα γνῶναι θέλῃς, παρὰ τούτου μόνου μαθεῖν ἔχεις, ὅτι μόνος οἶδεν τὴν ἀλήθειαν. τῶν γὰρ ἄλλων εἴ τις ἐπίσταταί τι, παρὰ τούτου ἢ τῶν τούτου μαθητῶν λαβὼν ἔχει. ἔστι δὲ αὐτοῦ τό τε βούλημα καὶ ἀληθὲς κήρυγμα, ὅτι εἶς Θεὸς, οὗ κόσμος ἔργον, ὃς δίκαιος ὢν πάντως ἑκάστῳ πρὸς τὰς πράξεις ἀποδώσει ποτέ. ### English translation (Claude) “Therefore, my dear Clement, if you wish to know the things that concern God, you may learn them from him alone, because he alone knows the truth. For if any of the others knows anything, he has received it from him or from his disciples. And this is his will and true proclamation: that there is one God, whose work the world is, who, being righteous, will surely one day render to each according to his deeds.” ### Scripture references - Rom 2:6: echo, medium confidence - Matt 16:27: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - “Render to each according to his deeds” echoes Rom 2:6 and Matt 16:27. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.12 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-12). ## Homilies 2.13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-13 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter argues that God's justice requires the immortality of the soul and a judgment after death. ### Greek text Ἀνάγκη γὰρ πᾶσα, φύσει δίκαιον εἶναι λέγοντα τὸν Θεὸν καὶ τὰς ἀνθρώπων ψυχὰς ἀθανάτους εἶναι πιστεύειν. ἐπεὶ ποῦ τὸ δίκαιον αὐτοῦ, ὅπου τινὲς εὐσεβῶς βιώσαντες κακουχηθέντες ἐνίοτε βιαίως ἀνῃρέθησαν, ἔνιοι δὲ ἀσεβεῖς πάνυ γεγενημένοι, ἐν πολυτελείᾳ βίου τρυφήσαντες, τὸν κοινὸν ἀνθρώπων θάνατον ἐτελεύτησαν. ἐπεὶ οὖν χωρὶς πάσης ἀντιλογίας ὁ Θεὸς ἀγαθὸς ὢν καὶ δίκαιός ἐστιν, οὐκ ἄλλως δὲ δίκαιος εἶναι γνωσθήσεται, ἐὰν μὴ ἡ ψυχὴ μετὰ τὸν χωρισμὸν τοῦ σώματος ἀθάνατος ᾖ, ἵνα μὲν ὁ κακὸς ἐν ᾅδῃ γενόμενος, ὡς ἐνταῦθα τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἀπολαβών, ἐκεῖ περὶ ὧν ἥμαρτεν κολασθῇ, ὁ δὲ ἀγαθὸς ἐνταῦθα περὶ ὧν ἥμαρτεν κολασθεὶς, ἐκεῖ ὡς ἐν κόλποις δικαίων, ἀγαθῶν κληρονόμος καταστῇ· ὅτι τοίνυν ὁ Θεὸς δίκαιος, πρόδηλον ἡμῖν ἐστιν ὅτι καὶ κρίσις γίνεται καὶ ψυχαὶ ἀθάνατοι τυγχάνουσιν. ### English translation (Claude) “For it is altogether necessary that one who says that God is righteous by nature should also believe that the souls of men are immortal. Otherwise, where is his righteousness, when some who have lived piously have been ill-treated and sometimes violently killed, while some who have been utterly impious, having lived in luxury and costly living, died the common death of men? Since, then, God, beyond all contradiction, being good, is also righteous, and he will not be known to be righteous otherwise than if the soul is immortal after its separation from the body, so that the wicked man, having come into Hades, as one who received his good things here, may be punished there for his sins, while the good man, punished here for his sins, may there, as in the bosom of the righteous, be made heir of good things: since, then, God is righteous, it is plain to us both that there is a judgment and that souls are immortal.” ### Scripture references - Luke 16:25: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The contrast of good things here and punishment there, and “the bosom of the righteous,” recall the parable of the rich man and Lazarus (Luke 16:22–25). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.13 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-13). ## Homilies 2.14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-14 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Against Simon, Peter argues that God must be righteous, since righteousness exists and is the standard for calling anything unrighteous. ### Greek text Εἰ δέ τις, ὡς τῷ Σαμαρεῖ Σίμωνι δοκεῖ, τὸ δικαίῳ εἶναι Θεῷ μὴ θέλοι δοῦναι, τίνι ἔτι τοῦτό τις δοῦναι δύναται, ἢ καὶ τὸ γενέσθαι δύνασθαι; τῆς γὰρ ῥίζης τῶν ὅλων τοῦτο οὐκ ἐχούσης, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα νοεῖν, ὅτι τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσει ὡς ἐν καρποῖς εὑρεῖν ἀδύνατον. ἔστιν εὑρεῖν ἐν ἀνθρώποις, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἐν Θεῷ; εἰ δὲ οὐδαμοῦ, οὔτε παρὰ Θεῷ, οὔτε παρʼ ἀνθρώποις ἔστιν εὑρεῖν τὸ δίκαιον, πάντως οὐδὲ τὸ ἄδικον. ἀλλʼ ἔστιν τὸ δίκαιον. δικαιοσύνης γὰρ οὔσης τὸ ἄδικον λέγεται· ὥσπερ παραβαλλομένης τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτῇ καὶ ἐναντίως ἔχειν εὑρισκομένης ἀδικία λέγεται. ### English translation (Claude) “But if anyone, as Simon the Samaritan thinks, will not grant to God that he is righteous, to whom can one still grant it, or even that it can come to be? For if the root of all things does not have it, one must necessarily conclude that it cannot be found in human nature, as in the fruits. If it is found in men, how much more in God! But if righteousness is found nowhere, neither with God nor with men, then neither is unrighteousness at all. But righteousness exists; for it is because righteousness exists that anything is called unrighteous; just as, when something is compared with righteousness and found to be contrary to it, it is called unrighteousness.” ### Translation notes - Simon's denial that the supreme God is the just God resembles the Marcionite distinction between a good God and a just Creator; many scholars see Marcion reflected in the Simon of the Homilies. The sentence “If it is found in men…” appears to lack a condition in the Greek (“if it can be found”); translated by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.14 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-14). ## Homilies 2.15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-15 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter introduces the doctrine of pairs (syzygies): God made the world in opposites, but for mankind the worse comes first and the better second. ### Greek text Ἔνθεν γοῦν ὁ Θεὸς διδασκαλῶν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους πρὸς τὴν τῶν ὄντων ἀλήθειαν, εἷς ὢν αὐτὸς διχῶς καὶ ἐναντίως διεῖλεν πάντα τὰ τῶν ἄκρων, ἀπαρχῆς αὐτὸς εἷς ὢν καὶ μόνος Θεός, ποιήσας οὐρανὸν καὶ γῆν, ἡμέραν καὶ νύκτα, φῶς καὶ πῦρ, ἥλιον εἷς καὶ σελήνην, ζωὴν καὶ θάνατον. μόνον δὲ ἐν τούτοις αὐτεξούσιον τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἐποίησεν, ἐπιτηδειότητα ἔχοντα δίκαιον ἢ ἄδικον γενέσθαι. ᾧ καὶ τὰς τῶν συζυγιῶν ἐνήλλαξεν εἰκόνας, μικρὰ τὰ πρῶτα παραθέμενος αὐτῷ, μεγάλα δὲ τὰ δεύτερα, οἷον κόσμον, αἰῶνα. ἀλλʼ ὁ μὲν παρὼν κόσμος πρόσκαιρος, ὁ δὲ ἐσόμενος ἀΐδιος. πρώτη ἄγνοια, δευτέρα γνῶσις. οὕτως καὶ τοὺς τῆς προφητείας ἡγέμονας διέταξεν. ἐπεὶ γὰρ ὁ παρὼν κόσμος θῆλύς ἐστιν, ὡς μήτηρ τέκνων τίκτων ψυχάς, ὁ ἐσόμενος αἰὼν ἄῤῥην ἐστίν, ὡς πατὴρ ἀποδεχόμενος τὰ αὑτοῦ τέκνα· διὰ τοῦτο ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ τούτῳ προφῆται ἑπομένως, ὡς τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος ὄντες υἱοί, ἀνθρώπων τὴν γνῶσιν ἔχοντες, ἐπέρχονται. τοῦτο δὲ τὸ μυστήριον εἰ ἠπίσταντο οἱ ἐν θεοσεβείᾳ ἄνθρωποι, οὐκ ἄν ποτε ἐπλανήθησαν, ἀλλὰ καὶ νῦν ἂν ἐγνώκεισαν ὅτι Σίμων, ὁ νῦν πάντας θρυλλῶν, πλάνης καὶ ἀπάτης ἐστὶν συνεργός. ὁ δὲ λόγος τοῦ προφητικοῦ κανόνος οὕτως ἔχει. ### English translation (Claude) “Hence, then, God, teaching men the truth of the things that are, being himself one, divided all extremes in pairs and as opposites. From the beginning, being himself the one and only God, he made heaven and earth, day and night, light and fire, sun and moon, life and death. Among these he made man alone free in his own choice, with the capacity to become righteous or unrighteous. For him also he reversed the order of the pairs, setting before him first the small things and afterwards the great, such as world and age. The present world is temporary, but the one to come is everlasting; first comes ignorance, then knowledge. So too he ordered the leaders of prophecy. For since the present world is female, bringing forth souls as a mother bears children, while the age to come is male, receiving his own children as a father, therefore in this world the prophets come after, as sons of the age to come, having the knowledge of men. If men of piety had understood this mystery, they would never have gone astray; and even now they would have known that Simon, who is now making a stir among everyone, is a fellow-worker of error and deceit. The account of the prophetic rule is as follows.” ### Scripture references - Gen 1:1: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - The “pairs” (syzygies) are a distinctive teaching of the Pseudo-Clementines. “Sun and moon” renders ἥλιον εἷς καὶ σελήνην, where εἷς (“one”) appears to be a stray word. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.15 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-15). ## Homilies 2.16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-16 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter illustrates the rule that the worse comes first with Cain and Abel, the raven and the dove, Ishmael and Isaac, Esau and Jacob, and Aaron and Moses. ### Greek text Ὡς ἐν ἀρχῇ ὁ Θεὸς εἷς ὤν, ὥσπερ δεξιὰ καὶ ἀριστερά, πρῶτον ἐποίησεν τὸν οὐρανὸν, εἶτα τὴν γῆν, καὶ οὕτως κατὰ τὸ ἑξῆς πάσας τὰς συζυγίας συνεστήσατο ἐπὶ μέντοι ἀνθρώπων οὐκ ἔτι οὕτως, ἀλλὰ πάσας ἐναλλάσσει τὰς συζυγίας. ὡς γὰρ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ τὰ πρῶτα κρείττονα, τὰ δεύτερα ἥττονα, ἐπʼ ἀνθρώπων τὸ ἐναντίον εὑρίσκομεν, τὰ πρῶτα χείρονα, τὰ δεύτερα κρείττονα. αὐτίκα γοῦν ἀπὸ Ἀδὰμ τοῦ κατʼ εἰκόνα Θεοῦ γενομένου ἐγένετό τις πρῶτος ἄδικος Καΐν, δεύτερος δίκαιος Ἀβέλ. πάλιν δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ καθʼ ὑμᾶς λεγομένου Δευκαλίωνος πνευμάτων εἰκόνες δύο ἀπεστάλησαν, ἀκαθάρτου λέγω καὶ καθαροῦ, ὅ τε κόραξ ὁ μέλας, καὶ ἡ λευκὴ περιστερὰ δευτέρα. καὶ ἀπὸ μὲν τοῦ ἀρχηγέτου τοῦ ἔθνους ἡμῶν Ἀβραὰμ δύο πρῶτοι γεγόνασιν, πρῶτος Ἰσμαήλ, εἶτα Ἰσαὰκ ὁ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ εὐλογημένος. ἀπὸ δὲ αὐτοῦ Ἰσαὰκ ὁμοίως πάλιν δύο, Ἠσαῦ ὁ ἀσεβής, καὶ Ἰακὼβ ὁ εὐσεβής. οὕτως τῇ τέξει πρῶτος, ὡς προτότοκος τῷ κόσμῳ, ὁ ἀρχιερεὺς, εἶτα ὁ νομοθέτης. ### English translation (Claude) “As in the beginning God, being one, like a right hand and a left, made first the heaven and then the earth, and so in order established all the pairs; but with men he no longer does so, but reverses all the pairs. For whereas with him the first things are the better and the second the lesser, with men we find the opposite: the first worse, the second better. Straightway, then, from Adam, who was made in the image of God, there came first the unrighteous Cain, and second the righteous Abel. Again, from the man whom you Greeks call Deucalion, two images of spirits were sent out, I mean of the unclean and of the clean: the black raven, and second the white dove. And from Abraham, the founder of our nation, two first sons were born: first Ishmael, then Isaac, who was blessed by God. And from Isaac himself likewise again two: Esau the impious and Jacob the pious. So in order came first, as firstborn to the world, the high priest, and then the lawgiver.” ### Scripture references - Gen 1:27: allusion, low confidence - Gen 4:1: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 8:7: allusion, high confidence - Gen 16:15: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 25:25: allusion, medium confidence - Exod 7:7: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Deucalion, the Greek flood hero, stands here for Noah (Gen 8:7–8). The “high priest” and “lawgiver” are Aaron, the elder brother, and Moses (Exod 7:7). “Order” renders τέξει, probably for τάξει, as also in 2.17. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.16 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-16). ## Homilies 2.17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-17 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter applies the rule of pairs: John before Jesus, Simon before Peter among the Gentiles, a false gospel before the true, and Antichrist before Christ. ### Greek text Ὁμοίως ἡ γὰρ πρὸς τὸν Ἡλίαν συζυγία ὀφείλουσα ἐλθεῖν ἑκοῦσα ἀπελείφθη εἰς ἕτερον καιρόν, ἄλλοτε εὐκαίρως αὐτὴν ἀπολαύειν βουλευσαμένη. διὸ καὶ ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν πρῶτος ἦλθεν, εἶτα ὁ ἐν υἱοῖς ἀνθρώπων δεύτερος ἐπῆλθεν. ταύτῃ τῇ τέξει ἀκολουθοῦντα δυνατὸν ᾖ νοεῖν τίνος ἐστὶν Σίμων, ὁ πρὸ ἐμοῦ εἰς τὰ ἔθνη πρῶτος ἐλθών, καὶ τίνος ὢν τυγχάνω, ὁ μετʼ ἐκεῖνον ἐληλυθώς, καὶ ἐπελθὼν ὡς σκότῳ φῶς, ὡς ἀγνοίᾳ γνῶσις, ὡς νόσῳ ἴασις. οὕτως δή, ὡς ἀληθὴς ἡμῖν προφήτης εἴρηκεν, πρῶτον ψευδὲς δεῖ ἐλθεῖν εὐαγγέλιον ὑπὸ πλάνου τινός, καὶ εἶθʼ οὕτως μετὰ καθαίρεσιν τοῦ ἁγίου τόπου εὐαγγέλιον ἀληθὲς κρύφα διαπεμφθῆναι εἰς ἐπανόρθωσιν τῶν ἐσομένων αἱρέσεων καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα πρὸς τῷ τελει πάλιν πρῶτον Ἀντίχριστον ἐλθεῖν δεῖ, καὶ τότε τὸν ὄντως Χριστὸν ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦν ἀναφανῆναι, καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο αἰωνίου φωτὸς ἀνατείλαντος πάντα τὰ τοῦ σκότους ἀφανῆ γενέσθαι. ### English translation (Claude) “Likewise the pair that ought to have come with Elijah was willingly left over for another time, having resolved to enjoy it at another, fitting time. Therefore he who was among those born of women came first, and then he who was among the sons of men came second. Following this order, one can understand to whom Simon belongs, who came before me first to the Gentiles, and to whom I belong, who came after him and followed him as light follows darkness, knowledge ignorance, and healing disease. So, as the true Prophet has told us, a false gospel must first come by some deceiver, and then, after the destruction of the holy place, a true gospel must be secretly sent abroad for the correction of the heresies that are to come. And after this, at the end, Antichrist must again come first, and then our true Christ, Jesus, appear; and after this, when the eternal light has risen, all the things of darkness will vanish.” ### Scripture references - Matt 11:11: allusion, high confidence - Matt 24:24: allusion, low confidence - 2 Thess 2:3: allusion, low confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Agraphon Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.17 (Sayings of Jesus outside the Gospels (agrapha)): allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - “Among those born of women” (John the Baptist) and “among the sons of men” (Jesus as Son of Man) echo Matt 11:11. The first sentence is obscure in the Greek; it seems to mean that the pair Elijah-and-another was deferred, so that John (as Elijah) came before Jesus. Many scholars read Simon, who “came first to the Gentiles,” as a veiled reference to Paul. The saying about a false gospel and a true one sent out after the Temple's destruction is not in the canonical Gospels; compare Matt 24:2, 24:14, 24:24. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.17 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-17). ## Homilies 2.18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-18 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter says that Simon is believed only because the rule of pairs is not understood, and offers to have Clement learn about him from informants. ### Greek text Ἐπεὶ οὖν, ὡς ἔφην, τὸν κανόνα τῆς συζυγίας ἀγνοοῦσί τινες, ἔνθεν οὐκ ἐπίστανται τίς τυγχάνει ὁ ἐμοῦ προοδεύσας Σίμων. εἰ γὰρ ἐγινώσκετο, οὐκ ἂν ἐπιστεύετο. νῦν δὲ ᾀγνοούμενος οὐκ ὀρθῶς πεπίστευται. καὶ ὁ τὰ μισούντων ποιῶν ἠγάπηται, καὶ ὁ ἐχθρὸς ὡς φίλος ἀποδέδεκται, καὶ θάνατος ὥν ὡς σώζων πεπόθηται, καὶ πῦρ ὤν φῶς νενόμισται, καὶ πλάνος ὤν ὡς ἀληθεύων ἀκούεται· ταῦτα ἀκούσας ἐγὼ Κλήμης· τίς ἄρα τυγχάνει, ἔφην, οὗτος ὁ τοσοῦτος ὤν ἀπατεών, μαθεῖν ἤθελον. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· εἰ θέλεις μαθεῖν, πάρεστίν σοι τὸ γνῶναι, παρʼ ὧν κᾀγὼ τὰ κατʼ αὐτὸν πάντα ἠκρίβωκα. ### English translation (Claude) “Since, then, as I said, some do not know the rule of the pairs, they do not understand who Simon is, who went before me. For if he were known, he would not be believed; but now, being unknown, he has been wrongly believed. He who does the deeds of those who hate has been loved; the enemy has been received as a friend; though he is death, he has been longed for as a saviour; though he is fire, he has been thought to be light; though he is a deceiver, he is listened to as one who speaks the truth.” When I, Clement, heard this, I said: “I should like to learn who this man is who is so great a deceiver.” And Peter said: “If you wish to learn, you can know it from those from whom I too have learned everything about him accurately.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.18 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-18). ## Homilies 2.19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-19 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter tells of Justa, the Syrophoenician woman, whose daughter Jesus healed only after she adopted the way of life of Israel. ### Greek text Ἰούστα τις ἐν ἡμῖν ἐστιν Συροφοινικίσσα, τὸ γένος Χανανῖτις, ἧς τὸ θυγάτριον ὑπὸ χαλεπῆς νόσου συνείχετο, ἥ καὶ τῷ κυρίῳ ἡμῶν προσῆλθεν βοῶσα καὶ ἱκετεύουσα, ὅπως αὐτῆς τὸ θυγάτριον θεραπεύσῃ. ὁ δὲ καὶ ὑφʼ ἡμῶν ἀξιωθεὶς εἶπεν· οὐκ ἔξεστιν ἰᾶσθαι τὰ ἔθνη, ἐοικότα κυσίν, διὰ τὸ διαφόροις χρῆσθαι τροφαῖς καὶ πράξεσιν, ἀποδεδομένης τῆς κατὰ τὴν βασιλείαν τραπέζης τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραήλ. ἡ δὲ τοῦτο ἀκούσασα, καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς τραπέζης, ὡς κύων, ψιχίων ἀποπιπτόντων συμμεταλαμβάνειν, μεταθεμένη ὅπερ ἦν, τῷ ὁμοίως διαιτᾶσθαι τοῖς τῆς βασιλείας υἱοῖς τῆς εἰς τὴν θυγατέρα, ὡς ἠξίωσεν, ἔτυχεν ἰάσεως. οὐ γὰρ ἄν ἐθνικὴν οὖσαν καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ αὐτῇ πολιτείᾳ μένουσαν, ὁ τὴν ἀρχὴν διὰ τὸ μὴ ἐξεῖναι θεραπεύειν ὡς ἐθνικήν, ἐθνικὴν μείνασαν ἐθεράπευεν. ### English translation (Claude) “There is among us a certain Justa, a Syrophoenician, a Canaanite by race, whose little daughter was gripped by a grievous disease. She came to our Lord crying out and begging him to heal her little daughter. But he, though entreated by us as well, said: ‘It is not lawful to heal the Gentiles, who are like dogs, because they use various foods and practices, since the table of the kingdom has been given to the sons of Israel.’ Hearing this, and asking to share, like a dog, in the crumbs that fall from that same table, she changed what she was, living in the same way as the sons of the kingdom, and obtained healing for her daughter, as she had asked. For he who at first would not heal her as a Gentile, because it was not lawful, would not have healed her had she remained a Gentile and continued in the same way of life.” ### Scripture references - Matt 15:26: allusion, high confidence - Mark 7:27: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The story is that of Matt 15:21–28 and Mark 7:24–30, retold in a form not found in the Gospels: the woman is named Justa, and Jesus' saying about foods and practices and her conversion are additions that reflect the Homilies' own emphasis on observance of the Law. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.19 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-19). ## Homilies 2.20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-20 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Justa, expelled by her husband for her faith, stays a widow, marries off her daughter, and adopts two boys who grew up with Simon. ### Greek text Ἀὐτὴ οὖν τὴν νόμιμον ἀναδεξαμένη πολιτείαν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἰδίου ἀνδρὸς ἐναντία φρονοῦντος ἡμῖν μετὰ τῆς ἰαθείσης θυγατρὸς ἰδίων οἴκων ἐκβέβληται. ἡ δὲ εὐγνωμονοῦσα πρὸς τὰς συνθήκας, καὶ ἐν περιουσίᾳ βίου ὑπάρχουσα, αὐτὴ μὲν χήρα ἔμεινεν, τὸ δὲ θυγάτριον αὑτῆς ἀνδρί τινι εὐγνωμονοῦντι πρὸς τὴν ἀληθῆ πίστιν καὶ πένητι ὄντι συνηρμόσατο· ἡ δὲ καὶ τῆς θυγατρὸς προφάσει γάμου στερηθεῖσα, δύο παῖδας ὠνησαμένη καὶ παιδεύσασα, εἰς υἱῶν ἔσχεν τόπον. ἅτινα τῷ μάγῳ Σίμωνι ἐκ παίδων συμπαιδευθέντα, πάντα τὰ κατʼ αὐτὸν ἐκμεμαθήκασιν. τοσαύτη γὰρ αὐτῶν ἦν φιλία, ὡς καὶ συσπεῦσαι αὐτῷ ἐν πᾶσιν οἷς βούλοιτο αὐτοῖς ἑνοῦν. ### English translation (Claude) “She, then, having taken up the lawful way of life, was cast out of her own house, together with the daughter who had been healed, by her husband, who thought otherwise than we do. But she, keeping faith with her covenants, and being well off, herself remained a widow, and gave her daughter in marriage to a man who was well disposed to the true faith, and poor. And being bereft of her daughter also by reason of the marriage, she bought two boys and educated them, and had them in the place of sons. These, having been educated together with Simon the magician from boyhood, have learned all about him. For so great was their friendship that they were eager to join with him in everything he wished.” ### Translation notes - Justa's husband drives her out because of her new faith; she does not remarry. “Keeping faith with her covenants” renders εὐγνωμονοῦσα πρὸς τὰς συνθήκας; whether the covenants are those of her marriage or of her new faith is not clear. - “Bereft of her daughter also by reason of the marriage” renders τῆς θυγατρὸς προφάσει γάμου στερηθεῖσα; it can also mean “deprived of marriage for her daughter's sake” (so ANF). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.20 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-20). ## Homilies 2.21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-21 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Aquila and Nicetes, converted by Zacchaeus, join Peter and are asked to tell Clement all about Simon. ### Greek text Οὗτοι τῷ ἐνταῦθα ἐπιδημήσαντι Ζακχαίῳ συντυχόντες, καὶ τοῦ τῆς ἀληθείας διʼ αὐτοῦ μεταλαβόντες λόγου, ἐπὶ τοῖς πρώτοις νεωτερισμοῖς μεταμεληθέντες, ταχέως τοῦ Σίμωνος καταγνόντες, πάντα αὐτῷ συνειδότες, ἅμα τῷ ἐπιδημῆσαί με ἐνταῦθα, μετὰ τῆς ἀναθρεψαμένης αὐτοὺς προσελθόντες μοι, ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ συσταθέντες μοι, καὶ ἔκτοτε πάντοτε σύνεισίν μοι, τῶν τῆς ἀληθείας ἀπολαύοντες μαθημάτων. ταῦτα εἰπὼν ὁ Πέτρος, μεταπεμψάμενος, ἐκέλευσεν αὐτοῖς πάντα μοι κατὰ τὸν Σίμωνα ἀκριβῶς ἐκτίθεσθαι. οἱ δὲ τὸν Θεὸν μαρτυράμενοι μηδὲν ψεύσασθαι, ἐξετίθεντο. ### English translation (Claude) “They met Zacchaeus, who had come to stay here, and received from him the word of the truth; repenting of their former innovations, they quickly condemned Simon, whose every secret they knew. As soon as I arrived here, they came to me with the woman who had brought them up and were commended to me by him; and from then on they have always been with me, enjoying the teachings of the truth.” Having said this, Peter sent for them and bade them set out for me accurately everything about Simon. And they, calling God to witness that they would tell no lie, set it out. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.21 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-21). ## Homilies 2.22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-22 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Aquila describes Simon's origins in Samaria, his magic, his claim to be the Standing One above the Creator, and his denial of the resurrection and of Jerusalem. ### Greek text Ὡς πρῶτος ὁ Ἀκύλας ἤρξατο λέγειν οὕτως. ἄκουσον, ὦ φίλτατε ἡμῖν ἀδελφέ, ὅπως ἀκριβῶς πάντα τὰ κατὰ τὸν ἄνδρα εἰδῇς, τίνος τε ὢν καὶ τίς καὶ πόθεν, τίνα τέ ἐστιν ἃ πράττει, καὶ πῶς καὶ διὰ τί. Σίμων οὗτος πατρὸς μέν ἐστιν Ἀντωνίου, μητρὸς δὲ Ῥαχήλ, Σαμαρεὺς τὸ γένος, ἀπὸ Γετθῶν κώμης, τῆς πόλεως ἀπεχούσης σχοίνους ἕξ. οὗτος ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ πάνυ ἐξασκήσας ἑαυτὸν καὶ μαγείᾳ πολὺ δυνηθεὶς καὶ φρενωθεὶς θέλει νομίζεσθαι ἀνωτάτη τις εἶναι δύναμις καὶ αὐτοῦ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον κτίσαντος Θεοῦ· ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ Χριστὸν ἑαυτὸν αἰνισσόμενος, ἑστῶτα προσαγορεύει. ταύτῃ δὲ τῇ προσηγορίᾳ κέχρηται, ὡς δὴ στησόμενος ἀεί, καὶ αἰτίαν φθορᾶς, ὥστε τὸ σῶμα πεσεῖν, οὐκ ἔχων. καὶ οὔτε Θεόν, τὸν κτίσαντα τὸν κόσμον, ἀνώτατον εἶναι λέγει, οὔτε νεκροὺς ἐγηγέρθαι πιστεύει. τὴν Ἱερουσαλὴμ ἀρνεῖται, τὸ Γαριζεὶν ὄρος ἀντεισφέρει. ἀντὶ τοῦ ὄντως Χριστοῦ ἡμῶν ἑαυτὸν ἀναγορεύει. τὰ δὲ τοῦ νόμου ἰδίᾳ προλήψει ἀλληγορεῖ. καὶ κρίσιν ἔσεσθαι μὲν λέγει, οὐ προσδοκᾷ δέ. οὐ γὰρ ἂν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ κριθήσεσθαι πεπεισμένος, μέχρι αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀσεβεῖν ἐτόλμα. ὅθεν ἔνιοι μὴ εἰδότες, ὅτι προκαλύμματι τῇ θεοσεβείᾳ κεχρημένος ὑποσυλᾷ τὰ τῆς ἀληθείας, καὶ τὴν ὁπώσποτε ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ ἐλπίδα καὶ κρίσιν λεγομένην ἔσεσθαι, ὡς πιστῶς πιστεύοντες ἀπόλλυνται. ### English translation (Claude) Aquila began to speak first, as follows: “Listen, our dearest brother, so that you may know accurately everything about the man: whose son he is, who he is, and from where; what it is that he does, and how, and why. This Simon is the son of Antonius and Rachel, a Samaritan by race, from the village of Gitthae, six schoeni from the city. Having trained himself thoroughly in Alexandria, and become very powerful in magic, and being puffed up, he wishes to be thought a supreme power, above even the God who created the world. And sometimes, hinting that he himself is the Christ, he calls himself the Standing One. He uses this title as one who will stand for ever, and has no cause of corruption so that his body should fall. And he says neither that God, who created the world, is the Most High, nor does he believe that the dead will be raised. He rejects Jerusalem and puts forward Mount Gerizim instead. He proclaims himself in place of our true Christ. The things of the Law he allegorizes according to his own presuppositions. And he says there will be a judgment, but does not expect one; for if he were persuaded that he would be judged by God, he would not dare to be impious even toward God himself. Hence some, not knowing that he uses piety as a veil to steal away the things of the truth, and faithfully believing the hope and judgment of which he speaks in some fashion, are perishing.” ### Scripture references - John 4:20: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - A schoenus was an Egyptian and Near Eastern measure of distance (about 5–6 km); “the city” is not named. The preference for Gerizim over Jerusalem is the Samaritan position (compare John 4:20). The title “Standing One” (ὁ ἑστώς) for Simon also appears in Hippolytus and the Recognitions. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.22 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-22). ## Homilies 2.23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-23 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Aquila explains that Simon was the chief of John the Baptist's thirty disciples, a group that included a woman called Helen. ### Greek text Τὸ δὲ παρεισελθεῖν αὐτὸν τὸν τῆς θεοσεβείας λόγον, γέγονεν οὕτως· Ἰωάννης τις ἐγένετο ἡμεροβαπτιστής, ὃς καὶ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ κατὰ τὸν τῆς συζυγίας λόγον ἐγένετο πρόοδος· καὶ ὥσπερ τῷ κυρίῳ γεγόνασιν δώδεκα ἀπόστολοι, τῶν τοῦ ἡλίου δώδεκα μηνῶν φέροντες τὸν ἀριθμόν, ὡσαύτως καὶ αὐτῷ ἔξαρχοι ἄνδρες γεγόνασιν τριάκοντα, τὸν μηνιαῖον τῆς σελήνης ἀποπληροῦντες λόγον. ἐν ᾧ ἀριθμῷ μία τις ἦν γυνὴ λεγομένη Ἑλένη, ἵνα μηδὲ τοῦτο ἀνοικονόμητον ᾖ. ἥμισυ γὰρ ἀνδρὸς οὖσα γυνὴ ἀτελῆ τὸν τῆς τριακοντάδος τέθεικεν ἀριθμὸν, ὥσπερ καὶ τῆς σελήνης, ἧς ἡ πορεία τοῦ μηνὸς οὐ τέλειον ποιεῖται τὸν δρόμον. τούτων δὲ τῶν τριάκοντα τῷ Ἰωάννῃ πρῶτος καὶ δοκιμώτατος ἦν ὁ Σίμων, ὃς καὶ τοῦ μὴ ἆρξαι αὐτὸν μετὰ τὴν τελευτὴν τοῦ Ἰωάννου αἰτίαν ἔσχεν ταύτην. ### English translation (Claude) “And his entry into the teaching of religion came about in this way. There was a certain John, a day-baptist, who was also the forerunner of our Lord Jesus, according to the rule of the pairs. And as the Lord had twelve apostles, bearing the number of the twelve months of the sun, so also he had thirty chief men, filling out the monthly reckoning of the moon. In that number there was one woman, called Helen, so that not even this might be without design. For a woman, being half a man, left the number thirty incomplete, as with the moon, whose course in the month does not make a complete circuit. Of these thirty the first and most esteemed with John was Simon; and the reason he did not become head after John's death was this.” ### Translation notes - “Day-baptist” (ἡμεροβαπτιστής) was the name of a Jewish sect that bathed daily; the Homilies apply it to John. This account of John's thirty disciples, Simon, and Dositheus is peculiar to the Pseudo-Clementines. A lunar month is about 29½ days, hence the “incomplete” thirty. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.23 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-23). ## Homilies 2.24 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-24 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Aquila tells how Simon displaced Dositheus as head of John's sect by slander and a magical show. ### Greek text Ἀποδημοῦντος γὰρ αὐτοῦ εἰς Αἴγυπτον ἐπὶ τὴν τῆς μαγείας ἐπάσκησιν, τοῦ Ἰωάννου ἀναιρεθέντος, Δωσίθεός τε τῆς ἀρχῆς ὀρεγόμενος, θάνατον αὐτοῦ ψευδῆ καταγγείλας, διαδέχεται τὴν αἵρεσιν. ὁ δὲ Σίμων μετʼ οὐ πολὺ ἐπελθὼν καὶ τοῦ τόπου ὡς ἰδίου μεγάλως ἀντεχόμενος, τῷ Δωσιθέῳ συντυχὼν τὸν μὲν τόπον οὐκ ἀπῄτει, εἰδὼς ὅτι ὁ φθάσας τῆς ἀρχῆς παρὰ προαίρεσιν οὐ καθαιρεῖται. διὸ μετὰ προσποιητοῦ φιλίας ἐπʼ ὀλίγον μὲν εἰς τὸν δεύτερον τοῦ Δωσιθέου τόπον δίδωσιν ἑαυτόν. ταγεὶς δὲ μετʼ οὐ πολλὰς ἡμέρας τοῖς τριάκοντα συμμαθηταῖς, ὑποδιαβάλλειν ἤρξατο τὸν Δωσίθεον, ὡς μὴ παραδιδόντα γνησίως τὰ μαθήματα. καὶ τοῦτο ποιεῖν ἔλεγεν αὐτὸν οὐχ ὡς φθονοῦντα, ἀλλʼ ἀγνοοῦντα. καί ποτε ὁ Δωσίθεος, ὑπαισθόμενος τὴν τοῦ Σίμωνος ἔντεχνον διαβολὴν, λύουσαν αὐτοῦ τὴν πρὸς τοὺς πολλοὺς ὑπόνοιαν, τοῦ μὴ αὐτὸν εἶναι νομίζειν τὸν ἑστῶτα, θυμῷ ἐπὶ τὴν συνήθη παραγενόμενος διατριβὴν ῥάβδῳ παίει εὑρὼν τὸν Σίμωνα, ἡ δὲ ὥσπερ καπνοῦ τοῦ Σίμωνος διελθεῖν ἔδοξε σῶμα. ἐπὶ τούτῳ καταπλαγεὶς ὁ Δωσίθεος λέγει αὐτῷ, εἰ σὺ εἶ ὁ ἑστώς, καὶ προσκυνῶ σε. τοῦ Σίμωνος εἰπόντος, ἐγὼ εἰμί, ὁ Δωσίθεος ἑαυτὸν γνοὺς οὐκ ὄντα τὸν ἑστῶτα, πεσὼν προσεκύνησεν, καὶ τοῖς εἰκοσιεννέα ἐξάρχοις συγκαταβαλὼν ἑαυτὸν εἰς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ τῆς ὑπονοίας τόπον ἔστησε τὸν Σίμωνα, καὶ οὕτως μετʼ οὐ πολλὰς ἡμέρας ὁ Δωσίθεος, ἐκείνου στάντος, αὐτὸς πεσὼν ἐτελεύτησεν. ### English translation (Claude) “He had gone away to Egypt to practise magic when John was killed; and Dositheus, desiring the leadership, spread a false report of Simon's death and succeeded to the head of the sect. Not long afterwards Simon returned and, laying strong claim to the position as his own, met Dositheus; yet he did not demand the position, knowing that one who has already obtained leadership is not removed against his will. Therefore, with pretended friendship, he gave himself for a while to the second place under Dositheus. But after a few days, being ranked among the thirty fellow-disciples, he began to slander Dositheus secretly as not handing on the teachings faithfully; and he said that he did this not out of envy but out of ignorance. And once Dositheus, perceiving that Simon's artful slander was undermining the opinion the many had of him, so that they no longer thought him to be the Standing One, came in anger to the usual meeting-place, found Simon, and struck him with a rod; but the rod seemed to pass through Simon's body as though through smoke. Astonished at this, Dositheus said to him: ‘If you are the Standing One, I too worship you.’ When Simon said, ‘I am,’ Dositheus, knowing that he himself was not the Standing One, fell down and worshipped; and, ranking himself with the twenty-nine chief men, he set Simon in his own place of repute. And so, not many days later, while Simon stood, Dositheus himself fell and died.” ### Translation notes - The closing words play on the title “Standing One”: Simon “stood” while Dositheus “fell.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.24 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-24). ## Homilies 2.25 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-25 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Aquila says that Simon presents his companion Helen as the heavenly Wisdom for whom the Trojan War was fought, and deceives many by magic. ### Greek text Ὁ δὲ Σίμων τὴν Ἑλένην παραλαβὼν περιέρχεται, καὶ μέχρι τοῦ δεῦρο, ὡς ὁρᾷς, ἀναστατεῖ τοὺς ὄχλους. αὐτὴν δὲ τὴν Ἑλένην ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνωτάτων οὐρανῶν κατενηνοχέναι λέγει τῷ κόσμῳ, κυρίαν οὖσαν, ὡς παμμήτορα οὐσίαν καὶ σοφίαν, ἧς ἕνεκεν, φησίν, Ἑλληνές τε καὶ βάρβαροι ἐμαχέσαντο, εἰκόνα φαντασθέντες ἀληθείας, ἡ γὰρ ὄντως οὖσα τότε παρὰ τῷ πρωτίστῳ ὑπῆρχεν Θεῷ. πλὴν τοιαῦτά τινα ἑλληνικοῖς μύθοις συμπεπλασμένα πιθανῶς ἀλληγορῶν ἀπατᾷ πολλούς, ἐξαιρέτως πολλὰ τερατώδη θαυμάσια ποιῶν, ὡς εἰ μὴ ᾔδειμεν ὅτι μαγείᾳ ταῦτα ποιεῖ, ἠπατήθημεν ἂν καὶ αὐτοί. ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ συνεργοὶ αὐτοῦ ἦμεν τὸ καταρχὰς, ὅτε τὰ τοιαῦτα ποιῶν τὸ τῆς θεοσεβείας οὐκ ἠδίκει μέρος, νῦν ὅτε πολυμανὴς τοὺς ἐν θεοσεβείᾳ ἀπατῶν ἐπιχειρεῖν ἤρξατο, ἀπέστημεν αὐτοῦ. ### English translation (Claude) “Simon, taking Helen with him, goes about and, as you see, stirs up the crowds even to this day. He says that he has brought this Helen down from the highest heavens to the world, as being the mistress, the all-mother being and Wisdom, for whose sake, he says, Greeks and barbarians fought, having imagined an image of the truth; for she who truly is was then with the first God. Allegorizing plausibly such things, fashioned together with Greek myths, he deceives many, especially by doing many marvellous wonders, so that if we had not known that he does them by magic, we too would have been deceived. But since we were his fellow-workers at first, while in doing such things he did no injury to the cause of religion, now that in his great madness he has begun to try to deceive those who are pious, we have withdrawn from him.” ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Il. (Homer, Iliad): allusion, low confidence - Irenaeus, Irenaeus, Haer. 1.23.2 (Irenaeus, Against Heresies): echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The war fought by Greeks and barbarians is the Trojan War over Helen (Homer's Iliad). The same claim about Simon's Helen is reported by Irenaeus (Haer. 1.23.2) and Justin (1 Apol. 26). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.25 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-25). ## Homilies 2.26 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-26 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Aquila reports that Simon claimed to have used the soul of a murdered boy for his magic and to have made a man out of air. ### Greek text Καὶ γὰρ μιαιφονεῖν ἤρξατο, ὡς αὐτὸς ἔτι ὡς φίλος φίλοις ἐξέφηνεν, ὅτι παιδίου ψυχὴν τοῦ ἰδίου σώματος χωρίσας ἀποῤῥήτοις ὅρκοις, συνεργὸν πρὸς τὴν τῶν αὐτῷ δοκούντων φαντασίαν, τὸν δὲ παῖδα διαγράψας ἐπʼ εἰκόνος, ἐνδοτέρῳ οἴκῳ ὅπου αὐτὸς ὑπνοῖ ἀνατεθειμένην ἔχει, φάσκων, ποτὲ τοῦτον ἐξ ἀέρος πλάσας θείαις τροπαῖς καὶ τὸ εἶδος ἀναγράψας ἀποδεδωκέναι λέγει πάλιν τῷ ἀέρι. τὴν δὲ πρᾶξιν ἐρμηνεύει οὕτως πεποιηκέναι. πρῶτον τοῦ ἀνθρώπου πνεῦμα λέγει τραπὲν εἰς θερμοῦ φύσιν τὸν περικείμενον αὐτῷ σικύας δίκην ἐπισπασάμενον συμπιεῖν ἀέρα, εἶτα ἔνδοθεν τῆς τοῦ πνεύματος εἰδέας γενόμενον αὐτὸν τρέψαι εἰς ὕδωρ. ὑπὸ δὲ συνεχείας τοῦ πνεύματος χυθῆναι μὴ δυνάμενον, εἰς αἵματος φύσιν μετατρέπειν ἔφασκεν τὸν ἐν αὐτῷ ἀέρα, τὸ δὲ αἶμα πῆξαν τὰς σάρκας ποιῆσαι· εἶθʼ οὕτως τῆς σαρκὸς παγείσης ἄνθρωπον οὐκ ἀπὸ γῆς, ἀλλʼ ἐξ ἀέρος ἀναδεῖξαι. καὶ οὕτως ἑαυτὸν πείσας καινὸν ἄνθρωπον δύνασθαι ποιῆσαι, τὰς τροπὰς ἀναλύων πάλιν ἀποδεδωκέναι ἔλεγεν τῷ ἀέρι. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἄλλοις λέγων ἐπιστεύετο, ὑφʼ ἡμῶν δὲ τῶν ἐπὶ τελετῇ συμπαρόντων εὐσεβῶς ἠπιστεῖτο. διὸ ἀσεβείας καταγνόντες ἀπέστημεν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ. ### English translation (Claude) “For he even began to commit murder, as he himself disclosed to us, as a friend to friends: that he separated the soul of a child from its own body by secret oaths, to be his helper in producing the apparitions he wished; and he painted the boy's likeness on an image, which he keeps set up in the inner room where he sleeps. He says that he once formed this boy out of air by divine transformations, and, having drawn his form, gave him back again to the air. And he explains how he did it, thus. First, he says, the spirit of the man, turned into the nature of heat, drew in and absorbed the surrounding air like a cupping-glass; then, when it had come within the form of the spirit, he turned it into water; and since it could not be poured out, because of the cohesion of the spirit, he said he changed the air in it into the nature of blood; and the blood, congealing, made flesh; and then, when the flesh had solidified, he produced a man not from earth but from air. And so, having persuaded himself that he could make a new man, he said that he reversed the transformations and gave him back again to the air. In telling this to others he was believed; but by us, who were present at the rite, he was piously disbelieved. Therefore, condemning him for impiety, we withdrew from him.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.26 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-26). ## Homilies 2.27 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-27 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Nicetes adds that he and Aquila took no part in Simon's impiety and refused his promises of divine honours and wealth. ### Greek text Ταῦτα τοῦ Ἀκύλα εἰπόντος ὁ ἀδελφὸς αὐτοῦ Νικήτης ἔφη· Ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστιν, ἀδελφὲ ἡμῶν Κλήμης, τὰ παραλειφθέντα τῷ Ἀκύλᾳ ἐμὲ ὑπομνῆσαι. πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ μάρτυς ὁ Θεὸς ὡς οὐδὲν αὐτῷ ἡμεῖς συνειργασάμεθα ἀσεβές, ἀλλʼ ὅτι αὐτοῦ πράσσοντος ἱστορήκαμεν· καὶ μέχρις ὅτε ἀβλαβῆ ποιῶν ἐπεδείκνυτο, καὶ ἐτερπόμεθα, ὅτε δὲ τὰ μαγείᾳ γινόμενα θεότητι ποιεῖν πρὸς ἀπάτην θεοσεβῶν ἔλεγεν, οὐκ ἔτι αὐτοῦ ἠνεσχόμεθα καίτοι πολλὰ ἐπαγγελλομένου ἡμῖν, πρῶτον μὲν ναῶν ἀνδριάντας ἡμῶν καταξιωθῆναι καὶ θεοὺς νομισθῆναι καὶ ὑπὸ ὄχλων προσκυνηθῆναι καὶ ὑπὸ βασιλέων δοξασθῆναι καὶ δημοσίων τιμῶν καταξιωθῆναι καὶ χρήμασιν ἀπεριορίστοις πλουτῆσαι. ### English translation (Claude) When Aquila had said this, his brother Nicetes said: “It is necessary, Clement our brother, that I should recall what Aquila has left out. First, God is witness that we did nothing impious together with him, but only watched as he did it. As long as he displayed harmless tricks, we even enjoyed them; but when he said that he did by divinity what was done by magic, to deceive the pious, we no longer put up with him, although he promised us much: first, that statues of us would be thought worthy of temples, that we would be regarded as gods and worshipped by the crowds, glorified by kings, thought worthy of public honours, and enriched with boundless wealth.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.27 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-27). ## Homilies 2.28 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-28 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Nicetes recalls how he and Aquila urged Simon to stop claiming divinity and to fear God's judgment. ### Greek text Ταῦτά τε καὶ τὰ τούτοις μείζονα νομιζόμενα ἡμῖν ὑπέσχετο, μόνον ἵνα συνόντες αὐτῷ τὸ τῆς ἐγχειρήσεως κακὸν σιωπῶμεν, ἵνα αὐτῷ τὰ τῆς ἀπάτης προκόπτῃ, καὶ ὅμως οὐ συνεθέμεθα, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸν τῆς τοιαύτης ἀπονοίας παύσασθαι συνεβουλεύσαμεν, λέγοντες αὐτῷ· ἡμεῖς, Σίμων, τῆς ἐκ παίδων φιλίας πρός σε μεμνημένοι στέργοντές τε τὰ συμφέροντα συμβουλεύομεν· παῦσαι τῆς τοιαύτης τόλμης· θεὸς εἶναι οὐ δύνασαι· φοβήθητι τὸν ὄντως Θεόν, γνῶθι ὅτι ἄνθρωπος εἶ καὶ ὅτι σου μικρός ἐστιν ὁ τῆς ζωῆς χρόνος. κἄν μέγα πλουτῇς ἢ καὶ βασιλεύσῃς, τῷ τῆς ζωῆς σου μικρῷ χρόνῳ ὀλίγα τυγχάνει πρὸς ἀπόλαυσιν, καὶ ἀσεβῶς πορισθέντα, εὐθέως φεύγοντα, αἰωνίαν κόλασιν περιποιεῖται τῷ τετολμηκότι. διὸ φοβεῖσθαί σοι τὸν Θεὸν συμβουλεύομεν, ὑφʼ οὗ κριθῆναι ἔχει ἡ ἑκάστου ψυχὴ περὶ ὧν ἕπραξεν ἐνταῦθα. ### English translation (Claude) “These things, and others thought greater than these, he promised us, if only, remaining with him, we would keep silent about the evil of his undertaking, so that his deceit might prosper. Yet we did not agree; rather, we advised him to cease from such madness, saying to him: ‘Simon, we remember our friendship with you from boyhood and, out of affection, advise you what is to your advantage. Cease from such daring. You cannot be a god. Fear the God who truly is; know that you are a man and that the time of your life is short. Even if you become very rich or even become king, in the short time of your life little comes to be enjoyed; and what is gained impiously quickly flees and secures eternal punishment for the one who dared it. Therefore we advise you to fear God, by whom the soul of each is to be judged for what it has done here.’” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.28 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-28). ## Homilies 2.29 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-29 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon mocks belief in the soul's immortality, and Nicetes retorts that Simon's own necromancy proves it. ### Greek text Ὁ δὲ ταῦτα ἀκούσας ἐγέλασεν. ἡμῶν δὲ εἰπόντων, τί ἡμῶν τά σοι συμφέροντα συμβουλευόντων καταγελᾶς; ἔφη, γελῶ ὑμῶν τὴν μωρὰν ὑπόληψιν, ὅτι πιστεύετε ἀθάνατον εἶναι τὴν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ψυχήν. κᾀγὼ ἔφην, οὐ θαυμάζομεν, ὦ Σίμων, εἰ ἀπατᾶν ἡμᾶς ἐπιχειρεῖς, ἀλλʼ ἐκπεπλήγμεθα τίνι λόγῳ καὶ ἑαυτὸν ἀπατᾷς· λέγε μοι ὦ Σίμων, εἰ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων οὐδεὶς πεπληροφόρηται ἀθάνατον εἶναι τὴν ψυχήν, ἀλλʼ οὖν γε σὺ καὶ ἡμεῖς, σὺ μὲν ὡς ἀνθρωπείου σώματος χωρίσας αὐτὴν καὶ προσομιλήσας καὶ ἐπιτάξας, ἡμεῖς δὲ ὡς συμπαρόντες καὶ τὴν ἐπιταγήν ἀκούσαντες καὶ τὸ κελευσθὲν ἐναργῶς ἱστορήσαντες. Σίμων ἔφη, ἐγὼ μὲν οἶδα τί λέγετε, ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐκ οἴδατε περὶ τίνων διαλέγεσθε. καὶ ὁ Νικήτης ἔφη, ἐπεὶ οἶδας, λέγε, εἰ δὲ μὴ οἶδας, μὴ δόκει ἡμᾶς τῷ λέγειν σὲ μὲν εἰδέναι, ἡμᾶς δὲ μή, ἀπατᾶσθαι δύνασθαι. οὐ γάρ ἐσμεν οὕτως νήπιοι, ἵνα πανοῦργον ἐνσπείρῃς ἐν ἡμῖν ὑποψίαν τοῦ νομίζειν σού τι τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων εἰδέναι, καὶ οὕτως ἐπιθυμίᾳ κολαζομένους ἡμᾶς ὑποχειρίους λαβὼν ἔχῃς. ### English translation (Claude) “On hearing this he laughed. And when we said, ‘Why do you laugh at us when we advise you for your good?’ he said: ‘I laugh at your foolish supposition that you believe the soul of man is immortal.’ And I said: ‘We do not wonder, Simon, that you try to deceive us, but we are astonished by what reasoning you deceive even yourself. Tell me, Simon: even if no one else has been fully assured that the soul is immortal, surely you and we have: you, as having separated one from a human body, conversed with it, and commanded it; and we, as having been present, heard the command, and clearly seen what was ordered.’ Simon said: ‘I know what you are saying; but you do not know what you are talking about.’ And Nicetes said: ‘Since you know, say it; but if you do not know, do not think that by saying that you know and we do not, you can deceive us. For we are not such children that you can sow in us a crafty suspicion that you know some secret, and so, tormented with desire, take us and keep us in your power.’” ### Translation notes - Nicetes speaks in the first person and then is named in the third person; the narration shifts as printed. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.29 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-29). ## Homilies 2.30 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-30 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon claims a demon, not the soul, serves him; Nicetes points out that this contradicts Simon's own earlier explanations. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· ὅτι μὲν ἐχώρισα ψυχὴν ἀνθρωπείου σώματος, οἶδα ὑμᾶς εἰδότας, ὅτι δὲ οὐχ ἡ τοῦ τεθνεῶτος ψυχὴ ὑπουργεῖ, ἐπεὶ μὴ ὑπάρχει, ἀλλὰ δαίμων τις ὑποκρινόμενος αὐτὸς εἶναι ψυχὴ ἐνεργεῖ, οἶδα ὑμᾶς ἀγνοοῦντας. καὶ ὁ Νικήτης ἔφη, πολλὰ ἐν τῷ βίῳ ἠκούσαμεν ἄπιστα, τούτου δὲ τοῦ λόγου ἀνοητότερον οὐ προσεδοκήσαμεν ἀκοῦσαι. εἰ γὰρ δαίμων ὑποκρίνεται εἶναι τοῦ τεθνεῶτος ἡ ψυχή, τίς τῆς ψυχῆς χρεία γίνεται, ἵνα χωρισθῇ τοῦ σώματος; οὐκ αὐτοὶ δὲ παρόντες ἠκούσαμέν σου, τοῦ σκήνους τὴν ψυχὴν ὁρκίζοντος; πῶς δὲ καὶ ἄλλου ὁρκιζομένου ἕτερος μὴ ὁρκισθεὶς ὡς φοβηθεὶς ὑπακούει; οὐκ ἐξετασθεὶς δὲ καὶ σὺ ὑφʼ ἡμῶν ποτε, διὰ τί ἐνίοτε καὶ παύονται αἱ παρεδρίαι, ἔφης ὅτι ψυχὴ πληρώσασα τὸν ὑπὲρ γῆς χρόνον, ὅν ἤμελλεν ἐν σώματι διατελεῖν, εἰς ᾅδην πορεύεται προσετίθης δὲ λέγων, ὅτι τῶν ἰδίῳ θανάτῳ τελευτησάντων αἱ ψυχαί, ἐπειδὴ αὐτόθι εἰς ᾅδην χωρήσασαι φρουροῦνται, οὐκ εὐκόπως ἐλθεῖν ἀφίενται; ### English translation (Claude) “And Simon said: ‘That I separated a soul from a human body, I know that you know; but that it is not the soul of the dead man that serves me, since it does not exist, but some demon who pretends to be the soul is at work, this I know you do not know.’ And Nicetes said: ‘We have heard many incredible things in our life, but we did not expect to hear anything more senseless than this. For if a demon pretends to be the soul of the dead, what need is there for the soul to be separated from the body? Did we not ourselves, being present, hear you adjuring the soul of the body? And how, when one is adjured, does another, who was not adjured, obey as though in fear? And when you were once questioned by us why the attendances sometimes cease, did you not say that a soul, having completed the time above the earth which it was to spend in the body, goes to Hades? And did you not add that the souls of those who died their own natural death, since they go straight to Hades and are kept under guard there, are not easily allowed to come?’” ### Translation notes - “Their own natural death” renders ἰδίῳ θανάτῳ; ANF understands suicide. The argument implies that only souls of those who died before their appointed time (by violence) can be summoned. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.30 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-30). ## Homilies 2.31 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-31 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Aquila argues from Simon's own practice that souls are immortal and that a judgment is coming; Simon threatens them with death. ### Greek text Ταῦτα του Νικήτου εἰπόντος, Ἀκύλας αὐτὸς πάλιν ἔφη· ἐβουλόμην παρά σου τοῦτο μόνον μαθεῖν, Σίμων, εἴτε ψυχὴ, εἴτε δαίμων ἐστὶν τὸ ὁρκιζόμενον, τί φοβούμενον οὐ παραπέμπεται τοὺς ὅρκους; καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· κόλασιν γὰρ παρακούσασα οἶδεν μέλλειν παθεῖν. καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας ἔφη· οὐκοῦν εἰ ὁρκιζομένη ψυχὴ ἔρχεται, καὶ κρίσις γίνεται. εἰ οὖν αἱ ψυχαὶ ἀθάνατοι γίνονται, καὶ κρίσις πάντως γίνεται. ὡς ἄν καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ κακῇ πράξει ὁρκισθέντας καταδικασθῆναι παρακούσαντας φῇς, πῶς οὐ πεφόβησαι σὺ ἀναγκάζειν, τῶν ἀναγκαζομένων ἐπὶ παρακοῇ κολαζομένων; τὸ γὰρ ἤδη σε μὴ παθεῖν ἐφʼ οἶς ἔδρασας, ἐπεὶ μήπω κρίσις ἐστίν, ἵνα σὺ μὲν δίκην δῷς περὶ ὧν ἠνάγκασας, τὸ δὲ ἀναγκασθὲν ὑπὸ συγγνώμην γένηται, ὡς τῆς κακῆς πράξεως τὸν ὅρκον προτιμῆσαν. ὁ δὲ τούτων ἀκούσας ὠργίσθη, θάνατον ἡμῖν ἀπειλήσας, εἰ μὴ τὰ ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ πραττόμενα σιωπῶμεν. ### English translation (Claude) “When Nicetes had said this, Aquila himself said again: ‘I should like to learn from you this one thing, Simon: whether it is a soul or a demon that is adjured, what does it fear, that it does not disregard the oaths?’ And Simon said: ‘Because it knows that it will suffer punishment if it disobeys.’ And Aquila said: ‘Then if the soul comes when adjured, there is also a judgment. If, then, souls are immortal, there is certainly also a judgment. And if you say that those adjured for an evil deed are condemned when they disobey, how are you not afraid to compel them, since those compelled are punished for disobedience? For that you have not yet suffered for what you have done is because there is not yet a judgment, when you will pay the penalty for what you compelled, while what was compelled will be pardoned, as having honoured the oath above the evil deed.’ Hearing this, he was enraged, and threatened us with death unless we kept silent about what he was doing.” ### Translation notes - The last argument is elliptical in the Greek; translated by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.31 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-31). ## Homilies 2.32 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-32 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Aquila and Nicetes list Simon's magical wonders. ### Greek text Ταῦτα τοῦ Ἀκύλα εἰπόντος, ἐγὼ Κλήμης ἐπυθόμην, τίνα ἄρα ἐστὶν ἅ ποιεῖ θαυμάσια. οἱ δὲ ἔλεγόν μοι, ὅτι ἀνδριάντας ποιεῖ περιπατεῖν, καὶ ἐπὶ πῦρ κυλιόμενος οὐ καίεται· ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ πέταται· καὶ ἐκ λίθων ἄρτους ποιεῖ· ὄφις γίνεται, εἰς αἶγα μεταμορφοῦται, διπρόσωπος γίνεται, εἰς χρυσὸν μεταβάλλεται· θύρας κεκλεισμένας ἀνοίγει, σίδηρον λύει, ἐν δείπνοις εἴδωλα παντοδαπῶν εἰδεῶν παρίστησιν· τὰ ἐν οἰκίᾳ σκεύη ὡς αὐτόματα φερόμενα πρὸς ὑπηρεσίαν βλέπεσθαι ποιεῖ, τῶν φερόντων οὐ βλεπομένων. ταῦτα αὐτῶν λεγόντων ἀκούων ἐθαύμαζον. ἐμαρτύρουν δὲ πολλοὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα αὐτοὶ παρόντες ἱστορηκέναι. ### English translation (Claude) When Aquila had said this, I, Clement, asked what, then, were the wonders that he does. And they told me that he makes statues walk; he rolls on fire and is not burned; sometimes he even flies; he makes loaves out of stones; he becomes a serpent, is transformed into a goat, becomes two-faced, changes himself into gold; he opens locked doors, melts iron, and at dinners presents images of every kind of form; he makes the vessels in his house be seen moving as if of themselves to serve him, those who carry them not being seen. I was amazed as I heard them say this; and many bore witness that they had themselves been present and seen such things. ### Scripture references - Matt 4:3: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - “Loaves out of stones” recalls the temptation of Jesus (Matt 4:3). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.32 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-32). ## Homilies 2.33 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-33 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter applies the rule of pairs to wonders: Simon's useless marvels come first, from evil, as the plagues of Egypt came before Moses' healings. ### Greek text Τούτων οὕτως ῥηθέντων ὁ καλὸς Πέτρος καὶ αὐτὸς τοῦ λέγειν ἤρξατο· συνορᾶν ὑμᾶς δεῖ, ἀδελφοί, τοῦ τῆς συζυγίας κανόνος τὴν ἀλήθειαν, οὑ μὴ ἀφιστάμενός τις οὐκ ἔχει πλανηθῆναι. ἐπεὶ γάρ, ὡς ἔφαμεν, δυϊκῶς καὶ ἐναντίως πάντα ἔχοντα ὁρῶμεν, καὶ ὡς πρώτη νύξ, εἶτα ἡμέρα, καὶ πρῶτον ἄγνοια, εἶτα γνῶσις, πρῶτον νόσος, εἶτα ἴασις, οὕτως πρῶτα τὰ τῆς πλάνης τῷ βίῳ ἔρχεται, εἶθʼ οὕτως τὸ ἀληθὲς ἐπέρχεται, ὡς τῇ νόσῳ ὁ ἰατρός. αὐτίκα γοῦν τοῦ θεοφιλοῦς ἡμῶν ἔθνους ἀπὸ τῆς τῶν Αἰγυπτίων κακουχίας μέλλοντος λυτροῦσθαι, πρῶτον διὰ τῆς ὀφιωθείσης ῥάβδου, ἥτις τῷ Ἀαρὼν ἐδόθη, αἱ νόσοι ἐγίνοντο, καὶ εἶθʼ οὕτως εὐχαῖς Μωυσέως αἱ ἰάσεις ἐπεφέροντο. καὶ νῦν δὲ τῶν ἐθνῶν μελλόντων ἀπὸ τῆς μετὰ τὰ εἴδωλα λυτροῦσθαι θρησκείας, ἡ κακία πάλιν, ὡς αὐτὴ βασιλεύουσα, προλαβοῦσα πρῶτον τὸν ἑαυτῆς ὥσπερ ὄφιν ἔπεμψε σύμμαχον, ὅν ὁρᾶτου Σίμωνα, ποιοῦντα θαυμάσια πρὸς κατάπληξιν καὶ ἀπάτην, οὐ σημεῖα ἰατικὰ πρὸς ἐπιστροφὴν καὶ σωτηρίαν. διὸ καὶ ὑμᾶς ἀπὸ τῶν γινομένων τεράτων τοὺς ποιοῦντας νοεῖν δεῖ, τίς τίνος ἐστὶν ἐργάτης. ἐὰν ἀνωφελῆ ποιῇ τέρατα, κακίας ἐστὶν ὑπουργός· ἐὰν δὲ ἐπωφελῆ πράττῃ, τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ ἐστιν ἡγεμών. ### English translation (Claude) When this had been said, the good Peter himself also began to speak: “You must perceive, brothers, the truth of the rule of the pairs, from which whoever does not depart cannot be led astray. For since, as we have said, we see all things existing in pairs and as opposites, and as first comes night, then day; first ignorance, then knowledge; first disease, then healing: so the things of error come first into life, and then the truth comes after, as the physician after the disease. For instance, when our God-loving nation was about to be redeemed from the ill-treatment of the Egyptians, first, through the rod that was turned into a serpent, which was given to Aaron, the plagues came; and then the healings were brought by the prayers of Moses. And now, when the Gentiles are about to be redeemed from the worship of idols, wickedness again, as though it were reigning, has anticipated and first sent its own ally, like a serpent, this Simon whom you see, doing wonders to astonish and deceive, not healing signs for conversion and salvation. Therefore you too must understand from the wonders that are done who is the worker of whom. If he does useless wonders, he is a servant of wickedness; but if he does beneficial ones, he is a leader of the good.” ### Scripture references - Exod 7:10: allusion, high confidence - Exod 8:12: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Aaron's rod turned into a serpent: Exod 7:10–12; Moses' prayers remove the plagues: Exod 8:12–13, 8:30–31. “Whom you see” renders ὅν ὁρᾶτου, evidently for ὅν ὁρᾶτε τοῦτον. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.33 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-33). ## Homilies 2.34 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-34 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter contrasts Simon's useless marvels with the healings done by the Lord and by himself. ### Greek text Τὰ μὲν οὖν ἀνωφελῆ ἐστιν σημεῖα, ὅσα αὐτοὶ Σίμωνα εἰρήκατε πεποιηκέναι. λέγω δὲ τὸ ἀνδριάντας αὐτὸν ποιεῖν περιπατεῖν, καὶ τὸ ἐπʼ ἀνθράκων αὐτὸν πεπυρωμένων κυλίεσθαι, καὶ δράκοντα γίνεσθαι, εἰς αἶγα μεταμορφωθῆναι, εἰς ἀέρα πτῆναι, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτά τινα, εἰς ἴασιν ἀνθρώπων μὴ γινόμενα, πρὸς ἀπατᾶν φύσιν ἔχει πολλούς. τὰ δὲ τῆς οἰκτίρμονος ἀληθείας σημεῖά ἐστιν φιλάνθρωπα, ἅ τινα ἠκούσατε τὸν κύριον πεποιηκότα, κᾀμὲ μετʼ ἐκεῖνον εὐχαῖς κατορθοῦντα· ὧν οἱ πλεῖστοι παρεστήκατε, οἱ μὲν νόσων παντοίων ἀπαλλαγέντες, οἱ δὲ δαιμόνων, οἱ δὲ ὀρθωθέντες χεῖρας, οἱ δὲ πόδας, οἱ δὲ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς ἀπολαβόντες, οἱ δὲ τὰς ἀκοὰς καὶ ἄλλα ὅσα ἄνθρωπος ποιεῖν δύναται, φιλανθρώπου πνεύματος γενόμενος. ### English translation (Claude) “Useless, then, are the signs that you yourselves have said Simon did: I mean making statues walk, rolling on burning coals, becoming a dragon, being transformed into a goat, flying in the air, and all such things, which, not being done for the healing of men, are by nature apt to deceive many. But the signs of compassionate truth are kind to men, such as you have heard that the Lord did, and that I after him accomplish by prayers. Most of you stand here as witnesses: some freed from all kinds of disease, others from demons; some restored in their hands, others in their feet; some who have recovered their eyes, others their hearing; and all else that a man can do who has become possessed of a spirit that loves mankind.” ### Scripture references - Matt 11:5: echo, low confidence ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.34 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-34). ## Homilies 2.35 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-35 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Zacchaeus reports that Simon has postponed the debate because of his eleven-day sabbath. ### Greek text Ταῦτα τοῦ Πέτρου εἰπόντος, ὑπὸ τὸν ὄρθρον ἐπεισιὼν ἡμῖν Ζακχαῖος προσαγορεύσας ἔφη Πέτρῳ· ἀνατίθεται Σίμων τὴν ζήτησιν εἰς τὴν αὔριον ἡμέραν ἡ γὰρ σήμερον τὸ διʼ ἕνδεκα ἡμερῶν αὐτοῦ τυγχάνει σάββατον. καὶ πρὸς τοῦτον ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· λέγε Σίμωνι· ἐπεὶ τελείως θέλεις, μετὰ τοῦ γινώσκειν, ὅτι σοι ἡμεῖς, ὅτε βούλει, θεοφιλεῖ προνοίᾳ ἀπαντᾶν ἑτοίμως ἔχομεν. καὶ ὁ μὲν Ζακχαῖος ταῦτα ἀκούσας ἀντιβάλλειν ἐξῄει τὴν ἀπόκρισιν. ### English translation (Claude) When Peter had said this, toward dawn Zacchaeus came in to us, greeted us, and said to Peter: “Simon postpones the discussion to tomorrow, for today happens to be his sabbath, which comes every eleven days.” And Peter answered him: “Tell Simon: let it be as you wish; and know that we are ready to meet you, by God-loving providence, whenever you wish.” And Zacchaeus, having heard this, went out to deliver the answer. ### Translation notes - “Let it be as you wish” renders ἐπεὶ τελείως θέλεις, which is awkward as printed; translated by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.35 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-35). ## Homilies 2.36 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-36 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter comforts Clement over the delay, saying that God's providence turns events to good. ### Greek text Ὁ δὲ ἰδών με ἀθυμοῦντα καὶ τὴν αἰτίαν πυθόμενος καὶ μαθὼν παρʼ ἐμοῦ οὐκ ἄλλοθέν ποθεν οὖσαν, ἢ ἀπὸ τῆς κατὰ τὴν ζήτησιν ἀναβολῆς, ἔφη· ἀγαθῇ Θεοῦ προνοίᾳ προειληφὼς διοικεῖσθαι τὸν κόσμον, ὦ φίλε Κλήμης, αὐτὸς οὐκ ἄχθεται ἐπὶ τοῖς ὁπώσποτε ἀπαντῶσι πράγμασιν, ἀποδεδωκὼς ὅτι ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ κρείττονος οἰκονομίας συμφερόντως τὰ πράγματα τὴν ἔκβασιν λαμβάνει· ὅθεν δίκαιον αὐτὸν εἶναι γνοὺς καὶ εὐσυνειδήτως βιούς, τὸ προςπίπτον λυπηρὸν οἶδεν ὀρθῷ τῷ λογισμῷ ἀποσείεσθαι τῆς ψυχῆς, ὅτι πρὸς ἀγαθοῦ τινος ἀγνώστου συντελούμενον ἐλθεῖν ἔχει. καὶ νῦν δὲ τοῦ μάγου Σίμωνος ἡ τῆς ζητήσεως ὑπέρθεσις μή σε λυπείτω· ἴσως γὰρ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας εἰς τὴν σὴν γέγονεν ὠφέλειαν. διὸ ὡς ἰδίῳ σοι ὄντι οὐκ ὀκνήσω λέγειν. ### English translation (Claude) But he, seeing me despondent, asked the reason and learned from me that it came from nothing else than the postponement of the discussion. He said: “He who has come to believe, my dear Clement, that the world is governed by the good providence of God is not vexed at whatever things befall, since he has granted that under the ordering of the Higher things come to an outcome that is for the best. Hence, knowing that God is righteous, and living with a good conscience, he knows how by right reason to shake off from his soul whatever grief befalls, because it must come to fulfil some unknown good. And now, do not let the postponement of the discussion by Simon the magician grieve you; for perhaps by the providence of God it has come about for your benefit. Therefore, since you are one of our own, I will not hesitate to tell you.” ### Scripture references - Rom 8:28: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Compare Rom 8:28 for the thought that all things work together for good. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.36 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-36). ## Homilies 2.37 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-37 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter reveals that he has informants in Simon's circle and will prepare Clement for Simon's arguments. ### Greek text Τῶν ἡμετέρων τινὲς ἑταῖροι τῷ Σίμωνι προσποιητῶς σύνεισιν, ὡς πεισθέντες τῇ ἀθεωτάτῃ αὐτοῦ πλάνῃ, ὅπως μανθάνοντες αὐτοῦ τὰς βουλὰς ἐκφαίνωσιν ἡμῖν, πρὸς τὸ δύνασθαι δεινῷ ἀνδρὶ οἰκείως συναρμόσασθαι. καὶ νῦν παρʼ αὐτῶν ἔμαθον, ἧς μέλλει ζητήσεως ποιεῖσθαι τοὺς λόγους· καὶ γνοὺς ἐπὶ τούτῳ τῷ μὲν Θεῷ ἠυχαρίστησα, σὲ δὲ ἐμακάρισα ἐπὶ τῇ τῆς ζητήσεως ὑπερθέσει· τῶν γὰρ μελλόντων λόγων ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ πρὸς διάκρισιν τῶν ἀγνοούντων λέγεσθαι σὺ πρὸ τῆς ζητήσεως ἐφοδιασθεὶς ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ ἄπτωτος ἀκροατὴς γενέσθαι δυνήσῃ. ### English translation (Claude) “Some of our companions are with Simon by pretence, as though persuaded by his most godless error, so that, learning his plans, they may reveal them to us, in order that we may be able to deal suitably with a clever man. And now I have learned from them what arguments he intends to use in the discussion. Knowing this, I gave thanks to God, and I called you blessed because of the postponement of the discussion. For, being equipped by me before the discussion concerning the arguments he is to bring forward to unsettle the ignorant, you will be able to be a hearer who does not stumble.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.37 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-37). ## Homilies 2.38 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-38 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter teaches that the written Scriptures acquired false passages against God after Moses had handed the Law orally to the seventy elders, as a test of believers' love for God. ### Greek text Πολλὰ γὰρ ψευδῆ κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ προσέλαβον αἱ γραφαὶ λόγῳ τούτῳ. τοῦ προφήτου Μωυσέως γνώμῃ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐκλεκτοῖς τισιν ἑβδομήκοντα τὸν νόμον σὺν ταῖς ἐπιλύσεσιν παραδεδωκότος, πρὸς τὸ καὶ αὐτοὺς ἐφοδιάζειν τοῦ λαοῦ τοὺς βουλομένους, μετʼ οὐ πολὺ γραφεὶς ὁ νόμος προσέλαβέν τινα καὶ ψευδῆ κατὰ τοῦ νόμου Θεοῦ τοῦ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς δημιουργήσαντος, τοῦτο τοῦ πονηροῦ δικαίῳ τινὶ λόγῳ ἐνεργῆσαι τετολμηκότος. καὶ τοῦτο γέγονεν λόγῳ καὶ κρίσει, ὅπως ἐλεγχθῶσι, τίνες τολμῶσιν τὰ κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ γραφέντα φιληκόως ἔχειν, τίνες τε στοργῇ τῇ πρὸς αὐτὸν τὰ κατʼ αὐτοῦ λεγόμενα μὴ μόνον ἀπιστεῖν, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀκούειν ἀνέχεσθαι, κἄν ἀληθῆ τυγχάνῃ, πολλῷ κρίναντες ἀσφαλέστερον περὶ εὐφήμου πίστεως κινδυνεύειν, ἢ ἐπὶ βλασφήμοις λόγοις δυσσυνειδήτως βιοῦν. ### English translation (Claude) “For the Scriptures have taken in many falsehoods against God, for this reason. When the prophet Moses, by the will of God, had handed on the Law, together with its explanations, to certain chosen men, seventy in number, so that they too might instruct those of the people who wished, not long afterwards the Law, when it was written down, took in certain falsehoods also, against the Law of God who made heaven and earth and all things in them; the Evil One having dared to work this for some just reason. And this happened by design and judgment, so that it might be shown who dare to listen gladly to what is written against God, and who, out of love for him, not only disbelieve what is said against him but will not even bear to hear it at all, even if it should be true, judging it far safer to run a risk for a faith that speaks well of God than to live with an evil conscience by blasphemous words.” ### Scripture references - Num 11:16: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The doctrine of “false pericopes” inserted into the written Law is characteristic of the Homilies (compare 3.47–51). The seventy elders are those of Num 11:16–25. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.38 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-5/#p-2-38). ## Homilies 2.39 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-39 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains that he will not publicly call such passages false, but will answer Simon by questions and give the key privately to the well disposed. ### Greek text οὖν Σίμων τὰς κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς πειρασμοῦ χάριν προσκειμένας περικοπὰς αὐτάς, ὡς μανθάνω, βούλεται ἐλθὼν εἰς μέσον λέγειν, ὅπως τῆς πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν στοργῆς ὅσους δύναται ταλαιπώρους ἀποστῆσαι δυνηθῇ. δημοσίᾳ γὰρ αὐτὰς λέγειν προσκεῖσθαι ταῖς βίβλοις οὐ βουλόμεθα, ἐπεὶ πτύραντες ἀμαθεῖς ὄχλους αὐτοῦ τοῦ πονηροῦ Σίμωνος τὸ θέλημα ποιοῦμεν. μήπως γὰρ τὸ διακριτικὸν ἔχοντες φεύξονται ἡμᾶς ὡς ἀσεβοῦντας· ἢ ὡς οὐ μόνον τῶν βλασφήμων περικοπῶν ψευδῶν οὐσῶν, ἀλλʼ ἀποστήσονται λόγου. διὸ ἀνάγκην ἔχομεν συγκατατιθέμενοι ταῖς ψευδέσι περικοπαῖς, περὶ αὐτῶν ἀντιπυνθανόμενοι, εἰς ἀπορίαν αὐτὸν μὲν φέρειν, τοῖς δὲ εὐγνωμονοῦσιν τῶν κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ῥηθεισῶν περικοπῶν, μετὰ πείραν πίστεως, ἰδίᾳ παρέχειν τὴν ἐπίλυσιν, ἥτις μίαν καὶ σύντομον ἔχει τὴν ὁδόν. ἔστιν δὲ ἥδε. ### English translation (Claude) “Simon, then, as I learn, intends to come forward and quote those very passages in the Scriptures that have been added against God for the sake of trial, so that he may be able to draw away as many wretched people as he can from their love of God. For we do not wish to say publicly that they have been added to the books, since by alarming the unlearned crowds we would be doing the will of the wicked Simon himself. For those who lack discernment might flee from us as impious; or, as though not only the blasphemous passages were false, they might fall away from the word altogether. Therefore we are obliged to go along with the false passages and, by questioning him in turn about them, to bring him to a loss; and to those who are well disposed we give, privately and after a trial of their faith, the solution concerning the passages spoken against God, which has one short road. And it is this.” ### Translation notes - The first word of the section (the article before οὖν) is lost in the digital text. “Those who lack discernment” translates τὸ διακριτικὸν ἔχοντες by sense; a negative (μή) seems to have dropped out. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.39 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-39). ## Homilies 2.40 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-40 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter gives the rule that everything said or written against God is false, and says the delay allows Clement to learn it. ### Greek text Πᾶν λεχθὲν ἢ γραφὲν κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ψεῦδός ἐστιν. ὅτι δὲ ἀληθῶς τοῦτο οὐ μόνον εὐφημίας ἕνεκεν λέγομεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄληθείας, μετὰ βραχὺ προϊόντος τοῦ λόγου πληροφορήσω. ὅθεν σύ, φίλτατέ μοι Κλήμης, ἐπὶ τῷ τὸν Σίμωνα πρὸς τὴν ζήτησιν μίαν τήν ἐνεστῶσαν ὑπερθέσθαι ἡμέραν οὐκ ὀφείλεις λυπεῖσθαι. σήμερον γὰρ πρὸ τῆς ζητήσεως προεφοδιαζόμενος περὶ τῶν ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς προσκειμένων περικοπῶν, ἐπὶ τῆς ζητήσεως περὶ τοῦ μόνου καὶ ἀγαθοῦ, τοῦ καὶ τὸν κόσμον πεποιηκότος, διακριθῆναι οὐκ ὀφείλεις· ἀλλὰ καὶ θαυμάσεις ἐπὶ τῆς ζητήσεως, πῶς οἱ ἀσεβεῖς τὰ πλήθη τῶν ὑπὲρ Θεοῦ εἰρημένων ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς παραλείποντες, τὰ κατʼ αὐτοῦ εἰρημένα περιβλεπόμενοι χαίροντες φέρουσιν· καὶ οὕτως οἱ ἀκροαταὶ ἀγνοίας αἰτίᾳ, τὰ κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ πιστεύσαντες, τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας ἀποβλητοὶ γίνονται. διὸ σὺ προφάσει ὑπερθέσεως τὸ μυστήριον τῶν γραφῶν μαθών, κερδήσας εἰς Θεὸν μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν, ἀπαραβλήτως χαρήσῃ. ### English translation (Claude) “Everything said or written against God is false. And that we say this truly, not only for the sake of speaking well of God but also for the sake of truth, I will fully show as the discourse proceeds a little further. Hence you, my dearest Clement, ought not to be grieved that Simon has put off the discussion for this one present day. For today, being equipped before the discussion concerning the passages added to the Scriptures, you ought not to waver in the discussion concerning the only and good God, who also made the world. Rather, you will wonder in the discussion how the impious, passing over the multitude of things said in the Scriptures on God's behalf, gladly seek out and bring forward the things said against him; and so the hearers, through ignorance, believing what is said against God, become cast out of his kingdom. Therefore you, having learned the mystery of the Scriptures by occasion of the postponement, and having gained the not sinning against God, will rejoice beyond comparison.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.40 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-40). ## Homilies 2.41 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-41 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement asks which passages of Scripture are false and how, and Peter agrees to show him. ### Greek text Κᾀγὼ Κλήμης ἀκούσας ἔφην· ἀληθῶς χαίρω καὶ χάριν ὁμολογῶ τῷ κατὰ πάντα εὐεργέτῃ Θεῷ· πλὴν αὐτὸς οἶδεν ὅτι ἄλλο τι φρονεῖν οὐ δυνήσομαι, ἢ τὰ πάντα ὑπὲρ Θεοῦ φρονεῖν. ὅθεν μή μου ὑπολάβῃς ὡς ἀμφιβάλλοντα τοῖς ὑπὸ Θεοῦ ῥήμασιν ἤ καὶ ῥηθησομένοις πυνθάνεσθαι, ἀλλʼ ἵνα μαθὼν καὶ αὐτὸς ἄλλον εὐγνωμόνως μαθεῖν θέλοντα διδάξαι δυνηθῶ. διὸ λέγε μοι, τίνα ἐστὶν τὰ προκείμενα ψευδῆ ταῖς γραφαῖς καὶ πῶς, ὅτι ὄντως ψευδῆ τυγχάνει. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· καὶ εἰ μή μου ἐπύθου, ἐγὼ τῇ τάξει ἐξιὼν τῶν λόγων παρεῖχον τὴν ἀπόδειξιν, ἥν ὑπεσχόμην. πλὴν ἄκουσον, πῶς αὐτοῦ πολλὰ καταψεύδονται αἱ γραφαί, ὡς εἴσῃ ἐντυγχάνων αὐταῖς. ### English translation (Claude) And I, Clement, having heard this, said: “I truly rejoice and give thanks to God, the benefactor in all things. But he himself knows that I shall not be able to think anything other than to think everything on God's behalf. So do not suppose that I ask as one doubting the words spoken by God, or those yet to be spoken, but so that, having learned, I may myself be able to teach another who wishes in good faith to learn. Tell me, therefore, what are the falsehoods added to the Scriptures, and how they are really false.” And Peter answered: “Even if you had not asked me, I would have given in due order, as I went on, the proof I promised. But hear how the Scriptures tell many lies against him, so that you may know when you read them. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.41 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-41). ## Homilies 2.42 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-42 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter argues that no one can become holy who believes in many gods or in a God guilty of improprieties. ### Greek text Παραδείγματος δὲ ἕνεκεν τὰ ῥηθησόμενα αὐτάρκως ἕξει. οὐκ οἶμαι δέ, ὦ φίλε Κλήμης, εἰ δυνήσεταί τις, κἄν βραχεῖάν τινα πρὸς Θεὸν στοργὴν καὶ εὐγνωμοσύνην ἀποσώζων, παραδέξασθαι ἤ κιἄν ἀκοῦσαι τὰ κατʼ αὐτοῦ λεγόμενα. πῶς δὲ ἔστιν αὐτόν τινα μοναρχικὴν ψυχὴν ἔχειν καὶ ὅσιον γενέσθαι, προειληφότα ὅτι πολλοί εἰσιν θεοὶ καὶ οὐχ εἷς; εἰ δὲ καὶ εἷς, ἐν πολλοῖς ἀτοπήμασιν εὑρίσκων αὐτόν, τίς ὅσιος σπουδάσει γενέσθαι, τὴν τῶν ὅλων ἀρχὴν διὰ τὰ ἴδια τῆς φύσεως ἀτοπήματα ἐλπίσας μὴ ἐπέρχεσθαι τὰ ἄλλων ἀδικήματος. ### English translation (Claude) “What will be said will suffice by way of example. But I do not think, my dear Clement, that anyone who preserves even a little love and good feeling toward God can accept, or even hear, what is said against him. For how can anyone have a soul devoted to the one Ruler and become holy, if he has come to believe that there are many gods and not one? And even if there is one, if he finds him involved in many improprieties, who will be eager to become holy, when he expects that the Ruler of all, because of the improprieties of his own nature, will not punish the wrongdoing of others?” ### Translation notes - “A soul devoted to the one Ruler” renders μοναρχικὴν ψυχήν. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.42 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-42). ## Homilies 2.43 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-43 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter lists statements about God in Scripture, such as that he lies, repents, hardens hearts, or creates evil, and rejects them as unworthy of God. ### Greek text Διὸ ἀπείη πιστεύειν, ὅτι ὁ τῶν ὅλων δεσπότης, ὅς οὐρανὸν ἔκτισε καὶ γῆν καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς, ἑτέροις συνάρχει, ἢ ὅτι ψεύδεται· εἰ γὰρ ψεύδεται, καὶ τίς ἀληθεύει; ἢ ὅτι πειράζει ὡς ἀγνοῶν, καὶ τίς προγινώσκει; εἰ δὲ ἐνθυμεῖται καὶ μεταμελεῖται, καὶ τίς νῷ τέλειος καὶ γνώμῃ ἔμμονος; εἰ δὲ ζηλοῖ, καὶ τίς ἀσύγκριτος; εἰ δὲ σκληρύνει καρδίας, καὶ τίς σοφίζει; εἰ δὲ τυφλοῖ καὶ κωφοῖ, καὶ τίς δέδωκεν ὁρᾶν καὶ ἀκούειν; εἰ δὲ ἀποστερεῖν συμβουλεύει, καὶ τίς δικαιοσύνην νομιτεύει; εἰ δὲ ἐμπαίζει, καὶ τίς εἰλικρινής; εἰ δὲ ἀδυνατεῖ, καὶ τίς πάντα δύναται; εἰ δὲ ἀδικεῖ, καὶ τίς δίκαιος; εἰ δὲ κακὰ κτίζει, καὶ τίς ἀγαθὰ πράξει; εἰ δὲ κακὰ ποιεῖ, καὶ τίς ἀγαθά; ### English translation (Claude) “Therefore far be it from us to believe that the Lord of all, who created heaven and earth and all things in them, shares his rule with others, or that he lies. For if he lies, who then speaks the truth? Or that he makes trial as one who does not know; then who foreknows? And if he reconsiders and repents, who is perfect in mind and steadfast in purpose? If he is jealous, who is beyond comparison? If he hardens hearts, who makes wise? If he makes blind and deaf, who has given sight and hearing? If he counsels men to despoil others, who upholds righteousness? If he mocks, who is sincere? If he is powerless, who can do all things? If he does injustice, who is just? If he creates evil things, who will do good things? If he does evil, who does good?” ### Scripture references - Gen 6:6: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 22:1: allusion, medium confidence - Exod 20:5: allusion, medium confidence - Exod 4:21: allusion, medium confidence - Exod 4:11: allusion, medium confidence - Exod 3:22: allusion, medium confidence - Isa 45:7: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The statements rejected echo passages such as Gen 6:6 (God repents), Gen 22:1 (God tests Abraham), Exod 20:5 (a jealous God), Exod 4:21 (hardening Pharaoh's heart), Exod 4:11 (who makes deaf or blind), Exod 3:22 (despoiling the Egyptians), and Isa 45:7 (creating evil). For the Homilies these are among the false passages added to Scripture. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.43 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-43). ## Homilies 2.44 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-44 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter continues his list of unworthy statements about God, such as that he desires a mountain, dwells in a tent, craves sacrifices, and loves war. ### Greek text Εἰ δὲ τὸ πῖον ὄρος ἐπιθυμεῖ, καὶ τίνος τὰ πάντα; εἰ ψεύδεται, καὶ τίς ἀληθεύει; εἰ ἐν σκηνῇ οἰκεῖ, καὶ τίς ἀχώρητος; εἰ δὲ ὀρέγεται κνίσσης καὶ θυσιῶν καὶ θυμάτων καὶ προχύσεων, καὶ τίς ἀπροσδεὴς καὶ τίς ἅγιος καὶ τίς καθαρὸς καὶ τίς τέλειος; εἰ λύχνοις καὶ λυχνίαις τέρπεται, καὶ τίς τοὺς φωστῆρας ἔταξεν ἐν οὐρανῷ; εἰ ἐν γνόφῳ καὶ σκότῳ καὶ θυέλλῃ καὶ καπνῷ σύνεστιν, καὶ τίς φῶς ὤν φωτίζει τὸν μέγιστον αἰῶνα; εἰ διὰ σαλπίγγων καὶ ὀλολυγμῶν καὶ βολίδων καὶ τοξευμάτων προσέρχεται, καὶ τίς ἡ τῶν ὅλων προσδόκιμος γαλήνη; εἰ πολέμους αὐτὸς ἀγαπᾷ, καὶ τίς εἰρήνην θέλει; εἰ τὰ κακὰ αὐτὸς κτίζει, καὶ τίς ἀγαθὰ δημιουργεῖ; εἰ ἄστοργος αὐτός, καὶ τίς φιλάνθρωπος; εἰ αὐτὸς πιστὸς οὐκ ἔστιν περὶ ὧν ὑπισχνεῖται, καὶ τίς πιστευθήσεται; εἰ αὐτὸς πονηροὺς καὶ μοιχοὺς καὶ φονεῖς ἀγαπᾷ, καὶ τίς ἔσται δίκαιος κριτής; εἰ αὐτὸς μεταμελεῖται, καὶ τίς βέβαιος; εἰ αὐτὸς κακοὺς ἐκλέγεται, καὶ τίς ἀγαθοὺς προσίεται; ### English translation (Claude) “If he desires the fat mountain, whose are all things? If he lies, who speaks the truth? If he dwells in a tent, who is without bounds? If he longs for the savour of fat, and sacrifices and offerings and libations, who is without need, who is holy, who is pure, who is perfect? If he delights in lamps and lampstands, who set the luminaries in the heaven? If he dwells in thick darkness and gloom and storm and smoke, who is the light that lights the greatest age? If he approaches with trumpets and war-cries and darts and arrows, what is the calm that all things await? If he himself loves wars, who wants peace? If he himself creates evil things, who makes good things? If he himself is without affection, who loves mankind? If he himself is not faithful in what he promises, who will be believed? If he himself loves the wicked and adulterers and murderers, who will be a righteous judge? If he himself repents, who is steadfast? If he himself chooses the wicked, who receives the good?” ### Scripture references - Ps 68:16 (67:17 LXX): allusion, medium confidence - 2 Sam 7:6: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 8:21: allusion, medium confidence - Exod 25:31: allusion, low confidence - Deut 4:11: allusion, medium confidence - Exod 19:16: allusion, medium confidence - Isa 45:7: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Echoed passages include Ps 68:16 (the mountain God desired), 2 Sam 7:6 (dwelling in a tent), Gen 8:21 (the pleasing savour), Exod 25:31–37 (the lampstand), Exod 20:21 and Deut 4:11 (thick darkness), and Exod 19:16 (trumpet blasts). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.44 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-44). ## Homilies 2.45 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-45 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter gives Clement the true doctrine of God as the one good, just, and merciful Creator of all. ### Greek text Διό, ὦ τέκνον Κλήμης, ἔπεχε, μὴ ἄλλο τι φρονήσῃς περὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἢ ὅτι αὐτὸς μόνος ἐστὶν Θεὸς καὶ κύριος καὶ πατήρ, ἀγαθὸς καὶ δίκαιος, δημιουργός, μακρόθυμος, ἐλεήμων, τροφεύς, εὐεργέτης, φιλανθρωπίαν νομιτεύων, ἁγνείαν συμβουλεύων, αἰώνιος, αἰωνίους ποιῶν, ἀσύγκριτος, ταῖς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ψυχαῖς οἰκιζόμενος, ἀχώρητος καὶ χωρούμενος, ὁ ἐν ἀπείρῳ τὸν μέγαν αἰῶνα ὡς κέντρον πήξας, ὁ οὐρανὸν ἐφαπλώσας καὶ γῆν πιλώσας, ὕδωρ ταμιεύσας, ἄστρα ἐν οὐρανῷ διαθείς, πηγὰς γῇ βρύσας, καρποὺς ἐκφύσας, ὄρη ὑψώσας, θάλασσαν περιορίσας, ἀνέμους τε καὶ πνεύματα διατάξας, ὁ τὸ περιέχον σῶμα ἐν ἀπείρῳ πελάγει πνεύματι βουλῆς ἀσφαλὴς ἀσφαλισάμενος. ### English translation (Claude) “Therefore, my child Clement, take care not to think anything else about God than that he alone is God and Lord and Father, good and righteous, Creator, long-suffering, merciful, nourisher, benefactor, ordaining love of mankind, counselling purity, eternal, making men eternal, beyond comparison, dwelling in the souls of the good, uncontained and yet contained; he who fixed the great age in the infinite as a centre; who spread out the heaven and compacted the earth, stored up the water, arranged the stars in the heaven, made springs gush from the earth, made fruits grow, raised up the mountains, set bounds to the sea, and ordered the winds and breezes; who by the spirit of his counsel securely made fast the enveloping body in the boundless deep.” ### Scripture references - Exod 34:6: echo, low confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Herm. Mand. 1.1 (Shepherd of Hermas: Mandates): echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - “Uncontained” (ἀχώρητος) recalls Hermas, Mand. 1.1, where God contains all things and is alone uncontained. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.45 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-45). ## Homilies 2.46 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-46 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter says that the good God is also the righteous judge who will judge every offender at the end. ### Greek text Οὗτος ἡμῶν δικαστής, εἰς ὅν ἀποβλέποντας χρὴ τὰς ἑαυτῶν κατορθοῦν ψυχάς, πάντα ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ νοοῦντας, αὐτὸν εὐφημοῦντας, πεπεισμένους ὅτι τῇ αὐτοῦ μακροθυμίᾳ πάντων τὴν προπέτειαν εἰς φανερὸν ἄγων μόνος ἀγαθός ἐστιν. καὶ οὗτος ἐπὶ τέλει τοῦ παντὸς ἑκάστῳ τῶν τετολμηκότων ἅ μὴ ἐχρῆν δίκαιος προκαθεσθήσεται κριτής. ### English translation (Claude) “He is our judge, to whom we must look as we set our souls right, thinking everything on his behalf, speaking well of him, persuaded that he alone is good, who by his long-suffering brings into the open the rashness of all. And he, at the end of all things, will sit as righteous judge over each of those who have dared what they ought not.” ### Scripture references - Mark 10:18: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - “He alone is good” echoes Mark 10:18. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.46 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-46). ## Homilies 2.47 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-47 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement asks how to answer someone who insists that everything in the Scriptures is true. ### Greek text Ταῦτα ἐγὼ Κλήμης ἀκούσας ἔφην· ἀληθῶς τοῦτο θεοσέβεια, τοῦτο ἀληθῶς εὐσέβεια. πάλιν τε ἔφην· ἤθελον μαθεῖν οὖν, διὰ τί οὕτως ἐγράφησαν αἱ βίβλοι. μέμνημαι γὰρ ὡς ἔφης, ὅτι εἰς ἔλεγχον τᾶν μελλόντων τολμᾶν πιστεύειν τι λεγόμενον κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ. πλὴν ἐπεὶ χαρίζῃ ἡμῖν, πυνθάνεσθαι τολμῶμεν, σοῦ κελεύσαντος, εἴ τις βουληθείη, φίλτατε Πέτρε, λέγειν ἡμῖν· ἀληθῆ ἐστιν τὰ γεγραμμένα, κἄν σοι ψευδῆ δοκῇ τὰ κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ῥηθέντα· πῶς ἀποκριθῶμεν αὐτῷ; ### English translation (Claude) Having heard this, I, Clement, said: “Truly this is the worship of God; this is truly piety.” And again I said: “I should like, then, to learn why the books were written in this way. For I remember that you said it was to expose those who would dare to believe anything said against God. But since you allow us to ask, we venture to ask at your bidding: if anyone should wish to say to us, dearest Peter, ‘What is written is true, even if what is said against God seems false to you,’ how shall we answer him?” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.47 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-47). ## Homilies 2.48 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-48 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter offers to refute one scriptural statement against God, and Clement chooses the claim that God is ignorant. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· εὗ εἶπας πυθόμενος, εἰς γὰρ σὴν ἀσφάλειαν ἔσται· πλὴν ἄκουσον. ἐπειδὴ πολλά ἐστιν τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν γραφῶν εἰρημένα κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, πρὸς τὸ ἐπεῖγον τῆς ὥρας διὰ τὴν ἑσπέραν, ἕνα ὅν βούλῃ λόγον πύθου καὶ ἐπιλύσομαι, δείξας αὐτὸν ψευδῆ· οὐχ ὅτι μόνον κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἴρηται, ἀλλʼ ὅτι ὄντως ψευδής ἐστιν. κᾀγὼ ἀπεκρινάμην· μαθεῖν θέλω πῶς τῶν γραφῶν ἀγνοεῖν λεγουσῶν τὸν Θεὸν σὺ γινώσκοντα αὐτὸν ἀποδεῖξαι δύνασαι. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter answered: “You did well to ask, for it will serve for your security. But listen. Since the things said against God by the Scriptures are many, and the hour presses because it is evening, ask about any one saying you wish, and I will resolve it, showing it to be false; not only because it is said against God, but because it is really false.” And I answered: “I wish to learn how, when the Scriptures say that God does not know, you can prove that he knows.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.48 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-48). ## Homilies 2.49 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-49 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter begins his argument by getting Clement to agree that the author of the books was a man. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· εὐκόπως ἐλεγχθῆναι δυνάμενον προέτεινας ἡμῖν· πλὴν ἄκουσον, πῶς οὐδὲν ἀγνοεῖ Θεὸς, ἀλλὰ καὶ προγινώσκει. ὅ δὲ πυνθάνομαί σου, πρῶτον ἀπόκριναί μοι ὁ τὰς βίβλους γράψας καὶ εἰπὼν πῶς ὁ κόσμος ἐκτίσθη καὶ ὅτι οὐ προγινώσκει ὁ Θεός, ἄνθρωπος ἦν, ἢ οὔ; κᾀγὼ ἔφην· ἄνθρωπος. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· ἀνθρώπῳ οὖν ὄντι, πόθεν δυνατὸν ἦν εἰδέναι ἀψευδῶς, πῶς ὁ κόσμος ἐκτίσθη, καὶ ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς οὐ προγινώσκει; ### English translation (Claude) And Peter answered: “You have put forward something that can easily be refuted. But hear how God is ignorant of nothing, but even foreknows. What I ask you, answer me first: the one who wrote the books and said how the world was created, and that God does not foreknow, was he a man or not?” And I said: “A man.” And Peter answered: “Then, being a man, how could he know without falsehood how the world was created, and that God does not foreknow?” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.49 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-49). ## Homilies 2.50 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-50 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter argues that if the prophet had foreknowledge from God, God cannot be ignorant, so passages saying he is ignorant are false. ### Greek text Κᾀγὼ αἰσθόμενος ἤδη τὴν ἐπίλυσιν ὑπομειδιῶν ἔφην· ὅτι προφήτης ἦν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· εἰ οὖν ὁ προφήτης, ἄνθρωπος ὤν, οὐδὲν ἠγνόει, διὰ τὸ ἀπὸ Θεοῦ εἰληφέναι τὴν πρόγνωσιν, πῶς οὖν αὐτὸς ὁ δεδωκὼς ἀνθρώπῳ τὸ προγινώσκειν, Θεὸς ὥν, ἠγνόει; κᾀγὼ ἔφην· ὀρθῶς ἔφης. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ἔτι οὖν, ἔφη, εἰς αὐτὸ συνδιαπόρησόν μοι. ὡμολογημένου ἡμῖν ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς πάντα προγινώσκει, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα, τὰς λέγουσας αὐτὸν γραφὰς ἀγνοεῖν ψεύδεσθαι, τὰς δὲ γινώσκειν αὐτὸν λεγούσας ἀληθεύειν. κᾀγὼ ἔφην· ἀνάγκη οὕτως ἔχειν. ### English translation (Claude) And I, now perceiving the solution, said with a smile: “Because he was a prophet.” And Peter said: “If, then, the prophet, being a man, was ignorant of nothing, because he had received foreknowledge from God, how then was he himself ignorant, who gave man the power of foreknowing, being God?” And I said: “You have spoken rightly.” And Peter said: “Consider this further with me. Since we have agreed that God foreknows all things, it is altogether necessary that the Scriptures that say he is ignorant are lying, and those that say he knows are telling the truth.” And I said: “It must be so.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.50 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-50). ## Homilies 2.51 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-51 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter cites Jesus' sayings “Be approved money-changers” and “You err, not knowing the Scriptures” to show that Scripture contains both true and false passages. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· εἰ οὖν τῶν γραφῶν ἅ μέν ἐστιν ἀληθῆ, ἅ δὲ ψευδῆ, εὐλόγως ὁ διδάσκαλος ἡμῶν ἔλεγεν· γίνεσθε τραπεζῖται δόκιμοι· ὡς τῶν ἐν ταῖς γραφαῖς τινῶν μὲν δοκίμων ὄντων λόγων, τινῶν δὲ κιβδήλων. καὶ τοῖς ἀπὸ τῶν ψευδῶν γραφῶν πλανωμένοις οἰκείως τῆς πλάνης ἐξέφηνε τὴν αἰτίαν λέγων· διὰ τοῦτο πλανᾶσθε, μὴ εἰδότες τὰ ἀληθῆ τῶν γραφῶν· οὗ εἵνεκεν ἀγνοεῖτε καὶ τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ Θεοῦ. κᾀγὼ ἔφην· πάνυ καλῶς. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter said: “If, then, some things in the Scriptures are true and others false, with good reason our Teacher said, ‘Be approved money-changers,’ since some of the words in the Scriptures are genuine and others counterfeit. And to those who were led astray by the false Scriptures he fittingly showed the cause of their error, saying: ‘You are in error for this reason, that you do not know the true things of the Scriptures; and for this reason you are ignorant also of the power of God.’” And I said: “Very well said.” ### Scripture references - Mark 12:24: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 22:29: quotation, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Agraphon (Sayings of Jesus outside the Gospels (agrapha)): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - “Be approved money-changers” is a saying of Jesus not in the Gospels, often quoted by early Christian writers (e.g. Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.28.177). The second saying adapts Mark 12:24 and Matt 22:29, adding “the true things” of the Scriptures. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.51 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-51). ## Homilies 2.52 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-52 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter denies the scriptural accounts of the sins of Adam, Noah, Abraham, Jacob, and Moses. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· οὐκοῦν εὐλόγως οὔτε κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ πιστεύω, οὔτε κατὰ τῶν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ ἀναγραφέντων δικαίων, ἀσεβῶς φρονεῖν προλαμβάνων ὡς γὰρ πέπεισμαι, οὔτε Ἀδὰμ παραβάτης ἦν, ὁ ὑπὸ τῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ χειρῶν κυοφορηθείς· οὔτε Νῶε μέθυσος ἦν, ὁ ὑπὲρ πάντα τὸν κόσμον δίκαιος εὑρεθείς· οὔτε δὲ Ἀβραὰμ τρισὶν ἅμα συνῄει γυναιξίν, ὁ διὰ σωφροσύνην πολυτεκνίας καταξιωθείς· οὔτε Ἰακὼβ τετράσιν ἐκοινώνει, ὧν δύο καὶ ἀδελφαὶ ἐτύγχανον, ὅς δεκαδύο φυλῶν ὑπάρξας πατὴρ καὶ τὴν τοῦ διδασκάλου ἡμῶν παρουσίαν ἐσήμανεν ἐλθεῖν· οὐ Μωυσῆς φονεὺς ἦν, καὶ παρὰ ἱερέως εἰδώλου κρίνειν ἐμάνθανεν, ὁ παντὶ τῷ αἰῶνι τὸν τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμον προφητεύσας, καὶ διʼ ὀρθὴν φρόνησιν πιστὸς οἰκονόμος μαρτυρηθείς. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter answered: “With good reason, then, I neither believe anything against God, nor do I allow myself to think impiously against the righteous men recorded in the Law. For, as I am persuaded, neither was Adam a transgressor, who was fashioned by the hands of God; nor was Noah a drunkard, who was found righteous above the whole world; nor did Abraham live with three wives at once, who for his self-control was counted worthy of many descendants; nor did Jacob consort with four, two of whom were sisters, he who became the father of twelve tribes and signified the coming of our Teacher; nor was Moses a murderer, nor did he learn to judge from a priest of an idol, he who prophesied the Law of God for all the age and was attested as a faithful steward because of his right understanding.” ### Scripture references - Gen 3:6: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 9:21: allusion, high confidence - Gen 25:1: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 29:28: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 49:10: allusion, medium confidence - Exod 2:12: allusion, high confidence - Exod 18:13: allusion, medium confidence - Num 12:7: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The accounts denied are Gen 3 (Adam), Gen 9:20–21 (Noah's drunkenness), Gen 16 and 25:1 (Hagar and Keturah beside Sarah), Gen 29–30 (Jacob's four wives), Exod 2:12 (Moses kills the Egyptian), and Exod 18:13–24 (Jethro's advice on judging). Jacob's signifying the Teacher's coming refers to Gen 49:10; “faithful steward” echoes Num 12:7. This rejection of parts of Genesis and Exodus is a distinctive and disputed teaching of the Homilies. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.52 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-52). ## Homilies 2.53 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-53 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter ends the day's teaching, promising further explanations, and the company eats and goes to sleep. ### Greek text Πλὴν καὶ τούτων σοι τὴν ἐπίλυσιν μετὰ τῶν ὁμοίων ἐπὶ καιροῦ παρέξω. τοῦ δὲ λοιποῦ, ὡς ὁρᾷς, ἐπειδὴ ἑσπέρα κατείληφεν, τὰ σήμερον ῥηθέντα αὐταρκῶς ἐχέτω. ἀλλʼ ὅτε δὲ βούλει, περὶ ὧν θέλεις, θαῤῥῶν ἡμῖν πυνθάνου, καὶ ἡμεῖς χαίροντες ἀόκνως ἐπιλύσομεν. καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἐγήγερται. καὶ οὕτως τροφῆς μεταλαβόντες εἰς ὕπνον ἐτράπημεν. κατειλήφει γὰρ ἡ νύξ. ### English translation (Claude) “However, I will give you the solution of these also, together with similar matters, in due time. For the rest, as you see, since evening has come on, let what has been said today suffice. But whenever you wish, ask us boldly about whatever you want, and we will gladly and readily resolve it.” And having said this, he rose. And so, having taken food, we turned to sleep; for night had come on. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 2.53 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-2-53). ## Homilies 3.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-1 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: On the third morning Clement and his companions find Peter at prayer before the debate with Simon. ### Greek text Δύο μὲν οὖν διελθουσῶν ἡμερῶν, ἐπιφωσκούσης δὲ τρίτης, πρὸς τὸ διαλεχθῆναι τῷ Σίμωνι ἐξυπνισθεὶς ἐγὼ Κλήμης καὶ οἱ συνόντες ἕτεροι ὑπὸ τὰς δευτέρας τῶν ἀλεκτρυόνων φωνάς, εὕρομεν τὸν μὲν λύχνον ἔτι φαίνοντα, τὸν δὲ Πέτρον γονυκλινῆ προσευχόμενον. συντελέσας οὖν τὴν δέησιν, ἐπιστραφεὶς καὶ ἰδὼν ἡμᾶς πρὸς τὸ ἀκοῦσαι ἑτοίμως ἔχοντας, ἔφη. ### English translation (Claude) When two days had passed and the third was dawning, I, Clement, and the others who were with us were roused about the second cock-crowing for the discussion with Simon, and we found the lamp still burning and Peter on his knees in prayer. When he had finished his supplication, he turned, and seeing us ready to listen, he said: ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.1 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-1). ## Homilies 3.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-2 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter reports that Simon plans to prove from Scripture that the Creator is not the supreme God but one of two lesser gods. ### Greek text Γινώσκειν ὑμᾶς θέλω, ὅτι οἱ καθʼ ἡμετέραν πρόνοιαν συνόντες τῷ Σίμωνι, ὅπως τὰς βουλὰς αὐτοῦ μανθάνοντες ὑποβάλλωσιν ἡμῖν, ἵνα δυνώμεθα πρὸς τὴν τῆς κακίας αὐτοῦ ποικιλίαν ἁρμόσασθαι, αὐτοὶ πέμψαντες ἐδήλωσαν ἡμῖν λέγοντες· Σίμων σήμερον, καθὰ συνετάξατο, ἕτοιμός ἐστιν ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν ἐπὶ πάντων ἐλθὼν ἀποδεικνύειν, μὴ τοῦτον εἶναι Θεὸν ἀνώτατον, ὃς οὐρανὸν ἔκτισε καὶ γῆν καὶ πάντα ἐν αὐτοῖς, ἀλλʼ ἄλλον τινὰ ἄγνωστον καὶ ἀνώτατον, ὡς ἐν ἀποῤῥήτοις ὄντα θεὸν θεῶν· ὃς δύο ἔπεμψε θεούς, ἀφʼ ὧν ὁ μὲν εἷς ἐστιν ὁ κόσμον κτίσας, ὁ δὲ ἕτερος ὁ τὸν νόμον δούς. καὶ ταῦτα μηχανᾶται λέγειν, ὅπως τῶν τὸν ἕνα καὶ μόνον μελλόντων σέβειν Θεόν, ὃς οὐρανὸν ἔκτισε καὶ γῆν, τὴν ὀρθὴν προσεκλύσει πίστιν. ### English translation (Claude) “I want you to know that those who, by our arrangement, keep company with Simon so as to learn his plans and pass them on to us, so that we may be able to adapt ourselves to the variety of his wickedness, have sent and informed us, saying: ‘Today Simon, as he arranged, is ready to come before everyone and prove from the Scriptures that the one who created heaven and earth and all that is in them is not the supreme God, but another, unknown and supreme, God of gods as though in things unspeakable, who sent two gods, of whom one is the one who created the world and the other the one who gave the Law.’ And he contrives to say this in order to undermine beforehand the right faith of those who are about to worship the one and only God, who created heaven and earth.” ### Scripture references - Exod 20:11: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The printed προσεκλύσει is unclear; it is translated as “undermine beforehand” (probably προεκλύσῃ). Simon’s doctrine of an unknown supreme God above the Creator and the Lawgiver resembles Marcionite and gnostic teaching. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.2 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-2). ## Homilies 3.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-3 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter grieves that the evil one uses Simon, armed with false passages of Scripture, to lead Gentile converts away from belief in one God. ### Greek text Ταῦτα ἀκούσας πῶς οὐκ ἂν ἠθύμησα; διὸ καὶ ὑμᾶς τοὺς συνόντας μοι ἀδελφοὺς εἰδέναι ἠθέλησα, ὡς οὐ μετρίως τὴν ψυχὴν ἀλγῶ, ἐνορῶν τὸν μὲν πονηρὸν πρὸς δοκιμὴν ἀνθρώπων ἐγρηγορότα, τοὺς δὲ ἀνθρώπους τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας πάνυ ἀμελοῦντας. ἐμηχανήσατο γὰρ τοῖς ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν μέλλουσιν περὶ τῶν ἐπιγείων ξοάνων πείθεσθαι ὅτι ἐκ εἰσὶν θεοί, ἑτέρων πολλῶν θεῶν δόξας εἰσενεγκεῖν, ὅπως ἐὰν παύσωνται τῆς πολυθεομανίας, ἑτέρως ἢ καὶ χεῖρον κατὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ μοναρχίας λέγειν ἀπατηθήσονται· ἵνα μηδέποτε τὰ τῆς μοναρχίας προτιμήσαντες οὐπώποτε ἐλέους τυχεῖν δυνηθῶσιν. ταύτης δὲ τῆς τόλμης ἕνεκα ὁ Σίμων ταῖς ψευδέσιν τῶν γραφῶν περικοπᾳῖς ὡπλισμένος πολεμεῖν ἡμῖν προσέρχεται. καὶ τὸ δεινότερον, ὅτι ἀφʼ ὧν οὐ πεπίστευκε προφητῶν τοιαῦτα δογματίζειν κατὰ τοῦ ὄντως Θεοῦ οὐ πεφόβηται. ### English translation (Claude) “When I heard this, how could I not be disheartened? Therefore I wanted you too, the brothers who are with me, to know that I am grieved in soul beyond measure, seeing the evil one wakeful for the testing of human beings, while human beings are utterly careless of their own salvation. For he has contrived, for those from the Gentiles who are about to be persuaded that the earthly images are not gods, to bring in opinions about many other gods, so that if they cease from their mania for many gods, they may be deceived into speaking otherwise, or even worse, against the monarchy of God, so that, never having preferred the doctrine of the monarchy, they may never be able to obtain mercy. For the sake of this audacity Simon comes to make war on us, armed with the false passages of the Scriptures. And what is worse, he is not afraid to teach such things against the true God from the prophets in whom he has not believed.” ### Translation notes - The Homilies hold that some passages of the Scriptures are later falsifications (“false pericopes”); “monarchy” here means the sole rule of the one God. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.3 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-3). ## Homilies 3.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-4 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon cannot harm Jews who know the secret of the falsified books, but he will mislead Gentiles, and only the few who refuse to hear evil of God will be saved. ### Greek text Καὶ ἡμῖν μὲν τοῖς ἐκ προγόνων παρειληφόσιν τὸν τὰ πάντα κτίσαντα σέβειν Θεὸν, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τῶν ἀπατᾶν δυναμένων βίβλων τὸ μυστήριον, οὐδὲν δυνήσεται, τοῖς δὲ ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν, τὴν πολύθεον ὑπόληψιν σύντροφον ἔχουσιν, καὶ τῶν γραφῶν τὰ ψευδῆ οὐκ εἰδόσιν, πολὺ δυνήσεται· οὐ μόνον αὐτός, ἀλλʼ εἰ καὶ ἄλλος τις τοῖς ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ κενόν τινα, ὅμοιον ὀνείρῳ, πλουσίως κεκοσμημένον ὑφηγήσεται μῦθον, πιστευθήσεται, τῷ ἐκ παίδων τὸν νοῦν αὐτῶν τὰ κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ λεγόμενα ἐθισθῆναι λαμβάνειν. σπάνιοι δέ τινες οἱ μὲν αὐτῶν ἔσονται, ὡς ἐκ πλήθους ὀλίγοι, οἵτινες διʼ εὐγνωμοσύνην οὐ θελήσουσι κατὰ τοῦ τὰ πάντα κτίσαντος Θεοῦ κακὸν λόγον αὐτὸ κἂν ἀκοῦσαι μόνον· οἷς μόνοις ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν οὖσιν σωθῆναι γενήσεται. μὴ οὖν ὑμῶν τις τὸν Σίμωνα παντελῶς μεμφέσθω, ἢ καὶ ἄλλον τινά· οὐδὲν γὰρ ἀδίκως γίνεται, ὅπου καὶ τὰ τῶν γραφῶν ψευδῆ εὐλόγως πρὸς δοκιμὴν ἔχοντα τυγχάνει. ### English translation (Claude) “Against us, who have received from our forefathers the worship of the God who created all things, and also the mystery of the books that are able to deceive, he will have no power; but against those from the Gentiles, who have been brought up with the belief in many gods and do not know the false things in the Scriptures, he will have great power. And not only he: if anyone else relates to those from the Gentiles some empty myth against God, like a dream, richly adorned, he will be believed, because from childhood their minds have been accustomed to accept what is said against God. But there will be some rare ones among them, a few out of a multitude, who through right-mindedness will not be willing even so much as to hear an evil word against the God who created all things; to these alone among the Gentiles will it be granted to be saved. So let none of you blame Simon altogether, or anyone else; for nothing happens unjustly, since even the false things of the Scriptures have a reasonable place, for testing.” ### Translation notes - “The mystery of the books that are able to deceive” refers to the Homilies’ teaching that the Jewish tradition knows which passages of Scripture are false. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.4 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-4). ## Homilies 3.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-5 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains that the false passages were permitted at the evil one’s demand, since the evil one, loving God, seeks the destruction of the impious while the good one seeks their healing. ### Greek text Κᾀγὼ Κλήμης ἀκούσας ἔφην· πῶς λέγεις, κύριε, καὶ τὰ τῶν γραφῶν ψευδῆ εὐλόγως πρὸς δοκιμὴν ἀνθρώπων ἔχειν; ὁ δὲ ἀπεκρίνατο· τὰ ψευδῆ τῶν γραφῶν αἰτήματι κακίας δικαίῳ τινὶ λόγῳ γραφῆναι συνεχωρήθη. εὐλόγως δὲ λέγω οὕτως. ἐν ταῖς θεολογίαις ὁ πονηρὸς τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ τὸν Θεὸν ἐκ ἔλαττον ἀγαπῶν ἑνὶ μόνῳ ἀπολείπεται τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ, ὅτι καὶ τῶν ἀγνοίας αἰτίᾳ ἀσεβούντων οὐ συγγινώσκων, στοργῇ τῇ πρὸς τὸ ἀσεβούμενον, τῶν ἀσεβούντων ἐπιθυμεῖ τὸν ὄλεθρον, ὁ δὲ τὴν ἴασιν αὐτοῖς προσφέρειν. ὁ γὰρ ἀγαθὸς ἰᾶσθαι πάντας θέλει ταῖς μεταμελείαις, σώζει δὲ μόνους τοὺς ἐγνωκότας τὸν Θεόν. τοὺς δὲ ἀγνοοῦντας οὐκ ἰᾶται, οὐχ ὅτι οὐ θέλει, ἀλλʼ ὅτι οὐκ ἔξεστιν τὰ ἡτοιμασμένα τοῖς υἱοῖς τῆς βασιλείας ἀγαθὰ τοῖς διὰ τὸ ἀδιάκριτον ἀλόγοις ζώοις παρεικασθεῖσι παρασχεῖν. ### English translation (Claude) And I, Clement, on hearing this said, “How do you say, lord, that even the false things of the Scriptures have a reasonable place for the testing of human beings?” He answered: “The false things of the Scriptures were allowed to be written at the demand of wickedness, for a certain just reason. And I say ‘reasonably’ for this reason. In matters concerning God, the evil one, who loves God no less than the good one does, falls short of the good one in one thing only: he does not pardon even those who are impious through ignorance, but out of affection for the one against whom the impiety is committed he desires the destruction of the impious, while the good one desires to bring them healing. For the good one wishes to heal all by repentance, but he saves only those who have come to know God. Those who do not know him he does not heal, not because he does not wish to, but because it is not permitted to give the good things prepared for the sons of the kingdom to those who, through lack of discernment, have become like irrational animals.” ### Scripture references - Matt 8:12: echo, low confidence - Ps 49:12 (48:13 LXX): echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The Homilies treat the evil one as a servant of God who punishes the impious; this is the work’s own view. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.5 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-5). ## Homilies 3.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-6 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The one God saves the repentant after due punishment, while the unrepentant are punished in fire for a set time and then cease to exist. ### Greek text Τοῦ ἑνὸς καὶ μόνου Θεοῦ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον πεποιηκότος καὶ ἡμᾶς κτίσαντος καὶ πάντα παρεσχηκότος τοιαύτη πέφυκεν φύσις, παντὸς ἤδη ποτὲ ἐντὸς ὅρῳ θεοσεβείας ὄντος, καὶ μὴ βλασφημοῦντος αὐτοῦ τὸ ἅγιον πνεῦμα, στοργῇ τῇ πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰς αὑτὸν φέρειν τὴν ψυχήν, ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ εἰς αὐτὴν ἔρωτος ἰδέᾳ. κἂν ἁμαρτωλὸς ᾖ, μετὰ τὸ κατʼ ἀξίαν ὧν ἔπραξεν κολασθεῖσαν σώζεσθαι φύσιν ἔχει. εἰ δέ τις αὐτὸν ἀρνήσηται, ἢ ἑτέρως πως λόγῳ εἰς αὐτὸν ἀσεβήσῃ, ἕπειτα μετανοήσῃ, κολασθήσεται μὲν ἐφʼ ὧν εἰς αὐτὸν ἥμαρτεν, σωθήσεται δέ, ὅτι ἐπιστρέψας ἠγάπησεν. ἴσως δὲ ἡ τῆς εὐσεβείας ὑπερβολὴ καὶ τῆς ἱκεσίας ἢ καὶ τοῦ κολασθῆναι ἀπολυθήσεται, συγγνώμης τῆς ἁμαρτίας μετὰ τῆς μετανοίας δεδωκὼς τὴν ἄγνοιαν. οἱ δὲ μὴ μετανοήσαντες διὰ τῆς τοῦ πυρὸς κολάσεως καὶ τὸ τέλος ἕξουσιν, κἂν ἐν τοῖς λοιποῖς ἅπασιν ὁσιώτατοι ὦσιν· ἀλλʼ ὡς ἔφην, μεμετρημένου αἰῶνος τὸ πέμπτον πυρὶ αἰωνίῳ κολασθέντες ἀποσβεσθήσονται. εἶναι γὰρ εἰς ἀεὶ οὐκ ἔτι δύνανται οἱ εἰς τὸν ἀεὶ μόνον ἀσεβήσαντες Θεόν. ### English translation (Claude) “Such is the nature of the one and only God, who made the world, created us, and has provided all things: when anyone is once within the bounds of godliness and does not blaspheme his Holy Spirit, he draws the soul to himself by its affection toward him, under the form of his love toward it. Even if a person is a sinner, the soul, after being punished according to the desert of what it has done, is by nature destined to be saved. But if anyone denies him, or in some other way commits impiety against him in word, and afterwards repents, he will be punished for the sins he committed against him, but he will be saved, because he turned and loved. And perhaps the abundance of his piety and supplication will even release him from punishment, since, along with his repentance, he has offered his ignorance as the ground for pardon of the sin. But those who have not repented will meet their end through the punishment of fire, even if in all other respects they are most holy. But, as I said, after being punished with eternal fire for a fifth of a measured age, they will be extinguished. For those who have been impious toward the only everlasting God can no longer exist forever.” ### Scripture references - Matt 12:31: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The phrase μεμετρημένου αἰῶνος τὸ πέμπτον (“a fifth of a measured age”) is obscure; it may instead mean that a fifth part of them is punished. The passage teaches that the unrepentant are finally annihilated; this is the work’s own view. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.6 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-6). ## Homilies 3.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-7 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Impiety is to die confessing another God; man bears the form of the true God, and creation serves him so that he may love God and be saved. ### Greek text Ἡ δὲ εἰς αὐτὸν ἀσέβειά ἐστιν τὸ ἐν τῷ τῆς θεοσεβείας λόγῳ ὄντα τελευτᾶν λέγοντα ἄλλον εἶναι Θεόν, ἢ ὡς κρείττονα, ἢ ὡς ἥττονα, ἢ ὁπώσποτε λέγοντα παρὰ τὸν ὄντως ὄντα. ὁ γὰρ ὄντως ὢν οὗτός ἐστιν, οὗ τὴν μορφὴν τὸ ἀνθρώπου βαστάζει σῶμα, οὗ εἵνεκεν ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ πάντες οἱ ἀστέρες ὑπέμειναν δουλεύειν, κατʼ οὐσίαν κρείττονες ὄντες, τῷ κατʼ οὐσίαν χείρονι, διὰ τὴν τοῦ κρείττονος μορφήν. τοσοῦτον ὁ θεὸς ὑπὲρ πάντας εὐεργέτηκεν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἵνα εἰς τὸ πλῆθος τῶν εὐεργεσιῶν τὸν εὐεργέτην ἀγαπήσας ὑπʼ αὐτῆς ἀγάπης καὶ εἰς δεύτερον αἰῶνα διασωθῆναι δυνηθῇ. ### English translation (Claude) “Impiety against him is this: to die, while within the profession of godliness, saying that there is another God, whether greater or lesser, or saying in any way that there is a God besides him who truly is. For he who truly is, is the one whose form the body of man bears; for whose sake the heaven and all the stars, though superior in substance, submitted to serve what is inferior in substance, because of the form of the superior one. God has done such great good to man above all, so that, loving the benefactor for the multitude of his benefits, he might through that very love be saved into the second age as well.” ### Scripture references - Gen 1:26: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The Homilies hold that God has a form, which the human body bears (compare Gen 1:26–27); this is the work’s own view. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.7 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-7). ## Homilies 3.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-8 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Because love of the one God saves, the evil one sows belief in many gods so that people die guilty of spiritual adultery. ### Greek text Αὐτάρκης οὖν εἰς σωτηρίαν ἡ εἰς Θεὸν ἀνθρώπων στοργή. ὁ εἰδὼς ὁ πονηρός, ἡμῶν σπευδόντων τοῖς ἀπὸ ἐθνῶν πιστεύειν μέλλουσιν ἑνὸς καὶ μόνου Θεοῦ ἐν ψυχαῖς σπείρειν τὴν ἀθανατοποιὸν πρὸς αὐτὸν στοργήν, αὐτὸς ὁ πονηρὸς κατὰ τῶν ἀγνοούντων ἱκανὸν ὅπλον ἔχων πρὸς ὄλεθρον σπουδάζει πολλῶν θεῶν ἢ καὶ ἑνὸς ὡς κρείττονος σπεῖραι τὴν ὑπόληψιν, ἵνα συλλαβόντες καὶ συμπεισθέντες ἁ μὴ θέμις, ἀποθανόντες ὡς ἐπὶ μοιχείας ἐγκλήματι, τῆς αὐτοῦ βασιλείας ἀποβληθῶσιν. ### English translation (Claude) “Human affection toward God, then, is sufficient for salvation. Knowing this, the evil one, while we hasten to sow in the souls of those from the Gentiles who are about to believe the affection toward the one and only God that makes immortal, the evil one himself, having against the ignorant a weapon sufficient for their destruction, is eager to sow the notion of many gods, or even of one who is superior, so that, having conceived and been persuaded of what is unlawful, they may die as though under the charge of adultery and be cast out of his kingdom.” ### Translation notes - Belief in other gods is pictured as adultery against God, as in the Prophets. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.8 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-8). ## Homilies 3.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-9 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Anyone can find testimonies in the Scriptures for whatever doctrine he has already formed, so they give no ground for speaking against God. ### Greek text Ἄξιος οὖν τῆς ἀποβολῆς πᾶς κατὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ μοναρχίας αὐτὸ μόνον κἂν ἀκοῦσαί τι τοιοῦτον θελήσας, εἰ δὲ ὡς γραφαῖς τεθαῤῥηκὼς κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τολμᾷ τις κἂν ἀκούειν, πρῶτον ἐκεῖνό μοι συνενθυμείτω, ὅτι, ἄν τις εὔλογον ἑαυτῷ δόγμα ὡς βούλεται ἀναπλάσῃ, ἔπειτα αὐταῖς ἐγκύψῃ, δυνατὸς ἔσται πολλὰς ὑπὲρ οὗ ἐπλάσατο δόγματος ἀπʼ αὐτῶν μαρτυρίας φέρειν· πῶς οὖν ἐπὶ ταύταις κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ θαρρεῖν ἔστιν, ἐν αἷς ἡ πάντων βουλὴ εἰσευρίσκεται; ### English translation (Claude) “So everyone deserves to be cast out who is willing even so much as to hear anything of the kind against the monarchy of God. But if anyone, trusting in the Scriptures, dares even to listen to what is said against God, let him first consider this with me: if anyone fashions for himself a plausible doctrine as he pleases and then pores over them, he will be able to bring many testimonies from them for the doctrine he has fashioned. How then can one be bold against God on the strength of these writings, in which everyone’s opinion is to be found?” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.9 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-9). ## Homilies 3.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-10 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Both Simon and Peter can cite Scripture, which says all things so that only the right-minded, who love their Creator, find the truth. ### Greek text Αὐτίκα γοῦν Σίμων αὔριον ἡμῖν συνζητεῖν μέλλων δημοσίᾳ κατὰ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ μοναρχίας τολμᾷ, θέλων πολλὰς ἐξ αὐτῶν τῶν γραφῶν φωνὰς ἐνεγκεῖν, ὅτι πολλοί εἰσιν θεοί, εἷς δέ τις οὐχ ὁ τὸν κόσμον κτίσας, ἀλλὰ τούτου ἀνώτερος καὶ ὁμῶς τὰς ἀποδείξεις ἐγγράφους ἔχει παρασχεῖν. καὶ ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐξ αὐτῶν πολλὰς περικοπὰς δεῖξαι σαφῶς ἔχομεν, ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν Θεὸς οὗτος ὁ τὸν κόσμον κτίσας, καὶ ἄλλος οὐκ ἔστιν πλὴν αὐτοῦ. ἀλλὰ καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλως πως εἰπεῖν θελήσει, ἔξει καὶ αὐτὸς ἐξ αὐτῶν ὡς βούλεται περὶ ὥν βούλεται τὰς ἀποδείξεις παρασχεῖν. πάντα γὰρ αἱ γραφαὶ λέγουσιν, ἵνα μηδεὶς τῶν ἀγνωμόνως ζητούτων τὸ ἀληθὲς εὕροι, ἀλλʼ ὅ βούλεται, τοῦ ἀληθοῦς τοῖς εὐγνώμοσιν τετηρημένου. εὐγνωμοσύνη δέ ἐστιν, τὴν πρὸς τὸν τοῦ εἶναι ἡμᾶς αἴτιον ἀποσώζειν στοργήν. ### English translation (Claude) “For example, Simon, who is to dispute with us in public tomorrow, dares to speak against the monarchy of God, intending to bring many sayings from the Scriptures themselves to show that there are many gods, and that one of them is not the one who created the world but one higher than he; and indeed he is able to produce written proofs. And we too are able to show clearly many passages from them that there is one God, this one who created the world, and there is no other besides him. But if anyone wishes to say something else, he too will be able to produce from them proofs, as he wishes, about whatever he wishes. For the Scriptures say all things, so that none of those who inquire without right-mindedness may find the truth, but only what he wants, the truth being kept for the right-minded. And right-mindedness is to preserve our affection toward the one who is the cause of our existence.” ### Scripture references - Deut 4:35: allusion, medium confidence - Mark 12:32: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Here the debate is “tomorrow”, though 3.2 says “today”. “No other besides him” echoes Deut 4:35 and Mark 12:32. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.10 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-10). ## Homilies 3.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-11 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Truth comes only from the true Prophet, whose foreknowledge, unlike that of physicians and diviners, needs no external means. ### Greek text Ὅθεν πρὸ πάντων εἰδέναι ὀφείλει, ὅτι οὐδαμόθεν αὐτὴν εὑρίσκει, εἰ μὴ ἄν ἀπὸ προφήτου ἀληθείας. προφήτης δὲ ἀληθής ἐστιν ὁ πάντα πάντοτε εἰδώς, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὰς πάντων ἐννοίας, ἀναμάρτητος, ὡς περὶ Θεοῦ κρίσεως πεπληροφορημένος. διὸ ἡμεῖς ὀφείλομεν περὶ τῆς προγνώσεως αὐτοῦ μὴ ἁπλῶς διαλαμβάνειν, ἀλλʼ εἰ δύναται ἄνευ ἑτέρας προφάσεως συνεστάναι αὐτοῦ ἡ πρόγνωσις. ἃ γὰρ οἱ ἰατροὶ προλέγουσιν, ὑποβεβλημένην ὕλην ἔχοντες τοῦ νοσοῦντος τὸν σφυγμόν, καὶ οἱ μὲν πτηνά, οἱ δὲ θύματα, καὶ ἄλλοι ἄλλας ὕλας πολλὰς διαφόρους ὑποβεβλημένας ἔχοντες προλέγουσιν, καὶ προφῆται οὐκ εἰσίν. ### English translation (Claude) “Therefore before all things one must know that he finds it from nowhere except from the Prophet of truth. And the true Prophet is the one who always knows all things, and moreover the thoughts of all, who is sinless, as being fully assured about the judgment of God. Therefore we ought not to take his foreknowledge for granted, but ask whether his foreknowledge can stand without any other support. For physicians foretell things having the patient’s pulse as their underlying material; some foretell from birds, others from sacrifices, and others from many different kinds of underlying material; and yet they are not prophets.” ### Translation notes - The “true Prophet” is Jesus, as in the rest of the Homilies. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.11 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-11). ## Homilies 3.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-12 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The true Prophet’s innate foreknowledge reaches to the coming age and speaks plainly, unlike divination. ### Greek text Εἰ δὲ βουληθείη τις λέγειν, τὴν διὰ τῶν τοιούτων προῤῥήσεων τῇ ὄντως ἐμφύτῳ προγνώσει ὁμοίαν εἶναι, πολὺ ἠπάτηται. τὰ γὰρ τοιαῦτα παρόντα μηνύει μόνον, καὶ ταῦτα εἰ ἀληθεύει ἄλλως δέ μοι καὶ αὐτὰ εὐχρηστεῖ, πρόγνωσιν γὰρ εἶναι συνίστησιν· ἡ τὲ τοῦ μόνου καὶ ἀληθοῦς πρόγνωσις οὐ μόνον τὰ παρόντα ἐπίσταται, ἀλλὰ καὶ μέχρις αὐτοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος ἀπέραντον ἐκτείνει τὴν προφητείαν, καὶ οὐδενὸς δεῖται πρὸς ἐπίγνωσιν, μὴ προφητεύων ἀμαυρὰ καὶ ἀμφίβολα, ἵνα ἄλλου προφήτου χρείαν ἔχῃ τὰ λεγόμενα πρὸς ἐπίγνωσιν, ἀλλὰ ῥητὰ καὶ ἁπλᾶ, ὥσπερ ὁ διδάσκαλος ἡμῶν καὶ προφήτης ὢν ἐμφύτῳ καὶ ἀεννάῳ πνεύματι πάντα πάντοτε ἠπίστατο. ### English translation (Claude) “But if anyone should wish to say that the foretelling done by such means is like the truly innate foreknowledge, he is greatly deceived. For such things show only what is present, and these only if they speak truly; yet in another way even they are useful to me, for they establish that foreknowledge exists. But the foreknowledge of the one and true one not only knows what is present, but extends its prophecy without limit as far as the coming age itself, and needs nothing to be understood. It does not prophesy obscure and ambiguous things, so that what is said would need another prophet to be understood, but things plain and simple, just as our Teacher and Prophet, by an innate and ever-flowing Spirit, always knew all things.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.12 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-12). ## Homilies 3.13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-13 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The true Prophet always knows all things; intermittent inspiration belongs to frenzied pagan seers. ### Greek text Διὸ τεθαῤῥηκότως ἐξετίθετο περὶ τῶν μελλόντων ἔσεσθαι, λέγω δὲ πάθη, τόπους, ὅρους. προφήτης γὰρ ὤν ἄπταιστος, ἀπείρῳ ψυχῆς ὀφθαλμῷ πάντα κατοπτεύων ἐπίσταται λανθάνων. εἰ δὲ παραδεξώμεθα καὶ ἡμεῖς, ὡς οἱ πολλοί, ὅτι καὶ ὁ ἀληθὴς προφήτης οὐ πάντοτε, ἀλλʼ ἐνίοτε, ὅτε ἔχει τὸ πνεῦμα, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο προγινώσκει, ὁπότε δὲ οὐκ ἔχει, ἀγνοεῖ, — ἐὰν οὕτως ὑπολάβωμεν, καὶ ἑαυτοὺς ἀπατῶμεν καὶ ἄλλους ἐνεδρεύσομεν. τὸ γὰρ τοιοῦτον μανικῶς ἐνθουσιώντων ἐστὶν ὑπὸ πνεύματος ἀταξίας, τῶν παρὰ βωμοῖς μεθυόντων καὶ κνίσσης ἐμφορουμένων. ### English translation (Claude) “Therefore he confidently set forth what was to come, I mean sufferings, places, set times. For, being an unerring prophet, surveying all things with the boundless eye of the soul, he knows what is hidden. But if we too grant, as the many do, that even the true prophet foreknows not always but sometimes, when he has the Spirit and through it, but is ignorant when he does not have it, if we suppose this, we both deceive ourselves and will ensnare others. For such a thing belongs to those who rave in frenzy under a spirit of disorder, who get drunk beside altars and gorge themselves on the savour of sacrifices.” ### Translation notes - The printed λανθάνων (“being unnoticed”) makes little sense; the translation follows the sense “hidden things” (λανθάνοντα). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.13 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-13). ## Homilies 3.14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-14 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: If a prophet could excuse his errors by claiming the Spirit was absent, a false prophet could never be exposed. ### Greek text Τινὶ γὰρ προφητείαν ἐπαγγέλλεσθαι θέλοντι ἐὰν συγχωρηθῇ πιστεύεσθαι ἐν οἷς ψεύστης φωρᾶται, ὅτι τότε τὸ τῆς προγνώσεως ἅγιον οὐκ εἶχεν πνεῦμα, οὐκ εὐέλεγκτος ἔσται ψεύστης ὑπάρχων προφήτης· ἐν οἷς γὰρ ὡς πολλὰ λέγων ὀλίγα ἐπιτυγχάνει, τότε τὸ πνεῦμα ἔχειν πιστεύεται, ὅτε τὰ πρῶτα ἔσχατα λέγει, τὰ ἔσχατα πρῶτα, τὰ γενόμενα ὡς ἐσόμενα, τὰ ἐσόμενα ὡς ἤδη γεγονότα, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀνακόλουθα, ἢ καὶ ἐξ ἄλλων ὑφῃρημένα καὶ μεταμεμορφωμένα, ἅ δὲ μεμειωμένα, ἀνείδεα, ἀνόητα, ἀμφίβολα, ἄδοξα, ἄδηλα, πάσης κεκραγότα δυσσυνειδησίας. ### English translation (Claude) “For if someone who wishes to profess prophecy is allowed to be believed when he is caught lying, on the ground that at that moment he did not have the holy Spirit of foreknowledge, he will not be easily refuted, though he is a false prophet. For where he says many things and hits on a few, he is believed to have the Spirit then, although he says the first things last and the last first, what has happened as if it were to come and what is to come as if it had already happened, and moreover things incoherent, or taken from others and transformed, some mutilated, shapeless, senseless, ambiguous, inglorious, obscure, crying out with every kind of bad conscience.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.14 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-14). ## Homilies 3.15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-15 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jesus prophesied plainly, as in his prediction of the destruction of the Temple, now fulfilled before the hearers’ eyes. ### Greek text Ὁ δὲ ἡμέτερος διδάσκαλος οὐδέν τι τοιοῦτο προεφητεύσατο, ἀλλʼ, ὡς φθάσας εἶπον, προφήτης ὤν ἐμφύτῳ καὶ ἀεννάῳ πνεύματι πάντα πάντοτε ἐπιστάμενος τεθαῤῥηκὼς ἐξετίθετο, ὡς προέλεγον, σαφῶς, πάθη, τόπους, ἐμπροθέσμους χρόνους, τρόπους, ὅρους. αὐτίκα γοῦν περὶ τοῦ ἁγιάσματος προλέγων ἔφη· ὁρᾶτε τὰς οἰκοδομὰς ταύτας; ἀμὴν ὑμῖν λέγω, λίθος ἐπὶ λίθον οὐ μὴ ἀφεθῇ ὧδε, ὅς οὐ μὴ καθαιρεθῇ· καὶ οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ ἡ γενεὰ αὕτη, καὶ καθαίρεσις ἀρχὴν λήψεται. ἐλεύσονται γὰρ καὶ καθιοῦσιν ἐνταῦθα, καὶ περιχαρακώσουσι, καὶ τὰ τέκνα ὑμῶν ἐνταῦθα κατασφάξουσιν. ὅμως καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς εἴρηκεν σαφεῖ φωνῇ, ἅτινα αὐτοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ἰδεῖν ἔχομεν· ἵνα ἐφʼ ὧν ὁ λόγος ἐῤῥέθη, καὶ τὸ ἔργον γένηται. πρὸς γὰρ πίστιν ἀκουόντων τὸν λόγον τῆς ἀποδείξεως ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας ποιεῖται προφήτης. ### English translation (Claude) “But our Teacher prophesied nothing of this kind. As I have already said, being a prophet by an innate and ever-flowing Spirit and knowing all things always, he confidently and clearly set forth, as I said before, sufferings, places, appointed times, manners, limits. For example, foretelling about the sanctuary, he said: ‘Do you see these buildings? Truly I tell you, stone upon stone shall not be left here that shall not be pulled down; and this generation shall not pass away before the destruction begins. For they will come and sit down here, and surround it with a palisade, and slaughter your children here.’ In the same way he also spoke in plain words of what would follow, things we can see with our own eyes, so that the deed might come to pass among those to whom the word was spoken. For the Prophet of truth utters the word of proof for the faith of his hearers.” ### Scripture references - Matt 24:2: quotation, medium confidence - Mark 13:2: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 24:34: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 19:43: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 19:44: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The saying combines Matt 24:1–2 (Mark 13:2), Matt 24:34, and Luke 19:43–44 in a wording that differs from the canonical Gospels. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.15 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-15). ## Homilies 3.16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-16 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Error has one leader and truth another; people go astray for not understanding the doctrine of the pairs (syzygies). ### Greek text Πλὴν πολλοί εἰσιν τῆς πλάνης κήρυκες, ἕνα τὸν τῆς κακίας ἡγεμόνα ἔχοντες· ᾧ λόγῳ τῆς ἀληθείας εἷς ὤν καὶ αὐτὸς τῆς εὐσεβείας ἡγεμὼν ἐν ἰδίοις καιροῖς τοὺς πάντας καθαροὺς εὑρεθέντας ἕξει προφήτας. ἡ δὲ πολλὴ τῶν πεπλανημένων τὸ μὴ πρότερον νοῆσαι τὸν τῆς συζυγίας λόγον, αἰτία γέγονεν αὕτη· ὅν ἰδίᾳ ὑμῖν ἑκάστοτε οὐ παύσομαι ἐκτιθέμενος κεφαλαιωδῶς· πολὺ γὰρ τὸ κατʼ εἶδος λέγειν. ὑμεῖς οὖν τῶν λεγομένων γένεσθέ μοι φιλαληθεῖς κριταί. ### English translation (Claude) “There are, however, many heralds of error, who have one leader, the leader of wickedness; just as the leader of godliness, being himself one in the word of truth, will in his own times have as his prophets all who are found pure. And the cause of the great error of those who have gone astray is this: that they did not first understand the doctrine of the pairs. I shall not cease to set it out to you in private on each occasion, in summary, for to speak of it in detail would take long. So be for me truth-loving judges of what is said.” ### Translation notes - The “doctrine of the pairs” (syzygies) is the Homilies’ teaching that God arranged all things in pairs of opposites, the lesser and worse coming first (compare 2.15–18). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.16 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-16). ## Homilies 3.17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-17 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Adam, formed by God’s hands, had the Spirit of foreknowledge; it is blasphemy to deny it to him and give it to one born of human seed. ### Greek text Τοῦ δὲ λέγειν ἄρξομαι ἤδη. Θεοῦ τοῦ τὰ πάντα πεποιηκότος τὸ μέγα καὶ ἅγιον τῆς προγνώσεως αὐτοῦ πνεῦμα εἰ μὴ τῷ ὑπὸ χειρῶν αὐτοῦ κυοφορηθέντι ἀνθρώπῳ δῴη τις ἐσχηκέναι, πῶς ἔτι ἑτέρῳ τῳ ἐκ μυσαρᾶς σταγόνος γεννηθέντι ὁ ἀπονέμων οὐ τὰ μέγιστα ἁμαρτάνει; καὶ οὐκ οἶμαι αὐτὸν συγγνώμης τυγχάνειν, κἄν ὑπὸ νόθου γραφῆς κατὰ τοῦ πάντων πατρὸς δεινὰ νοεῖν ἀπατηθείη ὁ γὰρ εἰκόνα, καὶ ταῦτα αἰωνίου βασιλέως ὑβρίσας, τὴν ἁμαρτίαν εἰς ἐκεῖνον ἀναφερομένην ἔχει, οὗπερ καθʼ ὁμοίωσιν ἡ εἰκὼν ἐτύγχανεν οὖσα. ἀλλά, φησίν, ἁμαρτήσαντα κατέλειπεν τὸ θεῖον πνεῦμα. οὐκοῦν συνήμαρτεν· καὶ πῶς ὁ τοῦτο λέγων οὐ κινδυνεύει; ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὸ ἁμαρτῆσαι εἰλήφει τὸ πνεῦμα. ἀδίκοις ἄρα δέδοται· καὶ ποῦ τὸ δίκαιον; ἀλλὰ δικαίοις καὶ ἀδίκοις ἐπιχορηγεῖται. τοῦτο πάντων ἀδικώτατον. οὕτως πᾶν ψεῦσμα, κἄν μυρίαις ἐπινοίαις βοηθῆται, τὸν ἔλεγχον κἄν ἐν μακρῷ χρόνῳ λαβεῖν ἔχῃ. ### English translation (Claude) “I will now begin to speak. If someone will not grant that the man brought forth by the hands of God, who made all things, had God’s great and holy Spirit of foreknowledge, how does the one who assigns it to another, born of a foul drop, not sin most gravely? And I do not think he will obtain pardon, even if he was deceived by a spurious scripture into thinking terrible things against the Father of all. For whoever insults an image, and that of an eternal king, has the sin referred to the one in whose likeness the image was. ‘But,’ someone says, ‘the divine Spirit left him when he sinned.’ Then it sinned along with him; and how does the one who says this not endanger himself? ‘But he received the Spirit after he had sinned.’ Then it is given to the unjust; and where is justice? ‘But it is supplied to the just and the unjust.’ That is the most unjust of all. So every lie, even if aided by countless contrivances, is bound to be refuted, even if after a long time.” ### Scripture references - Gen 2:7: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 1:27: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 5:45: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - “The man brought forth by the hands of God” is Adam (Gen 2:7). The Homilies deny that Adam sinned and treat the story of his fall as a spurious passage of Scripture; this is the work’s own view. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.17 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-17). ## Homilies 3.18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-18 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Adam was not ignorant; the true Prophet points to the seat of Moses, whose holders keep the key of knowledge but do not let others enter. ### Greek text Μὴ ἀπατᾶσθε. ὁ πατὴρ ἡμῶν οὐδὲν ἠγνόει. ὁπότε καὶ ὁ δημοσίᾳ κείμενος νόμος, ἀγνοίας ἐγκλήματι διὰ τοὺς ἀναξίους σκέπων αὐτόν, τοὺς ἀληθείας γλιχομένους ἐπʼ αὐτὸν ἀναπέμπει λέγων ἐξέτασον τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ ἐρεῖ σοι, τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους σου, καὶ ἀναγγελοῦσί σοι. τοῦτον ἐχρῆν τὸν πατέρα ζητῆσαι. ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐζήτησας, τίνος ἐστὶν ὁ τῆς βασιλείας χρόνος, τίνος ἡ τῆς προφητείας καθέδρα, καίτοι αὐτοῦ ἑαυτὸν μηνύοντος τῷ λέγειν· ἐπὶ τῆς καθέδρας Μωυσέως ἐκάθησαν οἱ γραμματεῖς καὶ οἱ Φαρισαῖοι· πάντα ὅσα λέγωσιν ὑμῖν, ἀκούετε αὐτῶν. αὐτῶν δέ, εἶπεν, ὡς τὴν κλεῖδα τῆς βασιλείας πεπιστευμένων, ἥ τις ἐστὶν γνῶσις, ἥ μόνη τὴν πύλην τῆς ζωῆς ἀνοῖξαι δύναται, διʼ ἧς μόνης εἰς τὴν αἰωνίαν ζωὴν εἰσελθεῖν ἔστιν. ἀλλὰ ναί, φησίν, κρατοῦσι μὲν τὴν κλεῖν, τοῖς δὲ βουλομένοις εἰσελθεῖν οὐ παρέχουσιν. ### English translation (Claude) “Do not be deceived. Our father was ignorant of nothing. For even the Law that is publicly current, though it covers him with a charge of ignorance because of the unworthy, sends those who long for truth to him, saying: ‘Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders and they will declare it to you.’ This is the father you should have sought out. But you did not ask whose is the time of the kingdom, whose the seat of prophecy, although he points to himself by saying: ‘The scribes and the Pharisees have sat down on the seat of Moses; whatever they say to you, listen to them.’ Listen to them, he said, as those entrusted with the key of the kingdom, which is knowledge, which alone can open the gate of life, through which alone one may enter eternal life. ‘But indeed,’ he says, ‘they hold the key, but to those who wish to enter they do not grant it.’” ### Scripture references - Deut 32:7: quotation, high confidence - Matt 23:2: quotation, high confidence - Matt 23:3: quotation, medium confidence - Luke 11:52: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 23:13: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Quotations: Deut 32:7; Matt 23:2–3 (wording differs); the saying about the key resembles Luke 11:52 and Matt 23:13. “Our father” is Adam, whom the Homilies identify with the true Prophet. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.18 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-18). ## Homilies 3.19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-19 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The true Prophet revealed secret teaching, extended mercy to the Gentiles, loved his enemies, and will reign as father-king of the coming age. ### Greek text Διὰ τοῦτο, φημί, αὐτὸς τῆς καθέδρας ἐγερθείς, ὡς πατὴρ ὑπὲρ τέκνων, τὰ ἀπʼ αἰῶνος ἐν κρυπτῷ ἀξίοις παραδιδόμενα κηρύσσων, μέχρις αὐτῶν ἐθνῶν τὸν ἔλεον ἐκτείνων καὶ ψυχὰς παντων ἐλεῶν, ἰδίου αἵματος ἠμέλει. μέλλοντος γὰρ αἰῶνος βασιλεὺς εἶναι κατηξιωμένος πρὸς τὸν νῦν ἐμπρόθεσμος παρειληφότα νόμῳ τὴν βασιλείαν. καὶ τὸ μέγιστον ὅπερ αὐτὸν λίαν ἐλύπει ἐστὶ τοῦτο, ὅτι ὑπὲρ ὧν ὡς τέκνων τὴν μάχην ἐποιεῖτο, ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ἀγνοίας αἰτίᾳ ἐπολεμεῖτο. καὶ ὅμως ἠγάπα καὶ τοὺς μισοῦντας, καὶ ἔκλαιε τοὺς ἀπειθοῦντας, καὶ εὐλόγει τοὺς λοιδοροῦντας, ηὔχετο ὑπὲρ ἐχθραινόντων. καὶ οὐ μόνον ταῦτα ἐποίει ὡς πατήρ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς αὐτοῦ μαθητάς, ὡς πρὸς ἀδελφοὺς ἔχοντας, τὰ ὅμοια ποιεῖν ἐδίδασκεν. τοῦτο πατήρ, τοῦτο προφήτης, τοῦτο εὔλογον τὸ αὐτὸν ἰδίων τέκνων βασιλεῦσαι· ἵνα τῇ ἐκ πατρὸς πρὸς τέκνα στοργῇ καὶ τῶν τέκνων πρὸς τὸν πατέρα ἐνδιαθέτῳ τιμῇ αἰωνία εἰρήνη γενέσθαι δυνηθῇ. τοῦ γὰρ εὐλόγου βασιλεύοντος, ἐπὶ τοὺς βασιλευομένους ἀληθὴς χαρὰ περὶ τοῦ βασιλεύοντος γίνεται. ### English translation (Claude) “For this reason, I say, he himself, rising from the seat, as a father on behalf of his children, proclaiming what had been handed down in secret to the worthy from the beginning of the age, extending his mercy even to the Gentiles and pitying the souls of all, disregarded his own blood. For, having been counted worthy to be king of the coming age, he contends against the one who has received, for an appointed time and by law, the kingdom of the present. And the greatest thing, which grieved him deeply, is this: those for whom he fought as for his children made war on him through ignorance. And yet he loved even those who hated him, wept for the disobedient, blessed those who reviled him, prayed for those who were hostile. And he not only did these things as a father, but also taught his disciples to do the like, as toward brothers. This is a father, this is a prophet; this is reasonable, that he should be king of his own children, so that by the affection of the father for the children and the heartfelt honour of the children toward the father eternal peace may come about. For when the reasonable one reigns, true joy about the one who reigns comes upon those who are ruled.” ### Scripture references - Matt 5:44: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 6:28: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 19:41: echo, low confidence - Luke 23:34: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - “His own blood” may instead mean “his own kin”. The clause about the ruler of the present age lacks a main verb in the edition; “contends” is supplied by sense. On loving enemies compare Matt 5:44 and Luke 6:27–28. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.19 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-19). ## Homilies 3.20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-20 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Adam had the Spirit of Christ; the true Prophet has passed through the ages in changing forms and names until his anointing. ### Greek text Πλὴν ἐπὶ τὸν πρῶτον τῆς ἀληθείας ἐφόρα μοι λόγον. ἐὰν τῷ ὑπὸ χειρῶν Θεοῦ κυοφορηθέντι ἀνθρώπῳ τὸ ἅγιον Χριστοῦ μὴ δῷ τις ἔχειν πνεῦμα, πῶς ἑτέρῳ τινὶ ἐκ μυσαρᾶς σταγόνος γεγενημένῳ διδοὺς ἔχειν οὐ τὰ μέγιστα ἀσεβεῖ; τὰ δὲ μέγιστα εὐσεβῇ, ἐὰν ἑτέρῳ μὲν μὴ δῴη ἔχειν, ἐκεῖνον δὲ μόνον ἔχειν λέγοι, ὃς ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς αἰῶνος ἅμα τοῖς ὀνόμασιν μορφὰς ἀλλάσσων τὸν αἰῶνα τρέχει, μέχρις ὅτε ἰδίων χρόνων τυχών, διὰ τοὺς καμάτους Θεοῦ ἐλέει χρισθείς, εἰς ἀεὶ ἕξει τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν. οὗτος ἄρχειν τε καὶ κυριεύειν πάντων τῶν ἐν ἀέρι καὶ γῇ καὶ ὕδασιν τετίμηται· πρὸς τούτοις δὲ αὐτοῦ πεποιηκότος τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὴν πνοὴν ἔσχεν, ψυχῆς ἄῤῥητον περιβολήν, ὅπως ἀθάνατος εἶναι δυνηθῇ. ### English translation (Claude) “But turn with me to the first word of truth. If someone will not grant that the man brought forth by the hands of God had the holy Spirit of Christ, how is the one who grants it to another, born of a foul drop, not guilty of the greatest impiety? And he shows the greatest piety if he does not grant it to another but says that he alone has it who from the beginning of the world, changing his forms together with his names, runs through the world, until, reaching his own times and anointed by God’s mercy for his labours, he will have rest forever. He has been honoured to rule and be lord over all things in the air, on the earth, and in the waters; and besides this he had the breath of the one who made man, the ineffable garment of the soul, so that he might be immortal.” ### Scripture references - Gen 1:26: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 1:28: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 2:7: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The Homilies teach that the one true Prophet appeared from Adam onward in different forms and names, until he was anointed as Christ; this is the work’s own view. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.20 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-20). ## Homilies 3.21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-21 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Adam, who named the animals as a true prophet, needed no tree to know good and evil; only the undiscerning believe the serpent outwitted God. ### Greek text Οὗτος αὐτὸς μόνος ἀληθὴς ὑπάρξας προφήτης ἑκάστῳ ζώῳ κατʼ ἀξίαν τῆς φύσεως, καθὼς ὁ πεποιηκὼς αὐτόν, οἰκείως τέθεικεν τὰ ὀνόματα. εἴ τι γὰρ ἐπωνόμασεν, τοῦτο ἦν καὶ ἐκ τοῦ πεποιηκότος ὄνομα τῷ γεγενημένῳ. διὸ πῶς ἔτι φυτοῦ χρείαν εἶχε προσλαβεῖν, ἵνα τί ποτέ ἐστιν ἴδῃ καλὸν ἢ κακόν; ἐνετέλλετο. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα πιστεύουσιν οἱ ἄκριτοι, οἱ ἄλογον θηρίον Θεοῦ κτίσαντος αὐτούς τε καὶ τὰ πάντα ἐνεργητικώτερον γεγενῆσθαι οἰηθέντες. ### English translation (Claude) “He alone, being the true prophet, gave each living creature its fitting name according to the worth of its nature, as its maker did. For whatever he named, that was also the name given by the maker to the creature. How then could he still need to partake of a tree to know what is good or evil? He was given a command. But these things are believed by the undiscerning, who have supposed that an irrational beast was more effective than God, who created them and all things.” ### Scripture references - Gen 2:19: allusion, high confidence - Gen 2:20: allusion, high confidence - Gen 2:17: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 3:1: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The Homilies deny the account of Adam’s eating from the tree (Gen 2:17; 3:1–6); this is the work’s own view. The single word ἐνετέλλετο (“he was given a command”) is abrupt in the edition. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.21 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-21). ## Homilies 3.22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-22 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Eve, created as Adam’s lesser partner, is the first prophetess and rules the present, female world; the male prophet rules the coming age. ### Greek text Πλὴν τούτῳ σύζυγος συνεκτίσθη θήλεια φύσις, πολὺ ἀποδέουσα αὐτοῦ, ὡς οὐσία μετουσίας, ὡς ἡλίου σελήνη, ὡς φωτὸς τὸ πῦρ. αὕτη τοῦ νῦν κόσμου ὡς θήλεια ὁμοίου ἄρχουσα πρώτη προφῆτις εἶναι πεπίστευται, μετὰ πάντων τῶν ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν προφητείαν ἐπαγγελλομένη. ὁ δὲ ἕτερος, ὡς υἱὸς ἀνθρώπου ἄρσην ὤν, καὶ τὰ διαφέροντα ὡς ἄρσενι τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι πρωτεύει. ### English translation (Claude) “With him, however, a female nature was created as his partner, falling far short of him, as derived being falls short of being, as the moon of the sun, as fire of light. She, as female, rules over the present world, which is like herself, and is believed to be the first prophetess, announcing prophecy among all those born of women. But the other, being male as the son of man, holds first place in the coming age, which is male, and in its excellent things.” ### Scripture references - Gen 2:18: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 11:11: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The doctrine of the pairs: female prophecy (Eve) belongs to the present age, male prophecy (the true Prophet) to the coming age; this is the work’s own view. Compare “among those born of women”, Matt 11:11. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.22 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-22). ## Homilies 3.23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-23 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Of the two kinds of prophecy, the female comes first and passes off the male prophet’s words as her own, promising earthly wealth. ### Greek text Δύο οὖν ἡμῖν γενικαὶ ἔστωσαν προφητείαι· ἡ μὲν ἀῤῥενική· καὶ διωρίσθω, ὅτι ἡ μὲν πρώτη ἄρσην οὖσα δευτέρα τοῦ λοιποῦ τέτακται κατὰ τὸν τῆς προόδου λόγον, ἡ δὲ δευτέρα θῆλυς οὖσα πρώτη ὡρίσθη ἔρχεσθαι ἐν τῇ τῶν συζυγιῶν προελεύσει. ἡ μὲν οὖν ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν οὖσα, ὡς θήλεια τοῦ νῦν κόσμου ἐπαγγελλομένη, ἀῤῥενικὴ εἶναι πιστεύεσθαι θέλει. διὸ κλέπτουσα τὰ τοῦ ἄρσενος σπέρματα, καὶ τοῖς ἰδίοις τῆς σαρκὸς σπέρμασιν ἐπισκέπεσα, ὡς ὅλα ἴδια συνεκφέρει τὰ γεννήματα, τοῦτʼ ἔστιν τὰ ῥήματα. καὶ τὸν παρόντα ἐπίγειον πλοῦτον ὡς προῖκα δώσειν ἐπαγγέλλεται, τῷ ταχεῖ τὸ βραδύ, τὸ βραχὺ τῷ μείζονι ὑπαλλάξαι θέλουσα. ### English translation (Claude) “Let there then be for us two kinds of prophecy, the one male; and let it be laid down that the first, being male, is placed second in the order of coming forth, while the second, being female, was appointed to come first in the procession of the pairs. The one that is among those born of women, being female and announcing the things of the present world, wishes to be believed to be male. Therefore, stealing the seeds of the male and covering them over with the seeds of her own flesh, she brings forth the offspring, that is, the words, as wholly her own. And she promises to give present earthly wealth as a dowry, wishing to exchange the slow for the quick, the small for the greater.” ### Translation notes - The second member of the pair (“the other, female”) is not stated in the edition; the sense is clear from what follows. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.23 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-23). ## Homilies 3.24 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-24 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Female prophecy teaches many gods, pollutes with sacrifices, breeds wars, and keeps its followers always seeking and never finding. ### Greek text Πολλοὺς μέντοι θεοὺς λέγειν καὶ ἀκούειν οὐ μόνον τολμῶσα, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὴ γενέσθαι πιστεύουσα, καὶ ἐλπίδι τοῦ γενέσθαι, ὃ μὴ ἔχει φύσιν, καὶ ὃ ἔχει προσαπολλύουσα, καὶ ὡς θήλεια ἐν μηνίοις γινομένη προφάσει θυσιῶν αἱμάσσεται, καὶ οὕτως τοὺς ψαύοντας αὐτῆς μολύνει. ἐπὰν δὲ συλλαβοῦσα τοὺς προσκαίρους τίκτῃ βασιλεῖς, τοὺς αἷμα πολὺ χέοντας ἐγείρει πολέμους. τοὺς δὲ παρʼ αὐτῆς μαθεῖν ἀλήθειαν ὀρεγομένους τῷ τὰ πάντα λέγειν τὰ ἐναντία καὶ πολλὰς καὶ διαφόρους παρέχειν ὑπουργίας ζητοῦντας αἰεὶ καὶ μηδὲν εὑρίσκοντας μέχρις αὐτοῦ θανάτου καθίστησιν. ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς γὰρ ἀνθρώποις τυφλοῖς θανάτου κεῖται πρόφασις· πλάνα γὰρ καὶ ἀμφίβολα καὶ λοξὰ προφητεύουσα τοὺς πιστεύοντας ἀπατᾷ. ### English translation (Claude) “She not only dares to speak and hear of many gods, but even believes that she herself will become one; and in hope of becoming what she has no nature to be, she loses even what she has. As a female in her monthly courses, she is bloodied on the pretext of sacrifices, and so defiles those who touch her. And when she conceives and bears temporary kings, she stirs up wars that shed much blood. Those who long to learn the truth from her, by saying all contrary things and offering many different services, she keeps always seeking and never finding anything, until death itself. For from the beginning a cause of death has lain before blind men; for by prophesying deceptive, ambiguous, and crooked things she deceives those who believe her.” ### Scripture references - Gen 3:5: allusion, medium confidence - Lev 15:19: echo, low confidence - 2 Tim 3:7: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - “Believes that she herself will become one” alludes to Gen 3:5 (“you will be like gods”); the pollution by menstrual blood echoes Lev 15:19. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.24 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-24). ## Homilies 3.25 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-25 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Eve named Cain ambiguously, ‘possession’ and ‘jealousy’; he and his line were murderers, liars, adulterers, and makers of music and weapons. ### Greek text Δἰ ὅ τῷ πρωτοτόκῳ αὐτῆς ἀμφοτερίζον ἐπέθηκεν ὄνομα, καλέσασα Καΐν· ὅ διχῇ ἔχει τῆς ἑρμηνείας τὴν ἐκδοχήν. ἑρμηνεύεται γὰρ καὶ κτῆσις καὶ ζῆλος, ὡς ζηλοῦν αὐτοῦ μέλλοντος ἐν τοῖς ἐσομένοις ἢ γυναῖκα ἢ κτήματα ἢ τὴν τῶν γονέων πρὸς αὐτὴν στοργήν. εἰ δὲ ἄρα μηδὲν τούτων γένηται, καὶ οὕτως τὸ κτῆμα λέγεσθαι καλῶς ἐπιτέτευκται. αὐτὸν γὰρ πρῶτον ἐκτήσατο, ὅπερ αὐτῇ καὶ ἐχρησίμευσεν. φονεὺς γὰρ ἦν καὶ ψεύστης καὶ μετὰ ἁμαρτιῶν ἡσυχάζειν μηδὲ ἐπὶ τῷ ἄρχειν θέλων. ἔτι μὴν καὶ οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς τούτου διαδοχῆς προεληλυθότες πρῶτοι μοιχοὶ ἐγένοντο· καὶ ψαλτήρια καὶ κιθάραι καὶ χαλκεῖς ὅπλων πολεμικῶν ἐγένοντο. διʼ ὃ καὶ ἡ τῶν ἐγγόνων προφητεία, μοιχῶν καὶ ψαλτηρίων γέμουσα, λανθανόντως διὰ τῶν ἡδυπαθειῶν ὡς τοὺς πολέμους ἐγείρει. ### English translation (Claude) “Therefore she gave her firstborn an ambiguous name, calling him Cain, which admits a double interpretation. For it is interpreted both ‘possession’ and ‘jealousy’, since he would in time be jealous about a wife, or possessions, or the affection of the parents toward her. But if none of these should happen, even so the name ‘possession’ has been aptly hit upon; for she first acquired him, and he was of use to her. For he was a murderer and a liar, and unwilling to be at rest from his sins, not even on condition of ruling. Moreover, those who came forth in his line were the first adulterers; and there came psalteries and harps and smiths of weapons of war. Therefore the prophecy of his descendants, too, full of adulterers and psalteries, stealthily stirs up wars through pleasures.” ### Scripture references - Gen 4:1: allusion, high confidence - Gen 4:7: allusion, medium confidence - John 8:44: echo, low confidence - Gen 4:19: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 4:21: allusion, high confidence - Gen 4:22: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Cain as “possession”: Gen 4:1. “Unwilling to be at rest… on condition of ruling” recalls Gen 4:7 LXX (“be at rest… you shall rule over him”). “Murderer and liar” echoes John 8:44. The first adulterer is Lamech with two wives (Gen 4:19); lyres and smiths, Gen 4:21–22. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.25 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/2-39/#p-3-25). ## Homilies 3.26 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-26 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Adam named his son Abel, ‘mourning’; the male prophecy teaches one God, rejects sacrifice, and proclaims purity, peace, judgment, and the kingdom. ### Greek text Ὁ δὲ ἐν υἱοῖς ἀνθρώπων προφητείαν ἔμφυτον ψυχῆς ἰδίαν ἔχων, ῥητῶς ὡς ἄρσην τοῦ μέλλοντος αἰῶνος τὰς ἐλπίδας μηνύων, τὸν αὑτοῦ υἱὸν προσηγόρευσεν Ἀβέλ, ὅ ἄνευ πάσης ἀμφιβολίας πένθος ἑρμηνεύεται. πενθεῖν γὰρ τοῖς αὐτοῦ υἱοῖς παρέχει τοὺς ἐξαπατωμένους ἀδελφοὺς αὐτῶν. ἀψευστεῖ αὐτοῖς ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι αἰῶνι τὴν παράκλησιν ὑπισχνούμενος. Θεὸν ἕνα μόνον αἰτεῖν λέγων, θεοὺς οὔτε αὐτὸς λέγει, οὔτε ἄλλῳ λέγοντι πιστεύει. καλὸν ὅ ἔχει τηρεῖ καὶ ἐπὶ πλείονα αὔξει. θυσίας, αἵματα, σπονδὰς μισεῖ· ἁγνοὺς, καθαροὺς, ὁσίους ἀγαπᾷ. πῦρ βωμῶν σβέννυσιν, πολέμους καταργεῖ, εἰρήνην διδάσκει, σωφροσύνην ἐντέλλεται, τὰς ἁμαρτίας καθαίρει, γάμον νομιτεύει, ἐγκράτειαν συγχωρεῖ, εἰς ἁγνείαν πάντας ἄγει, ἐλεημονικοὺς ποιεῖ, δικαιοσύνην νομιτεύει, τοὺς τελείους αὐτῶν σφραγίζει, καὶ τὸν τῆς ἀναπαύσεως λόγον ἐκφαίνει, ῥητὰ προφητεύει, σαφῆ λέγει, πῦρ αἰώνιον κολάσεως πυκνῶς ὑπομιμνήσκει, βασιλείαν Θεοῦ συνεχῶς καταγγέλλει, πλοῦτον οὐράνιον μηνύει, δόξαν ἀναφαίρετον ὑποσχεῖται, τῆς ἁμαρτίας τὴν ἄφεσιν ἔργῳ δείκνυσιν. ### English translation (Claude) “But he who among the sons of men has innate prophecy of the soul as his own, plainly, as male, announcing the hopes of the coming age, named his son Abel, which without any ambiguity is interpreted ‘mourning’. For he gives his sons their deceived brothers to mourn for. He does not lie to them when he promises them comfort in the coming age. Saying that one God alone is to be prayed to, he neither speaks of gods himself nor believes another who does. The good he has he keeps and increases still more. He hates sacrifices, blood, libations; he loves the chaste, the pure, the holy. He quenches the fire of altars, abolishes wars, teaches peace, commands self-control, cleanses sins, sanctions marriage, permits continence, leads all to purity, makes them merciful, prescribes righteousness, seals the perfect among them, and reveals the word of rest. He prophesies plainly, speaks clearly, often reminds of the eternal fire of punishment, constantly proclaims the kingdom of God, points to heavenly riches, promises glory that cannot be taken away, and shows the forgiveness of sin by deed.” ### Scripture references - Gen 4:2: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 5:4: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Abel as “mourning” plays on Hebrew ʾēbel; comfort for mourners echoes Matt 5:4. The rejection of sacrifices is characteristic of the Homilies. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.26 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-26). ## Homilies 3.27 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-27 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The male principle is truth and the female error; the female leads people into spiritual adultery, away from the true Prophet, their bridegroom. ### Greek text Καὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν; ὁ ἄρσην ὅλως ἀλήθεια, ἡ θήλεια ὅλη πλάνη, ὁ δὲ ἐξ ἄρσενος καὶ θηλείας γεγονὼς ἅ μὲν ψεύδεται, ἅ δὲ ἀληθεύει. ἡ γὰρ θήλεια ἰδίῳ αἵματι ὥσπερ ἐρυθρῷ πυρὶ περιβάλλουσα τὸ τοῦ ἄρσενος λευκὸν σπέρμα, ἀλλοτρίοις ἐρείσμασιν ὀστέων τὸ ἀσθενὲς αὐτῆς συνίστησιν, καὶ τῷ τῆς σαρκὸς προσκαίρῳ ἄνθει τέρπουσα, καὶ βραχείαις ἡδοναῖς τοῦ λογισμοῦ τὴν ἰσχὺν ὑποσυλῶσα, τοὺς πλείονας εἰς μοιχείαν ἄγει, καὶ οὕτως τοῦ μέλλοντος καλοῦ στερίσκει νυμφίου. νύμφη γάρ ἐστιν ὁ πᾶς ἄνθρωπος, ὁπότʼ ἄν τοῦ ἀληθοῦς προφήτου λευκῷ λόγῳ ἀληθείας σπειρόμενος φωτίζηται τὸν νοῦν. ### English translation (Claude) “What need is there to say more? The male is wholly truth, the female wholly error; and the one born of male and female speaks falsely in some things and truly in others. For the female, surrounding the white seed of the male with her own blood as with red fire, props up her weakness with the alien supports of bones; and delighting with the passing bloom of the flesh and robbing reason of its strength by brief pleasures, she leads most people into adultery, and so deprives them of the good bridegroom to come. For every human being is a bride whenever, sown by the true Prophet with the white word of truth, he is enlightened in mind.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.27 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-27). ## Homilies 3.28 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-28 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Hearing any teacher but the true Prophet is spiritual adultery, for which the Spirit departs and the soul is judged after death. ### Greek text Δἰ ὅ ἑνὸς μόνου τοῦ τῆς ἀληθείας προφήτου ἀκούειν δεῖ, εἰδότα ὅτι ὁ παρʼ ἑτέρου σπαρεὶς λόγος, μοιχείας ἔγκλημα λαβών, ὡς ὑπὸ νυμφίου τῆς βασιλείας αὐτοῦ ἐκβάλλεται. τοῖς δὲ τὸ μυστήριον εἰδόσιν ὑπὸ ψυχικῆς μοιχείας καὶ θάνατος γίνεται. ὁπότʼ ἄν ἡ ψυχὴ ὑφʼ ἑτέρων σπαρῇ, τότε ὡς πορνεύσασα ἢ μοιχευσαμένη ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος ἐγκαταλείπεται, καὶ οὕτως τὸ ἔμψυχον σῶμα, τοῦ ζωοποιοῦ πνεύματος χωρισθέντος, εἰς γῆν ἀναλύεται, καὶ τοῦ ἁμαρτήματος ἡ κατʼ ἀξίαν κόλασις ἐν τῷ τῆς κρίσεως καιρῷ ἀποδίδοται τῇ ψυχῇ μετὰ τὴν τοῦ σώματος ἀνάλυσιν· ὥσπερ ἐπʼ ἀνθρώπων ἡ ἐπὶ μοιχείᾳ φωραθεῖσα πρῶτον τῶν οἴκων ἐκβάλλεται, εἶθʼ ὕστερον ἐπὶ καταδίκῃ κρίνεται. ### English translation (Claude) “Therefore one must listen to the one Prophet of truth alone, knowing that the word sown by another incurs the charge of adultery and is cast out of his kingdom, as by the bridegroom. And for those who know the mystery, death also comes through adultery of the soul. Whenever the soul is sown by others, then, as having committed sexual immorality or adultery, it is abandoned by the Spirit; and so the living body, the life-giving Spirit having departed, is dissolved into earth, and the punishment deserved for the sin is rendered to the soul at the time of judgment, after the body’s dissolution; just as among men a woman caught in adultery is first cast out of the house and afterwards brought to trial for condemnation.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.28 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-28). ## Homilies 3.29 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-29 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Zacchaeus announces that the crowd and Simon are waiting; Peter dismisses the unbaptized Clement, prays with the baptized, and goes out. ### Greek text Τοῦ Πέτρου τοῦτον αὐτὸν μέλλοντος ἡμῖν τελείως ἐκφαίνειν τὸν μυστικὸν τοῦτον λόγον, Ζακχαῖος ἧκεν λέγων· ἤδη λοιπόν, ὦ Πέτρε, καιρὸς πρὸς τὸ ἐκβάντα διαλεχθῆναί σε. πολὺς γὰρ ἐπὶ τῆς αὐλῆς συναθροισθεὶς ἀναμένει σε ὄχλος, οὗ ἐν μέσῳ ὡς πολέμαρχος ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ δορυφορούμενος ἕστηκε Σίμων. ὁ δὲ Πέτρος ἀκούσας, εὐχῆς χάριν ὑποχωρῆσαί μοι κελεύσας ὡς μήπω εἰληφότι τὸ πρὸς σωτηρίαν βάπτισμα, τοῖς ἤδη τελείοις ἔφη ἐγερθέντες εὐξώμεθα, ἵνα ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς ἀνεκλείπτοις αὐτοῦ οἰκτιρμοῖς συνεργήσῃ μοι ὁρμῶντι πρὸς σωτηρίαν τῶν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ κτισθέντων ἀνθρώπων. καὶ ταῦτʼ εἰπὼν εὐξάμενος ἐξῄει εἰς τὸν ὕπαιθρον τῆς αὐλῆς τόπον μέγαν ὄντα, ἔνθα συνεληλυθότες ἦσαν πολλοὶ τοῦ ἐποπτεῦσαι χάριν, τῆς διακρίσεως αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τὸ σπεύδειν τοῦ ἀκούειν σπουδαιοτέρους πεποιηκυίας. ### English translation (Claude) As Peter was about to reveal this mystical word to us fully, Zacchaeus came and said: “Now at last, Peter, it is time for you to go out and hold the discussion. For a great crowd has gathered in the courtyard and is waiting for you, and in the middle of it stands Simon, escorted by it like a war-leader by his spearmen.” When Peter heard this, he told me to withdraw for the prayer, since I had not yet received the baptism that brings salvation, and said to those who were already perfected: “Let us rise and pray that God, in his unfailing compassion, may work with me as I set out for the salvation of the human beings he created.” Having said this and prayed, he went out into the open part of the courtyard, which was large, where many had gathered to watch, his eminence having made them more eager to hear. ### Translation notes - The unbaptized withdraw before the common prayer, as in the church practice of the time. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.29 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-29). ## Homilies 3.30 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-30 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter opens with the greeting of peace commanded by Jesus, warning that apostles shake off the dust against those who refuse it. ### Greek text Στὰς οὖν, καὶ ἰδὼν μετὰ πολλῆς ἡσυχίας τὸν πάντα λαὸν εἰς αὐτὸν ἀτενίζοντα, Σίμωνα δὲ τὸν μάγον εἰς μέσον ἑστῶτα, τοῦ λέγειν ἤρξατο οὕτως· εἰρήνη εἴη πᾶσιν ὑμῖν τοῖς ἑτοίμοις ἔχουσιν δεξιὰς διδόναι τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀληθείᾳ, ἥν αὐτοῦ μεγάλην τε καὶ ἀσύγκριτον ἐν τῷ νῦν κόσμῳ ὑπάρχουσαν δωρεὰν ὁ ἀποστείλας ἡμᾶς, τοῦ ἐν ὑπεροχῇ συμφέροντος ἀψευδὴς ὑπάρχων προφήτης, ταύτην ἡμῖν ἐνετείλατο προφάσει προσηγορίας πρὸ τῶν τῆς διδασκαλίας λόγων ὑμῖν ἐπιφθέγγεσθαι, ἵνα ἐὰν ᾖ τις ἐν ὑμῖν εἰρήνης τέκνον, διὰ τῆς διδασκαλίας ἡμῶν καταλάβῃ αὐτὸν ἡ εἰρήνη, εἰ δὲ ταύτην λαβεῖν ὑμῶν τις μὴ θέλοι, τότε ἡμεῖς ἀποτιναξάμενοι εἰς μαρτυρίαν τῶν ποδῶν ἡμῶν τὸν ἐκ τῶν ὁδῶν κονιορτόν, ὅν διὰ τοὺς καμάτους βαστάξαντες ἠνέγκαμεν πρὸς ὑμᾶς ὅπως σωθῆτε, εἰς ἑτέρων ἀπίωμεν οἰκίας καὶ πόλεις. ### English translation (Claude) So he stood, and seeing the whole people gazing at him in deep silence, and Simon the magus standing in the middle, he began to speak thus: “Peace be to all of you who are ready to give your right hands to the truth of God. This is his great and incomparable gift in the present world, which the one who sent us, the unerring prophet of what is supremely advantageous, commanded us to pronounce upon you as a greeting before the words of teaching, so that if there is among you any child of peace, peace may take hold of him through our teaching; but if any of you does not wish to receive it, then we, shaking off from our feet as a testimony the dust of the roads, which we have carried in our toils and brought to you so that you might be saved, may go away to the houses and cities of others.” ### Scripture references - Luke 10:5: allusion, high confidence - Luke 10:6: allusion, high confidence - Matt 10:14: allusion, high confidence - Luke 9:5: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The greeting and the shaking off of dust follow Jesus’ mission instructions (Luke 10:5–6; Matt 10:12–14; Luke 9:5), not in their exact wording. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.30 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-30). ## Homilies 3.31 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-31 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Those who reject the apostles fare worse than Sodom; to receive peace one must refuse to do wrong and bear wrong, trusting God’s justice. ### Greek text Καὶ ἀληθῶς ὑμῖν λέγομεν· ἀνεκτότερον ἔσται γῇ Σοδόμων καὶ Γομόῤῥας ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως, ἢ τῷ τῆς ἀπειθείας τόπῳ ἐνδιατελεῖν· πρῶτον μὲν, ὅτι τὸ εὔλογον ἀφʼ ἑαυτῶν οὐκ ἐνοήσατε· δεύτερον, ὅτι ἀκούσαντες τὰ καθʼ ἡμᾶς οὐκ ἤλθετε πρὸς ἡμᾶς· τρίτον, ὅτι καὶ ἐλθοῦσιν ἡμῖν ἠπειθήσατε. διʼ ὅ φειδόμενοι ὑμῶν προῖκα εὐχόμεθα τὴν εἰρήνην ἡμῶν ἐλθεῖν ἐφʼ ὑμᾶς. διʼ οὖν ταύτην ἔχειν θέλετε, δεῖ ὑμᾶς προθύμως τὸ μὴ ἀδικεῖν ἀναδέξασθαι, καὶ τὸ ἀδικεῖσθαι γενναίως φέρειν, ὅπερ ἀνθρώπου φύσις οὐκ ἄν ὑποσταίη, ἐὰν μὴ πρότερον τοῦ ἐν ὑπεροχῇ συμφέροντος τὴν γνῶσιν λάβῃ, ὅπερ ἐστὶν τὸ εἰδέναι τοῦ πάντα ὑπερέχοντος τὴν δικαίαν φύσιν, ὅτι ἀδικουμένους ἐκδικῶν τιμωρεῖ, καὶ τοὺς εὐσεβοῦντας εἰς ἀεὶ εὐεργετεῖ. ### English translation (Claude) “And truly we tell you: it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than to remain in the place of disobedience: first, because you did not of yourselves perceive what is reasonable; second, because having heard of us you did not come to us; third, because even when we came you disobeyed. Therefore, sparing you, we pray that our peace may come upon you as a free gift. If then you wish to have it, you must readily undertake not to do wrong and nobly bear being wronged, which human nature could not endure unless it first received the knowledge of what is supremely advantageous, that is, to know the just nature of the one who is above all, that he avenges and punishes on behalf of those who are wronged and benefits the godly forever.” ### Scripture references - Matt 10:15: quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The saying about Sodom and Gomorrah follows Matt 10:15 in a different wording. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.31 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-31). ## Homilies 3.32 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-32 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter urges the hearers to live as pleases God, the creator who alone can give lasting good. ### Greek text Ὑμεῖς οὖν ὡς Θεοῦ δοῦλοι εὐγνώμονες, ἀφʼ ἑαυτῶν τὸ εὔλογον νοοῦντες, τὴν αὐτῷ ἀρέσκουσαν ἀναδέξασθε πολιτείαν, ἵνα οὕτως αὐτὸν φιλοῦντες καὶ φιλούμενοι ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ εἰς ἀεὶ τὸ συμφέρον ἔχοιτε. αὐτῷ γὰρ μόνῳ τὸ παρασχεῖν δυνατώτατόν ἐστιν, τῷ τὰ μὴ ὄντα εἰς τὸ εἶναι συστησαμένῳ, οὐρανὸν δημιουργήσαντι, γῆν πιλώσαντι, θάλασσαν περιορίσαντι, τὰ ἐν ᾅδῃ ταμιεύσαντι καὶ τὰ πάντα ἀέρι πληρώσαντι. ### English translation (Claude) “You then, as right-minded servants of God, perceiving of yourselves what is reasonable, take up the way of life that pleases him, so that, loving him and being loved by him, you may have what is advantageous forever. For he alone is fully able to provide it, who brought into being things that were not, fashioned heaven, compacted the earth, bounded the sea, stored up what is in Hades, and filled all things with air.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.32 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-32). ## Homilies 3.33 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-33 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God alone made the four elements, the angels, the stars, earth, sea, Hades, and air. ### Greek text Οὗτος μόνος τὴν μίαν καὶ πρώτην μονοειδῆ οὐσίαν τετραχῶς καὶ ἐναντίως ἔτρεψεν εἶτα μίξας μυρίας κράσεις ἐξ αὐτῶν ἐποίησεν, ἵνα εἰς ἐναντίας φύσεις τετραμμέναι καὶ μεμιγμέναι τοῦ ζῆν ἡδονὴν ἐκ τῆς ἀντισυζυγίας ἐργάσωνται. ὁμῶς αὐτὸς μόνος δήμους ἀγγέλων καὶ πνευμάτων βουλῆς νεύματι δημιουργήσας, ἔπλησε τοὺς ἐράνους ὡς καὶ τὸ φαινόμενον στερέωμα ἄστροις ἐκόσμησεν, οἷς καὶ τρίβους ὥρισεν καὶ δρόμον ἔταξεν· γῆν ἐπίλωσεν εἰς καρπῶν αὔξησιν· θάλασσαν δὲ περιώρισεν, ἐν ἀνύδροις οἴκησιν ἀφορίσας τὰ ἐν ᾅδῃ ταμιεύει, ψυχῶν χῶρον ὀνομάσας· τὰ δὲ πάντα ἔπλησεν ἀέρος, ἵνα πάντα τὰ ζῶα πρὸς τὸ ζῆν ἀδεῶς ἀναπνέειν ἔχοι. ### English translation (Claude) “He alone turned the one first and uniform substance into four contraries; then, mixing them, he made countless blends from them, so that, turned into contrary natures and mixed, they might produce the pleasure of life from the pairing of opposites. Likewise he alone, having fashioned hosts of angels and spirits by a nod of his will, filled the heavens, as he also adorned the visible firmament with stars, for which he fixed paths and appointed courses. He compacted the earth for the growth of fruits; he bounded the sea, marking off a dwelling on the dry land; he stores up what is in Hades, naming it the place of souls; and he filled all things with air, so that all living creatures might breathe without fear in order to live.” ### Translation notes - The four contraries are the four elements of Greek natural philosophy. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.33 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-33). ## Homilies 3.34 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-34 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter marvels at the variety of birds, plants, animals, and landscapes made by God. ### Greek text Ὥ τῆς μεγάλης Θεοῦ φρονίμου χειρὸς τῆς ἐν πᾶσιν πάντα ποιούσης! μυρίος γὰρ ὄχλος πτηνῶν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ γεγένηται, καὶ οὗτος ποικίλος, πρὸς τὸν ἕτερον μετὰ πάντα ἐξηλλαγμένος, λέγω δὲ τά τε χρώματα, ῥάμφη, ὄνυχας, βλέμματα, γνώμας, φθέγματα καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ πάντα. πόσαι δὲ καὶ φυτῶν διάφοροι ἰδέαι, χρώμασιν καὶ ποιότησιν καὶ ὀδμαῖς ἀπείροις διωρισμέναι ! πόσα δὲ τῆς χέρσου ζῶα καὶ τῶν ἐν ὕδασιν, ὧν ἀδύνατον εἰπεῖν σχήματα, μορφάς, θέσεις, χρῶμα, βίους, γνώμας, φύσεις, ὄχλον· ἔτι τε ὀρέων πλήθη καὶ ὕψη, λίθων διαφορὰς, μύχους φοβεροὺς, πηγὰς, ποταμοὺς, λίμνας, θαλάσσας, λιμένας, νήσους, ὕλας, οἰκουμένην τε πᾶσαν καὶ ἀοικήτους τόπους. ### English translation (Claude) “O the great, wise hand of God, which makes all things in all! For a countless multitude of birds has been made by him, and a varied one, each differing from another in every respect, I mean in colours, beaks, claws, looks, dispositions, voices, and all the rest. And how many different forms of plants, distinguished by countless colours, qualities, and scents! And how many creatures of the dry land and of the waters, whose shapes, forms, postures, colour, ways of life, dispositions, natures, and number it is impossible to tell! And besides these, the multitude and heights of mountains, the varieties of stones, fearful recesses, springs, rivers, lakes, seas, harbours, islands, forests, the whole inhabited world, and uninhabited places.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.34 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-34). ## Homilies 3.35 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-35 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: No human knows even the limits of the created things within our reach, from the stars to the rivers and the weather. ### Greek text Πόσα δὲ καὶ ἄλλα ἄγνωστα τυγχάνει, στοχασμὸν ἀνθρώπων ἐκπεφευγότα! τῶν δὲ ἐν καταλήψει ὄντων τίς ἀνθρώπων ἕνα ὅρον οἶδεν λέγω δέ, πῶς οὐρανὸς εἱλεῖται, πῶς ἄστρα φέρεται, καὶ τίνας ἔχουσιν τὰς μορφὰς καὶ τοῦ ζῆν τὴν σύστασιν, τίνες τε οἱ τούτων ἀερώδεις τρίβοι, πόθεν τε καὶ τὰ ἀνέμων πνεύματα περιωθεῖται, καὶ διαφόρους ἔχει τὰς ἐνεργείας, πόθεν ἀνελλιπῶς βρύουσιν αἱ πηγαί, καὶ ἀέναοι ποταμοὶ γινόμενοι εἰς θάλασσαν καταντῶσιν, καὶ οὔτε ὅθεν ἔρχονται κενοῦται, οὔτε ὅπου ἀπέρχονται πληροῦσιν· μέχρι ποῦ τοῦ ἀπεράντου ταρτάρου τὸ ἄπειρον βάθος· ἐπὶ τίνι ἄρα ἐπεωρεῖται ὁ πάντα περιέχων οὐρανός· πῶς νέφη ἐξ ἀέρος βρύει, καὶ εἰς ἀέρα συμπίνεται· τίς φύσις βροντῶν καὶ ἀστραπῶν, χιόνων, χαλάζης, ὁμίχλης, κρυστάλλων, καταιγίδων, ὄμβρων, νεφῶν αἰωρουμένων· καὶ πῶς φυτά, ζῶα πλάσσει· καὶ ταῦτα διαφοραῖς ἀναριθμήτοις πάσῃ ἀκριβείᾳ συνεχῶς ἀποτελούμενα. ### English translation (Claude) “And how many other things there are that are unknown, having escaped human conjecture! And of the things within our grasp, who among men knows a single limit? I mean: how the heaven revolves, how the stars are borne along, what forms they have and what constitutes their life, what their airy paths are; whence the blasts of the winds are driven round and have their different effects; whence the springs gush unfailingly, and rivers, ever flowing, reach the sea, and neither is the place they come from emptied nor the place they go to filled; how far the boundless depth of limitless Tartarus extends; on what the all-encompassing heaven is suspended; how clouds gush from the air and are drunk back into the air; what the nature is of thunders and lightnings, snows, hail, mist, ice, storms, rains, hovering clouds; and how he forms plants and animals, and these continually brought to completion in countless varieties with all precision.” ### Scripture references - Eccl 1:7: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The rivers that do not fill the sea recall Eccl 1:7. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.35 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-35). ## Homilies 3.36 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-36 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: All creation exists for man, who has been given wisdom to rule it, from farming and seafaring to knowing God and driving out demons. ### Greek text Ὅμως ἐάν τις τὸ πᾶν ἀκριβῶς λογισμῷ συνίδῃ, εὑρήσει διʼ ἄνθρωπον τὸν Θεὸν πεποιηκότα. οἱ γὰρ ὄμβροι καρπῶν ἕνεκα γίνονται, ἵνα ἄνθρωπος μεταλάβῃ, καὶ ζῶα τραφῇ, ὅπως ἀνθρώπῳ χρησιμεύῃ. καὶ ἥλιος φαίνει, ἵνα τὸν ἀέρα εἰς τέσσαρας τροπὰς τρέπῃ, καὶ ἵνα ἕκαστος καιρὸς τὰ ἴδια ἀνθρώπῳ παραχῇ. καὶ πηγαὶ βρύουσιν, ἵνα πόμα ἀνθρώποις δοθῇ. ἀλλʼ ἔτι μὴν κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν τίς ἐπὶ τῆς κτίσεως κυριεύει; οὐχὶ ἄνθρωπος, ὅς σοφίαν εἴληφεν, γῆν γεωργεῖν, θάλασσαν πλεῖν, νηκτὰ, πτηνὰ, θηρία ἀγρεύειν, ἄστρων δρόμον λογιστεύειν, γῆν μεταλλεύειν, θάλασσαν σήθειν, πόλεις ἐγείρειν, βασιλεῖς ὁρίζειν, νόμους τάσσειν, δικάζειν, Θεὸν ἀόρατον νοεῖν, ἀγγέλων ὀνόματα γνωρίζειν, δαίμονας ἀπελαύνειν, νόσους φαρμακίαις πειρᾶσθαι παύειν, κατὰ δʼ ἰοβόλων ἑρπετῶν ἐπαοιδὰς εὑρίσκειν, ἀντιπαθεῖας ἐπινοεῖν; ### English translation (Claude) “Yet if anyone considers the whole carefully by reason, he will find that God made it for the sake of man. For rains come for the sake of fruits, so that man may partake of them and animals be fed, to be useful to man. And the sun shines to turn the air into four seasons, so that each season may supply man with its own goods. And springs gush so that drink may be given to men. Moreover, who is lord over creation, as far as is possible? Is it not man, who has received wisdom to till the earth, sail the sea, hunt swimming creatures, birds, and beasts, calculate the course of the stars, mine the earth, sift the sea, found cities, appoint kings, make laws, judge, perceive the invisible God, know the names of angels, drive out demons, try to stop diseases with medicines, find charms against venomous reptiles, and devise antidotes?” ### Scripture references - Gen 1:28: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “Sift the sea” (θάλασσαν σήθειν) is obscure; it may refer to fishing or to extracting salt. Man’s lordship recalls Gen 1:28. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.36 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-36). ## Homilies 3.37 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-37 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Man may become incorruptible by knowing, loving, and praying to the one God, who alone bears the name God. ### Greek text Εἰ δὲ εὐγνωμονεῖς, ἄνθρωπε, νενοηκὼς τὸν ἐν πᾶσιν εὐεργετήσαντά σε Θεόν, καὶ ἀθάνατος ἂν ἦς, τῶν διά σε κτισθέντων διʼ εὐγνωμοσύνην τὸ διαμένειν ἐχόντων. καὶ νῦν δὲ γενέσθαι δύνασαι ἄφθαρτος, ἐὰν ἐπιγνῷς ὅν ἔλαθες, ἐὰν ἀγαπήσῃς ὅν κατέλειπες, ἐὰν αὐτῷ μόνῳ προσεύχῃ, τὸ σῶμά σου καὶ ψυχὴν κολάσαι καὶ σῶσαι δυναμένῳ. διὸ πρὸ πάντων ἐννοοῦ, ὅτι οὐδεὶς αὐτῷ συνάρχει, οὐδεὶς τῆς αὐτοῦ κοινωνεῖ ὀνομασίας, τοῦτο ὅ δὴ λέγεται Θεός. μόνος γὰρ αὐτὸς καὶ λέγεται καὶ ἔστιν· ἄλλον δὲ οὔτε νομίσαι, οὔτε εἰπεῖν ἔξεστιν· εἰ δέ τις τολμήσειεν, ἀϊδίως τὴν ψυχὴν κολασθῆναι ἔχει. ### English translation (Claude) “If you are right-minded, O man, and have come to know the God who has done you good in all things, you could even be immortal, since the things created for your sake owe their continuance to your gratitude. And even now you can become incorruptible, if you recognize him whom you failed to know, if you love him whom you forsook, if you pray to him alone, who is able to punish and to save your body and soul. Therefore consider above all that no one rules with him, no one shares his name, that which is called ‘God’. For he alone is both called God and is God; it is not permitted either to think or to say that there is another. If anyone should dare to, his soul is destined to be punished eternally.” ### Scripture references - Matt 10:28: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “Able to punish and to save your body and soul” recalls Matt 10:28. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.37 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-37). ## Homilies 3.38 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-38 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon challenges Peter, claiming the Jewish Scriptures speak of many gods and show the creator to be ignorant, needy, and not good. ### Greek text Τοῦ Πέτρου ταῦτα εἰπόντος, ὁ Σίμων ἔξω τοῦ ὄχλου βοῇ μεγάλῃ ἔφη· τί ψευδόμενος ἀπατᾶν θέλεις τὸν παρεστῶτά σοι ἰδιώτην ὄχλον, πείθων αὐτὸν θεοὺς μήτε νομίζειν, μήτε λέγειν ἐξὸν εἶναι, τῶν παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις δημοσίων βίβλων πολλοὺς θεοὺς εἶναι λεγουσῶν; καὶ νῦν δὲ μετὰ πάντων ἀπʼ αὐτῶν σοι τῶν βίβλων περὶ τοῦ δεῖν θεοὺς νομίζειν καὶ συζητῆσαι θέλω· πρότερον περὶ οὗ ἔφης Θεοῦ, δείξας μὴ αὐτὸν εἶναι τὴν ἀνωτάτω καὶ πάντα δυναμένην, καθʼ ὅ ἀπρόγνωστός ἐστιν, ἀτελὴς, ἐνδεὴς, οὐκ ἀγαθὸς, καὶ πολλοῖς καὶ μυρίοις χαλεποῖς ὑποκείμενος πάθεσιν· ὅθεν τούτου δειχθέντος ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν, ὡς ἐγὼ λέγω, ἕτερος ἀγράφως περιλείπεται εἶναι, προγνωστικὸς, τέλειος, ἀνενδεὴς, ἀγαθὸς, πάντων χαλεπῶν ἀπηλλαγμένος παθῶν. ὅν δὲ σὺ φῂς δημιουργὸν, τοῖς ἐναντίοις ἀντικείμενος τυγχάνει. ### English translation (Claude) When Peter had said this, Simon, from the edge of the crowd, said with a loud voice: “Why do you wish by lying to deceive the unlearned crowd standing around you, persuading them that it is not permitted either to think or to say that there are gods, when the public books of the Jews say that there are many gods? And now, before everyone, I wish to debate with you from those very books about the need to believe in gods: first about the God you spoke of, showing that he is not the supreme and all-powerful being, in that he is without foreknowledge, imperfect, needy, not good, and subject to many, indeed countless, grievous passions. When this has been shown from the Scriptures, as I say, it follows that there is another, not written of, who has foreknowledge, is perfect, lacks nothing, is good, and is free from all grievous passions. But the one you call creator is marked by the opposite qualities.” ### Translation notes - Simon’s argument resembles Marcion’s contrast between the just creator and the good unknown God. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.38 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-38). ## Homilies 3.39 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-39 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon cites Genesis to show that the creator is ignorant, envious, repentant, needy, and evil. ### Greek text Αὐτίκα γοῦν ὁ καθʼ ὁμοίωσιν αὐτοῦ γεγονὼς Ἀδὰμ καὶ τυφλὸς κτίζεται καὶ γνῶσιν ἀγαθοῦ ἢ κακοῦ οὐκ ἔχων παραδέδοται, καὶ παραβάτης εὑρίσκεται καὶ τοῦ παραδείσου ἐκβάλλεται καὶ θανάτῳ τιμωρεῖται. ὁμοίως τε καὶ ὁ πλάσας αὐτόν, ἐπεὶ μὴ πανταχόθεν βλέπει, ἐπὶ τῇ Σοδόμων καταστροφῇ λέγει· δεῦτε καὶ καταβάντες ἴδωμεν, εἰ κατὰ τὴν κραυγὴν αὐτῶν τὴν ἐρχομένην πρός με συντελοῦνται εἰ δὲ μὴ, ἵνα γνῶ· καὶ ἀγνοοῦντα αὑτὸν δείκνυσιν. τὸ δὲ εἰπεῖν περὶ τοῦ Ἀδάμ· ἐκβάλωμεν αὐτὸν, μήπως ἐκτείνας τὴν χεῖρα αὑτοῦ ἅψηται τοῦ ξύλου τῆς ζωῆς καὶ φάγῃ καὶ ζήσηται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα· τὸ εἰπεῖν μήπως, ἀγνοεῖ· τὸ δὲ ἐπαγαγεῖν, μή πως φαγὼν ζήσηται εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, καὶ φθονεῖ. καὶ τὸ γεγράφθαι, ὅτι ἐνεθυμήθη ὁ Θεὸς, ὅτι ἐποίησεν τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ μετανοεῖ καὶ ἀγνοεῖ· τὸ γὰρ ἐνεθυμήθη σκέψις ἐστὶν, ᾗ τις διʼ ἄγνοιαν ὧν βούλεται τὸ τέλος ἀκριβῶσαι θέλει, ἢ ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ κατὰ γνώμην ἀποβάντι μεταμελομένου. καὶ τὸ γεγράφθαι, καὶ ὠσφράνθη κύριος ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας, ἐνδεοῦς ἐστι, καὶ τὸ ἐπὶ κνίσσῃ σαρκῶν ἡσθῆναι, ἐκ ἀγαθοῦ. τὸ δὲ πειράζειν, ὡς γέγραπται, καὶ ἐπείρασεν κύριος τὸν Ἀβραὰμ, κακοῦ καὶ τὸ τέλος τῆς ὑπομονῆς ἀγνοοῦντος. ### English translation (Claude) “For instance, Adam, made in his likeness, is created blind and is handed over without knowledge of good or evil, and is found a transgressor, cast out of paradise, and punished with death. Likewise the one who formed him, since he does not see everywhere, says at the overthrow of Sodom: ‘Come, let us go down and see whether they are doing according to their outcry that comes to me; and if not, that I may know’; and so he shows himself ignorant. And in what he says about Adam, ‘Let us cast him out, lest perhaps he stretch out his hand and touch the tree of life and eat and live forever’, in saying ‘lest perhaps’ he is ignorant, and in adding ‘lest perhaps he eat and live forever’ he is also envious. And that it is written, ‘God considered that he had made man’, shows him both repenting and ignorant; for ‘considered’ is a reflection by which someone, not knowing the outcome of what he wants, wishes to make it certain, or it belongs to one who regrets what did not turn out as he intended. And that it is written, ‘And the Lord smelled a sweet odour’, belongs to one in need; and to take pleasure in the savour of flesh is not the mark of a good being. And to tempt, as it is written, ‘And the Lord tempted Abraham’, is the mark of one who is evil and does not know how the endurance will end.” ### Scripture references - Gen 1:26: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 3:23: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 18:21: quotation, high confidence - Gen 3:22: quotation, high confidence - Gen 6:6: quotation, high confidence - Gen 8:21: quotation, high confidence - Gen 22:1: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Quotations: Gen 18:21; Gen 3:22 (loosely, with “let us cast him out”); Gen 6:6 LXX (“considered”); Gen 8:21; Gen 22:1. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.39 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-39). ## Homilies 3.40 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-40 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter argues that if God wrote the charges against himself he is not wicked, and if another power wrote them, that power must be examined. ### Greek text Ὁμῶς ὁ Σίμων πολλὰ ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν ἐδόκει δεικνύειν τὸν Θεὸν παντὶ πάθει ὑποκείμενον. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ταῦτα ἔφη· εἰ μηδὲν ἀγαπᾶ ὁ κακὸς καὶ πάνυ μοχθηρὸς ἐφʼ οἷς ἁμαρτάνει ἑαυτὸν ἐλέγχειν, ἀπόκριναί μοι. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· οὐκ ἀγαπᾶ. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· πῶς οὖν κακὸς καὶ μοχθηρὸς εἶναι δύναται ὁ Θεός, εἴπερ αὐτοῦ λήματι τὰ κατʼ αὐτοῦ κακὰ δημοσίᾳ γραφέντα προσετέθη; καὶ ὁ Σίμων· ἐνδέχεται μὴ κατὰ προαίρεσιν αὐτοῦ ὑφʼ ἑτέρας δυνάμεως τὸν κατʼ αὐτοῦ γραφῆναι ἔλεγχον. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· πρῶτον οὖν τοῦτο ζητήσωμεν. εἰ μὲν ὑπὸ τῆς ἑαυτοῦ βουλῆς ἑαυτὸν ἤλεγξεν, ὡς φθάσας συνωμολόγησας, μοχθηρὸς οὐκ ἔστιν, εἰ δὲ ὑφʼ ἑτέρας δυνάμεως, ζητητέον καὶ παντὶ σθένει ἐξεταστέον, μή τις αὐτὸν μόνον ἀγαθὸν ὄντα ἐπὶ πᾶσι τοῖς κακοῖς ὑπέβαλεν. ### English translation (Claude) In this way Simon seemed to show from many passages of the Scriptures that God is subject to every passion. And Peter said: “Answer me: does the wicked and utterly depraved man love to convict himself in the things in which he sins?” Simon said: “He does not.” Peter said: “How then can God be wicked and depraved, if the evils publicly written against him were added by his own will?” Simon said: “It is possible that the reproof against him was written by another power, not by his choice.” Peter said: “Then let us inquire into this first. If he convicted himself by his own will, as you agreed a moment ago, he is not depraved; but if it was by another power, we must inquire and examine with all our strength whether someone has subjected him, who alone is good, to all these evils.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.40 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-40). ## Homilies 3.41 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-41 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon and Peter dispute the order of inquiry; Peter says that even the charges, if true, do not prove God depraved. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Σίμων· πρόδηλος εἶ φεύγων, ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν τὸν κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ σου ἀκοῦσαι ἔλεγχον. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· αὐτός μοι φαίνῃ τοῦτο ποιῶν. ὁ γὰρ τάξιν ζητήσεως φεύγων ἐξέτασιν ἀληθῆ γενέσθαι οὐ βούλεται. ὅθεν ἐγὼ τῇ τάξει χρώμενος, καὶ βουλόμενος πρῶτον τὸν συγγραφέα νοηθῆναι, πρόδηλός εἰμι τὴν εὐθεῖαν ὁδεύειν θέλων. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· ὁμολόγησον πρῶτον, εἴγε τὰ κατὰ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ γεγραμμένα ἀληθῆ ἐστι, καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν τῶν ὅλων ἀνώτερος, κατὰ τὰς γραφὰς πάσῃ ὑποκείμενος μοχθηρίᾳ, καὶ ὕστερον ζητήσομεν τὸν συγγράψαντα. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ἵνα μὴ δόξω, ἀντιλέγειν σου τῇ ἀταξίᾳ μὴ θέλων, ζητεῖν, ἀποκρίνομαι· ἐγώ φημι ὅτι εἰ τὰ κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ γεγραμμένα ἀληθῇ εἴη, οὔπω τὸν Θεὸν δείκνυσιν μοχθηρόν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· πῶς τοῦτο συστῆσαι δύνασαι; ### English translation (Claude) Simon said: “You are plainly running away from hearing the charge against your God from the Scriptures.” Peter said: “You seem to me to be doing that yourself. For whoever runs away from the order of inquiry does not want a true examination to take place. So I, keeping to order and wishing first to know who the writer was, am plainly wishing to walk the straight road.” Simon said: “First admit that if what is written against the creator is true, he is not higher than all, since according to the Scriptures he is subject to every depravity; and afterwards we will inquire about the writer.” Peter said: “So that I may not seem unwilling to inquire because I object to your lack of order, I answer: I say that even if what is written against God were true, it does not yet show God to be depraved.” Simon said: “How can you establish that?” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.41 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-41). ## Homilies 3.42 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-42 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter’s rule: scriptural sayings agreeing with creation are true, others false; Adam was not blind but named the animals and his sons prophetically. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ὅτι ταῖς αὐτὸν κακῶς λεγούσαις φωναῖς τὰ ἐναντία γέγραπται, τοῦ εἵνεκεν οὐδʼ ὁπότερον βεβαιωθῆναι δύναται. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· πῶς οὖν τῶν γραφῶν τῶν μὲν αὐτὸν κακὸν λεγουσῶν, τῶν δὲ ἀγαθόν, τὸ ἀληθὲς ἔστιν ἐπιγνῶναι; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ὅσαι τῶν γραφῶν φωναὶ συμφωνοῦσιν τῇ ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ γενομένῃ κτίσει, ἀληθεῖς εἰσιν, ὅσαι δὲ ἐναντίαι, ψευδεῖς τυγχάνουσιν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη πῶς δύνασαι ἐναντιουμένας ἑαυταῖς δεῖξαι τὰς γραφάς; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· τὸν Ἀδὰμ τυφλὸν λέγεις γεγενῆσθαι, ὅπερ οὐκ ἦν. οὐ γὰρ ἂν τυφλῷ ἐντελλόμενος ἐδείκνυε λέγων, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ γινώσκειν καλὸν καὶ πονηρὸν μὴ γεύσεσθε. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· τυφλὸν ἔλεγε τὸν νοῦν αὐτοῦ. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· πῶς καὶ τὸν νοῦν τυφλὸς εἶναι ἐδύνατο, ὁ πρὸ τοῦ γεύσασθαι τοῦ φυτοῦ συμφώνως τῷ κτίσαντι αὑτὸν οἰκεῖα πᾶσιν τοῖς ζώοις ἐπιθεὶς ὀνόματα; καὶ ὁ Σίμων· εἰ πρόγνωσιν εἶχεν ὁ Ἀδάμ, διὰ τί οὐ προέγνω τὸν τὴν γυναῖκα αὑτοῦ ἀπατήσοντα ὄφιν; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· εἰ πρόγνωσιν μὴ εἶχεν ὁ Ἀδὰμ, πῶς τοῖς υἱοῖς αὑτοῦ πρὸς τὰς ἐσομένας πράξεις, ἅμα τῷ γεννηθῆναι, τὰ ὀνόματα ἐπιτέθεικεν, τὸν μὲν πρῶτον καλέσας Κάϊν, ὅ ἑρμηνεύεται ζῆλος, ὅς καὶ ζηλώσας ἀνεῖλε τὸν ἀδελφὸν αὑτοῦ τὸν Ἀβὲλ, ὅ ἐρμηνεύεται πένθος· ἐπʼ αὐτῷ γὰρ πρώτῳ φονευθέντι ἐπένθησαν οἱ γονεῖς. ### English translation (Claude) Peter said: “Because the opposite has been written to the sayings that speak ill of him; for which reason neither can be confirmed.” Simon said: “How then, when some Scriptures say he is evil and others good, can one recognize the truth?” Peter said: “Whatever sayings of the Scriptures agree with the creation he made are true, and whatever are contrary to it are false.” Simon said: “How can you show that the Scriptures contradict themselves?” Peter said: “You say that Adam was made blind, which he was not. For he would not have pointed anything out to a blind man when he gave him a command, saying, ‘But from the tree of knowing good and evil you shall not eat.’” Simon said: “It meant that his mind was blind.” Peter said: “How could he be blind in mind, who before tasting the plant gave all the living creatures fitting names in agreement with the one who created him?” Simon said: “If Adam had foreknowledge, why did he not foresee the serpent that would deceive his wife?” Peter said: “If Adam did not have foreknowledge, how did he give his sons, as soon as they were born, names suited to their future deeds, calling the first Cain, which is interpreted ‘jealousy’, who out of jealousy killed his brother Abel, which is interpreted ‘mourning’? For over him, the first to be murdered, his parents mourned.” ### Scripture references - Gen 2:17: quotation, high confidence - Gen 2:20: allusion, high confidence - Gen 3:1: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 4:1: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 4:8: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Quotation: Gen 2:17 (plural “you shall not eat”). In Genesis it is Eve who names Cain (Gen 4:1); the Homilies ascribe the naming to Adam. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.42 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-42). ## Homilies 3.43 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-43 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Sayings that make God ignorant are false, for God foretold to Abraham the bondage in Egypt and the return. ### Greek text Εἰ δὲ Ἀδὰμ ἔργον Θεοῦ ὑπάρχων πρόγνωσιν εἶχεν, πολὺ μᾶλλον ὁ δημιουργήσας αὐτὸν Θεός. καὶ ψεῦδός ἐστιν τὸ γεγράφθαι· ἐνεθυμήθη ὁ Θεός, ὡς λογισμῷ χρησαμένου διὰ τὴν ἄγνοιαν. καὶ εἰ ἐπείραζεν κύριος τὸν Ἀβραὰμ, ἵνα γνῷ εἰ ὑπομένει. καὶ τὸ γεγραμμένον· καταβάντες ἴδωμεν εἰ κατὰ τὴν κραυγὴν αὐτῶν, τὴν ἐρχομένην πρός με, συντελοῦνται· εἰ δὲ μή, ἵνα γνῶ. καὶ ἵνα μὴ εἰς πολὺ μηκύνω τὸν λόγον, ὅσαι ποτὲ φωναὶ ἄγνοιαν αὐτοῦ καταλέγουσιν ἢ ἄλλο τι χαλεπὸν, ὑφʼ ἑτέρων φωνῶν τὰ ἐναντία λεγουσῶν ἀνασκευαζόμεναι ψευδεῖς εἶναι ἐλέγχονται. ὅτι δὲ ὄντως προγινώσκει, λέγει τῷ Ἀβραάμ· γινώσκων γνώσῃ, ὅτι πάροικον ἔσται τὸ σπέρμα σου ἐν γῇ οὐκ ἰδίᾳ, καὶ δουλώσουσιν αὐτό, καὶ κακώσουσιν καὶ ταπεινώσουσιν αὐτοὺς τετρακόσια ἔτη· τὸ δὲ ἔθνος ᾧ ἄν δουλεύσωσιν κρινῶ ἐγώ. μετὰ δὲ ταῦτα ἐξελεύσονται ὦδε μετὰ ἀποσκευῆς πολλῆς, σὺ δὲ ἀπελεύσῃ πρὸς τοὺς πατέρας σου μετʼ εἰρήνης, τραφεὶς ἐν γήρει καλῷ· τετάρτῃ δὲ γενεᾷ ἀποστραφήσονται ὧδε· οὔπω γὰρ ἀναπεπλήρωνται αἱ ἁμαρτίαι τῶν Ἀμοῤῥαίων ἕως τοῦ νῦν. ### English translation (Claude) “But if Adam, being God’s work, had foreknowledge, much more did the God who made him. And false is what is written, ‘God considered’, as though he used reasoning because of ignorance; and ‘the Lord tempted Abraham’, to know whether he would endure; and what is written, ‘Let us go down and see whether they are doing according to their outcry that comes to me; and if not, that I may know.’ And not to lengthen my discourse too much: whatever sayings ascribe ignorance to him, or anything else grievous, are overturned by other sayings that say the contrary, and are shown to be false. And that he truly foreknows, he says to Abraham: ‘Knowing, you shall know that your seed shall be a sojourner in a land not its own, and they shall enslave it and afflict and humble them four hundred years; but the nation they serve I will judge. After this they shall come out here with much baggage; but you shall go to your fathers in peace, nourished in a good old age. And in the fourth generation they shall return here; for the sins of the Amorites are not yet filled up until now.’” ### Scripture references - Gen 6:6: quotation, high confidence - Gen 22:1: allusion, high confidence - Gen 18:21: quotation, high confidence - Gen 15:13: quotation, high confidence - Gen 15:14: quotation, high confidence - Gen 15:15: quotation, high confidence - Gen 15:16: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Quotations: Gen 6:6 LXX; Gen 22:1; Gen 18:21; Gen 15:13–16 (close to the LXX). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.43 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-43). ## Homilies 3.44 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-44 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Since God gave Moses foreknowledge of Israel’s dispersion, God himself foreknows, and the sayings about his regret are false. ### Greek text Τί δέ, οὐχὶ καὶ Μωϋσῆς τὰ ἁμαρτήματα τοῦ λαοῦ προσημαίνει, καὶ τὴν διασπορὰν τὴν εἰς τὰ ἔθνη προδηλοῖ; εἰ δὲ Μωϋσεῖ αὐτὸς δέδωκεν προγινώσκειν, πῶς αὐτὸς οὐκ εἶχεν; ἔχει δέ. εἰ δὲ ἔχει, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐδείξαμεν, περισσόν ἐστιν τὸ γεγραμμένον· ἐνεθυμήθη· καὶ μετεμελήθη· καὶ τό, καταβὰς ὄψομαι· καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα· ἅ τινα πρὸ τοῦ γενέσθαι, ὡς ἀποβαίνειν ἤμελλεν, προγνωσθέντα, οἰκονομίᾳ σοφῇ ἀμεταμέλητα λαμβάνει τὴν ἔκβασιν. ### English translation (Claude) “What then? Does not Moses too foretell the sins of the people and announce beforehand their dispersion among the nations? And if he gave Moses the power to foreknow, how could he himself not have it? But he has it. And if he has it, as we have shown, then what is written, ‘he considered’, ‘he repented’, ‘I will go down and see’, and all such things, is superfluous. For these things, foreknown before they happened, as they were going to turn out, reach their outcome through a wise dispensation without any change of mind.” ### Scripture references - Deut 28:64: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 6:6: allusion, high confidence - Gen 18:21: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The dispersion among the nations is foretold in Deut 28:64. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.44 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-44). ## Homilies 3.45 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-45 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God never desired sacrifices, as the graves of craving show, nor does he dwell in darkness, as the pure heavens prove. ### Greek text Τὸ δὲ θυσιῶν αὐτὸν μὴ ὀρεχθῆναι, φαίνεται ἐκ τοῦ τοὺς ἐπιθυμήσαντας κρεῶν ἅμα τῷ γεύσασθαι ἀναιρεθῆναι, καὶ χωσθέντας ἐπὶ τῷ τάφῳ βουνὸν ἐπιθυμιῶν προσαγορευθῆναι. ὁ δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐπὶ θύσει ζώων χαλεπαίνων, θύεσθαι αὐτὰ μὴ θέλων, θυσίας ὡς ἐπιθυμῶν οὐ προσέτασσεν, καὶ ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς οὐκ ἀπῄτει. ἄνευ γὰρ θύσεως ζώων οὔτε θυσίαι τελοῦνται, οὔθʼ αἱ ἀπαρχαὶ δοθῆναι δύνανται. πῶς δὲ σκότῳ καὶ γνόφῳ καὶ θυέλλῃ συνεῖναι δυνατὸν (καὶ γὰρ τοῦτο γέγραπται) τῷ καθαρὸν συστήσαντι οὐρανὸν, καὶ φῶς φαίνειν δημιουργήσαντι τὸν ἥλιον πᾶσιν, τοῖς ἀναριθμήτοις ἄστροις ἀμεταμέλητον ὁρίσαντι τῶν δρόμων τὴν τάξιν. οὕτως, ὢ Σίμων, τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ χειρόγραφον, λέγω δὲ τὸν οὐρανόν, καθαρὰν καὶ βεβαίαν τὴν τοῦ πεποιηκότος δείκνυσιν γνώμην. ### English translation (Claude) “That he did not desire sacrifices is shown by the fact that those who craved meat were killed as soon as they tasted it, and, buried in a mound, it was called ‘the graves of craving’. He who was displeased from the beginning at the slaughter of animals, not wishing them to be killed, did not command sacrifices as one who desired them, and from the beginning did not require them. For without the slaughter of animals sacrifices cannot be performed, nor can the firstfruits be offered. And how can one who established a pure heaven, who created the sun to shine with light for all, and who fixed for the countless stars an unchanging order of courses, dwell with darkness and gloom and tempest (for this too is written)? So, Simon, God’s handwriting, I mean the heaven, shows the pure and steadfast mind of its maker.” ### Scripture references - Num 11:33: allusion, high confidence - Num 11:34: allusion, high confidence - Deut 4:11: allusion, high confidence - Deut 5:22: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The graves of craving: Num 11:33–34. Darkness, gloom, and tempest at Sinai: Deut 4:11; 5:22. The Homilies hold that God never commanded animal sacrifice; this is the work’s own view. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.45 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-45). ## Homilies 3.46 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-46 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Sayings slandering God are cancelled by contrary sayings and by creation, since no prophet wrote them. ### Greek text Οὕτως αἱ τοῦ τὸν οὐρανὸν κτίσαντος Θεοῦ διάβολοι φωναὶ καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν σὺν αὐταῖς ἐναντίων φωνῶν ἀκυροῦνται, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς κτίσεως ἐλέγχονται. οὐ γὰρ ὑπὸ χειρὸς προφητικῆς ἐγράφησαν. διʼ ὃ καὶ τοῦ τὰ πάντα κτίσαντος Θεοῦ χειρὶ ἐναντίαι φαίνονται. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη πῶς τοῦτο ἀποδεῖξαι δύνῃ; ### English translation (Claude) “Thus the slanderous sayings about the God who created heaven are both cancelled by the contrary sayings set beside them and refuted by creation. For they were not written by a prophetic hand; and so they also appear contrary to the hand of God, who created all things.” And Simon said: “How can you prove that?” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.46 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-46). ## Homilies 3.47 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-47 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter argues that Moses handed the Law down orally to seventy elders, and that it was written later by others, as the account of his death shows. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ὁ τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμος διὰ Μωϋσέως ἑβδομήκοντα σοφοῖς ἀνδράσιν ἀγράφως ἐδόθη, παραδεδόσθαι, ἵνα τῇ διαδοχῇ πολιτεύεσθαι δύνηται. μετὰ δὲ τὴν Μωϋσέως ἀνάληψιν ἐγράφη ὑπό τινος, οὐ μὴν ὑπὸ Μωϋσέως. ἐν αὐτῷ γὰρ τῷ νόμῳ γέγραπται· καὶ ἀπέθανεν Μωϋσῆς καὶ ἔθαψαν αὐτὸν ἐγγὺς οἴκου Φογόρ, καὶ οὐδεὶς οἶδεν τὴν ταφὴν αὐτοῦ ἕως τῆς σήμερον. οἷόν τε ἦν ἀποθανόντα Μωϋσῆν γράφειν, ἀπέθανεν Μωϋσῆς; ἐπεὶ ἐν τῷ μετὰ Μωυσέα χρόνῳ, ὥς γε ἔτη που πεντακόσια ἢ καὶ πρός, ἐν τῷ κτισθέντι ναῷ κείμενος εὑρίσκεται, καὶ μεθʼ ἕτερά που πεντακόσια ἔτη φέρεται, καὶ ἐπὶ τοῦ Ναβουχοδονόσορ οὕτως ἐμπρησθεὶς ἀπόλλυται. καὶ ὅμως μετὰ Μωϋσῆν γραφεὶς καὶ πολλάκις ἀπολωλὼς τὴν τοῦ Μωϋσέως πρόγνωσιν καὶ οὗτος ὡμολόγησεν, ὅτι τὸν ἀφανισμὸν αὐτοῦ προειδὼς οὐκ ἔγραψεν· οἱ δὲ γράψαντες τῷ τὸν ἀφανισμὸν μὴ προεγνωκέναι ἐπʼ ἀγνωσίας ἐλεγχθέντες, προφῆται οὐκ ἦσαν. ### English translation (Claude) Peter said: “The Law of God was given through Moses, unwritten, to seventy wise men, to be handed down, so that the commonwealth might be governed by succession. But after Moses was taken up, it was written by someone, though not by Moses. For in the Law itself it is written: ‘And Moses died, and they buried him near the house of Phogor, and no one knows his burial place to this day.’ Could the dead Moses write, ‘Moses died’? And in the time after Moses, some five hundred years or more, it is found lying in the temple that had been built, and after about another five hundred years it is carried off, and in the time of Nebuchadnezzar it is burned and destroyed. And so, being written after Moses and many times lost, even this confirmed Moses’ foreknowledge: foreseeing its disappearance, he did not write it; but those who wrote it, being convicted of ignorance because they did not foresee its disappearance, were not prophets.” ### Scripture references - Deut 34:5: quotation, high confidence - Deut 34:6: quotation, high confidence - Num 11:16: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Kgs 22:8: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Kgs 25:9: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Quotation: Deut 34:5–6. The seventy elders: Num 11:16. The finding of the Law in the Temple: 2 Kgs 22:8; its burning under Nebuchadnezzar: 2 Kgs 25:9. The Homilies hold that the written Law is not the work of Moses; this is the work’s own view. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.47 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-47). ## Homilies 3.48 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-48 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Asked how to sort true from false in the Law, Peter says God preserved one passage as the key. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Σίμων· ἐπειδὴ τὰ περὶ Θεοῦ, ὡς ἔφης, ἐκ τῆς πρὸς τὴν κτίσιν παραβολῆς ἔστιν νοῆσαι, πῶς τὰ λοιπὰ ἐν τῷ νόμῳ, ἐκ παραδόσεως Μωϋσέως ὄντα καὶ ἀληθῆ τυγχάνοντα καὶ τοῖς ψευδέσιν μεμιγμένα ἐπιγνῶναί ἐστιν δυνατόν, καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· περικοπή τις ἐν τῷ γραφέντι νόμῳ μετὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ πρόνοιαν ἀπταίστως ἐπεμνημονεύθη, ὥστʼ ἄν σαφῶς δεῖξαι τῶν γεγραμμένων ποῖά ἐστιν ἀληθῆ, ποῖα δὲ ψευδῆ. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· τίς ἐστιν αὕτη, μήνυσον ἡμῖν. ### English translation (Claude) Simon said: “Since, as you said, what concerns God can be understood by comparison with creation, how is it possible to recognize the other things in the Law, which come from the tradition of Moses and are true but are mixed with the false?” Peter said: “A certain passage was recorded without error in the written Law, by the providence of God, so as to show clearly which of the things written are true and which false.” Simon said: “Tell us which it is.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.48 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-48). ## Homilies 3.49 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-49 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The key passage is Jacob’s prophecy of the ruler from Judah; Jesus, who fulfilled it, teaches which Scriptures are true. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· αὐτίκα ἐρῶ. γέγραπται ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ τοῦ νόμου βιβλίῳ πρὸς τοῖς τελευταίοις· οὐκ ἐκλείψει ἄρχων ἐξ Ἰούδα, οὐδὲ ἡγούμενος ἐκ τῶν μηρῶν αὐτοῦ, ἕως ἄν ἔλθῃ οὗ ἐστιν· καὶ αὐτὸς προσδοκία ἐθνῶν. ἐάν τις οὖν τὸν, μετὰ ἐξ Ἰούδα ἐκλεῖψαι ἄρχοντα καὶ ἡγούμενον, ἐληλυθότα καὶ ὑπὸ ἐθνῶν προσδοκᾶσθαι μέλλοντα νοῆσαι δυνηθῇ, οὗτος τὴν περικοπὴν ἐκ τῶν ἀποτελεσθέντων ἀληθῆ τὸν ἐληλυθότα ἐπιγνῶναι· οὗ τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ πειθόμενος γνώσεται τίνα ἐστὶν τῶν γραφῶν τὰ ἀληθῆ, τίνα δὲ τὰ ψευδῆ. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· συνίημι ὅτι Ἰησοῦν ὑμῶν λέγεις, ὡς αὐτὸν ὑπὸ τῆς γραφῆς προφητευθέντα· δεδόσθω τοιγαροῦν οὕτως ἔχειν. λέγε τοίνυν, πῶς ὑμᾶς διακρίνειν τὰς γραφὰς ἐδίδαξεν; ### English translation (Claude) Peter said: “I will tell you at once. It is written in the first book of the Law, near the end: ‘A ruler shall not fail from Judah, nor a leader from his thighs, until he comes for whom it is reserved; and he is the expectation of the nations.’ If then anyone can recognize the one who came after ruler and leader failed from Judah, and who was to be expected by the nations, he will be able from what has been fulfilled to recognize that the passage is true and that the one who has come is true; and by obeying his teaching he will know which things in the Scriptures are true and which are false.” Simon said: “I understand that you mean your Jesus, as the one prophesied by the Scripture. Let it be granted, then, that it is so. Tell me, then, how he taught you to distinguish the Scriptures.” ### Scripture references - Gen 49:10: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Quotation: Gen 49:10 LXX. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.49 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-49). ## Homilies 3.50 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-50 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jesus’ sayings to the Sadducees and about approved money-changers show that Scripture contains true and false words. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ὅτι μέμικται τὰ ἀληθῆ τοῖς ψευδέσιν, μέμνημαί που αὐτὸν αἰτιώμενον τοὺς Σαδδουκαίους εἰπεῖν· διὰ τοῦτο πλανᾶσθε, μὴ εἰδότες τὰ ἀληθῆ τῶν γραφῶν, τοῦ εἵνεκεν ἀγνοεῖτε τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ Θεοῦ. εἰ δὲ τὰ ἀληθῆ τῶν γραφῶν ἀγνοεῖν αὐτοὺς ὑπέβαλεν, δῆλον ὡς ὄντων ψευδῶν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ φῆναι· γίνεσθε τραπεζῖται δόκιμοι, ὡς δοκίμων καὶ κιβδήλων λόγων ὄντων. καὶ τῷ εἰπεῖν· διὰ τί οὐ νοεῖτε τὸ εὔλογον τῶν γραφῶν; βεβαιότερον τοῦ αὐθαιρέτως εὐγνωμονοῦντος τίθησιν τὸν νοῦν. ### English translation (Claude) Peter said: “That the true things are mixed with the false, I remember he said somewhere when he was blaming the Sadducees: ‘For this reason you err, not knowing the true things of the Scriptures; for which reason you are ignorant of the power of God.’ And if he charged them with not knowing the true things of the Scriptures, it is clear that there are false ones. And also by saying, ‘Be approved money-changers’, since there are approved and counterfeit words. And by saying, ‘Why do you not perceive what is reasonable in the Scriptures?’ he makes firmer the mind of one who is right-minded by his own choice.” ### Scripture references - Matt 22:29: quotation, medium confidence - Mark 12:24: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 12:57: echo, low confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Agraphon (Sayings of Jesus outside the Gospels (agrapha)): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The first saying adapts Matt 22:29 and Mark 12:24, adding “the true things”. “Be approved money-changers” is a saying of Jesus not in the canonical Gospels, often quoted by early writers. The third saying is unidentified (compare Luke 12:57). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.50 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-50). ## Homilies 3.51 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-51 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jesus’ sayings on not destroying the Law show that what he set aside was never part of the true Law. ### Greek text Τὸ δὲ καὶ τῶν γραφῶν προκειμένων ἐπὶ γραμματεῖς καὶ διδασκάλους πέμπειν, ὡς τοῦ ὄντος νόμου εἰδότας τὰ ἀληθῆ, δῆλόν ἐστιν. τὸ δὲ καὶ εἰπεῖν αὐτόν· οὐκ ἦλθον καταλῦσαι τὸν νόμον, καὶ φαίνεσθαι αὐτὸν καταλύοντα, σημαίνοντος ἦν, ὅτι, ἅ κατέλυσεν, οὐκ ἦν τοῦ νόμου. τὸ δὲ καὶ εἰπεῖν· ὁ οὐρανὸς καὶ ἡ γῆ παρελεύσονται, ἰῶτα ἕν ἢ μία κεραία οὐ μὴ παρέλθῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ νόμου· τὰ πρὸ οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς παρερχόμενα ἐσήμανεν μὴ ὄντα τοῦ ὄντως νόμου. ### English translation (Claude) “And it is clear that, although the Scriptures were available, he sent people to the scribes and teachers as those who knew the true things of the existing law. And his saying, ‘I did not come to destroy the law’, while he appeared to be destroying it, was the mark of one indicating that what he destroyed was not part of the law. And his saying, ‘Heaven and earth will pass away, but one iota or one stroke shall not pass from the law’, indicated that what passes away before heaven and earth was not part of the true law.” ### Scripture references - Matt 23:2: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 5:17: quotation, high confidence - Matt 5:18: quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Quotations: Matt 5:17; Matt 5:18 (wording differs). The sending to the scribes recalls Matt 23:2–3. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.51 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-51). ## Homilies 3.52 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-52 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: What has passed away, such as sacrifices, was not God’s command; Jesus alone is the gate to saving truth. ### Greek text Ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς ἔτι συνεστώτων παρῆλθον θυσίαι, βασιλεῖαι, αἱ ἐν γεννητοῖς γυναικῶν προφητεῖαι καὶ τοιαῦτα, ὡς οὐκ ὄντα Θεοῦ προςτάγματα, ἔνθεν γοῦν λέγει· πᾶσα φυτεία, ἣν οὐκ ἐφύτευσεν ὁ πατὴρ ὁ οὐράνιος, ἐκριζωθήσεται. διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸς ἀληθὴς ὤν προφήτης ἔλεγεν· ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ πύλη τῆς ζωῆς· ὁ διʼ ἐμοῦ εἰσερχόμενος εἰσέρχεται εἰς τὴν ζωήν· ὡς οὐκ οὔσης ἑτέρας τῆς σώζειν δυναμένης διδασκαλίας. διʼ ὅ καὶ ἐβόα λέγων· δεῦτε πρός με πάντες οἱ κοπιῶντες, τουτέστιν, οἱ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ζητοῦντες καὶ μὴ εὑρίσκοντες αὐτήν. καὶ πάλιν· τὰ ἐμὰ πρόβατα ἀκούει τῆς ἐμῆς φωνῆς. καὶ ἄλλοτε· ζητεῖτε καὶ εὑρίσκετε, ὡς μὴ προδήλως κειμένης τῆς ἀληθείας. ### English translation (Claude) “Since, then, while heaven and earth still stand, sacrifices, kingdoms, prophecies among those born of women, and such things have passed away, as not being commands of God, he therefore says: ‘Every plant which the heavenly Father did not plant shall be rooted up.’ For this reason, being himself the true prophet, he said: ‘I am the gate of life; whoever enters through me enters into life’, since there is no other teaching able to save. Therefore he also cried out, saying, ‘Come to me, all who labour’, that is, those who seek the truth and do not find it. And again: ‘My sheep hear my voice.’ And elsewhere: ‘Seek and find’, since the truth does not lie in plain view.” ### Scripture references - Matt 15:13: quotation, high confidence - John 10:9: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 11:28: quotation, high confidence - John 10:27: quotation, high confidence - Matt 7:7: quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Quotations: Matt 15:13; John 10:9 (wording differs: “gate of life”); Matt 11:28; John 10:27; Matt 7:7 (wording differs). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.52 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-52). ## Homilies 3.53 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-53 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The heavenly voice, Jesus’ word about the prophets, and Moses’ promise of a prophet like himself all point to Jesus as the one to be heard. ### Greek text Ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐξ οὐρανῶν μάρτυς φωνὴ ἠκούσθη λέγουσα· οὗτός ἐστίν μου ὁ υἱὸς ὁ ἀγαπητὸς, εἰς ὅν εὐδόκησα, τούτου ἀκούετε. καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ἐπιπλεῖον αὐτοὺς πεπλανημένους ἐλέγξαι θέλων τοὺς προφήτας, παρʼ ὧν δὴ μεμαθηκέναι ἐβεβαίουν, ἐπιθυμοῦντας ἀληθείας καὶ μὴ μεμαθηκότας τελευτήσαντας ἀπεφήνατο εἰπών· πολλοὶ προφῆται καὶ βασιλεῖς ἐπεθύμησαν ἰδεῖν ἅ ὑμεῖς βλέπετε, καὶ ἀκοῦσαι ἃ ὑμεῖς ἀκούετε, καὶ ἀμὴν λέγω ὑμῖν, οὔτε εἶδον, οὔτε ἤκουσαν. ἔτι μὴν ἔλεγεν ἐγώ εἰμι περὶ οὗ Μωϋσῆς προεφήτευσεν εἰπών· προφήτην ἐγερεῖ ὑμῖν κύριος ὁ θεὸς ἡμῶν, ἐκ τῶν ἀδελφῶν ὑμῶν, ὥσπερ καὶ ἐμέ, αὐτοῦ ἀκούετε κατὰ πάντα. ὅς ἂν δὲ μὴ ἀκούσῃ τοῦ προφήτου ἐκείνου, ἀποθανεῖται. ### English translation (Claude) “Moreover, a voice was heard from heaven bearing witness and saying: ‘This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear him.’ And besides this, wishing to show more fully that they had gone astray, he declared that the prophets, from whom they affirmed they had learned, died desiring the truth without having learned it, saying: ‘Many prophets and kings desired to see what you see and to hear what you hear; and truly I tell you, they neither saw nor heard.’ Moreover he said: ‘I am the one of whom Moses prophesied, saying: “The Lord our God will raise up for you a prophet from your brothers, as he did me; hear him in all things. And whoever does not hear that prophet shall die.”’” ### Scripture references - Matt 17:5: quotation, high confidence - Matt 13:17: quotation, medium confidence - Luke 10:24: allusion, medium confidence - Deut 18:15: quotation, high confidence - Deut 18:19: allusion, medium confidence - Acts 3:22: allusion, medium confidence - Acts 3:23: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Quotations: Matt 17:5; Matt 13:17 and Luke 10:24 (wording differs); Deut 18:15, 19, in a form close to Acts 3:22–23. “I am the one of whom Moses prophesied” is not in the canonical Gospels. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.53 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-53). ## Homilies 3.54 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-54 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Truth is found only in Jesus’ teaching; he answered the Sadducees that Moses’ permission came from hardness of heart, not from the beginning. ### Greek text Ὅθεν ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν ἄνευ τῆς τούτου διδασκαλίας ἀληἐπιστῆναι, κἄν τὸν αἰῶνα τις ζητῇ, ἔνθα τὸ ζητούμενον οὐκ ἔστιν. ἦν δὲ καὶ ἔστιν ἐν τῷ Ἰησοῦ ἡμῶν λόγῳ. πλὴν τἀληθῆ τοῦ νόμου εἰδὼς Σαδδουκαίοις πυνθανομένοις, καθʼ ὅν λόγον Μωϋσῆς ἑπτὰ συνεχώρησεν γαμεῖν, ἔφη· Μωϋσῆς κατὰ τὴν σκληροκαρδίαν ὑμῶν ἐπέτρεψεν ὑμῖν. ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς γὰρ οὕτως οὐκ ἐγένετο. ὁ γὰρ κτίσας ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐτόν. ### English translation (Claude) “Therefore it is impossible to attain the truth without his teaching, even if one should seek for ever where what is sought is not to be found. But it was, and is, in the word of our Jesus. Indeed, knowing the true things of the Law, when the Sadducees asked on what ground Moses allowed a woman to marry seven, he said: ‘Moses permitted it to you because of your hardness of heart. For from the beginning it was not so. For he who created man from the beginning made him male and female.’” ### Scripture references - Matt 22:25: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 19:8: quotation, medium confidence - Mark 10:5: allusion, medium confidence - Mark 10:6: quotation, medium confidence - Gen 1:27: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The edition’s ἀληἐπιστῆναι is corrupt; “attain the truth” follows the sense. Here Jesus’ answer on divorce (Matt 19:8; Mark 10:5–6) is given to the Sadducees’ question about the woman married to seven brothers (Matt 22:23–28), a combination not found in the canonical Gospels. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.54 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-54). ## Homilies 3.55 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-55 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jesus’ sayings correct the scriptural claims that God swears, tempts, lacks foreknowledge, or does not see all. ### Greek text Τοῖς δὲ νομίζουσιν, ὡς αἱ γραφαὶ διδάσκουσιν, ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ὀμνύει, ἔφη· ἔστω ὑμῶν τὸ ναὶ, ναί, τὸ οὓ, οὔ. τὸ γὰρ περισσὸν τούτων ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐστιν. καὶ τοῖς λέγουσιν ὅτι Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ ἀπέθανον, ἔφη· οὐκ ἔστιν Θεὸς νεκρῶν, ἀλλὰ ζώντων. τοῖς δὲ οἰομένοις ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς πειράζει, ὡς αἱ γραφαὶ λέγουσιν, ἔφη· ὁ πονηρός ἐστιν ὁ πειράζων, ὁ καὶ αὐτὸν πειράσας. τοῖς ὑπολαμβάνουσιν, ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς οὐ προγινώσκει, ἔφη· οἶδεν γὰρ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος ὅτι χρήζετε τούτων ἁπάντων, πρὶν αὐτὸν ἀξιώσητε. τοῖς δὲ πιστεύουσιν, ὡς αἱ γραφαὶ λέγουσιν, ὅτι μὴ πάντα βλέπει, ἐν τῷ κρυπτῷ εὔχεσθε, εἶπε, καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ βλέπων τὰ κρυπτὰ ἀποδώσει ὑμῖν. ### English translation (Claude) “To those who think, as the Scriptures teach, that God swears, he said: ‘Let your yes be yes and your no, no; for what is more than these comes from the evil one.’ To those who say that Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob died, he said: ‘He is not the God of the dead but of the living.’ To those who suppose that God tempts, as the Scriptures say, he said: ‘The evil one is the tempter’, the one who also tempted him. To those who suppose that God does not foreknow, he said: ‘For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things before you ask him.’ And to those who believe, as the Scriptures say, that he does not see all things, he said: ‘Pray in secret, and your Father who sees what is hidden will reward you.’” ### Scripture references - Gen 22:16: echo, low confidence - Matt 5:37: quotation, high confidence - Matt 22:32: quotation, high confidence - Matt 4:3: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 6:32: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 6:8: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 6:6: quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Quotations: Matt 5:37; Matt 22:32; Matt 6:32 with 6:8; Matt 6:6 (wordings differ). “The evil one is the tempter” is not a Gospel saying; compare Matt 4:1–3. God’s swearing: e.g. Gen 22:16. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.55 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-55). ## Homilies 3.56 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-56 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jesus’ sayings show that God is good, is not confined to the Temple, and desires mercy rather than sacrifice. ### Greek text Τοῖς δὲ οἰομένοις αὐτὸν μὴ ἀγαθὸν εἶναι, ὡς αἱ γραφαὶ λέγουσιν, ἔφη· τίνα αἰτήσει υἱὸς ἄρτον, μὴ λίθον ἐπιδώσει αὐτῷ; ἢ καὶ ἰχθὺν αἰτήσει, μὴ ὄφιν ἐπιδώσει αὐτῷ; εἰ οὖν ὑμεῖς, πονηροὶ ὄντες, οἴδατε δόματα ἀγαθὰ διδόναι τοῖς τέκνοις ὑμῶν, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ πατὴρ ὑμῶν ὁ οὐράνιος δώσει ἀγαθὰ τοῖς αἰτουμένοις αὐτὸν καὶ τοῖς ποιοῦσιν τὸ θέλημα αὐτοῦ; τοῖς δὲ αὐτὸν διαβεβαιουμένοις ἐν ναῷ εἶναι, ἔφη μὴ ὀμόσητε τὸν οὐρανὸν, ὅτι θρόνος Θεοῦ ἐστιν, μήτε τὴν γῆν, ὅτι ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν αὐτοῦ ἐστιν. τοῖς δὲ προλαβοῦσιν, ὅτι θυσιῶν ὀρέγεται ὁ Θεός, ἔφη· ὁ Θεὸς ἔλεος θέλει καὶ οὐ θυσίας, ἐπίγνωσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ οὐχ ὁλοκαυτώματα. ### English translation (Claude) “To those who think that he is not good, as the Scriptures say, he said: ‘From whom will a son ask bread, and he give him a stone? Or ask a fish, and he give him a serpent? If then you, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him and to those who do his will!’ To those who affirm that he is in the Temple, he said: ‘Do not swear by heaven, for it is God’s throne, nor by the earth, for it is the footstool of his feet.’ To those who had presumed that God desires sacrifices, he said: ‘God desires mercy and not sacrifices’, the knowledge of himself and not whole burnt offerings.” ### Scripture references - Matt 7:9: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 7:10: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 7:11: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 5:34: quotation, high confidence - Matt 5:35: quotation, high confidence - Hos 6:6: quotation, high confidence - Matt 9:13: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Quotations: Matt 7:9–11 (with the addition “and to those who do his will”); Matt 5:34–35; Hos 6:6, as in Matt 9:13 and 12:7, the last clause following Hosea. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.56 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-56). ## Homilies 3.57 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-57 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jesus’ sayings answer the claims that God is evil or that there are many gods. ### Greek text Τοῖς δὲ πειθομένοις κακὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι, ὡς αἱ γραφαὶ λέγουσιν, ἔφη μή με λέγετε ἀγαθόν· ὁ γὰρ ἀγαθὸς εἶς ἐστιν. καὶ πάλιν γίνεσθε ἀγαθοὶ καὶ οἰκτίρμονες, ὡς ὁ πατὴρ ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς, ὃς ἀνατέλλει τὸν ἥλιον ἐπʼ ἀγαθοῖς καὶ πονηροῖς, καὶ φέρει τὸν ὑετὸν ἐπὶ δικαίοις καὶ ἀδίκοις. τοῖς δὲ ἠπατημένοις πολλοὺς θεοὺς ὑπονοεῖν, ὡς αἱ γραφαὶ λέγουσιν, ἔφη· ἄκουε Ἰσραήλ, κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν κύριος εἷς ἐστιν. ### English translation (Claude) “To those who are persuaded that he is evil, as the Scriptures say, he said: ‘Do not call me good; for the good one is one.’ And again: ‘Be good and merciful, as the Father who is in the heavens, who makes the sun rise on the good and the evil, and brings the rain on the just and the unjust.’ And to those who have been deceived into supposing many gods, as the Scriptures say, he said: ‘Hear, Israel: the Lord your God is one Lord.’” ### Scripture references - Matt 19:17: quotation, medium confidence - Mark 10:18: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 6:36: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 5:45: quotation, high confidence - Mark 12:29: quotation, high confidence - Deut 6:4: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Quotations: Matt 19:17 and Mark 10:18 (wording differs); Luke 6:36 with Matt 5:45; Mark 12:29 (Deut 6:4). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.57 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-57). ## Homilies 3.58 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-58 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: After three days of debate Simon flees by night to Tyre, where he works wonders and slanders Peter. ### Greek text Ὅμως ὁ Σίμων, συνιδὼν ὅτι Πέτρος αὐτὸν συνάγει ταῖς γραφαῖς χρῆσθαι ὡς Ἰησοῦς ἐδίδαξεν, εἰς τὴν περὶ Θεοῦ λόγον ἐξέτασιν γενέσθαι οὐκ ἠθέλησεν, καί τοί γε μεταθεμένου τοῦ Πέτρου, ὡς αὐτὸς Σίμων ἠξίωσεν, πρὸς πεῦσιν καὶ ἀπόκρισιν γενέσθαι τὴν ἐξέτασιν. πλὴν ἡ ζήτησις τριῶν ἐπεκράτησεν ἡμερῶν. ἐπιφωσκούσης δὲ τῆς τετάρτης νύχιος ὡς ἐπὶ Τύρον τῆς Φοινίκης ἐξώρμησεν καὶ οὐ μετὰ πολλὰς ἡμέρας ἦλθόν τινες τῶν προόδων, Πέτρῳ λέγοντες· Σίμων μεγάλα θαυμάσια ἐν Τύρῳ ποιῶν πολλοὺς τῶν ἐκεῖ κατεπλήξατο, καί σε πολλαῖς διαβολαῖς μισεῖσθαι ἐποίησεν. ### English translation (Claude) Yet Simon, seeing that Peter was drawing him to use the Scriptures as Jesus had taught, was unwilling that the examination should turn to the doctrine of God, even though Peter changed the examination into question and answer, as Simon himself had requested. The inquiry, however, went on for three days. And as the fourth was dawning, he set off by night toward Tyre in Phoenicia. Not many days later some of the forerunners came and said to Peter: “Simon, working great wonders in Tyre, has astounded many there and has made you hated by many slanders.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.58 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-58). ## Homilies 3.59 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-59 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains that by the law of pairs Simon has been sent ahead of him with slanders, and resolves to follow him quickly. ### Greek text Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ὁ Πέτρος, τῇ ἐπιούσῃ νυκτὶ τῶν ἀκροατῶν τὸν ὄχλον συνελθεῖν ἐποίησεν. ὁμῶς συνελθοῦσιν ἔφη· ὁρμῶντός μου εἰς τὰ ἔθνη τὰ πολλοὺς θεοὺς λέγοντα, κηρῦξαι καὶ διδάξαι ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, ὃς οὐρανὸν ἔκτισε καὶ γῆν καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς πάντα, ὅπως ἀγαπήσαντες αὐτὸν σωθῆναι δυνηθῶσιν, προλαβοῦσα ἡ κακία αὐτῷ τῆς συζυγίας νόμῳ προαπέστειλεν Σίμωνα, ἵνα οἱ ἄνθρωποι, ἐὰν τοὺς πολλοὺς θεοὺς λέγειν παύσωνται, καταγνόντες τῶν ἐπὶ γῆς λεγομένων, ἐν οὐρανῷ πολλοὺς θεοὺς εἶναι νομίσουσιν· ἵνα μηδέποτε τὸ τῆς μοναρχίας τιμήσαντες καλὸν εἰς τὸ παντελὲς μετὰ κόλασιν ἀπόλωνται. καὶ τὸ δεινότατον, ἐπεὶ ἀληθὴς λόγος ἀπαράβλητον ἰσχὺν ἔχει, προλαμβάνων ταῖς διαβολαῖς πείθει αὐτοὺς αὐτό, μηδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀναδέξασθαί μου· μή πως ὁ διαβάλλων αὐτὸς τῷ ὄντι διάβολος ἐλεγχθῇ, καὶ ὁ ἀληθὴς λόγος ἀναδειχθεὶς πιστευθῆναι δυνηθῇ. χρὴ οὖν με ταχέως αὐτὸν ἐπικαταλαβεῖν, ἵνα μὴ ἡ διαβολὴ ἐγχρονίσασα παντελῶς πάντων ἐπικρατήσῃ. ### English translation (Claude) When Peter heard this, he had the crowd of hearers assemble the following night. When they had come together, he said: “As I set out for the nations that speak of many gods, to preach and teach that God is one, who created heaven and earth and all that is in them, so that by loving him they may be saved, wickedness has forestalled me by the law of the pair and sent Simon ahead, so that people, if they cease to speak of many gods, rejecting those so called on earth, may think that there are many gods in heaven; so that, never having honoured the good of the monarchy, they may perish utterly after punishment. And most terrible of all: since the true word has incomparable strength, he forestalls me with slanders and persuades them not to receive me at all, lest the slanderer be exposed as in truth a devil, and the true word, once shown forth, be believed. I must therefore overtake him quickly, so that the slander may not, by gaining time, prevail completely over everyone.” ### Translation notes - “Slanderer… devil” renders the Greek wordplay διαβάλλων… διάβολος. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.59 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-59). ## Homilies 3.60 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-60 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter calls for prayer to choose a successor who will sit on the seat of Christ, citing the parable of the faithful and unfaithful servant. ### Greek text Ἐπεὶ οὗν δεῖ τινα ὁρίσαι ἀντʼ ἐμοῦ τὸν ἐμὸν ἀναπληροῦντα τόπον, μιᾷ προαιρέσει τοῦ Θεοῦ δεηθῶμεν οἱ πάντες, ὅπως τῶν ὄντων ἐν ἡμῖν κρείττονα αὐτὸς πρόδηλον ποιήσῃ, ἵνα ἐπὶ τῆς Χριστοῦ καθέδρας καθεσθεὶς τὴν αὐτοῦ ἐκκλησίαν εὐσεβῶς οἰκονομῇ. τίς ἄρα ὁρισθήσεται; Θεοῦ γὰρ βουλῇ ἀναδείκνυται μακάριος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖνος, ὃν καταστήσει ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς θεραπείας τῶν συνδούλων αὑτοῦ, τοῦ διδόναι αὐτοῖς τὰς τροφὰς ἐν καιρῷ αὐτῶν, μὴ ἐννοούμενον καὶ λέγοντα ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ αὑτοῦ· χρονίζει ὁ κύριός μου ἐλθεῖν· καὶ ἄρξηται τύπτειν τοὺς συνδούλους αὑτοῦ, ἐσθίων καὶ πίνων μετὰ πόρνων καὶ μεθυόντων· καὶ ἥξει ὁ κύριος τοῦ δούλου ἐν ὥρᾳ ᾗ οὐ προσδοκᾷ, καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ οὐ γινώσκει, καὶ διχοτομήσει αὐτόν, καὶ τὸ ἀπιστοῦν αὐτοῦ μέρος μετὰ τῶν ὑποκριτῶν θήσει. ### English translation (Claude) “Since, then, someone must be appointed in my place to fill my position, let us all with one mind ask God to make plain which of us is the best, so that, sitting on the seat of Christ, he may govern his church piously. Who then will be appointed? For by God’s counsel that man is declared blessed ‘whom his master will set over the service of his fellow servants, to give them their food in its season; not thinking and saying in his heart, “My master is delaying his coming,” and beginning to beat his fellow servants, eating and drinking with the sexually immoral and the drunken. And the master of that servant will come at an hour he does not expect and on a day he does not know, and will cut him in two, and will put his unfaithful part with the hypocrites.’” ### Scripture references - Matt 24:45: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 24:46: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 24:48: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 24:49: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 24:50: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 24:51: quotation, medium confidence - Luke 12:46: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Quotation: Matt 24:45–51, with Luke 12:42–46; the wording differs (e.g. “with the sexually immoral”). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.60 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-60). ## Homilies 3.61 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-61 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Whoever can teach but refuses will be judged like the slothful servant; the faithful must obey one leader to keep peace. ### Greek text Εἰ δέ τις τῶν παρεστώτων, διοικεῖν δυνάμενος τὴν ἀγνωμοσύνην τῶν ἀνθρώπων, ὑποστέλλεται, τῆς αὑτοῦ ἀναπαύσεως φροντίζων μόνης, καὶ αὐτὸς προσδοκάτω ἀκοῦσαι· δοῦλε πονηρὲ καὶ ὀκνηρέ, ἔδει σε τὸ ἀργύριόν μου προβαλεῖν ἐπὶ τῶν τραπεζιτῶν, καὶ ἐγὼ ἂν ἐλθὼν ἔπραξα τὸ ἐμόν· ἐκβάλετε τὸν ἀχρεῖον δοῦλον εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον. καὶ εὐλόγως. σοῦ γάρ, φησίν, ἄνθρωπου, τοὺς λόγους μου ὡς ἀργύριον ἐπὶ τραπεζιτῶν καὶ ὡς χρήματα δοκιμάσαι. τὸ οὖν πλῆθος τῶν πιστῶν δεῖ ἑνί τινι πείθεσθαι, ἵνα οὕτως ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ διατελεῖν δυνηθῇ. τὸ γὰρ εἰς ἀρχὴν μιᾶς λῆγον ἐξουσίας, μοναρχίας εἰκόνι, τοὺς ὑπείκοντας αἰτίᾳ εὐταξίας εἰρήνης ἀπολαύειν τίθησιν· τὸ δὲ πάντας φιλαρχοῦντας ἑνὶ μόνῳ ὑπεῖξαι μὴ θέλειν, καὶ αἰτίᾳ διαιρέσεως πάντως καὶ πεσεῖν ἔχουσιν. ### English translation (Claude) “But if anyone of those present who is able to instruct human ignorance shrinks back, caring only for his own rest, let him too expect to hear: ‘Wicked and slothful servant, you ought to have put my money with the bankers, and on my coming I would have collected what is mine. Throw the useless servant into the outer darkness.’ And rightly; for, he says, ‘It is yours, O man, to test my words as silver and money are tested with the bankers.’ The multitude of the faithful, then, must obey some one person, so that they may continue in concord. For what ends in the rule of one authority, in the image of monarchy, allows those who submit to enjoy peace because of good order; but when all, loving to rule, are unwilling to submit to one alone, they are bound to fall altogether because of division.” ### Scripture references - Matt 25:26: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 25:27: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 25:30: quotation, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Agraphon (Sayings of Jesus outside the Gospels (agrapha)): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Quotation: Matt 25:26–27, 30 (wording differs). The saying about testing words like money is not in the canonical Gospels; compare 3.50. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.61 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-61). ## Homilies 3.62 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-62 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Many kings bring war and one king brings peace; so the church must follow one guide who knows the way to the holy city. ### Greek text Ἀλλʼ ἔτι μὴν πειθέτω τὰ παρʼ ὀφθαλμοῖς γινόμενα, πῶς νῦν πολλῶν κατὰ πᾶσαν τὴν γῆν ὄντων βασιλέων συνεχῶς πόλεμοι γίνονται. ἔχει γὰρ ἕκαστος πρόφασιν εἰς πόλεμον τὴν ἑτέρου ἀρχήν. ἐὰν δὲ εἷς ᾖ τοῦ παντὸς ἡγεμών, οὗ εἵνεκεν πολεμεῖ οὐκ ἔχων ἀίδιον τὴν εἰρήνην ἔχει. πέρας γοῦν ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς καταξιουμένοις αἰωνίου ζωῆς ἕνα ἐν τῷ τότε αἰῶνι βασιλέα τοῦ παντὸς καθίστησιν, ἵνα αἰτίᾳ μοναρχίας ἅπτωτος εἰρήνη γεγένηται. χρὴ οὖν ἑνί τινι ὡς ὁδηγῷ τοὺς πάντας ἕπεσθαι, ὡς εἰκόνα Θεοῦ προτιμῶντας, τὸν δὲ ὁδηγὸν εἶναι τῆς εἰς τὴν ἁγίαν πόλιν εἰσιούσης εἰσόδου ἐπιστήμονα. ### English translation (Claude) “But let what happens before your eyes also persuade you: how, now that there are many kings throughout the earth, wars are constantly breaking out. For each has the rule of another as a pretext for war. But if there is one leader of the whole, he has nothing to make war about and keeps perpetual peace. In the end, then, God appoints for those counted worthy of eternal life one king of the whole in the age to come, so that through monarchy an unfailing peace may come about. So all must follow some one person as guide, honouring him as an image of God; and the guide must know the way that leads into the holy city.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.62 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-26/#p-3-62). ## Homilies 3.63 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-63 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter chooses Zacchaeus as bishop of Caesarea; Zacchaeus begs to be spared the title of ruler. ### Greek text Τίνα δὲ ἄλλον αἱρήσομαι τῶν παρόντων, ἢ Ζακχαῖον, πρὸς ὅν καὶ ὁ κύριος εἰσιὼν ἀνεπαύσατο, τοῦ σώζεσθαι κρίνας ἄξιον εἶναι; καὶ τοῦτο εἰπών, παρεστῶτι τῷ Ζακχαίῳ ἐπιβαλὼν τὴν χεῖρα, ἐβιάζετο ἐπὶ τὴν αὑτοῦ καθεσθῆναι καθέδραν. ὁ δὲ Ζακχαῖος προςπεσὼν τοῖς ποσὶν αὐτοῦ ἐδέετο, ὅπως τοῦ ἄρχειν αὐτὸν ἀπολύσῃ, μετὰ τοῦ ὑπισχνεῖσθαι καὶ λέγειν, ὅτι ὁπόσα ποτὲ χρὴ τὸν ἄρχοντα ποιεῖν, ποιήσω, μόνον μοι τὸ ὄνομα τοῦτο μὴ ἔχειν χάρισαι· εὐλαβοῦμαι γὰρ τὸ τῆς ἀρχῆς ἐνδύσασθαι ὄνομα· πικροῦ γὰρ φθόνου καὶ κινδύνου γέμει. ### English translation (Claude) “And whom else of those present shall I choose than Zacchaeus, into whose house the Lord also went and rested, judging him worthy to be saved?” Having said this, he laid his hand on Zacchaeus, who was standing by, and pressed him to sit in his own seat. But Zacchaeus fell at his feet and begged him to release him from ruling, promising and saying: “Whatever a ruler must do, I will do; only grant me not to have this name. For I shrink from putting on the name of ruler, since it is full of bitter envy and danger.” ### Scripture references - Luke 19:5: allusion, high confidence - Luke 19:9: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The Lord’s stay with Zacchaeus: Luke 19:5–9. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.63 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-63). ## Homilies 3.64 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-64 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter urges Zacchaeus to accept the office, which is service like a father, physician, and shepherd, not rule like the Gentiles’ rulers. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· εἰ τοῦτο εὐλαβῇ, ἄρχων μὲν μὴ καλοῦ, ἀλλʼ ὁ καθεστώς, τοῦτο τοῦ κυρίου δεδωκότος λέγεσθαι, τῷ εἰπεῖν· μακάριος ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἐκεῖνος, ὅν καταστήσει ὁ κύριος αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τῆς θεραπείας τῶν συνδούλων αὑτοῦ. εἰ δὲ παντελῶς οὐ θέλεις γνωσθῆναι ὅτι ἐξουσίαν διοικήσεως ἔχεις, ἀγνοεῖν μοι ἔοικας, ὅτι ἡ ὁμολογουμένη τοῦ προκαθεζομένου ἐξουσία πολύ τι δύναται πρὸς δυσωπίαν τοῦ πλήθους. ὡς γὰρ εἰληφότι ἐξουσίαν ἕκαστος πείθεται, ὡς μεγάλην ἀνάγκην τὴν συνείδησιν ἔχων. τί δὲ οὐχὶ καὶ ἀσφαλῶς γινώσκεις, ὅτι οὐχ ὡς οἱ ἄρχοντες τῶν ἐθνῶν ἄρχειν ἔχεις, ἀλλʼ ὡς δοῦλος, αὐτοῖς ὑπηρετῶν, ὡς πατὴρ ἀδικουμένοις, ὡς ἰατρὸς ἐπισκεπτόμενος, ὡς ποιμὴν φυλάσσων, συνελὼν ἐρῶ, τὰς πάσας ὑπὲρ τῆς αὐτῶν σωτηρίας φροντίδας ἔχων; ὅτι οἴει ἀγνοεῖν με, οἵους καμάτους ἀναδέξασθαί σε βιάζομαι, ὑπὸ ὄχλων κρίνεσθαί σε ἀξιῶν, οἷς ἀρέσαι τινὰ ἀμήχανον; Θεὸν δὲ εὖ πράττοντα πείθειν δυνατώτατον. διὸ δέομαι προθύμως ἀναδέξασθαι, διὰ Θεόν, διὰ Χριστόν, ὑπὲρ τῆς ἀδελφῶν σωτηρίας, ὑπὲρ τῆς αὐτῶν οἰκονομίας καὶ σῆς ὠφελείας. ### English translation (Claude) Peter said: “If you shrink from this, do not be called ruler, but ‘the one appointed’, since the Lord has allowed this to be said by saying: ‘Blessed is that man whom his master will appoint over the service of his fellow servants.’ But if you do not wish it to be known at all that you have authority to govern, you seem to me not to know that the acknowledged authority of the one who presides has great power to restrain the multitude. For everyone obeys the one who has received authority, having his conscience as a strong constraint. And do you not know for certain that you are to rule not as the rulers of the Gentiles, but as a servant ministering to them, as a father to the wronged, as a physician visiting them, as a shepherd guarding them; in short, having every care for their salvation? Or do you think I do not know what labours I am forcing you to take on, in asking that you be judged by crowds whom no one can possibly please? But to win God’s approval by doing well is entirely possible. Therefore I ask you to accept it willingly, for God’s sake, for Christ’s sake, for the salvation of the brothers, for their good order and your own benefit.” ### Scripture references - Matt 24:46: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 20:25: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 22:26: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Quotations and allusions: Matt 24:45–46; Matt 20:25–26 and Luke 22:25–26. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.64 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-64). ## Homilies 3.65 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-65 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The greater the labour of leading the church, the greater the reward; Zacchaeus, a companion of the Lord, cannot name anyone better. ### Greek text Καὶ τὸ ἕτερον δὲ λόγισαι, ὅτι, ὥσπερ κάματον καὶ κίνδυνον ἔχει τὸ τὴν Χριστοῦ ἐκκλησίαν οἰκονομεῖν, τοσούτῳ μείζων ὁ μισθός· ἀλλʼ ἔτι μὴν καὶ ἡ κόλασις μείζων τῷ δυναμένῳ καὶ ἀπειθήσαντι. βούλομαι οὖν, πολυμαθέστερον εἰδώς σε τῶν παρεστώτων, δανείζειν καλὰς γνώμας, ἅς παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου πεπίστευσαι. ἵνα, εὖ δοῦλε ἀγαθὲ καὶ πιστέ, ἀκούσῃς, καὶ ὥσπερ ὁ τὸ ἕν ἀποκρύψας τάλαντον, ἔγκλημα λαβὼν κολάσει ὑπεύθυνος ἀναφανῇς. εἰ δὲ μὴ βούλει ἀγαθὸς φύλαξ καταστῆναι τῆς ἐκκλησίας, ἕτερον ἀντί σου μήνυσον, σοῦ πολυμαθέστερον καὶ πιστότερον. ἀλλʼ οὐ δώσεις. σὺ γὰρ καὶ τῷ κυρίῳ συνῆς, καὶ τὰς θαυμασίους πράξεις ἱστόρησας, καὶ διοίκησιν ἐκκλησίας μεμάθηκας. ### English translation (Claude) “And consider the other point too: just as governing the church of Christ brings labour and danger, so much the greater is the reward; but greater too is the punishment for the one who is able and refuses. So, since I know you are more learned than those present, I want you to lend out the good teachings with which you have been entrusted by the Lord, so that you may hear, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant’, and not, like the one who hid the one talent, be found charged and liable to punishment. But if you do not wish to be appointed good guardian of the church, point out another in your place, more learned and more faithful than you. But you will not be able to; for you were with the Lord, witnessed his wonderful deeds, and have learned the governing of a church.” ### Scripture references - Matt 25:21: quotation, high confidence - Matt 25:25: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Allusions: Matt 25:21, 24–30 (the parable of the talents). The word “not” before the comparison with the servant who hid the talent is missing in the edition and is supplied by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.65 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-65). ## Homilies 3.66 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-66 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The bishop holds the place of Christ; to disobey him is to disobey Christ and God. ### Greek text Καὶ σοῦ μὲν ἔργον ἐστὶν κελεύειν ἅ δεῖ, τῶν ἀδελφῶν, ὑπείκειν καὶ μὴ ἀπειθεῖν. ὑπείξαντες μὲν οὖν σωθήσονται, ἀπειθήσαντες δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου κολασθήσονται, ὅτι ὁ προκαθεζόμενος Χριστοῦ τόπον πεπίστευται. διὸ ἤτοι τιμὴ ἢ ὕβρις τοῦ προκαθεζομένου εἰς Χριστὸν φέρεται, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ Χριστοῦ εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἀναφέρεται. τοῦτο δὲ εἴρηκα, ἵνα καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ ἀδελφοὶ τῆς πρός σε ἀπειθείας τὸν κίνδυνον αὐτῶν μὴ ἀγνοῶσιν, ὅτι ὅς ἄν σοι κελεύσαντι ἀπειθήσῃ, Χριστῷ ἀπειθεῖ, Χριστῷ δὲ ἀπειθήσας Θεὸν παροργίζει. ### English translation (Claude) “Your task is to command what is needed; the brothers’ task is to submit and not to disobey. If they submit, they will be saved; if they disobey, they will be punished by the Lord, because the one who presides has been entrusted with the place of Christ. Therefore honour or insult shown to the one who presides is carried to Christ, and from Christ it is carried up to God. I have said this so that the brothers themselves may not be ignorant of the danger of disobeying you: whoever disobeys you when you command disobeys Christ, and whoever disobeys Christ provokes God.” ### Scripture references - Luke 10:16: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Compare Luke 10:16. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.66 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-66). ## Homilies 3.67 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-67 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The church’s order: the bishop leads, presbyters carry out his orders and settle disputes, deacons care for the brothers and report to the bishop. ### Greek text Χρὴ οὖν τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, ὡς πόλιν ἐν ὕψει ᾠκοδομημένην, φιλόθεον ἔχειν τάξιν καὶ διοίκησιν καλήν. πρὸ πάντων ὁ ἐπίσκοπος ὡς ἄρχων περὶ ὧν λέγει ἀκουέσθω. οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τὰ κελευόμενα γινέσθαι σπουδαζέτωσαν. οἱ διάκονοι ἐκπεριερχόμενοι τῶν ἀδελφῶν τὰ σώματα καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς ἐπισκεπτέσθωσαν, καὶ τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ ἀντιβαλλέτωσαν. οἱ λοιποὶ πάντες ἀδελφοὶ τὸ ἀδικεῖσθαι ἀναδεχέσθωσαν· εἰ δὲ κρίνεσθαι θέλουσιν περὶ ὧν ἀδικοῦνται, ἐπὶ τῶν πρεσβυτέρων συμβιβαζέσθωσαν· τὸν δὲ συμβιβασμὸν οἱ πρεσβύτεροι τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ προσαναφερέτωσαν. ### English translation (Claude) “The church, then, like a city built on a height, must have a God-loving order and good government. Before all, let the bishop be heeded as ruler in what he says. Let the presbyters be diligent that what is commanded is done. Let the deacons go round and look after the bodies and souls of the brothers, and report to the bishop. Let all the rest of the brothers accept being wronged; but if they wish to have judgment about the wrongs done to them, let them be reconciled before the presbyters, and let the presbyters refer the settlement to the bishop.” ### Scripture references - Matt 5:14: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Cor 6:7: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The city on a height recalls Matt 5:14; accepting wrong and settling disputes within the church recall 1 Cor 6:1–7. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.67 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-67). ## Homilies 3.68 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-68 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The presbyters and all believers should promote marriage, even for older people, because adultery, the sin most hated by God, spreads like rabies through the church. ### Greek text Νέων δὲ μὴ μόνον κατεπειγέτωσαν τοὺς γάμους, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν προβεβηκότων, μή πως ζέουσα ἡ ὄρεξις προφάσει πορνείας ἢ μοιχείας λοιμὸν προσενέγκοι τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ. ὑπὲρ πᾶσαν γὰρ ἁμαρτίαν ἡ τῆς μοιχείας ἀσέβεια Θεῷ ἐστύγηται, ὅτι οὐ μόνον αὐτὸν τὸν ἁμαρτήσαντα ἀναιρεῖ, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς συνεστιωμένους καὶ συναμιλλωμένους λύσσῃ γὰρ ἔοικεν, ὅτι τῆς ἰδίας μανίας μεταδιδόναι φύσιν ἔχει. σωφροσύνης οὖν χάριν σπευδέτωσαν τοὺς γάμους ἐπιτελεῖν μὴ μόνον οἱ πρεσβύτεροι, ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ πάντες. ἡ γὰρ τοῦ μοιχησαμένου ἁμαρτία ἐπὶ τοὺς πάντας ἐλθεῖν βιάζεται. τοῦ οὖν σπεύδειν σωφρονεῖν τοὺς ἀδελφούς, τοῦτο πρώτη ἐλεημοσύνη· ψυχῆς γάρ ἐστιν θεραπεία ἡ γὰρ τροφὴ τοῦ σώματος ἀνάπαυσίς ἐστιν. ### English translation (Claude) “Let them urge on marriages, not only of the young but also of those advanced in years, lest seething desire, by occasion of sexual immorality or adultery, bring a plague on the church. For above every sin the impiety of adultery is hated by God, because it destroys not only the one who sinned but also those who eat and associate with him; for it is like rabies, in that it is its nature to pass on its own madness. For the sake of chastity, then, let not only the presbyters but everyone be eager to bring about marriages. For the sin of the adulterer forces its way to come upon all. To press the brothers to chastity is the first almsgiving; for it is care of the soul, while food for the body is only refreshment.” ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 7:2: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Cor 7:9: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The subject of “let them urge” is the presbyters of 3.67. Compare 1 Cor 7:2, 9. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.68 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-68). ## Homilies 3.69 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-69 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Love shows itself in works of mercy; believers must meet often, for whoever forsakes the assembly scatters the church and becomes prey for the evil one. ### Greek text Ὁμῶς ἐὰν ἀγαπήσητε τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ὑμῶν, οὐδὲν αὐτῶν ἀφαιρήσεσθε, ὧν δὲ ἔχετε μεταδώσητε· πεινῶντας γὰρ θρέψητε, διψῶσιν ποτὸν παρέχετε, γυμνοὺς ἐνδύσητε, νοσοῦντας ἐπισκέψησθε, τοῖς ἐν εἱρκταῖς ὡς δυνατὸν βοηθήσητε, ξένους εἰς τὰ ἑαυτῶν σκηνώματα προθύμως ἀποδέξασθε, μηδένα μισήσητε. ὡς δὲ δεῖ εὐσεβεῖν, εὐγνωμονοῦντας ὑμᾶς ὁ ὑμέτερος διδάξει νοῦς. πρὸ δὲ πάντων, εἰ καὶ δεῖ ὑμῖν λέγειν, συνεχέστερον συνέρχεσθε, εἴθε καθʼ ὥραν, ἐπεί γε ἐν ταῖς νενομισμέναις τῆς συνόδου ἡμέραις. ἐὰν γὰρ τοῦτο ποιῆτε, ἐντὸς τειχῶν ἀσυλίας ἐστέ· ἀρχὴ γὰρ ἀπωλείας ἀποταξία. μήτε οὖν προφάσει μικροψυχίας τῆς πρὸς ἀδελφὸν ἀπολειπέσθω τις τοῦ συνεδρεύειν. ἐὰν γάρ τις ὑμῶν ἀπολειφθῇ τοῦ συνάγεσθαι, τῶν σκορπιζόντων τὴν Χριστοῦ ἐκκλησίαν λογισθήσεται, μετὰ μοιχῶν ἀποβληθήσεται. ὡς γὰρ μοιχὸς ὑπὸ τοῦ ἐν αὐτῷ πνεύματος προφάσει τινὸς ἑαυτὸν ἀφώρισεν, καὶ τῷ πονηρῷ κατʼ αὐτοῦ χώραν ἔδωκεν πρόβατον ἁρπάσει, ὡς μανδρῶν ἔξω εὑρεθέντα. ### English translation (Claude) “Yet if you love your brothers, you will take nothing from them, but will share with them what you have: you will feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, clothe the naked, visit the sick, help those in prison as far as you can, readily receive strangers into your own dwellings, and hate no one. How you ought to be godly your own mind will teach you, if you are right-minded. But above all, if I must say it to you, meet together more often, every hour if possible, and at least on the appointed days of assembly. For if you do this, you are within walls of refuge; for leaving the ranks is the beginning of destruction. So let no one stay away from the gathering on the pretext of some petty grievance against a brother. For if any of you stays away from the assembly, he will be counted among those who scatter the church of Christ and will be cast out with the adulterers. For like an adulterer he has separated himself on some pretext, under the influence of the spirit within him, and has given the evil one room against him, and the evil one will snatch him as a sheep found outside the fold.” ### Scripture references - Matt 25:35: allusion, high confidence - Matt 25:36: allusion, high confidence - Heb 10:25: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 12:30: echo, low confidence - Eph 4:27: echo, low confidence - John 10:12: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Allusions: Matt 25:35–36; Heb 10:25; Matt 12:30; Eph 4:27; John 10:12. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.69 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-69). ## Homilies 3.70 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-70 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Believers must honour the bishop, whose seat is Christ’s throne, as they were told to honour the seat of Moses. ### Greek text Πλὴν τοῦ ἐπισκόπου ὑμῶν ἀκούετε, καὶ τιμὴν πᾶσαν αὐτῷ ἀπονέμοντες μὴ κάμητε, εἰδότες ὅτι προφάσει τῇ πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰς Χριστὸν φέρετε, ἀπὸ δὲ Χριστοῦ εἰς Θεὸν ἀναφέρετε· καὶ τῷ προσενέγκαντι πολυπλασίως ἀνταποδίδοτε. θρόνον οὖν Χριστοῦ τιμήσατε· ὅτι καὶ Μωυσέως καθέδραν τιμᾶν ἐκελεύσθητε, κἄν οἱ προκαθεζόμενοι ἁμαρτωλοὶ νομίζωνται. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ὑμῖν αὐτάρκως εἴρηται· αὐτῷ δὲ, πῶς ἀμέμπτως βιοῦν, περιττὸν ἡγοῦμαι λέγειν, ὁπότε τοῦ κἀμὲ διδάξαντος δόκιμος ὑπάρχῃ μαθητής. ### English translation (Claude) “Only, listen to your bishop, and do not tire of giving him all honour, knowing that by honouring him you carry it to Christ, and from Christ you carry it up to God; and he repays the giver many times over. Honour, then, the throne of Christ; for you were commanded to honour even the seat of Moses, even though those who sit on it are considered sinners. These things have been said to you sufficiently. As for him, I think it superfluous to tell him how to live blamelessly, since he is an approved disciple of the one who taught me too.” ### Scripture references - Matt 23:2: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 23:3: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The seat of Moses: Matt 23:2–3. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.70 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-70). ## Homilies 3.71 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-71 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The church must support Zacchaeus without his asking, since the worker deserves his wages, and must honour and provide for its clergy, widows, and orphans. ### Greek text Πλὴν ἀδελφοί, ἔνια οὐ χρὴ ἀναμένειν ἀκούειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀφʼ ἑαυτῶν τὸ εὔλογον νοεῖν. Ζακχαῖος μόνος ὑμῖν ὅλος ἑαυτὸν ἀσχολεῖν ἀποδεδωκὼς, κοιλίαν ἔχων καὶ ἑαυτῷ μὴ εὐσχολῶν, πῶς δύναται τὴν ἀναγκαίαν πορίζειν τροφήν; οὐχὶ δὲ εὔλογόν ἐστιν πάντας ὑμᾶς τοῦ ζῆν αὐτοῦ πρόνοιαν ποιεῖν, οὐκ ἀναμένοντας αὐτὸν ὑμᾶς αἰτεῖν, τοῦτο γὰρ προσαιτοῦντός ἐστιν· μᾶλλον δὲ τεθνήξεται λιμῷ, ἢ τοῦτο ποιεῖν ὑποσταίη. πῶς δὴ καὶ ὑμεῖς οὐ δίκην ὑφέξετε, μὴ λογισάμενοι ὅτι ἄξιός ἐστιν ὁ ἐργάτης τοῦ μισθοῦ αὐτοῦ; καὶ μὴ λεγέτω τις οὐκοῦν ὁ δωρεὰν παρασχεθεὶς λόγος πολεῖται; μὴ γένοιτο. εἴ τις γὰρ ἔχων, πόθεν ζῆν, λάβοι, οὗτος πωλεῖ τὸν λόγον, εἰ δὲ μὴ ἔχων τοῦ ζῆν χάριν λαμβάνει τροφήν, ὡς καὶ ὁ κύριος ἔλαβεν ἔν τε δείπνοις καὶ φίλοις, οὐδὲν ἔχων, ὁ εἷς αὖθις πάντα ἔχων, οὐχ ἁμαρτάνει. ἀκολούθως οὖν τιμᾶτε πρεσβυτέρους, κατηχητάς, διακόνους χρησίμους, χήρας εὖ βεβιωκυίας, ὀρφανοὺς ὡς ἐκκλησίας τέκνα· ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁπότε χρεία τινὸς πόρου πρὸς ἀναγκαῖον γένοιτο, ἅμα οἱ πάντες συμβάλλεσθου. εἰς ἀλλήλους εὐσεβεῖτε, μὴ ὀκνοῦντες πᾶν ὁτιοῦν ὑπὲρ τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας ὑπομένειν. ### English translation (Claude) “However, brothers, some things you should not wait to hear, but should perceive for yourselves what is reasonable. Zacchaeus alone, having given himself wholly to being occupied for you, having a belly to feed and no leisure for himself, how can he provide the food he needs? Is it not reasonable that all of you should provide for his living, not waiting for him to ask you? For that is the part of a beggar, and he would rather die of hunger than bring himself to do it. And how will you not be punished, if you do not consider that the worker is worthy of his wages? And let no one say, ‘Is the word freely given being sold, then?’ Far from it. For if someone who has the means to live takes anything, he sells the word; but if one who has not takes food in order to live, as the Lord too accepted it at dinners and among friends, having nothing, he who alone possesses all things, he does not sin. Accordingly, honour presbyters, catechists, useful deacons, widows who have lived well, orphans as children of the church; and whenever there is need of some means for a necessity, contribute all together. Show godliness toward one another, not shrinking from enduring anything whatever for your own salvation.” ### Scripture references - Luke 10:7: quotation, high confidence - 1 Tim 5:18: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 10:8: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Quotation: Luke 10:7 (also 1 Tim 5:18); “freely given” echoes Matt 10:8. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.71 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-71). ## Homilies 3.72 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-72 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter ordains Zacchaeus with a prayer asking God to give him authority to bind and loose and to guard the church as Christ’s bride. ### Greek text Καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἐπέθηκεν χεῖρα τῷ Ζακχαίῳ λέγων· Δέσποτα καὶ κύριε τῶν ὅλων, ὁ πατὴρ καὶ Θεός, σὺ διαφύλαξον ποιμένα μετὰ ποίμνης. σὺ ἡ πρόφασις, σὺ ἡ δύναμις. ἡμεῖς τὸ βοηθούμενον, σὺ ὁ βοηθὸς, ὁ ἰατρὸς, ὁ σωτὴρ, τὸ τεῖχος, ἡ ζωὴ, ἡ ἐλπὶς, ἡ καταφυγὴ, ἡ χαρὰ, ἡ προσδοκία, ἡ ἀνάπαυσις· συνελὼν ἐρῶ· σὺ ἡμῖν τὰ πάντα· πρὸς αἰώνιον ὕπαρξιν σωτηρίας συνέργησον, ῥῦσαι, φύλαξον. πάντα δύνασαι. σὺ γὰρ ἄρχων ἀρχόντων, καὶ κύριος κυρίων, δεσπότης βασιλέων. σὺ δὸς ἐξουσίαν τῷ προκαθεζομένῳ, λύειν ἃ δεῖ λύειν, καὶ δεσμεῖν ἃ δεῖ δεσμεῖν. σὺ σόφισον· σὺ ὡς διʼ αὐτοῦ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν τοῦ Χριστοῦ σου ὡς καλὴν νύμφην διαφύλαξον. σοῦ γάρ ἐστιν δόξα αἰώνιος, ὕμνος, πατρὶ καὶ υἱῷ καὶ ἁγίῳ πνεύματι, εἰς τοὺς σύμπαντας αἰῶνας. Ἀμήν. ### English translation (Claude) Having said this, he laid his hand on Zacchaeus, saying: “Master and Lord of all, Father and God, keep the shepherd safe with the flock. You are the cause, you the power; we are what is helped, you the helper, the physician, the saviour, the wall, the life, the hope, the refuge, the joy, the expectation, the rest. In short, you are all things to us. Work with us for the everlasting possession of salvation; deliver, protect. You can do all things, for you are ruler of rulers and Lord of lords, master of kings. Give authority to the one who presides to loose what must be loosed and to bind what must be bound. Make him wise. Through him keep the church of your Christ safe as a fair bride. For yours is eternal glory, praise to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, to all the ages. Amen.” ### Scripture references - 1 Tim 6:15: allusion, medium confidence - Rev 17:14: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 16:19: allusion, high confidence - Matt 18:18: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Cor 11:2: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Allusions: 1 Tim 6:15 and Rev 17:14 (“Lord of lords”); Matt 16:19 and 18:18 (binding and loosing); 2 Cor 11:2 and Eph 5:27 (the church as bride). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.72 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-72). ## Homilies 3.73 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-73 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter prepares candidates for baptism by fasting and daily laying on of hands, and sends Clement, Aquila, and Nicetes ahead to Tyre. ### Greek text Καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν μετὰ ταῦτα ἔφη· ὅσοι ποτὲ βαπτισθῆναι θέλετε, ἀπὸ τῆς αὔριον νηστεύειν ἄρξασθε, καὶ καθʼ ἡμέραν χειροθετεῖσθε, καὶ περὶ ὧν θέλετε πυνθάνεσθε. ἔτι γὰρ ἡμερῶν δέκα ὑμῖν ἐπιμεῖναι θέλω. μετὰ δὲ τρεῖς ἡμέρας βαπτίζειν ἀρξάμενος, ἐμὲ φωνήσας καὶ Ἀκύλαν καὶ Νικήτην ἔφη· μέλλων ἐπὶ τὴν Τύρον ὁρμᾶν μεθʼ ἡμέρας ἑπτὰ βούλομαι ἐξ αὐτῆς ὑμᾶς ἀπελθόντας, παρὰ τῇ Χανανίτιδι Βερνίκῃ Ἰέστης θυγατρὶ λανθανόντως ἐπιξενωθέντας, παρʼ αὐτῆς τὰ κατὰ τὸν Σίμωνα ἀκριβῶς γράψαι μοι. πολὺ γάρ μοι συμβάλλεται, ἵνα πρὸς αὐτὸ ἁρμόσωμαι. διὸ ἐξ αὐτῆς πορεύεσθε μετʼ εἰρήνης. καὶ δὴ βαπτίζοντα αὐτὸν ἐάσαντες, καθὼς ἐκέλευσεν, εἰς Τύρον αὐτὸν προήξαμεν τῆς Φοινίκης. ### English translation (Claude) Having said this, he then said: “All of you who wish to be baptized, begin fasting from tomorrow, receive the laying on of hands every day, and ask about whatever you wish. For I intend to stay with you ten more days.” After three days, when he had begun to baptize, he called me, Aquila, and Nicetes and said: “Since I intend to set out for Tyre in seven days, I want you to leave at once, lodge secretly with Bernice the Canaanite, daughter of Justa, and learn from her and write to me accurately what concerns Simon. For it will help me greatly to prepare myself for it. So go at once in peace.” And so, leaving him baptizing, as he had commanded, we went ahead of him to Tyre in Phoenicia. ### Scripture references - Matt 15:22: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Justa is the Canaanite woman of Matt 15:21–28, named in the Homilies (compare 2.19). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 3.73 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-3-73). ## Homilies 4.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-1 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement, Nicetes, and Aquila lodge with Bernice in Tyre, but Clement puts their mission before rest. ### Greek text Καισαρείας δὲ τῆς Στράτωνος ἐξιὼν ἐγὼ Κλήμης, ἅμα Νικήτης καὶ Ἀκύλας, εἰς Τύρον τῆς Φοινίκης εἰσέβαλλον, καὶ κατʼ ἐντολὴν Πέτρου τοῦ ἀποστείλαντος ἡμᾶς ἐξενίσθημεν παρὰ Βερνίκῃ θυγατρὶ τῆς Χανανίτιδος Ἰούστης· ἥτις ἀσμενέστατα ἡμᾶς ἀπεδέξατο, καὶ πολλῇ μὲν τῇ πρὸς μὲ τιμῇ ἀγωνιῶσα, στοργῇ δὲ τῇ πρὸς Ἀκύλαν καὶ Νικήτην, διὰ χαρὰν ὡς συνήθης παῤῥησιαζομένη ἐφιλοφρονεῖτο, καὶ πρὸς τὴν τοῦ σώματος θεραπείαν ἡμᾶς δεκτικῶς κατήπειγεν. συνιδὼν οὖν ὅτι βραχεῖαν ἡμῖν ὑπέρθεσιν ποιεῖσθαι ἐπέτρεπεν, ὀρθῶς μέν, ἔφην, ποιεῖς, ἐπισπεύδουσα τὰ τῆς ἀγάπης ἀποπληροῦν μέρη. προτιμητέος δὲ ταύτης ὁ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν φόβος. δέδιμεν γὰρ ὑπὲρ πολλῶν ψυχῶν τὸν ἀγῶνα ἔχοντες τῆς ἐκείνων σωτηρίας προτιμᾶν τὴν ἡμετέραν ἀνάπαυσιν. ### English translation (Claude) Leaving Caesarea Stratonis, I, Clement, together with Nicetes and Aquila, entered Tyre in Phoenicia, and, according to the instruction of Peter who had sent us, we lodged with Bernice, daughter of Justa the Canaanite. She received us most gladly; eager to show me great honour, and affection to Aquila and Nicetes, and speaking freely out of joy as with old acquaintances, she treated us kindly and hospitably pressed us to refresh ourselves. Seeing, then, that she was imposing a short delay on us, I said: “You do well to hasten to fulfil the duties of love; but the fear of our God must come before it. For, having a contest on hand for many souls, we are afraid to put our own rest before their salvation.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.1 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-1). ## Homilies 4.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-2 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement reports that Simon, beaten at Caesarea, is slandering Peter in Tyre as a magician and deceiver. ### Greek text Πυνθανόμεθα γὰρ ὅτι Σίμων ὁ μάγος, ἐπὶ τῆς ἐν Καισαρείᾳ πρὸς τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν Πέτρον ζητήσεως ἡττηθείς, παραχρῆμα ἀποδρὰς ἐνταῦθα πολλὰ κακὰ διαπράσσεται. πᾶσι γὰρ τοῖς ὑπεναντίοις παρὰ τὴν ἀλήθειαν λοιδορῶν τὸν Πέτρον τὰς τῶν πολλῶν συναρπάζει ψυχάς. μάγος γὰρ αὐτὸς ὤν μάγον ἐκεῖνον ἀποκαλεῖ, καὶ πλάνος αὐτὸς ὤν πλάνον ἐκεῖνον ἀποκηρύσσει, καὶ ἐν ταῖς ζητήσεσιν ἐπὶ πάντων τὸ ἧττον ἀπενεγκάμενος καὶ φυγὼν αὐτὸς φάσκει νενικηκέναι, καὶ τοῦ Πέτρου μὴ δεῖν ἀκούειν πυκνότερον ἐντέλλεται, ὡς δῆθεν κηδόμενος, ἵνα μὴ ὑπὸ δεινοῦ καταγοητευθῶσιν μάγου. ### English translation (Claude) “For we hear that Simon the magus, defeated in the debate with our lord Peter at Caesarea, fled at once and is doing much harm here. For by slandering Peter with everything contrary to the truth he carries off the souls of many. Himself a magician, he calls Peter a magician; himself a deceiver, he denounces Peter as a deceiver; and though he came off worse in the debates before everyone and ran away, he claims that he won, and keeps enjoining that Peter must not be listened to, as if he cared for them, so that they might not be bewitched by a terrible magician.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.2 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-2). ## Homilies 4.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-3 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement asks Bernice whether the reports about Simon are true, so that Peter can refute him in person. ### Greek text Ταῦτα οὖν μαθὼν ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Πέτρος προαπέστειλεν ἡμᾶς ἐξεταστὰς τῶν λεχθέντων αὐτῷ ἐσομένους ἵνα εἰ οὕτως ἔχοι, γραψάντων ἡμῶν αὐτὸς μάθῃ, καὶ ἐπελθὼν ἐξελέγξῃ αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον ἄντικρυς ἐφʼ ὧν αὐτὸν διέβαλλεν. ἐπεὶ οὖν ὑπὲρ πολλῶν ψυχῶν ὁ κίνδυνος ἡμῖν πρόκειται, τούτου ἕνεκεν, τῆς τοῦ σώματος ἡμῶν ἀναπαύσεως πρὸς βραχὺ ἀμελήσαντες, παρά σου τῆς ἐνταῦθα διαιτωμένης βουλόμεθα ἀψευδῶς μαθεῖν, εἰ ἅπερ ἠκούσαμεν ἀληθῆ τυγχάνει· καὶ λέγοις ἄν ἤδη ἡμῖν ἕκαστα. ### English translation (Claude) “Having learned this, our lord Peter sent us ahead to investigate what had been reported to him, so that, if it is so, he may learn it from our letter, and on coming may refute Simon face to face on the points on which he has slandered him. Since, then, the danger of many souls lies before us, we are for this reason neglecting our bodily rest for a little, and we wish to learn truthfully from you, who live here, whether what we have heard is true. Please tell us everything now.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.3 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-3). ## Homilies 4.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-4 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Bernice describes Simon’s magic: phantoms in the marketplace, moving statues, and diseases and demons inflicted on his critics after a sacrificial feast. ### Greek text Ἡ Βερνίκη δὲ ἀξιωθεῖσα, ταῦτα μὲν οὕτως, ἔφη, ἔχει ὡς ἠκούσατε, τὰ δὲ ἄλλα τὰ κατʼ αὐτὸν τὸν Σίμωνα, ἅπερ ἴσως ἀγνοεῖτε, ἀκούσατε· φαντάσματά τε γὰρ καὶ ἰνδάλματα ἐν μέσῃ τῇ ἀγορᾷ φαίνεσθαι ποιῶν διʼ ἡμέρας πᾶσαν ἐκπλήττει τὴν πόλιν, καὶ προϊόντος αὐτοῦ ἀνδριάντες κινοῦνται, καὶ σκιαὶ πολλαὶ προηγοῦνται, ἅσπερ αὐτὸς ψυχὰς τῶν τεθνηκότων εἶναι λέγει. πολλοὺς δὲ γόητα αὐτὸν ἐλέγχειν πειρωμένους διαλλάξας πρὸς ἑαυτὸν εὐθύστερον προφάσει εὐωχίας, βοῦν θύσας καὶ ἐστιάσας αὐτούς, διαφόροις νόσοις περιέβαλεν καὶ δαίμοσιν ὑπέβαλεν καὶ ἵνα μὴ πολλὰ λέγω, πολλοὺς κακώσας θεὸς εἶναι ὑποληφθεὶς, πρὸς τῷ φοβερὸν εἶναι καὶ προτετίμηται. ### English translation (Claude) When Bernice was asked, she said: “These things are as you have heard; but hear the other things about Simon himself, which perhaps you do not know. By making phantoms and apparitions appear in the middle of the marketplace by day, he astounds the whole city; and when he goes out, statues move and many shadows go before him, which he says are the souls of the dead. Many who tried to expose him as a sorcerer he soon reconciled to himself on the pretext of a feast; he sacrificed an ox, entertained them, and then struck them with various diseases and subjected them to demons. In short, having harmed many, he is supposed to be a god, and besides being feared he is also highly honoured.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.4 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-4). ## Homilies 4.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-5 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Bernice advises them to wait for Peter, the only one able to oppose Simon’s power. ### Greek text Ὅθεν οὐκ οἴομαι δυνήσεσθαί τινα τοσοῦτον ἀναφθὲν πῦρ σβέσαι. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἐνδοιάζει τις περὶ ὧν ἐκεῖνος ἐπαγγέλλεται, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο οὕτως ἔχειν διαβεβαιοῦται ἕκαστος. διὸ τοῦ μὴ κινδυνεύειν ὑμᾶς χάριν παρακαλῶ μηδὲν ἐγχειρῆσαι πρὸς αὐτόν, πρὶν ἄν Πέτρος ἔλθῃ, ὅς μόνος δυνήσεται πρὸς τοσαύτην δυναστείαν, τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ δοκιμώτατος ὑπάρχων μαθητής, ἀνταγωνίσασθαι. τοσοῦτον γὰρ πεφόβημαι τὸν ἄνδρα, ὡς εἰ μὴ καὶ ἄλλοτε πρὸς τὸν κύριόν μου Πέτρον διαλεχθεὶς τὸ ἧττον ἀπηνέγκατο, συνεβούλευσα ἄν ὑμῖν καὶ αὐτὸν πείθειν τὸν Πέτρον, μὴ πειρᾶσθαι ἀντεξετάζεσθαι τῷ Σίμωνι. ### English translation (Claude) “So I do not think anyone will be able to put out so great a fire once it has been kindled. For no one doubts what he professes; everyone affirms that it is so. Therefore, so that you may not be endangered, I urge you not to attempt anything against him before Peter comes, who alone will be able to contend against so great a power, since he is the most approved disciple of our Lord Jesus Christ. For I fear the man so much that, if he had not already come off worse in debate with my lord Peter on another occasion, I would have advised you to persuade even Peter himself not to try to measure himself against Simon.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.5 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-5). ## Homilies 4.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-6 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon sails for Sidon, leaving behind Appion the grammarian, Annubion the astrologer, and Athenodorus the Epicurean; Clement writes to Peter. ### Greek text Κᾀγὼ ἔφην· ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Πέτρος εἰ ἠγνόει ὅτι αὐτὸς μόνος κατισχύει τῆς ἐκείνου δυναστείας, οὐκ ἄν ἡμᾶς προπέμπων ἐνετέλλετο, λανθανόντως τὰ κατὰ Σίμωνα διαμανθάνοντας αὐτῷ γράφειν. ὅμως ἐπεὶ ἑσπέρα κατειλήφει, ἁλῶν μεταλαβόντες ὑπνώσαμεν. ἕωθεν δέ τις τῇ Βερνίκῃ συνήθης ἐλθὼν ἔφη, τὸν Σίμωνα εἰς τὴν Σιδῶνα ἐκπεπλευκέναι, τῶν δὲ αὐτοῦ μαθητῶν καταλελοιπέναι Ἀππίωνα τὸν πλειστονίκην, ἄνδρα Ἀλεξανδρέα, γραμματικὸν τὴν ἐπιστήμην, ὅν πρὸς πατρός μοι φίλον ὄντα ἐπέγνων, καὶ Ἀννουβιῶνα τὸν Διοςπολίτην τινὰ ἀστρολόγον, καὶ Ἀθηνόδωρον τὸν Ἀθηναῖον τῷ Ἐπικούρου ἀρεσκόμενον λόγῳ. ἡμεῖς δὲ τὰ κατὰ τὸν Σίμωνα μαθόντες, ἕωθεν πάντα γράψαντες καὶ Πέτρῳ διαπέμψαντες, εἰς περίπατον ἀπετραπόμεθα. ### English translation (Claude) And I said: “If our lord Peter did not know that he alone prevails over that man’s power, he would not have sent us ahead with instructions to find out secretly about Simon and write to him.” But since evening had come, we shared salt and went to sleep. At dawn an acquaintance of Bernice came and said that Simon had sailed for Sidon, leaving behind, of his disciples, Appion Pleistonices, a man of Alexandria, a grammarian by profession, whom I recognized as a friend of my father’s; Annubion of Diospolis, an astrologer; and Athenodorus the Athenian, a follower of the teaching of Epicurus. Having learned about Simon, we wrote everything down early that morning and sent it to Peter, and then went out for a walk. ### Translation notes - “Shared salt” means they ate together. Appion recalls the historical Alexandrian grammarian Apion, opponent of the Jews answered by Josephus. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.6 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-6). ## Homilies 4.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-7 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Appion meets Clement with a crowd and challenges him for abandoning Greek ancestral customs for Jewish ones. ### Greek text Καὶ Ἀππίων ἀπηντήσατο ἡμῖν, οὐ μόνον μετὰ τῶν προειρημένων ἑταίρων τῶν δύο, ἀλλὰ καὶ μεθʼ ἑτέρων ἀνδρῶν ὡς τριάκοντα. καὶ ἅμα τῷ ἰδεῖν με προσαγορεύσας καὶ καταφιλήσας ἔφη· οὗτός ἐστιν Κλήμης, περὶ οὗ ὑμῖν τῆς τε εὐγενείας καὶ τῆς ἐλευθεροτροπείας πολὺν ἐποιούμην λόγον, ὅτι ἀνὴρ πρὸς γένους Τιβερίου Καίσαρος ὢν καὶ πάσης ἑλληνικῆς παιδείας ἐξησκημένος ὑπὸ βαρβάρου τινὸς, τὴν προσηγορίαν Πέτρου, τὰ Ἰουδαίων ποιεῖν καὶ λέγειν ἠπάτηται. ὅθεν ἀξιῶ συναγωνίσασθαί μοι πρὸς τὴν διόρθωσιν αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἐφʼ ὑμῶν αὐτοῦ πυνθάνομαι. λεγέτω μοι, ἐπειδὴ πρὸς τὸ εὐσεβεῖν ἑαυτὸν ἀποδεδωκέναι νομίζει, πῶς οὐχὶ τὰ μέγιστα ἀσεβεῖ, καταλιπὼν μὲν τὰ πάτρια, ἀποκλίνας δὲ εἰς ἔθη βάρβαρα. ### English translation (Claude) And Appion met us, not only with the two companions already named, but with about thirty other men. As soon as he saw me, he greeted and kissed me and said: “This is Clement, of whose noble birth and liberal upbringing I have often spoken to you: a man related to the family of Tiberius Caesar and trained in all Greek learning, who has been deceived by a barbarian called Peter into doing and saying the things of the Jews. So I ask you to join me in the effort to set him right. And in your presence I ask him: let him tell me, since he thinks he has given himself to piety, how he is not guilty of the greatest impiety in abandoning his ancestral ways and turning aside to barbarian customs.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.7 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-7). ## Homilies 4.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-8 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement argues that ancestral customs must be kept only if they are godly, and that his father erred in believing the Greek myths about the gods. ### Greek text Ἐγὼ ἀπεκρινάμην· τὴν μὲν πρὸς ἐμέ σου ἀγαθὴν προαίρεσιν ἀποδέχομαι, τὴν δὲ ἀγνωσίαν ἀποσείομαι. ἡ μὲν γὰρ προαίρεσις ἀγαθή, ὅτι, ἐν οἷς δοκεῖς καλοῖς, ἐν τούτοις εἶναί με θέλεις· ἡ δὲ γνῶσις οὐκ ὀρθῶς ἔχουσα φιλίας προφάσει ἐνεδρεύειν ἀγωνίζεται. καὶ ὁ Ἀππίων ἔφη· ἀγνωσία σοι εἶναι δοκεῖ, τὰ πάτρια ἔθη φυλάττοντα τὰ Ἑλλήνων φρονεῖν; κᾀγὼ σεβεῖν προαιρούμενον οὐ πάντως φυλάσσειν ἀπεκρινάμην· τὸν εὐδεῖ τὰ πάτρια, ἀλλὰ φυλάσσειν μὲν ἐὰν ᾖ εὐσεβῆ, ἀποσείεσθαι δὲ ἐὰν ἀσεβῆ τυγχάνῃ. ἐνδέχεται γάρ τινα πατρὸς ἀσεβοῦς ὄντα, εὐσεβεῖν βουλόμενον, μὴ θέλειν τῷ τοῦ πατρὸς ἀκολουθεῖν. καὶ ὁ μὲν Ἀππίων ἀπεκρίνατο· τί οὖν; τὸν σὸν πατέρα ἔφης κακοῦ βίου γεγονέναι; κἀγὼ ἔφην· κακοῦ μὲν οὐκ ἦν βίου, κακῆς δὲ ὑπολήψεως. καὶ ὁ Ἀππίων. τίς ἦν ἡ κακὴ αὐτοῦ ὑπόνοια ἀκοῦσαι θέλω. κἀγὼ ἔφην· ὅτι τοῖς τῶν Ἑλλήνων ψευδέσιν καὶ κακοῖς ἐπίστευε μύθοις. καὶ ὁ Ἀππίων ἐπύθετο· τίνες εἰσὶν οὗτοι τῶν Ἑλλήνων οἱ ψευδεῖς καὶ κακοὶ μῦθοι; κἀγὼ ἔφην· ἡ περὶ θεῶν οὐκ ὀρθὴ δόκησις, ἥν ἐὰν μακροθυμῇς, ἀκούσῃ μετὰ τῶν φιλομαθῶν. ### English translation (Claude) I answered: “I accept your good will toward me, but I reject your ignorance. Your intention is good, because you want me to be among the things you consider good; but your knowledge, not being right, is trying to ensnare me under the pretext of friendship.” Appion said: “Does it seem ignorance to you for one who keeps his ancestral customs to think as the Greeks do?” I answered: “One who chooses to be godly must not keep his ancestral ways at all costs, but must keep them if they are godly and shake them off if they are ungodly. For it can happen that someone whose father is ungodly, wishing to be godly, does not want to follow his father’s way.” Appion answered: “What then? Are you saying your father lived an evil life?” I said: “His life was not evil, but his belief was.” Appion said: “I want to hear what his evil opinion was.” I said: “That he believed the false and evil myths of the Greeks.” Appion asked: “What are these false and evil myths of the Greeks?” I said: “The wrong notion about gods, which, if you are patient, you will hear together with those who love learning.” ### Translation notes - Clement’s answer is garbled in the edition (τὸν εὐδεῖ τὰ πάτρια, with words out of place); it is translated by the evident sense. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.8 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-8). ## Homilies 4.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-9 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement asks to speak in a quiet place, since many philosophers seek glory or gain rather than truth. ### Greek text Διὸ πρὸ τῶν διαλόγων εἴς τινα ἡσυχώτερον ὑποχωρήσωμεν ἤδη τόπον· ἐνταῦθα ὑμῖν διαλεχθήσομαι. τοῦ δὲ ἰδιολογεῖσθαί με βούλεσθαι αἰτία γέγονεν αὕτη, ἐπειδὴ οὐχ οἱ πολλοὶ οὐδὲ οἱ φιλοσοφοῦντες αὐτοὶ ἅπαντες γνησίως προσέρχονται τῇ τῶν ὄντων κρίσει. ἴσμεν γὰρ πολλοὺς καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ φιλοσοφίᾳ μεγαλοφρονούντων κενοδοξοῦντας, ἢ χρηματισμοῦ χάριν περιβεβλημένους τὸν τρίβωνα καὶ οὐκ αὐτῆς ἀρετῆς ἕνεκεν, οἵπερ ἐὰν μὴ εὕρωσιν διʼ ὅ φιλοσοφοῦσιν, ἐπὶ τὸ χλευάζειν τρέπονται. διὰ δὴ τοὺς τοιύτους ἐπιτήδειόν τινα πρὸς τὸ ἰδιάζειν τόπον ἐπιλεξώμεθα. ### English translation (Claude) “So before the discussion let us now withdraw to some quieter place; there I will speak with you. The reason I want to speak privately is this: neither the many nor even all who practise philosophy approach the judgment of what is real with sincerity. For we know that many even of those who pride themselves on philosophy are vainglorious, or have put on the philosopher’s cloak for gain and not for virtue itself; and if they do not find what they practise philosophy for, they turn to mockery. Because of such people, let us choose a place suitable for private conversation.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.9 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-9). ## Homilies 4.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-10 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The company withdraws to a rich man’s shady garden, where Clement begins his speech. ### Greek text Καί τις ἐν αὐτοῖς πλούσιος ἀνὴρ, καὶ διὰ παντὸς χῶρόν τινα περὶ ἑαυτὸν κεκτημένος παμμήνων φύλλων, ἔφη· ἐπειδὴ σφόδρα καῦμα ἐπιφλέγει, βραχὺ τῆς πόλεως εἰς ἐμοὺς κήπους ὑποχωρήσωμεν. καὶ δὴ προϊόντες ἐκαθέζοντο, ἔνθα ἦν καθαρὰ ψυχρῶν ναμάτων ῥεύματα καὶ δένδρων παντοίων χλοερὰ σκέπη. ἔνθα ἐγὼ ἀσμένως ἐκαθεζόμην καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ περὶ ἐμέ, καὶ ἡσυχάζοντες, ἀντὶ τῆς μελλούσης ἀξιοῦν με φωνῆς, διὰ τοῦ ἀτενίζειν εἰς ἐμὲ δῆλοι ἦσαν τῆς ὑποθέσεως τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ἀπαιτοῦντες. καὶ δὴ οὕτως λέγειν ἠρξάμην. ### English translation (Claude) And one of them, a rich man who owned a place nearby with evergreen foliage, said: “Since the heat is scorching, let us withdraw a little from the city to my gardens.” So they went on and sat down where there were pure streams of cool water and the green shade of all kinds of trees. There I gladly sat down, and the others around me; and keeping silent, instead of asking me in words, they made it plain by gazing at me that they were demanding the proof of my claim. And so I began to speak as follows. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.10 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-10). ## Homilies 4.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-11 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Truth is found by sincere seeking, while custom is held without judgment and is hard to cast off. ### Greek text Πολλή τις, ὦ ἄνδρες, Ἕλληνες, ἡ διαφορὰ τυγχάνει ἀληθείας καὶ συνηθείας. ἡ μὲν γὰρ ἀλήθεια γνησίως ζητουμένη εὑρίσκεται, τὸ δὲ ἔθος, ὁποῖον ἂν παραληφθῇ, εἴτε ἀληθὲς εἴτε ψευδὲς, ἀκρίτως ὑφʼ ἑαυτοῦ κρατύνεται, καὶ οὔτε ἀληθεῖ ὄντι αὐτῷ ἥδεται ὁ παραλαβὼν, οὔτε ψευδεῖ ἄχθεται. οὐ γὰρ κρίσει, ἀλλὰ προλήψει ὁ τοιοῦτος πεπίστευκεν, γνώμῃ τῶν πρὸ αὐτοῦ ἐπʼ ἀδήλῳ τύχῃ τὴν ἐπιδεδωκὼς ἐλπίδα. καὶ οὐκ ἔστιν ῥᾳδίως ἀποδύσασθαι τὴν πάτριον περιβολήν, κἄν πάνυ αὐτῷ δείκνυηται μωρὰ καὶ καταγέλαστος οὖσα. ### English translation (Claude) “Great, men of Greece, is the difference between truth and custom. For truth, when sought sincerely, is found; but custom, whatever kind is received, true or false, is strengthened by itself without judgment, and the one who received it is neither glad when it is true nor troubled when it is false. For such a person has believed not by judgment but by preconception, having entrusted his hope to the opinion of those before him on an uncertain chance. And it is not easy to strip off the ancestral garment, even if it is plainly shown to him to be foolish and ridiculous.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.11 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-11). ## Homilies 4.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-12 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Greek teaching of immoral gods and of astrological fate removes shame and repentance. ### Greek text Αἰτίκα γοῦν ἐγὼ τὴν πᾶσαν Ἑλλήνων παιδείαν κακοῦ δαίμονος χαλεπωτάτην ὑπόθεσιν εἶναι λέγω. οἱ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν πολλοὺς θεοὺς εἰσηγήσαντο, καὶ τούτους κακοὺς καὶ παντοπαθεῖς· ἵνα ὁ τὰ ὅμοια πράττειν θέλων μηδὲ αἰδῆται, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἀνθρώπου ἴδιον, παράδειγμα ἔχων τῶν μυθολογουμένων θεῶν τοὺς κακοὺς καὶ ἀσέμνους βίους. τῷ δὲ μηδὲ αἰδεῖσθαι οὐδὲ ἐλπίδα μετανοίας ὁ τοιοῦτος ἐμφαίνει. ἄλλοι δὲ εἱμαρμένην εἰσηγήσαντο, τὴν λεγομένην γένεσιν, παρʼ ἥν μηδὲν πάσχειν τις ἢ ποιεῖν δύναται. ὁμοίως οὖν καὶ τοῦτο τῷ πρώτῳ τἀυτόν ἐστιν. νομίσας γάρ τις ὅτι παρὰ γένεσιν οὐδεὶς οὔτε ποιεῖν οὔτε πάσχειν ἔχει, ῥᾳδίως ἐπὶ τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν ἔρχεται, καὶ ἁμαρτὼν οὐ μεταμελεῖται ἐφʼ οἷς ἠσέβηκεν, ἀπολογίαν φέρων ὅτι ὑπὸ γενέσεως αὐτὰ ποιεῖν ἐξηναγκάζετο· καὶ ὡς τὴν γένεσιν κατορθῶσαι μὴ δυνάμενος, ἐφʼ οἷς ἐξαμαρτάνει οὐδὲ τὸ αἰδεῖσθαι ἔχει. ### English translation (Claude) “For example, I say that the whole of Greek education is a most grievous invention of an evil demon. Some of them introduced many gods, and these evil and subject to every passion, so that whoever wishes to do the like may not even feel shame, which is proper to a human being, since he has as his example the evil and indecent lives of the gods of mythology. And by not even feeling shame, such a person shows no hope of repentance. Others introduced fate, the so-called genesis, contrary to which no one can suffer or do anything. This is the same as the first. For one who thinks that no one can do or suffer anything contrary to genesis easily turns to sin, and having sinned does not repent of his impieties, offering the excuse that he was compelled by genesis to do them; and since he cannot correct genesis, he does not even feel shame for his sins.” ### Translation notes - “Genesis” is the astrological fate fixed by the stars at one’s birth. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.12 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-12). ## Homilies 4.13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-13 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Denial of providence leads to fearless wrongdoing, whereas the Jewish teaching of one good and just Creator is most pious. ### Greek text Ἄλλοι δὲ ἀπρονόητον φορὰν εἰσηγοῦνται, ὡς αὐτομάτως τῶν πάντων περιφερομένων, οὐδενὸς ἐφεστηκότος δεσπότου. ταῦτα δὲ οὕτω νομίζειν, ὡς εἰρήκαμεν, πασῶν δοξῶν τυγχάνει οὖσα χαλεπωτάτη. ὡς γὰρ οὐκ ὄντος τοῦ ἐφεστῶτος καὶ προνουμένου καὶ ἑκάστῳ τὸ κατʼ ἀξίαν ἀπονέμοντος, πᾶν ὅτι δύνανται διὰ τὴν ἀφοβίαν εὐκόλως δρῶσιν. Ὅθεν οὐ ῥᾳδίως, ἢ τάχα οὐδὲ ὅλως οἱ τὰ τοιαῦτα φρονοῦντες σωφρονίζονται τὸν γὰρ ἐπιστρέφοντα κίνδυνον οὐ προορῶνται. ὁ δὲ τῶν, ὡς ὑμεῖς φατέ, βαρβάρων Ἰουδαίων λόγος εὐσεβέστατός ἐστιν, ἕνα πατέρα καὶ δημιουργὸν τοῦδε τοῦ παντὸς εἰςηγούμενος, τῇ φύσει ἀγαθὸν καὶ δίκαιον· ἀγαθὸν μὲν, ὡς μεταμελομένοις χαριζόμενον τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, δίκαιον δὲ, ὡς ἑκάστῳ μετὰ τὴν μετάνοιαν κατʼ ἀξίαν τῶν πεπραγμένων ἐπεξιόντα. ### English translation (Claude) “Others introduce a motion without providence, as though all things were carried round of themselves, with no master set over them. To think this, as we have said, is the most grievous of all opinions. For, as if there were no one presiding, providing, and allotting to each according to desert, they readily do whatever they can, because they have no fear. Hence those who think such things are not easily, or perhaps not at all, brought to self-control, for they do not foresee the danger that would turn them back. But the teaching of the Jews, whom you call barbarians, is most pious, introducing one Father and Creator of this universe, by nature good and just: good, in that he forgives the sins of those who repent; just, in that after repentance he visits on each according to the worth of what he has done.” ### Translation notes - The view that the world moves without providence is the Epicurean one. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.13 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-13). ## Homilies 4.14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-14 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Belief in the all-seeing God as judge encourages self-control even if it were a myth, and if true it brings eternal reward. ### Greek text Οὗτος ὁ λόγος, εἰ καὶ μῦθος ὤν τυγχάνει, εὐσεβής γε ὤν οὐκ ἀσύμφορος ἄν εἴη τῷ βίῳ. ἕκαστος γὰρ προσδοκίᾳ τοῦ κριθήσεσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ παντεπόπτου Θεοῦ πρὸς τὸ σωφρονεῖν μᾶλλον τὴν ὁρμὴν λαμβάνει. εἰ δὲ καὶ ἀληθὴς εἴη ὁ λόγος, ἀπήλλαξε μὲν τὸν σωφρόνως βεβιωκότα τῆς αἰωνίου κολάσεως, προσευεργέτηκεν δὲ τοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀϊδίοις τε καὶ ἀποῤῥήτοις γιγνομένοις ἀγαθοῖς. ### English translation (Claude) “This teaching, even if it were a myth, would not be without benefit for life, since it is pious. For each person, in expectation of being judged by the all-seeing God, receives a stronger impulse toward self-control. And if the teaching is also true, it frees the one who has lived with self-control from eternal punishment, and blesses him besides with the everlasting and ineffable good things that come from God.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.14 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-14). ## Homilies 4.15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-15 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement returns to the Greek belief in many passionate gods, whose loves Greek education teaches as examples. ### Greek text Πλὴν ἐπάνειμι ἐπὶ τὴν πρωτίστην τῶν Ἑλλήνων δόξαν, τὴν πολλοὺς καὶ παντοπαθεῖς θεοὺς εἶναι μυθολογοῦσαν. καὶ ἵνα μὴ εἰς τὰ ἀσφαλῆ πολὺν ἀναλίσκω χρόνον, ἑκάστου τῶν λεγομένων θεῶν τὰς ἀσεβεῖς πράξεις εἰσηγούμενος, πάντας μὲν οὐκ ἄν εἴποιμι αὐτῶν τοὺς ἔρωτας, τοῦ Διός τε καὶ Ποσειδῶνος, Πλούτωνός τε καὶ Ἀπόλλωνος, Διονύσου τε καὶ Ἡρακλέους καὶ τῶν καθʼ ἕνα ἕκαστον, ὧν οὐδὲ αὐτοὶ ἀγνοεῖτε, ἐκ παιδείας Ἑλληνικῆς ὁρμώμενοι, οὕς ἐπαιδεύθητε βίους, ἵνα ὡς ζηλωταὶ τῶν θεῶν τὰ ὅμοια πράττητε. ### English translation (Claude) “But I return to the very first opinion of the Greeks, which tells in myths that there are many gods, subject to every passion. And so as not to spend much time on what is certain by setting out the impious deeds of each of the so-called gods, I will not recount all their loves, those of Zeus and Poseidon, of Pluto and Apollo, of Dionysus and Heracles, and of each one singly; for you yourselves are not ignorant of them, starting as you do from Greek education, and you were taught their lives so that, as imitators of the gods, you might do the like.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.15 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-15). ## Homilies 4.16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-16 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement lists the crimes of Cronus and Zeus in the myths: castration, devouring children, pederasty, adultery, and incest. ### Greek text Ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ δὲ τοῦ βασιλικωτάτου Διὸς ἄρξομαι, οὑ ὁ μὲν πατὴρ Κρόνος τὰ ἴδια τέκνα, ὡς λέγετε, καταπιών, τῇ ἐξ ἀδάμαντος ἅρπῃ τοῦ πατρὸς Οὐρανοῦ τὰ μόρια θερίσας, τῆς πρὸς γονεῖς εὐσεβείας καὶ τῆς πρὸς τὰ τέκνα φιλίας τοῖς τὰ μυστικὰ τῶν θεῶν ζηλοῦσιν τὸν ὑπογραμμὸν ἔδειξεν. αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ Ζεὺς τὸν αὑτοῦ πατέρα δήσας καθεῖρξεν εἰς Τάρταρον, καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους κολάζει θεούς. τοῖς δὲ ἀῤῥητουργεῖν θέλουσιν τὴν Μῆτιν γεννήσας κατέπιεν· ἦν δὲ ἡ Μήτις γονή· βρέφος γὰρ καταπιεῖν ἀδύνατον. ὑπὲρ δὲ ἀπολογίας παιδεραστῶν Γανυμήδην ἁρπάζει. μοιχοῖς δὲ ὑπὲρ μοιχείας βοηθῶν αὐτὸς πολλάκις μοιχὸς εὑρίσκεται. ἀδελφοκτονεῖν δὲ προτρέπει ἀδελφαῖς συνελθὼν, Ἥρᾳ καὶ Δήμητρι καὶ τῇ οὐρανίᾳ Ἀφροδίτῃ, ἥν τινες Δωδώνην λέγουσι. τοῖς δὲ θυγατράσι μίγνυσθαι βουλομένοις Περσεφόνῃ συνεληλυθὼς παράδειγμα πονηρὸν ἐκ τῶν μύθων γίνεται. ἄλλα γε μυρία ἠσέβηκεν, ἵνα ὑπὸ τῶν δυσσεβῶν διὰ τὴν ὑπερβάλλουσαν ἀκρασίαν θεὸς εἶναι ὁ μῦθος δογματισθῇ· ### English translation (Claude) “I will begin with the most kingly Zeus himself. His father Cronus, as you say, swallowed his own children, and cut off the genitals of his father Uranus with a sickle of adamant, and so showed to those who emulate the mysteries of the gods a pattern of piety toward parents and love toward children. Zeus himself bound his own father and shut him up in Tartarus, and he punishes the other gods. For those who wish to do unspeakable things, he begot Metis and swallowed her; but Metis was seed, for it is impossible to swallow a baby. To give pederasts an excuse, he carries off Ganymede. Helping adulterers in their adultery, he himself is often found an adulterer. He encourages the murder of brothers, having united with his sisters Hera and Demeter and the heavenly Aphrodite, whom some call Dodona. For those who wish to have intercourse with their daughters, he becomes from the myths an evil example by uniting with Persephone. He committed countless other impieties, so that because of his surpassing incontinence the myth might be made a dogma by the impious, that he is a god.” ### Extrabiblical texts - Hesiod, Theog. 178–181 (Hesiod, Theogony): allusion, high confidence - Hesiod, Theog. 453–491 (Hesiod, Theogony): allusion, high confidence - Hesiod, Theog. 886–900 (Hesiod, Theogony): allusion, high confidence - Homer, Il. 20.232–235 (Homer, Iliad): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The myths of Uranus, Cronus, and Metis follow Hesiod’s Theogony (178–181, 453–491, 886–900); Ganymede, Homer, Iliad 20.232–235. The digital text reads ἀδελφοκτονεῖν (“to kill brothers,” fratricide), translated as printed even though its sense with “uniting with his sisters” is unclear; a reading such as ἀδελφομιξίαν (“intercourse with sisters”) would fit the context better but is not what the text has. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.16 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-16). ## Homilies 4.17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-17 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Educated grammarians and sophists use the myths as an excuse for their own incontinence. ### Greek text Ἰδιώταις ἔχοις περὶ τῶν τοιούτων ὑπολήψεων ἀγανακτεῖν μετρίως εὔλογον. τοῖς δὲ ἐκ παιδείας ὁρμωμένοις τί δεῖ καὶ λέγειν; ὧν τινες γραμματικοὶ καὶ σοφισταὶ ἀξιοῦντες εἶναι τὰς τοιαύτας πράξεις θεῶν ἀξίας εἶναι βεβαιοῦσιν. αὐτοὶ γὰρ ἀκρατεῖς ὄντες, ταύτης τῆς μυθικῆς προφάσεως λαβόμενοι, ὡς δὴ μιμηταὶ τῶν κρειττόνων ἄσεμνα διαπραττόμενοι παῤῥησιάζονται. ### English translation (Claude) “One may reasonably be moderately indignant with unlearned people about such notions. But what need is there even to speak of those who start from education? Some of them, claiming to be grammarians and sophists, affirm that such deeds are worthy of gods. For being incontinent themselves, they seize on this mythical pretext and boldly commit indecencies as imitators, forsooth, of their betters.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.17 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-17). ## Homilies 4.18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-18 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Myths learned in childhood take root like evil seed and, as custom becomes second nature, are hard to remove. ### Greek text Διὰ τοῦτο αὐτῶν πολλῷ ἔλαττον οἱ κατʼ ἀγρὸν βιοῦντες ἐξαμαρτάνουσιν, οὐκ εἰσηγμένοι πονηρῶς διʼ ὧν εἰσήχθησαν οἱ ταῦτα τολμῶντες, ἐκ παιδείας κακῆς ἀσεβεῖν μεμαθηκότες. οἱ γὰρ ἐκ παιδὸς διὰ τῶν τοιούτων μύθων μανθάνοντες γράμματα, ἔτι ἁπαλῇ οὔσῃ τῇ ψυχῇ τὰς τῶν λεγομένων θεῶν ἀσεβεῖς πράξεις εἰς τὸν αὑτῶν συμφύουσι νοῦν. ὅθεν ἐπαυξηθείσης τῆς ἡλικίας ὡς κακὰ σπέρματα καταβληθέντα τῇ ψυχῇ τελεσφοροῦσιν· καὶ τὸ πάντων χαλεπώτατον, ὅτι οὐδὲ ἐκκοπῆναι ῥᾳδίως ἔστι τὰ ἐνεῤῥιζωμένα ἀσεβήματα, ὁπότʼ ἂν ἀνδρωθεῖσιν αὐτοῖς χαλεπὰ εἶναι νοῆται. ἐν οἷς γὰρ ἕκαστος ἐκ παίδων ἐθίζεται, τούτοις ἐμμένειν ἥδεται, καὶ οὕτως, τῆς συνηθείας οὐ πολὺ ἔλαττον πρὸς τὴν φύσιν δυναμένης, δυσμετάβλητοι γίνονται πρὸς τὰ μὴ ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς αὐτοῖς καταβληθέντα τῇ ψυχῇ καλά. ### English translation (Claude) “For this reason those who live in the country sin much less than they do, since they have not been wickedly initiated into the things by which those who dare these deeds were initiated, having learned impiety from an evil education. For those who from childhood learn their letters through such myths implant the impious deeds of the so-called gods in their minds while the soul is still tender. So as they grow older these bear fruit like evil seeds sown in the soul; and worst of all, the impieties that have taken root cannot easily be cut out, even when as grown men they perceive them to be grievous. For each person likes to remain in what he has been accustomed to from childhood; and so, since custom has hardly less power than nature, they become hard to turn toward the good things that were not sown in their souls from the beginning.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.18 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-18). ## Homilies 4.19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-19 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Greek myths, theatres, and books should be avoided, for they spread their corruption like rabies. ### Greek text Διὸ χρὴ καὶ τοὺς νέους μὴ τοῖς διαφθείρουσιν ἀρκεῖσθαι μαθήμασιν, καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ τῆς ἀκμῆς ὄντας ἐπιμελῶς ὑποστέλλεσθαι τῆς Ἑλλήνων ἐπακούειν μυθολογίας. πολὺ γὰρ ἀμαθίας χείρονά ἐστιν τὰ παρʼ αὐτοῖς μαθήματα, ὡς ἐκ τῶν κατʼ ἀγρὸν οἰκούντων, διὰ τὸ μὴ παιδευθῆναι τὰ παρʼ Ἕλλησιν ἔλαττον ἁμαρτανόντων, ἀπεδείξαμεν. φευκτέον δὴ τοὺς τοιούτους μύθους αὐτῶν καὶ τὰ θέατρα καὶ τὰ βιβλία· εἴθε δυνατὸν ἦν, καὶ τὰς πόλεις. κακῶν γὰρ μαθημάτων γέμοντες καὶ πνέοντες τοῖς συναμιλλωμένοις ὥσπερ λύσσαν τοῖς πλησίον μεταδιδοῦσιν ὧν πεπόνθασιν αὐτοί. τὸ δὲ χαλεπώτατον, ὅστις παρʼ αὐτοῖς πλεῖον πεπαίδευται, πολλῷ τοῦ κατὰ φύσιν οὗτος φρονεῖν ἐκτέτραπται. ### English translation (Claude) “Therefore the young must not be content with corrupting lessons, and those in their prime must carefully refrain from listening to the mythology of the Greeks. For their lessons are much worse than ignorance, as we have shown from those who live in the country, who sin less because they have not been educated in what the Greeks teach. So their myths must be shunned, and their theatres and books, and, if it were possible, their cities too. For being full of evil teachings and breathing them out, they pass on what they themselves suffer to those who associate with them, like rabies to those near them. And worst of all, whoever among them is more highly educated has been turned much further away from thinking according to nature.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.19 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-19). ## Homilies 4.20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-20 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement rejects the philosophers’ view that adultery and similar acts are sins only by convention, since they cause strife and murder. ### Greek text Τινὲς δὲ τῶν παρʼ αὐτοῖς καὶ φιλοσόφοι εἶναι ἀξιοῦντες τὰ τοιαῦτα ἁμαρτήματα ἀδιάφορα τίθενται, καὶ τοὺς ἐπὶ ταῖς τοιαύταις πράξεσιν χαλεπαίνοντας ἀνοήτους λέγουσιν. οὐ γάρ ἐστιν, φασί, τὰ τοιαῦτα τῇ φύσει ἁμαρτήματα, ὅσα θετοῖς ἀπηγόρευται νόμοις ὑπὸ τῶν κατʼ ἀρχὰς γενομένων σοφῶν, διὰ τὸ εἰδέναι, ὅτι οἱ ἄνθρωποι εὐριπίστῳ ψυχῇ ἐπὶ τοῖς τοιούτοις μεγάλως ἀχθόμενοι πρὸς ἀλλήλους πόλεμον αἴρονται. ὧν ἕνεκα νόμον θέντες οἱ σοφοὶ τὰ τοιαῦτα ὡς ἁμαρτήματα ἀπηγόρευσαν. γελοῖον δὲ οὕτως ὑπολαμβάνειν. πῶς γὰρ οὐχ ἁμαρτήματά εἰσιν τὰ θορύβων καὶ φόνων καὶ πάσης ταραχῆς αἴτια; ἦ γὰρ οὐκ ἐκ μοιχείας ἀνακύπτουσιν βίων περιγραφαὶ καὶ ἄλλα πλείω κακά; ### English translation (Claude) “Some of them, who even claim to be philosophers, class such sins as indifferent and call those who are angered by such deeds foolish. For such things, they say, are not sins by nature, but have been forbidden by positive laws made by wise men of old, because they knew that people, with their easily swayed souls, are greatly vexed by such things and make war on one another; and for this reason the wise men laid down a law and forbade such things as sins. But it is ridiculous to think so. For how are things not sins that cause tumults, murders, and every disturbance? Do not ruined lives and many other evils spring from adultery?” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.20 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-20). ## Homilies 4.21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-21 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Even undetected adultery breeds evils: desertion, plots, theft, abortion, and children who inherit from a man who is not their father. ### Greek text Ἀλλὰ διὰ τί, φησίν, ὁ ἀνὴρ ἐὰν ἀγνοῇ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα μοιχευομένην, οὐ ζηλοῖ, οὐ θυμοῦται, οὐ θορυβεῖ, οὐ πολεμεῖ; οὕτως οὐκ ἔστιν τῇ φύσει τὰ τοιαῦτα κακά, ἀλλʼ ἡ ἄλογος ἀνθρώπων δόκησις ταῦτα δεινοποιεῖ. ἐγὼ δέ φημι, ὅτι κἄν μὴ τὰ δεινὰ ταῦτα συμβαίνῃ, ἐνδέχεται συνηθείᾳ τῇ πρὸς τὸν μοιχὸν ἢ τὸν ἄνδρα ἀπολιπεῖν, ἢ καὶ συνοικοῦσαν ἐπιβουλεῦσαι, ἢ τὰ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς κόπῳ πεπορισμένα τῷ μοιχῷ παρασχεῖν· καὶ ἀποδημοῦντος τοῦ ἀνδρὸς συλλαβοῦσαν ἐκ τοῦ μοιχοῦ, διὰ τὸ αἰδεῖσθαι τὸν ἔλεγχον, τὸ κατὰ γαστρὸς φθεῖραι θελῆσαι, καὶ γενέσθαι τεκνοκτόνον, ἢ καὶ φθείρουσαν συμφθαρῆναι· εἰ δὲ συνόντος τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἐκ μοιχοῦ συλλαβοῦσα τέκοι, ἀνατραφεὶς ὁ παῖς τὸν μὲν πατέρα ἀγνοεῖ, τὸν δὲ οὐκ ὄντα νομίζει, καὶ οὕτως ὁ μὴ πατὴρ τελευτῶν ἀλλοτρίῳ παιδὶ τὸν ἑαυτοῦ καταλείπει βίον. πόσα δὲ καὶ ἄλλα κακὰ ἐκ τῆς μοιχείας φυσικῶς ἀνακύπτειν φιλεῖ, καὶ οὐκ ἴσμεν τὰ κρύφια τῶν κακῶν ὥσπερ γὰρ ὁ λυσσῶν κύων τούτους ἀναιρεῖ ὧνπερ ἄν ψαύσῃ, τῆς ἀφανεστάτης λύσσης μεταδιδούς, οὕτως καὶ τῆς μοιχείας τὸ κρύφιον κακόν, κἄν ἀγνοῆται, τῆς διαδοχῆς τὴν ἐκκοπὴν ἐξεργάζεται. ### English translation (Claude) “‘But why,’ someone says, ‘if a husband does not know that his wife is committing adultery, is he not jealous, not angry, not troubled, and does not make war? So such things are not evil by nature; it is the irrational opinion of men that makes them terrible.’ But I say that even if these terrible things do not happen, it can happen that through intimacy with the adulterer she leaves her husband, or plots against him while living with him, or gives the adulterer what her husband has gained by his labour; or, conceiving by the adulterer while her husband is abroad, she may out of shame at being exposed wish to destroy what is in her womb, and so become a child-killer, or perish along with it in destroying it. And if she conceives by the adulterer while her husband is at home and bears a child, the child grows up not knowing his father and thinking one who is not his father to be so; and so the man who is not the father leaves his livelihood at his death to another man’s child. And how many other evils naturally tend to spring from adultery! And the hidden evils we do not know. For just as a rabid dog destroys those it touches by passing on its invisible madness, so the hidden evil of adultery, even when unknown, brings about the cutting off of the family line.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.21 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-21). ## Homilies 4.22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-22 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Because adultery ruins households and cities, Clement turned to the God and Law of the Jews, trusting in God’s just judgment. ### Greek text Ἀλλὰ τοῦτο μὲν νῦν ἡμῖν παραλελείφθω. ἐκεῖνο δὲ ἅπαντες ἴσμεν, ὡς ἐπίπαν ἐπὶ τούτῳ τοὺς ἄνδρας ἀνεπισχέτως δυσχεραίνοντας, πολέμους ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἐγηγερμένους, καὶ οἴκων γενομένας ἀνατροπὰς, καὶ πόλεων ἁλώσεις, καὶ ἄλλα μυρία. διὰ τοῦτο ἐγὼ τῷ ἁγίῳ τῷ Ἰουδαίων Θεῷ καὶ νόμῳ προσέφυγον, ἀποδεδωκὼς τὴν πίστιν ἀσφαλεῖ τῇ κρίσει, ὅτι ἐκ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ δικαίας κρίσεως καὶ νόμος ὥρισται, καὶ ἡ ψυχὴ πάντως τὸ κατʼ ἀξίαν ὧν ἔπραξεν ὁπουδήποτε ἀπολαμβάνει. ### English translation (Claude) “But let this be passed over for now. This we all know: that men in general are uncontrollably angered by it, that wars have been stirred up over it, households overturned, cities captured, and countless other things. For this reason I fled for refuge to the holy God and Law of the Jews, having given my faith on a secure judgment, that the Law has been laid down from the just judgment of God, and that the soul will certainly receive, somewhere or other, according to the worth of what it has done.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.22 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-22). ## Homilies 4.23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-23 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement argues that the gods of the myths would deserve punishment, and that only fear of the all-seeing God restrains secret sin. ### Greek text Ταῦτά μου εἰπόντος ὁ Ἀππίων ἐπήνεγκεν τῷ λόγῳ· τί γάρ, οὐχὶ καὶ οἱ Ἑλλήνων, ἔφη, νόμοι τὰ φαῦλα ἀπαγορεύουσιν, καὶ τοὺς μοιχοὺς κολάζουσιν; κᾀγὼ ἔφην· οὐκοῦν οἱ Ἑλλήνων θεοὶ τὰ ἐναντία τοῖς νόμοις πράξαντες κόλασιν ὀφείλουσιν. πῶς δὲ καὶ σωφρονίζειν ἐμαυτὸν δυνήσομαι, ὑπολαμβάνων, ὅτι οἱ θεοὶ αὐτοὶ πρῶτοι ἅμα τῇ μοιχείᾳ τὰ χαλεπὰ πάντα διεπράξαντο, καὶ δίκην οὐ δεδώκασι, ταύτῃ μᾶλλον ὀφείλοντες διδόναι, ὡς μὴ δουλεύοντες ἐπιθυμίᾳ; εἰ δὲ ὑπέκειντο, πῶς ἦσαν θεοί; καὶ ὁ Ἀππίων· ἔστωσαν ἡμῖν σκοποὶ μηκέτι θεοί, ἀλλʼ οἱ δικασταὶ εἰς οὕς ἀφορῶντες φοβηθησόμεθα ἁμαρτάνειν. κᾀγὼ ἔφην· οὐκ ἐθʼ ὅμοιον, ὦ Ἀππίων. ὁ μὲν γὰρ πρὸς ἄνθρωπον ἔχων τὸν σκοπὸν ἐλπίδι τοῦ λαθεῖν τολμήσει ἁμαρτάνειν, ὁ δὲ Θεὸν παντεπόπτην τῇ ἑαυτοῦ ψυχῇ ὁρισάμενος, εἰδὼς αὐτὸν λαθεῖν μὴ δύνασθαι, καὶ τὸ λάθρα ἁμαρτεῖν παραιτήσεται. ### English translation (Claude) When I had said this, Appion added to the discussion: “What then? Do not the laws of the Greeks also forbid wicked deeds and punish adulterers?” I said: “Then the gods of the Greeks, who did things contrary to the laws, deserve punishment. And how shall I be able to discipline myself, if I suppose that the gods themselves were the first to commit, along with adultery, every grievous deed, and have not paid the penalty, though they ought all the more to pay it, since they are not slaves to desire? And if they were subject to it, how were they gods?” Appion said: “Let our standard be no longer the gods, but the judges; looking to them, we shall be afraid to sin.” I said: “It is not the same, Appion. For one who has a human being as his standard will dare to sin in the hope of escaping notice; but one who has set the all-seeing God before his own soul, knowing that he cannot escape his notice, will refuse even to sin in secret.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.23 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-23). ## Homilies 4.24 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-24 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Appion promises to show the next day that the myths are allegories of nature, and Clement prepares a reply. ### Greek text Ταῦτα ὁ Ἀππίων ἀκούσας ἔφη· ᾔδειν ἐξ ὅτε ἤκουσα Ἰουδαίοις σε προσομιλοῦντα, ἠλλοιῶσθαι τὴν γνώμην. καλῶς γὰρ εἴρηταί τινι· φθείρουσιν ἤθη χρηστὰ ὁμιλίαι κακαί. κᾀγὼ ἔφην· οὐκοῦν ἐπανορθοῦσιν ἤθη ἄχρηστα ὁμιλίαι καλαί. καὶ ὁ Ἀππίων ἔφη· σήμερον πεπληροφορήμην τὴν σὴν ἐπιγνῶναι ἔνστασιν· διό σοι πρώτῳ εἰπεῖν συνεχωρήσαμεν. αὔριον δὲ ἐνταῦθα, εἴ σοι φίλον ἐστίν, ἐπὶ τῶν αὐτῶν φίλων συνελθόντων ἀποδείξω, ὅτι οἱ θεοὶ ἡμῶν οὔτε μοιχοὶ ὄντες τυγχάνουσιν, οὔτε φονεῖς, οὔτε παίδων φθορεῖς, οὐκ ἀδελφαῖς ἢ θυγατράσιν πλησιάσαντες· ἀλλʼ οἱ ἀρχαῖοι τὰ μυστήρια μόνους τοὺς φιλομαθεῖς εἰδέναι θέλοντες μύθοις οἷς εἴρηκας αὐτὰ προεκάλυψαν. Ζῆνα γὰρ τὴν ζέουσαν οὐσίαν εἶναι φυσιολογοῦσιν, Κρόνον δὲ τὸν χρόνον, καὶ Ῥέαν τὴν ἀεὶ ῥέουσαν τοῦ ὕδατος φύσιν. πλὴν ὡς ὑπεσχόμην, αὔριον τὸ καθʼ ἕκαστον εἶδος ἕωθεν ὑμῖν συνελθοῦσιν ἀλληγορήσας τὴν τῶν ὄντων ἀλήθειαν ἐκφανῶ. κᾀγὼ πρὸς ταῦτα ἔφην· αὔριον, ὡς ὑπέσχου, οὕτως ποίησον· ἤδη δὲ ἐντεῦθεν καὶ πρὸς αὐτά, ἃ μέλλεις λέγειν, ἄκουσον. ### English translation (Claude) When Appion heard this, he said: “Ever since I heard that you were associating with Jews, I knew that your mind had been changed. For it was well said by someone, ‘Bad company corrupts good morals.’” I said: “Then good company corrects bad morals.” Appion said: “Today I was set on learning your position; that is why we let you speak first. Tomorrow, here, if you please, when the same friends have gathered, I will show that our gods are neither adulterers, nor murderers, nor corrupters of boys, nor have they lain with sisters or daughters; but the ancients, wishing only lovers of learning to know the mysteries, veiled them in the myths you have spoken of. For in their account of nature they say that Zeus (Zēn) is the seething substance, Cronus is time, and Rhea the ever-flowing nature of water. But, as I promised, tomorrow at dawn, when you have gathered, I will explain each form by allegory and reveal the truth of things.” To this I said: “Tomorrow do as you promised; but already now, hear something about the very things you are going to say.” ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 15:33: echo, low confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Menander, Thais (Menander, Thais): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The saying is from Menander’s Thais, also quoted by Paul in 1 Cor 15:33. The allegories play on Zēn / zeousa (“seething”), Kronos / chronos (“time”), and Rhea / rheousa (“flowing”). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.24 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-24). ## Homilies 4.25 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-25 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement answers in advance that veiling good deeds in evil myths, or evil deeds at all, would itself be wicked; the hearers ask him to return. ### Greek text Αἱ τῶν θεῶν πράξεις εἰ μὲν ἀγαθαὶ οὖσαι κακοῖς μύθοις προεκαλύφθησαν, πολλὴ τοῦ σκεπάσαντος δείκνυται κακία, ὅτι τὰ σεμνὰ ἀπέκρυψεν κακοῖς διηγήμασιν, ἵνα μήτις αὐτῶν ζηλωτὴς γένηται. εἰ δὲ ἀληθῶς ἀσεβῆ διεπράξαντο, ἐχρῆν τοὐναντίον ἀγαθοῖς αὐτὰ ἐπισκέπειν, ἵνα μὴ οἱ ἄνθρωποι, ὡς εἰς κρείττονας ἀφορῶντες, ἁμαρτάνειν ἐπιχειρῶσιν ἐκείνοις παραπλήσια. ταῦτά μου εἰπόντος οἱ παρόντες φανεροὶ ἦσαν ἀρχὴν λαμβάνοντες τῆς πρὸς τοὺς ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ λεχθέντας λόγους ἀγάπης. καὶ γὰρ συνεχῶς καὶ ἐσπουδασμένως ἀξιοῦντες πάντως με τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ἐλθεῖν ἀπηλλάγησαν. ### English translation (Claude) “If the deeds of the gods were good and were veiled in advance by evil myths, great wickedness is shown in the one who covered them, because he hid what is honourable under evil stories, so that no one should become its imitator. But if they truly did impious deeds, he ought, on the contrary, to have covered them with good stories, so that people, looking to them as their betters, might not attempt to sin in the same way.” When I had said this, those present were plainly beginning to take a liking to what I had said. For they repeatedly and earnestly begged me to come without fail the next day, and then departed. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 4.25 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/3-63/#p-4-25). ## Homilies 5.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-1 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement arrives at the meeting place, learns that Appion is ill, and is asked to speak before visiting him. ### Greek text Τῇ μὲν οὖν ἐν Τύρῳ ἐπιούσῃ ἡμέρᾳ, καθὰ συνεταξάμεθα, εἰς τὸν ἡσύχιον τόπον ἐλθὼν, τοὺς μὲν ἑτέρους μετά τινων καὶ ἄλλων ἰδὼν καὶ προσαγορεύσας, Ἀππίωνα δὲ μὴ ἑωρακὼς, ἠρόμην τοῦ μὴ παρεῖναι ἐκεῖνον τὴν αἰτίαν. καί τις ἔφη, δυσαῤῥώστως αὐτὸν ἀπʼ αὐτῆς ἑσπέρας ἐσχηκέναι τὸ σωμάτιον. ἐμοῦ δὲ φήσαντος, εὔλογον εἶναι παραχρῆμα ὁρμήσαντας ἐπισκέψασθαι αὐτὸν, σχεδὸν οἱ πάντες ἠξίουν πρότερον διαλεχθῆναί με αὐτοῖς, εἶθʼ οὕτως κᾀκεῖνον ἐπισκέψασθαι αὐτόν. μιᾶς οὖν πάντων γνώμης γενομένης, λέγειν ἠρξάμην. ### English translation (Claude) So on the following day in Tyre, as we had agreed, I came to the quiet place. I saw the others there, together with some more people, and greeted them; but not having seen Appion, I asked why he was not present. Someone said that he had been in poor bodily health since the evening before. When I said it would be right to set out at once and visit him, nearly all of them asked me first to speak with them and only then go and visit him. So, since everyone was of one mind, I began to speak. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.1 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-1). ## Homilies 5.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-2 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement recalls how, when he lay ill in Rome, Appion, a known enemy of the Jews and friend of Simon, came to visit him. ### Greek text Ἐχθὲς ἐντεῦθεν ἀπαλλαγείς, ὦ φίλοι, ὁμολογῶ ὅτι πάνυ φροντίζων ὑπὲρ τῆς πρὸς Ἀππίωνα μελλούσης ἔσεσθαι ζητήσεως ὕπνου τυχεῖν οὐκ ἐδυνάμην. ἀγρυπνοῦντος δέ μου εἰσέδραμεν τὰ ἐν Ῥώμῃ πρὸς αὐτόν μοι μεμηχανημένα. ἦν δὲ τοιαῦτα. ἐκ παιδὸς ἐγὼ Κλήμης ἀληθείας ἐρῶν, καὶ ζητῶν τὰ ψυχῇ διαφέροντα, καὶ εἰς ἀνασκευὰς καὶ κατασκευὰς δαπανῶν τοὺς χρόνους, καὶ μηθὲν τέλειον εὑρεῖν δύναμενος, ὑπὸ τῆς ἀνοίας ἐξώκειλα εἰς νόσον. καὶ δὴ ἐμοῦ κατακειμένου ὁ Ἀππίων ἐπιδημεῖ τῇ Ρώμῃ, πατρικὸς ὤν μοι φίλος, καὶ ἐπιξενοῦται ἐμοί, καὶ κλινήρη μαθὼν πρὸς ἐμὲ εἰσέρχεται, ὡς ἰατρικῆς οὐκ ἀμύητος, καὶ πυνθάνεται τῆς κατακλίσεως τὴν αἰτίαν. ἐγὼ δὲ τὸν ἄνδρα οὐκ ἀγνοῶν πάνυ Ἰουδαίους διʼ ἀπεχθείας ἔχοντα, ὡς καὶ πολλὰ βιβλία κατʼ αὐτῶν ἀναγεγραφέναι· καὶ αὐτὸν Σίμωνα νῦν οὐ διὰ φιλομάθειαν αὐτὴν εἰς φιλίαν προσιέμενον· ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ Σαμαρέα αὐτὸν οἶδεν μισοϊουδαῖόν τε ὄντα καὶ κατὰ Ἰουδαίων προεληλυθότα, διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὸν προσοικειώσατο, ἵνα δύναιτο κατὰ Ἰουδαίων τι παρʼ αὐτοῦ μανθάνειν. ### English translation (Claude) "When I left here yesterday, friends, I confess that I was so anxious about the coming inquiry with Appion that I could not get to sleep. As I lay awake, the trick I had played on him in Rome came into my mind. It was like this. From boyhood I, Clement, loved the truth and sought what matters for the soul; I spent my time arguing against views and building them up, and since I could find nothing complete, my folly ran me aground on illness. While I was laid up, Appion came to stay in Rome. He was a friend of my father's, he lodged with me, and on learning that I was bedridden he came in to me, as one not unversed in medicine, and asked the cause of my being laid up. I knew the man well: he held the Jews in bitter hatred, so much that he had written many books against them; and he had taken up this very Simon as a friend, not out of love of learning, but because he knew him to be a Samaritan who hated the Jews and had come out against them. That is why he had made him his intimate, so that he could learn something from him to use against the Jews. ### Translation notes - Appion is Apion of Alexandria, the anti-Jewish grammarian answered by Josephus in Against Apion. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.2 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-2). ## Homilies 5.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-3 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement pretends to be lovesick, and Appion tells how an Egyptian magician's spell once won him the woman he loved. ### Greek text Ταῦτα ἐγὼ προϊδὼν περὶ τοῦ Ἀππίωνος, ἅμα τῷ πυθέσθαι αὐτὸν τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς νόσου προσποιητῶς ἀπεκρινάμην, ὅτι τὰ νέων πάσχω καὶ ἀλγῶ τὴν ψυχήν. ὁ δὲ πρὸς ταῦτα ἔφη· τέκνον, ὡς πατρὶ θαρσήσας λέγε, τις σου τῆς ψυχῆς ἡ νόσος. ἐμοῦ δὲ προςποιητῶς πάλιν ἀναστενάξαντος, ὡς δὴ περὶ ἔρωτος εἰπεῖν αἰδουμένου, διά γε τῆς σιωπῆς καὶ τοῦ κάτω νεύειν, περὶ οὗ ἤθελον ἐνδείκνυσθαι, παρεῖχον τὴν ὑπόνοιαν· ὁ δὲ ἐρᾶν με γυναικὸς ἀληθῶς ἀναπεισθεὶς ἔφη· οὐδέν ἐστιν ἐν τῷ βίῳ, βοηθείας τυχεῖν μὴ δυνάμενον. καὶ γὰρ αὐτὸς ὅτε νέος ἤμην, ἐρασθεὶς γυναικὸς ἀξιολογωτάτης οὐ μόνον αὐτὴν τυχεῖν ἡγούμην ἀδύνατον εἶναι, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ προσαγορεῦσαί ποτε ἤλπιζον· καὶ ὅμως περιτυχών τινι Αἰγυπτίῳ, πάνυ τὰ μάγων ἀκριβοῦντι, καὶ φιλωθεὶς ἐκφαίνω μου τὸν ἔρωτα, καὶ οὐ μόνον ἑαυτόν μοι παρεῖχεν πρὸς πᾶν ὅ ἐβουλόμην, ἀλλὰ δαψιλέστερον πρός με φιλοτιμούμενος καὶ τὴν ἐπαοιδὴν, διʼ ἧς ἔτυχον, διδάσκειν οὐκ ἐφθόνησεν. ἐκ δὲ τῆς ἐκείνου λαθραίας ὑποδείξεως, πεισθεὶς τῇ τοῦ διδάξαντος ἀφθονίᾳ, καὶ ἅπαξ ἐπιτυχών, ἐπαυσάμην τοῦ ἔρωτος. ### English translation (Claude) "Knowing this about Appion in advance, as soon as he asked me the cause of my illness I answered with pretence that I was suffering what young men suffer and was sick at heart. To this he said, 'My child, speak boldly, as to a father: what is the sickness of your soul?' I sighed again with pretence, as though ashamed to speak about love, and by my silence and my downcast look I gave him the impression I wanted to convey. He, truly convinced that I was in love with a woman, said: 'There is nothing in life that cannot find help. When I myself was young, I fell in love with a most distinguished woman; not only did I think it impossible to win her, I did not even hope ever to speak to her. Yet I came across an Egyptian who was thoroughly expert in the arts of the magi, became his friend, and revealed my love to him. Not only did he put himself at my service for everything I wanted, but, being more generous still toward me, he did not grudge teaching me the incantation by which I won her. Through his secret guidance, trusting the generosity of my teacher, I won her once, and my love ceased. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.3 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-3). ## Homilies 5.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-4 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Appion promises success within seven days; Clement professes doubt whether demons always obey magicians. ### Greek text Ὅθεν εἰ καὶ σὺ τοιοῦτόν τι πέπονθας ἀνθρωπίνως, θάρσησον ἡμῖν πρὸς τὸ ἀμέριμνον ἐντὸς γὰρ ἡμερῶν ἑπτὰ πάντως αὐτῆς ἐπιτυχεῖν σε ποιήσω. ταῦτα ἀκούσας ἐγώ, εἰς τὸν ἐμοῦ σκοπὸν ἀποβλέπων ἔφην· σύγγνωθί μοι μὴ πάνυ πιστεύοντι μαγείαν ὑφεστᾶναι· πολλῶν γὰρ πολλὰ ἐπαγγελλομένων καὶ διαψευσαμένων ἤδη πεπείραμαι. πλὴν δυσωπεῖ με καὶ εἰς ἐλπίδας ἄγει ἡ σὴ ὑπόσχεσις. δέδοικα δὲ ἐνθυμούμενος, μὴ ἄρα οἱ δαίμονες τοῖς μάγοις ἐνίοτε πρὸς τὰ κελευόμενα οὐχ ὑπείκουσιν. ### English translation (Claude) "'So if you too have suffered something of the kind, as men do, take heart and trust me to free you from care: within seven days I will certainly make you win her.' When I heard this, keeping my own aim in view, I said: 'Forgive me if I do not quite believe that magic is real; I have already had experience of many who promised much and deceived me. Still, your promise moves me and leads me to hope. But when I think it over I fear that the demons may sometimes not obey the magi in what they are commanded.' ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.4 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-4). ## Homilies 5.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-5 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Appion explains magic as a chain of command: demons obey angels, and angels adjured by magicians obey for fear of the higher power. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Ἀππίων ἔφη· ταῦτα ἐμοί σου μᾶλλον συγχώρει εἰδέναι. πλὴν ἵνα μὴ δοκῇς, πρὸς ὅ ἔφης, μηδὲν ἀκηκοέναι παρʼ ἐμοῦ, μάθε πῶς ἀνάγκην ἔχουσιν οἱ δαίμονες τοῖς μάγοις ὑπείκειν περὶ ὧν κελεύονται. ὡς γὰρ ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν στρατιώτην ἀντειπεῖν τῷ ἡγουμένῳ, αὐτοῖς τε τοῖς ἡγουμένοις οὐχ οἷόν τε παρακοῦσαι βασιλέως· εἰ γάρ τις ἀντερεῖ τοῖς ἐφεστηκόσιν, πάντως τιμωρίας ἀξιοῦται· οὕτως ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν τοὺς δαίμονας μὴ ὑπουργεῖν τοῖς αὐτῶν ἡγουμένοις ἀγγέλοις, καθʼ ὧν ὁρκιζόμενοι φρίττοντες εἴκουσιν, εὖ εἰδότες ὅτι ἀπειθήσαντες πάντως κολάζονται. ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ οἱ ἄγγελοι κατὰ τοῦ κρείττονος ὑπὸ μάγων ὁρκιζόμενοι ὑπείκουσιν, μήπως ἀπειθείας κριθέντες ἀπόλωνται. εἰ γὰρ μὴ πάντα ἔμψυχα ὄντα καὶ λογισμένα προεώρα τὴν ἐκ τοῦ κρείττονος δίκην, σύγχυσις ἄν ἐγεγόνει, τῶν πάντων στασιαζόντων πρὸς ἄλληλα. ### English translation (Claude) "Appion said: 'Grant that I know these things better than you. But so that you may not think you have heard nothing from me on the point you raised, learn how the demons are compelled to obey the magi in what they are commanded. Just as it is impossible for a soldier to gainsay his commander, and the commanders themselves cannot disobey the king (for anyone who opposes those set over him is certainly thought to deserve punishment), so it is impossible for the demons not to serve the angels who command them; when adjured by them, they yield trembling, well aware that if they disobey they will certainly be punished. And the angels themselves, when adjured by the magi in the name of the one above them, obey, lest they be condemned for disobedience and perish. For if all beings, living and rational as they are, did not foresee the penalty that comes from the higher power, there would be confusion, with everything in revolt against everything else.' ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.5 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-5). ## Homilies 5.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-6 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement argues that if the punishments of Hades are real, forcing a woman by magic into adultery must be feared, though persuasion he would accept. ### Greek text Κᾀγὼ ἔφην· οὐκοῦν ὀρθῶς ἔχει τὰ ὑπὸ ποιητῶν καὶ φιλοσόφων λεγόμενα, ὡς ἐν ιἅδου αἱ ψυχαὶ τῶν ἀσεβῶν κριθεῖσαι ἐφʼ οἷς ἐτόλμησαν κολάζονται, οἷον Ἰξίωνος καὶ Ταντάλου Τιτυοῦ τε καὶ Σισύφου καὶ τῶν Δαναοῦ θυγατέρων καὶ ὅσοι ποτὲ ἄλλοι ἐνταῦθα ἠσέβησαν; καὶ πῶς, εἴγε ταῦθʼ οὕτως μὴ ἔχῃ, δυνατὸν ἂν μαγείαν ὑφεστάναι; τοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος, οὕτω τὰ ἐν ιἅδου ἔχειν, ἐγὼ ἐπυθόμην· διὰ τί δὴ καὶ αὐτοὶ μαγείαν οὐ πεφοβήμεθα, ἐπὶ μοιχείας πεπεισμένοι τὴν ἐν ᾅδου δίκην; μοιχείᾳ γὰρ βιάσασθαι τὴν μὴ θέλουσαν οὐ συντίθεμαι εἶναι δίκαιον. εἰ δέ τις αὐτὴν πείθειν ἐπαγγέλλεται, πρὸς τοῦτο, μετὰ τοῦ καὶ χάριν ὁμολογεῖν, ἑτοίμως ἔχω. ### English translation (Claude) "I said: 'Then what the poets and philosophers say is right, that in Hades the souls of the ungodly are judged and punished for what they dared to do, like Ixion and Tantalus, Tityus and Sisyphus, and the daughters of Danaus, and all the others who were once ungodly here? And if that is not so, how could magic be real?' When he said that things in Hades are indeed so, I asked: 'Why then are we ourselves not afraid of magic, convinced as we are of the penalty in Hades for adultery? For I do not agree that it is just to force an unwilling woman into adultery; but if someone undertakes to persuade her, I am ready for that, and will be grateful as well.' ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Od. 11.576-600 (Homer, Odyssey): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The punished sinners are those of Homer's underworld (Odyssey 11) and later poets. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.6 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-6). ## Homilies 5.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-7 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement insists that seduction by persuasion is less culpable than compulsion by magic, which he refuses. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Ἀππίων ἔφη· οὐ δοκεῖ σοι τἀυτὸν εἶναι, εἴτε μαγείᾳ αὐτῆς ἐπιτυχών, εἴτε παίσας λόγοις; κᾀγὼ ἔφην· οὐ πάντως ὅμοιον· πολὺ γὰρ ἀφέστηκεν ἀλλήλων ἑκάτερον· ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἄκουσαν γυναῖκα τῇ τῆς μαγείας βίᾳ ἐπαναγκάσας, ὡς ἐπιβουλεύσας σώφρονι, χαλεπωτάτην ὑπέχει τὴν δίκην, ὁ δὲ λόγῳ πείσας, καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ αὐτῆς ἐξουσίᾳ καὶ βουλῇ ποιησάμενος τὴν αἵρεσιν, οὐκ ἐβιάσατο. ἧττον δὲ οἶμαι κολασθήσεσθαι τὸν πεπεικότα τοῦ βιασαμένου· τοιγαροῦν εἰ μὲν πεῖσαι δύνασαι, χάριν ἕξω ἐπιτυχών, ἄλλως δὲ ἥδιόν μοι τεθνάναι μᾶλλον, ἢ τὴν μὴ βουλομένην βιαίως ἐπαναγκάσαι. ### English translation (Claude) "Appion said: 'Do you not think it is the same whether you win her by magic or trick her with words?' I said: 'Not at all the same; the two are far apart. The one who compels an unwilling woman by the force of magic undergoes the severest penalty, as one who has plotted against a chaste woman; but the one who persuades by speech, and leaves the choice to her own authority and will, has not used force. And I think the one who persuaded will be punished less than the one who forced. So if you can persuade her, I will be grateful when I have won her; otherwise I would rather die than force an unwilling woman by violence.' ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.7 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-7). ## Homilies 5.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-8 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Appion argues that only the deed of adultery is judged, not the means; Clement prefers persuasion but says the woman is a philosopher. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Ἀππίων ἀληθῶς διαπορῶν ἔφη· τί με χρὴ πρός σε λέγειν; ποτὲ μὲν γὰρ ὡς ὑπὸ ἔρωτος ἐνοχλούμενος εὔχῃ ἐπιτυχεῖν, ποτὲ δὲ ὡς οὐκ ἐρῶν τῆς ἐπιθυμίας προτιμᾷς τὸν φόβον, καὶ οἴει πείσας μὲν ὡς ἀναμάρτητος ἔσεσθαι ἀνεύθυνος, βίᾳ δὲ τῇ τῆς μαγείας ἐπιτυχὼν ὑφέξειν δίκην. ἀλλʼ ἀγνοεῖς ὡς τὸ τέλος παντὸς πράγματος κρίνεται, ὅτι γέγονεν, οὐ τὸ πῶς γέγονεν δοκιμάζεται. καὶ σὺ δὲ ἐὰν μοιχεύσῃς οὐδήπου μαγείᾳ μὲν δυνηθείς, ὡς ἀσεβήσας κριθήσῃ, πείσας δὲ τῆς κατὰ τὴν μοιχείαν ἁμαρτίας ἀπολυθήσῃ; κᾀγὼ ἔφην· διὰ τὸ ἐρᾷν πάντως μοι προκειμένου τυχεῖν τῆς ἐρωμένης, ἀνάγκη μέν μοι ἑλέσθαι θάτερον, αἱρήσομαι δὲ οἷόν τε κολακεῦσαι μᾶλλον, ἢ μαγεῦσαι. ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ κολακείᾳ πείθειν αὐτὴν ῥᾴδιον· πάνυ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ γυνὴ φιλόσοφος. ### English translation (Claude) "Appion, genuinely at a loss, said: 'What am I to say to you? One moment you pray to win her, as one tormented by love; the next, as though not in love, you put fear before desire, and you think that if you persuade her you will go unpunished as one who has not sinned, but if you win her by the force of magic you will pay the penalty. Do you not know that in every matter it is the outcome that is judged, the fact that it happened, and that how it happened is not examined? If you commit adultery, will you really be condemned as ungodly when you managed it by magic, but acquitted of the sin of adultery when you managed it by persuasion?' I said: 'Because I am in love and am set on winning the one I love, I must choose one or the other; but I will choose, if possible, to win her by flattery rather than by magic. Yet it is not easy to persuade her even by flattery, for the woman is very much a philosopher.' ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.8 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-8). ## Homilies 5.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-9 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Appion writes a praise of adultery to be sent to the woman; Clement, who kept it, reads it to his hearers as a sample of Greek education. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Ἀππίων ἔφη· ταύτῃ μᾶλλον εὔελπίς εἰμι πείθειν αὐτὴν δυνήσεσθαι, ὡς αὐτὸς θέλεις, εἴ περ γε προσομιλῆσαι αὐτῇ δυνάμεθα. κᾀγὼ ἀπεκρινάμην· ἀδύνατον. καὶ ὁ Ἀππίων ἐπύθετο, εἰ ἐπιστεῖλαι αὐτῇ δυνατόν ἐστιν. κᾀγὼ ἔφην· δυνατὸν τοῦτό γε. καὶ ὁ Ἀππίων ἔφη· ἔτι τῇ νυκτὶ ταύτῃ συγγράψω βιβλίον, μοιχείας ἐγκώμιον, ὅπερ σὺ παρʼ ἐμοῦ λαβὼν διαπέμψεις αὐτῇ, καὶ ἐλπίζω ὅτι πεισθεῖσα συνθήσεται. συγγράψας ὁ Ἀππίων ἐκεῖνο τὸ βιβλίον ἐδίδου ἐμοί, περὶ οὗ καὶ ἐν τῇ νυκτὶ ταύτῃ ἐνενόησα, καὶ εὔκαιρος ἔχειν αὐτὸ ὑπεμνήσθην, σὺν ἄλλοις βιβλίοις οἷς μετʼ ἐμαυτοῦ ἐπιφέρομαι. διηγησάμενος δὲ ταῦτα ἔδειξα τοῖς παροῦσι τὸ βιβλίον, καὶ βουλομένοις ἐπακούσαι ἀνέγνων, καὶ δὴ ἀναγνοὺς ἔφην· αὕτη ἐστίν, ἄνδρες, ἡ τῶν Ἑλλήνων παιδεία, γενναίαν ὑπόθεσιν ἔχουσα πρὸς τὸ ἀδεῶς ἐξαμαρτάνειν. τὸ δὲ βιβλίον ἦν οὕτως ἔχον. ### English translation (Claude) "Appion said: 'That makes me all the more hopeful that I can persuade her as you wish, if only we can speak with her.' I answered, 'Impossible.' Appion asked whether it was possible to send her a letter. I said, 'That is possible.' Appion said: 'This very night I will write a book, a praise of adultery, which you will take from me and send to her; and I hope she will be persuaded and consent.' Appion wrote that book and gave it to me. I thought of it during this night, and remembered that I happen to have it with me, among the other books I carry about." Having told this, I showed the book to those present, and since they wished to hear it I read it; and having read it I said: "This, men, is the education of the Greeks, which provides a noble pretext for sinning without fear." The book ran as follows. ### Translation notes - "Noble pretext" is ironic. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.9 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-9). ## Homilies 5.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-10 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Appion's letter argues that adultery is good because it obeys Eros, the oldest of the gods, and resisting desire is impiety. ### Greek text Ἀνωνύμως διὰ τοὺς ἐκ τῶν ἀνοήτων ἀνθρώπων νόμους. ἐπιταγαῖς Ἕρωτος τοῦ πάντων πρεσβυτάτου παιδὸς χάριν. ἔγνων σε φιλοσοφίᾳ προσανέχουσαν, καὶ ἀρετῆς ἕνεκα τὸν τῶν κρειττόνων ζηλοῦσαν βίον. τίνες δὲ ἂν εἶεν κρείττονες, ἢ θεοὶ μὲν ἁπάντων, ἀνθρώπων δὲ οἱ φιλόσοφοι; οὗτοι γὰρ μόνοι ἴσασιν, τῶν ἔργων ποῖα μέν ἐστιν φύσει κακὰ ἢ καλά, ποῖα δὲ τῇ τῶν νόμων θέσει οὐκ ὄντα νομίζεται. αὐτίκα γοῦν τὴν λεγομένην μοιχείαν πραξίν τινες ὑπειλήφασιν εἶναι κακὴν, καίτοι καλὴν κατὰ πάντα ὑπάρχουσαν. εἰς γὰρ τὴν τοῦ βίου πολυγονίαν ἐπιταγαῖς Ἔρωτος γίνεται. Ἔρως δέ ἐστιν ὁ πάντων θεῶν πρεσβύτατος. ἄνευ γὰρ δὴ Ἔρωτος οὐ στοιχείων, οὐ θεῶν, οὐκ ἀνθρώπων, οὐ ζώων ἀλόγων, οὐ τῶν λοιπῶν ἁπάντων μῖξις ἢ γέννησις γενέσθαι δύναται. πάντες γάρ τοι ὄργανά ἐσμεν τοῦ Ἔρωτος. αὐτὸς ὁ διʼ ἡμῶν τεχνίτης, παντὸς τοῦ γεννωμένου ψυχαῖς ἐπιδημῶν ἐστι νοῦς. ὅθεν οὐκ αὐτοὶ θέλοντες, ἀλλʼ ὅταν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ κελευσθῶμεν, τὸ ἐκείνου βούλημα ποιεῖν ἐπιθυμοῦμεν. εἰ δʼ ἐκείνου βουλῇ ἐπιθυμοῦντες, χάριν τῆς λεγομένης σωφροσύνης κρατεῖν τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἐπιχειρήσωμεν, πῶς τῷ πάντων πρεσβυτάτῳ θεῶν τε καὶ ἀνθρώπων ἀντιπράττοντες οὐ τὰ μέγιστα ἀσεβήσωμεν; ### English translation (Claude) "Without names, because of the laws that come from foolish men. By the commands of Eros, the most ancient child of all, as a favour. I know that you devote yourself to philosophy and, for virtue's sake, aspire to the life of those who are better. And who could be better than the gods among all beings, and philosophers among human beings? For they alone know which deeds are bad or good by nature, and which are thought so by the laying down of laws, though they are not. For example, some have supposed that the act called adultery is bad, though it is good in every respect. For it takes place by the commands of Eros, for the increase of life. And Eros is the most ancient of all the gods. Without Eros there can be no mixing or begetting of elements, gods, human beings, irrational animals, or anything else. We are all instruments of Eros. He is the craftsman who works through us, the mind that dwells in the souls of all that is begotten. So we do not desire of ourselves, but when we are commanded by him we long to do his will. If, when we desire by his will, we try to master the desire for the sake of so-called chastity, how can we not commit the greatest impiety, acting against the most ancient of gods and men? ### Extrabiblical texts - Hesiod, Theog. 120 (Hesiod, Theogony): allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - The opening lines are the letter's heading; "the most ancient child of all, as a favour" renders an obscure phrase (παιδὸς χάριν) as printed. - Eros as the oldest god: Hesiod, Theogony 116–122 (as cited by Plato, Symposium 178b). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.10 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-10). ## Homilies 5.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-11 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The letter claims that laws against adultery are mocked by Zeus himself, who lay with countless women, and urges imitation of the gods. ### Greek text Ἀλλὰ πᾶσαι μὲν ἀνεῴχθησαν αὐτῷ θύραι, πάντες δὲ μοχθηροὶ καὶ θετοὶ λυέσθωσαν νόμοι, ζηλοτύποις ἀνθρώποις κείμενοι, οἵ τινες ὑπὸ ἀνοίας κρατούμενοι καὶ τὸ εὔλογον νοεῖν μὴ βουλόμενοι, προσέτι δὲ καὶ τοὺς λεγομένους μοιχοὺς ὑφορώμενοι, ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Διὸς διά γε τοῦ Μίνω καὶ τοῦ Ῥαδαμάνθυος εὐλόγως θετοῖς παίζονται νόμοις. Ἔρωτα γὰρ ἐπιδημήσαντα ψυχαῖς οὐκ ἔστιν ἐπισχεῖν. οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ἑκούσιον τὸ τῶν ἐρώντων πάθος. αὐτίκα γοῦν ὁ Ζεὺς αὐτὸς ὁ τούτων νομοθέτης μυρίαις συνήλυθεν γυναιξίν, καὶ ὑπʼ ἐνίων μὲν σοφῶν ἀνδρῶν εὐεργέτης πρὸς τεκνοποιΐαν, ἐνίοτε τὴν αὐτοῦ μῖξιν ἀνθρώποις δωρούμενος. παρʼ οἷς δὲ ἐπὶ τῇ χάριτι ἠπίστατο, ἀγνοούμενος μετεμορφοῦτο τὴν ἰδέαν, ἵνα μήτε αὐτοὺς λυπῇ, μήτε τοῖς ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ τεθεῖσιν νόμοις ἀντιπράττειν δοκῇ. δεῖ οὖν τῇ φιλοσοφίᾳ προσανέχουσαν, καλοῦ βίου χάριν μιμεῖσθαι τοὺς ὁμολογουμένους κρείττονας ὧν αἱ μίξεις μυρίαι γεγόνασιν. ### English translation (Claude) "But let all doors be opened to him, and let all the wretched laws men have made be repealed. They were laid down for jealous men, who are ruled by folly and unwilling to understand what is reasonable, and who, moreover, suspect those called adulterers; with good reason they are mocked by Zeus himself through the laws he laid down by means of Minos and Rhadamanthys. For Eros, once he has come to dwell in souls, cannot be held back; the passion of lovers is not voluntary. For example, Zeus himself, the giver of these laws, lay with countless women. Some wise men say that he was a benefactor in the begetting of children, sometimes bestowing his union on human beings as a gift; and with those whom he knew would take offence at the favour, he changed his form so as to go unrecognized, in order neither to grieve them nor to seem to act against the laws he himself had laid down. So you who devote yourself to philosophy ought, for the sake of a good life, to imitate those admitted to be better, whose unions have been beyond counting. ### Translation notes - The clause about those who "would take offence at the favour" is obscure in the Greek; rendered by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.11 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-11). ## Homilies 5.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-12 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The letter begins its catalogue of Zeus's unions with his marriage to his sister Hera. ### Greek text Καὶ ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ τὸν χρόνον παραναλίσκειν μάτην εἰς τὰς ἀποδείξεις τὰς πλείονας, ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ τοῦ Διὸς, τοῦ πατρὸς θεῶν τε καὶ ἀνθρώπων, ἄρξομαι τὰς ἐνίων μηνύειν κοινωνίας· πασῶν γὰρ ὑπομνησθῆναι διὰ τὸ πλῆθος ἀδύνατον. ἄκουε τοίνυν αὐτοῦ τοῦ μεγάλου Διὸς, διὰ τὴν τῶν ἀνοήτων ἀνδρῶν ζηλοτυπίαν, τὰς διὰ τῆς μεταμορφώσεως λανθανούσας κοινωνίας. ἐν πρώτοις γὰρ τῆς μοιχείας ἁμαρτίαν σοφοῖς λῦσαι θέλων, ὁπότε ἔμελλεν γαμεῖν καὶ ὡς ἐπὶ πρώτῃ εὐνῇ κατὰ τοὺς πολλοὺς μοιχοὺς εἰδὼς, οὗ γινόμενος, διὰ τῆς δοκούσης, ὡς ἔφην, ἁμαρτίας τὸν ἀναμάρτητον γάμον ἐπορίσατο. ἀδελφὴν γὰρ αὑτοῦ Ἥραν οὖσαν γαμεῖ, ὁμοιωθεὶς κόκκυγος πτερῷ, ἐξ ἧς Ἥβη τε καὶ Ἰλιθῆα ἐγένετο. τὴν Μῆτιν γὰρ χωρὶς τῆς πρός τινα μίξεως ἀποκυίσκει, ὡς καὶ Ἥρα τὸν Ἥφαιστον. ### English translation (Claude) "So as not to waste time on more proofs than needed, I will begin with Zeus himself, the father of gods and men, and point out some of his unions; to recall them all is impossible because of their number. Hear, then, of the unions of great Zeus himself which, because of the jealousy of foolish men, went unnoticed by means of his transformations. First of all, wishing to free the wise from the sin of adultery, when he was about to marry, knowing that at a first bedding he would be counted an adulterer by the many, though he was not, he secured his sinless marriage by means of what, as I said, only seems a sin. For he married Hera, his own sister, taking the likeness of a cuckoo's wing, and from her were born Hebe and Eileithyia. For he brought forth Metis without union with anyone, as Hera did Hephaestus. ### Extrabiblical texts - Hesiod, Theog. 886-929 (Hesiod, Theogony): allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - The sentence about Zeus's first marriage is obscure and probably corrupt in the Greek; rendered by sense. - "Brought forth Metis": in the myth Zeus swallowed Metis and himself bore Athena; the text as printed says Metis. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.12 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-12). ## Homilies 5.13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-13 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The letter lists the women Zeus seduced and the disguises he took. ### Greek text Ἔτι δὲ μίγνυται ἀδελφῇ τῇ ἐξ Θὐρανοῦ καὶ Θαλάσσης αὐτῷ γενομένῃ ἀπὸ τῆς Κρόνου ἐκτομῆς, Ἔρως καὶ Κύπρις, ἥν καὶ Δωδώνην λέγουσιν· μίγνυται δὲ καὶ Ἀντιόπῃ τῇ Νυκτέως, σατύρῳ παρεικασμένος, ἐξ ἧς Ἀμφίων καὶ Ζῆθος γεγόνασιν. Ἀλκμήνῃ τῇ Ἀμφιτρύωνος γυναικὶ συνέρχεται, ὁμοιωθεὶς τῷ Ἀμφιτρύωνι τᾷ γεγαμηκότι, ἐξ ἧς Ἡρακλῆς ἐγένετο. καὶ Αἰγίνῃ τῇ Ἀσκληπιοῦ πλησιάζει, γενόμενος ἀετός, ἐξ ἧς Αἰακὸς τίκτεται. Ἀμαλθείᾳ δὲ τῇ Φώκου ὁμοιωθεὶς ἄρκτῳ συνευνάζεται. καὶ Δανάῃ τῇ Ἀκρισίου χρυσὸς ἐπεῤῥύη, ἐξ ἧς Περσεὺς ἀνέπτη. Καλλιστοῖ τῇ Λυκάονος ἠγριώθη λέων, καὶ ἄλλον τίκτει Ἀρκάδα. Ἐυρώπῃ τῇ Φοίνικος διὰ ταύρου συνῆλθεν, ἐξ ἧς Μίνως καὶ Ῥαδάμανθυς καὶ Σαρπηδὼν ἐξέφυσαν. Εὐρυμεδούσῃ τῇ Ἀχελῴου, μύρμηξ γενόμενος, ἐξ ἧς Μυρμιδών. Ἑρσαίου νύμφῃ, γενόμενος γύψ, ἐξ ἧς οἱ ἐν Σικελίᾳ πάλαι σοφοί. Εἴμᾳ τῇ γηγενεῖ ἐν Ῥόδῳ διὰ ὄμβρου συνῆλθεν, ἐξ ἧς Παργαῖος, Κρόνιος, Κῦτος. καὶ Ὁσπίαν ἐνύμφευσεν, ὁμοιωθεὶς τῷ γήμαντι Φοίνικι, ἐξ ἧς Ἀγχίνοος αὐτῷ ἐξέφυ· Νεμούσει τῇ Θεστίου, τῇ καὶ Λήδᾳ νομισθείσῃ, κύκνος ἢ χὴν γενόμενος Ἐλένην ἐτεκνώσατο, καὶ αὖθις ἀστὴρ γενόμενος Κάστορα καὶ Πολυδεύκην ἐξέφηνεν. Λαμίᾳ ἐπεμορφώθη ἔποψ. ### English translation (Claude) "Next he lies with a sister of his, born of Ouranos and the Sea from the castration of Ouranos by Kronos: Eros and Cypris, whom they also call Dodone. He also lies with Antiope, daughter of Nycteus, likened to a satyr; from her Amphion and Zethus were born. He comes to Alcmene, wife of Amphitryon, made like Amphitryon her husband; from her Heracles was born. He approaches Aegina, daughter of Asclepius, having become an eagle; from her Aeacus is born. He beds Amalthea, daughter of Phocus, likened to a bear. Upon Danae, daughter of Acrisius, he poured down as gold; from her Perseus sprang up. To Callisto, daughter of Lycaon, he turned wild as a lion, and she bears another, Arcas. With Europa, daughter of Phoenix, he came together by means of a bull; from her sprang Minos, Rhadamanthys, and Sarpedon. With Eurymedusa, daughter of Achelous, he became an ant; from her came Myrmidon. With a nymph of Hersaeus he became a vulture; from her came the ancient sages of Sicily. With Hima, the earth-born, in Rhodes he came together by means of a rainstorm; from her came Pargaeus, Cronius, and Cytus. He took Ospia as bride, made like Phoenix her husband; from her Anchinous was born to him. With Nemesis, daughter of Thestius, who was also taken to be Leda, he became a swan or a goose and fathered Helen; and again, having become a star, he produced Castor and Polydeuces. For Lamia he took the form of a hoopoe. ### Extrabiblical texts - Hesiod, Theog. 188-200 (Hesiod, Theogony): allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - The first sentence is syntactically broken in the Greek; the sister meant is Aphrodite (Cypris), born from the sea after Kronos castrated Ouranos (Hesiod, Theogony 188–200). - Several names are given as printed and differ from the usual myths (e.g. Aegina is usually daughter of Asopus; Hima is Himalia in Diodorus 5.55, whose sons are Spartaeus, Cronius, and Cytus; the text has Nemousa for Nemesis). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.13 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-13). ## Homilies 5.14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-14 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The letter continues with Zeus's unions, some without disguise, which husbands welcomed for the fine children they produced. ### Greek text Μνημοσύνην, αὐτὸς εἰκασθεὶς ποιμένι, Μουσῶν ἀποφαίνει μητέρα· Σεμέλην τὴν Κάδμου πυρσεύων γαμεῖ, ἐξ ἧς Διόνυσον τελεῖ. Περσεφόνην αὐτὸς ἐκνυμφεύει τὴν θυγατέρα, αὐτὸς ὁμοιωθεὶς δράκοντι, καὶ τῇ γυναικὶ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὑτοῦ Πλούτωνος εἶναι νομισθείσῃ. καὶ ἄλλαις πολλαῖς καὶ δίχα μεταμορφώσεως μίγνυται, ζῆλον τῶν ἀνδρῶν οὐκ ἐχόντων ὡς ἐφʼ ἁμαρτίᾳ, ἀλλʼ εὖ εἰδότων ὅτι ἀφθόνως ταῖς γυναιξὶν αὐτῶν κοινωνῶν γεννᾷ, χαριζόμενος αὐτοῖς Ἑρμεῖς, Ἀπόλλωνας, Διονύσους, Ἐνδυμίωνας καὶ ὅσους ἄλλους εἰρήκαμεν, ἐκ μίξεως αὐτοῦ κάλλει διαπρεπεστάτους. ### English translation (Claude) "Having likened himself to a shepherd, he makes Mnemosyne mother of the Muses. Blazing as fire, he weds Semele, daughter of Cadmus, and from her brings Dionysus to birth. In the likeness of a serpent he deflowers his own daughter Persephone, who was also reputed to be the wife of his brother Pluto. And with many other women he lay without any transformation, since their husbands felt no jealousy as though at a sin, but knew well that by sharing their wives freely he begot for them, as a gift, Hermeses, Apollos, Dionysuses, Endymions, and all the others we have named, surpassing in beauty because of his union. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.14 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-14). ## Homilies 5.15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-15 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The letter lists the male lovers attributed to the gods. ### Greek text Καὶ ἵνα μὴ εἰς ἄπειρον ἐξήγησιν τὸν χρόνον δαπανῶ, πάντων μετὰ Διὸς θεῶν ἀφθόνους εὑρήσεις κοινωνίας· οἱ ἀνόητοι δὲ μοιχείας λέγουσιν τῶν θεῶν, μηδὲ τῶν ἀῤῥένων τὰς μίξεις φυλασσομένων ὡς αἰσχράς, ἀλλὰ ἐπιτηδευόντων καὶ τοῦτο ὡς εὐπρεπές. αὐτίκα γοῦν αὐτὸς ὁ Ζεὺς, Γανυμήδους ἐρᾷ· Ποσειδῶν Πέλοπος· Ἀπόλλων Κινύρου, Ζακύνθου, Ὑακίνθου, Φόρβαντος, Ὕλα, Ἀδμήτου, Κυπαρίσσου, Ἀμύκλα, Τρωίλου, Βράγχου Τυμνίου, Πάρου Ποτνιέως, Ὀρφέως· Διόνυσος δὲ Λαόνιδος, Ἀμπέλου, Ὑμεναίου, Ἑρμαφροδίτου, Ἀχιλλέως· ὁ δὲ Ἀσκληπιὸς Ἱππολύτου· καὶ Ἥφαιστος Πηλέως· Πὰν δὲ Δαφνίδος· ὁ δὲ Ἑρμῆς Περσέως, Χρύσου, Θέρσου, Ὀδρύσου· Ἡρακλῆς δὲ Ἀβδήρου, Δρύοπος, Ἰοκάστου, Φιλοκτήτου, Ὕλα, Πολυφήμου, Αἴμονος, Χώνου, Εὐρυσθέως. ### English translation (Claude) "So as not to spend my time on an endless account: you will find that all the gods after Zeus had unions freely. Foolish people call them the adulteries of the gods; yet the gods did not even avoid unions with males as shameful, but practised this too as seemly. For example, Zeus himself loved Ganymede; Poseidon, Pelops; Apollo, Cinyras, Zacynthus, Hyacinthus, Phorbas, Hylas, Admetus, Cyparissus, Amyclas, Troilus, Branchus, Tymnius, Parus, Potnieus, Orpheus; Dionysus, Laonis, Ampelus, Hymenaeus, Hermaphroditus, Achilles; Asclepius, Hippolytus; Hephaestus, Peleus; Pan, Daphnis; Hermes, Perseus, Chrysus, Thersus, Odrysus; Heracles, Abderus, Dryops, Iocastus, Philoctetes, Hylas, Polyphemus, Haemon, Chonus, Eurystheus. ### Translation notes - Names are given as printed; some are obscure or possibly corrupt (e.g. "Branchus, Tymnius, Parus, Potnieus" may be fewer persons with epithets). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.15 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-15). ## Homilies 5.16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-16 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The letter urges the woman to imitate the gods rather than jealous mortals. ### Greek text Πάντων οὖν σοι τῶν ἐπισημοτέρων θεῶν ἐκ μέρους τοὺς ἔρωτας παρεθέμην, φιλτάτη, ἵνα εἰδῇς, ὅτι μόνοις ἀνθρώποις τοῖς ἀνοήτοις περὶ τούτου γίνεται ζηλοτυπία. διὸ καὶ θνητοὶ τυγχάνουσιν, καὶ λυπηρῶς τὸν βίον διατελοῦσιν, ὅτι τὰ δόξαντα τοῖς θεοῖς καλὰ αὐτοὶ διὰ τὸν αὐτῶν ζῆλον κακὰ εἶναι ἀπεφήναντο. μακαρία οὖν ἔσῃ τοῦ λοιποῦ, μιμουμένη θεοὺς καὶ οὐκ ἀνθρώπους. ἄνθρωποι γὰρ τὴν νομιζομένην σωφροσύνην ἰδόντες σε διαφυλάσσουσαν, διὰ τὸ ἴδιον πάθος ἐπαινοῦσιν μέν, οὐκ ὠφελοῦσιν δέ· θεοὶ δὲ ἐξομοιουμένην σε ἑαυτοῖς ὁρῶντες καὶ ἐπαινέσουσιν καὶ ὠφελήσουσιν. ### English translation (Claude) "So I have set before you, dearest, some of the loves of all the more famous gods, that you may know that jealousy about this arises only among foolish human beings. That is why they are mortal and pass their lives in grief: because what the gods thought good, they, out of their own jealousy, declared to be bad. You will therefore be happy from now on if you imitate gods and not human beings. For when human beings see you guarding what is thought to be chastity, they praise you because of their own passion, but they do you no good; while the gods, seeing you make yourself like them, will both praise you and do you good. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.16 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-16). ## Homilies 5.17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-17 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The letter claims the gods rewarded their lovers by making them or their families into constellations. ### Greek text Λόγισαι γάρ μοι, πόσας ἠμείψαντο ἐρωμένας, ὧν τὰς μὲν κατηστέρισαν, τινῶν δὲ καὶ τέκνα καὶ συνεργοὺς εὐηργέτησαν. αὐτίκα γοῦν Ζεὺς κατηστέρισεν Καλλιστώ, τὴν λεγομένην ἄρκτον μικράν, ἣν καὶ κυνὸς οὐρὰν προσαγορεύεσίν τινες. Ποσειδῶν Δελφῖνα διὰ τὴν Ἀμφιτρίτην ἐνέταξεν τῷ οὐρανῷ. καὶ Ὠρίωνα, τὸν Εὐρυάλης τῆς Μίνω, διʼ Εὐρυάλην τὴν μητέρα τῶν ἄστρων κατηξίωσεν. Διόνυσος τὸν Ἀριάδνης στέφανον. Ζεὺς τὸν ἀετὸν συνεργήσαντα ἐπὶ τῇ Γανυμήδους ἁρπαγῇ, καὶ αὐτὸν τὸν Γανυμήδην ἐν Ὑδροχόου τιμῇ ἔταξεν· καὶ ταῦρον διʼ Εὐρώπην ἐτίμησεν. ἀλλὰ καὶ Κάστορα καὶ Πολυδεύκην καὶ Ἑλένην Λήδᾳ χαριζόμενος ἐποίησεν ἀστέρας· καὶ Περσέα διὰ Δανάην καὶ Ἀρκάδα διὰ Καλλιστώ· παρθένον τὴν καὶ Δίκην διὰ Θέμιν· Ἡρακλέα διὰ Ἀλκμήνην. καὶ οὐκέτι μηκύνω πλέον· μακρὸν δὲ τὸ κατʼ εἶδος λέγειν, ὅσους ἄλλους διὰ πολλὰς ἐρωμένας εὐεργετήκασιν οἱ θεοὶ ταῖς πρὸς ἀνθρώπους κοινωνίαις, ἃς οἱ ἀνόητοι ὡς κακὰς πράξεις ἀπαγορεύουσιν, οὐκ εἰδότες ὅτι ἡδονή ἐστιν ἡ μεγάλη ἐν ἀνθρώποις ἀπόλαυσις. ### English translation (Claude) "Consider how many beloved ones they rewarded: some they set among the stars, and to others they gave benefits through their children and their helpers. For example, Zeus set Callisto among the stars as the one called the Little Bear, which some call the Dog's Tail. Poseidon placed the Dolphin in heaven on account of Amphitrite. And Orion, son of Euryale the daughter of Minos, he counted worthy of the stars on account of Euryale his mother. Dionysus placed the crown of Ariadne. Zeus set among the stars the eagle that helped him carry off Ganymede, and Ganymede himself in the honour of the Water-bearer; and he honoured the bull on account of Europa. Moreover, as a favour to Leda he made Castor, Polydeuces, and Helen stars; Perseus on account of Danae, Arcas on account of Callisto, the Virgin, who is also Justice, on account of Themis, and Heracles on account of Alcmene. I will not go on at greater length; it would be long to tell one by one how many others the gods have benefited on account of their many beloved ones through their unions with human beings, unions that the foolish forbid as evil deeds, not knowing that pleasure is the great enjoyment among human beings. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.17 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-17). ## Homilies 5.18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-18 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The letter appeals to philosophers, from Socrates to Chrysippus, as practitioners or defenders of free sexual unions. ### Greek text Τί δὲ καὶ τῶν σοφῶν οἱ περιβόητοι οὐχ ἡδονὴν προκρίνουσιν, καὶ αἷς ἐβουλήθησαν ἐμίγησαν; ὧν πρῶτος ὁ τῆς Ἑλλάδος διδάσκαλος, περὶ οὗ αὐτὸς ὁ Φοῖβος ἔφη· ἀνδρῶν ἁπάντων Σωκράτης σοφώτατος· οὐκ ἐν τῇ εὐνομωτάτῃ πόλει τῇ Λακεδαίμονι κοινὰς προτίθησι τὰς γυναῖκας, καὶ ὑπὸ τῷ τρίβωνι τὸν καλὸν Ἀλκιβιάδην καλύπτει; καὶ ὁ Σωκρατικὸς δὲ Ἀντισθένης περὶ τοῦ δεῖν τὴν λεγομένην μοιχείαν μὴ ἀποσείεσθαι γράφει. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ τούτου μαθητὴς Διογένης Λαΐδι οὐκ ἐπί τῷ μισθῷ τοῦ φέρειν αὐτὴν ἐπʼ ὤμων δημοσίᾳ κοινωνεῖ μετὰ παῤῥησίας; οὐκ Ἐπίκουρος ἡδονὴν προκρίνει; οὐκ Ἀρίστιππος μυρισθεὶς ὅλον αὑτὸν Ἀφροδίτῃ χαρίζεται; οὐ Ζήνων ἀδιαφορεῖν αἰνισσόμενος διὰ πάντων τὸ θεῖον εἶναι λέγει, ἵνα γνώριμον τοῖς συνετοῖς γένηται, ἵνα ᾧ ἄν τις μιγῇ, ὡς ἑαυτῷ μίγνυται, καὶ περισσὸν τὸ ἀπαγορεύειν τὰς λεγομένας μοιχείας, ἢ μίξεις μητρὸς ἢ θυγατρὸς ἢ ἀδελφῆς ἢ παίδων; Χρύσιππος δὲ ἐν ταῖς ἐρωτικαῖς ἐπιστολαῖς καὶ τῆς ἐν Ἀργεῖ εἰκόνος μέμνηται, πρὸς τῷ τοῦ Διὸς αἰδοίῳ φέρων τῆς Ἥρας τὸ πρόσωπον. ### English translation (Claude) "Do not the famous sages, too, prefer pleasure, and lie with whatever women they wished? First among them is the teacher of Greece, of whom Phoebus himself said, 'Of all men Socrates is wisest.' Does he not propose that in Lacedaemon, the best-governed city, wives be held in common, and does he not cover the beautiful Alcibiades under his cloak? Antisthenes the Socratic writes that one must not reject what is called adultery. And his disciple Diogenes, does he not openly and publicly have intercourse with Lais, for the price of carrying her on his shoulders? Does not Epicurus put pleasure first? Does not Aristippus, perfuming his whole body, give himself up to Aphrodite? Does not Zeno, hinting at indifference, say that the divine is through all things, so that it may be understood by the intelligent that whoever one lies with, one lies as it were with oneself, and that it is superfluous to forbid what are called adulteries, or unions with mother, daughter, sister, or children? And Chrysippus in his erotic letters mentions the image at Argos, which puts the face of Hera to the genitals of Zeus. ### Extrabiblical texts - Orac. Apoll. (Oracles of Apollo (Didyma, Claros)): quotation, high confidence - Plato, Symp. 219b-c (Plato (works)): allusion, medium confidence - Plato, Resp. 457c (Plato (works)): allusion, low confidence - Epicurus (Epicurus (sayings and fragments)): allusion, medium confidence - Zeno of Citium, Zeno (Zeno of Citium): allusion, low confidence - Chrysippus (Chrysippus): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The oracle of Apollo on Socrates: Plato, Apology 21a. Common wives: Plato, Republic 457c (the letter ascribes the proposal to Lacedaemon). Alcibiades under Socrates' cloak: Plato, Symposium 219b–c. Chrysippus's interpretation of the picture of Zeus and Hera is reported by Diogenes Laertius 7.187–188 and others. - Antisthenes and Aristippus have no entry in the extrabiblical list. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.18 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-18). ## Homilies 5.19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-19 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The letter ends by holding up Zeus and Socrates as models and urging the woman to give herself to every lover. ### Greek text Οἶδα ὅτι ταῦτα τῆς ἀληθείας ἀμυήτοις φοβερὰ καὶ αἴσχιστα καταφαίνεται, ἀλλʼ οὐ τοῖς Ἑλλήνων θεοῖς καὶ φιλοσόφοις, οὐ τοῖς Διονύσου καὶ Δημήτρας μυστηρίοις. ἀλλʼ ἐφʼ ἅπασιν τούτοις, ἵνα μὴ πάντων θεῶν καὶ φιλοσόσφων τοὺς βίους λέγων παραναλίσκω τοὺς χρόνους, δύο ἔστωσάν σοι μέγιστοι σκοποί, θεῶν μὲν Ζεύς, ἀνδρῶν δὲ φιλοσόφων Σωκράτης. τὰ δὲ λοιπά, ἐξ ὧν σοι γράψας ὑπέμνησα, συνεῖσα ἔπεχε, μήποτε ἐραστήν σου λυπήσῃς· ἐπεὶ ὡς θεοῖς καὶ ἥρωσιν τὰ ἐναντία πράξασα, ἀσεβὴς κριθεῖσα τὴν προσήκουσαν ὑφέξεις τιμωρίαν.· ἐὰν δὲ παντὶ ἐραστῇ ἑαυτὴν παρασχῃς, ὡς θεοὺς μιμουμένη τῆς παρʼ αὐτῶν τεύξῃ εὐεργεσίας. τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ, φιλτάτη, μεμνημένη περὶ ὧν σοι ἐξέφηνα μυστηρίων, διὰ γραμμάτων μοι τὴν σὴν δεῖξον προαίρεσιν. ἔῤῥωσό μοι. ### English translation (Claude) "I know that these things seem frightening and most shameful to those uninitiated into the truth, but not to the gods and philosophers of the Greeks, nor to the mysteries of Dionysus and Demeter. But above all these, so that I may not waste my time telling the lives of all the gods and philosophers, let there be two supreme examples for you: among the gods, Zeus; among philosopher men, Socrates. As for the rest, understand them from what I have written to remind you, and take care never to grieve a lover of yours; for if you act contrary to the gods and heroes, you will be judged impious and will undergo the fitting punishment. But if you give yourself to every lover, you will obtain their benefaction as one who imitates the gods. For the rest, dearest, remembering the mysteries I have revealed to you, show me your choice by letter. Farewell." ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.19 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-19). ## Homilies 5.20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-20 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement composes a reply to Appion's letter in the name of the supposed beloved. ### Greek text Ἐγὼ τοίνυν λαβὼν τὸ βιβλίον τοῦτο παρὰ τοῦ Ἀππίωνος, ὡς ὄντως διαπέμψων αὐτὸ τῇ ἐρωμένῃ, ἐπλασάμην ὡς ἐκείνης πρὸς ταῦτα ἀντιγραψάσης, καὶ τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ ἐλθόντι αὐτῷ ἀπέδωκα τῷ Ἀππίωνι ὡς δῆθεν τὴν παρʼ ἐκείνης ἀντιγραφήν, οὕτως ἔχουσαν. ΑΝΤΙΓΡΑΦΟΝ ΕΠΙΣΤΟΛΗΣ, πρὸς Ἀππίωνα ὡς παρὰ τῆς ἐρωμένης. ### English translation (Claude) Well then, having received this book from Appion as though I would really send it to my beloved, I made up a reply as if she had written back to it, and the next day, when Appion came, I gave it to him as supposedly her answer. It ran as follows. Copy of a letter to Appion, as if from the beloved. ### Translation notes - The heading "Copy of a letter" is in capitals in the edition. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.20 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-20). ## Homilies 5.21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-21 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The reply argues that Eros cannot be a god: either he suffers passion willingly or is driven by another, leading to an endless regress; love is simply a human appetite. ### Greek text Θαυμάζω πῶς ἐπὶ σοφίᾳ με ἐπαινέσας ὡς ἀνοήτῳ γράφεις. εἰς γὰρ σὸν πάθος πεῖσαί με θελήσας ἐκ τῶν περὶ τοὺς θεοὺς μυθολογημάτων ἐποιήσω τὰ παραδείγματα, ἔρωτα τὸν πάντων πρεσβύτατον, ὡς ἔφης, ἐπιθεὶς πάντων θεῶν καὶ ἀνθρώπων, βλασφημῆσαι μὴ φοβηθείς, ὅπως τὴν ἐμὴν φθείρῃς ψυχὴν, καὶ τὸ ἐμὸν σῶμα περιυβρίσῃς. ἔρως γὰρ θεῶν οὐκ ἔστιν ἀρχηγέτης, ὁ ἐν ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις. εἰ γὰρ ἑκὼν ἐπιθυμεῖ, αὐτός ἐστιν ἑαυτοῦ πάθος καὶ κόλασις, καὶ θεὸς οὐκ ἄν εἴη ὁ πάσχων ἑκών· εἰ δὲ ἄκων ἐρᾷ τῆς μίξεως, καὶ τὰς ἡμετέρας διερχόμενος ψυχὰς, ὥσπερ διʼ ὀργάνων τῶν ἡμετέρων σωμάτων εἰς τὰς τῶν νοητῶν φέρεται συνουσίας, ὁ τοῦτον ἐρᾷν ποιῶν καὶ φέρων μείζων αὐτοῦ τυγχάνει· καὶ πάλιν αὐτοῦ ἐκείνου τοῦ φέροντος ἑτέρῳ πόθῳ φερομένου, μείζων ἄλλος ὁ φέρων ἐκεῖνον εὑρίσκεται· καὶ εἰς ἀπέραντον ἐπαναφορὰν τῶν ἐρώντων γίνεται, ὅ ἐστιν ἀδύνατον. οὕτως οὐκ ἔστιν οὔτε ὁ φέρων, οὔτε ὁ φερόμενος, ἀλλʼ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἐρῶντος τὸ ἐπιθυμητικόν ἐστιν πάθος, ἐλπίδι αὐξόμενον καὶ ἀπογνώσει μειούμενον. ### English translation (Claude) "I am amazed that, having praised me for wisdom, you write to me as to a fool. Wishing to persuade me into your passion, you drew your examples from the myths about the gods, setting Eros over all gods and men as the most ancient of all, as you said; and you were not afraid to blaspheme, so that you might corrupt my soul and outrage my body. But Eros, who lives in desires, is not the founder of the gods. For if he desires willingly, he is his own passion and his own punishment, and one who suffers by his own will could not be a god. But if he loves union unwillingly, and passes through our souls, using our bodies as instruments, and is carried into intercourse with the objects of his thought, then the one who makes him love and carries him along is greater than he; and again, if that one who carries him is himself carried by another longing, another will be found greater who carries him; and so there comes an endless regress of lovers, which is impossible. So there is neither a carrier nor a carried; it is the lover's own appetite that is the passion, growing with hope and dwindling with despair. ### Translation notes - "Objects of his thought" renders τῶν νοητῶν, which is obscure here. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.21 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-21). ## Homilies 5.22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-22 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The reply exposes the stories of the gods as excuses for vice and points out their contradictions. ### Greek text Οἱ δὲ κρατεῖν αἰσχρᾶς ἐπιθυμίας μὴ βουλόμενοι τῶν θεῶν καταψεύδονται, ἵνα περὶ ὧν πράττουσιν, τοὺς θεοὺς ὡς προτέρους δράσαντας ὑποδεικνύντες ἀπαλλάσσωνται τῆς μέμψεως. εἰ γὰρ παιδοποιΐας ἕνεκεν, καὶ οὐκ ἀσελγείας, οἱ λεγόμενοι θεοὶ τὰς μοιχείας ἐπετέλουν, τί καὶ τοῖς ἄρσεσιν ἐμίγνυντο, ἀλλὰ χαριζόμενοι, φησίν, ταῖς ἐρωμέναις κατηστήριζον αὐτάς. οὐκοῦν πρὸ τούτου οὐκ ἦσαν ἀστέρες, μέχρις ὅτε ἀσελγείας προφάσει ὑπὸ μοιχῶν ὁ οὐρανὸς ἄστροις ἐκοσμήθη; πῶς δὲ καὶ οἱ τῶν κατεστηρισμένων ἔκγονοι ἐν ᾅδου κολάζονται, ὅ τε Ἄτλας βαρούμενος, καὶ ὁ Τάνταλος δίψῃ ἀνιώμενος, καὶ ὁ Σίσυφος ἐρείδων πέτραν, Τιτυὸς τὰ σπλάγχνα διορυττόμενος, Ἰξίων περὶ τροχὸν ἀπαύστως κυλινδούμενος; πῶς δὲ καὶ οἱ ἐρασταὶ θεοὶ ὄντες, οὓς ἐμίαναν, κατεστήριζον, ἑαυτοῖς τοῦτο μὴ χαρισάμενοι; ### English translation (Claude) "Those unwilling to master shameful desire tell lies about the gods, so that by pointing to the gods as having done the same things first they may escape blame for what they do. For if the so-called gods committed their adulteries for the sake of begetting children and not out of licentiousness, why did they also lie with males? 'But,' he says, 'as a favour to their beloved ones they set them among the stars.' Then were there no stars before this, until heaven was adorned with stars by adulterers as a cover for licentiousness? And how is it that the descendants of those set among the stars are punished in Hades: Atlas weighed down, Tantalus tormented by thirst, Sisyphus pushing a rock, Tityus with his entrails dug out, Ixion ceaselessly whirled on a wheel? And how did the lovers, being gods, set among the stars those whom they defiled, without granting this to themselves? ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Od. 11.576-600 (Homer, Odyssey): allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Punishments in Hades as in Homer, Odyssey 11. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.22 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-22). ## Homilies 5.23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-23 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The reply argues that the gods were once wicked human rulers and magicians, whose tombs are still shown. ### Greek text Οὐκ ἄρα ἦσαν θεοὶ, ἀλλὰ τυράννων αἰνίγματα. Κρόνου γὰρ ἐν τοῖς Καυκασίοις ὄρεσιν, οὐκ ἐν οὐρανῷ, ἀλλʼ ἐν γῇ τάφος τις δείκνυται, ἀνδρὸς ἀγρίου καὶ τεκνοβόρου. ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦ ἀσελγοῦς Διὸς, τοῦ μυθικοῦ, τοῦ ὁμοίως τὴν θυγατέρα Μῆτιν καταπιόντος, ἐν Κρήτῃ θεωρεῖται τάφος· καὶ ἐν τῇ Ἀχερουσίᾳ δὲ λίμνῃ Πλούτωνος καὶ Ποσειδῶνος· Ἡλίου δὲ ἐν Ἄστροις καὶ Σελήνης ἐν Καρκοῖς Ἑρμοῦ δὲ ἐν Ἑρμουπόλει· Ἄρεως ἐν Θρᾴκῃ· Ἀφροδίτης ἐν Κύπρῳ· Διονύσου ἐν Θήβαις· καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἐν ἄλλοις τόποις. πλὴν φαίνονται αὐτῶν τῶν λεχθέντων θεῶν οἱ τάφοι. ἄνθρωποι γὰρ ἦσαν, καὶ ταῦτα μοχθηροὶ καὶ μάγοι. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἄλλως μονοκράτορες ἐγεγόνεισαν, Ζεὺς λέγω ὁ μυθικὸς καὶ Διόνυσος, εἰ μὴ τῇ μεταμορφώσει ὧν ἤθελον ἐπεκράτουν εἰς ὅπερ αὐτοὶ ἤθελον. ### English translation (Claude) "So they were not gods, but riddling images of tyrants. For a tomb of Kronos is shown in the Caucasus mountains, not in heaven but on earth, the tomb of a savage man who devoured his children. And the tomb of the licentious Zeus of myth, who likewise swallowed his daughter Metis, is to be seen in Crete; and at the Acherusian lake the tombs of Pluto and Poseidon; of Helios in Astra, and of Selene in Carcoi; of Hermes in Hermopolis; of Ares in Thrace; of Aphrodite in Cyprus; of Dionysus in Thebes; and of the others in other places. In any case, the tombs of these so-called gods are there to be seen. For they were human beings, and wicked ones at that, and magicians. They would not otherwise have become sole rulers, I mean the Zeus of myth and Dionysus, unless by transformation they overpowered whomever they wished for whatever they themselves wished. ### Translation notes - "His daughter Metis" as printed; in the myth Metis was Zeus's first wife. - Place names are given as printed. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.23 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-23). ## Homilies 5.24 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-24 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The reply mocks imitation of the gods' cannibal feasts and explains desire as God's provision for lawful marriage and children who honour their parents. ### Greek text Εἰ δὲ τούτων δεῖ ζηλοῦν τοὺς βίους, μὴ μόνον τὰς μοιχείας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς τραπέζας αὐτῶν μιμώμεθα. ὁ γὰρ Κρόνος τὰ αὑτοῦ τέκνα κατέπιεν, καὶ Ζεὺς ὁμοίως τὴν αὑτοῦ θυγατέρα. καὶ τί δεῖ λέγειν; Πέλοψ πάντων θεῶν δεῖπνον ἐγένετο. ὅθεν καὶ ἡμεῖς πρὸ τῶν ἀθεμίτων γάμων ὅμοιον δεῖπνον τοῖς θεοῖς ἐπιτελέσωμεν. οὕτω γὰρ ἄν εἴη τὸ δεῖπνον τῶν γάμων ἄξιον. ἀλλὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἄν ὑποστῇ ποτε, ὡς οὐδὲ ἐγὼ τὸ μοιχήσασθαι. πρὸς τούτοις δέ μοι ἔρωτος ὡς δυνατοῦ θεοῦ ἀπειλεῖς χόλον. ἔρως θεὸς οὐκ ἔστιν, οἷος δοκεῖ, ἀλλʼ ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ζώου κράσεως πρὸς διαδοχὴν τοῦ βίου, κατὰ πρόνοιαν τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐνεργήσαντος, συμβαίνουσα ἐπιθυμία, ἵνα τὸ πᾶν γένος μηδεπώποτε ἐπιλείπῃ, ἀλλὰ προφάσει ἡδονῆς ἐκ τῆς τοῦ μέλλοντος τελευτᾶν οὐσίας πάλιν ἄλλος γένηται, νομίμῳ προεκπεφυκὼς γάμῳ, ὅπως πρὸς τὸ γηροτροφεῖν τὸν αὑτοῦ πατέρα γνώσῃ· ὅπερ ποιεῖν οἱ ἐκ μοιχείας γεγονότες οὐκ ἂν ἐδύναντο, φύσιν στοργῆς πρὸς τοὺς γεννήσαντας οὐκ ἔχοντες. ### English translation (Claude) "If we must emulate their lives, let us imitate not only their adulteries but also their tables. For Kronos swallowed his own children, and Zeus likewise his own daughter. What more need be said? Pelops became a dinner for all the gods. So let us too, before our unlawful marriage, prepare a similar dinner for the gods; that way the dinner would be worthy of the marriage. But you would never submit to that, any more than I would submit to committing adultery. Besides this, you threaten me with the wrath of Eros as a mighty god. Eros is not a god, as he is thought to be; he is a desire that arises from the constitution of a living creature for the succession of life, by the providence of the one who made all things, so that the whole race may never fail, but, by the inducement of pleasure, another may come into being from the substance of the one who is to die, born beforehand of lawful marriage, so that he may know his own father and care for him in old age. This, those born of adultery could not do, having no natural affection for those who begot them. ### Translation notes - Pelops served to the gods by Tantalus: a standard myth (e.g. Pindar, Olympian 1). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.24 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-24). ## Homilies 5.25 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-25 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The reply urges parents to train children in self-control and to marry them early, teaching them not to look at another woman. ### Greek text Ἐπεὶ οὖν διαδοχῆς ἕνεκεν γνησίας ἐπαυξήσεως, ὡς ἔφην, ἡ ἐπιθυμία συμβαίνει ἡ ἐρωτική, χρὴ τοὺς γονεῖς, σωφροσύνης προνοουμένους, τοὺς αὑτῶν παῖδας πρὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας διὰ τῶν σωφρονιζόντων βιβλίων προπαιδεύειν, καὶ τοῖς κρείττοσιν αὐτοὺς προεθίζειν λόγοις ὅτι δευτέρα φύσις ἡ συνήθεια πρὸς τούτοις δὲ πυκνῶς αὐτοὺς τὰς κολάσεις ὑπομιμνήσκειν τὰς ἐκ τῶν νόμων, ἵνα ὥσπερ χαλινῷ τῷ φόβῳ χρώμενοι ταῖς ἀτόποις μὴ συντρέχωσιν ἡδοναῖς. προςήκει δὲ καὶ πρὸ τοῦ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἐπακμάσαι γάμῳ τὸ φυσικὸν τῆς ἡλικίας πληροφορεῖν πάθος, πρότερον πείσαντας εἰς εἶδος ἑτέρας γυναικὸς μὴ ἀτενίζειν. ### English translation (Claude) "Since, then, erotic desire arises, as I said, for the sake of succession through legitimate increase, parents who care for chastity ought to train their children before desire comes, by means of books that teach self-control, and to accustom them early to better words, since habit is a second nature. Besides this, they should often remind them of the punishments laid down by the laws, so that, using fear as a bridle, they may not run headlong into unseemly pleasures. It is also fitting, before desire reaches its full strength, to satisfy the natural passion of that age by marriage, having first persuaded them not to gaze at the beauty of another woman. ### Scripture references - Matt 5:28: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - "Habit is a second nature" is a proverb. - Not gazing at another woman may echo Matt 5:28, though the letter does not cite it. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.25 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-25). ## Homilies 5.26 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-26 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The reply explains how desire feeds on memory and is quenched by fear, and the woman declares that a Jew has taught her to live as befits God. ### Greek text Ὁ γὰρ νοῦς ἡμῶν ὁπότʼ ἂν τὰ πρῶτα τῇ τέρψει τὸ εἶδος τῆς ἐρωμένης ἀπομάξηται, ὥσπερ ἐν κατόπτρῳ ἐνορῶν ἀεὶ τὴν μορφὴν, διὰ τῆς μνήμης βασανίζεται καὶ μὴ τυγχάνων μὲν τῆς ἐπιθυμίας, τῆς ἐπιτυχίας μελετᾷ τὰς ὁδούς, ἐπιτυχὼν δὲ μᾶλλον αὔξεται, ὥσπερ τὸ πῦρ τῆς ὕλης εὐποροῦν, καὶ μάλισθʼ ὅτʼ ἂν τῇ ψυχῇ τοῦ ἐρῶντος πρὸ τοῦ πάθους προσεντετυπωμένος μὴ προϋπάρξῃ φόβος. ὡς γὰρ ὕδωρ πῦρ κατασβέννυσιν, οὕτως καὶ φόβος τῆς ἀλόγου ἐπιθυμίας ἐστὶ σβεστήριος. ὅθεν ἐγὼ ἔκ τινος Ἰουδαίου τὰ Θεῷ πρέποντα νοεῖν καὶ ποιεῖν ἐκμαθοῦσα, εὐάλωτος πρὸς μοιχείαν ὑπὸ ψευδῶν μύθων οὐ γίνομαι. θέλοντι δέ σοι καὶ σπουδάζοντι σωφρονεῖν, φλεγμαινούσῃ ψυχῇ πρὸς ἔρωτα, βοηθοίη Θεὸς καὶ τὴν ἴασιν παρασχοίη. ### English translation (Claude) "For whenever our mind first takes the imprint of the beloved's beauty with delight, forever seeing her form as in a mirror, it is tormented through memory; if it does not obtain what it desires, it plans ways to obtain it, and if it does obtain it, the desire grows all the more, like fire well supplied with fuel, especially when fear has not first been stamped on the lover's soul before the passion. For as water quenches fire, so fear is what quenches irrational desire. That is why I, having learned from a certain Jew to understand and to do what befits God, am not easily caught into adultery by lying myths. As for you, if you wish and strive to be self-controlled, with your soul inflamed with love, may God help you and grant you healing." ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.26 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-26). ## Homilies 5.27 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-27 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Appion blames a Jew for converting the woman to chastity, since Jews believe God sees everything. ### Greek text Ἐπακούσας δὲ ὁ Ἀππίων τῆς ὑποκριτοῦ ἀντιγραφῆς ἔφη μή τι ἀλόγως Ἰουδαίους μισῶ, νῦν γοῦν ταύτην τίς ποτε συντυχὼν Ἰουδαῖος καὶ εἰς τὴν θρησκείαν μεταγαγὼν ἀνέπεισε σωφρονεῖν, καὶ ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν τοῦ λοιποῦ αὐτὴν εἰς κοινωνίαν ἑτέρου τινὸς συνελθεῖν, ὅτι οἱ τοιοῦτοι τὸν Θεὸν ὡς παντεπόπτην τῶν πράξεων προθέμενοι σφόδρα σωφρονεῖν ἐγκαρτεροῦσιν, ὡς λαθεῖν μὴ δυνάμενοι. ### English translation (Claude) "When Appion heard the pretended reply, he said: 'Is it without reason that I hate the Jews? Now some Jew or other has met this woman, brought her over to his religion, and persuaded her to be chaste; and from now on it is impossible for her to enter into union with anyone else. For such people set God before themselves as the one who oversees all actions, and they persevere resolutely in chastity, since they cannot escape his notice.' ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.27 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-27). ## Homilies 5.28 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-28 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement confesses the ruse to Appion and says he has inclined only to the Jewish belief in one God, learned from a linen merchant in Rome. ### Greek text Ταῦτα ἀκούσας ἔφην τῷ Ἀππίωνι· νῦν σοι τὰ ἀληθῆ ὁμολογήσω. ἐγὼ γυναικὸς ἐκ ἠράσθην οὐδὲ ἄλλου τινός, πάνυ μου τῆς ψυχῆς δεδαπανημένης πρὸς ἄλλας ἐπιθυμίας καὶ πρὸς τῶν ἀληθῶν δογμάτων εὕρεσιν. καὶ μέχρι τοῦ νῦν πολλὰς γνώμας φιλοσόφων διασκοπήσας πρὸς οὐδένα αὐτῶν ἔνευσα, ἢ πρὸς τὸ Ἰουδαίων μόνον, ἐμπόρου τινὸς αὐτῶν ὀθόνας πιπράσκοντος ἐνταῦθα τῇ Ῥώμῃ ἐπιδεδημηκότος, καὶ ἔκ τινος συντυχίας ἀγαθῆς ἁπλούστερόν μοι τὸ μοναρχικὸν φρόνημα παραθεμένου. ### English translation (Claude) "When I heard this I said to Appion: 'Now I will confess the truth to you. I was not in love with a woman or with anyone else; my soul was wholly spent on other desires and on the discovery of true doctrines. Until now, though I have examined many opinions of philosophers, I have inclined to none of them except that of the Jews alone, since one of their merchants, who sells linen, came to stay here in Rome and, by a happy chance, set before me quite simply the belief in one sole ruler.' ### Translation notes - "Belief in one sole ruler" renders τὸ μοναρχικὸν φρόνημα, the doctrine of the one God. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.28 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-28). ## Homilies 5.29 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-29 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement tells how Appion left Rome in anger and proposes to question him about the gods whose immoral lives are publicly sung. ### Greek text Ἀκούσας δέ μου τῆς ἀληθείας ὁ Ἀππίων, ὁ ἀλόγως μισῶν τὸ Ἰουδαίων, καὶ τί ποτέ ἐστιν αὐτῶν τὸ πιστὸν οὔτε εἰδὼς οὔτε εἰδέναι θέλων, ἀκρίτως ὀργισθεὶς τῇ σιωπῇ ἐξ αὐτῆς ἤδη τῆς Ῥώμης ἀπηλλάσσετο· καὶ ἔκτοτε νῦν πρῶτον αὐτῷ συντετυχηκὼς τὸν ἐξ ἐκείνου τοῦ χρόνου θυμὸν ὑποπτεύω εἰκότως. πλὴν ἐφʼ ὑμῶν αὐτοῦ πεύσομαι, τί ἂν ἔχοι λέγειν περὶ τῶν λεγομένων θεῶν, ὧν οἱ βίοι παντοπαθεῖς εἶναι μυθολογούμενοι, πρὸς τὴν τοῦ ὁμοίου μίμησιν ἐπιτηδὲς ᾅδονται δημοσίᾳ, ὧν πρὸς τοῖς ἀνθρωπίνοις πάθεσιν, ὡς ἔφην, καὶ οἱ κατὰ τόπον δείκνυνται τάφοι. ### English translation (Claude) "When Appion heard the truth from me, he who hates the Jews without reason, neither knowing nor wishing to know what their faith is, flew into a thoughtless rage and at once left Rome in silence. Since then I have met him now for the first time, and I naturally suspect that his anger from that time remains. But in your presence I will ask him what he can say about the so-called gods, whose lives, told in myths as full of every passion, are deliberately sung in public for the imitation of their like, and whose tombs, as I said, are shown in various places, besides their human passions." ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.29 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-29). ## Homilies 5.30 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-30 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement and his companions visit Appion, who promises to speak about the gods the next day. ### Greek text Ταῦτα οἱ ἕτεροι προακούσαντες ἐμοῦ καὶ μαθεῖν τὰ ἑξῆς ποθοῦντες συνῆλθόν μοι, ὡς ἐπισκεψόμενοι Ἀππίωνα. καὶ δὴ λελουμένον αὐτὸν ἤδη κατελαμβάνομεν ἐφʼ ἑτοίμῳ τραπέζῃ. διʼ ὅπερ ὀλίγα ἠκριβολογησάμεθα εἰς τὸν περὶ θεῶν λόγον. ὁ δὲ οἶμαι συνεὶς ἡμῶν τὴν προαίρεσιν, εἰς τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν ἔχειν τι εἰπεῖν ὑπέσχετο περὶ θεῶν, καὶ τὸν αὐτὸν προεδήλωσεν ἡμῖν τόπον, ὡς ἐκεῖ διαλεξόμενος. ἡμεῖς δὲ σὺν τῇ ὑποσχέσει, χάριν ὁμολογήσαντες αὐτῷ, οἴκαδε ἕκαστος ἀπεχωρήσαμεν. ### English translation (Claude) Having heard this from me beforehand, the others, eager to learn what would follow, went with me as if to visit Appion. We found him already bathed and at a table ready laid. So we examined the question of the gods only a little. But he, understanding, I think, our intention, promised to have something to say about the gods the next day, and appointed the same place, as where he would hold the discussion. With this promise we thanked him and went home, each to his own. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 5.30 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/5-1/#p-5-30). ## Homilies 6.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-1 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: At the next meeting Appion says that in his letter he had concealed the true meaning of the myths and offers to explain it. ### Greek text Τρίτῃ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ εἰς τὸ προωρισμένον τῆς Τύρου χωρίον· σὺν τοῖς οἰκειοτάτοις ἐλθὼν ἐγώ γε εὑρίσκω τὸν Ἀππίωνα, Ἀνουβίωνός τε καὶ Ἀθηνοδώρου καθεζόμενον μέσον, καὶ μετὰ πολλῶν ἄλλων τῶν ἐκ παιδείας ἀνδρῶν ἡμᾶς ἀναμενόντων. καὶ ὅμως οὐδὲν καταπλαγείς, προσαγορεύσας ἀντικαθέζομαι τῷ Ἀππίωνι, ὅς μετʼ οὐ πολὺ λέγειν ἤρξατο· βούλομαι πρῶτος ἀρξάμενος ἐντεῦθεν ἤδη ταχέως ἐλθεῖν ἐπὶ τὸ ζητούμενον. πρὸ τοῦ σε, τέκνον Κλήμης, ἡμῖν παρεῖναι, Ἀνουβίων οὗτος καὶ Ἀθηνόδωρος, οἱ χθὲς ἅμα τοῖς ἄλλοις ἐπακούσαντές σου διαλεγομένου, ἀφηγήσαιτό μοι, πῶς ἐν τῇ Ῥώμῃ, συνεργέμενός σοι ὡς ἐρῶντι, πολλὰ τῶν θεῶν κατεψευσάμην, εἰπὼν αὐτοὺς παιδεράστας, ἀσελγεῖς, μιγνυμένους μητράσιν, ἀδελφαῖς, θυγατράσιν, καὶ μυρίαις μοιχείαις ἀνεχομένους. ἀλλʼ ἐχρῆν σε, ὦ τέκνον, εἰδέναι, ὅτι μὴ τοιαῦτα περὶ θεῶν φρονῶν ἔγραφον, ἀλλὰ στοργῇ τῇ πρός σε τὰ ἀληθῆ λέγειν ἀπεκρυπτόμην, ἅπερ εἰ νῦν ἐθέλεις, παρʼ ἐμοῦ ἄκουσον. ### English translation (Claude) On the third day I came with my closest companions to the appointed place in Tyre, and found Appion sitting between Anubion and Athenodorus, with many other educated men waiting for us. Not at all dismayed, I greeted them and sat down facing Appion, who soon began to speak: "I wish to begin first and come quickly from here to the question at issue. Before you joined us, my child Clement, Anubion here and Athenodorus, who with the others heard you speaking yesterday, told me how in Rome, in helping you as a lover, I told many lies about the gods, calling them pederasts, licentious, lying with mothers, sisters, and daughters, and giving themselves to countless adulteries. But you ought to have known, my child, that I did not write such things because I thought them of the gods; rather, out of affection for you, I hid the truth from you. If you wish, hear it now from me. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.1 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-1). ## Homilies 6.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-2 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Appion denies the literal truth of the myths of Kronos, Zeus, and the judgment of Paris, and promises an allegorical explanation. ### Greek text Τῶν πάλαι ἀνδρῶν οἱ σοφώτατοι, πᾶσαν ἀλήθειαν αὐτοὶ καμάτων μεμαθηκότες, τὲς ἀναξίους καὶ μὴ ὀρεγομένους θείων μαθημάτων ἀπεκρύψαντο τὴν ἐπιστήμην λαβεῖν. οὔτε γὰρ ἀπʼ Οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς μητρὸς αὐτοῦ Γῆς γεγόνασιν παῖδες δώδεκα, ὡς ὁ μῦθος καταριθμεῖ· ἄῤῥενες μὲν Ὠκεανὸς, Κοῖος, Κρῖος, Υπερίων, Ἰαπετός, Κρόνος· θήλειαι δὲ Θεὰ, Θέμις, Μνημοσύνη, Δημήτηρ, Τηθὺς, Ῥέα. οὔτε τῇ ἐξ ἀδάμαντος ἅρπῃ τὰ αἰδοῖα Κρόνος Οὐρανοῦ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκτεμών, ὥς φατε, εἰς βυθὸν ἀπέῤῥιψεν· ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ ἐκ τῆς ἀποτομῆς τοῦ Οὐρανοῦ σταγόνων ῥυέντος αἵματος ἡ Ἀφροδίτη ἐγένετο. οὐδʼ αὖ Κρόνος τῇ Ῥέᾳ μιγεὶς καὶ γεννήσας Πλούτωνα πρῶτον κατέπιεν, διά τινα Προμηθέως θεσμὸν δεδιώς, μήποτε γεννηθὲν ἐξ αὐτοῦ βρέφος, γενναιότερον αὐτοῦ γενόμενον, ἀφέληται αὐτὸν τῆς βασιλείας. οὐ τὸν Ποσειδῶνα δεύτερον γεννήσας ὁμοίως κατέπιεν. οὐ μετὰ τούτους τὸν Δία γεννηθέντα ἡ μήτηρ κατακρύψασα ἡ Ῥέα ἀπαιτήσαντι τῷ Κρόνῳ καταπιεῖν ἀντέδωκεν. οὐ καταποθεὶς τοὺς προκαταποθέντας θλίψας ἐξέωσεν, ὡς προελθεῖν πρῶτον μὲν τὸν πρῶτον καταποθέντα Πλούτωνα, ἐπʼ αὐτῷ Ποσειδῶνα, καὶ τρίτον τὸν Δία. οὐδέ γε, ὥς φασιν, μητρὸς προνοίᾳ διασωθεὶς ὁ Ζεὺς, καὶ εἰς οὐρανὸν ἀναβὰς, τὸν πατέρα τῆς βασιλείας καθεῖλεν. οὐ πατέρος ἀδελφοὺς ἐκόλασεν. οὐκ εἰς πόθον γυναικῶν θνητῶν κατῆλθεν. οὐκ ἀδελφαῖς ἢ θυγατράσιν, οὐκ ἀδελφῶν γυναιξὶν, οὐ παισὶν αἰχρῶς συνεγένετο. οὐδὲ Μῆτιν γεννήσας κατέπιεν, ἵνα ἀπʼ ἐγκεφάλου μὲν τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν ἀναφύσῃ ἐκ τῆς Μήτιδος, ἐκ δὲ τοῦ μηροῦ τὸν Διόνυσον τέκῃ, ὃν ὑπὸ Τιτάνων ἐσπαράχθαι λέγουσιν. οὐ δεῖπνον ἐπὶ τῷ Θέτιδος καὶ Πηλέως γάμῳ συντελεῖ. οὐ τὴν Ἔριν τῶν γάμων ἀπεώσατο. οὐκ αὐτὴ ἡ Ἔρις, ἀτιμασθεῖσα, μάχην καὶ στάσιν τοῖς ἑστιωμένοις ἐπενόησεν. οὐ μῆλον χρύσεον ἐκ τῶν Ἑσπερίδων κήπων λαβοῦσα ἐπέγραψεν, δῶρον τῆ καλῇ. ἔπειτα μυθολογοῦσιν ὡς Ἥρα τε καὶ Ἀθηνᾶ καὶ Ἀφροδίτη εὑρίσκουσι τὸ μῆλον, καὶ φιλονεικοῦσαι ἔρχονται πρὸς τὸν Δία· αἷς αὐτὸς μὲν ἐκ ἔκρινεν, διʼ Ἑρμοῦ δὲ πρὸς τὸν ποιμένα Πάριν κριθησομένας περὶ κάλλους ἐξέπεμψεν. ἀλλʼ οὔτε ἐκρίθησαν θεαί, οὔτε ὁ Πάρις τῇ Ἀφροδίτῃ τὸ μῆλον ἀπέδωκεν. οὐκ Ἀφροδίτη τιμηθεῖσα τῷ τῆς Ἑλένης αὐτὸν ἀντετίμησεν γάμῳ. οὐ γὰρ ἂν ἡ τῆς θεᾶς τιμὴ πρόφασις ἐγίνετο παμφύλου πολέμου, καὶ ταῦτα ἐπʼ ὀλέθρῳ τοῦ τὴν τιμὴν ἀπειληφότος καὶ ἀγχιστεύοντος τῷ τῆς Ἀφροδίτης γένει. ἀλλʼ ὡς ἔφην, ὦ τέκνον, ἔχει τινὰ λόγον τὰ τοιαῦτα οἰκεῖον καὶ φιλόσοφον, ἀλληγορίᾳ φρασθῆναι δυνάμενον· ὥστε σε ἀκούσαντα θαυμάσαι· κἀγὼ ἔφην· δέομαι μή με ἀναβαλλόμενος βασανίσῃς. καὶ ὅς ἔφη· μηδὲν φοβηθῇς, οὐ γὰρ ὑπερθήσομαι, ἀλλʼ ἄρξομαι ἤδη λέγειν. ### English translation (Claude) "The wisest of the men of old, who had learned all truth by their own labours, hid their knowledge from the unworthy, who had no longing for divine teaching, so that they should not receive it. For twelve children were not born of Ouranos and his mother Gē, as the myth counts them: the males Oceanus, Coeus, Crius, Hyperion, Iapetus, Kronos; the females Thea, Themis, Mnemosyne, Demeter, Tethys, Rhea. Nor did Kronos cut off the genitals of his father Ouranos with a sickle of adamant, as you say, and fling them into the deep; nor was Aphrodite born from the drops of blood that flowed from Ouranos's wound. Nor again did Kronos lie with Rhea, beget Pluto first, and swallow him, fearing because of an ordinance of Prometheus that a child born of him might grow nobler than he and take his kingdom from him. He did not beget Poseidon second and swallow him likewise. Rhea the mother did not hide Zeus, born after these, and give Kronos something else to swallow when he demanded him. Kronos, when he had swallowed it, was not squeezed and did not cast out those swallowed before, so that first Pluto, swallowed first, came out, after him Poseidon, and third Zeus. Nor, as they say, did Zeus, saved by his mother's forethought, go up to heaven and depose his father from the kingdom. He did not punish his father's brothers. He did not come down in longing for mortal women. He did not have shameful intercourse with sisters or daughters, with his brothers' wives, or with boys. Nor did he beget Metis and swallow her, so as to make Athena spring from his brain, from Metis, and to bear from his thigh Dionysus, who they say was torn to pieces by the Titans. He does not hold a banquet at the wedding of Thetis and Peleus. He did not drive Strife away from the wedding. Strife herself, dishonoured, did not devise battle and discord for the guests. She did not take a golden apple from the gardens of the Hesperides and inscribe on it, 'A gift for the beautiful one.' Then they tell the myth that Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite find the apple and come quarrelling to Zeus; he did not judge them himself, but sent them by Hermes to the shepherd Paris to be judged for beauty. But neither were goddesses judged, nor did Paris give the apple to Aphrodite. Aphrodite, so honoured, did not repay him with marriage to Helen. For the honour paid to a goddess would not have become the pretext for a war of all nations, and that to the ruin of the one who received the honour and who was kin to Aphrodite's own race. But, as I said, my child, such things have a meaning of their own, a philosophical one, that can be expressed by allegory, so that you will be amazed when you hear it." I said, "I beg you, do not torment me by putting it off." He said, "Do not fear; I will not delay, but will begin to speak at once." ### Extrabiblical texts - Hesiod, Theog. 133-210 (Hesiod, Theogony): allusion, medium confidence - Hesiod, Theog. 453-500 (Hesiod, Theogony): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The Titans are listed as printed; Hesiod's list (Theogony 133–138) differs (e.g. Theia, Phoebe, no Demeter). - Paris, a Trojan, was kin to Aphrodite's race through Anchises and Aeneas. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.2 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-2). ## Homilies 6.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-3 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Appion begins his allegory: in the beginning was chaos, which Homer implies, Hesiod names, and Orpheus calls an egg. ### Greek text Ἦν ποτε ὅτε οὐδὲν πλὴν χάος καὶ στοιχείων ἀτάκτων ἔτι συμπεφορημένων μῖξις ἀδιάκριτος, τοῦτο καὶ τῆς φύσεως ὁμολογούσης, καὶ τῶν μεγάλων ἀνδρῶν οὕτως ἔχειν νενοηκότων. καὶ μάρτυρα τῶν μεγάλων ἐν σοφίᾳ τὸν μέγιστον Ὅμηρον αὐτόν σοι παρέξομαι, εἰπόντα περὶ τῆς ἀνέκαθεν συγχύσεως Ἀλλʼ ὑμεῖς μὲν πάντες ὕδωρ καὶ γαῖα γένοισθε. ὡς ἐκεῖθεν ἁπάντων τὴν γένεσιν ἐσχηκότων, καὶ μετʼ ἀνάλυσιν τῆς ὑγρᾶς καὶ γηίνης οὐσίας εἰς τὴν πρώτην πάλιν ἀποκαθισταμένων φύσιν, ὅ ἐστιν χάος. Ἡσίοδος δὲ ἐν τῇ Θεογονίᾳ λέγει Ἥτοι μὲν πρώτιστα χάος ἐγένετο. τὸ δὲ ἐγένετο δῆλον ὅτι γεγενῆσθαι ὡς γενητὰ σημαίνει, οὐ τὸ ἀεὶ εἶναι ὡς ἀγένητα. καὶ Ὀρφεὺς δὲ τὸ χάος ὠῷ παρεικάζει, ἐν ᾧ τῶν πρώτων στοιχείων ἦν ἡ σύγχυσις. τοῦτο Ἡσίοδος χάος ὑποτίθεται, ὅπερ Ὀρφεὺς ὠὸν λέγει γενητόν, ἐξ ἀπείρου τῆς ὕλης προβεβλημένον, γεγονὸς δὲ οὕτως. ### English translation (Claude) "There was a time when there was nothing but chaos, an undifferentiated mixture of disordered elements still heaped together. Nature itself agrees with this, and great men have understood it to be so. As a witness among those great in wisdom I will offer you the greatest, Homer himself, who says of that original confusion: 'But may you all become water and earth,' as though all things had their origin from there and, after the dissolution of the moist and earthy substance, are restored again to their first nature, which is chaos. Hesiod in the Theogony says, 'First of all Chaos came to be.' 'Came to be' clearly means that it was generated, as things that come into being, and not that it always was, as things unbegotten. Orpheus likens chaos to an egg, in which the confusion of the first elements lay. What Hesiod posits as chaos, Orpheus calls an egg, generated, put forth from the infinite mass of matter, and it came to be in this way. ### Extrabiblical texts - Homer, Il. 7.99 (Homer, Iliad): quotation, high confidence - Hesiod, Theog. 116 (Hesiod, Theogony): quotation, high confidence - Orpheus (attributed), Orph. frag. (Orpheus (attributed), Orphic poems (fragments)): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Quotations: Homer, Iliad 7.99; Hesiod, Theogony 116. The Orphic cosmic egg is known from the Orphic fragments. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.3 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-3). ## Homilies 6.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-4 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Appion describes how the living, disordered matter whirled together and produced a spherical egg-like creation. ### Greek text Τῆς τετραγενοῦς ὕλης ἐμψύχου οὔσης, καὶ ὅλου ἀπείρου τινὸς βυθοῦ ἀεὶ ῥέοντος καὶ ἀκρίτως φερομένου, καὶ μυρίας ἀτελεῖς κράσεις εἰς ἄλλοτε ἄλλως ἐπαναχέοντος, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὰς ἀναλύοντος τῇ ἀταξίᾳ, καὶ κεχηνότος ὡς εἰς γέννησιν ζώου δεθῆναι μὴ δυναμένου, συνέβη ποτὲ αὐτοῦ τοῦ ἀπείρου πελάγους, ὑπὸ ἰδίας φύσεως περιωθουμένου κινήσει φυσικῇ, εὐτάκτως ῥυῆναι ἀπὸ τοῦ αὐτοῦ εἰς τὸ αὐτό, ὥσπερ ἴλιγγα, καὶ μῖξαι τὰς οὐσίας, καὶ οὕτως ἐξ ἀκουστοῦ πάντων τὸ νοστιμώτατον, ὅπερ πρὸς γέννησιν ζώου ἐπιτηδειότατον ἦν, ὥσπερ ἐν χώνῃ κατὰ μέσου ῥυῆναι τοῦ παντός, καὶ ὑπὸ τῆς πάντα φερούσης ἴλιγγος χωρῆσαι βάθος, καὶ τὸ περικείμενον πνεῦμα ἐπισπάσασθαι, καὶ ὡς εἰς γονιμώτατον συλληφθὲν ποιεῖν κριτικὴν σύστασιν. ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν ὑγρῷ φιλεῖ γίνεσθαι πομφόλυξ, οὕτως σφαιροειδὲς πανταχόθεν συνελήφθη κύτος. ἔπειτα αὐτὸ ἐν ἑαυτῷ κυηθέν, ὑπὸ τοῦ παρειληφότος θειώδους πνεύματος ἀναφερόμενον, προέκυψεν εἰς φῶς μέγιστόν τι τοῦτο ἀποκύημα, ὡς ἄν ἐκ παντὸς τοῦ ἀπείρου βυθοῦ ἀποκεκυημένον ἔμψυχον δημιούργημα, καὶ τῇ περιφερείᾳ τῶν ὠῶν προσεοικὸς, καὶ τῷ τάχει τῆς πτήσεως. ### English translation (Claude) "The fourfold matter was alive, an entire infinite deep, ever flowing and borne along without order, pouring forth countless incomplete mixtures now one way and now another, and therefore dissolving them again by its disorder, gaping, as it were, and unable to be bound together for the birth of a living creature. Then it happened once that this infinite sea, driven round by its own nature with a natural motion, flowed in an orderly way from itself into itself, like a whirlpool, and mixed the substances; and so from all of them the richest part, the most suited for the birth of a living creature, flowed down as into a funnel to the middle of the whole, and by the whirl that carried everything it sank to the depth, drew in the spirit lying around, and, conceived as in a most fertile womb, produced a distinct formation. For as a bubble is apt to form in liquid, so a spherical hollow was conceived, closed on every side. Then, having conceived within itself and being borne upward by the divine spirit it had taken in, this very great offspring came forth into the light, a living creation brought forth, as it were, from the whole infinite deep, like an egg in its roundness and like a bird in the swiftness of its flight. ### Extrabiblical texts - Orpheus (attributed), Orph. frag. (Orpheus (attributed), Orphic poems (fragments)): allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - "The richest part" renders a corrupt phrase (ἐξ ἀκουστοῦ πάντων); "a distinct formation" renders κριτικὴν σύστασιν, also doubtful. The comparison with a bird ("swiftness of its flight") is implied by the Greek. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.4 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-4). ## Homilies 6.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-5 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Appion interprets Kronos as time and Rhea as flowing matter, and describes the birth of the male-female Phanes from the cosmic egg. ### Greek text Κρόνον οὖν τὸν χρόνον μοι νόει, τὴν δὲ Ῥέαν τὸ ῥέον τῆς ὑγρᾶς οὐσίας· ὅτι χρόνῳ φερομένη ἡ ὕλη ἅπασα ὥσπερ ὠὸν τὸν πάντα περιέχοντα σφαιροειδῆ ἀπεκύησεν οὐρανόν· ὅπερ κατʼ ἀρχὰς τοῦ γονίμου μυελοῦ πλῆρες ἥνωσαν στοιχεῖα, καὶ χρώματα παντοδαπὰ ἐκτεκεῖν δυνάμενον, καὶ ὅμως παντοδαπὴν ἐκ μιᾶς οὐσίας τε καὶ χρώματος ἑνὸς ἔφερε τὴν φαντασίαν. ὥσπερ γὰρ ἐν τῷ τοῦ ταὼ γεννήματι ἕν μὲν τοῦ ὠοῦ χρῶμα δοκεῖ, δυνάμει δὲ μυρία ἔχει ἐν ἑαυτῷ τοῦ μέλλοντος τελεσφορεῖσθαι χρώματα, οὕτως καὶ τὸ ἐξ ἀπείρου ὕλης ἀποκυηθὲν ἔμψυχον ὠὸν, ἐκ τῆς ὑποκειμένης καὶ ἀεὶ ῥεούσης ὕλης κινούμενον, παντοδαπὰς ἐκφαίνει τροπάς. ἔνδοθεν γὰρ τῆς περιφερείας ζῶόν τι ἀῤῥενόθηλυ εἰδοποιεῖται προνοίᾳ τοῦ ἐνόντος ἐν αὐτῷ θείου πνεύματος, ὅν Φάνητα Ὀρφεὺς καλεῖ, ὅτι αὐτοῦ φανέντος τὸ πᾶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ ἔλαμψεν, τῷ φέγγει τοῦ διαπρεπεστάτου τῶν στοιχείων πυρὸς ἐν τῷ ὑγρῷ τελεσφορουμένου. καὶ οὐκ ἄπιστον, ὅτι καὶ ἐπὶ λαμπυρίδων, δείγματος ἕνεκα, ἡ φύσις ἡμῖν ὁρᾷν ὑγρὸν φῶς ἐδωρήσατο. ### English translation (Claude) "So understand Kronos, I beg you, as Chronos, Time, and Rhea as the flowing of the moist substance: for all matter, carried along by time, brought forth heaven, which encloses everything, spherical like an egg. At first the elements united it, full of fertile marrow and able to bring forth colours of every kind; and yet, from one substance and one colour, it bore the appearance of every kind. For as in the egg of the peacock the colour seems one, but in potency holds in itself countless colours of the bird that is to be completed, so too the living egg brought forth from infinite matter, moved by the underlying and ever-flowing matter, displays changes of every kind. For within its circumference a living being, male and female, is formed by the providence of the divine spirit within it, whom Orpheus calls Phanes, because when he appeared the whole universe shone out from him, by the brightness of fire, the most splendid of the elements, brought to completion in the moist substance. Nor is this incredible, since in glow-worms too nature has given us, as an example, a moist light to see. ### Extrabiblical texts - Orpheus (attributed), Orph. frag. (Orpheus (attributed), Orphic poems (fragments)): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - "At first the elements united it" renders a doubtful clause (ἥνωσαν στοιχεῖα); it may rather mean that heaven could produce elements. - Phanes (from φανείς, "appearing") is the first-born god of the Orphic theogonies. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.5 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-5). ## Homilies 6.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-6 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Appion explains how the egg broke, Phanes appeared, and the heaviest part of the remaining matter, called Pluto, sank to the bottom. ### Greek text Τὸ μὲν οὖν πρωτοσύστατον ὠὸν ὑποθερμανθὲν ὑπὸ τοῦ ἔσωθεν ζώου ῥήγνυται, ἔπειτα δὲ μορφωθὲν προέρχεται ὁποῖόν τι καὶ Ὀρφεὺς λέγει, — κραμαίου σχισθέντος πολυχανδέος ὠοῦ. καὶ οὕτω μεγάλῃ δυνάμει αὐτοῦ τοῦ προεληλυθότος φανέντος, τὸ μὲν κύτος τὴν ἁρμονίαν λαμβάνει καὶ τὴν διακόσμησιν ἴσχει, αὐτὸς δὲ ὥσπερ ἐπʼ ἀκρωρείας οὐρανοῦ προκαθέζεται, καὶ ἐν ἀποῤῥήτοις τὸν ἄπειρον περιλάμπων αἰῶνα. ἡ δὲ τοῦ κύτους ἔνδοθεν γόνιμος ὑπολειφθεῖσα ὕλη, ὡς ἐν πολλῷ τῷ χρόνῳ ὑποκειμένης ἕως φυσικῆς ἱποζέουσα ἡ θερμότης, τὰς πάντων διέκρινεν οὐσίας. τὸ μὲν γὰρ κατώτερον αὐτῆς πρῶτον ὥσπερ ὑποστάθμη ὑπὸ τοῦ βάρους εἰς τὰ κάτω ὑπεχώρησεν, ὅ διὰ τὴν ὁλκότητα καὶ διὰ τὸ ἐμβριθὲς καὶ πολὺ τῆς ὑποκειμένης οὐσίας πλῆθος Πλούτωνα προσηγόρευσαν, ᾅδου τε καὶ νεκρῶν βασιλέα εἶναι ἀποφηνάμενοι. ### English translation (Claude) "Then the first-formed egg, warmed by the living being within, breaks open, and the being, now formed, comes out, as Orpheus too says: '... when the capacious egg was split.' And so, when the one who came forth had appeared with great power, the hollow received its harmony and took on its ordered arrangement, while he himself sits enthroned as on the summit of heaven, shining in unspeakable places over the infinite age. The fertile matter left within the hollow, over a long time, as the natural heat seethed beneath it, separated the substances of all things. For its lowest part, first, like a sediment, sank down by its weight; because of its dragging, its heaviness, and the great mass of the underlying substance they called it Pluto, and declared it king of Hades and of the dead. ### Extrabiblical texts - Orpheus (attributed), Orph. frag. (Orpheus (attributed), Orphic poems (fragments)): quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Orphic verse, quoted incompletely; κραμαίου is obscure and left untranslated. - The clause about the heat seething beneath is corrupt in the Greek; rendered by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.6 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-6). ## Homilies 6.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-7 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Appion interprets the swallowing of Pluto and Poseidon as the sinking of earth and water, and Zeus as the fiery upper substance that draws up Metis, the fine spirit. ### Greek text Ταύτην μὲν οὖν τὴν πρώτην καὶ πολλὴν, ῥυπαρὰν καὶ τραχεῖαν οὐσίαν ὑπὸ Κρόνου τοῦ χρόνου καταποθῆναι λέγουσιν φυσικῶς, διὰ τὴν κάτω ὑπονόστησιν αὐτῆς. μετὰ δὲ τὴν πρώτην ὑποστάθμην τὸ συῤῥυὲν ὕδωρ καὶ πρώτῃ ἐπιπολάσαν ὑποστάσει Ποσειδῶνα προσηγόρευσαν. τὸ δὲ λοιπὸν τρίτον τὸ καθαρώτατον καὶ κορυφαιότατον ἅτε διαυγὲς ὄν πῦρ Ζῆνα ὠνόμασαν, διὰ τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ ζέουσαν φύσιν· ἀνωφερὲς γὰρ ὄν τὸ πῦρ πρὸς μὲν τὰ κάτω ὑπὸ χρόνου τοῦ Κρόνου οὐ κατεπόθη, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἔφην, ἡ πυρώδης οὐσία ζωτική τε καὶ ἀνωφερὴς οὖσα εἰς αὐτὸν ἀνέπτη τὸν ἀέρα, ὅς καὶ φρονιμώτατός ἐστι διὰ τὴν καθαρότητα. τῇ οὖν ἰδίᾳ θερμότητι ὁ Ζεὺς, τουτέστιν ἡ ζέουσα οὐσία, τὸ καταλειφθὲν ἐν τῷ ὑποκειμένῳ ὑγρῷ, τὸ ἰσχνότατον καὶ θεῖον ἀνιμᾶται πνεῦμα, ὅπερ Μῆτιν ἐκάλεσαν. ### English translation (Claude) "This first, abundant, filthy, and rough substance, then, they say was swallowed by Kronos, that is Time, in a natural sense, because it sank down below. After the first sediment, the water that flowed together and floated on the first deposit they called Poseidon. The remaining third, the purest and highest, being transparent fire, they named Zēn because of the seething nature in it; for fire, since it tends upward, was not swallowed by Time, Kronos, into the depths; but, as I said, the fiery substance, being life-giving and tending upward, flew up into the air itself, which is also most intelligent because of its purity. So by his own heat Zeus, that is, the seething substance, draws up what was left in the underlying moisture, the finest and divine spirit, which they called Metis. ### Translation notes - Wordplay: Zēn (Zeus) and ζέω, "seethe"; Metis means "counsel" or "wisdom". ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.7 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-7). ## Homilies 6.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-8 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Appion explains Athena (Pallas) as wisdom born of the aether, and Hera as the air, sister and wife of Zeus. ### Greek text Κατὰ κορυφῆς δὲ αὐτοῦ ἐλθὸν τοῦ αἰθέρος καὶ συμποθὲν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ, ὥσπερ ὑγρὸν θερμῷ μιγέν, τὸν ἀεικίνητον παλμὸν ἐμποιῆσαν, γεννᾷ τὴν σύνεσιν, ἥν καὶ Παλλάδα ἐπονομάζουσιν διὰ τὸ πάλλεσθαι, τεχνικωτάτην οὖσαν φρόνησιν, ᾗ χρώμενος τὸν πάντα ἐτεχνήσατο κόσμον ὁ αἰθέριος τεχνίτης. ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ δὲ τοῦ διήκοντος Διὸς, τοῦ θερμοτάτου αἰθέρος, ὁ ἀὴρ μέχρι τῶν ἐνταῦθα διικνεῖται τόπων, ἥν ἐπονομάζουσιν Ἥραν. καὶ διὸ δὴ τῆς τοῦ αἰθέρος καθαρωτάτης οὐσίας ὑποβεβηκυῖα, ὡς θήλεια τὴν καθαρότητα, πρὸς σύγκρισιν τοῦ κρείττονος ἀδελφὴ Διὸς κατὰ τὸ εἰκὸς ἐνομίσθη, ὡς ἐκ τῆς αὐτῆς οὐσίας γεγενημένη γαμετὴ δὲ διὰ τὸ ὡς γυναῖκα ὑποκεῖσθαι. ### English translation (Claude) "This spirit, reaching the summit of the aether itself and being drunk in by it, like moisture mixed with heat, produced a constant throbbing, and so begets understanding, which they also call Pallas because of its throbbing: it is most skilful wisdom, by which the craftsman of the aether fashioned the whole world. From Zeus himself, the hottest aether that pervades all, the air reaches down to the places here; they call it Hera. And since it falls below the purest substance of the aether, being female, as it were, in purity when compared with the stronger, it was reasonably considered the sister of Zeus, as born of the same substance, but his wife because it lies beneath him as a woman does. ### Translation notes - Wordplay: Pallas and πάλλεσθαι, "to throb"; Hera and ἀήρ, "air". ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.8 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-8). ## Homilies 6.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-9 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Appion continues the physical allegory: Hera the mild air, Athena and Artemis virgin as barren extremes, Dionysus intoxicating vapour, Osiris underground water. ### Greek text Παραλαμβάνεται δὲ ἡ μὲν Ἥρα πρὸς ἀέρος εὐκρασίαν, διʼ ὅ καὶ γονιμωτάτη ἐστίν· ἡ δὲ Ἀθηνᾶ, ἥν καὶ Παλλάδα λέγουσιν, διὰ τὸ ἄκρως θερμὸν γένεσίν τινος ποιῆσαι μὴ δυναμένη, παρθένος ἐνομίσθη. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ Ἄρτεμις ἑρμηνευομένη, ἥν εἰς τὸν κατώτατον μυχὸν τοῦ ἀέρος παραλαμβάνουσιν, καὶ διʼ ἀκρότητα κρύους ἄγονον οὖσαν ὁμοίως παρθένον ἐκάλεσαν. Διόνυσον δὲ ὡς φρενῶν θολοτικὸν ὀνομάζουσιν τὴν ἀπὸ τῶν ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω ἀτμῶν τὴν θολερὰν καὶ μεθύουσαν σύστασιν. τὸ δὲ κατωτέρω τῆς γῆς ὕδωρ, ἕν ὂν τῇ φύσει, καὶ διὰ πάντων τῶν χερσαίων πόρων διεῖρον, καὶ εἰς πολλὰ διαιρούμενον, ὥσπερ συγκοπτόμενον, Ὄσιριν ἐκάλεσαν. λαμβάνουσι δὲ καὶ Ἄδωνιν εἰς ὡραίους καιρούς, Ἀφροδίτην εἰς μῖξιν καὶ γένεσιν, Δήμητρα εἰς γῆν, Κόρην εἰς σπέρματα, καὶ Διόνυσόν τινες εἰς ἄμπελον. ### English translation (Claude) "Hera is taken for the temperate mixture of the air, which is why she is most fertile; while Athena, whom they also call Pallas, since she cannot produce offspring because of her extreme heat, was held to be a virgin. So too Artemis is interpreted; they take her for the lowest recess of the air, and since she is barren through extreme cold they likewise called her a virgin. Dionysus, as the one who troubles the mind, is their name for the turbid and intoxicating compound formed from the vapours above and below. The water beneath the earth, which is one by nature, but runs through all the passages of the land and is divided into many parts, as if cut to pieces, they called Osiris. They take Adonis for the seasons of ripeness, Aphrodite for mixing and generation, Demeter for the earth, Kore for seeds, and some take Dionysus for the vine. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.9 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-9). ## Homilies 6.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-10 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Appion explains Apollo as the sun and Zeus's many transformations and wives as the changes of the seasons and years. ### Greek text Καὶ πάντα τὰ τοιαῦτα ὁμοίως τοιαύτην τινὰ ἀλληγορίαν ἔχοντα νόει μοι· Ἀπόλλωνα δὲ ἥλιον τὸν περιπολοῦντα εἶναι νόμιζε, γονὴν ὄντα τοῦ Διὸς, ὅν καὶ Μίθραν ἐκάλεσαν, ἐνιαυτοῦ συμπληροῦντα περίοδον. αὐταὶ δὲ αἱ μεταμορφώσεις τοῦ πανταχῇ διήκοντος Διὸς αἱ πολλαὶ νοείσθωσάν σοι τροπαί, τὰς δὲ μυρίας αὐτοῦ γυναῖκας ἐνιαυτοὺς ἢ γενεὰς ἐπινόει. ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ γὰρ τοῦ αἰθέρος ἡ διηνουμένη τὸν ἀέρα δύναμις, ἑκάστῳ ἐνιαυτῷ καὶ γενεᾷ συνουσιάζουσα, διαφόρως αὐτὸν τρέπει, καὶ οὕτως γεννᾷ ἢ φθείρει τὰ ὡραῖα. καὶ παῖδες μὲν λέγονται οἱ ὡραῖοι καρποί, αἱ δὲ πρὸς τοὺς ἄφρονας δείξεις αἱ κατʼ ἐνίους καιροὺς ἀκαρπίαι. ### English translation (Claude) "Understand all such things, I beg you, as having a similar allegory. Consider Apollo to be the sun as it goes round, the offspring of Zeus, whom they also called Mithras, as he completes the circuit of the year. The many transformations of Zeus, who pervades everything, are to be understood as changes, and his countless wives as years or generations. For the power that comes from the aether itself and passes through the air, uniting with each year and generation, changes it in different ways, and so begets or destroys the fruits of the seasons. The ripe fruits are called his children, and the barren seasons that come at certain times are the signs he gives to the foolish. ### Translation notes - The last clause is obscure in the Greek; rendered by sense (ANF's rendering, relating barren seasons to unlawful unions, follows an emended text). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.10 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-10). ## Homilies 6.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-11 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement assures Appion that he knows these allegories and offers to summarize and complete them. ### Greek text Ταῦτα τοῦ Ἀππίωνος ἀλληγοροῦντος, σύννους ὤν ἐγὼ ἔδοξα τοῖς ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ λεγομένοις μὴ παρακολουθεῖν. διʼ ὅ τὸν λόγον ἐγκόψας ἔφη μοι εἰ μὴ παρακολουθεῖς οἷς λέγω, τί καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν διαλέγομαι; κᾀγὼ ἀπεκρινάμην μή με ὑπολάμβανε ἀναισθήτως ἔχειν τῶν ὑπό σου λεγομένων. πάνυ γὰρ αὐτὰ συνίημι, ἅτε δὴ οὐ πρῶτον αὐτῶν ἀκηκοώς. ἵνα δὲ γνῷς ὅτι οὐκ ἀγνοῶ τὰ ὑπό σου λεγόμενα, τὰ μέν σοι ῥηθέντα ἐπιτεμοῦμαι, τῶν δὲ παραλειφθέντων σοι κατʼ ἀκολουθίαν, ὡς παρʼ ἑτέρων ἤκουσα, ἀποπληρώσω τὰς ἀλληγορίας. καὶ ὁ Ἀππίων ἔφη· ποίησον οὕτως ὡς λέγεις. ### English translation (Claude) While Appion was giving these allegories, I was lost in thought and seemed not to be following what he said. So he broke off his speech and said to me, "If you are not following what I say, why am I speaking at all?" I answered: "Do not suppose that I have no grasp of what you are saying. I understand it perfectly, since this is not the first time I have heard it. And so that you may know that I am not ignorant of what you are saying, I will summarize what you have said, and I will complete, in order, the allegories you left out, as I heard them from others." Appion said, "Do as you say." ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.11 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-11). ## Homilies 6.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-12 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement summarizes Appion's allegory of the cosmic egg and the births of Pluto, Poseidon, and Zeus. ### Greek text Κᾀγὼ ἀπεκρινάμην· παρίημι νῦν ἐπʼ ἀκριβὲς λέγειν τὸ ἐκ τῆς ἀπείρου ὕλης κατʼ ἐπιτυχίαν κράσεως ἀποκυηθὲν ἔμψυχον ὠόν, οὗ ῥαγέντος κατά τινας ἀῤῥενόθηλυς ἐξέθορεν Φανής. καὶ πάντʼ ἐκεῖνα ἐπιτέμνομαι, μέχρις οὗ τὸ ῥαγὲν κύτος τὴν ἁρμονίαν ἔλαβεν, ὑπολειφθείσης αὐτοῦ μυελώδους ὕλης καὶ τὸν λόγον τῶν ὑπʼ αὐτῆς ἔνδοθεν γενομένων ἐπικεφαλαιῶν μετὰ τῶν ἀκολούθων ἐπιτρέχω. ἐγεννήθη γάρ, ὡς λέγεις, ἐκ Κρόνου καὶ Ῥέας, ὑπό τε χρόνου καὶ ὕλης, τὰ μὲν πρῶτα Πλούτων, ὡς κάτω παραχωρήσασα ὑποστάθμη δεύτερα δὲ Ποσειδῶν, ἥτις ἐστὶν ὑγρὰ οὐσία ἐπιπολάσασα τῇ κάτω ὁλκοτάτῃ φύσει. ἡ δὲ τρίτη ἀνωτάτη τε καὶ αἰθὴρ οὖσα, ὥσπερ ἐστὶν Ζεὺς, ἥτις οὐ κατεπόθη, ἀλλὰ θερμὴ οὖσα ἰσχὺς καὶ ἀνωφερῆ ἔχουσα τὴν φύσιν, ὥσπερ ὑπό τινος ῥιπῆς εἰς τὸν ἄνω ἡγεμονικώτατον ἀνέπτη αἰθέρα. ### English translation (Claude) I answered: "I pass over, for now, a precise account of the living egg brought forth from infinite matter by a lucky mixture, from which, when it broke, according to some, Phanes leapt out, male and female. I cut short all of that, up to the point where the broken hollow received its harmony, with its marrow-like matter left behind; and I run briefly over the account of what came into being within it, summarizing it with what follows. For there were born, as you say, of Kronos and Rhea, that is, of time and matter, first Pluto, the sediment that sank below; second Poseidon, the moist substance that floated on the heaviest nature below; and third, the highest, which is aether, that is Zeus. It was not swallowed, but, being hot and strong and upward-tending by nature, flew up, as if by some impulse, into the highest and most commanding aether. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.12 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-12). ## Homilies 6.13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-13 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement continues: Kronos's bonds and castration mean the ordering and separation of the elements, and Aphrodite is the fertile moisture. ### Greek text Δεσμὰ δὲ τὰ Κρόνου ἐστὶν ἡ σύμπηξις οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς, ὡς καὶ ἄλλων ἀλληγορούντων ἀκήκοα, ἡ δὲ ἀποκοπὴ τῶν μορίων ὁ τῶν στοιχείων χωρισμὸς καὶ διάκρισις, ὅτι πάντα ἐκ τῆς ἰδίας φύσεως ἀπετμήθη καὶ ἀφωρίσθη, καθʼ ἑαυτὰ τετάχθαι ἕκαστον· καὶ οὐκ ἔτι γεννᾷ χρόνος, ἀλλὰ τὰ γεννηθέντα διʼ αὐτοῦ νόμῳ φύσεως ποιεῖται τὰς διαδοχάς. ἡ δὲ ἐκ τοῦ βυθοῦ ἀνακύψασα Ἀφροδίτη, ἡ ἐκ τοῦ ὑγροῦ γόνιμος οὐσία, ᾗ τὸ θερμὸν πνεῦμα μιγὲν τὸν τῆς μίξεως ποιεῖται ἔρωτα, καὶ τελεσιουργεῖ τοῦ κόσμου τὸ κάλλος. ### English translation (Claude) "The bonds of Kronos are the binding together of heaven and earth, as I have heard others also interpret; the cutting off of the parts is the separation and distinction of the elements, since all things were cut off and separated by their own nature, so that each was set in its own place; and time no longer begets, but the things begotten through it make their successions by the law of nature. Aphrodite, who rose up out of the deep, is the fertile substance from the moisture; the warm spirit mixing with it produces the love of union and brings to completion the beauty of the world. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.13 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-13). ## Homilies 6.14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-14 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement gives the allegory of the wedding of Peleus and Thetis: the banquet is the world, Peleus clay, and Achilles the first man formed from earth and water. ### Greek text Τὸ δὲ συμπόσιον τὸ γαμήλιον, ἔνθα τὸ δεῖπνον ἐτέλει Ζεύς, ὑπέρ τε τῆς Νηρεΐδος Θέτιδος καὶ τοῦ καλοῦ Πηλέως ἀλληγορίαν ἔχει ταύτην, ἵνα γνῷς ὅτι καὶ ἄνευ σου, Ἀππίον, τὰ τοιαῦτα ἠκούσαμεν. τὸ μὲν δὴ συμπόσιον ὁ κόσμος· οἱ δὲ δώδεκα, οὐράνια τῶν μοιρῶν περιστηρίγματα, ἅ τινα ζώδια καλοῦσιν· Προμηθεὺς ἡ προμήθεια, ὑφʼ ἧς τὰ πάντα ἐγένετο· Πηλεὺς πηλὸς ὁ ἀπὸ γῆς εἰς ἀνθρώπου γένεσιν περινοηθεὶς καὶ μιγεὶς τῇ Νηρεΐδι, τουτέστιν ὕδατι. ἐκ δὲ τῆς τῶν δύο μίξεως, ὕδατός τε καὶ γῆς, ὁ πρῶτος, οὐ γεννηθεὶς, ἀλλὰ πλασθεὶς τέλειος διὰ τὸ μαζοῖς χείλη μὴ προσενεγκεῖν Ἀχιλλεὺς προσηγορεύθη· ἔστι δὲ αὐτὸς καὶ ἀκμήν, ἥτις ἐὰν ἐπιθυμίαν Πολυξένην ὡς ἀληθείας ἀλλοτρίαν οὖσαν καὶ ξένην, ἰῷ ὄφεως ἀναιρεῖται, βέλει κατὰ πτέρναν καὶ κατὰ ἴχνος ἐνέρποντος τοῦ θανάτου. ### English translation (Claude) "The wedding banquet, at which Zeus gave the dinner for Thetis the Nereid and the handsome Peleus, has this allegory, so that you may know, Appion, that we have heard such things even without you. The banquet is the world; the twelve are the heavenly supports of its divisions, which they call the signs of the zodiac; Prometheus is forethought, by which all things came to be; Peleus is the clay (pēlos) taken from the earth, devised for the making of man and mixed with the Nereid, that is, with water. From the mixing of the two, water and earth, the first man, not begotten but formed complete, was called Achilles, because he did not put his lips to breasts. He is also the prime of life, which, if it desires Polyxena, as being alien and foreign to the truth, is slain by the venom of a serpent, death creeping in by an arrow at the heel and footstep. ### Translation notes - Wordplay: Achilles from ἀ- and χεῖλος, "without lips" (never suckled); Polyxena, "much-foreign". - The last sentence is corrupt in the Greek (a verb is missing); rendered by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.14 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-14). ## Homilies 6.15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-15 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement explains the judgment of Paris as a moral allegory in which irrational impulse chooses pleasure and wealth stirs up strife. ### Greek text Ἥρα τοίνυν καὶ Ἀθηνᾶ καὶ Ἀφροδίτη καὶ Ἔρις καὶ μῆλον καὶ Ἑρμῆς καὶ κρίσις καὶ ποιμὴν τοιοῦτόν τινα νοῦν ὑπαινίσσεται· Ἥρα σεμνότης· Ἀθηνᾶ ἡ ἀνδρεία· Ἀφροδίτη αἱ ἡδοναί. Ἑρμῆς ὁ ἑρμηνευτικὸς λόγος· ὁ ποιμὴν Πάρις ἡ ἀλόγιστος ὁρμὴ καὶ βάρβαρος. ἐὰν οὖν κατὰ τὴν ἀκμὴν τῆς ἡλικίας ὁ τὴν ψυχὴν ποιμαίνων λογισμὸς τύχῃ ὢν βάρβαρος, καὶ παραλιπὼν τὰ συμφέροντα, ἀνδρείαν τε καὶ σωφροσύνην παρωσάμενος, μόνας ἕληται τὰς ἡδονὰς καὶ μόνῃ τῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ τὴν νίκην ἀποδῷ, ὡς παρʼ αὐτῆς τὰ τέρποντα ἀντιλαμβάνων, ἐπʼ ὀλέθρῳ ἑαυτοῦ τε καὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ ὁ μὴ ὀρθῶς κρίνας τὴν τέρψιν λήψεται. Ἔρις δέ ἐστιν ἡ φιλονεικοῦσα κακία. τὸ δὲ τῶν Ἑσπερίδων χρυσοῦν μῆλον ὁ πλοῦτος ἄν εἴη, ὅς ἐνίοτε καὶ τοὺς σώφρονας, ὥσπερ τὴν Ἥραν, πρὸς ῥᾳθυμίαν ἐφίσταται, καὶ τοὺς ἀνδρείους, ὥσπερ τὴν Ἀθηνᾶν, εἰς τὰ μὴ αὐτοῖς πρέποντα φιλονεικοτέρους ἀπεργάζεται, καὶ ψυχῆς κάλλος, ὥσπερ Ἀφροδίτην, προφάσει τρυφῆς ἀπολλύει. συντόμως ἐρῶ· πάντας εἰς κακὴν ἔριν ἀνερεθίζει ὁ πλοῦτος. ### English translation (Claude) "So Hera, Athena, Aphrodite, Strife, the apple, Hermes, the judgment, and the shepherd hint at a meaning of this kind. Hera is dignity; Athena, courage; Aphrodite, pleasures; Hermes, the reason that interprets; the shepherd Paris, irrational and barbarous impulse. If, then, in the prime of life, the reason that shepherds the soul happens to be barbarous, neglects what is beneficial, thrusts aside courage and self-control, and chooses pleasures alone, giving the victory to desire alone in the hope of receiving delights from it in return, then the one who did not judge rightly will get his delight to the ruin of himself and his own. Strife is the vice that loves contention. The golden apple of the Hesperides would be wealth, which sometimes draws even the self-controlled, like Hera, into idleness, makes the courageous, like Athena, more contentious over things that do not befit them, and, like Aphrodite, destroys the soul's beauty under the pretext of luxury. To put it briefly, wealth provokes everyone to evil strife. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.15 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-15). ## Homilies 6.16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-16 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement explains Heracles and his labours as the philosophical mind that tames human vices. ### Greek text Ὁ δὲ τὸν τοῦ πλούτου ἡγεμόνα καὶ φύλακα ὄφιν ἀνελὼν Ἡρακλῆς ὁ γνήσιος καὶ φιλόσοφός ἐστι νοῦς, ὅς πάσης κακίας γυμνὸς ὤν ἐκπερινοστεῖ τὸν κόσμον, ἐπιδημῶν ταῖς ψυχαῖς καὶ σωφρονίζων τοὺς ἐντυγχάνοντας, λέγω δὲ ἀνθρώπους ἐοικότας λέουσιν τολμηροῖς ἢ ἐλάφοις δειλοῖς ἢ κάπροις ἀγρίοις ἢ ὕδραις πολυτρόποις. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ τὰ ἄλλα πάντα, ὅσα ἀθλῆσαι λέγεται Ἡρακλῆς, νοερᾶς ἀρετῆς ἐστιν αἰνίγματα. αὐτάρκως νῦν ἐχέτω τὰ εἰρημένα εἰς γὰρ ἕκαστον εἰπεῖν οὐδὲ ὁ σύμπας χρόνος ἀρκέσει. ### English translation (Claude) "Heracles, who killed the serpent that ruled and guarded wealth, is the genuine and philosophical mind, which, stripped of every vice, travels round the world, visiting souls and bringing to their senses those it meets, I mean men who are like bold lions, or cowardly deer, or wild boars, or many-shaped hydras. Likewise all the other labours Heracles is said to have performed are riddles of intellectual virtue. Let what has been said suffice for now; to speak of each one, all time would not be enough. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.16 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-16). ## Homilies 6.17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-17 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement objects that whether the myths are true or allegories, those who told them encouraged sin and insulted their own gods. ### Greek text Πλὴν θαυμάζω, πῶς ταῦτα σαφῶς καὶ εὐσεβῶς καὶ ὠφελίμως ἀκαλύπτῳ τῇ εὐθείᾳ δηλοῦσθαι δυνάμενα, οἱ πλαγίοις ἀποκρύψαντες αἰνίγμασιν καὶ μύθοις αὐτὰ προκαλύψαντες κακοῖς ὑπό σου ἔμφρονες καὶ σοφοὶ εἶναι λέγονται, οἵτινες ὥσπερ ὑπὸ κακοῦ προαχθέντες δαίμονος σχεδὸν τοὺς πάντας ἐνήδρευσαν ἀνθρώπους. ἢ γὰρ οὐκ ἔστιν ταῦτα αἰνίγματα, ἀλλʼ ἀληθῆ τῶν θεῶν ἁμαρτήματα, καὶ ἐλέγχειν αὐτοὺς οὐκ ἔδει, οὐδὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν αὐτὰ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις εἰς μίμησιν προτιθέναι· ἢ αἰνιγματωδῶς ἐλέγχθη τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν θεῶν ψευδῶς πεπραγμένα, καὶ ἥμαρτον, ὦ Ἀππίον, ὅτι οἱ ὑπό σου ὀνομαζόμενοι σοφοὶ τὰ σεμνὰ ἀσέμνοις μύθοις καλύψαντες ἁμαρτεῖν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους προετρέψαντο, καὶ ταῦτα ὑβρίσαντες οὓς καὶ θεοὺς εἶναι ἐνόμισαν. ### English translation (Claude) "Yet I am amazed that those who hid these things in crooked riddles and covered them with evil myths, when they could have been made known clearly, piously, and usefully in plain, straightforward speech, are called prudent and wise by you, though they, as if led on by an evil demon, have ensnared almost all mankind. For either these are not riddles but real sins of the gods, and one ought not to have exposed them, nor to have set them before human beings for imitation at all; or else what was falsely said to have been done by the gods was expressed in riddles, and then, Appion, those whom you call wise have sinned, because by covering things holy with unholy myths they encouraged human beings to sin, and that while outraging those whom they themselves held to be gods. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.17 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-17). ## Homilies 6.18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-18 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement argues that the myth-makers acted like demons by clothing supposed truths in shameful stories, and suggests that wicked men invented the outrages. ### Greek text Δἰ ὅπερ μὴ σοφοὺς δαίμονας τοὺς τοιούτους νόμιζε, οἵτινες κακὰς ὑποθέσεις ἔργων καλῶν προεβάλλοντο, ἵνα οἱ θέλοντες μιμηταὶ γενέσθαι τῶν κρειττόνων τὰς τῶν λεγομένων θεῶν ζηλῶσιν πράξεις, ἃς διαλεγόμενος τῇ πρὸ ταύτης ἡμέρᾳ οὐκ ἀπεκρυψάμην, λέγω δὲ πατροφονίας, τεκνοκτονίας, μίξεις ἀσεβεῖς μητέρων, θυγατέρων, ἀδελφῶν, μοιχείας ἀπρεπεῖς καὶ ἀῤῥενομίξεις καὶ μιαρὰς ἀῤῥητουργίας, πρὸς ἄλλαις μυρίαις τοιαύταις ἀθεμίτοις μίξουσιν. ὧν ἀσεβέστεροι οἱ ταῦτα ἀληθῆ δοκεῖν εἶναι θέλοντες, ἵνα τὰ ὅμοια ποιοῦντες μὴ αἰδῶνται. οἵπερ εἴγε εὐσεβεῖν ἐβούλοντο, ἐχρῆν αὐτοὺς, ὅπερ ἀρτίως εἶπον, εἰ καὶ ὄντως οἱ θεοὶ τὰ περὶ αὐτῶν ᾀδόμενα διεπράξαντο κακά, τιμῇ τῇ πρὸς θεοὺς εὐπρεπεστέροις τισὶ μύθοις τὰ μὴ σεμνὰ ἐπισκέπειν, καὶ μὴ τοὐναντίον, ὥς φατε, καλῶν αὐτοῖς πράξεων γεγενημένων κακὰ καὶ ἄσεμνα περιβάλλειν ὀχήματα, ἅ τινα ἀλληγορούμενα καὶ διὰ καμάτων μόγις νοηθῆναι δύναται καὶ ὅταν νοηθῇ τισίν, ἐκείνοις μὲν ἀντὶ τοῦ πολλοῦ μόχθου παρέσχον τὸ μὴ πλανηθῆναι, ἐξὸν δὲ μὴ μοχθῆσαι, τοὺς δὲ πλανηθέντας ἄρδην ἀπώλεσαν. πλὴν τοὺς εἰς τὸ σεμνότερον ἀλληγοροῦντας αὐτοὺς ἀποδέχομαι, ὥσπερ τοὺς ἐκ τῆς Διὸς κεφαλῆς αἰνιξαμένους ἀναπηδῆσαι τὴν φρόνησιν. ἴσως δὲ ἐκεῖνό μοι πιθανώτερον, ὅτι ὑπὸ μοχθηρῶν θεῶν ἀπενεγκαμένων, ἐκεῖναι ἐτολμήθησαν αἱ ὕβρεις. ### English translation (Claude) "So do not think such men wise; they are demons, who put forward evil stories as coverings of good deeds, so that those who wish to imitate their betters might emulate the deeds of the so-called gods. Those deeds I did not conceal when I spoke on the day before this: I mean parricides, child-murders, impious unions with mothers, daughters, and sisters, indecent adulteries, unions of males with males, and foul unspeakable acts, besides countless other such lawless unions. More impious than these are those who wish such things to be thought true, so that they may not be ashamed when they do the same. If they wished to be pious, then, as I said just now, even if the gods had really done the evil things sung about them, they ought, out of honour for the gods, to have covered what was unseemly with more becoming myths, and not the reverse, as you say: throwing evil and unseemly coverings over deeds that were good, which, when allegorized, can barely be understood even with toil. And when some did understand them, they gave those people, in return for much labour, the benefit of not being led astray, though they could have been spared the labour; while those who were led astray they utterly destroyed. Still, I approve of those who allegorize toward the more dignified sense, such as those who expressed in a riddle that wisdom sprang from the head of Zeus. But perhaps this seems more likely to me: that those outrages were dared by wicked men who robbed the gods of their honour." ### Translation notes - The final sentence is compressed in the Greek ("by wicked [men] carrying off from gods"); "of their honour" is supplied by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.18 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-18). ## Homilies 6.19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-19 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement argues that the poets are inconsistent, and that the order of the world proves it was made by wisdom, not chance. ### Greek text Ἁπάντων δὲ τῶν θεῶν τὴν ποιητικὴν ἀλληγορίαν οὐκ ἀκόλουθον εὑρίσκομεν. αὐτίκα γοῦν ἐπὶ τῆς διακοσμήσεως τῶν ὅλων ποτὲ μὲν φύσιν λέγουσιν ποιηταί, ποτὲ δὲ νοῦν ἀρχηγὸν γενέσθαι τῆς ὅλης δημιουργίας. ἐκ φύσεως μὲν γὰρ τῶν στοιχείων τὴν πρώτην κίνησιν καὶ σύμμιξιν γεγονέναι, ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς τοῦ νοῦ προνοίας διακεκοσμῆσθαι. καὶ ἀποφηνάμενοι μὲν οἱ μὲν φύσει δεδημιουργῆσθαι τὸ πᾶν, μὴ δυνάμενοι δὲ ἀνεπιλήπτως τοῦτο ἀποδεικνύναι διὰ τὸ τῆς δημιουργίας ἔντεχνον, παρεμπλέκουσιν καὶ τοῦ νοῦ τὴν πρόνοιαν, ὡς συναρπάσαι καὶ τοὺς πάνυ σοφοὺς δυνάμενοι. ἡμεῖς δέ φαμεν πρὸς αὐτούς· εἰ μὲν ἐξ αὐτομάτου φύσεως ὁ κόσμος γένονεν, πῶς ἔτι ἀναλογίαν καὶ τάξιν εἴληφεν, ἅπερ ὑπὸ μόνης ὑπερβαλλούσης φρονήσεως γενέσθαι δυνατόν ἐστιν, καὶ καταληφθῆναι ὑπὸ ἐπιστήμης τῆς μόνης ταῦτα ἀκριβοῦν δυναμένης; εἰ δὲ φρονήσει τὰ πάντα τὴν σύγκρασιν καὶ διακόσμησιν εἴληφεν, ὅπερ ἀνάγκη μὴ ἄλλως ἔχειν, πῶς ἔτι ἐκ τοῦ αὐτομάτου συμβῆναι ταῦτα γενέσθαι δυνατὸν ἦν; ### English translation (Claude) "Nor do we find the poets' allegory of all the gods consistent. For example, on the ordering of the universe, the poets sometimes say that nature, sometimes that mind, was the author of the whole creation. They say the first motion and mixing of the elements came from nature, but that they were set in order by the providence of mind. Some declare that the universe was made by nature, but since they cannot prove this beyond objection, because of the skill shown in the making, they weave in the providence of mind as well, as if they could carry off even the very wise. But we say to them: if the world came from spontaneous nature, how did it acquire proportion and order, which can come only from surpassing wisdom and can be grasped only by knowledge, which alone can examine such things precisely? And if all things received their blending and ordering by wisdom, as must be the case, how could they still have come about by chance? ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.19 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-19). ## Homilies 6.20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-20 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement argues that allegory abolishes the gods, and that they were more probably wicked human magicians whose tombs are known. ### Greek text Οἱ τοίνυν τὰ θεῖα ἐπὶ τὸ αἰσχρὸν ἀλληγορῆσαι θελήσαντες, οἷον τὴν Μῆτιν καταποθῆναι ὑπὸ Διός, εἰς ἀπορίαν ἐμπεπτώκασιν, οὐ συνιούντες, ὅτι οἱ πλαγίως φυσιολογήσαντες περὶ θεῶν καὶ τὸ εἶναι θεοὺς αὐτοὺς ἀνῃρήκασιν, τὰ εἴδη αὐτῶν διὰ τῆς ἀλληγορίας εἰς τὰς τοῦ κόσμου οὐσίας διαλύσαντες. πιθανώτερον οὖν λέγειν, ὅτι οἱ ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ᾀδόμενοι θεοὶ κακοί τινες γεγόνασιν μάγοι, οἵτινες ἄνθρωποι ὄντες μοχθηροὶ, μαγείᾳ μεταμορφούμενοι γάμους διέλυον, βίους διέφθειρον, τοῖς δὲ πάλαι οὐκ εἰδόσιν τί ποτέ ἐστιν μαγεία, διʼ ὧν ἔπραττον ἐδόκουν εἶναι θεοί· ὧν κατὰ πόλεις καὶ οἱ μόροι καὶ οἱ τάφοι φαίνονται. ### English translation (Claude) "So those who wished to allegorize divine things in a shameful way, such as Metis being swallowed by Zeus, have fallen into a difficulty. They do not understand that those who have given crooked physical explanations of the gods have done away with the very existence of the gods, dissolving their forms by allegory into the substances of the world. It is more plausible, then, to say that the gods of whom they sing were certain evil magicians, wicked men who, transforming themselves by magic, broke up marriages and corrupted lives, and who, to people of old who did not know what magic is, seemed to be gods because of what they did. Their deaths and their tombs are shown in various cities. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.20 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-20). ## Homilies 6.21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-21 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement lists the places where the tombs of Kronos, Zeus, and other gods are shown as proof that they were men. ### Greek text Ἀυτίκα γοῦν, ὡς καὶ ἄλλοτε εἶπον, ἐν τοῖς Καυκασίοις ὄρεσιν Κρόνου τινὸς σῆμα ἀνθρώπου δείκνυται, τυράννου ἀγρίου καὶ τεκνοκτόνου. ὁ δʼ ἐκείνου υἱός, Ζεὺς τὸ ὄνομα, χείρων γενόμενος, μαγείας δυνάμει κοσμοκράτωρ ἀναφανεὶς πολλοὺς διαλύει γάμους, καὶ τὸν πατέρα σὺν τοῖς θείοις κολάζει, καὶ οὕτως τελευτήσαντος τὸν τάφον Κρῆτες ἐπιδεικνῦσιν. ἐν δὲ τῇ Μεσοποταμίᾳ κεῖνται Ἥλιος μέν τις ἐν Πάτραις· Σελήνη δέ τις ἐν Κάραις· Ἑρμῆς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ τις ἄνθρωπος· Ἄρης ἐν Θράκῃ· Ἀφροδίτη ἐν Κύπρῳ· Ἀσκληπιὸς ἐν Ἐπιδαύρῳ· καὶ ἄλλων πολλῶν τοιούτων φαίνονται τάφοι. ### English translation (Claude) "For example, as I said on another occasion, in the Caucasus mountains is shown the grave of a certain Kronos, a man, a savage tyrant who killed his children. His son, named Zeus, became worse still; having appeared by the power of magic as ruler of the world, he broke up many marriages and punished his father along with his uncles; and when he died in this way, the Cretans show his tomb. In Mesopotamia there lie a certain Helios at Patrae and a Selene at Carae; Hermes, a man, in Egypt; Ares in Thrace; Aphrodite in Cyprus; Asclepius at Epidaurus; and the tombs of many others like them are to be seen. ### Translation notes - Place names as printed; "Carae" is probably Carrhae (Harran). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.21 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-21). ## Homilies 6.22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-22 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement explains that time turned dead men into gods, as with the heroes still worshipped in various places. ### Greek text Οὕτως προφανῶς τοῖς ὀρθῶς νοοῦσιν ἄνθρωποι γεγενῆσθαι ὡμολόγηνται. καὶ οἱ μὲν συγχρονοῦντες αὐτοῖς, ὑπαισθόμενοι αὐτοὺς θνητοὺς γεγονέναι, ἀμελέστερον αὐτοῖς ἀποθανοῦσιν προσεῖχον, ὁ δὲ πολὺς χρόνος δόξαν θεῶν αὐτοῖς περιέθηκεν. καὶ μὴ θαύμαζου, εἰ οἱ κατʼ Ἀσκληπιὸν καὶ Ἡρακλέα γενόμενοι ἐξηπατήθησαν, ἢ κατὰ Διόνυσον ἢ κατʼ ἄλλον τινὰ τῶν τότε, ὅπου καὶ Ἕκτορα ἐν Ἰλίῳ καὶ Ἀχιλλέα ἐν Λευκῇ τῇ νήσῳ οἱ ἐκεῖ προσκυνοῦσιν, Πάτροκλον Ὁπούντιοι, τὸν Μακεδόνα Ἀλέξανδρον Ῥόδιοι. ### English translation (Claude) "So, plainly, to those who understand rightly, they are agreed to have been men. Their contemporaries, perceiving that they were mortal, paid little attention to them when they died, but the long lapse of time surrounded them with the reputation of gods. Do not be surprised that those who lived in the time of Asclepius and Heracles, or of Dionysus or any other of that age, were deceived, since the people there worship Hector at Ilium and Achilles on the island of Leuke, the Opuntians worship Patroclus, and the Rhodians Alexander of Macedon. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.22 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-22). ## Homilies 6.23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-23 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement mocks Egyptian animal worship and the public pictures of Zeus with Leda, and says that, though he does not know who God is, he knows what God is not. ### Greek text Ἀλλὰ καὶ παρʼ Αἰγυπτίοις ἔτι καὶ νῦν ἄνθρωπος ὡς θεὸς πρὸ τοῦ θανάτου προσκυνεῖται. καὶ τοῦτο μὲν ἧττόν ἐστιν ἀσέβημα, ὅτι ζῶντος ἀνθρώπου θείας τιμὰς νομίζουσιν Αἰγύπτιοι· ἀλλὰ τὸ πάντων γελοιότατον, ὅτι καὶ πτηνὰ καὶ ἑρπετὰ καὶ ζῶα πάντα προσκυνοῦσιν. οὐδὲν γὰρ κρίσει νοοῦσιν ἢ ποιοῦσιν οἱ πολλοὶ τῶν ἀνθρώπων. τὸ δὲ πάντων αἴσχιστον ἰδέ μοι, τὸν διʼ αὐτῶν ὄντα πατέρα θεῶν τε καὶ ἀνθρώπων λέγουσιν Λήδᾳ συνεσχηματισμένον, ὅν πολλοὶ Δία ἀναγράψαντες ἐν πίνακι δημοσίᾳ ἀνατιθέασιν. πρὸς δὲ τὴν ἐκδικίαν ταύτης τῆς ὕβρεως ἤθελον, εἰ τὸν τοῦ καιροῦ βασιλέα αὐτῶν γράψαντες ἐπὶ αἰσχρᾶς πλοκῆς, ὥσπερ ἐπὶ τοῦ Διὸς τετολμήκασιν ποιῆσαι, οὕτω ποιήσαντες ἀνέθεσαν δημοσία, ἵνα κἄν ἀπὸ τῆς ὀργῆς τοῦ προσκαίρου βασιλέως, καὶ ταῦτα ἀνθρώπου ὄντος, μάθωσι κολασθέντες, ὡς δεῖ τὴν δέουσαν ἀπονέμειν τιμήν. ταῦτα δέ σοι λέγω, οὐχ ὡς αὐτὸς ἤδη ἐπιγνοὺς τὸν ὄντως Θεόν, ἀλλʼ εὐγνωμονῶν ὁμολογῶ, εἰ καὶ τί Θεὸς οὐκ οἶδα, ἀλλʼ οὖν γε σαφῶς ὅτι Θεὸς νομίζω εἰδέναι. ### English translation (Claude) "Indeed, among the Egyptians even now a man is worshipped as a god before his death. This is a lesser impiety, that the Egyptians assign divine honours to a living man; but the most ridiculous of all is that they worship birds, reptiles, and all kinds of animals. For most people neither think nor act with judgment. But look at the most shameful thing of all: the one whom they themselves call father of gods and men they depict in intercourse with Leda, and many paint him, label him Zeus, and set him up publicly on a panel. To avenge this outrage, I could wish that they would paint their present king in a shameful embrace, as they have dared to do with Zeus, and set it up publicly, so that at least from the anger of a king who reigns for a time, and he a mere man, they might learn by punishment that due honour must be paid. I say this to you not as one who already knows the true God; but I candidly confess that, even if I do not know who God is, I think I know clearly what God is. ### Translation notes - Clement speaks here as one still seeking; the narrative frame places this dialogue before his instruction was complete. - The last clause could also be read "...I know clearly that God is" (ὅτι / ὅ τι); the next section, listing what cannot be God, favours "what God is". ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.23 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-23). ## Homilies 6.24 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-24 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement argues that neither the elements nor any part of the world can be God, since their ordered combination requires a craftsman mind. ### Greek text Αὐτίκα γοῦν τὰ πρῶτα τέσσαρα στοιχεῖα θεὸς εἶναι οὐ δύναται, τὰ ἀπʼ ἄλλου γενόμενα· οὐχ ἡ μίξις· οὐχ ἡ κράσις· οὐχ ἡ γένεσις· οὐ τὸ πᾶν περιέχον ὁρατὸν κύτος· οὐδʼ ἡ ἐν τῷ ᾅδῃ συῤῥέουσα ὑποστάθμη· οὐ τὸ ἐπιπολάζον ὕδωρ οὐχ ἡ ζέουσα οὐσία· οὐχ ὁ ἐξ αὐτῆς μέχρι τῶν ἐνταῦθα διήκων ἀήρ. τά τε γὰρ στοιχεῖα τέσσαρα, εἴτε ἀλλήλων διεστάλκει, ἄνευ τινὸς μεγάλου τεχνίτου μιγῆναι πρὸς ζώου γένεσιν οὐκ ἐδύνατο, εἴτε ἀεὶ ἀλλήλοις συνῆπτε, καὶ οὕτως ὑπὸ τεχνίτου νοῦ πρὸς τὸ οἰκεῖον τῶν τοῦ ζώου μελῶν καὶ μερῶν συναρμόζεται, ἵνα τὴν ἑκάστου πρὸς ἕκαστον ἀναλογίαν ἀποσώζειν δύνηται, καὶ τὴν ἕξιν εὐπερίγραφον ἔχῃ, καὶ τὰ ἔνδοθεν πάντα τὴν προσήκουσαν ἁρμονίαν λαμβάνῃ· ὁμοίως τε καὶ τοὺς οἰκείους τόπους ἑκάστου μετὰ πάσης εὐμορφίας ὁ τεχνίτης νοῦς ἀκριβοῖ. συνελὼν ἐρῶ· καὶ τὰ ἄλλα, ὅσα ποτὲ ζῶν δεῖ ἔχειν, οὐδὲν ἐνέλειπε τῷ μεγάλῳ τούτῳ ζώῳ τῆς ὅλης περιφορᾶς. ### English translation (Claude) "For example, the first four elements cannot be God, since they came from another; nor the mixing, nor the blending, nor the generation; nor the visible hollow that contains everything; nor the sediment that flows together in Hades; nor the water floating on it; nor the seething substance; nor the air that reaches from it down to the places here. For the four elements, if they had been separated from one another, could not have mixed for the generation of a living creature without some great craftsman; or if they were always joined to one another, even so they are fitted together by a craftsman mind to suit the limbs and parts of the living creature, so that it may preserve the proportion of each to each, may have a well-defined form, and so that all within may receive the fitting harmony. Likewise the craftsman mind fixes precisely the proper places of each with all beauty of form. To put it briefly: nothing else that a living creature must have was lacking to this great living creature of the whole revolving universe. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.24 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-24). ## Homilies 6.25 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-25 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement concludes that there must be an unbegotten craftsman, not love or any changeable force. ### Greek text Οὕτως ἀνάγκη τινὰ εἶναι νοεῖν ἀγέννητον τεχνίτην, ὅς τὰ στοιχεῖα ἢ διεστῶτα συνήγαγεν, ἢ συνόντα ἀλλήλοις πρὸς ζώου γένεσιν τεχνικῶς ἐκέρασεν καὶ ἕν ἐκ πάντων ἔργον ἀπετέλεσεν. ἀδύνατον γὰρ ἄνευ τινὸς νοῦ μείζονος πάνυ σοφὸν ἔργον ἀποτελεῖσθαι. οὐδὲ μὴν ἔρως εἶναι δύναται πάντων τεχνίτης, οὐκ ἐπιθυμία, οὐκ ἰσχύς, οὐκ ἄλλο τι τοιοῦτον, ἅ τινα παθητὰ συμβαίνειν καὶ ἀποβαίνειν πέφυκεν. ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ τὸ ὑφʼ ἑτέρου φερόμενόν ἐστιν θεός, οὐδέ γε τὸ ὑπὸ χρόνου ἢ φύσεως ἀλλοιούμενον καὶ εἰς τὸ μηκέτι εἶναι ἀναλυόμενον. ### English translation (Claude) "So we must conceive of an unbegotten craftsman who either brought together the elements when they were apart, or, when they were together, blended them skilfully for the generation of a living creature and completed one work out of them all. For it is impossible for a very wise work to be completed without some greater mind. Nor can love be the craftsman of all things, nor desire, nor strength, nor anything else of that kind, since such things are by nature passive, coming and going. Nor is that which is carried along by another God, nor that which is changed by time or nature and dissolved into non-existence." ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.25 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-25). ## Homilies 6.26 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-26 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter arrives in Tyre, Appion withdraws, and Clement reports Simon's deeds and the debate with Appion. ### Greek text Ταῦτά μου διαλεγομένου πρὸς τὸν Ἀππίωνα, ἀπὸ Καισαρείας ἐπέστη Πέτρος, καὶ συνδρομαὶ τῶν ὄχλων ἐγένοντο ἐν τῇ Τύρῳ, σπευδόντων ὑπαντᾶν αὐτῷ καὶ χάριν τῇ ἐπιδημίᾳ ὁμολογεῖν. καὶ ὁ μὲν Ἀππίων ὑπεχώρει μετʼ Ἀνουβίωνος καὶ Ἀθηνοδώρου μόνον, οἱ δὲ ἄλλοι πάντες ὡς ἀπαντησόμενοι τῷ Πέτρῳ ὡρμήσαμεν. πρῶτος δὲ ἐγὼ πρὸ τῶν πυλῶν ἀποδεξάμενος αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν ξενίαν ἦγον. ὡς δὲ ἐγενόμεθα, τοὺς μὲν ὄχλους ἀπελύσαμεν, αὐτῷ δὲ ἀξιώσαντί με τὰ πραχθέντα λέγειν οὐδὲν ἀπεκρυπτόμην, ἀλλʼ ἐμήνυον τάς τε τοῦ Σίμωνος διαβολὰς καὶ τὰς τερατώδεις φαντασίας ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ γεγενημένας, καὶ ὅσας ἔπεμψεν νόσους μετὰ τὴν ἐκ τῆς βουθυσίας ἑστίασιν, καὶ ὅτι ἐκ τῶν νοσύντων οἱ μὲν αὐτόθι κατέμειναν ἐν τῇ Τύρῳ, οἱ δὲ τῷ Σίμωνι ἅμα τῷ ἐμὲ ἐλθεῖν συνεξεληλύθεισαν εἰς τὴν Σιδῶνα, ὡς ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ θεραπευθησόμενοι, καὶ ὅτι ἐμάνθανον μηδένα αὐτῶν ἰάσεως ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ τετυχηκέναι· καὶ τὴν πρὸς Ἀππίωνά μοι γεγενημένην διάλεξιν τῷ Πέτρῳ διηγησάμην. ὁ δὲ στοργῆς καὶ προτροπῆς χάριν ἐπαινέσας με καὶ εὐλογήσας, ἁλῶν μεταλαβών, διὰ τοὺς καμάτους τῆς ὁδοιπορίας τῇ ἀναγκαιοτάτῃ ἡσυχίᾳ τοῦ ὕπνου ἑαυτὸν ἐπέτρεπεν. ### English translation (Claude) While I was discussing these things with Appion, Peter arrived from Caesarea, and crowds gathered in Tyre, hurrying to meet him and to thank him for his coming. Appion withdrew with only Anubion and Athenodorus, while all the rest of us hurried out to meet Peter. I was the first to receive him before the gates, and I led him to his lodging. When we had arrived, we dismissed the crowds, and when he asked me to tell what had happened I concealed nothing. I reported Simon's slanders and the monstrous apparitions he had produced, the diseases he had sent after the feast from the sacrifice of oxen, and that of the sick some had stayed there in Tyre, while others had gone with Simon to Sidon, at the time I came, to be healed by him, and that I had learned that none of them had obtained healing from him. I also told Peter about the discussion I had had with Appion. He praised and blessed me for my affection and my encouragement, took some salt, and because of the fatigue of the journey gave himself up to the rest of sleep that he so much needed. ### Translation notes - "Took some salt": a meal of bread and salt, as elsewhere in the Homilies. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 6.26 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/6-1/#p-6-26). ## Homilies 7.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-1 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Crowds in Tyre meet Peter asking for healing, and he stands on a stone to address them. ### Greek text Τετάρτῃ δὲ ἡμέρᾳ τῆς ἐν Τύρῳ ἡμῶν ἐπιδημίας, ὑπὸ τὴν ὄρθρον προεληλυθότι τῷ Πέτρῳ ἀπήντων πλησιόχωροί τε οὐκ ὀλίγοι καὶ αὐτῆς Τύρου πάμπολλοι, καὶ ἐπεφώνουν λέγοντες, ὁ Θεὸς διά σου ἡμᾶς ἐλεείτω, διά σου θεραπευέτω. ὁ δὲ Πέτρος ἔστη ἐπὶ λίθου τινὸς ὑψηλοῦ πρὸς τὸ δύνασθαι πᾶσιν ὁρᾶσθαι, καὶ προσαγορεύσας θεοσεβεῖ νόμῳ οὕτως ἤρξατο. ### English translation (Claude) On the fourth day of our stay in Tyre, when Peter went out about dawn, not a few people from the neighbourhood and a great many from Tyre itself met him and cried out, saying, "May God have mercy on us through you; may he heal us through you." Peter stood on a high stone so that he could be seen by all, and, after greeting them in the manner of those who fear God, began as follows. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 7.1 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-1). ## Homilies 7.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-2 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains that God permitted Simon, the left-hand power, to inflict diseases so that the people would seek healing and salvation. ### Greek text Θεῷ τῷ κτίσαντι τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὸ σύμπαν οὐ λείπει πρόφασις πρὸς σωτηρίαν τῶν σώζεσθαι θελόντων. ὅθεν μηδʼ ἐπὶ τοῖς δοκοῦσιν φαύλοις ὑπὸ προπετείας τις αὐτὸν ὡς μὴ φιλάνθρωπον αἰτιάσθω. τῶν γὰρ συμβαινόντων ἀνθρώποις τὰ τέλη ἀνθρώποις μὲν ἄγνωστα, ὡς ἐπὶ κακῷ ὑποπτευόμενα, Θεῷ δὲ ὡς ἀποβησόμενα εὐτυχῶς γνώριμα. αὐτίκα γοῦν Σίμων ἀριστερὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ δύναμις ὤν καὶ τῶν τὸν Θεὸν οὐκ εἰδότων ἐπὶ κακοποιΐᾳ τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἔχων νόσοις ὑμᾶς περιβαλεῖν ἠδυνήθη, αἵτινες διὰ τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀγαθὴν πρόνοιαν γενέσθαι συγχωρηθεῖσαι ἠνάγκασαν ὑμᾶς, τὸν ἰᾶσθαι δυνάμενον περιβλεψαμένους καὶ εὑρόντας, προφάσει τῆς τοῦ σώματος θεραπείας τὰ Θεῷ δοκοῦντα ἀναδεξαμένους, πεισθῆναι φρονεῖν, ἵνα οὕτως ἅμα τοῖς σώμασι σωθησομένοις καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς σώας ἔχητε. ### English translation (Claude) "God, who created heaven and the universe, does not lack an occasion for the salvation of those who wish to be saved. So let no one rashly accuse him of not loving mankind, even over things that seem bad. For the outcomes of what happens to human beings are unknown to them, and are suspected of turning out badly, but are known to God as sure to turn out well. For example, Simon, who is the left-hand power of God and has authority to do harm to those who do not know God, was able to afflict you with diseases. These, permitted by the good providence of God, compelled you to look about for the one who can heal, to find him, and, on the occasion of bodily healing, to accept what pleases God and be persuaded to think rightly, so that together with the bodies that will be saved you may have your souls saved as well. ### Translation notes - The "left-hand power" belongs to the Homilies' teaching of two rulers set by God, a good one on the right and an evil one on the left (see 7.3). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 7.2 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-2). ## Homilies 7.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-3 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter teaches that by eating sacrifices to demons the people fell under the evil ruler's power, and that by turning to God through the good ruler they can be healed. ### Greek text Μανθάνω οὖν, ὡς βουθυτήσας ἑστίασεν ὑμᾶς ἐν μέσῃ τῇ ἀγορᾷ, καὶ οὕτως ὑμεῖς οἴνῳ πολλῷ παρενεχθέντες ἅμα τοῖς πονηροῖς δαίμοσιν τὸν ἄρχοντα αὐτῶν ἐφιλοφρονεῖσθε, καὶ οὕτως ὑμῶν οἱ πλεῖστοι ὑπὸ τῶν παθῶν κατελήφθησαν, ἀγνοίας αἰτίᾳ καθʼ ἑαυτῶν ἰδίαις χερσὶν ἐπισπασάμενοι τὸ τοῦ ὀλέθρου ξίφος. οὐ γὰρ ἂν τὴν καθʼ ὑμῶν ἔσχον ἐξουσίαν οἱ δαίμονες, εἰ μὴ πρότερον τῷ ἄρχοντι αὐτῶν ὁμοδίαιτοι ἐγεγόνειτε. οὕτω γὰρ ἀπαρχῆς ὑπὸ τοῦ πάντα κτίσαντος Θεοῦ δυσὶν ἑκάστοτε ἄρχουσι, δεξιῷ τε καὶ εὐωνύμῳ, ὡρίσθη νόμος, μὴ ἔχειν ἑκάτερον αὐτῶν ἐξουσίαν, ἐὰν μὴ πρότερόν τινι ὁμοτράπεζος γένηται, ὅν εὐποιῆσαι ἢ κακῶσαι βούλεται. ὥσπερ οὖν τῶν δαίμοσιν ἀποδεδομένων θυμάτων μεταλαβόντες τῷ τῆς κακίας ἡγεμόνι κατεδουλώθητε, οὕτως, ἄν τούτων παυσάμενοι τῷ Θεῷ διὰ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ καὶ δεξιοῦ ἡγεμόνος προσφύγητε, ἀθύτοις τιμαῖς ποιοῦντες ἅ βούλεται, εὖ ἴστε ὅτι σὺν τῇ τοῦ σώματος ἰάσει καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς ὑγιαινούσας ἕξετε. αὐτὸς γὰρ μόνος διὰ τῆς ἀριστερᾶς ἀναιρῶν διὰ τῆς δεξιᾶς ζωοποιῆσαι δύναται· ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ πατάξαι, καὶ ἀναστῆσαι κείμενον. ### English translation (Claude) "I learn, then, that he sacrificed oxen and feasted you in the middle of the marketplace, and that you, carried away with much wine, made friends with the ruler of the evil demons together with the demons themselves, and so most of you were seized by these sufferings, having drawn the sword of destruction on yourselves with your own hands, because of ignorance. For the demons would not have had power over you if you had not first shared a table with their ruler. For from the beginning a law was laid down by God, who created all things, for the two rulers, the one on the right and the one on the left, that neither of them should have power over anyone unless that person had first shared a table with the one who wishes to do him good or harm. So, just as by partaking of the sacrifices offered to demons you were enslaved to the leader of wickedness, so, if you stop this and take refuge with God through the good leader on the right, doing what he wills with honours that involve no sacrifice, know well that along with the healing of your bodies you will have your souls in health too. For he alone, who destroys through the left hand, can make alive through the right; likewise he can strike, and raise up the one who has fallen. ### Scripture references - Deut 32:39: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Cor 10:21: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The closing words echo Deut 32:39. - Eating at the demons' table echoes 1 Cor 10:20–21. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 7.3 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-3). ## Homilies 7.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-4 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter calls the people to repentance: to pray, abstain from sacrificial food, carrion, and blood, to purify themselves, and to treat their neighbour as they wish to be treated. ### Greek text Διὰ τοῦτο πρῶτον ὑπὸ τοῦ προδρόμου Σίμωνος προαπατηθέντες, Θεῷ τὰς ψυχὰς ἀπεθάνετε καὶ τὰ σώματα ἐπατάχθητε· δύνασθε δὲ ὁμοίως τὸ δεύτερον, διὰ τῆς μετανοίας, ὡς ἔφην, τὰ Θεῷ ἀρέσκοντα ἀναδεξάμενοι καὶ τὰ σώματα ἀναῤῥῶσαι καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς ἀναλαβεῖν. ἔστιν δὲ τὰ ἀρέσκοντα τῷ Θεῷ τὸ αὐτῷ προςεύχεσθαι· αὐτὸν αἰτεῖν ὡς πάντα νόμῳ κριτικῷ διδόντα τραπέζης δαιμόνων ἀπέχεσθαι· νεκρᾶς μὴ γεύεσθαι σαρκός· μὴ ψαύειν αἵματος· ἐκ παντὸς ἀπολύεσθαι λύματος· τὰ δὲ λοιπὰ ἑνὶ λόγῳ, ὅσʼ οἱ Θεὸν σέβοντες ἤκουσαν Ἰουδαῖοι, καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀκούσατε ἅπαντες, ἐν πολλοῖς σώμασιν μίαν γνώμην ἀναλαβόντες· ἅπερ ἕκαστος ἑαυτῷ βούλεται καλά, τὰ αὐτὰ βουλευέσθω καὶ τῷ πλησίον. οὕτω δʼ ἄν ὑμῶν ἕκαστος νοήσειεν τὸ καλόν, εἰ ἑαυτῷ διαλεχθείη τὰ τοιαῦτα· οὐ θέλεις φονευθῆναι, ἕτερον μὴ φονεύσῃς· οὐ θέλεις τὴν σὴν ὑφʼ ἑτέρου μοιχευθῆναι γυναῖκα, τὴν ἑτέρου μὴ μοίχευε γαμετήν· οὐ θέλεις τι τῶν σῶν κλαπῆναι, ἑτέρου μὴ κλέπτε μηδέν. καὶ οὕτως ἀφʼ ὑμῶν αἰτῶν τὸ εὔλογον συννοοῦντες καὶ ποιοῦντες, Θεῷ προσφιλεῖς γενόμενοι, ἐπιτεύξεσθε τῆς ἰάσεως, ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐν τῷ παρόντι αἰῶνι βασανισθήσεσθε τὰ σώματα, καὶ ἐν τῷ μέλλοντι κολασθήσεσθε τὰς ψυχάς. ### English translation (Claude) "That is why, having first been deceived by Simon, the forerunner, you died to God in your souls and were struck in your bodies. But you can in the same way, the second time, by repentance, as I said, accepting what pleases God, both restore your bodies to health and recover your souls. What pleases God is this: to pray to him; to ask of him, as the one who gives all things by a law of judgment; to abstain from the table of demons; not to taste dead flesh; not to touch blood; to wash oneself clean from every defilement; and, in a word, all the rest that the Jews who worship God have heard, you too must all hear, taking one mind in many bodies: whatever good things each one wishes for himself, let him plan the same for his neighbour. Each of you would understand what is good if he were to reason with himself in this way: you do not want to be murdered; do not murder another. You do not want your wife to be seduced into adultery by another; do not commit adultery with another's wife. You do not want anything of yours stolen; steal nothing from another. And so, understanding from yourselves what is reasonable and doing it, you will become dear to God and obtain healing; otherwise you will be tormented in your bodies in the present age and punished in your souls in the age to come. ### Scripture references - Acts 15:29: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 10:21: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 7:12: allusion, medium confidence - Exod 20:13–15: allusion, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Tob 4:15 (Tobit): echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The food rules follow the apostolic decree (Acts 15:20, 29); the table of demons, 1 Cor 10:21; the rule of treating one's neighbour as oneself resembles Matt 7:12 (and, in negative form, Tob 4:15); the commandments are those of Exod 20:13–15 in the order murder, adultery, theft. - "From every defilement": ritual washing after sexual intercourse is meant elsewhere in the Homilies. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 7.4 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-4). ## Homilies 7.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-5 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The people of Tyre are baptized and repent; Peter founds a church there with a bishop and leaves for Sidon, while Simon flees to Berytus. ### Greek text Τοιαῦτα ὑπὸ τοῦ Πέτρου ἐν ὀλίγαις ἡμέραις κατηχηθέντες καὶ ἰαθέντες ἐβαπτίσθησαν. ἔπειτα τοῖς λοιποῖς αὐτοῦ θαύμασιν οἱ λοιποὶ πάντες ἐν μέσαις ταῖς ἀγοραῖς πανδημεὶ ἐπὶ σποδοῦ καὶ σάκκου ἐκαθέζοντο, μετανοοῦντες ἐπὶ τοῖς πρότερον ἡμαρτημένοις. καὶ οἱ ἐν Σιδῶνι ταῦτα ἀκούσαντες τὰ ὅμοια ἐποίησαν, καὶ ἱκέτας πρὸς τὸν Πέτρον ἀπέστελλον, ὡς αὐτοὶ διὰ τὰς νόσους πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐλθεῖν μὴ δυνάμενοι. ὁ Πέτρος δὲ ἡμερῶν οὐ πολλῶν ἐνδιατρίψας τῷ Τύρῳ, καὶ κατηχήσας τοὺς ἐν αὐτῇ ἅπαντας, καὶ παντοδαπῶν αὐτοὺς ἀπαλλάξας παθῶν, ἐκκλησίαν τε συστησάμενος, καὶ ἀπὸ τῶν ἑπομένων αὐτῷ πρεσβυτέρων ἐπίσκοπον αὐτοῖς καταστήσας, ὥρμησεν εἰς Σιδῶνα. ὁ δὲ Σίμων μαθὼν ἥκοντα τὸν Πέτρον εὐθὺς ἀπέδρα εἰς Βηρυτὸν μετʼ Ἀππίωνος καὶ τῶν αὐτοῦ ἑταίρων. ### English translation (Claude) Instructed and healed by Peter in this way within a few days, they were baptized. Then, because of his further wonders, all the rest of the people sat in the middle of the marketplaces in sackcloth and ashes, repenting of the sins they had committed before. When the people in Sidon heard this, they did the same, and sent suppliants to Peter, since they could not come to him themselves because of their diseases. Peter stayed not many days in Tyre; he instructed all its inhabitants, freed them from all kinds of sufferings, established a church, appointed for them as bishop one of the presbyters who accompanied him, and set out for Sidon. When Simon learned that Peter was coming, he at once ran away to Berytus with Appion and his companions. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 7.5 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-5). ## Homilies 7.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-6 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: In Sidon Peter disclaims any power of his own to heal and offers to show the way of salvation taught by the Prophet of truth. ### Greek text Τοῦ δὲ Πέτρου εἰσιόντος εἰς τὴν Σιδῶνα, πολλοὺς ἐν κλίναις φέροντες πρὸ αὐτοῦ ἐτίθεσαν. ὁ δὲ πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔφη· μὴ τοίνυν νομίσητε ἐμέ τι δύνασθαι πρὸς ὑμετέραν ἴασιν, ἄνδρα θνητὸν καὶ αὐτὸν πολλοῖς πάθεσιν ὑποπεσεῖν δυνάμενον ὑφηγεῖσθαι δὲ ὑμῖν τὸν τρόπον διʼ οὗ σωθῆναι δυνήσεσθε οὐ φθονῶ, καὶ αὐτὸς παρὰ τοῦ τῆς ἀληθείας προφήτου μαθὼν τοὺς προωρισμένους τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου ὁρισμούς, λέγω δὲ ἐπὶ ποίαις κακαῖς πράξεσιν τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἔταξεν ὑπὸ τοῦ τῆς κακίας ἡγεμόνος κακοῦσθαι, ὁμοίως τε ἐπὶ ποίαις ἀγαθαῖς πράξεσιν ὥρισεν πρότερον πιστεύσαντας αὐτῷ ἰωμένῳ τὰ σώματα σώζεσθαι, ἔπειτα καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς ἐπανορθοῦσθαι πρὸς τὸ ἀνώλεθρον. ### English translation (Claude) As Peter entered Sidon, they brought many on beds and laid them before him. He said to them: "Do not think that I can do anything to heal you; I am a mortal man, myself liable to fall into many sufferings. But I do not grudge showing you the way by which you will be able to be saved, since I myself learned from the Prophet of truth the decrees that God fixed before the foundation of the world: I mean for what evil deeds he appointed that human beings should be harmed by the leader of wickedness, and likewise for what good deeds he decreed that those who first believe in him as their healer should be saved in their bodies, and then have their souls restored to incorruption. ### Scripture references - Matt 25:34: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - "The Prophet of truth" is the Homilies' usual title for Jesus. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 7.6 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-6). ## Homilies 7.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-7 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter sets out the two ways, broad and narrow, and teaches that God judges intentions and will extinguish those who neglect his appointed religion. ### Greek text Ταύτας τοίνυν τάς τε ἀγαθὰς καὶ κακὰς πράξεις εἰδὼς προμηνύω ὑμῖν ὡς ὁδοὺς δύο, ὑποδεικνύων διὰ ποίας μὲν βαδίζοντες ἀπόλλυνται, ποίᾳ δὲ ὁδεύοντες ἀποσώζονται, Θεῷ ὁδηγούμενοι. ἡ μὲν οὖν τῶν ἀπολλυμένων ὁδὸς πλατεῖα μὲν καὶ ὁμαλωτάτη, ἀπολλύουσα δὲ ἄνευ τοῦ πόνου, ἡ δὲ τῶν σωζομένων στενὴ μὲν καὶ τραχεῖα, σώζουσα δὲ πρὸς τῷ τέλει τοὺς διαπορευθέντας ἐπιπόνως. τούτων δὲ τῶν δύο ὁδῶν προκαθέζεται ἀπιστία καὶ πίστις καὶ ὁδεύουσιν διὰ μὲν ἀπιστίας οἱ τὰς ἡδονὰς προκρίναντες, διʼ ἅς οὐδὲ ζητεῖν τὸ συμφέρον οὐ διεφύλαξαν. ἀγνοοῦσιν μέντοι ὡς οὐκ ἀνθρωπίνοις ὅμοια τὰ Θεοῦ βουλήματα πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ οἶδεν τὰ πάντων διανοήματα, καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῷ ἐγχειρῆσαι μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν τῷ ἐννοῆσαι ἕκαστος εὐθύνεται. πολλῷ δὲ ἧττον ἀσεβοῦσιν οἱ ἐγχειροῦντες καλὰ νοεῖν καὶ ἀποτυγχάνοντες, τῶν μηδὲ ὅλως ἐγχειρούντων τοῖς καλοῖς. ὅτι αὐτῷ τῷ Θεῷ ἔδοξεν, τῶν ἐν γνώσει τῶν καλῶν παραπιπτόντων, κατὰ λόγον τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων παραπτωμάτων, μετρίως κολασθέντας σωθῆναι. οἱ δὲ τὴν ἀρχὴν καὶ τοῦ γνῶναι τὸ κρεῖττον ἐξημεληκότες, κἄν μυρία ἕτερα πράξωσιν καλά, ἐν ᾗ δὲ αὐτὸς ὥρισεν θρησκείᾳ μὴ γένωνται, ἀμελείας ἔγκλημα λαβόντες τῇ μεγίστῃ ἀποσβεσθήσονται κολάσει παντελεῖ. ### English translation (Claude) "Knowing, then, these good and evil deeds, I set them before you in advance as two ways, showing by which people walk and perish, and by which they travel and are saved, guided by God. The way of those who perish is broad and very smooth, destroying them without toil; the way of those who are saved is narrow and rough, but at the end it saves those who have gone through it with toil. Over these two ways preside unbelief and faith. Those who have preferred pleasures travel by unbelief, and because of these pleasures they have not even taken care to seek what is to their advantage. They do not know, however, that God's purposes are not like human ones. First, he knows the thoughts of all, and each is called to account not only for attempting but also for intending. Those who attempt to think good things and fail are far less impious than those who do not attempt good things at all. For God himself decided that those who fall away while knowing what is good should be punished moderately, in proportion to human failings, and saved. But those who have neglected even to learn what is better from the start, even if they do countless other good deeds, if they are not in the religion that he himself has appointed, will incur the charge of negligence and will be extinguished by the greatest and complete punishment. ### Scripture references - Matt 7:13–14: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The broad and narrow ways: Matt 7:13–14. - "Extinguished": the Homilies teach that the wicked are finally destroyed. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 7.7 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-7). ## Homilies 7.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-8 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter lists the religion God requires: worship of God alone, faith in the Prophet, baptism, food and purity laws, and good works; he founds a church in Sidon. ### Greek text Ἡ δὲ ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ ὁρισθεῖσα θρησκεία ἐστὶν αὕτη· τὸ μόνον αὐτὸν σέβειν, καὶ τῷ τῆς ἀληθείας μόνῳ πιστεύειν προφήτῃ, καὶ εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν βαπτισθῆναι, καὶ οὕτως διὰ τῆς ἁγνοτάτης βαφῆς ἀναγεννηθῆναι Θεῷ διὰ τοῦ σώζοντος ὕδατος· τραπέζης δαιμόνων μὴ μεταλαμβάνειν, λέγω δὲ εἰδωλοθύτων, νεκρῶν, πνικτῶν, θηριαλώτων, αἵματος· μὴ ἀκαθάρτως βιοῦν· ἀπὸ κοίτης γυναικὸς λούεσθαι· αὐτὰς μέντοι καὶ ἄφεδρον φυλάσσειν· πάντας δὲ σωφρονεῖν, εὐποιεῖν, μὴ ἀδικεῖν παρὰ τοῦ πάντα δυναμένου Θεοῦ ζωὴν αἰώνιον προσδοκᾶν· εὐχαῖς καὶ δεήσεσιν συνεχέσιν αἰτουμένους αὐτὴν λαβεῖν. τοιαῦτα καὶ ἐν τῇ Σιδῶνι τοῦ Πέτρου παραινοῦντος, ἡμέραις ὀλίγαις πολλῶν κᾀκεῖ μετανοησάντων καὶ πιστευσάντων καὶ θεραπευθέντων ἐκκλησίαν συνέστησεν, καὶ τῶν συνεπομένων αὐτῷ πρεσβυτέρων τινὰ καταστήσας αὐτοῖς ἐπίσκοπον ἐξῄει τῆς Σιδῶνος. ### English translation (Claude) "The religion he has appointed is this: to worship him alone, to believe the Prophet of truth alone, to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins, and so, by the most pure dipping, to be born again to God through the saving water; not to partake of the table of demons, I mean things sacrificed to idols, carcasses, things strangled, things caught by wild beasts, and blood; not to live impurely; to wash after intercourse with a woman; and the women themselves also to keep the separation of menstruation; and for all to be self-controlled, to do good, not to do wrong, and to look for eternal life from God who can do all things, asking with prayers and constant petitions to receive it." Peter gave such exhortations in Sidon too, and within a few days many there repented, believed, and were healed. He established a church, appointed one of the presbyters who accompanied him as their bishop, and left Sidon. ### Scripture references - Acts 2:38: allusion, medium confidence - John 3:5: allusion, medium confidence - Acts 15:29: allusion, high confidence - Lev 15:18: allusion, medium confidence - Lev 15:19: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Baptism for the forgiveness of sins: Acts 2:38; new birth through water: John 3:5. The food rules follow the apostolic decree (Acts 15:20, 29) with additions; the purity rules follow Lev 15:18–19. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 7.8 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-8). ## Homilies 7.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-9 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: In Berytus Simon blames an earthquake on Peter, who boldly replies that, God willing, he could overturn the city if they do not obey. ### Greek text Ὡς δὲ εὐθὺς ἐπέβη τῆς Βηρυτοῦ, σεισμὸς ἐγένετο. καὶ οἱ ὄχλοι προσιόντες τῷ Πέτρῳ, βοήθει, ἔλεγον· πεφοβήμεθα γάρ, ἔφασαν, μὴ ἄρα ἄρδην πάντες ἀπολώμεθα. τότε ὁ Σίμων τολμήσας ἅμα τῷ Ἀππίωνι καὶ Ἀνουβίωνι καὶ Ἀθηνοδώρῳ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἑταίροις αὐτοῦ δημοσίᾳ τοῖς ὄχλοις κατὰ τοῦ Πέτρου ἐβόα· φεύγετε, ἄνδρες, τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον μάγος ἐστίν, πιστεύσατε, καὶ τὸν σεισμὸν αὐτὸς ἐποίησεν ὑμῖν, καὶ τὰς νόσους ἐκίνησεν αὐτός, ἵνα ὑμᾶς καταπλήξῃ τε ὡς αὐτὸς ὢν Θεός. καὶ ἄλλα τοιαῦτα ὡς ὑπὲρ δύναμιν ἀνθρωπίνην δυναμένου τοῦ Πέτρου κατεψεύδοντο οἱ περὶ τὸν Σίμωνα. ἡσυχίαν δὲ αὐτῶν παρασχόντων τῶν ὄχλων ὁ Πέτρος βραχὺ ὑπομειδιάσας καταπληκτικῇ τῇ παῤῥησίᾳ· ἄνδρες, εἶπεν, ἅπερ οὗτοι λέγουσιν, Θεοῦ θέλοντος ποιεῖν δυνατὸς εἶναι ὁμολογῶ, πρὸς δὲ τούτοις ἕτοιμός εἰμι, ἐὰν μὴ πείθησθέ μοι περὶ ὧν λέγω, τὴν πᾶσαν ὑμῶν ἐκβαθρεῦσαι πόλιν. ### English translation (Claude) As soon as he set foot in Berytus, there was an earthquake. The crowds came to Peter saying, "Help us! We are afraid that we may all be utterly destroyed." Then Simon, emboldened, together with Appion, Anubion, Athenodorus, and his other companions, cried out publicly to the crowds against Peter: "Flee this man, men! He is a magician, believe me. He caused the earthquake for you himself, and he stirred up the diseases himself, to terrify you as if he were God." Simon's party told other such lies about Peter, as though he had power beyond human strength. When the crowds gave him silence, Peter smiled a little and said with startling boldness: "Men, I admit that, if God wills, I am able to do what these men say; and besides this I am ready, if you do not obey me in what I say, to overturn your whole city from its foundations." ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 7.9 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-9). ## Homilies 7.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-10 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: At Peter's word the people of Berytus drive Simon and his companions out of the city and bring their sick to Peter. ### Greek text Τῶν δὲ ὄχλων φοβηθέντων καὶ ἑτέρως ποιήσειν ἐπαγγειλαμένων, ὅπερ ἂν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ κελεύωνται, μηδεὶς ὑμῶν, ἔφη ὁ Πέτρος, μήτε ὁμιλείτω τούτοις τοῖς γόησιν, μήτε ἀναμιγνύσθω. οἱ δὲ ὄχλοι ἅμα τῷ ἀκοῦσαι τοῦ κελεύσματος τοῦ συντόμου ξύλα λαβόντες ἐδίωκον αὐτούς, ἕως αὐτοὺς παντελῶς τῆς πόλεως ἐξήλασαν. καὶ εἰσελθόντες οἱ νοσοῦντες αὐτῶν καὶ δαιμονῶντες πρὸς ποσὶν τοῦ Πέτρου ἑαυτοὺς ἐῤῥίπτουν. ὁ δὲ ταῦτα βλέπων καὶ τὴν κατάπληξιν αὐτῶν ἀναλῦσαι θέλων πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἔφη. ### English translation (Claude) The crowds were afraid and promised to do readily whatever he commanded them. "Then let none of you," Peter said, "either converse with these sorcerers or mix with them." As soon as the crowds heard this short command, they took clubs and chased them until they had driven them entirely out of the city. Their sick and demon-possessed came in and threw themselves at Peter's feet. Seeing this, and wishing to relieve their terror, he said to them: ### Translation notes - "Readily" renders ἑτέρως, which makes no sense here; ἑτοίμως ("readily") is probably meant. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 7.10 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-10). ## Homilies 7.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-11 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter denies wishing to harm Simon, calls him the servant of wickedness who brings disease, and presents himself as the apostle of God's right-hand Prophet who comes second with healing. ### Greek text Ἐγὼ σεισμοὺς καὶ πᾶν ὅ τι βούλομαι ποιεῖν εἰ ἐδυνάμην, Σίμωνα οὐ λέγω ὅτι μετὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ ἑταίρων ἐξωλόθρευον (οὐ γὰρ ἐπὶ φθορᾷ ἀνθρώπων ἀπέσταλμαι), ἀλλὰ φίλον ἐμαυτῷ αὐτὸν ἂν ἐποιησάμην, ἵνα μή μου τὸ ἀληθὲς διαβάλλων κήρυγμα πολλοῖς ἐμποδίζῃ πρὸς σωτηρίαν. εἰ δέ μοι πιστεύετε, αὐτός ἐστιν μάγος, αὐτὸς διάβολος, αὐτὸς κακίας ὑπηρέτης κατὰ τῶν ἀγνοούντων τὸ ἀληθές· καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἁμαρτάνουσι νόσους ἐνεργεῖν δύναται, συνεργοὺς ἔχων τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας τῆς κατʼ αὐτῶν δυνάμεως. ἐγὼ δὲ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ πάντα πεποιηκότος εἰμὶ δοῦλος, τοῦ δεξιοῦ αὐτοῦ προφήτου μαθητής. διὸ ἐκείνου ἀπόστολος ὢν ἀληθεύω. ἀγαθῷ γὰρ ὑπηρετῶν, καὶ νόσους ἀπελαύνω· ἐπέμφθην γὰρ δεύτερος· ἐπεὶ προηγεῖται μὲν νόσος, ἕπεται δὲ ἴασις. διʼ ἐκείνου μὲν οὖν τοῦ κακοποιοῦ μάγου τῷ Θεῷ ἀπιστήσαντες ἐνοσήσατε, διʼ ἐμοῦ δέ, ἐάν τε αὐτῷ πιστεύσητε, ἰαθήσεσθε. οὕτω γὰρ τοῦ δυνατοῦ τὴν πείραν λαβόντες, ἐπὶ τὸ εὐποιεῖν τραπόμενοι, καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς ἀνασωθῆναι δυνηθείητε. ### English translation (Claude) "If I could cause earthquakes and do whatever I wished, I would not, I tell you, destroy Simon with his companions (for I was not sent for the ruin of human beings); rather I would make him my friend, so that he might not slander my true preaching and hinder many from salvation. But, believe me, he is the magician, he is the slanderer, he is the servant of wickedness against those who do not know the truth. That is why he can bring diseases on sinners, having the sinners themselves as fellow workers of the power against them. But I am a servant of God who made all things, a disciple of his right-hand Prophet. So, being his apostle, I speak the truth. Serving the good one, I also drive away diseases; for I was sent second, since disease goes before and healing follows. Through that evil-working magician you fell sick because you disbelieved God; through me, if you believe him, you will be healed. For in this way, having experienced his power and turned to doing good, you may also have your souls saved. ### Translation notes - "Sent second": the Homilies' doctrine of pairs, in which the evil member comes first and the good follows (compare 2.15–17). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 7.11 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-11). ## Homilies 7.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-12 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter heals the people of Berytus, founds a church there, visits Byblus, and follows Simon to Tripolis. ### Greek text Ταῦτα αὐτοῦ λέγοντος οἱ πάντες γονυπετεῖς πρὸ τῶν αὐτοῦ ἔκειντο ποδῶν. ὁ δὲ εἰς οὐρανὸν ἄρας τὰς χεῖρας καὶ τῷ Θεῷ προσευξάμενος ἰάσατο τοὺς πάντας ἐκ μόνης εὐχῆς. οὐκ ὀλίγων δὲ ἡμερῶν παραμείνας τοῖς Βηρυτίοις, καὶ πολλοὺς τῇ μοναρχικῇ θρησκείᾳ συνεθίσας καὶ βαπτίσας, ἀπὸ τῶν ἑπομένων αὐτῷ πρεσβυτέρων ἕνα ἐπίσκοπον αὐτοῖς καταστήσας, εἰς τὴν Βίβλον ἐξῄει. καὶ γενόμενος ἐκεῖ καὶ μαθὼν ὅτι Σίμων οὐδὲ μιᾶς ἡμέρας αὐτοῖς προσέμεινεν, ἀλλʼ εὐθέως εἰς Τρίπολιν ὥρμησεν, ὀλίγων ἡμερῶν αὐτοῖς ἐπιμείνας, καὶ θεραπεύσας οὐκ ὀλίγους, καὶ ταῖς βίβλοις αὐτοὺς ἐνασκήσας, κατʼ ἴχνος τοῦ Σίμωνος εἰς τὴν Τρίπολιν ἐπορεύετο, μεταδιώκειν αὐτὸν μᾶλλον, οὐχ ὑποφεύγειν προῃρημένος. ### English translation (Claude) When he said this, they all lay on their knees before his feet. He raised his hands to heaven, prayed to God, and healed them all by prayer alone. He stayed not a few days with the people of Berytus, accustomed many to the worship of the one God and baptized them, appointed one of the presbyters who accompanied him as their bishop, and left for Byblus. When he arrived there and learned that Simon had not stayed with them even one day but had set off at once for Tripolis, he stayed with them a few days, healed not a few, and trained them in the Scriptures; then he went to Tripolis on Simon's track, having chosen to pursue him rather than to avoid him. ### Translation notes - "The Scriptures" renders ταῖς βίβλοις, "the books". ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 7.12 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/7-1/#p-7-12). ## Homilies 8.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-1 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter enters Tripolis with a large following and is taken to the house of Maroones. ### Greek text Ἐις δὲ τὴν Τρίπολιν εἰσιόντι τῷ Πέτρῳ οἱ φιλομαθέστεροι ἔκ τε τῆς Τύρου καὶ Σιδῶνος, Βηρυτοῦ τε καὶ Βίβλου, καὶ ἐκ τῶν πλησιοχώρων πολλοὶ συνεισῄεσαν. οὐχ ἥκιστα δὲ τῶν ἀπʼ αὐτῆς τῆς πόλεως ὄχλων συνδρομαὶ ἐγίνοντο, ἱστορεῖν βουλομένων αὐτόν. συνετύγχανον οὖν ἡμῖν ἐν τοῖς προαστείοις οἱ ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ ἐκπεμφθέντες ἀδελφοί, τά τε ἄλλα τὰ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὰ πραττόμενα τῷ Σίμωνι ἐξακριβῶσαι, ὅπως ἐλθόντες ὑφηγήσωνται. ἀποδεξάμενοι αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τὴν Μαροόνου ἦγον οἰκίαν. ### English translation (Claude) As Peter entered Tripolis, the more studious from Tyre and Sidon, Berytus and Byblus, and many from the neighbouring districts came in with him; and not least, crowds from the city itself came streaming together, wishing to see him. The brothers he had sent ahead to learn exactly about the city in general and Simon's doings, so as to report to him when he came, met us in the suburbs. They received him and led him to the house of Maroones. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.1 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-1). ## Homilies 8.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-2 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter promises to preach in two days, and after his companions are lodged he bathes, eats, and sleeps. ### Greek text Ὁ δὲ ἐπʼ αὐτῷ τῷ τῆς ξενίας πυλῶνι ἤδη γεγονώς, ἐπιστραφεὶς τοῖς ὄχλοις ὑπέσχετο, μετὰ τὴν ἐπιοῦσαν περὶ θεοσεβείας αὐτοῖς διαλεχθῆναι. εἰσελθόντος δὲ αὐτοῦ οἱ πρόοδοι τοῖς συνεληλυθόσιν ξενίας ἠυτρέπιζον. οὐκ ἀπελείποντο δὲ οὐδὲ οἱ ἀποδεχόμενοι καὶ ξενίζοντες τῆς τῶν ἀξιούντων προθυμίας. τούτων δὲ οὐδὲν εἰδὼς ὁ Πέτρος, ἀξιωθεὶς ὑφʼ ἡμῶν τροφῆς μεταλαβεῖν, ἔφη, μὴ μεταλήψεσθαι πρότερον αὐτός, πρὶν ἢ τοὺς συνεληλυθότας αὐτῷ διαναπαύσασθαι. ἀποκριναμένων δὲ ἡμῶν· ὅτι ἔφθη τοῦθʼ οὕτως γεγενῆσθαι, προφάσει τῆς πρός σε στοργῆς σπουδῇ πάντας αὐτοὺς ὑποδεξαμένων, ὡς τοὺς μὴ ἐσχηκότας οὕς ξενίσωσιν ὑπερβαλλόντως λελυπῆσθαι· ὁ Πέτρος ἀκούσας καὶ ἡσθεὶς τῆς ὀξείας φιλανθρωπίας εὐλογήσας αὐτοὺς ἐξῆλθεν, καὶ θαλάσσῃ λουσάμενος εἰσελθών, καὶ σιτίων σὺν τοῖς προόδοις μεταλαβὼν ἑσπέρας ἐπικαταλαβούσης ὕπνωσεν. ### English translation (Claude) When he had come to the very gate of the lodging, he turned to the crowds and promised to speak to them about the worship of God the day after next. When he had gone in, those sent ahead were preparing lodgings for those who had come with him; and those who received and lodged them did not fall short of the eagerness of those who asked it. Peter, knowing nothing of this, when we asked him to take food, said that he would not eat before those who had come with him had been given rest. We answered that this had already been done: out of affection for you all had been eagerly received, so that those who had no one to lodge were exceedingly grieved. When Peter heard this, he was delighted at their prompt kindness, blessed them, and went out; he bathed in the sea, came in, took food with those who had gone ahead, and, as evening came on, went to sleep. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.2 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-2). ## Homilies 8.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-3 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Early in the morning Peter and his fifteen companions learn that Simon has fled to Syria and that crowds are waiting at the door to hear Peter. ### Greek text Ὑπὸ δὲ τὰς δευτέρας τῶν ἀλεκτρυόνων φωνὰς διϋπνισθεὶς εὗρεν ἡμᾶς ἐγρηγορότας. ἦμεν δὲ σὺν αὐτῷ οἱ πάντες ἕξ καὶ δέκα, αὐτὸς ὁ Πέτρος, κᾀγὼ ὁ Κλήμης, Νικήτης τε καὶ Ἀκύλας, καὶ οἱ προοδεύσαντες δώδεκα. προσαγορεύσας οὖν ἡμᾶς ἔφη· σήμερον τοῖς ἔξω μὴ σχολάζοντες ἀλλήλοις ἐσμὲν εὔσχολοι. διὸ ἐγὼ μὲν ὑμῖν τὰ μετὰ τὴν ἀπὸ τοῦ Τύρου ἔξοδον γεγενημένα διηγήσομαι, ὑμεῖς δὲ ἐμοὶ τὰ ἐνταῦθα ὑπὸ τοῦ Σίμωνος πεπραγμένα καὶ ἀκριβέστερον ἐξηγήσασθε. ἀμειψαμένων οὖν ἀλλήλους ταῖς ἐν μέρει διηγήσεσιν, εἰσῄει τις τῶν συνήθων ἀπαγγέλλων Πέτρῳ· ὅτι Σίμων μαθών σε ἐπιδημήσαντα τὴν ἐπὶ Συρίαν ὥρμησεν ὁδόν, οἱ δὲ ὄχλοι τὴν μίαν ταύτην νύκτα ὡς ἐνιαυτοῦ χρόνον ἡγησάμενοι, καὶ ἀναμένειν τὴν δοθεῖσαν ὑπό σου προθεσμίαν μὴ δυνάμενοι, πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν ἑστήκασιν, κατὰ συστάσεις καὶ συλλόγους ἀλλήλοις περὶ τῆς τοῦ Σίμωνος διαβολῆς διαλαλοῦντες, ὅτι μετεωρίσας αὐτούς, καὶ ἐπὶ πολλοῖς κακοῖς σε ἐλέγξειν ἐλθόντα ὑποσχόμενος, ἐπιδημήσαντα γνοὺς νύκτωρ ἔφυγεν πλὴν ἐπιθυμοῦσιν αὐτοὶ ἀκοῦσαί σου. οὐκ οἶδα πόθεν φήμη τις ἐπέπεσεν, ὡς μέλλοντός σου σήμερον αὐτοῖς διαλέγεσθαι. ἵνα οὖν μὴ ἐπὶ πολὺ καμόντες ἀλόγως διαλύωνται, τί χρή σε ποιεῖν, αὐτὸς γινώσκεις. ### English translation (Claude) About the second cock-crow he woke and found us awake. We were sixteen in all with him: Peter himself, I Clement, Nicetes and Aquila, and the twelve who had gone ahead. He greeted us and said: "Today, not being occupied with those outside, we are free for one another. So I will tell you what has happened since we left Tyre, and you tell me more exactly what Simon has done here." When we had exchanged our accounts in turn, one of our acquaintances came in and reported to Peter: "Simon, learning that you had arrived, set out on the road to Syria. The crowds, thinking this one night as long as a year and unable to wait for the day you appointed, are standing before the doors, talking with one another in groups and gatherings about Simon's deceit: that he raised their hopes, promised to refute you on many charges when you came, and, when he learned you had arrived, fled by night. But they themselves long to hear you. I do not know how a rumour spread that you are going to speak to them today. So, so that they may not be worn out for a long time and go away for nothing, you yourself know what you ought to do." ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.3 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-3). ## Homilies 8.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-4 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter sees the crowds as fulfilling Jesus' words about many coming from east and west, but teaches that reward depends on good deeds after the call. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος θαυμάσας τῶν ὄχλων τὴν σπουδὴν ἀπεκρίνατο· ὁρᾶτε, ἀδελφοί, πῶς οἱ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν λόγοι ἐμφανῶς τελοῦνται. μέμνημαι γὰρ αὐτοῦ εἰπόντος πολλοὶ ἐλεύσονται ἀπὸ ἀνατολῶν καὶ δυσμῶν, ἄρκτου τε καὶ μεσημβρίας, καὶ ἀνακλιθήσονται εἰς κόλπους Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακώβ. ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλοί, φησίν, κλητοὶ, ὀλίγοι δὲ ἐκλεκτοί. Τὸ μὲν οὖν ἐλθεῖν αὐτοὺς κληθέντας πεπλήρωται. ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐκ αὐτῶν ἐστιν τὸ ἴδιον, ἀλλὰ τοῦ καλέσαντος αὐτοὺς Θεοῦ καὶ ἐλθεῖν πεποιηκότος, ἐπὶ τούτῳ μόνῳ μισθὸν οὐκ ἔχουσιν, ὅτι μὴ αὐτῶν ἴδιον, ἀλλὰ τοῦ ἐνεργήσαντος. ἐὰν δὲ μετὰ τὸ κληθῆναι καλὰ πράξωσιν, ὅπερ ἐστὶν αὐτῶν ἴδιον, τότε ἐπὶ τούτῳ μισθὸν ἕξουσιν. ### English translation (Claude) Peter, marvelling at the eagerness of the crowds, answered: "You see, brothers, how the words of our Lord are plainly fulfilled. For I remember that he said, 'Many will come from east and west, from north and south, and will recline in the bosoms of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.' But he also says, 'Many are called, but few chosen.' That they have come, being called, has been fulfilled. But since this is not their own doing but that of God who called them and made them come, for this alone they have no reward, because it is not their own doing but his who brought it about. But if, after being called, they do good deeds, which is their own doing, then for this they will have a reward. ### Scripture references - Matt 8:11: quotation, high confidence - Luke 13:29: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 22:14: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The first saying combines Matt 8:11 with Luke 13:29 ("north and south"), with "recline in the bosoms" for "recline with". The second is Matt 22:14. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.4 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-4). ## Homilies 8.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-5 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter teaches that faith in Moses or Jesus is God's gift, but salvation and reward depend on doing what they taught, not on calling them lords. ### Greek text Οὐδὲ γὰρ Ἑβραῖοι Μωυσεῖ πιστεύοντες καὶ τὰ διʼ αὐτοῦ ῥηθέντα μὴ φυλάσσοντες σώζονται, ἐὰν μὴ τὰ ῥηθέντα αὑτοῖς φυλάξωσιν. ὅτι καὶ τῷ Μωυσεῖ πιστεῦσαι αὐτοὺς οὐχὶ τῆς αὐτῶν βουλῆς γέγονεν, ἀλλὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τοῦ εἰρηκότος Μωυσεῖ· ἰδοὺ παραγίνομαι ἐγὼ πρός σε ἐν στύλῳ νεφέλης, ἵνα ἀκούσῃ ὁ λαὸς λαλοῦντός μου πρός σε, καί σοι πιστεύσωσιν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. ἐπεὶ οὖν Ἑβραίοις τε καὶ τοῖς ἀπʼ ἐθνῶν κεκλημένοις τὸ διδασκάλοις ἀληθείας πιστεῦσαι ἐκ Θεοῦ γέγονεν, τῶν καλῶν πράξεων ἰδίᾳ κρίσει ἑκάστῳ ποιεῖν ἀπολελειμμένων, ὁ μισθὸς τοῖς εὖ πράσσουσιν δικαίως ἀποδίδοται. οὔτε γὰρ ἂν Μωυσέως, οὔτε τῆς τοῦ Ἰησοῦ παρουσίας χρεία ἦν, εἴπερ ἀφʼ ἑαυτῶν τὸ εὔλογον νοεῖν ἐβούλοντο, οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ πιστεύειν διδασκάλοις καὶ κυρίους αὐτοὺς λέγειν ἡ σωτηρία γίνεται. ### English translation (Claude) "For neither are the Hebrews who believe Moses, but do not keep what was spoken through him, saved, unless they keep what was spoken to them. For their believing Moses did not come about by their own will, but from God, who said to Moses, 'Behold, I come to you in a pillar of cloud, so that the people may hear me speaking to you and may believe you for ever.' Since, then, both for the Hebrews and for those called from the Gentiles, believing the teachers of truth comes from God, while good deeds are left to each to do by his own judgment, the reward is justly paid to those who do well. For there would have been no need either of Moses or of the coming of Jesus if people had been willing to understand what is reasonable of themselves; nor does salvation come from believing teachers and calling them lords. ### Scripture references - Exod 19:9: quotation, high confidence - Matt 7:21: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The quotation is Exod 19:9, with "pillar of cloud" for "thick cloud". Calling teachers "lords" without obeying echoes Matt 7:21. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.5 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-5). ## Homilies 8.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-6 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter teaches that Moses and Jesus give one teaching, so that God accepts believers in either, provided they do what God says. ### Greek text Τούτου γὰρ ἕνεκεν ἀπὸ μὲν Ἑβραίων τὸν Μωυσῆν διδάσκαλον εἰληφότων καλύπτεται ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ὑπὸ δὲ τῶν Ἰησοῦ πεπιστευκότων ὁ Μωυσῆς ἀποκρύπτεται. μιᾶς γὰρ διʼ ἀμφοτέρων διδασκαλίας οὕσης τὸν τούτων τινὰ πεπιστευκότα ὁ Θεὸς ἀποδέχεται. ἀλλὰ τὸ πιστεύειν διδασκάλῳ ἕνεκα τοῦ ποιεῖν τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ λεγόμενα γίνεται. ὅτι δὲ τοῦθʼ οὕτως ἔχει, αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν λέγει· Ἐξομολογοῦμαί σοι, πάτερ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι ἔκρυψας ταῦτα ἀπὸ σοφῶν πρεσβυτέρων, καὶ ἀπεκάλυψας αὐτὰ νηπίοις θηλάζουσιν. Οὕτως αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς τοῖς μὲν ἔκρυψεν διδάσκαλον, ὡς προεγνωκόσιν ἃ δεῖ πράττειν, τοῖς δὲ ἀπεκάλυψεν, ὡς ἀγνοοῦσιν ἃ χρὴ ποιεῖν. ### English translation (Claude) "For this reason Jesus is hidden from the Hebrews, who have taken Moses as their teacher, and Moses is hidden from those who have believed Jesus. For since there is one teaching through both, God accepts one who has believed either of them. But believing a teacher is for the sake of doing what God says. That this is so, our Lord himself says: 'I give thanks to you, Father of heaven and earth, because you hid these things from wise elders and revealed them to nursing infants.' So God himself hid the teacher from some, as already knowing what they must do, and revealed him to others, as not knowing what they ought to do. ### Scripture references - Matt 11:25: quotation, high confidence - Luke 10:21: quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The saying is Matt 11:25 (Luke 10:21), with "wise elders" for "the wise and understanding" and "nursing infants" for "infants". - The claim that God accepts those who believe either Moses or Jesus is characteristic of the Homilies; translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.6 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-6). ## Homilies 8.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-7 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter teaches that neither Jews ignorant of Jesus nor Gentiles ignorant of Moses are condemned if they do what their teacher commanded, and that works, not words, profit. ### Greek text Οὔτε οὖν Ἑβραῖοι περὶ ἀγνοίας Ἰησοῦ καταδικάζονται, διὰ τὸν κρύψαντα, ἐάν γε πράττοντες τὰ διὰ Μωυσέως, ὃν ἠγνόησαν μὴ μισήσωσιν· οὔτʼ αὖ οἱ ἀπʼ ἐθνῶν ἀγνοήσαντες τὸν Μωυσῆν διὰ τὸν καλύψαντα καταδικάζονται, ἐάν περ καὶ οὗτοι πράσσοντες τὰ διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ῥηθέντα μὴ μισήσωσιν ὃν ἠγνόησαν. καὶ οὐκ ἐν τῷ τοὺς διδασκάλους κυρίους καλεῖν, τὰ δὲ δούλων μὴ ποιεῖν, ὠφελοῦνταί τινες. τούτου γὰρ ἕνεκεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἡμῶν πρός τινα πυκνότερον κύριον αὐτὸν λέγοντα, μηδὲν δὲ ποιοῦντα ὧν αὐτὸς προσέτασσεν, ἔφη· Τί με λέγεις, κύριε, κύριε, καὶ οὐ ποιεῖς ἃ λέγω; Οὐ γὰρ ὠφελήσει τινὰ τὸ λέγειν, ἀλλὰ τὸ ποιεῖν. ἐκ παντὸς οὖν τρόπου καλῶν ἔργων χρεία. πλὴν εἴ τις καταξιωθείη τοὺς ἀμφοτέρους ἐπιγνῶναι ὡς μιᾶς διδασκαλίας ὑπʼ αὐτῶν κεκηρυγμένης, οὗτος ἀνὴρ ἐν Θεῷ πλούσιος κατηρίθμηται, τά του ἀρχαῖα νέα τῷ χρόνῳ, καὶ τὰ καινὰ παλαιὰ ὄντα νενοηκώς· ### English translation (Claude) "So the Hebrews are not condemned for not knowing Jesus, because of the one who hid him, provided that, doing what was commanded through Moses, they do not hate the one they did not know. Nor again are those from the Gentiles who did not know Moses condemned, because of the one who concealed him, provided that they too, doing what was spoken through Jesus, do not hate the one they did not know. And some will gain nothing by calling the teachers lords but not doing the work of servants. For this reason our Jesus said to someone who kept calling him Lord but did none of the things he commanded, 'Why do you call me "Lord, Lord," and do not do what I say?' For it is not saying that will profit anyone, but doing. So in every way there is need of good works. But if anyone is counted worthy to recognize both as preaching one teaching, that man is reckoned rich in God, having understood both the ancient things as new in time and the new things as old." ### Scripture references - Luke 6:46: quotation, high confidence - Luke 12:21: echo, low confidence - Matt 13:52: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The saying is Luke 6:46, addressed here to one person. "Rich in God" echoes Luke 12:21; "old and new", Matt 13:52. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.7 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-7). ## Homilies 8.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-8 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The crowds gather; Peter moves to a garden, quiets the sick, and begins to speak. ### Greek text Ταῦτα τοῦ Πέτρου λέγοντος, οἱ ὄχλοι ὥσπερ ὑπό τινος κληθέντες εἰσῄεσαν ἔνθα ὁ Πέτρος ἦν. ὁ δὲ τὸν πολὺν ὄχλον ἰδὼν ὥσπερ ποταμοῦ ἥσυχον ῥεῦμα πρᾴως προςρέοντα, ἔφη τῷ Μαροόνῃ· ποῦ σοι τόπος ἐνταῦθα μᾶλλον τοὺς ὄχλους χωρεῖν δυνάμενος; τοῦ δὲ Μαροόνου εἰς τόπον ὕπαιθρον κεκηπευμένον προάγοντος αὐτόν, εἵποντο οἱ ὄχλοι. ὁ δὲ Πέτρος ἐπί τινος βάσεως ἀνδριάντος οὐ πάνυ ὑψηλῆς ἐπιστάς, ἅμα τῷ τὸν ὄχλον θεοσεβεῖ ἔθει προσαγορεῦσαι, εἰδὼς πολλοὺς ἐκ τῶν παρεστώτων ὄχλων ὑπὸ δαιμόνων τε καὶ πολλῶν παθῶν ἐκ πολλῶν χρόνων ἐνοχλουμένους, βρύχοντάς τε μετʼ οἰμωγῆς καὶ πίπτοντας μεθʼ ἱκεσίας, ἐπιτιμήσας αὐτοῖς καὶ ἡσυχίαν ἔχειν προστάξας καὶ τὴν ἴασιν μετὰ τὸ διαλεχθῆναι ὑποσχόμενος τοῦ λέγειν ἤρξατο οὕτως. ### English translation (Claude) While Peter was saying this, the crowds came in where Peter was, as if someone had called them. Seeing the great crowd flowing gently toward him like the quiet stream of a river, he said to Maroones, "Where do you have a place here better able to hold the crowds?" Maroones led him to an open-air garden, and the crowds followed. Peter stood on the base of a statue, not very high, and, as soon as he had greeted the crowd in the manner of those who fear God, knowing that many of the crowds standing by had long been troubled by demons and many sufferings, and were groaning and wailing and falling down in supplication, he rebuked them, ordered them to keep quiet, promised healing after he had spoken, and began to speak as follows. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.8 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-8). ## Homilies 8.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-9 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter announces that he will first show why God should not be blamed for the demons and diseases that afflict people. ### Greek text Ἀρχόμενος τὸν ὑπὲρ θεοσεβείας λόγον ποιεῖσθαι τοῖς παντελῶς ἀγνοοῦσι τὰ πάντα, καὶ ὑπὸ τῶν τοῦ ἀντικειμένου ἡμῖν Σίμωνος διαβολῶν ἐσπιλωμένοις τὸν νοῦν, ἀναγκαῖον ἡγησάμην πρῶτον, ὑπὲρ τοῦ μὴ δεῖν μέμφεσθαι τὸν τὰ πάντα πεποιηκότα Θεὸν τὸν λόγον ποιήσασθαι, οὐκ ἄλλοθεν ἀρχόμενος, ἢ ἀπʼ αὐτῆς τῆς κατὰ πρόνοιαν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ εὐκαίρως ὑποβληθείσης προφάσεως· ἵνα γνωσθῇ, ὡς εὐλόγως οἱ πολλοὶ ὑπὸ πολλῶν δαιμόνων συνεσχέθησαν καὶ ὑπʼ ἀλλοκότων παθῶν κατελήφθησαν, ὅπως καὶ ἐν τούτῳ τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ δίκαιον φανῇ. καὶ οἱ διʼ ἄγνοιαν μεμφόμενοι αὐτόν, καὶ νῦν μαθόντες ὡς δεῖ φρονεῖν, διʼ εὐφημίας τε καὶ εὐποιΐας τοῦ προτέρου ἐγκλήματος ἑαυτοὺς ἀνακαλέσονται, αἰτίαν τοῦ κακοῦ τολμήματος τὴν ἄγνοιαν εἰς τὴν συγγνώμην προθέμενοι. ### English translation (Claude) "As I begin my discourse on the worship of God to people who are entirely ignorant of everything, and whose minds have been stained by the slanders of Simon, our adversary, I have thought it necessary first to speak about why God, who made all things, must not be blamed. I begin from no other point than the very occasion that he, by his providence, has opportunely put before us, so that it may be known that the many have with good reason been held fast by many demons and seized by strange sufferings, so that in this too the justice of God may appear. And those who blame him through ignorance, now that they have learned how they ought to think, will call themselves back from their former accusation by speaking well of him and doing good, putting forward their ignorance as the cause of their evil daring, so as to obtain pardon. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.9 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-9). ## Homilies 8.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-10 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains that the first man, a true prophet made in God's image, taught his children an eternal law, and their obedience brought abundance and health. ### Greek text Ἔχει δὲ οὕτως. τοῦ μόνου ἀγαθοῦ Θεοῦ τὰ πάντα καλῶς πεποιηκότος καὶ παραδεδωκότος τῷ κατʼ εἰκόνα αὑτοῦ γενομένῳ ἀνθρώπῳ, ὁ γεγονὼς τῆς τοῦ πεποιηκότος αὐτὸν πνέων θειότητος, ἀληθὴς προφήτης ὤν καὶ εἰδὼς τὰ ὅλα, εἰς τιμὴν τοῦ πάντα αὐτῷ δωρησαμένου πατρὸς καὶ εἰς σωτηρίαν τῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ γενομένων υἱῶν, ὡς πατὴρ γνήσιος πρὸς τοὺς ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ γενομένους παῖδας ἀποσώζων τὸ εὔνουν, βουλόμενος αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον αὐτοῖς φιλεῖν Θεὸν καὶ φιλεῖσθαι ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ, τὴν πρὸς φιλίαν αὐτοῦ ἄγουσαν ἐξέφηνεν ὁδόν, διδάξας ποίαις ἀνθρώπων πράξεσιν ὁ μόνος καὶ πάντων δεσπότης Θεὸς εὐφραίνεται, καὶ τὰ ἐκείνῳ δοκοῦντα ἐκφήνας νόμον αἰώνιον ὥρισεν ὅλοις, μήθʼ ὑπὸ πολεμίων ἐμπρησθῆναι δυνάμενον, μήθʼ ὑπὸ ἀσεβοῦς τινὸς ὑπονοθευόμενον, μήθʼ ἑνὶ τόπῳ ἀποκεκρυμμένον, ἀλλὰ πᾶσιν ἀναγνωσθῆναι δυνάμενον. ἦν οὖν αὐτοῖς ἐκ τῆς πειθαρχίας τοῦ νόμου πάντα ἄφθονα, τὰ τῶν καρπῶν κάλλιστα, τὰ τῶν ἐτῶν τέλεια καὶ ἄλυπα καὶ ἄνοσα, μετὰ πάσης τῆς τῶν ἀέρων εὐκρασίας ἀδεῶς δεδωρημένα. ### English translation (Claude) "It is like this. The only good God made all things well and handed them over to man, who was made in his image. The man who came into being, breathing the divinity of the one who made him, was a true prophet and knew all things. For the honour of the Father who had given him everything, and for the salvation of the sons born of him, he kept, like a true father, his goodwill toward the children born of him, wishing them, for their own good, to love God and to be loved by him. He made known the way that leads to God's friendship, teaching by what human actions God, the only and universal Lord, is pleased; and having made known what seems good to him, he laid down for all an eternal law, which could neither be burned by enemies, nor corrupted by any impious person, nor hidden away in one place, but could be read by all. So, from their obedience to the law, they had everything in abundance: the finest of fruits, years that were perfect, free from grief and disease, given without fear, with every mildness of weather. ### Scripture references - Gen 1:27: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The first man as the true prophet is a characteristic teaching of the Homilies. - "Made in his image": Gen 1:26–27. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.10 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-10). ## Homilies 8.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-11 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains that people who had never known evil grew ungrateful and denied providence, and a fitting punishment followed. ### Greek text Οἱ δὲ ἐπεὶ μὴ πρῶτον τῶν κακῶν ἐπειράσθησαν, πρὸς τὴν τῶν ἀγαθῶν δωρεὰν ἀναισθήτως ἔχοντες ὑπὸ τῆς ἀφθόνου τροφῆς καὶ τρυφῆς εἰς ἀχαριστίαν ἐξετρέποντο, ὡς νομίσαι αὐτοὺς μήδʼ εἶναι πρόνοιαν, ἐπεὶ μὴ πρότερον καμόντες ἐπὶ δικαιοσύνης ὡς μισθὸν τὰ ἀγαθὰ εἰλήφεσαν, ἅτε μηδενὸς αὐτῶν ἢ πάθει τινὶ ἢ νόσῳ ἢ ἄλλῃ τινὶ ἀνάγκῃ ὑποπεσόντος· ἵνα, ὡς ἀνθρώποις φίλον ἐστὶν ὑπὸ τῆς κακῆς διαμαρτίας κακωθεῖσιν, ἑαυτοῖς τὸν ἰᾶσθαι δυνάμενον περιβλέψωνται Θεόν. ἀλλὰ γὰρ εὐθέως μετὰ τὴν ἐκ τῆς ἀφοβίας καὶ ἀδεοῦς τρυφῆς καταφρόνησιν, ὥσπερ ἐξ ἁρμονίας τινὸς ἀκολούθως ἐφηρμοσμένης, δικαία τις αὐτοῖς ἀπήντησεν τιμωρία, τὰ μὲν γὰρ ἀγαθὰ ὡς βλάψαντα ἀπωθοῦσα, τὰ δὲ κακὰ ὡς ὠφελήσαντα ἀντεισφέρουσα. ### English translation (Claude) "But since they had not first experienced evils, they became insensible to the gift of good things, and through abundant food and luxury they turned to ingratitude, so that they even thought there was no providence, since they had not first laboured for righteousness and received good things as a reward, none of them having fallen into any suffering, disease, or other necessity that would lead them, as is natural for people afflicted through wrongdoing, to look about for God who is able to heal them. But immediately after the contempt that came from fearlessness and carefree luxury, a just punishment met them, following as if by an orderly harmony, driving away the good things as having done harm and bringing in evils instead as beneficial. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.11 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-11). ## Homilies 8.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-12 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter tells how angels of the lowest heaven, angered at human ingratitude, came down to test people by changing into precious things and animals, which the poets ascribe to Zeus. ### Greek text Τῶν γὰρ τὸν οὐρανὸν ἐποικούντων πνευμάτων οἱ τὴν κατωτάτω χώραν κατοικοῦντες ἄγγελοι, ἀχθεσθέντες ἐπὶ τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰς Θεὸν ἀχαριστίᾳ, αἰτοῦνται εἰς τὸν ἀνθρώπων ἐλθεῖν βίον, ἵνα ὄντως ἄνθρωποι γενόμενοι, ἐπὶ πολιτείᾳ πλείονι τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν ἀχαριστήσαντας ἐλέγξαντες αὐτόθι τῇ κατʼ ἀξίαν ἕκαστον ὑποβάλωσι τιμωρίᾳ. ὁπότε οὖν αἰτήσαντες ἔλαβον, πρὸς πᾶσαν ἑαυτοὺς μετέβαλον φύσιν, ἅτε θειωδεστέρας ὄντες οὐσίας καὶ ῥᾳδίως πρὸς πάντα μετατρέπεσθαι δυνάμενοι. καὶ ἐγένοντο λίθος τίμιος, καὶ μαργαρίτης περίβλεπτος, πορφύρα τε εἰ τύχοι καλλίστη, καὶ χρυσὸς ἔνδοξος, καὶ πᾶσα πολυτίμιος ὕλη. καὶ τῶν μὲν εἰς χεῖρας, τῶν δὲ εἰς κόλπον ἐνέπιπτον, καὶ ὑπʼ αὐτῶν ἑκόντες ἐκλέπτοντο. μετεβάλλοντο δὲ καὶ εἰς τετράποδα καὶ εἰς ἑρπετά, νηκτά τε καὶ πτηνά, καὶ εἰς πᾶν ὅπερ ἤθελον. ἅτινα καὶ οἱ παρʼ ὑμῖν ποιηταὶ ἀφοβίας αἰτίαν ὡς ἔτυχεν ᾄδουσιν, ἑνὶ τοίνυν τὰς πάντων πολλὰς καὶ διαφόρους πράξεις ἀπονέμοντες. ### English translation (Claude) "For of the spirits who inhabit heaven, the angels who dwell in the lowest region, vexed at the ingratitude of human beings toward God, asked to come into human life, so that, becoming truly human, they might by a better way of life convict those who had been ungrateful to him and subject each of them on the spot to the punishment he deserved. When they had asked and received this, they changed themselves into every kind of nature, since they were of a more divine substance and could easily be transformed into anything. They became precious stone, and splendid pearl, and purple of the finest kind, and glorious gold, and every costly material. They fell into the hands of some and into the laps of others, and willingly let themselves be stolen by them. They also changed into four-footed beasts, reptiles, fish, and birds, and into whatever they wished. These things your poets too sing about carelessly, from want of fear of God, ascribing to one the many and different deeds of them all. ### Scripture references - Gen 6:2: allusion, low confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - 1 En. 6.1-6 (1 Enoch): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - This version of the fall of the angels develops Gen 6:1–4 and the tradition of 1 Enoch 6–8. - "From want of fear of God" renders ἀφοβίας αἰτίαν, whose sense here is uncertain. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.12 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-12). ## Homilies 8.13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-13 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains that the angels, once human, fell into intercourse with women, lost their fiery nature, and could not return to heaven. ### Greek text Πλὴν ὅτε ταῦτα γενόμενοι τοὺς διαρπάσαντας αὐτοὺς πλεονέκτας ἤλεγξαν, καὶ εἰς τὴν ἀνθρώπων φύσιν ἑαυτοὺς μετέβαλον, ἵνα ὁσίως πολιτευσάμενοι καὶ τὸ δυνατὸν τοῦ πολιτεύεσθαι δείξαντες τοὺς ἀχαρίστους εὐθύναις ὑποβάλωσιν, ἐπειδὴ ὄντως τὰ πάντα ἄνθρωποι ἐγίνοντο καὶ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἔσχον τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην, ὑπὸ ταύτης κρατούμενοι εἰς γυναικῶν μῖξιν ὤλισθον, αἷς συμπλακέντες καὶ μιασμῷ παγέντες καὶ τῆς πρώτης δυνάμεως παντελῶς κενωθέντες, τὰ ἐκ πυρὸς τραπέντα μέλη εἰς τὸ πρῶτον αὐτῶν τῆς ἰδίας φύσεως ἀμίαντον μετασυγκρῖναι οὐκ ἐξίσχυσαν. τῷ γὰρ βάρει τῷ ὑπὸ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας εἰς σάρκα τελευτήσαντος αὐτῶν πυρός, τὴν ἀσεβοῦσαν ὥδευσαν ὁδὸν κάτω· σαρκὸς γὰρ αὐτοὶ δεσμοῖς πεπεδημένοι κατέχονται καὶ ἰσχυρῶς δέδενται, οὗ ἕνεκεν εἰς οὐρανοὺς ἀνελθεῖν οὐκέτι ἐδυνήθησαν. ### English translation (Claude) "But when, having become these things, they had convicted the greedy people who seized them, and had changed themselves into human nature, in order to live holy lives, show that such a life is possible, and bring the ungrateful to account, then, since they had become human in every respect, they also had human desire; and, overcome by it, they slipped into intercourse with women. Having joined with them, being bound fast in defilement and wholly emptied of their first power, they could not change back their limbs, which had been turned from fire, into the original purity of their own nature. For their fire had ended in flesh because of the weight of desire, and so they travelled the impious road downward. They are held fettered by the bonds of flesh and strongly bound, and for this reason they were no longer able to go back up to heaven. ### Scripture references - Gen 6:2: allusion, medium confidence - Jude 1:6: echo, low confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - 1 En. 6.1-7.1 (1 Enoch): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Gen 6:2 and 1 Enoch 6–7; the fettered angels also recall Jude 6 and 2 Pet 2:4. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.13 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-13). ## Homilies 8.14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-14 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter tells how the fallen angels taught women mining, metalwork, jewels, magic, astronomy, herbs, and dyes. ### Greek text Μετὰ γὰρ συνουσίαν, ὅ τὸ πρῶτον ἐγίνοντο ἀπαιτηθέντες καὶ παρασχεῖν μηκέτι δυνηθέντες, διὰ τὸ ἄλλο τι μετὰ μιασμὸν αὐτοὺς ποιῆσαι μὴ δύνασθαι, ἀρέσκειν τε ταῖς ἐρωμέναις βουλόμενοι ἀνθʼ ἑαυτῶν τοὺς τῆς γῆς μυελοὺς ὑπέδειξαν, λέγω δὲ τὰ ἐκ μετάλλων ἄνθη, χρυσόν, χαλκόν, ἄργυρον, σίδηρον καὶ τὰ ὅμοια, σὺν τοῖς τιμιωτάτοις ἅπασιν λίθοις. σὺν τούτοις δὲ τοῖς μαγευθεῖσιν λίθοις καὶ τὰς τέχνας τῶν πρὸς ἕκαστα πραγμάτων παρέδοσαν, καὶ μαγείας ὑπέδειξαν καὶ ἀστρονομίαν ἐδίδαξαν, δυνάμεις τε ῥιζῶν καὶ ὅσα ποτὲ ὑπʼ ἀνθρωπίνης ἐννοίας εὑρεθῆναι ἀδύνατον, ἔτι δὲ χρυσοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου καὶ τῶν ὁμοίων χύσιν, τάς τε τῶν ἐσθήτων ποικίλας βαφάς. καὶ πάνθʼ ἁπλῶς ὅσαπερ πρὸς κόσμου καὶ τέρψεώς ἐστι γυναικῶν, τῶν ἐν σαρκὶ δεθέντων δαιμόνων ἐστὶν εὑρήματα. ### English translation (Claude) "After intercourse, when they were asked for what they had been at first and could no longer supply it, because after their defilement they could not make themselves anything else, and wishing to please their beloved women, they showed them, in place of themselves, the marrow of the earth, I mean the flowers of the mines: gold, bronze, silver, iron, and the like, together with all the most precious stones. Along with these bewitched stones they also handed down the arts for dealing with each of these things. They showed them magic and taught them astronomy, the powers of roots, and whatever could never have been discovered by human thought, as well as the casting of gold and silver and the like, and the varied dyeing of garments. In short, everything that serves the adornment and delight of women is the invention of the demons who were bound in flesh. ### Extrabiblical texts - 1 En. 8.1-3 (1 Enoch): allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Compare 1 Enoch 8:1–3, where the watchers teach metalworking, cosmetics, sorcery, root-cutting, and astrology. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.14 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-14). ## Homilies 8.15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-15 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter describes the giants born of the angels and women, who, though fed with manna, craved blood and were the first to eat meat. ### Greek text Ἐκ δὲ τῆς νόθου μίξεως αὐτῶν ἄνθρωποι ἐγένοντο νόθοι, πολλῷ γε τῶν ἀνθρώπων κατὰ κορυφὴν μείζους, οὕς μετὰ τοῦτο γίγαντας ὠνόμασαν, οὐ δρακοντόποδες ὄντες καὶ πρὸς Θεὸν πόλεμον ἀράμενοι, ὡς οἱ βλάσφημοι τῶν Ἐλλήνων ᾄδουσιν μῦθοι, ἀλλὰ θηριώδεις τὸν τρόπον, καὶ μείζους μὲν ἀνθρώπων τὰ μεγέθη, ἐπείπερ ἐξ ἀγγέλων ἐγένοντο, ἀγγέλων δὲ ἐλάττους, ἐπείπερ ἐκ γυναικῶν γεγένηντο. ὁ οὖν Θεὸς εἰδὼς αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὸ θηριῶδες ἐξηγριωμένους, καὶ πρὸς τὴν ἑαυτῶν πλησμονὴν τὸν κόσμον οὐκ ἔχοντας αὐτάρκη, (πρὸς γὰρ ἀνθρώπων ἀναλογίαν ἐδημιουργήθη καὶ χρῆσιν ἀνθρωπίνην) ἵνα μὴ ἐν διατροφῇ ἐπὶ τὴν παρὰ φύσιν τῶν ζώων βορὰν τρεπόμενοι ἀνεύθυνοι δοκῶσιν εἶναι, ὡς διʼ ἀνάγκην τοῦτο τετολμηκότες, μάννα αὐτοῖς ὁ παντοδύναμος Θεὸς ἐπώμβρισεν ἐκ ποικίλης ἐπιθυμίας, καὶ παντὸς οὗπερ ἐβούλοντο ἀπήλαυον· οἱ δʼ ὑπὸ νόθου φύσεως, τῷ καθαρῷ τῆς τροφῆς οὐκ ἀρεσκόμενοι, μόνης τῆς τῶν αἱμάτων γεύσεως ἐγλίχοντο. διὸ καὶ πρῶτοι σαρκῶν ἐγεύσαντο. ### English translation (Claude) "From their bastard union bastard human beings were born, far taller than men, whom they afterward called giants; not serpent-footed and waging war on God, as the blasphemous myths of the Greeks sing, but beastly in their ways, greater than human beings in size, since they came from angels, but less than angels, since they had been born of women. God, then, knowing that they had become savage like beasts, and that the world was not enough to satisfy them (for it was made to the measure of human beings and for human use), in order that they might not, for lack of food, turn to eating animals against nature and seem blameless, as though they had dared this out of necessity, God the almighty rained manna on them, suited to every variety of desire, and they enjoyed whatever they wished. But they, because of their bastard nature, were not pleased with the purity of that food and longed only for the taste of blood. So they were the first to taste flesh. ### Scripture references - Gen 6:4: allusion, high confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - 1 En. 7.2-5 (1 Enoch): allusion, high confidence - Wis 16:20-21 (Wisdom of Solomon): echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The giants: Gen 6:4 and 1 Enoch 7:2–5. Manna suited to every taste recalls Wis 16:20–21. The serpent-footed giants who fought the gods are those of Greek myth (Hesiod, Theogony). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.15 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-15). ## Homilies 8.16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-16 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter says humans imitated the giants in eating meat, showing that people become good or bad by habit, and the giants turned to cannibalism. ### Greek text Οἱ δὲ σὺν αὐτοῖς ἄνθρωποι τὸ ὅμοιον τότε πρῶτον ποιεῖν ἐζήλωσαν. οὕτως εἴτε ἀγαθοὶ εἴτε κακοὶ οὐκ ἐγεννώμεθα, ἀλλὰ γινόμεθα· καὶ ἐθισθέντες δυσαποσπάστως ἔχομεν. τῶν δὲ ἀλόγων ζώων τότε ἐπιλιπόντων, οἱ νόθοι ἄνθρωποι καὶ ἀνθρωπίνων σαρκῶν ἐγεύσοντο, οὐκέτι γὰρ αὐτοῖς ἦν μακράν, τὴν ἰδίαν διαφθεῖραι σάρκα, πρότερον ἐν ἑτέραις μορφαῖς αὐτῆς γευσαμένοις. ### English translation (Claude) "The human beings who lived with them then, for the first time, eagerly did the same. So we are not born good or bad, but we become so; and once accustomed, we are hard to draw away. When the irrational animals then ran short, the bastard men tasted human flesh too; for it was no longer a long step for them to destroy flesh like their own, having tasted it before in other forms. ### Extrabiblical texts - 1 En. 7.5 (1 Enoch): allusion, medium confidence ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.16 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-16). ## Homilies 8.17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-17 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains that bloodshed polluted air and earth, and God sent the flood to cleanse the world, saving Noah and his family in the ark. ### Greek text Ἐπὶ δὲ τῇ πολλῇ τῶν αἱμάτων ῥύσει ὁ καθαρὸς ἀὴρ ἀκαθάρτῳ ἀναθυμιάσει μιανθεὶς καὶ νοσήσας τοὺς ἀναπνέοντας αὐτὸν νοσώδεις ἀπειργάζετο, ὡς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους λοιπὸν ἀώρους ἀποθνήσκειν. ἡ δὲ γῆ ἐκ τούτων σφόδρα μιανθεῖσα πρῶτον τότε τὰ ἰοβόλα καὶ λυμαντικὰ ζῶα ἐξέβρασεν. τῶν οὖν πάντων πρὸς τὸ χεῖρον χωρησάντων διὰ τοὺς θηριώδεις δαίμονας, ὁ Θεὸς αὐτοὺς ὥσπερ κακὴν ζύμην ἐξελεῖν ἐβουλεύετο, ἵνα μὴ ἀπὸ σπορᾶς κατʼ ἀκολουθίαν ἑκάστη γενεὰ τῇ πρὸ αὐτῆς ἐξομοιουμένη, ὁμοίως ἀσεβοῦσα, τὸν ἐσόμενον αἰῶνα σωζομένων ἀνδρῶν κενώσῃ. τούτου δὴ ἕνεκεν ἑνί τινι δικαίῳ μετὰ τῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ τριῶν, σὺν ταῖς αὐτῶν γυναιξίν, ἅμα τοῖς λοιποῖς, ἐν λάρνακι διασώζεσθαι προαγγείλας ὕδωρ εἰς κατακλυσμὸν ἐπέκλυσεν, ἵνα πάντων ἀναλωθέντων ὁ κόσμος κατεκκαθαρισθεὶς αὐτῷ τῷ ἐν λάρνακι διασωθέντι εἰς δευτέραν βίου ἀρχὴν καθαρὸς ἀποδοθῇ. καὶ δὴ οὕτως ἐγένετο. ### English translation (Claude) "Through the great outpouring of blood, the pure air was defiled by an unclean vapour and became diseased, and it made those who breathed it sickly, so that from then on human beings died before their time. The earth, greatly defiled by these things, then for the first time cast up venomous and destructive creatures. So, since everything had gone from bad to worse because of the beastly demons, God resolved to remove them like bad leaven, so that each generation, descending from its seed and becoming like the one before it and equally impious, might not empty the coming age of saved men. For this reason, having told one righteous man beforehand that he would be preserved in an ark, together with his three sons and their wives and the rest, he sent water in a flood, so that when all had been consumed, the world, thoroughly cleansed, might be handed back pure to the one preserved in the ark for a second beginning of life. And so it happened. ### Scripture references - Gen 6:17–18: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 5:7: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The flood: Gen 6–8. "Bad leaven" echoes 1 Cor 5:7. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.17 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-17). ## Homilies 8.18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-18 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains that the giants' souls became a new race, the demons, and God sent them a law through an angel. ### Greek text Ἐπεὶ οὖν αἱ τῶν τεθνεώτων γιγάντων ψυχαὶ τῶν ἀνθρωπίνων ψυχῶν μείζους ἦσαν, ἅτε δὴ καὶ τοῖς σώμασιν ὑπερέχουσαι, ὡς καινὸν γένος καινῷ καὶ τῷ ὀνόματι προσηγορεύθησαν. οἷς ἐπιλοίποις τῷ κόσμῳ ὡς δεῖ βιοῦν, ὑπὸ Θεοῦ διʼ ἀγγέλου νόμος ὡρίσθη. ὄντες γὰρ νόθοι τῷ γένει ἐκ πυρὸς ἀγγέλων καὶ αἵματος γυναικῶν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἰδίου τινὸς γένους ἐπιθυμεῖν μέλλοντες, δικαίῳ τινὶ προελήφθησαν νόμῳ. ἐξεπέμφθη γὰρ αὐτοῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἄγγελός τις, τὴν αὐτοῦ βουλὴν μηνύων καὶ λέγων. ### English translation (Claude) "Since the souls of the dead giants were greater than human souls, as they had also surpassed them in body, they were called by a new name, as a new race. To them, as survivors in the world, a law was laid down by God, through an angel, on how they must live. For being bastards by birth, from the fire of angels and the blood of women, and therefore likely to desire something of their own peculiar kind, they were forestalled by a just law. For an angel was sent to them by God, making known his will and saying: ### Extrabiblical texts - 1 En. 15.8-12 (1 Enoch): allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The "new name" is demons; compare 1 Enoch 15:8–12, where evil spirits come from the giants. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.18 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-18). ## Homilies 8.19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-19 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The angel's law to the demons forbids them to harm anyone except those who serve them or break God's law, and orders them to flee from the righteous. ### Greek text Τάδε δοκεῖ τῷ παντεπόπτῃ Θεῷ, μηδενὸς ἀνθρώπων ὑμᾶς κυριεύειν, μηδὲ παρενοχλεῖν μηδενί, ἐὰν μή τις ἑκὼν ἑαυτὸν ὑμῖν καταδουλώσῃ, προσκυνῶν ὑμᾶς, καὶ θύων καὶ σπένδων καὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας μεταλαμβάνων τραπέζης, ἢ ἕτερόν τι ὧν οὐ χρὴ ἐκτελῶν, ἢ αἷμα χέων, ἢ σαρκῶν γευόμενος, ἢ θηρίου λειψάνου ἢ θνητοῦ ἢ πνικτοῦ ἢ ἄλλου τινὸς ἀκαθάρτου ἐμπιμπλώμενος. τῶν δὲ νόμῳ ἐμῷ προσφευγόντων οὐ μόνον οὐ ψαύσετε, ἀλλὰ καὶ τιμὴν δώσετε, καὶ ἐκ προσώπου φεύξεσθε. ὅ τι γὰρ ἄν αὐτοῖς δικαίοις οὖσιν καθʼ ὑμῶν δοκῇ, τουθʼ ὑμᾶς δεήσει παθεῖν. ἐὰν δέ τινες τῶν ἐμοὶ προκειμένων ἐξαμαρτῶσιν, ἢ μοιχησάμενοι ἢ μαγεύσαντες ἢ ἀκαθάρτως βιώσαντες ἢ ἄλλο τι τῶν ἐμοὶ μὴ δοκούντων πράξαντες, τότε ἐξ ἐμῆς κελεύσεως πάσχειν τι αὐτοὺς ὑφʼ ὑμῶν ἢ ὑφʼ ἑτέρων δεήσει· οἷς καὶ μετανοήσασιν, τὴν μετάνοιαν κρίνας, εἴτε ἀξία ἐστὶν συγγνώμης εἴτε καὶ οὔ, τὴν ἀπόφασιν ποιήσομαι. ταῦτα οὖν μνημονεύειν καὶ ὀφείλετε, εὖ εἰδότες, ὅτι οὐδὲ αἱ ἐνθυμήσεις ὑμῶν λαθεῖν αὐτὸν δυνήσονται. ### English translation (Claude) "'This is the decision of God who oversees all: that you shall rule over no human being and trouble no one, unless someone willingly makes himself your slave by worshipping you, sacrificing and pouring libations to you, sharing your table, or doing anything else that ought not to be done, or shedding blood, or tasting flesh, or filling himself with the remains of a beast, or with what has died or been strangled, or with anything else unclean. Those who take refuge in my law you shall not only not touch, but you shall also pay them honour and flee from their presence. For whatever seems good to them, since they are righteous, against you, that you will have to suffer. But if any of those devoted to me sin, by committing adultery, practising magic, living impurely, or doing anything else that does not please me, then by my command they will have to suffer something at your hands or at the hands of others. And when they repent, I will judge their repentance, whether it deserves pardon or not, and give my verdict.' You ought, then, to remember these things, knowing well that not even your thoughts can escape him." ### Scripture references - Acts 15:29: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The forbidden foods correspond to the apostolic decree (Acts 15:20, 29). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.19 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-19). ## Homilies 8.20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-20 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter tells the crowd that by worshipping demons and eating their sacrifices they fell under demonic power, which otherwise has no hold on anyone. ### Greek text Τοιαῦτα παρακελευσάμενος αὐτοῖς ὁ ἄγγελος ἀπηλλάγη. ὑμεῖς δὲ ἔτι τοῦτον ἀγνοεῖτε τὸν νόμον, ὅτι προσκυνῶν τις δαίμονας ἢ θύων ἢ τραπέζης αὐτοῖς κοινωνῶν ὑπόδουλος αὐτοῖς γενόμενος ὡς ὑπὸ κακῶν δεσποτῶν πάσης τῆς ἐξ αὐτῶν μεθέξει τιμωρίας καὶ διὰ τὴν ἄγνοιαν ταύτην τοῖς αὐτῶν βωμοῖς προσφθαρέντες καὶ αὐτῶν ἐκπληρωθέντες ὑπὸ τὴν αὐτῶν ἐξουσίαν γεγόνατε, καὶ παντὶ τρόπῳ ὑβριζόμενοι τὰ σώματα ἀγνοεῖτε. εἰδέναι δὲ ὑμᾶς χρὴ ὅτι οὐδενὸς οἱ δαίμονες ἔχουσιν ἐξουσίαν, ἐὰν μὴ πρότερόν τις αὐτοῖς ὁμοδίαιτος γένηται. ὁπότε οὐδὲ ὁ αὐτῶν ἄρχων παρὰ τὸν ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ κατʼ αὐτῶν κινούμενον νόμον ποιεῖν τι δύναται, διʼ ὅ ἐξουσίαν τινὸς οὐκ ἔχει μὴ προσκυνήσαντος αὐτόν· ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ λαβεῖν τις παρʼ αὐτῶν δύναταί τι ὧν θέλει, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ βλαβῆναι οὐδέν, ὡς μαθεῖν. ### English translation (Claude) "Having given them such commands, the angel departed. But you are still ignorant of this law: that anyone who worships demons, or sacrifices to them, or shares their table, becomes their slave, as if under evil masters, and will share in every punishment that comes from them. And through this ignorance, having wasted away at their altars and filled yourselves with them, you have come under their power, and you do not know that you are being outraged in your bodies in every way. You must know that the demons have power over no one unless he has first shared their way of life. For not even their ruler can do anything against the law that God has set in motion against them, and so he has no power over anyone who has not worshipped him; nor can anyone receive from them anything he wants, nor be harmed in anything, as you may learn. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.20 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-20). ## Homilies 8.21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-21 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter recounts the temptation of Jesus by the devil, who could gain power over him only if he worshipped him or accepted his gifts. ### Greek text Τῷ γὰρ τῆς εὐσεβείας ἡμῶν βασιλεῖ προσῆλθέν ποτε ὁ πρόσκαιρος βασιλεύς, οὐ βίαν ποιῶν, οὐ γὰρ ἐξῆν, ἀλλὰ προτρέπων καὶ ἀναπείθων, ὅτι τὸ πεισθῆναι ἐπὶ τῇ ἑκάστου κεῖται ἐξουσίᾳ. προσελθὼν οὖν, ὡς τῶν παρόντων ὤν βασιλεύς, τῷ τῶν μελλόντων βασιλεῖ ἔφη· πᾶσαι αἱ τοῦ νῦν κόσμου βασιλεῖαι ὑπόκεινται ἐμοί, ἔτι τε ὁ χρυσὸς καὶ ὁ ἄργυρος καὶ πᾶσα ἡ τρυφὴ τοῦ κόσμου τούτου ὑπὸ ταῖς ἐμαῖς ἐστιν ἐξουσίαις· διὸ πεσὼν προσκύνησόν μοι, καὶ δώσω σοι πάντα ταῦτα. ταῦτα δὲ ἔλεγεν εἰδώς, ὅτι μετὰ τὸ προσκυνῆσαι καὶ τὴν κατʼ αὐτοῦ εἶχεν ἐξουσίαν, καὶ οὕτως τῆς μελλούσης δόξης καὶ βασιλείας αὐτὸν ἀφῄρει. καὶ πάντα εἰδὼς οὐ μόνον αὐτὸν οὐ προσεκύνησεν, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ τῶν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ λαβεῖν τι ἠθέλησεν· ἑαυτὸν γὰρ σὺν τοῖς ἑαυτοῦ κατενεχύραζεν, ὅπερ ἐστίν, μὴ ἐξεῖναι τοῦ λοιποῦ τῶν αὐτῷ ἀποδοθέντων μηδὲ ψαῦσαι ἔτι. ἀποκρινάμενος οὖν ἔφη· Γέγραπται, κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου φοβηθήσῃ, καὶ αὐτῷ λατρεύσεις μόνον. ### English translation (Claude) "For the temporary king once came to the king of our religion, not using force, since that was not permitted, but urging and persuading, because being persuaded lies within each person's own power. So, coming as king of present things to the king of things to come, he said: 'All the kingdoms of the present world are subject to me; the gold and the silver and all the luxury of this world are under my authority. So fall down and worship me, and I will give you all these things.' He said this knowing that, once he had been worshipped, he would have power over him too, and so would rob him of the coming glory and kingdom. But he, knowing everything, not only did not worship him but did not wish to take any of the things under his control; for he bound himself and those who are his by a pledge, namely, that from then on it is not lawful even to touch the things handed over to the devil. So he answered: 'It is written, You shall fear the Lord your God, and serve him only.' ### Scripture references - Matt 4:8–10: allusion, high confidence - Luke 4:5–8: allusion, medium confidence - Deut 6:13: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The temptation: Matt 4:8–10 (Luke 4:5–8); the reply quotes Deut 6:13 in the form "fear ... serve him only". - "The devil" is supplied for clarity; the Greek has "to him". ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.21 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-21). ## Homilies 8.22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-22 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter applies the parable of the wedding feast: those invited from Israel refused, and the Gentiles are called and clothed with the wedding garment of baptism. ### Greek text Πλὴν ὁ τῶν ἀσεβῶν βασιλεὺς κατὰ πολλὰ τὸν τῶν εὐσεβῶν βασιλέα πρὸς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ βούλημα παράγειν πειρώμενος καὶ ἠδυνηθεὶς ἐπαύσατο, πρὸς τὰ λοιπὰ τῆς πολιτείας θηρεύειν αὐτὸν ἐπιχειρῶν. ὑμεῖς δὲ τὸν προορισθέντα νόμον ἀγνοοῦντες διὰ τῶν κακῶν πράξεων ὑπὸ τὴν ἐξουσίαν αὐτοῦ ἐγένεσθε. διὸ σῶμα καὶ ψυχὴν ἐμιάνθητε. καὶ ἐν μὲν τῷ παρόντι ὑπό τε παθῶν καὶ δαιμόνων ἐνυβρίζεσθε, ἐν δὲ τοῖς μέλλουσιν τὰς ψυχὰς κολασθησομένας ἕξετε. τοῦτο δὲ οὐχ ὑμεῖς μόνοι ὑπʼ ἀγνοίας πεπόνθατε, ἀλλὰ καί τινες τοῦ ἡμετέρου ἔθνους, οἵτινες ἐπὶ κακαῖς πράξεσιν ὑπὸ τοῦ τῆς κακίας ἡγεμόνος προληφθέντες, ἔπειτα ὥσπερ ἐπὶ δεῖπνον ὑπὸ πατρὸς υἱῷ τελοῦντος γάμους κληθέντες ὑπήκουσαν. ἀντὶ δὲ τῶν ἀπειθησάντων διὰ τὴν πρόληψιν ὁ τοὺς γάμους τῷ υἱῷ τελῶν πατὴρ διὰ τοῦ προφήτου τῆς ἀληθείας ἐκέλευσεν ἡμῖν, εἰς τὰς διεξόδους τῶν ὁδῶν ἐλθοῦσιν, ὅ ἐστιν πρὸς ὑμᾶς, καθαρὸν ἔνδυμα γάμου περιβαλεῖν, ὅπερ ἐστὶν βάπτισμα, ὃ εἰς ἄφεσιν γίνεται τῶν πεπραγμένων ὑμῖν κακῶν. καὶ τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς εἰς τὸ Θεοῦ δεῖπνον εἰσάγει ἐκ τῆς μεταμελείας, εἰ καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀπελείφθησαν τῆς εὐωχίας. ### English translation (Claude) "The king of the impious, having tried in many ways to lead the king of the pious to his will and being unable, stopped, though he still attempted to hunt him in the rest of his life. But you, being ignorant of the law laid down beforehand, have come under his power through your evil deeds. So you have been defiled in body and soul. In the present you are outraged by sufferings and demons, and in the future you will have your souls punished. You are not the only ones who have suffered this through ignorance: so have some of our own nation, who, having been taken beforehand by the leader of wickedness through evil deeds, were then called, as to a dinner, by a father celebrating his son's wedding, and did not obey. In place of those who disobeyed because they had been taken beforehand, the father who is celebrating the wedding for his son has commanded us, through the Prophet of truth, to go to the crossroads, that is, to you, and to clothe you with the clean wedding garment, which is baptism, which is for the forgiveness of the evil deeds you have done. And he brings the good into God's dinner through their change of mind, even if at first they were left out of the feast. ### Scripture references - Matt 22:2–12: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The parable of the wedding feast: Matt 22:1–14 (the crossroads, 22:9; the good and bad brought in, 22:10; the wedding garment, 22:11–12). The garment is interpreted as baptism. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.22 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-22). ## Homilies 8.23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-23 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter urges the crowd to be baptized, to abandon idols and sin, and warns of eternal fire, then invites the sick to stay for healing. ### Greek text Ἔνδυμα οὖν εἰ βούλεσθε γενέσθαι θείου πνεύματος, σπουδάσατε πρῶτον ἐκδύσασθαι τὸ ῥυπαρὸν ὑμῶν πρόλημμα, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἀκάθαρτον πνεῦμα, καὶ μιαρὸν περίβλημα. τοῦτο δὲ οὐκ ἄλλως ἀποδύσασθαι δύνασθε, ἐὰν μὴ πρότερον ἐπὶ καλαῖς πράξεσιν βαπτισθῆτε· καὶ οὕτω καθαροὶ σώματί τε καὶ ψυχῇ γενόμενοι τῆς ἐσομένης ἀϊδίου βασιλείας ἀπολαύσετε. μήτε οὖν εἰδώλοις πιστεύετε, μήτε τραπέζης αὐτοῖς κοινωνεῖτε μιαρᾶς, μὴ φονεύσητε, μὴ μοιχεύετου, μὴ μισήσητε οὓς μὴ δίκαιον, μὴ κλέπτετε, μηδὲ κακαῖς τισιν ὅλως πράξεσιν ἐπιβάλλεσθε. ἐπεὶ τῶν ἐσομένων ἀγαθῶν στερηθέντες τῆς ἐλπίδος ἐν μὲν τῷ παρόντι ὑπό τε κακῶν δαιμόνων καὶ χαλεπῶν παθημάτων συνελασθήσεσθε, ἐν δὲ τῷ ἐσομένῳ αἰῶνι ἀϊδίῳ κολασθήσεσθε πυρί. τὰ μὲν οὖν σήμερον ὑμῖν ῥηθέντα αὐτάρκως ἔχει. λοιπὸν δέ, ὑμῶν ὑπὸ παθημάτων ὀχλούμενοι πρὸς τὴν ἴασιν παραμείνατε, τῶν δὲ ἄλλων οἱ βουλόμενοι μετʼ εἰρήνης πορεύεσθε. ### English translation (Claude) "If, then, you wish to become a garment of the divine Spirit, hasten first to strip off your filthy prejudice, which is an unclean spirit and a foul covering. You cannot put this off in any other way unless you are first baptized, with good deeds; and so, having become pure in body and soul, you will enjoy the eternal kingdom that is to come. So do not trust idols or share their foul table; do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not hate those whom it is not just to hate, do not steal, and do not set your hand to any evil deeds at all. Otherwise, deprived of the hope of the good things to come, in the present you will be crushed by evil demons and grievous sufferings, and in the age to come you will be punished with eternal fire. What has been said to you today is enough. For the rest, those of you troubled by sufferings, stay for healing; and of the others, those who wish may go in peace." ### Scripture references - Exod 20:13–15: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 25:41: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The commandments recall Exod 20:13–15; eternal fire, Matt 25:41. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.23 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-23). ## Homilies 8.24 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-24 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter heals the sick by laying on hands and prayer, and the crowd leaves to return the next day. ### Greek text Ταῦτα αὐτοῦ εἰπόντος οἱ πάντες παρέμειναν, οἱ μὲν τοῦ θεραπευθῆναι χάριν, οἱ δὲ τοῦ ἱστορῆσαι τοὺς τῆς θεραπείας ἐπιτυγχάνοντας. ὁ δὲ Πέτρος τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῖς ἐπιθεὶς μόνον καὶ εὐξάμενος ἰάσατο ὡς τοὺς μὲν παραχρῆμα θεραπευθέντας γενέσθαι περιχαρεῖς, τοὺς δὲ ἱστορήσαντας ὑπερθαυμάσαι τε καὶ εὐφημήσαντας τὸν Θεὸν βεβαίᾳ ἐλπίδι πιστεῦσαι, ἅμα τε τοῖς θεραπευθεῖσιν ἐπὶ τὰ ἑαυτῶν ἀπιέναι, ἐντολὴν ἔχοντας πρωΐτερον τῇ ὑστεραίᾳ συνελθεῖν. ἀπελθόντων δὲ αὐτῶν, ἐκεῖ μείνας ὁ Πέτρος, μενόντων συνήθων, τροφῆς μεταλαβὼν διανέπαυεν ἑαυτὸν τῷ ὕπνῳ. ### English translation (Claude) When he had said this, everyone stayed, some to be healed, others to see those who received healing. Peter only laid his hands on them and prayed, and healed them, so that those healed at once were overjoyed, and those who watched were greatly amazed, praised God, and believed with firm hope. Then they went home with those who had been healed, having been told to gather earlier the next day. When they had gone, Peter stayed there with his close companions, took food, and rested in sleep. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 8.24 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/8-1/#p-8-24). ## Homilies 9.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-1 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter resumes preaching: the flood shows that God saves the one godly man and disregards the ungodly crowd, and the worst impiety is worshipping many gods. ### Greek text Τῇ μὲν ἐπιούσῃ ἡμέρᾳ ὁ Πέτρος ἅμα τοῖς ἑταίροις ἐξιὼν καὶ ἐπὶ τὸν πρὸ μιᾶς τόπον ἐλθὼν καὶ ἐπιστὰς ἤρξατο λέγειν· ὁ Θεὸς τοὺς πάλαι ἀνθρώπους ἀσεβήσαντας πάντας ὕδατι διαφθείρας, ἐκ πάντων ἕνα εὐσεβῆ εὑρών, ἐν λάρνακι μετὰ τριῶν υἱῶν καὶ γυναικῶν σωθῆναι ἐποίησεν. ὅθεν συνιδεῖν ἔστιν αὐτοῦ τὴν φύσιν, ὄχλου μὲν ἀσεβούντων μὴ φροντίζουσαν, ἑνὸς δὲ εὐσεβοῦς σωτηρίας οὐκ ἀμελοῦσαν. πασῶν οὖν μείζων ἐστὶν ἀσέβεια τὸ τὸν μόνον πάντων καταλείψαντα δεσπότην πολλοὺς τοὺς οὐκ ὄντας σέβειν θεούς. ### English translation (Claude) On the following day Peter went out with his companions, came to the place of the day before, took his stand, and began to speak: "God destroyed with water all the people of old, who had acted impiously; but finding one godly man out of them all, he caused him to be saved in an ark with his three sons and their wives. From this one can see his nature: it takes no account of a crowd of the impious, but does not neglect the salvation of one who is godly. The greatest impiety of all, then, is to abandon the one Master of all and to worship many gods that do not exist. ### Scripture references - Gen 6:17: allusion, high confidence - Gen 7:1: allusion, high confidence - Gen 7:13: allusion, medium confidence ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.1 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-1). ## Homilies 9.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-2 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The idolaters' sin is worse than that of the generation of the flood, and the rule of many gods, unlike the rule of one, breeds conflict. ### Greek text Ἐὰν οὖν ἐμοῦ ὑμῖν ὑφηγουμένου καὶ δεικνύντος, ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν τὸ μέγιστον ἁμάρτημα, ὅ πάντας ὑμᾶς ἀπολέσαι δύναται, τὸν ὑμέτερον ἀποδράμῃ νοῦν, ὅτι οὐκ ἀπόλλυσθε, πολλοὶ ὄντες ὄχλοι, ἠπάτησθε· ἔχετε γὰρ τοῦ πάλαι κατακλυσθέντος κόσμου τὸ ὑπόδειγμα καίτοι ἐκείνων μὲν τὸ ἁμάρτημα πολὺ ἧττον ἦν τοῦ καθʼ ὑμᾶς. ἐκεῖνοι γὰρ εἰς τοὺς ὁμοίους ἠσέβουν, ἢ φονεύοντες ἢ μοιχεύοντες, ὑμεῖς δὲ εἰς τὸν τῶν ὅλων ἀσεβεῖτε Θεόν, ἀντʼ αὐτοῦ ἢ καὶ σὺν αὐτῷ ἄψυχα ἀγάλματα σέβοντες, καὶ τὸ θεῖον αὐτοῦ ὄνομα πάσῃ ἀναισθήτῳ ὕλῃ ἐπιῤῥίψαντες. πρῶτον μὲν οὖν δεδυστυχήκατε, μὴ γνωρίσαντες τὴν διαφορὰν τὴν μεταξὺ μοναρχίας καὶ πολυαρχίας, ὅτι ἡ μὲν μοναρχία ὁμονοίας ἐστὶν παρεκτική, ἡ δὲ πολυαρχία πολέμων ἐξεργαστική. τὸ γὰρ ἕν ἑαυτῷ οὐ μάχεται, τὰ δὲ πολλὰ πρόφασιν ἔχει τὴν πρὸς ἕτερον μάχην ἐπιχειρεῖν. ### English translation (Claude) "If, then, while I explain and show you that this is the greatest sin, which can destroy you all, the thought slips into your mind that you will not perish because you are great crowds, you are deceived. For you have the example of the world that was flooded long ago; and yet their sin was far less than yours. They sinned against their equals, by murder or by adultery; but you sin against the God of all, worshipping lifeless images instead of him or alongside him, and flinging his divine name upon every kind of senseless matter. First, then, you have been unfortunate in not recognizing the difference between monarchy and polyarchy: monarchy produces concord, while polyarchy brings about wars. For the one does not fight with itself, but the many have occasion to take up battle with one another. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.2 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-2). ## Homilies 9.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-3 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: After Noah's death his descendants competed for kingship, among them one of the race of Ham. ### Greek text Αὐτίκα γοῦν, εὐθὺ μετὰ τὸν κατακλυσμόν, ὁ Νῶε τρία καὶ ἐπιζήσας ἔτη μετὰ τῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ γενομένων ὄχλων ἐν ὁμονοίᾳ διετέλει, τοῦ μόνου Θεοῦ κατʼ εἰκόνα ὑπάρξας βασιλεύς. μετὰ δὲ τὴν αὐτοῦ τελευτὴν πολλοὶ τῶν ἐξ αὐτοῦ βασιλείας ὠρέχθησαν, καὶ πρὸς τὸ βασιλεῦσαι σπεύδοντες τὸ πῶς δυνηθείη ἕκαστος ἐπενόει. καὶ ὁ μὲν πολέμῳ, ἄλλος δόλῳ, ἕτερος πειθοῖ, καὶ ἄλλος ἄλλως, ὧν εἷς τις ἀπὸ γένους ὢν Χἀμ, τοῦ ποιήσαντος Μεστρέμ, ἐξ οὗπερ τὰ Αἰγυπτίων καὶ Βαβυλωνίων καὶ Περσῶν ἐπλήθυνε φῦλα. ### English translation (Claude) "So it was that immediately after the flood Noah, who lived on for three hundred and fifty years, continued in concord with the crowds descended from him, being king after the image of the one God. But after his death many of his descendants longed for kingship, and, hastening to reign, each devised how he might achieve it: one by war, another by deceit, another by persuasion, and others in other ways. Among them was one of the race of Ham, the father of Mestrem, from whom the tribes of the Egyptians, the Babylonians, and the Persians multiplied. ### Scripture references - Gen 9:28: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 10:6: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The digital text reads τρία καὶ ... ἔτη ("three and ... years"), apparently a garbled numeral; Gen 9:28 gives Noah 350 years after the flood, which the sense requires. Mestrem is Mizraim (Gen 10:6). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.3 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-3). ## Homilies 9.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-4 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Nebrod (Nimrod), whom the Greeks call Zoroaster, forced the evil ruler's star by magic to give him kingship, and was answered with fire. ### Greek text Ἐκ τοῦ γένους τούτου γίνεταί τις κατὰ διαδοχὴν μαγικὰ παρειληφὼς, ὀνόματι Νεβρὼδ, ὥσπερ γίγας ἐναντία τῷ Θεῷ φρονεῖν ἑλόμενος, ὃν οἱ Ἕλληνες Ζωροάστρην προσηγόρευσαν. οὗτος μετὰ τὸν κατακλυσμὸν βασιλείας ὀρεχθεὶς καὶ μέγας ὢν μάγος, τοῦ νῦν βασιλεύοντος κακοῦ τὸν ὡροσκοποῦντα κόσμον ἀστέρα πρὸς τὴν ἐξ αὐτοῦ βασιλείας δόσιν μαγικαῖς ἠνάγκασε τέχναις. ὁ δὲ ἅτε δὴ ἄρχων ὢν καὶ τοῦ βιαζομένου τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἔχων, μετʼ ὀργῆς τὸ τῆς βασιλείας προσέχεε πῦρ, ἵνα πρός τε τὸν ὁρκισμὸν εὐγνωμονήσῃ, καὶ τὸν πρώτως ἀναγκάσαντα τιμωρήσηται. ### English translation (Claude) "From this race there arose in due succession a man who had received the magic arts, named Nebrod, who like a giant chose to set his mind against God; the Greeks called him Zoroaster. After the flood he longed for kingship, and being a great magician he compelled by magic arts the star of the evil one who now reigns, the star that presides over the world's horoscope, to grant him kingship. But that one, being a ruler and having authority over the one who was forcing him, in anger poured out the fire of kingship, both to show himself compliant to the adjuration and to punish the one who had first compelled him. ### Scripture references - Gen 10:8: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 10:9: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The identification of Nimrod with Zoroaster is the Homilies' own legend. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.4 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-4). ## Homilies 9.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-5 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Nebrod was killed by lightning and worshipped as a god, which began the honoring of the dead with temples and images until later generations took them for gods. ### Greek text Ἐκ ταύτης οὖν τῆς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ χαμαὶ πεσούσης ἀστραπῆς ὁ μάγος ἀναιρεθεὶς Νεβρώδ, ἐκ τοῦ συμβάντος πράγματος Ζωροάστρης μετωνομάσθη, διὰ τὴν τοῦ ἀστέρος κατʼ αὐτοῦ ζῶσαν ἐνεχθῆναι ῥοήν. οἱ δὲ ἀνόητοι τῶν τότε ἀνθρώπων ὡς διὰ τὴν εἰς Θεὸν φιλίαν κεραυνῷ μεταπεμφθεῖσαν τὴν ψυχὴν νομίσαντες, τοῦ σώματος τὸ λείψανον κατορύξαντες, τὸν μὲν τάφον ναῷ ἐτίμησαν ἐν Πέρσαις, ἔνθα ἡ τοῦ πυρὸς καταφορὰ γέγονεν, αὐτὸν δὲ ὡς θεὸν ἐθρήσκευσαν. τούτῳ ὑποδείγματι καὶ οἱ λοιποὶ ἐκεῖσε τοὺς κεραυνῷ θνήσκοντας ὡς θεοφιλεῖς θάπτοντες ναοῖς τιμῶσιν, καὶ τῶν τεθνεώτων ἰδίων μορφῶν ἱστᾶσιν ἀγάλματα. ἐντεῦθεν ὁμοίως ἐζήλωσαν καὶ τῶν κατὰ τόπους οἱ δυναστεύσαντες, ὧν οἱ πλεῖστοι τῶν αὐτοῖς ἠγαπημένων καὶ μὴ κεραυνῷ θνησκόντων τοὺς τάφους ναοῖς καὶ ξοάνοις τιμῶντες καὶ βωμοὺς ἀνάπτοντες ὡς θεοὺς προσκυνεῖσθαι προσέταξαν. πολλῷ δὲ ὕστερον διὰ τὸν πολὺν χρόνον ὑπὸ τῶν μεταγενεστέρων ὄντως θεοὶ εἶναι ἐνομίσθησαν. ### English translation (Claude) "By this lightning, then, that fell from heaven to earth, the magician Nebrod was killed, and from what had happened he was renamed Zoroaster, because the living stream of the star was brought down upon him. But the foolish people of that time, supposing that his soul had been fetched away by the thunderbolt because of his friendship with God, buried what remained of his body and honored the tomb with a temple among the Persians, where the fire had come down, and worshipped him as a god. Following this example the rest there also bury those who die by thunderbolt as friends of God, honor them with temples, and set up statues in the likeness of the dead. From there those who held power in various places likewise imitated them: most of them honored with temples and wooden images the tombs of those they loved, even though they had not died by thunderbolt, and, lighting altars, commanded that they be worshipped as gods. Long afterward, through the length of time, later generations believed they really were gods. ### Translation notes - A play on the name Zoroaster as "living" (ζῶσαν) "star" (ἀστήρ). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.5 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-5). ## Homilies 9.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-6 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Kingdoms multiplied as Persians, Babylonians and Egyptians took the heavenly fire, worshipped it, and ruled. ### Greek text Ὅμως τῆς ἀπαρχῆς μιᾶς οὔσης βασιλείας πολλαὶ διαιρέσεις τοῦτον ἐγένοντο τὸν τρόπον. Πέρσαι πρῶτοι τῆς ἐξ οὐρανοῦ πεσούσης ἀστραπῆς λαβόντες ἄνθρακας τῇ οἰκείᾳ διεφύλαξαν τροφῇ, καὶ ὡς θεὸν οὐράνιον προτιμήσαντες τὸ πῦρ, ὡς πρῶτοι προσκυνήσαντες ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πυρὸς πρῶτοι βασιλείας τετίμηνται. μεθʼ οὓς Βαβυλώνιοι ἀπὸ τοῦ ἐκεῖ πυρὸς ἄνθρακας κλέψαντες καὶ διασώσαντες εἰς τὰ ἑαυτῶν καὶ προσκυνήσαντες καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀκολούθως ἐβασίλευσαν. Αἰγύπτιοι δὲ ὁμοίως πράξαντες, καὶ τὸ πῦρ ἰδίᾳ διαλέκτῳ Φθαοὺ καλέσαντες, ὃ ἑρμηνεύεται Ἥφαιστος, οὗ τῷ ὀνόματι καὶ ὁ παρʼ αὐτοῖς πρῶτος βασιλεύσας προσαγορεύεται. τοῦτον μὲν οὖν τὸν τρόπον χρησάμενοι καὶ οἱ κατὰ τόπον βασιλεύσαντες, καὶ ἵδρυμα ποιήσαντες καὶ βωμοὺς εἰς τιμὴν τοῦ πυρὸς ἀνάψαντες, τῆς μὲν βασιλείας οἱ πλεῖστοι ἀπεσβέσθησαν. ### English translation (Claude) "Although in the beginning there was one kingdom, many divisions arose in this way. The Persians first took coals from the lightning that fell from heaven and kept them alive with fuel of their own; honoring the fire as a heavenly god, and being the first to worship it, they were honored by the fire itself with the first kingdom. After them the Babylonians stole coals from the fire there, carried them safely to their own land, worshipped them, and themselves reigned in turn. The Egyptians did likewise, calling the fire in their own language Phthas, which is translated Hephaestus; and the first who reigned among them is called by its name. Those who reigned in various places followed the same method, set up shrines and lit altars in honor of the fire; but most of them had their kingdoms extinguished. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.6 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-6). ## Homilies 9.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-7 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The magicians kept people bound to idol worship through festivals and rites, and they preferred pleasure and error to truth. ### Greek text Τοῦ δὲ τὰ ξόανα σέβειν οὐκ ἐπαύσαντο, διὰ τὴν κακὴν τῶν μάγων ἐπίνοιαν, εὑρόντων αὐτοῖς προφάσεις, κρατεῖν αὐτοὺς πρὸς τὴν ματαίαν λατρείαν δυναμένας· ἱδρύσαντες γὰρ αὐτὰ μαγικαῖς τελεταῖς ἑορτὰς αὐτοῖς ὥρισαν ἔκ τε θυμάτων, σπονδῶν, αὐλῶν τε καὶ κρότων, ὧν προφάσει οἱ ἀνόητοι ἀπατώμενοι, καίτοι τῆς βασιλείας αὐτῶν ἀφαιρεθείσης, αὐτοὶ τῶν συνελθουσῶν θρησκειῶν οὐκ ἀπολείπονται· ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον τῆς ἀληθείας τὴν ἡδυπάθειαν προετίμησαν, τὴν πλάνην. οἳ καὶ μετὰ μέθην παραβώμιον ἐπολολύζουσιν, τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκ βάθους ὥσπερ διʼ ὀνείρων αὐτοῖς τὴν μέλλουσαν ἐπὶ ταῖς τοιαύταις αὐτῶν πράξεσιν προαγγελλούσης τιμωρίαν. ### English translation (Claude) "But they did not cease worshipping the wooden images, because of the wicked contrivance of the magicians, who found for them pretexts that could hold them fast to the vain worship. Having set up the images with magical rites, they appointed festivals for them with sacrifices, libations, flutes and clapping. Deceived by these pretexts, the foolish, although their kingdom has been taken away, do not abandon the rites they have taken up; so far have they preferred pleasure, that is, error, to the truth. After their drinking they even raise shrieks beside the altar, their soul from its depths, as if through dreams, foretelling to them the punishment to come for such deeds. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.7 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-7). ## Homilies 9.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-8 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter offers the ancestral religion like a good merchant's wares, promising freedom from demons and eternal goods to those who choose it. ### Greek text Πολλῶν οὖν ἐν βίῳ παρελθουσῶν θρησκειῶν πάρεσμεν φέροντες ὑμῖν, οἱ ἀγαθοὶ ἔμποροι ἐκ προγόνων ἡμῖν παραδοθείσης καὶ φυλαχθείσης θρησκείας, ὡς σπέρματα φυτῶν δεικνύντες καὶ ἐπὶ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ κρίσει καὶ ἐξουσίᾳ τιθέντες. τὸ ὑμῖν δοκοῦν ἐπιλέξασθε. ἐὰν μὲν οὖν τὰ ἡμέτερα ἕλησθε, οὐ μόνους δαίμονας καὶ τὰ ἐκ δαιμόνων πάθη φυγεῖν δυνήσεσθε, ἀλλὰ τοιαῦτα φυγαδεύοντες καὶ ἱκετευόμενοι ὑπʼ αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν εἰσαεὶ ἐσομένων ἀγαθῶν ἀπολαύσετε. ### English translation (Claude) "Since many religions, then, have come and gone in human life, we have come to you like good merchants, bringing the religion handed down to us from our forefathers and preserved, showing it to you like seeds of plants and placing it under your judgment and authority. Choose what seems good to you. If you choose ours, you will be able not only to escape demons and the sufferings that come from demons, but, putting such beings to flight and being entreated by them, you will also enjoy the good things that will last forever. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.8 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-8). ## Homilies 9.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-9 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Demons enter people through food offered to idols, mingle with their souls, and drag them into eternal punishment in the fire at the end. ### Greek text Ἐπείγε τοὐναντίον ἐν μὲν τῷ νῦν βίῳ ὑπὸ δαιμόνων ἀλλοκότοις πάθεσιν ἐνυβριζόμενοι, ἐπὶ τῇ ἐκ τοῦ σώματος ἀπαλλαγῇ καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς εἰσαεὶ κολασθησομένας ἕξετε, τὰ ἀληθῆ οὐ Θεοῦ καταδικάζοντος, ἀλλὰ κακῶν πράξεων τοιαύτην ἐχουσῶν κρίσιν. οἱ γὰρ δαίμονες, διὰ τῆς αὐτοῖς ἀποδοθείσης τροφῆς ἐξουσίαν ἔχοντες, ὑπὸ τῶν ὑμετέρων χειρῶν εἰς τὰ ὑμέτερα εἰσκρίνονται σώματα. ἐνδομυχήσαντες γὰρ πολλῷ τῷ χρόνῳ καὶ τῇ ψυχῇ ἀνακίρνανται. καὶ διὰ τὴν ἀμέλειαν τῶν ἑαυτοῖς βοηθεῖν μὴ νοούντων ἢ καὶ μὴ βουλομένων, τούτων αὐτῶν ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ σώματος λύσει ἡ ψυχὴ τῷ δαίμονι ἡνωμένη ἀνάγκην ἔχει φέρεσθαι ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ εἰς οὕς βούλεται τόπους. τὸ δὲ πάντων χαλεπώτατον, ἐπὰν ἐν τῇ τῶν ὅλων συντελείᾳ ὁ δαίμων τὰ πρῶτα εἰς τὸ καθαῖρον πῦρ ἀποδοθῇ, ἡ συγκραθεῖσα αὐτῷ ψυχὴ ἀνάγκην ἔχει αὐτὴ μὲν ἀποῤῥήτως κολάζεσθαι, ὁ δὲ δαίμων ἥδεσθαι. ἡ γὰρ ἐκ φωτὸς οὖσα τὴν ἀλλόφυλον τοῦ πυρὸς φλόγα μὴ φέρουσα βασανίζεται, ὁ δὲ ἐν τῇ τοῦ γένους αὐτοῦ ὢν οὐσίᾳ μεγάλως ἥδεται, δεσμὸς δύσρηκτος γενόμενος τῆς ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ συμποθείσης ψυχῆς. ### English translation (Claude) "Otherwise, on the contrary, being abused by demons in this present life with strange sufferings, at your departure from the body you will have your souls also punished forever; truly, not because God condemns, but because evil deeds carry such a judgment. For the demons, having power through the food offered to them, are admitted into your bodies by your own hands. Lurking there a long time, they become blended with the soul as well. And through the negligence of those who do not think, or do not wish, to help themselves, at the dissolution of the body the soul, united to the demon, is compelled to be carried by it to whatever places it wishes. Worst of all, when at the consummation of all things the demon is first handed over to the purifying fire, the soul that is mingled with it is compelled to be punished unspeakably, while the demon rejoices. For the soul, being from light, cannot bear the alien flame of the fire and is tormented; but the demon, being in the substance of its own kind, rejoices greatly, having become a bond, hard to break, of the soul it has swallowed up. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.9 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-9). ## Homilies 9.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-10 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Demons enter bodies to enjoy food and sex, so fasting and hardship drive them out, and stubborn demons require prayer to God. ### Greek text Τὸ δὲ τοὺς δαίμονας γλίχεσθαι εἰς τὰ τῶν ἀνθρώπων εἰςδύειν σώματα, αἰτία αὕτη. πνεύματα ὄντες καὶ τὴν ἐπιθυμίαν ἔχοντες εἰς βρωτὰ καὶ ποτὰ καὶ συνουσίαν, μεταλαμβάνειν δὲ μὴ δυνάμενοι διὰ τὸ πνεύματα εἶναι καὶ δεῖσθαι ὀργάνων τῶν πρὸς τὴν χρῆσιν ἐπιτηδείων, εἰς τὰ ἀνθρώπων εἰςίασιν σώματα, ἵνα ὥσπερ ὑπουργούντων ὀργάνων τυχόντες, ὧν θέλουσιν ἐπιτυχεῖν δυνατοὶ ὦσιν, εἴτε βρωτῶν, διὰ τοὺς ἀνθρώπου ὀδόντας, εἴτε συνουσίας, διὰ τὰ ἐκείνου αἰδοῖα. ὅθεν πρὸς τὴν τῶν δαιμόνων φυγὴν ἡ ἔνδεια καὶ ἡ νηστεία καὶ ἡ κακουχία οἰκειότατόν ἐστιν βοήθημα. εἰ γὰρ τοῦ μεταλαμβάνειν χάριν εἰσέρχονται εἰς ἀνθρώπου σῶμα, δῆλον ὅτι κακουχίᾳ φυγαδεύονται. ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ ἔνια δεινότερα τυγχάνοντα προσφιλονεικήσαντα, καίτοι τιμωρούμενα, τῷ τιμωρουμένῳ προσμένει σώματι, διὰ τοῦτο χρὴ προσφεύγειν Θεῷ εὐχαῖς καὶ δεήσεσιν, ἀπεχομένους τε πάσης ἀκαθάρτου προφάσεως, ὅπως ἡ τοῦ Θεοῦ χεὶρ εἰς ἴασιν αὐτοῦ ἐπιψαῦσαι δυνηθῇ, ὡς ἁγνοῦ καὶ πιστεύοντος. ### English translation (Claude) "The reason why demons are eager to enter human bodies is this. Being spirits, they have a desire for food and drink and sexual intercourse; but they cannot partake of these, because they are spirits and need organs suited to their use. So they enter human bodies, so that, having obtained organs to serve them, they may be able to get what they want: food, by means of the man's teeth, or intercourse, by means of his genitals. Therefore the most fitting help for putting demons to flight is abstinence, fasting, and hardship. For if they enter a human body for the sake of partaking, clearly they are driven out by hardship. But since some, being fiercer, contend stubbornly and remain in the punished body although they are punished with it, one must therefore flee to God with prayers and petitions, abstaining from every unclean occasion, so that the hand of God may be able to touch the person for healing, as one who is pure and believing. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.10 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-10). ## Homilies 9.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-11 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Demons stay in proportion to a person's unbelief, but flee at once from those who fully believe and do good. ### Greek text Δεῖ δὲ καὶ ἐν ταῖς εὐχαῖς τῷ θεῷ προσπεφευγέναι ὁμολογεῖν, καὶ διαμαρτύρασθαι τὴν τοῦ δαίμονος οὐκ ἀπάθειαν, ἀλλὰ βραδύτητα. πάντα γὰρ τῷ πιστεύοντι γίνεται, ἀπιστοῦντι δὲ οὐδέν. ὅθεν αὐτοὶ οἱ δαίμονες, εἰδότες ὧν ἐπικρατοῦσιν τῆς πίστεως τὴν ποσότητα, ἀναλογοῦσαν ἐπιμετροῦσιν αὐτῶν τὴν ἐπιμονήν. διὰ τοῦτο τοῖς ἀπιστοῦσιν ἐπιμένουσιν, τοῖς δὲ δυσπίστοις ἐμβραδύνουσιν, τοῖς δὲ παντάπασιν πιστεύσασιν καὶ εὖ πράττουσιν οὐδὲ πρὸς ῥοπὴν ὥρας συνεῖναι δύνανται. ἡ γὰρ ψυχὴ τῇ πρὸς Θεὸν πίστει ὡς εἰς ὕδατος φύσιν τραπεῖσα τὸν δαίμονα ὡς σπινθῆρα πυρὸς ἀποσβέννυσιν. κάματος οὖν ἐστιν ἑκάστῳ ἐκνοηθῆναι τὴν τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ δαίμονος φυγήν. ἀνακιρνάμενοι γὰρ ταῖς ψυχαῖς, ὅπως τις τῆς αὑτοῦ σωτηρίας ἀμελήσῃ, ἐνθυμήσεις πρὸς ἃ βούλεται ὑποβάλλουσιν εἰς τὸν ἑκάστου νοῦν. ### English translation (Claude) "In one's prayers one must also confess that one has fled to God for refuge, and protest against the demon's slowness to leave, not its insensibility. For all things happen for the one who believes, but nothing for the one who does not. That is why the demons themselves, knowing the measure of faith of those they master, measure out the length of their stay in proportion to it. So they stay on with unbelievers, they linger with those of weak faith, but with those who fully believe and do good they cannot remain even for a moment. For the soul, turned by faith in God as though into the nature of water, quenches the demon like a spark of fire. Each person's task, then, is to think out how to put his own demon to flight. For the demons mingle with souls and, so that a man may neglect his own salvation, they insert into each one's mind thoughts leading to what they wish. ### Scripture references - Mark 9:23: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - "All things happen for the one who believes" recalls Mark 9:23. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.11 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-11). ## Homilies 9.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-12 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Demons disguise their work as bodily illness, and overeating itself binds a material soul to the human soul, so moderation is best. ### Greek text Ὅθεν πολλοὶ οὐκ εἰδότες πόθεν ἐνεργοῦνται, ταῖς τῶν δαιμόνων κακαῖς ὑποβαλλομέναις ἐπινοίαις ὡς τῷ τῆς ψυχῆς αὐτῶν λογισμῷ συντίθενται. διὸ πρὸς τοὺς σώζειν αὐτοὺς δυναμένους ἐλθεῖν ὀκνηρότεροι γίνονται, καὶ αὐτοὺς ὑπʼ αὐτῶν τῶν ἐνεδρευόντων δαιμόνων ἀναλισκόμενοι ἀγνοοῦσιν. ὑπὸ μὲν οὖν τῶν ταῖς ψυχαῖς αὐτῶν ἐνδομυχούντων δαιμόνων ἐπιδίδοται αὐτοῖς ἐνθυμεῖσθαι, ὡς οὐ δαίμονος ἐνοχλοῦντος, ἀλλὰ σωματικῆς νόσου, οἷον ἢ ὕλης δριμείας, ἢ χολῆς, ἢ φλέγματος, ἢ αἵματος ἀμετρίας, ἤ μήνιγγος φλεγμονῆς, ἢ ἄλλου τινός. εἰ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο ἦν, οὐδʼ αὐτὸ ἀπήλλακται δαίμονος εἶδος εἶναι. ἡ γὰρ καθόλου καὶ γεώδης ψυχή, αἰτίᾳ πάντων βρωτῶν διικνουμένη, ὑπὸ τῆς πλείονος τροφῆς ἐπὶ πλεῖον προσληφθεῖσα, αὐτὴ μὲν ὡς συγγενεῖ ἑνοῦται τῷ πνεύματι, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἀνθρώπου ψυχή, τὸ δὲ τῆς τροφῆς ὑλῶδες τῷ σώματι ἑνωθὲν ὡς δεινὸς αὐτῷ ὑπολείπεται ἰός. διὸ ἐπὶ πάντων καλὸν ἡ αὐτάρκεια. ### English translation (Claude) "Hence many, not knowing by what they are moved, assent to the evil thoughts suggested by the demons as though to the reasoning of their own soul. So they become slower to come to those who can save them, and do not know that they are being consumed by the very demons lying in wait for them. The demons lurking in their souls lead them to think that what troubles them is not a demon but a bodily disease, such as acrid humor, or bile, or phlegm, or an excess of blood, or inflammation of the membranes, or something else. But even if it were so, not even this is exempt from being a kind of demon. For the universal and earthy soul, which pervades all foods and is taken in more abundantly with more food, is itself united, as to a kindred thing, with the spirit, which is the soul of man; while the material part of the food, united with the body, is left in it as a terrible poison. That is why moderation is good in all things. ### Translation notes - The physiological theory in the last sentences is obscure; the translation follows the Greek closely. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.12 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-12). ## Homilies 9.13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-13 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Some demons hide until they can suddenly drive people to violent deaths, and others persuade people that their gods are angry and that they should shun the Christians. ### Greek text Τινὲς δὲ τῶν κακούργων δαιμόνων ἄλλως ἐνεδρεύουσιν. τὴν ἀρχὴν οὐδʼ ὅτι ἐμφαίνοντες, ὅπως ἡ κατʼ αὐτῶν σπουδὴ μὴ γένηται, εὐκαίρως δὲ ὀργῆς προφάσει, ἔρωτος, ἢ ἄλλου τινός, ἤτε ξίφει, ἢ βρόχῳ, ἢ κρημνῷ, ἢ ἑτέρῳ τινὶ τὸ σῶμα αἰφνιδίως ἐνυβρίζουσιν, καὶ εἰς τέλος κολασθησομένας καθιστᾶσιν τῶν ἀνακεκραμένων τὰς ἠπατημένας αὐτοῖς ψυχάς, ὡς ἔφαμεν, εἰς τὸ καθάρσιον χωρήσαντες πῦρ. ἄλλοι δὲ ἄλλως ἐνεδρευόμενοι οὐ προσίασιν ἡμῖν, ταῖς τῶν κακούργων δαιμόνων ἐνθυμήσεσιν ἀπατώμενοι, ὡς ὑπὸ μὲν τῶν θεῶν αὐτῶν ταῦτα πάσχοντες διὰ τὴν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ἀμέλειαν, θυσίαις δὲ αὐτοὺς διαλλάσσειν δυνάμενοι, καὶ ὅτι μὴ χρὴ αὐτοὺς ἡμῖν προσιέναι, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον φεύγειν καὶ μισεῖν. καὶ ὁμῶς μισοῦσιν καὶ φεύγουσιν τοὺς μᾶλλον ἐλεῶντας καὶ ἐπʼ εὐεργεσίᾳ αὐτοὺς διώκοντας. ### English translation (Claude) "Some of the malicious demons lie in wait in another way. At first they do not even show that they are there, so that no effort is made against them; but at the right moment, on the pretext of anger, or love, or something else, they suddenly do violence to the body, by sword, or noose, or precipice, or some other means, and at last they bring the deceived souls of those with whom they have been mingled to the point of punishment, as we said, when they pass into the purifying fire. Others, ensnared in another way, do not come to us, deceived by the suggestions of the malicious demons: they think they suffer these things at the hands of the gods themselves because they have neglected them, that they can reconcile them by sacrifices, and that they must not come to us but on the contrary flee and hate us. And so they hate and flee those who pity them most and who pursue them to do them good. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.13 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-13). ## Homilies 9.14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-14 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: People misled by demons cannot be forced to salvation, while the demons appear in dreams, give cures and oracles, and demand sacrifices to consume souls. ### Greek text Μισοῦντες οὖν καὶ φεύγοντες ἡμᾶς ἐνεδρεύονται, οὐκ εἰδότες πόθεν αὐτοῖς τὰ ἐναντία τῇ αὐτῶν σωτηρίᾳ φρονεῖν γίνεται· οὔτε γὰρ ἡμεῖς αὐτοὺς μὴ βουλομένους πρὸς σωτηρίαν νεῦσαι βιάσασθαι δυνάμεθα, ἐπεὶ μὴ τοσαύτην νῦν κατʼ αὐτῶν ἔχομεν ἐξουσίαν, οὔτε αὐτοὶ ἀφʼ ἑαυτῶν τὴν κακὴν τοῦ δαίμονος ἐνθίμησιν νοῆσαι δύνανται, οὐ γὰρ ἴσασιν ὅθεν αὐτοῖς αἱ τῶν κακῶν ἐνθυμήσεις ὑποβάλλονται. εἰσὶν δὲ οὗτοι οἱ δαίμονες καθʼ ἃς βούλονται μορφὰς ἐπιφαινόμενοι φοβοῦσιν. ἔσθʼ ὅτε δὲ καὶ τοῖς νοσοῦσιν θεραπείας καὶ οὕτως τοῖς προηπατημένοις θεῶν δόξαν ἀποφέρονται. καὶ τὸ δαίμονες εἶναι τοὺς πολλοὺς λανθάνουσιν, ἀλλʼ οὐχ ἡμᾶς τοὺς εἰδότας αὐτῶν τὸ μυστήριον, τίνος ἕνεκα τοιαῦτα πράττουσιν, ἑαυτοὺς κατʼ ὄναρ καθʼ ὧν τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἔχουτιν μεταμορφοῦντες, καὶ οὕς μὲν φοβοῦσιν, οἷς δὲ χρηματίζουσιν καὶ θυσίας ἀπαιτοῦσιν καὶ συνεστιᾶσθαι κελεύουσιν, ἵνα αὐτῶν τὰς ψυχὰς συμπίνωσιν. ### English translation (Claude) "So, hating and fleeing us, they are ensnared, not knowing where their thoughts against their own salvation come from. For we cannot force them to turn to salvation against their will, since we do not now have so much authority over them; nor can they of themselves recognize the demon's evil suggestion, for they do not know from where the thoughts of evil are put into them. These are the demons who appear in whatever forms they wish and terrify them. Sometimes they even prescribe cures for the sick, and so carry off from those already deceived the reputation of gods. They escape the notice of the many that they are demons, but not ours, for we know their secret: why they do such things, transforming themselves in dreams against those over whom they have authority, terrifying some, and giving oracles to others, demanding sacrifices and bidding them feast with them, so that they may drink down their souls. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.14 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-14). ## Homilies 9.15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-15 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Demons draw those who eat at their tables and appear in dreams as idols, but the images themselves are lifeless, as a simple weighing would show. ### Greek text Ὡς γὰρ οἱ δεινοὶ ὄφεις τοῖς αὑτῶν πνεύμασιν τοὺς στρούθους ἐπισπῶνται, οὕτω καὶ αὐτοὶ τοὺς μεταλαμβάνοντας τῆς αὐτῶν τραπέζης, διά γε τῶν βρωτῶν καὶ ποτῶν ἀνακραθέντες αὐτῶν τῷ νῷ, εἰς τὸ ἴδιον αὐτῶν ἐπισπῶνται βούλημα, μεταμορφοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς κατʼ ὄναρ κατὰ τὰς τῶν ξοάνων εἰδέας, ἵνα τὴν πλάνην αὐξήσωσιν. τὸ γὰρ ξόανον οὔτε ζῶόν ἐστιν, οὔτε θεῖον ἔχει πνεῦμα, ὁ δὲ ὀφθεὶς δαίμων τῇ μορφῇ ἀπεχρήσατο. πόσοι κατʼ ὄναρ ὁμοίως ἄλλοις ὤφθησαν, καὶ ὕπαρ συναντήσαντες ἀλλήλοις πρὸς τὸ κατʼ ὄναρ ἀντιβάλλοντες οὐ συνεφώνησαν; ὥστε οὐκ ἔτι ὄναρ ἐπιφάνεια ἐκεῖνό ἐστιν, ἀλλʼ ἢ δαίμονός ἐστιν ἢ ψυχῆς τὰ ἐπιγεννήματα τοῖς παροῦσι φόβοις καὶ ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἀποδιδούσης τὰς εἰδέας· ἡ γὰρ φόβῳ τὸν νοῦν πληγεῖσα, διὰ ὀνείρων τὰς ἰδέας ἀποκυΐσκει. εἰ δὲ τὰ ξόανα οἴεσθε ὡς ἔμπνοα ὑπάρχοντα τὰ τοιαῦτα ἐνεργεῖν δύνασθαι, ἐπὶ ζυγοῦ ἐπιστήσαντες αὐτά, ἴσου ὄντος τοῦ κανόνος, τὸ ἀντίῤῥοπον ἐπὶ τῆς ἑτέρας πλάστιγγος θέντες, ἀξιώσατε αὐτὰ ἢ ὁλκότερα γενέσθαι ἢ κουφότερα, καὶ οὕτως ἐὰν γένηται, ἔμπνοά ἐστιν· ἀλλʼ οὐ γίνεται· εἰ δὲ ἔσται, οὔπω τὸ τοιοῦτο θεός ἐστιν. καὶ γὰρ δακτύλῳ δαίμονος τοῦτο γενέσθαι δύναται. καὶ σκώληκες κινοῦνται, καὶ θεοὶ οὐ λέγονται. ### English translation (Claude) "For as fearsome snakes draw sparrows to themselves by their breath, so the demons, mingling with the mind of those who share their table by means of the food and drink, draw them to their own will, transforming themselves in dreams into the forms of the images in order to increase the error. For the wooden image is neither a living thing nor has it a divine spirit; it is the demon that appeared who made use of its form. How many have appeared to others in dreams in the same way, and when they met one another awake and compared what was seen in the dream, it did not agree? So that such a thing is no longer an appearance in a dream but is the offspring either of a demon or of the soul, which gives forms to present fears and desire; for the soul whose mind is struck by fear gives birth to forms through dreams. But if you think that the images are alive and can do such things, set them on a balance, with the beam level and the counterweight placed in the other pan, and ask them to become either heavier or lighter. If that happens, they are alive; but it does not happen. And even if it should, such a thing is not yet a god. For this can be done by a demon's finger. Worms move too, and are not called gods. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.15 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-15). ## Homilies 9.16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-16 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Oracles and cures do not prove the gods divine, since demons prophesy and know medicine and time their prescriptions to take credit for natural recoveries. ### Greek text Ὅτι δὲ πρὸς τὰς προλήψεις ἡ ἑκάστου ψυχὴ εἰδέας δαιμόνων ἀπεικονίζει, καὶ οὐχ οἱ λεγόμενοι θεοὶ ἐπιφαίνονται, σαφές ἐστιν ἐκ τοῦ Ἰουδαίοις μὴ ἐπιφαίνεσθαι. ἀλλʼ ἐρεῖ τις· πῶς οὖν χρηματίζουσιν τὰ μέλλοντα προσημαίνοντες; καὶ τοῦτο ψεῦδός ἐστιν. δεδόσθω δὲ ἀλήθεια εἶναι, οὔπω τὸ τοιοῦτο θεός ἐστιν. οὐ γὰρ εἴ τι μαντεύεται, θεός ἐστιν. ὅτι καὶ πύθωνες μαντεύονται, ἀλλʼ ὑφʼ ἡμῶν ὡς δαίμονες ἐκριζούμενοι φυγαδεύονται. ἀλλʼ ἐρεῖ τις· ἐνίοις θεραπείας προστάσσουσιν. ψεῦδός ἐστιν· δεδόσθω δὲ οὕτως ἔχειν, οὔπω τὸ τοιοῦτο θεός ἐστιν. καὶ γὰρ ἰατροὶ ἰῶνται πολλοὺς, καὶ θεοὶ οὐκ εἰσίν. ἀλλά φησιν· ἰατροὶ οὐ πάντως ἰῶνται ἐκείνους, ὧν τὴν πρόνοιαν ποιοῦνται, οὗτοι δὲ καὶ χρηματίσαντες ἰῶνται. ἀλλʼ ἰσασιν οἱ δαίμονες τὰ ὄντως πρὸς ἕκαστον πάθος προσοικειρυμένα βοηθήματα· διὸ ἰατροὶ ἐπιστήμονες ἰᾶσθαι δυνάμενοι, καὶ ταῦτα τὰ ὑπʼ ἀνθρώπων ἰαθῆναι δυνάμενα, ἀλλὰ καὶ μαντικὰ ὄντα καὶ εἰδότα πότε ἕκαστον ἐξ αὐτομάτου θεραπεύεται, τότε συντάσσουσιν τὰς θεραπείας, ἵνα ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιγράφωσιν. ### English translation (Claude) "That each person's soul pictures forms of demons according to its preconceptions, and that the so-called gods do not really appear, is clear from the fact that they do not appear to Jews. But someone will say: How then do they give oracles foretelling the future? This too is false. But grant that it is true: such a thing is still not a god. For if something prophesies, it is not therefore a god; pythons also prophesy, yet they are uprooted by us as demons and put to flight. But someone will say: They prescribe cures for some. It is false; but grant that it is so: such a thing is still not a god. Physicians too heal many, and they are not gods. But, he says, physicians do not always heal those whom they care for, whereas these heal even by oracles. But the demons know the remedies truly suited to each disease. Therefore, being knowledgeable physicians able to heal, and healing those diseases that can be healed by men, but being also prophetic and knowing when each disease will be cured of itself, they prescribe their cures at that moment, in order to claim the credit for themselves. ### Scripture references - Acts 16:16: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - "Pythons" are spirits of divination (compare Acts 16:16). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.16 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-16). ## Homilies 9.17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-17 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The gods' cures are only natural recoveries claimed by demons, and the unrecorded failures would outnumber the successes. ### Greek text Ἐπεὶ διὰ τί μετὰ πολὺν χρόνον χρηματίζουσιν τὰς ἰάσεις; διὰ τί δὲ, εἰ πάντα δύνανται, ἄνευ τοῦ προσφέρειν τι τὴν ἴασιν οὐ ποιοῦνται; τίνος δὲ ἕνεκα τισὶν μὲν εὐξαμένοις θεραπείας προστάσσουσιν, ἐνίοις δὲ ἔσθʼ ὅτε καὶ οἰκειοτέροις οὖσιν οὐ χρηματίζουσιν; οὕτως ὁπόταν ἐξ αὐτομάτου θεραπεία μέλλῃ γίνεσθαι, ἐπαγγέλλονται, ἵνα ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιγράψωσιν. ἄλλοι δὲ νοσήσαντες καὶ εὐξάμενοι ἐξ αὐτομάτου ὑγιάναντες, οὓς ἐπεκαλέσαντο, ἐπέγραψαν, καὶ ἀναθήματα ἐποίησαν. οἱ μέντοι γε μετʼ εὐχὴν διαφωνήσαντες τὰς ἀποτυχίας ἀναθῆναι οὐ δύνανται. πλὴν εἰ οἱ συγγενεῖς τῶν τεθνεώτων ἢ ἐξ αὐτῶν τινες συνεζήτησαν τὰς ἀποτυχίας, πλείονας ἂν εὑρήκειτε τὰς ἀποτυχίας τῶν ἐπιτευγμάτων. ἀλλʼ οὐδεὶς προειλημμένος αὐτοῖς τὸν κατʼ αὐτῶν ἔλεγχον ἐκφάναι θέλει, αἰδούμενος ἢ φοβούμενος, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον, τὰ πιστὰ αὐτῶν ἀτοπήματα συγκρύβουσιν. ### English translation (Claude) "Otherwise, why do they give their oracles about cures only after a long time? And why, if they can do everything, do they not make the cure without administering anything? And for what reason do they prescribe cures to some who pray, but sometimes give no oracle to others, even those closer to them? So it is that whenever a cure is going to happen of itself, they promise it, in order to claim the credit. Others, who fell ill and prayed and recovered of themselves, credited those whom they had invoked and set up votive offerings. But those who failed after praying cannot dedicate their failures. Indeed, if the relatives of the dead, or some of the sufferers themselves, had gathered the failures together, you would have found the failures more than the successes. But no one who has been taken in by them wishes to bring the evidence against them to light, out of shame or fear; on the contrary, they hide the absurdities they believe in. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.17 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-17). ## Homilies 9.18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-18 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Many oracles and cures are frauds, perjuries, or magic, and prophecy or healing does not prove divinity. ### Greek text Πόσοι δὲ καὶ καταψεύδονται χρηματισμοὺς καὶ θεραπείας ἐξ αὐτῶν ἀποτελεσθείσας, καὶ ταύτας βεβαιοῦνται μεθʼ ὅρκων; πόσοι δὲ ἐπὶ μισθῷ ἑαυτοὺς ἐξέδωκαν, διʼ ἐνίων ἐπινοιῶν πάσχειν τινὰ ἀναδεξάμενοι, καὶ οὕτως κηρύξαντες, αὐτῶν τὸ πάθος ἀντιπαθείᾳ ἀποκατασταθέντες, κεχρηματίσθαι τὴν θεραπείαν λέγουσιν, ἵνα τὸ ἀναίσθητον ἐπιγράψωσιν σέβασμα; πόσα δὲ αὐτῶν ἐκ καταρχῆς μαγικῇ τέχνῃ ἐτελέσθη, ἵνα ὀνειροπολῇ καὶ χρηματίζῃ; καὶ ὅμως μακρῷ χρόνῳ καὶ ταῦτα διεφώνησεν. πόσοι δὲ τὰ τοιαῦτα κρατύνειν θέλοντες γοητεύουσιν; πλὴν οὐκ εἴ τι μαντικόν ἐστιν ἢ θεραπευτικόν, τοῦτο θεός ἐστιν. ### English translation (Claude) "How many also invent oracles and cures supposedly performed by them, and confirm them with oaths? How many have hired themselves out, undertaking by certain contrivances to appear to suffer something, and after announcing it, when their ailment has been reversed by a counter-remedy, say that the cure was given by oracle, so that they may credit it to the senseless object of worship? How many of the images were from the start consecrated by magic art so that they might send dreams and give oracles? And yet in the course of time these too failed. How many use sorcery, wishing to strengthen such things? In any case, if something prophesies or heals, it is not therefore a god. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.18 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-18). ## Homilies 9.19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-19 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God is patient so that people may repent, and those washed in running water with the thrice-blessed invocation can drive out demons from themselves and others. ### Greek text Ὁ γὰρ Θεὸς πάντα δύναται. ἐκεῖνος γάρ ἐστιν ἀγαθὸς καὶ δίκαιος, νῦν πᾶσιν μακροθυμῶν, ἵνα οἱ βουλόμενοι ἐφʼ οἷς ἔπραξαν κακοῖς μεταμεληθέντες καὶ καλῶς πολιτευσάμενοι, ἐν ἡμέρᾳ ᾗ τὰ πάντα κρίνεται, τῶν κατʼ ἀξίαν ἀπολαύσωσιν. διὸ νῦν ἄρξασθε, ἀγαθῆς γνώσεως αἰτίᾳ Θεῷ πειθόμενοι ἀντιλέγειν ὑμῶν ταῖς κακαῖς ἐπιθυμίαις καὶ ἐννοίαις, ἵνα δυνηθῆτε ἀνακαλέσασθαι τὴν πρώτην τῇ ἀνθρωπότητι παραδοθεῖσαν σωτήριον θρησκείαν. οὕτω γὰρ ὑμῖν ἐξαυτῆς ἀνατελεῖ τὰ ἀγαθά, ἅ τινα λαβόντες πεῖραν τῶν κακῶν τοῦ λοιποῦ καταλείψετε. ἀλλὰ τῷ δεδωκότι εὐχαριστήσατε, μετὰ τοῦ τῆς εἰρήνης βασιλέως εἰσαεὶ τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων βασιλεύοντες ἀγαθῶν. ἐν δὲ τῷ παρόντι, ἀενάῳ ποταμῷ ἢ πηγῇ ἐπεί γε κἂν θαλάσσῃ ἀπολουσάμενοι ἐπὶ τῇ τρισμακαρίᾳ ἐπονομασίᾳ οὐ μόνον τὰ ἐνδομυχοῦντα ὑμῖν πνεύματα ἀπελάσαι δυνήσεσθε, ἀλλʼ αὐτοὶ μηκέτι ἁμαρτάνοντες καὶ Θεῷ ἀνενδοιάστως πιστεύοντες τὰ ἄλλων κακὰ πνεύματα καὶ δαιμόνια χαλεπὰ σὺν τοῖς δεινοῖς πάθεσιν ἀπελάσετε. ἐνίοτε δὲ μόνον ἐνιδόντων ὑμῶν φεύξονται. ἴσασιν γὰρ τοὺς ἀποδεδωκότας ἑαυτοὺς τῷ Θεῷ. διὸ τιμῶντες αὐτοὺς πεφοβημένοι φεύγουσιν, ὥσπερ ἐχθὲς ἑωράκατε, πῶς ἐμοῦ ἀναθεμένου μετὰ τὴν προσομιλίαν εὔξασθαι ὑπὲρ τῶν πασχόντων αὐτὰ τὰ πάθη, τῇ πρὸς τὴν θρησκείαν τιμῇ ἀνέκραγεν, βραχεῖαν ὥραν στέξαι μὴ δυνηθέντα. ### English translation (Claude) "For God can do all things. He is good and just, now being patient with all, so that those who are willing may repent of the evil they have done and live well, and in the day in which all things are judged may enjoy what they deserve. Begin now, therefore, obeying God for the sake of good knowledge, to oppose your evil desires and thoughts, so that you may be able to recover the saving religion first handed down to humankind. For so good things will at once spring up for you, and once you have received them you will leave off the experience of evils for the rest of your life. But give thanks to the Giver, reigning forever over unspeakable goods with the King of peace. For the present, having washed yourselves in an ever-flowing river or spring, or even in the sea, with the thrice-blessed invocation, you will not only be able to drive out the spirits lurking in you, but yourselves no longer sinning and believing God without doubting, you will drive out the evil spirits and cruel demons of others, together with terrible diseases. Sometimes they will flee when you merely look at them. For they know those who have given themselves to God. So, honoring them, they flee in fear, just as you saw yesterday: when I had put off praying for the sufferers until after the address, the afflictions themselves cried out out of respect for our religion, not able to bear it even for a short hour. ### Scripture references - Matt 28:19: echo, medium confidence - 2 Pet 3:9: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The "thrice-blessed invocation" is the baptismal naming of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (compare Matt 28:19); baptism in living (running) water or the sea is a feature of the Homilies. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.19 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-19). ## Homilies 9.20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-20 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The apostles share human nature with the hearers and differ only in religion, and they urge the hearers to become like them. ### Greek text Μὴ οὖν νομίσητε ὅτι ἡμεῖς ἄλλης φύσεως ὄντες κατὰ τοῦτο δαίμονας οὐ φοβούμεθα. τῆς γὰρ αὐτῆς ὑμῖν ἐσμεν φύσεως, ἀλλʼ οὐ θρησκείας. διὸ ὑμῶν οὐ πολὺ, ἀλλὰ τὸ πᾶν κρείττονες ὄντες καὶ ὑμᾶς τοιούτους γενέσθαι οὐ φθονοῦμεν, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον συμβουλεύομεν, εἰδότες ὅτι τοὺς Θεῷ προσοικειωθέντας ταῦτα πάντα ἀγνώστως προτιμᾷ καὶ φοβεῖται. ### English translation (Claude) "Do not suppose, then, that we do not fear demons because we are of a different nature. We are of the same nature as you, but not of the same religion. Therefore, being not a little but altogether better than you, we do not begrudge your becoming such as we are; on the contrary, we advise it, knowing that all these beings honor and fear, beyond what they understand, those who have been made God's own. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.20 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-20). ## Homilies 9.21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-21 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: As soldiers obey a commander because of the emperor's authority, demons yield to the believer who carries faith as God's image in his heart. ### Greek text Ὄνπερ γὰρ τρόπον Καίσαρος χιλιάρχῳ οἱ ὑποκείμενοι στρατιῶται διὰ τὴν τοῦ δεδωκότος ἐξουσίαν τὸν εἰληφότα οἴδασιν τιμᾶν, τοσοῦτον ὥστʼ ἂν τοὺς ἐφεστῶτας λέγειν τούτῳ, ἐλθέ, καὶ ἔρχεται, καὶ ἄλλῳ, πορεύου, καὶ πορεύεται, οὕτως καὶ ὁ Θεῷ ἑαυτὸν ἀποδοὺς, πιστὸς ὢν, δαίμοσίν τε καὶ πάθεσιν μόνον λέγων ἀκούεται, καὶ ὑποχωροῦσιν δαίμονες, πολὺ ἰσχυρότεροι ὄντες τῶν κελευόντων. ἀφράστῳ γὰρ δυνάμει τὸν ἑκάστου νοῦν ὁ Θεὸς ὑποτάσσει ᾧ βούλεται. ὡς γὰρ τὸν Καίσαρα πεφόβηνται ὄντα ἄνθρωπον πολλοὶ ἡγεμόνες μετὰ πασῶν τῶν παρεμβολῶν καὶ πόλεων, τῆς ἑκάστου καρδίας τῶν ὅλων εἰκόνα προτιμᾶν σπευδούσης· Θεοῦ γὰρ βουλῇ τὰ πάντα δεδουλωμένα φόβῳ τὴν αἰτίαν ἐκ οἶδεν· οὕτω καὶ τὸν Θεῷ προσφεύγοντα καὶ τὴν δικαίαν πίστιν ὥσπερ εἰκόνα αὐτοῦ ἐν τῇ αὐτοῦ βαστάζοντα καρδίᾳ πάντα τὰ παθοποιὰ πνεύματα τιμᾷ καὶ φεύγει, φυσικῇ τινι ὁδῷ πεφοβημένα. ### English translation (Claude) "For just as the soldiers under one of Caesar's tribunes know to honor the one who has received authority because of the authority of him who gave it, so much that the officers say to one, 'Come,' and he comes, and to another, 'Go,' and he goes, so also he who has given himself to God, being faithful, is obeyed when he merely speaks to demons and diseases, and the demons give way, although they are much stronger than those who command them. For by unspeakable power God subjects to whom he wills the mind of each. As many governors, with all their camps and cities, fear Caesar, though he is a man, because each one's heart hastens to honor the image of the universal ruler (for all things, enslaved by the will of God to fear, do not know the reason), so also all the spirits that cause suffering, struck with fear in some natural way, honor and flee the one who takes refuge in God and carries righteous faith in his heart like God's image. ### Scripture references - Matt 8:9: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 7:8: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The saying about "Come" and "Go" echoes the centurion in Matt 8:9 and Luke 7:8, here applied to an officer of Caesar. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.21 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-21). ## Homilies 9.22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-22 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Believers should rejoice not in expelling demons but in having their names written in heaven, since demons sometimes flee even from wicked men in order to deceive. ### Greek text Ἀλλʼ ὅμως κἂν πάντες δαίμονες μετὰ πάντων τῶν παθῶν ὑμᾶς φεύγωσιν, οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν τούτῳ μόνῳ χαίρειν, ἀλλʼ ἐν τῷ διʼ εὐαρεστίαν τὰ ὀνόματα ὑμῶν ἐν οὐρανῷ ὡς ἀεὶ ζώντων ἀναγραφῆναι. οὕτω τὸ θεῖον ἅγιον δαίμονας φυγαδεύειν εἰς τὴν ἄλλου ἴασιν γίνεται. ταῦτα δὲ λέγομεν, οὐχ ὡς ἀρνούμενοι τὸ μὴ δεῖν ἄλλοις βοηθεῖν, ἀλλʼ ὅτι μὴ χρὴ ἐπὶ τούτῳ τυφωθέντας ἑαυτῶν ἀμελεῖν. ἔσθʼ ὅτε δέ τινας ἀνόμους ἄνδρας δαίμονες φεύγουσιν διʼ ὄνομα τίμιον· καὶ ἐνεδρεύονται ὅ τε ἀπελάσας καὶ ἱστορήσας. ὁ μὲν ἀπελάσας, ὡς διὰ δικαιοσύνην προτιμηθείς, οὐκ εἰδὼς τοῦ δαίμονος τὸ κακοῦργον ἅμα τε γὰρ τὸ ὄνομα τετίμηκεν, καὶ τῇ φυγῇ τὸν ἀσεβῆ εἰς οἴησιν δικαιοσύνης περιβαλὼν τοῦ μὴ μετανοεῖν ἠπάτησεν. ὁ δὲ ἱστορήσας, ὡς εὐσεβεῖ συγχρησάμενος τῷ ἀπελάσαντι, πρὸς τὴν ὁμοίαν πολιτείαν σπεύσας ἀπόλλυται. ἐνίοτε δὲ καὶ τοὺς μὴ Θεῷ προσκειμένους ὅρκους φεύγειν ὑποκρίνονται, ἵνα ἀπατήσαντες αὐτοὺς ὅτε θελήσωσιν ἀνελῶσιν. ### English translation (Claude) "And yet, even if all demons with all diseases flee from you, you are not to rejoice in this alone, but in this: that because you are pleasing to God your names are written in heaven as of those who live forever. So the divine holy [name?] serves for putting demons to flight for another's healing. We say this not as denying that one must help others, but because one must not grow conceited over it and neglect oneself. Sometimes demons flee from certain lawless men because of the honored name; and both the one who drives them out and the one who witnesses it are ensnared. The one who drives them out is ensnared, as though he had been honored for his righteousness, not knowing the demon's malice: for at one and the same time it honored the name and, by fleeing, wrapped the ungodly man in the conceit of righteousness and so deceived him into not repenting. The one who witnessed it, thinking that he has kept company with a godly man in the exorcist, hastens to the same way of life and perishes. Sometimes demons even pretend to flee from oaths that are not directed to God, so that having deceived people they may destroy them when they wish. ### Scripture references - Luke 10:20: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Echoes Luke 10:20. The sentence "So the divine holy ... for another's healing" is obscure and may be defective; ANF's text is fuller here (the Holy Spirit rejoicing because man has overcome death). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.22 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-22). ## Homilies 9.23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-23 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter calls his hearers to worship one God, avoid the demons' table, and be baptized for the forgiveness of sins, then heals the sick and dismisses the crowd. ### Greek text Καὶ τοῦτο οὖν ὑμᾶς εἰδέναι βουλόμεθα, ὅτι ἐὰν μή τις ἑαυτὸν δαίμοσιν δοῦλον ἐκδῷ, ὡς τάχιον εἶπον, ὁ δαίμων τὴν κατʼ αὐτοῦ ἐξουσίαν οὐκ ἔχει. ἕνα οὖν Θεὸν σέβειν ἑλόμενοι καὶ τραπέζης δαιμόνων ἀποσχόμενοι καὶ σωφροσύνην μετὰ φιλανθρωπίας καὶ δικαιοσύνης ἀναδεξάμενοι καὶ τρισμακαρίᾳ ἐπονομασίᾳ εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν βαπτισάμενοι, τῷ ὅσον δύνασθε ἐπὶ τὸ τέλειον τῆς ἁγνείας ἑαυτοὺς ἐπιδιδόναι, δύνασθε κολάσεως ἀϊδίου ῥυσθέντες αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν κληρονόμοι καταστῆναι. ταῦτα εἰπὼν τοῖς ὑπὸ παθῶν ὀχλουμένοις προσιέναι ἐκέλευσεν, καὶ οὕτως πολλοὶ πείρᾳ τῶν ἐχθὲς θεραπευθέντων συνεληλυθότες προσῄεσαν, ὁ δὲ τὰς χεῖρας αὐτοῖς ἐπιθεὶς καὶ εὐξάμενος ἐξ αὐτῆς ἰασάμενος, ἐντειλάμενος αὐτοῖς καὶ τοῖς ἄλλοις ὀρθριώτερον συνεδρεύειν, αὐτὸς λουσάμενος καὶ τροφῆς μεταλαβών ὕπνωσεν. ### English translation (Claude) "This, then, we want you to know as well: unless someone gives himself up as a slave to demons, as I said a little earlier, the demon has no authority over him. So if you choose to worship one God, abstain from the table of demons, take up self-control with love of others and righteousness, are baptized for the forgiveness of sins with the thrice-blessed invocation, and give yourselves as far as you can to the perfection of purity, you can be rescued from everlasting punishment and be made heirs of eternal goods." Having said this, he told those troubled by afflictions to come forward; and so many came forward, having gathered because of the experience of those healed the day before. He laid his hands on them and prayed, healing them at once; and having instructed them and the others to meet earlier in the morning, he bathed, took food, and slept. ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 10:21: allusion, medium confidence - Acts 2:38: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - "The table of demons" echoes 1 Cor 10:21. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 9.23 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/9-1/#p-9-23). ## Homilies 10.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-1 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: On the third day in Tripolis Peter bathes and prays in the garden and begins to speak to his companions. ### Greek text Τῇ μὲν οὖν ἐν Τριπόλει τρίτῃ ἡμέρᾳ ὀρθριώτερον ἐξ ὕπνου ἐγερθεὶς ὁ Πέτρος εἰς τὸν κῆπον εἰσῄει, ἔνθα ἦν ὑδροχοεῖον μέγα, εἰς ὅ διηνεκῶς πλούσιον ἔῤῥεεν ὕδωρ. ἐκεῖ λουσάμενος εἶθʼ οὕτως εὐξάμενος ἐκαθέσθη, ἡμᾶς δὲ περικαθεζομένους καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἀτενίζοντας ὥσπερ ἀκοῦσαί τι βουλομένους συνεὶς ἔφη· ### English translation (Claude) On the third day in Tripolis Peter rose from sleep earlier than usual and went into the garden, where there was a large water tank into which plenty of water flowed continually. There he bathed and then prayed, and sat down; and seeing us sitting around him and gazing at him as if wanting to hear something, he said: ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.1 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-1). ## Homilies 10.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-2 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter distinguishes idolaters, who are ignorant of eternal life, from believers who know it but stray from God's will. ### Greek text Πολλή μοι δοκεῖ εἶναι διαφορὰ τῶν ἀγνοούντων πρὸς τοὺς πεπλανημένους. ὁ γὰρ ἀγνοῶν ἐοικέναι μοι δοκεῖ ἀνδρὶ ἐπʼ εὐθηνουμένην πόλιν μὴ ὁρμᾶν βουληθέντι, διὰ τὸ ἀγνοεῖν τὰ ἐκεῖ καλά, ὁ δὲ πεπλανημένος μαθόντι μὲν τὰ κατὰ τὴν πόλιν ἀγαθά, ἐν δὲ τῷ ὁρμᾶν κατὰ τὴν ὁδὸν τρίβον παραλλάξαντι καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πλανωμένῳ. οὕτως οὖν μοι δοκεῖ πολλὴν διαφορὰν εἶναι τῶν εἴδωλα σεβόντων πρὸς τοὺς ἐν θεοσεβείᾳ ἀλωμένους οἵ τε γὰρ εἴδωλα σέβοντες ἀγνοοῦσιν τὴν αἰώνιον ζωήν, οὗ εἵνεκεν οὐδὲ ὀρέγονται αὐτῆς ὃ γὰρ μὴ ἴσασιν, ἀγαπᾶν οὐ δύνανται. οἱ δὲ τὸν ἕνα Θεὸν σέβειν ἑλόμενοι καὶ αἰώνιον ζωὴν τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς δεδομένην μεμαθηκότες ἐάν τι παρὰ τὰ δοκοῦντα τῷ Θεῷ ἢ πιστεύσωσιν ἢ ποιήσωσιν, ἐοίκασιν τοῖς τὴν μὲν πόλιν τῆς τιμωρίας ἐκβεβηκόσιν, ἐλθεῖν εἰς τὴν εὐθηνουμένην καὶ ἐν τῇ ὁδῷ τῆς εὐθείας πλανηθεῖσιν. ### English translation (Claude) "There seems to me to be a great difference between those who are ignorant and those who have gone astray. The ignorant man seems to me like a man who does not wish to set out for a prosperous city because he does not know the good things there; but the one who has gone astray is like one who has learned of the good things of the city, but in setting out has turned aside from the path of the road and so has wandered off. So there seems to me to be a great difference between those who worship idols and those who wander within the worship of God. Those who worship idols do not know eternal life, and for that reason they do not even long for it; for what they do not know they cannot love. But those who have chosen to worship the one God and have learned that eternal life is given to the good, if they believe or do anything contrary to what pleases God, are like those who have left the city of punishment to go to the prosperous city and have strayed from the straight road on the way. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.2 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-2). ## Homilies 10.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-3 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter begins his public address: man, made in God's image, was appointed to rule over all creatures. ### Greek text Ταῦτα αὐτοῦ διαλεγομένου ἡμῖν εἰσῄει τις τῶν ἡμετέρων ἐπὶ τῷ ἀπαγγελεῖν αὐτῷ, ὁ τὰ τοιαῦτα καθεστηκὼς λέγειν· πολλοὶ ὄχλοι, κύριου μου Πέτρε, πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν ἑστήκασιν. ἐπιτρέψαντος οὖν αὐτοῦ πολὺς ἐπεισῆλθεν ὄχλος. ὁ δὲ ἐγερθεὶς καὶ τῇ ἐχθὲς βάσει ἐπιστάς, τῷ τῆς θεοσεβείας ἔθει προςαγορεύσας ἔφη· Θεοῦ τοῦ τὸν οὐρανὸν κτίσαντος καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς πεποιηκότος, ὡς ἀληθὴς εἴρηκεν ἡμῖν προφήτης, ὁ ἄνθρωπος κατʼ εἰκόνα καὶ καθʼ ὁμοίωσιν γεγονὼς ἄρχειν τε καὶ κυριεύειν κατεστάθη, λέγω δὲ τῶν ἐν ἀέρι καὶ γῇ καὶ ὕδασιν, ὡς ἐξ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πράγματος ἔστιν συνιδεῖν, ὅτι τῇ ἑαυτοῦ συνέσει τὰ μὲν ἐν ἀέρι φέρει κάτω, τὰ ἐν βυθῷ ἀνάγει ἄνω, τὰ ἐν γῇ ἀγρεύει, καίτοι γε κατʼ ἀλκὴν αὐτοῦ πολλῷ μείζονα ὄντα, λέγω δὲ ἐλέφαντας καὶ λέοντας καὶ τὰ τούτοις παραπλήσια. ### English translation (Claude) While he was discussing this with us, one of our people who had been appointed to make such announcements came in to report to him: "My lord Peter, great crowds are standing before the doors." When he gave permission, a great crowd came in. He rose, stood on the base he had used the day before, greeted them in the manner of the religion, and said: "God created heaven and earth and made all that is in them, as the true Prophet has told us; and man, made after his image and likeness, was appointed to rule and be lord over the creatures of the air, the earth and the waters. This can be seen from the facts themselves: by his intelligence he brings down what is in the air, brings up what is in the deep, and hunts what is on the earth, even creatures much greater than he in strength, I mean elephants, lions, and the like. ### Scripture references - Gen 1:26: allusion, high confidence - Gen 1:1: allusion, medium confidence ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.3 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-3). ## Homilies 10.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-4 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Man lost his immunity from suffering through sin, and God sent his Prophet to restore both present and eternal goods to those who worship him. ### Greek text Ὅτε μέν τοι δίκαιος ἐτύγχανεν, καὶ πάντων παθημάτων ἀνώτατος ἦν, ὡς ἀθανάτῳ σώματι τοῦ ἀλγεῖν πεῖραν λαβεῖν μὴ δυνάμενος, ὅτε δὲ ἥμαρτεν, ὡς ἐχθὲς καὶ τῇ πρὸ αὐτῆς ἐδείξαμεν, ὡς δοῦλος γεγονὼς τῆς ἁμαρτίας πᾶσιν ὑπέπεσεν τοῖς παθήμασιν, πάντων καλῶν δικαίᾳ κρίσει στερηθείς. οὐ γὰρ εὔλογον ἦν, τοῦ δεδωκότος ἐγκαταλειφθέντος τὰ δοθέντα παραμένειν τοῖς ἀγνώμοσιν. ὅθεν ἐξ ὑπερβαλλούσης αὐτοῦ εὐσπλαγχνίας πρὸς τὸ ἀπολαύειν ἡμᾶς ἅμα τοῖς πρώτοις καὶ τὰ ἐσόμενα αἰώνια ἀγαθά, τὸν αὑτοῦ ἔπεμψεν προφήτην. ὁ δὲ προφήτης πρὸς ὑμᾶς λέγειν ἡμῖν ἃ δεῖ φρονεῖν καὶ ποιεῖν ἐνετείλατο. ἕλεσθε οὖν, ὃ ἐπὶ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ κεῖται ἐξουσίᾳ. ἃ μὲν οὖν δεῖ φρονεῖν, ἐστὶ ταῦτα· τὸν πάντα πεποιηκότα σέβειν Θεόν, ὅν ἂν ἀπολάβητε τῷ νῷ, ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ ἀπολήψεσθε ἅμα τοῖς πρώτοις καλοῖς καὶ τὰ ἐσόμενα αἰώνια ἀγαθά. ### English translation (Claude) "While man was righteous he was above all sufferings, being unable, with his immortal body, to experience pain; but when he sinned, as we showed yesterday and the day before, having become a slave of sin he fell under all sufferings, deprived of every good thing by a just judgment. For it was not reasonable that, when the Giver had been abandoned, the gifts should remain with the ungrateful. So out of his surpassing compassion he sent his Prophet, so that we might enjoy, together with the first goods, the eternal goods to come as well. And the Prophet commanded us to tell you what you must think and do. Choose, then, what lies within your power. What you must think is this: to worship God who made all things. If you take him into your mind, you will receive from him, together with the first good things, the eternal goods to come. ### Scripture references - John 8:34: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - "Slave of sin" echoes John 8:34. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.4 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-4). ## Homilies 10.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-5 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The fear of the one God, spoken like a charm against the serpent in the heart, frees people from every other harmful fear. ### Greek text Πεῖσαι οὖν ἑαυτοὺς πρὸς τὰ συμφέροντα δυνήσεσθε, ἐάνπερ τῷ ἐμφωλεύοντι ἐν τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ καρδίᾳ δεινῷ ὄφει ὥσπερ ἐπᾴδοντες λέγητε· Κύριον τὸν Θεὸν φοβηθήσῃ καὶ αὐτῷ μόνῳ λατρεύσεις. Ἐκ παντὸς οὖν λογισμοῦ συμφέρει τὸ αὐτὸν μόνον φοβεῖσθαι, οὐχ ὡς ἄδικον, ἀλλʼ ὡς δίκαιον. καὶ γὰρ ἄδικόν τις φοβεῖται, μὴ ἀδίκως ἀναιρεθῇ, καὶ τὸν δίκαιον, μὴ ἁμαρτίᾳ φωραθεὶς τιμωρηθῇ. δύνασθε οὖν ἐν τῷ πρὸς αὐτὸν φόβῳ πολλῶν τῶν ἐπιβλαβῶν ἀπαλλαγῆναι φόβων. ἕνα γὰρ τὸν πάντων κύριον καὶ ποιητὴν ἐὰν μὴ φοβῆσθε, πάντων τῶν κακῶν δοῦλοι ἐπὶ τῇ ἑαυτῶν βλάβῃ ἔσεσθε, λέγω δὲ δαιμόνων καὶ παθημάτων καὶ παντὸς ᾧ δή τινι τρόπῳ βλάπτειν δυναμένου. ### English translation (Claude) "You will be able to persuade yourselves of what is profitable if, as though charming it, you say to the fearsome serpent lurking in your heart: 'You shall fear the Lord God and serve him alone.' By every reckoning it is profitable to fear him alone, not as unjust but as just. For one fears an unjust being lest one be unjustly destroyed, and a just one lest one be caught in sin and punished. Through fear of him, then, you can be freed from many harmful fears. For if you do not fear the one Lord and Maker of all, you will be slaves of all evils to your own harm, I mean of demons and sufferings and of everything that can harm in any way. ### Scripture references - Deut 6:13: quotation, high confidence - Matt 4:10: quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The quotation follows Deut 6:13 (as in Matt 4:10, Luke 4:8). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.5 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-5). ## Homilies 10.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-6 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Idolaters have become like beasts, but by accepting God's law and doing good they can become truly human again and be restored as God's sons. ### Greek text Θαρσήσαντες οὖν πρόσιτε τῷ Θεῷ, οἱ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐπὶ τῷ πάντων ἄρχειν καὶ κυριεύειν γεγενημένοι, οἵ τινες ἔχετε αὐτοῦ ἐν μὲν τῷ σώματι τὴν εἰκόνα, ὁμοίως τε ἔχετε ἐν τῷ νῷ τῆς γνώμης τὴν ὁμοιότητα. ἐπεὶ οὖν ἀλόγοις ζώοις ἐοικότα πράξαντες ἐκ τῆς ψυχῆς τὴν ἀνθρώπου ψυχὴν ἀπωλέσατε, ὥσπερ χοῖροι γενόμενοι δαιμόνων αἰτήματα ἐγένεσθε. ἐὰν οὖν τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμον ἀναδέξησθε, ἄνθρωποι γίνεσθε. οὐ γὰρ οἷον ἀλόγοις ζώοις ἔστιν εἰπεῖν· οὐ φονεύσεις, οὐ μοιχεύσεις, οὐ κλέψεις καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. διὸ μὴ φθονήσητε ἑαυτοῖς εἰς τὴν πρώτην ἀνακαλούμενοι εἰσελθεῖν εὐγένειαν. δυνατὸν γάρ ἐστιν, ἐὰν τῷ Θεῷ διὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν πράξεων ἐξομοιωθῆτε. καὶ διὰ τὴν ὁμοιότητα υἱοὶ ἐκείνου εἶναι λογισθέντες πάντων δεσπόται ἀποκαταστῆναι δυνήσεσθε. ### English translation (Claude) "Take courage, then, and draw near to God, you who were made in the beginning to rule and be lords over all things, who have his image in your body and likewise have in your mind the likeness of his judgment. But since by acting like irrational animals you have lost the human soul out of your soul, you have become like swine and the prey that demons demand. If, then, you accept the law of God, you become human beings. For one cannot say to irrational animals, 'You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal,' and the rest. Do not, therefore, begrudge yourselves, when you are called back, the entrance into your first nobility. It is possible, if you become like God through good deeds. And being reckoned his sons because of the likeness, you will be able to be restored as masters of all things. ### Scripture references - Exod 20:13: quotation, high confidence - Exod 20:14: quotation, high confidence - Exod 20:15: quotation, high confidence - Gen 1:26: allusion, medium confidence - Mark 5:12: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The "swine" possessed by demons may echo Mark 5:12–13. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.6 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-6). ## Homilies 10.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-7 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Idols are useless even as servants, since they cannot see, hear, feel or move. ### Greek text Ἄρξασθε οὖν ἀποδύεσθαι τῶν κενῶν εἰδώλων τοὺς ἐπιβλαβεῖς φόβους, ὅπως τὴν ἄδικον φύγητε δουλείαν· δεσπόται γὰρ γεγόνασιν ὑμῶν ἐκεῖνοι, οἵ καὶ εἰς δούλους ὑμῖν ἄχρηστοι τυγχάνουσιν. λέγω δὲ περὶ ὕλης τῶν ἀψύχων ἀγαλμάτων τῶν μηδὲ πρὸς τὸ δουλεύειν ὑμῖν χρησιμευόντων. οὔτε γὰρ ἀκούει, οὔτε βλέπει, οὔτε αἰσθάνεται, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ μὲν κινηθῆναι δύναται. εἰ γὰρ βούλεταί τις ὑμῶν οὕτως ὁρᾶν ὡς ὁρᾷ καὶ ἀκούειν ὡς ἀκούει καὶ αἰσθάνεσθαι καὶ κινεῖσθαι; ἀλλʼ ἀπείη τοιαύτῃ λοιδορίᾳ λοιδορεῖν πάνθʼ ὁντινοῦν ἄνθρωπον, εἰκόνα περιφέροντα Θεοῦ, εἰ καὶ τὴν ὁμοιότητα ἀπώλεσεν. ### English translation (Claude) "Begin, then, to strip off the harmful fears of empty idols, so that you may escape an unjust slavery. For those things have become your masters which are useless to you even as slaves. I mean the matter of lifeless images, which are of no use even to serve you. For it does not hear, or see, or feel, nor can it even move. Would any of you wish to see as it sees, to hear as it hears, to feel and to move as it does? Far be it from anyone to insult any human being with such an insult, since he carries about the image of God, even if he has lost the likeness. ### Scripture references - Ps 115:5 (113:13 LXX): echo, low confidence ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.7 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-7). ## Homilies 10.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-8 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Gods of gold and silver should be melted back into useful vessels, since they are protected only by human laws, dogs and guards. ### Greek text Τοὺς γοῦν θεοὺς ὑμῶν τοὺς χρυσέους καὶ ἀργυρέους ἢ καὶ ἐξ ἄλλης τινὸς ὕλης γεγενημένους εἰς τὴν πρώτην αὐτῶν φύσιν ἀποκαταστήσατε, εἴς τε φιάλας λέγω καὶ λεκάνας καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ πάντα, ὅσα ὑμῖν πρὸς ὑπηρεσίαν χρήσιμα εἶναι δύναται· καὶ ταῦτα ὑμῖν ἀπαρχῆς δοθέντα ἀγαθὰ ἀποκατασταθῆναι δυνηθήσεται. ἀλλʼ ἴσως ἐρεῖτε οὐκ ἐῶσιν ἡμᾶς τοῦτο ποιῆσαι οἱ τῶν ἐφεστώτων νόμοι. καλῶς, ὅτι νόμοι, καὶ οὐκ αὐτῶν τῶν εἰκαίων σεβασμάτων ἡ μὴ οὖσα δύναμις. πῶς οὖν αὐτοὺς θεοὺς νενομίκατε, ὑπʼ ἀνθρωπίνων νόμων ἐκδικουμένους, ὑπὸ κυνῶν φρουρουμένους, ὑπʼ ὄχλων φυλασσομένους; καὶ ταῦτα ἐὰν χρύσεα ἢ ἀργύρεα ἢ χάλκεα· τὰ γὰρ λίθινα ἢ ὀστράκινα ὑπὸ τῆς ἀτιμίας φυλάσσεται, ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἀνθρώπων λίθινον ἢ ὀστράκινον ὀρέγεται κλέψαι θεόν. ὥστε μεγάλῳ κινδύνῳ ὑπόκεινται οἱ ἐκ πολυτελεστέρας ὕλης γεγενημένοι ὑμῶν θεοί. πῶς δὴ καὶ θεοί εἰσιν, κλεπτόμενοι, χωνευόμενοι, σταθμιζόμενοι, φρουρούμενοι; ### English translation (Claude) "Restore your gods, then, the ones of gold and silver or made of any other material, to their original nature, I mean into bowls and basins and all the other things that can be useful for your service; and these good things given to you from the beginning will be able to be restored. But perhaps you will say: 'The laws of our rulers do not allow us to do this.' Well said: it is laws, and not the power of the idle objects of worship themselves, which have none. How then have you regarded them as gods, when they are avenged by human laws, watched by dogs, guarded by crowds? And that, if they are of gold, silver or bronze; the ones of stone or clay are guarded by their worthlessness, since no one wants to steal a god of stone or clay. So your gods made of costlier material are exposed to great danger. How can they be gods at all, when they are stolen, melted down, weighed, and kept under guard? ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.8 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-8). ## Homilies 10.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-9 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Idols are less than dead, often indistinguishable from tombs, and rational people worship not even the elements but only their Maker. ### Greek text Ὥ τῶν ταλαιπώρων ἀνθρώπων φρένες, νεκρῶν νεκρότερα δεδιότων· οὐδὲ γὰρ νεκρὰ αὐτὰ λέγειν δύναμαι, τὰ μηδέποτε ζήσαντα, ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ τάφοι ἀρχαίων ἀνθρώπων εἰσίν. ἐνίοτε γὰρ ἐπιβάς τις ἀγνώστοις τόποις οὐκ οἶδεν, οὕς ὁρᾷ ναούς, πότερόν ποτε νεκρῶν ἀνδρῶν μνήματά ἐστιν, ἢ τῶν λεγομένων θεῶν· πυθόμενος δὲ καὶ ἀκούσας ὅτι θεῶν, προσεκύνησεν οὐκ αἰδεσθείς, ὅτι εἰ μὴ ἐξετάσας μεμαθήκει, διὰ τὸ ἴσον τῆς ὁμοιότητος ὡς νεκροῦ μνημεῖον ἂν παρεληλύθει. πλὴν οὐ χρή με πρὸς τῆς τοιαύτης δεισιδαιμονίας πολλὴν παρέχειν ἀπόδειξιν. ῥᾴδιον γάρ ἐστιν τῷ θέλοντι νοῆσαι, ὅτι οὐδέν ἐστιν, ἐκτὸς εἰ μή τις οὐ βλέπῃ. πλὴν κἄν νῦν ἄκουσον, ὅτι οὐκ ἀκούει, καὶ νόησον, ὅτι οὐ νοεῖ. χεῖρες γὰρ αὐτὸ θανόντος ἀνθρώπου ἐποίησαν. εἰ δὲ ὁ ποιήσας ἐτελεύτησεν, πῶς τὸ ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ γεγονὸς οὐ λυθήσεται; τί οὖν θνητοῦ ἔργον προσκυνεῖς, παντελῶς ἀναίσθητον ὄν; ὁπότε οἱ λογισμοὺς ἔχοντες οὐδὲ τὰ ζῶα προσκυνοῦσιν, οὐδὲ στοιχεῖα τὰ ὑπὸ Θεοῦ γεγενημένα κολακεύουσιν, λέγω δὲ οὐρανὸν, ἥλιον, σελήνην, ἀστραπὴν, θάλασσαν καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς, ὀρθῶς κρίνοντες μηδὲ τὰ ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ γενόμενα προσκυνεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὸν τούτων δημιουργὸν καὶ πάροχον σέβειν Θεόν. ἐπὶ τούτῳ γὰρ καὶ αὐτὰ χαίρει, ὅτι τὴν τοῦ πεποιηκότος τιμὴν οὐδεὶς αὐτοῖς προσῆψεν. ### English translation (Claude) "O the minds of wretched men, who fear things deader than the dead! I cannot even call them dead, since they have never lived, unless they are the tombs of men of old. For sometimes someone who comes to unfamiliar places does not know whether the temples he sees are memorials of dead men or of the so-called gods; but when he asks and hears that they belong to gods, he worships, without shame that, if he had not learned by inquiring, he would have passed by as though it were a dead man's monument, since the resemblance is the same. However, I need not give much proof against such superstition. It is easy for anyone who wishes to see that the idol is nothing, unless someone cannot see. But even now, hear that it does not hear, and understand that it does not understand. For the hands of a man who died made it. And if its maker has died, how will what he made not be destroyed? Why then do you worship the work of a mortal, which is completely senseless? Those who have reason do not worship even living creatures, nor flatter the elements made by God, I mean heaven, sun, moon, lightning, sea and all that is in them, judging rightly that they must not worship even the things he has made, but must revere God, their Maker and Provider. For they themselves rejoice in this, that no one has attached to them the honor due to their Maker. ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 8:4: echo, low confidence ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.9 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-9). ## Homilies 10.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-10 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Only the unbegotten is God, and the serpent within deceives people with promises of better reasoning. ### Greek text Αὐτοῦ γὰρ μόνου ἐστὶν ἡ ἔντιμος δόξα τοῦ μόνου ἀγενήτου, ὅτε τὰ λοιπὰ πάντα γενητὰ τυγχάνει. ὡς οὖν τοῦ ἀγενήτου ἴδιον τὸ Θεὸς εἶναι, οὕτως πᾶν ὁτιοῦν γενόμενον θεὸς τῷ ὄντι οὐκ ἔστιν. πρὸ πάντων οὖν ἐννοηθῆναι ὀφείλετε τὴν τοῦ ἐν ὑμῖν ἀπατῶντος ὄφεως κακοῦργον ἐπίνοιαν, ὅς φρονίμως ὑμᾶς ἀπατᾷ ὑποσχέσει κρείττονος λογισμοῦ, ἕρπων ὑμῶν ἐκ τοῦ ἐγκεφάλου εἰς τὸν νωτιαῖον μυελὸν καὶ μέγα κέρδος ἡγούμενος τὴν ὑμετέραν ἀπάτην. ### English translation (Claude) "For to him alone belongs the honored glory of being alone unbegotten, while all other things are begotten. As it is proper to the unbegotten to be God, so whatever has come into being is not truly God. Before everything, then, you must understand the malicious scheme of the serpent who deceives you from within, who cleverly deceives you with the promise of better reasoning, creeping from your brain into your spinal marrow and counting your deception a great gain. ### Scripture references - Gen 3:1: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - ἀγένητος is rendered "unbegotten" ("uncreated" is also possible). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.10 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-10). ## Homilies 10.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-11 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The serpent, condemned to eat earth, devours those who sin against the one God and become earth. ### Greek text Εἰδὼς γὰρ τὸν ἀπαρχῆς νόμον, ὅτι ἐὰν ὑμᾶς εἰς ὑπόνοιαν τῶν δήποτε λεγομένων θεῶν ἐνέγκῃ μόνον, ἵνα εἰς τὸ τῆς μοναρχίας ἀγαθὸν ἁμάρτητε, κέρδος αὑτῷ γίνεται ἡ ὑμῶν καταστροφή. λόγῳ δὲ τούτῳ ὅτι γῆν ἤσθιεν καταδικασθείς, τὸν διʼ ἁμαρτίαν εἰς γῆν λυθέντα, γῆν γενόμενον, ἐσθίειν ἔχει ἐξουσίαν, τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν εἰς τὴν τοῦ πυρὸς αὐτοῦ γαστέρα χωρουσῶν. ἵνα οὖν ταῦτα πάθητε, πᾶσαν τὴν καθʼ ὑμῶν ὑμῖν ὑποβάλλει οἴησιν. ### English translation (Claude) "For he knows the law from the beginning: if only he brings you to the notion of any so-called gods, so that you sin against the good of the monarchy, your downfall becomes his gain. The reason is this: since he was condemned to eat earth, he has authority to eat the one who through sin has been dissolved into earth and become earth, as your souls pass into the belly of his fire. So, in order that you may suffer these things, he suggests to you every notion against yourselves. ### Scripture references - Gen 3:14: allusion, high confidence - Gen 3:19: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Based on Gen 3:14 ("dust you shall eat") and 3:19. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.11 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-11). ## Homilies 10.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-12 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The serpent persuades people that ignorance exempts them from judgment, but sin kills like poison even when taken unknowingly. ### Greek text Ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ γὰρ πᾶσαι αἱ κατὰ τῆς μοναρχίας ἀπατηλοὶ τῷ νῷ ὑμῶν ἐπὶ βλάβῃ ἐνσπείρονται ὑπολήψεις. πρῶτον μὲν μὴ τοὺς τῆς θεοσεβείας ἀκούσαντες λόγους τὴν τῶν κακῶν αἰτίαν ἀπελάσητου ἄγνοιαν, προφάσει γνώσεως ἐνεδρεύει, δοὺς τὰ μὲν πρῶτα μιᾷ τῇ κατὰ πάντων προλήψει χρώμενος, ἥ τις ἐστιν τὸ νομίζειν καὶ κακῶς βεβουλεῦσθαι, ὅτι ἐὰν μή τις ἀκούσῃ τοῦ τῆς θεοσεβείας λόγου, οὐκ ἔστιν ἔνοχος τῇ κρίσει. διὸ καὶ οὕτως ἀπατώμενοί τινες ἀκούειν οὐ θέλουσιν, ἵνα ἀγνοῶσιν, οὐκ εἰδότες ὅτι ἡ ἄγνοια αὐτὴ κατʼ αὐτὴν ἱκανὸν θανάσιμόν ἐστιν φάρμακον. οὐ γάρ, εἴ τις προσλάβοι θανασίμου φαρμάκου ἀγνοῶν, οὐκ ἀποθνήσκει. οὕτως φυσικῶς αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ἀναιροῦσιν τὸν ἁμαρτάνοντα, κἄν ἀγνοῶν πράσσῃ ἅ μὴ δεῖ. ### English translation (Claude) "For from him all the deceptive suppositions against the monarchy are sown in your mind to your harm. First, so that you may not hear the words of true religion and drive out ignorance, the cause of evils, he lies in wait under the pretext of knowledge, first of all making use of one presumption against everyone: the thought, and the bad decision, that if someone does not hear the word of true religion, he is not liable to judgment. So some, deceived in this way, do not want to hear, so that they may remain ignorant, not knowing that ignorance itself is by itself a sufficient deadly poison. For if someone takes a deadly poison unknowingly, does he not die? So by nature sins destroy the sinner, even if he does unknowingly what he ought not. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.12 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-12). ## Homilies 10.13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-13 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Willful ignorance is judged as knowledge, and even the truly ignorant are guilty of not recognizing their benefactor. ### Greek text Εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ παρακοῇ λόγων κρίσις γίνεται, πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὁ Θεὸς ὀλοθρεύσει τοὺς μὴ θελήσαντας τὴν εἰς αὑτὸν θρησκείαν ἀναδέξασθαι. ὁ γὰρ μὴ θέλων μαθεῖν ἵνα μὴ ἔνοχος ᾖ, ἤδη ὡς εἰδὼς κρίνεται. ἔγνω γὰρ ὅ μὴ ἀκοῦσαι θέλει· ὥστε οὐδὲν δύναται πρὸς ἀπολογίαν ἐπίνοια πρὸς καρδιογνώστην Θεόν. διὸ φεύγετε τοῦ ὄφεως τὴν πανοῦργον ὑποβαλλομένην ὑμῶν τῷ νῷ ἐνθύμησιν. ἵνα δὲ καὶ ὄντως ἀγνοήσας τις τὸν παρόντα βίον τελευτήσῃ, ἔγκλημα ἔξει, ὅτι βιώσας χρόνον οὐκ ἔγνω τίς αὑτῷ τε καὶ τῶν αὑτῷ ἐπικουρηθεισῶν τροφῶν ὑπῆρξεν εὐεργέτης, καὶ ὅτι ὡς ἀναίσθητος καὶ ἀχάριστος πολὺ ἀνάξιος δοῦλος τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἀποδοκιμάσεται βασιλείας. ### English translation (Claude) "And if judgment follows disobedience to words, much more will God destroy those who would not accept his worship. For the one who does not want to learn, so that he may not be liable, is already judged as one who knows; for he knew what it is that he does not want to hear. So no contrivance can serve as a defense before God who knows the heart. Flee, therefore, the serpent's cunning notion put into your mind. And even if someone ends this present life truly ignorant, he will have a charge against him: that having lived so long he did not know who was the benefactor of himself and of the food supplied to him; and as senseless and ungrateful, a very unworthy servant, he will be rejected from the kingdom of God. ### Scripture references - Acts 15:8: echo, low confidence ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.13 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-13). ## Homilies 10.14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-14 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter takes up the claim that the gods are subordinate powers under the one God, as officials are under Caesar. ### Greek text Πάλιν τε ὑποβάλλει ὑμῖν ὁ δεινὸς ὄφις ὑπόληψιν, τοῦτο νοεῖν καὶ λέγειν, τοῦτο ὃ σχεδὸν οἱ πλεῖστοι ὑμῶν λέγουσιν ἴσμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν ὁ πάντων κύριος, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτοι θεοί εἰσιν. ὅνπερ γὰρ τρόπον εἷς ἐστιν ὁ Καῖσαρ, ἔχει δὲ ὑπʼ αὐτὸν τοὺς διοικητάς, ὑπατικοὺς, ἐπάρχους, χιλιάρχους, ἑκατοντάρχους, δεκάρχους, τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ἑνὸς ὄντος τοῦ μεγάλου Θεοῦ ὥσπερ Καίσαρος καὶ οὗτοι κατὰ τὸν τῶν ὑποκειμένων ἐξουσιῶν λόγον θεοί εἰσιν, ὑποκείμενοι μὲν ἐκείνῳ, διοικοῦντες δὲ ἡμᾶς. ἀκούσατε οὖν οἱ ταύτην τὴν ὑπόνοιαν ὡς δεινῷ ἐπαλειφθέντες ἰῷ ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ, λέγω δὲ τοῦ παραδείγματος τὴν κακὴν ὑπόνοιαν, ὅπως εἰδῆτε τί καλὸν καὶ τί πονηρόν· οὔπω γὰρ ἀνεβλέψατε, ὅτι οὐδὲ τοῖς προβαλλομένοις ὑφʼ ὑμῶν ἐνορᾶτε. ### English translation (Claude) "The fearsome serpent also suggests to you another supposition, to think and to say what nearly most of you do say: 'We too know that there is one Lord of all, but these also are gods. For just as there is one Caesar, but he has under him administrators, consuls, prefects, tribunes, centurions, and decurions, in the same way, since there is one great God as there is one Caesar, these too are gods after the manner of subordinate powers, subject to him but governing us.' Listen, then, you who have been smeared by him with this notion as with a fearsome poison (I mean the evil notion of this comparison), so that you may know what is good and what is evil; for you have not yet recovered your sight, since you do not even look into the things you put forward. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.14 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-14). ## Homilies 10.15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-15 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: By their own comparison, giving the name of God to others is a capital insult, like giving Caesar's name to an official. ### Greek text Εἰ γάρ φατε, ὡς εἰς τὸν τοῦ Καίσαρος λόγον τὸν Θεὸν ἔχειν τὰς ὑποκειμένας ἐξουσίας, τοὺς λεγομένους θεούς, οὐδʼ οὕτως τῷ ὑμῶν στοιχεῖτε παραδείγματι. εἰ γὰρ ἐστοιχεῖτε, ἐχρῆν τοῦτο εἰδέναι, ὅτι, ὡς οὐκ ἔξεστιν τὸ Καίσαρος ὄνομα ἑτέρῳ δοῦναι, λέγω δὴ ἢ ὑπάτῳ ἢ ἐπάρχῳ ἢ χιλιάρχῳ ἢ ἑτέρῳ τινί (ὅτι ὁ διδοὺς οὐ ζήσεται, καὶ ὁ λαμβάνων ἀναιρεθήσεται), οὕτως ἐκ τοῦ ὑμετέρου παραδείγματος τοῦ Θεοῦ ὄνομα ἑτέρῳ δοθῆναι οὐκ ἔξεστιν· ἐπεὶ καὶ ὁ πειραθεὶς ἤτε λαβεῖν ἤτε δοῦναι ἀπόλλυται. εἰ δὲ ἡ ἐπʼ ἀνθρώπου ὕβρις δίκην παρέχει, πολλῷ μᾶλλον οἱ ἑτέρους θεοὺς λέγοντες ὡς Θεὸν ὑβρίσαντες αἰωνίῳ ὑποκείσονται κολάσει. καὶ εὐλόγως, ὅτι τὸ εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ μοναρχίαν παραδοθὲν ὑμῖν τιμᾶν ὅνομα πάσῃ ᾗ ἠδυνήθητε ὑπεβάλετε ὕβρει· οὐ γὰρ τὸ ὄντως ἐστὶν αὐτοῦ ὄνομα Θεός, ἀλλʼ ὑμεῖς τοῦτο παρειληφότες ὑβρίσατε ὃ ἐδόθη ὑμῖν, ἵνα ὡς ἂν αὐτῷ χρήσησθε, εἰς τὸ ὄντως αὐτοῦ ὄνομα λογισθῇ· ὑμεῖς δὲ αὐτὸ πάσῃ ὕβρει ὑπεβάλετε. ### English translation (Claude) "For if you say that God has the so-called gods as subordinate powers, as Caesar does, you are not even keeping to your own comparison. If you kept to it, you should know this: as it is not lawful to give the name of Caesar to another, whether consul or prefect or tribune or anyone else (for the one who gives it will not live, and the one who takes it will be put to death), so, by your own comparison, it is not lawful for the name of God to be given to another; for whoever tries either to take it or to give it perishes. And if an insult against a man incurs punishment, much more will those who call others gods be subject to eternal punishment for insulting God. And rightly so, because you have subjected to every insult you could the name handed down to you to honor, for his monarchy. For 'God' is not in fact his own name; but you received it, and insulted what was given you so that, as you might use it, it would be reckoned as honor to his true name. Yet you have subjected it to every insult. ### Translation notes - The claim that "God" is not God's proper name is the Homilies' own. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.15 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-15). ## Homilies 10.16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-16 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Egyptians dishonored the divine name by worshipping animals, onions, and worse. ### Greek text Αὐτίκα γοῦν τῶν Αἰγυπτίων ὑμῶν οἱ ἀρχηγέται, οἱ περὶ μετεωρολογίας αὐχοῦντες καὶ τῶν ἄστρων τὰς φύσεις διακρίνειν ἐπαγγελλόμενοι, ὑπὸ κακῆς αὑτοῖς ἐνδομυχούσης ὑπονοίας πάσῃ ἀτιμίᾳ ὅσον τὸ κατʼ αὐτοὺς ὑπέβαλον. οἱ μὲν γὰρ αὐτῶν παρέδοσαν βοῦν τὸν λεγόμενον Ἄπιν σέβειν, οἱ δὲ τράγον, οἱ δὲ αἴλουρον, οἱ δὲ ὄφιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἰχθὺν καὶ κρόμμυα καὶ γαστρῶν πνεύματα καὶ ὀχετοὺς καὶ ἀλόγων ζώων μέλη. καὶ ἄλλοις μυρίοις πάνυ ἐχθροῖς ἀτοπήμασιν. ### English translation (Claude) "For instance, the founders of your Egyptians, who boast of their knowledge of the heavens and profess to distinguish the natures of the stars, because of an evil notion lurking in them, subjected the name to every dishonor as far as they could. Some of them handed down the worship of a bull called Apis, others of a goat, others of a cat, others of a snake, and even of a fish, and of onions, and of stomach winds, and of sewers, and of the limbs of irrational animals, and of countless other utterly hateful absurdities. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.16 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-16). ## Homilies 10.17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-17 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: When the crowd laughs at the Egyptians, Peter points out that the Egyptians mock them in turn for worshipping lifeless things. ### Greek text Ταῦτα τοῦ Πέτρου εἰπόντος ἐγέλασεν ὁ παρεστηκὼς ὄχλος. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη πρὸς τὸν γέλωτα· γελᾶτε ὑμεῖς τὰ ἐκείνων, οὐκ εἰδότες πολλῷ μᾶλλον ὑπʼ ἐκείνων γελώμενοι. πλὴν τὰ ἀλλήλων γελᾶτε, τὰ γὰρ ἴδια ὑπὸ συνηθείας κακῆς εἰς ἀπάτην ἀχθέντες οὐ βλέπετε. ὅτι δὲ ὄντως ὀρθῶς καταγελᾶτε τῶν Αἰγυπτίων, σύμφημι, ἐπεὶ ἄλογα ζῶα λογικοὶ ὄντες προσκυνοῦσιν, τὰ πάντως θνήσκοντα. πῶς δὲ κᾀκεῖνοι ὑμῶν καταγελῶντες λέγουσιν, ἀκούσατε· ἡμεῖς, φασίν, εἰ καὶ θνήσκοντα προσκυνοῦμεν, ἀλλά γε κἄν ζήσαντά ποτε, ὑμεῖς δὲ τὰ μηδέποτε ζήσαντα σέβεσθε. πρὸς τούτοις φασίν· τοῦ ἑνὸς Θεοῦ τιμᾶν θέλοντες τὴν μορφὴν καὶ μὴ εὑρόντες ποία ἐστίν, πᾶσαν μορφὴν προτιμᾶν εἱλόμεθα· καὶ ὅμως τοιαῦτά τινα λέγοντες ὀρθότερον ὑμῶν οἴονται φρονεῖν. ### English translation (Claude) When Peter said this, the crowd standing by laughed. And Peter said in response to the laughter: "You laugh at their practices, not knowing that you are laughed at much more by them. You laugh at each other's practices, but you do not see your own, having been led into deception by bad custom. That you are indeed right to laugh at the Egyptians I agree, since, being rational, they worship irrational animals, which certainly die. But hear how they in turn laugh at you. 'We,' they say, 'even if we worship things that die, at least worship things that once lived; but you revere things that never lived.' Besides this they say: 'Wishing to honor the form of the one God, and not finding what kind it is, we chose to honor every form.' And yet, saying such things, they think their judgment more correct than yours. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.17 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-17). ## Homilies 10.18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-18 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Egyptians' rival cults and allegories refute their defense, and Peter turns to cure his hearers' own error. ### Greek text Διὸ καὶ ὑμεῖς ἀποκρίνεσθε πρὸς αὐτούς· ψεύδεσθε, οὐ γὰρ τιμῇ τῇ πρὸς τὸν ὄντως Θεὸν αὐτὰ σέβεσθε, πᾶσαν γὰρ ἄν μορφὴν προσεκυνεῖτε οἱ πάντες, οὐχ ὡς ἐποιεῖτε· οἱ μὲν γὰρ ὑμῶν κρόμμυον ὑπονοήσαντες εἶναι τὸ θεῖον καὶ γαστρὸς πνεύματα σέβοντες πολεμοῦσιν· καὶ οὕτως ὁμοίως οἱ πάντες ἕν τι προτιμήσαντες τὰ ἄλλων ψέγετε. διαφόρῳ δὲ γνώμῃ τοῦ αὐτοῦ ζώου μελῶν ὅς μὲν ἄλλο σέβει, ἕτερος δὲ ἕτερον. πλὴν αὐτῶν ἔτι τὰ τοῦ ὀρθοῦ λογισμοῦ πνέοντες, αἰδούμενοι ἐπὶ τῷ προδήλῳ αἰσχρῷ, εἰς ἀλληγορίας αὐτὰ ἄγειν πειρῶνται, διʼ ἑτέρας ἀπονοίας τὰ τῆς ἀπάτης αὐτῶν θανάσιμα κρατύνειν βουλομένοι. ὅμως καὶ τὰς ἀλληγορίας διελέγξαιμεν ἄν, εἴπερ ἐκεῖ ἦμεν, ὧν τὸ τοσοῦτον μωρὸν ἐπεκράτησεν πάθος, ὡς μεγίστην τῇ ἐπινοίᾳ ἐμποιῆσαι νόσον. οὐ γὰρ χρὴ τὴν ἔμπλαστρον προσφέρειν ἐπὶ τὸ ὑγιεινὸν μέρος τοῦ σώματος, ἀλλʼ ἐπὶ τὸ πάσχον. ἐπεὶ οὖν ὑμεῖς διὰ τοῦ γελάσαι τὰ Αἰγυπτίων ἐφάνητε μὴ πείθοντες τὰ ἐκείνων, περὶ οὗ ὑμεῖς πεπόνθατε, εὔλογον ἦν παρόντα με ὑμῖν τὴν ἴασιν τοῦ ἐν ὑμῖν πάθους παρέχειν. ### English translation (Claude) "So you should answer them: 'You lie. You do not revere these things out of honor for the true God, for then you would all worship every form, not as you do. Some of you, who suppose the divine to be an onion, and others who revere stomach winds, fight each other; and so all of you alike, each preferring one thing, find fault with the things of others. With differing judgment one reveres one limb of the same animal and another another.' Yet those of them who still breathe something of right reason, ashamed of the obvious disgrace, try to turn these things into allegories, wishing by a further folly to strengthen the deadly elements of their deception. We would refute the allegories too, if we were there, where so foolish a passion has prevailed as to produce a very great sickness in their thinking. For one should apply the plaster not to the healthy part of the body but to the part that suffers. Since, then, by laughing at the Egyptians you have shown that you are not persuaded by their views, it was reasonable that, being here with you, I should provide the cure for the disease you do suffer from. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.18 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-18). ## Homilies 10.19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-19 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: What is proper to God alone is to be the maker of all and greater than all, so nothing made can compare with him. ### Greek text Ὁ Θεὸν σέβειν αἰρούμενος πρὸ πάντων εἰδέναι ὀφείλει, τί μόνον τῆς Θεοῦ φύσεως ἴδιόν ἐστιν, ὅ ἄλλῳ προσεῖναι ἀδύνατον, ἵνα εἰς τὸ ἰδίωμα αὐτοῦ ἀποβλέπων καὶ παρʼ ἑτέρῳ αὐτὸ μὴ εὑρίσκων, ἑτέρῳ τῳ θεῷ εἶναι μὴ ἀπατηθῇ δοῦναί ποτε. ἔστιν δὲ ἴδιον Θεοῦ, τοῦτον μόνον εἶναι, ὡς πάντων ποιητὴν, οὕτως καὶ κρείττονα. κρείττων ἐστὶν μὲν δυνάμει τοῦ ποιεῖν τοῦ λοιποῦ, πρὸς μέγεθος τὸ ἄπειρον τοῦ περαινομένου πρὸς εἶδος τὸ εὐμορφότατον, πρὸς εὐδαιμονίαν τὸ μακαριώτατον, πρὸς νοῦν τὸ τελειώτατον. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις αὐτὸ ἀπαραβλήτως τὴν ὑπεροχὴν ἔχει. ἐπεὶ οὖν, ὡς ἔφην, ἴδιον Θεοῦ τὸ αὐτὸν εἶναι τῶν ὅλων κρείττονα, ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ δὲ ὁ πάντα περιέχων γέγονε κόσμος, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα λέγειν, μηδὲν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ γεγονότων αὐτῷ δύνασθαι τὴν ἴσην ἔχειν σύγκρισιν. ### English translation (Claude) "Whoever chooses to worship God must before all else know what alone is proper to God's nature, which cannot belong to another, so that, looking to his distinctive property and not finding it in another, he may never be deceived into granting to another that he is God. It is proper to God that he alone, as the maker of all things, is also greater than all: greater in power, as maker, than all the rest; in greatness, as infinite, than what is bounded; in form, the most beautiful; in happiness, the most blessed; in mind, the most perfect. Likewise in all other things he has a pre-eminence beyond comparison. Since, then, as I said, it is proper to God to be greater than all things, and the world that contains all things was made by him, it must be said that nothing made by him can bear equal comparison with him. ### Translation notes - The list of superiorities is somewhat garbled in the digital text; the translation follows the evident sense. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.19 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-19). ## Homilies 10.20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-20 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Since the made world cannot be God, still less can idols made of its materials by mortal hands. ### Greek text Ὁ δὲ μὴ ἔχων τὸ ἀπαράβλητον καὶ ἀνυπέρβλητον καὶ πάντῃ πάντοθεν ἀνενδεὲς θεὸς εἶναι οὐ δύναται, καθʼ ὅ γεγένηται. πόσῳ γε μᾶλλον τὰ μόρια αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἂν εὐλόγως κληθείη θεός; μόρια δὲ λέγω τοὺς ὑφʼ ὑμῶν λεγομένους θεούς, ἐκ χρυσοῦ καὶ ἀργύρου χαλκοῦ τε καὶ λίθου ἢ καὶ ἐξ ἄλλης ὕλης τινὸς οὖν γεγονότα, καὶ ταῦτα ὑπὸ θνητῆς χειρὸς δεδημιουργημένα. ὅμως δὲ πρὸς ταῦτα ἴδωμεν, οἷα διʼ ἀνθρώπου στόματος ὁ δεινὸς ὄφις φαρμάσσει τοῖς ὑπειγμοῖς τοὺς ἐξαπατωμένους. ### English translation (Claude) "What does not have the incomparable, the unsurpassable, and what lacks nothing in any way or respect cannot be God, inasmuch as it has come into being. How much less could its parts reasonably be called god! By parts I mean those you call gods, made of gold and silver, bronze and stone, or of any other material, and these fashioned by a mortal hand. Nevertheless, let us see in addition how the fearsome serpent, through a human mouth, poisons with his suggestions those who are deceived. ### Translation notes - The subject of the first sentence is evidently the world, as the following "its parts" shows. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.20 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-20). ## Homilies 10.21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-21 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Those who claim to worship a spirit dwelling in the idol admit that the image itself is lifeless and cannot prove the spirit exists. ### Greek text Λέγουσι γὰρ οἱ πολλοί· τῶν σεβασμάτων ἡμῶν σέβομεν οὐ τὸν χρυσὸν οὐδὲ τὸν ἄργυρον οὐδὲ ξύλον ἢ λίθον· ἴσμεν γὰρ καὶ ἡμεῖς ὅτι ταῦτα οὐδέν ἐστιν ἢ ἄψυχος ὕλη καὶ ἀνθρώπου θνητοῦ τέχνη· ἀλλὰ τὸ κατοικοῦν ἐν αὐτοῖς πνεῦμα, τοῦτο θεὸν λέγομεν. ὅρα τῶν ταῦτα λεγόντων τὴν κακοήθειαν. ἐπεὶ γὰρ τὸ φαινόμενον εὐέλεγκτόν ἐστιν, ὅτι οὐδέν ἐστιν, κατέφυγον ἐπὶ τὸ ἀόρατον, ὡς ἐπʼ ἀδήλῳ τινὶ ἐλεγχθῆναι μὴ δυνάμενοι. πλὴν συνομολογοῦσιν ἡμῖν οἱ τοιοῦτοι ἐπὶ μέρους, ὅτι τὸ ἥμισυ τῶν παρʼ αὐτοῖς ἱδρυμάτων Θεὸς οὐκ ἔστιν, ἀλλʼ ἀναίσθητος ὕλη. λοιπὸν δὲ περιλείπεται δεῖξαι αὐτούς, πῶς πιστεύομεν ὅτι θεῖον ἔχει πνεῦμα. ἀλλʼ ἐπιδεῖξαι ἡμῖν οὐ δύνανται ὅτι ἐστίν, ἐπεὶ μή ἐστιν. καὶ αὐτοῖς ἑωρακέναι οὐ πιστεύομεν. ἡμεῖς αὐτοῖς ὅτι θεῖον οὐκ ἔχει τὰς ἀποδείξεις παρέξομεν, ὅπως τοῦ δοκεῖν αὐτὰ ἔμπνοα εἶναι οἱ φιλαληθεῖς τὸν ἔλεγχον ἀκούσαντες τῆς λυσσώδους ὑπονοίας ἀποτραπῶνται. ### English translation (Claude) "For many say: 'In our objects of worship we do not revere the gold or the silver or wood or stone; we too know that these are nothing but lifeless matter and the craft of a mortal man. But the spirit that dwells in them, this we call god.' See the malice of those who say this. Since what is seen is easily refuted as being nothing, they have fled to the invisible, as though they could not be refuted in what is hidden. Yet such people agree with us in part, that half of the images among them is not God but senseless matter. It remains for them to show how we are to believe that it has a divine spirit. But they cannot demonstrate to us that it is so, since it is not; nor do we believe them when they say they have seen it. We, however, will give them proofs that it has nothing divine, so that lovers of truth, hearing the refutation, may turn away from the raving supposition that these things are animated. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.21 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-21). ## Homilies 10.22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-22 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: If idols were animated they would move, speak and defend themselves, but instead they are guarded, plundered, and robbed even by their priests. ### Greek text Τὸ μὲν δὴ πρῶτον, εἰ ὡς ἔμπνοα ὄντα σέβεσθε αὐτά, καὶ αἰωνίων ἀρχαίων τάφους προσκυνεῖτε, τῶν ὁμολογουμένων ὡς οὐδὲ πνεῦμα θεῖον ἐσχηκότων. οὕτως οὐδὲ κατὰ τοῦτο ἀληθεύετε. πλὴν εἰ ὄντως ἔμπνοα ἦν τὰ σεβάσματα ὑμῶν, ἀφʼ ἑαυτῶν ἄν ἐκινεῖτο, φωνὴν ἄν εἶχεν, τὴν ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς ἀράχνην ἀπεσείετο, τοὺς αὐτοῖς ἐπιβουλεῦσαι θέλοντας καὶ κλέπτοντας ἀπεωθεῖτο ἄν, τοὺς τὰ ἀναθήματα ἀποσυλῶντας συνελάμβανεν ἂν ῥᾳδίως. νῦν δὲ τούτων οὐδὲν ποιοῦσιν, ἀλλʼ ὡς κατάδικοι, καὶ μάλιστα οἱ τιμιώτεροι αὐτῶν, φρουροῦνται, ὡς καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν εἰρήκαμεν. τί δὲ οὐ φόρους καὶ τέλη ὑπὲρ αὐτῶν ἀπαιτοῦσιν ὑμᾶς οἱ δυνάσται, ὡς πολλὰ καρπιζομένους τῶν ἐκεῖ; τί δὲ οὐ πολλάκις ὑπὸ πολεμίων διηρπάγησαν, καὶ συντριβέντες διενεμήθησαν; οὐχὶ καὶ τῶν ἔξω θρησκευόντων αὐτοὶ πλέον οἱ ἱερεῖς, ἐπὶ τῇ ἀχρήστῳ θρησκείᾳ ἑαυτῶν κατεγνωκότες, τῶν ἀναθημάτων πολλὰ ὑφαιροῦνται; ### English translation (Claude) "First of all, if you revere them as animated, you also worship the tombs of men of old, who admittedly never had a divine spirit. So you do not speak the truth on this point either. Besides, if your objects of worship were really animated, they would move of themselves, they would have a voice, they would shake off the spider webs on them, they would drive off those who wish to plot against them and steal them, they would easily catch those who strip off the votive offerings. But as it is, they do none of these things; rather, like condemned prisoners, and especially the more valuable of them, they are kept under guard, as we said at the beginning. Why do the rulers not demand tribute and taxes from you on their account, as if you reaped great profit from what is there? Why have they not often been plundered by enemies, broken up, and shared out? Do not the priests themselves, more than the worshippers outside, having passed judgment on their own useless worship, steal away many of the offerings? ### Translation notes - The question about tribute is obscure; it may be sarcastic (the gods produce nothing that could be taxed) or may assume that temples are taxed. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.22 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-22). ## Homilies 10.23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-23 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The occasional capture of temple thieves proves no divine power, and the tending of idols shows they are treated like the dead. ### Greek text Ναί φησιν, ἀλλὰ προνοίᾳ αὐτῶν ἐφωράθησαν. ψεῦδός ἐστιν. πόσοι γὰρ οὐκ ἐφωράθησαν αὐτῶν; εἰ δὲ διὰ τὸ ἐνίους συνειλῆφθαι δύναμιν αὐτοὺς ἔχειν λέγουσιν, πεπλάνηνται. καὶ γὰρ τῶν τυμβωρύχων τινὲς μὲν εὑρίσκονται, τινὲς δὲ λανθάνουσιν, καὶ οὐ δήπου γε τῇ τῶν νεκρῶν δυνάμει οἱ συλληφθέντες ἐφωράθησαν. τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ περὶ τοὺς κλεπτομένους καὶ συλωμένους θεοὺς ἔστιν ἡμῖν νοεῖν. ἀλλά, φησίν, οὐ πεφροντίκασιν τῶν ξοάνων αὑτῶν οἱ ἐν αὐτοῖς ὄντες θεοί. τί οὖν αὐτὰ ὑμεῖς τημελεῖτε σμήχοντες καὶ πλύνοντες καὶ καθαίροντες, στεφανοῦντες, ἐπιθύοντες; διόπερ ἐντεῦθεν συννοήσατε μηδὲ ὀρθῷ λογισμῷ ποιοῦντες. ὡς γὰρ τοῖς νεκροῖς ἐπικλαίετε, οὕτω καὶ τοῖς θεοῖς ὑμῶν ἐπιθύετε καὶ σπένδετε. ### English translation (Claude) "'Yes,' someone says, 'but the thieves were caught by the gods' providence.' It is false. How many of them were not caught? And if they say that the gods have power because some thieves have been arrested, they are mistaken. For of grave robbers too some are found and some escape notice, and surely those who are arrested are not detected by the power of the dead. We may think something similar about the gods who are stolen and plundered. 'But,' someone says, 'the gods who are in them do not care about their own wooden images.' Why then do you tend them, wiping them, washing them, cleaning them, crowning them, sacrificing to them? From this, then, recognize that you do not act with right reason either. For just as you weep over the dead, so you sacrifice and pour libations to your gods. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.23 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-23). ## Homilies 10.24 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-24 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Idols administer nothing, give no light, rain or harvest, and depend on their worshippers for everything. ### Greek text Οὐκέτι μέν τοι τοῦτο οὐδὲ τῷ τοῦ Καίσαρος καὶ τῶν ὑπʼ αὐτὸν ἐξουσιῶν συμφωνεῖ παραδείγματι, διοικητὰς αὐτοὺς λέγειν, ὁπότε ὑμεῖς αὐτῶν τὴν πᾶσαν ποιεῖσθε πρόνοιαν, ὡς προεῖπον, κατὰ πάντα τημελοῦντες ὑμῶν τὰ ἱδρύματα. αὐτὰ γὰρ οὐδὲν δυνάμενα οὐδὲν ποιεῖ. ἐπεὶ εἴπατε ἡμῖν, τί διοικοῦσιν, τί ποιοῦσιν τοιοῦτον, ὁποῖόν τι οἱ κατὰ τόπον ἡγούμενοι; τί δὲ ἐνεργοῦσιν τοιοῦτον, ὁποῖον οἱ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἀστέρες; εἰ μή τι φαίνουσιν, ὡς ὁ ἥλιος, οἷς λύχνους ὑμεῖς ἅπτετε; μὴ, ὥσπερ τὰ νέφη ὑετοὺς φέρει, καὶ αὐτοὶ φέρειν ὄμβρους δύνανται, οἱ μηδὲ ἑαυτοὺς κινεῖν δυνάμενοι, ἐὰν μὴ ἄνθρωποι ἐπιλάβωνται; ἢ καρποὺς παρέχονται; τὸν αὐτὸν τῇ γῇ τοῖς πόνοις ὑμεῖς θυσίας χορηγεῖτε. οὕτως οὐδὲν δύνανται. ### English translation (Claude) "Nor does it agree any longer with the comparison of Caesar and the powers under him to call them administrators, when you take all the care of them, as I said, tending your images in every way. For they, having no power, do nothing. Otherwise tell us: what do they administer? What do they do comparable to what local governors do? What do they accomplish comparable to God's stars? Do they give light like the sun, they for whom you light lamps? Can they, like the clouds that bring rain, bring showers, when they cannot even move themselves unless people lift them? Or do they supply fruits, they for whom you provide sacrifices from the earth by your labors? So they can do nothing. ### Translation notes - The question about fruits is garbled in the digital text; the translation follows the evident sense. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.24 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-24). ## Homilies 10.25 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-25 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Even the useful elements are servants, not gods, and by knowing God and doing good the hearers can rule the demons again as God's sons and heirs. ### Greek text Εἰ δὲ καὶ ποιεῖν τι ἐδύναντο, οὐκ ἄν αὐτοὺς ὀρθῶς θεοὺς ἐλέγετε, ὁπότε οὐδὲ τὰ στοιχεῖα ὀνομάζειν ἔξεστιν θεούς, διʼ ὧν τὰ ἀγαθὰ χορηγεῖται. ἀλλὰ τὸν μόνον τάξαντα αὐτὰ, πρὸς τὴν ἡμετέραν χρῆσιν ἐκτελεῖν τὰ πάντα, καὶ κελεύσαντα ἀνθρώπῳ ὑπηρετεῖν, μόνον ὀρθῷ λόγῳ Θεὸν ὀνομάζομεν. τῆς εὐεργεσίας ὑμεῖς μὴ αἰσθανόμενοι τὰ ὑμῖν δοῦλα ἀπονεμηθέντα στοιχεῖα καθʼ αὑτῶν δεσπόζειν ἀνηγορεύσατε. καὶ τί περὶ στοιχείων δεῖ λέγειν; ὁπότε καὶ ἄψυχα ἀγάλματα πεποιηκότες οὐ μόνον προσκυνεῖτε, ἀλλʼ ὡς δοῦλοι κατὰ πάντα αὐτοῖς ὑποτετάχθαι ἀξιοῦτε. διὰ τοῦτο, ἑαυτοὺς διʼ ὧν παρεφρονήσατε, δαίμοσιν ὑποχείριοι γεγόνατε. πλὴν διὰ τῆς εἰς αὐτὸν τὸν Θεὸν ἐπιγνώσεως ἐκ τῶν καλῶν πράξεων δύνασθε δεσπόται γενέσθαι πάλιν, καὶ δαίμοσιν ὡς δούλοις ἐπιτάξαι, καὶ ὡς υἱοὶ Θεοῦ αἰωνίου βασιλείας κληρονόμοι καταστῆναι. ### English translation (Claude) "And even if they could do something, you would not be right to call them gods, since it is not lawful to name even the elements gods, through which good things are supplied. Only him who ordered them to accomplish all things for our use and commanded them to serve man do we, by right reason, name God. You, not perceiving his kindness, have proclaimed the elements that were assigned to you as servants to be masters over you. And why speak of elements? You have made lifeless images and not only worship them but think fit to be subject to them like slaves in everything. Because of this, through your own folly, you have come under the power of demons. Yet through the knowledge of God himself, by good deeds, you can become masters again, command the demons as slaves, and as sons of God be made heirs of the eternal kingdom." ### Scripture references - Rom 8:17: echo, low confidence ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.25 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-25). ## Homilies 10.26 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-26 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter heals the sick, bathes, eats with his companions after giving thanks, answers their questions, and they sleep. ### Greek text Ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἐκέλευσεν τοὺς δαιμονῶντας καὶ νόσοις ἐγκατειλημμένους αὑτῷ προσφέρεσθαι, προσενεχθεῖσι δὲ τὰς χεῖρας ἐπιθεὶς καὶ προσευξάμενος ἀπέλυσεν αὐτοὺς ὑγιαίνοντας, ὑπομιμνήσκων αὐτοὺς καὶ τοὺς λοιποὺς ὄχλους ἐνταῦθα παρεδρεύειν, ὅσων ἄν ἡμερῶν ἐπιδημῶν διαλέγηται. τῶν οὖν ἄλλων ἀναχωρησάντων ὁ Πέτρος ἐν τῷ ἐκεῖ ὑδροχοείῳ λουσάμενος σὺν τοῖς θελήσασι, χαμαὶ στρωθῆναι κελεύσας ὑπό τινα πυκνὴν τῶν δένδρων κόμην διὰ τὴν σκιάν, κατʼ ἀξίαν ἕκαστον κατακλιθῆναι ἐποίησεν· καὶ οὕτως τροφῆς μετελάβομεν. εὐλογήσας οὖν καὶ ἐπευχαριστήσας τῷ Θεῷ ἐπὶ τῷ εὐφρανθῆναι κατὰ τὴν Ἑβραίων συνήθη πίστιν, ἔτι πολλῆς οὔσης ὥρας πυνθάνεσθαι ἡμᾶς περὶ ὧν θέλομεν ἐπέτρεψεν. καὶ ὅμως εἴκοσι οὖσιν ἡμῖν ἐν μέρει ἑκάστῳ πυθομένῳ ἐπέλυσεν. ἤδη δὲ ἑσπέρας ἐπικαταλαβούσης εἰς τὸν εὐρύτατον τῆς ξενίας οἶκον εἰσελθόντες ἅμα αὐτῷ ἐκεῖ οἱ πάντες ὑπνώσαμεν. ### English translation (Claude) Having said this, he ordered the demon-possessed and those seized by diseases to be brought to him. When they were brought, he laid his hands on them, prayed, and sent them away healthy, reminding them and the rest of the crowds to attend here for as many days as he stayed and taught. When the others had withdrawn, Peter bathed in the water tank there with those who wished, and ordering a place to be spread on the ground under a thick canopy of trees for the shade, he had each of us recline according to rank; and so we took food. Having blessed and given thanks to God for the enjoyment, according to the customary faith of the Hebrews, since there was still much time left he allowed us to ask about whatever we wished. And though there were twenty of us, he answered each one who asked in turn. When evening came on, we went with him into the most spacious room of the lodging, and there we all slept. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 10.26 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-10-26). ## Homilies 11.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-11-1 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: On the fourth day in Tripolis Peter bathes and prays, speaks privately on purity, and then addresses the crowds. ### Greek text Τῇ μὲν οὖν τετάρτῃ ἐν Τριπόλει ἡμέρᾳ ὁ Πέτρος ἐγερθεὶς καὶ ἐγρηγορότας ἡμᾶς εὑρὼν, προσαγορεύσας ἐξῄει εἰς τὸ ὑδροχοεῖον, ὅπως λουσάμενος εὔξηται. ὁμοίως τε καὶ ἡμεῖς ἀκολούθως ἐποιήσαμεν. συνευξαμένοις οὖν καὶ προκαθεσθεῖσιν τὸν περὶ τοῦ δεῖν ἁγνεύειν ἐποιεῖτο λόγον. καὶ ἐπειδὴ λοιπὸν ἡμέρα ἐγεγόνει, τοῖς ὄχλοις εἰσελθεῖν ἐπέτρεψεν. εἰσελθόντος δὲ τοῦ ὄχλου πολλοὺς συνήθως προσαγορεύσας λέγειν ἤρξατο. ### English translation (Claude) On the fourth day in Tripolis Peter rose, and finding us awake he greeted us and went out to the water tank to bathe and pray; and we did likewise after him. When we had prayed together and sat down before him, he gave a talk on the need to keep pure. And when it was now day, he allowed the crowds to come in. When the crowd had come in, he greeted many as usual and began to speak. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.1 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-11-1). ## Homilies 11.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-11-2 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The hearers' minds are like neglected land full of thorns and need constant, urgent cleansing so that the word may bear fruit. ### Greek text Ἐπειδὴ πολλῇ τῇ καθʼ ὑμῶν ὑφʼ ὑμῶν γενομένῃ ἀμελείᾳ ὁ νοῦς τὰς πολλὰς καὶ βλαβερὰς. τῶν θρησκειῶν ὑπονοίας ἐξέφυσεν, καὶ γεγόνατε ὥσπερ γῆ ἀπορίᾳ γεωργοῦ χερσεύσασα, πολλοῦ πρὸς κάθαρσιν δεῖσθε χρόνου, ἵνα τὸν μεταδιδόμενον ὑμῖν λόγον ἀληθῆ ὥσπερ καλὸν σπόρον ὁ νοῦς λαβὼν μὴ κακαῖς φροντίσιν συμπνίξας ἄκαρπον καταστήσει πρὸς τὰ σώζειν δυνάμενα ἔργα. διὸ χρὴ τοὺς πεφροντικότας τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας συνεχέστερον ἐπακούειν, ὅπως τὰ ἐκ μακρῶν χρόνων ἀτοπήματα πληθυνθέντα βραχεῖ τῷ περιλειπομένῳ χρόνῳ συνεχεῖ σπουδῇ πρὸς κάθαρσιν ἀναλογῆσαι δυνηθῇ. ἐπεὶ οὖν ἕκαστος ἄδηλον ἔχει τοῦ ἰδίου χρόνου τὸ τέλος, σπεύσατε τὰς πολλὰς τῶν καρδιῶν ὑμῶν ἐξελεῖν ἀκάνθας μὴ κατʼ ὀλίγον· οὐ γὰρ δυνήσεσθε καθαρθῆναι, ἐπὶ πολὺ γὰρ ἐχερσεύσατε. ### English translation (Claude) "Since, through the great neglect you have shown to your own harm, your mind has sprouted the many harmful notions of the religions, and you have become like land gone wild for lack of a farmer, you need a long time for cleansing, so that your mind, receiving the true word imparted to you like good seed, may not choke it with evil cares and make it unfruitful in the works that can save. Therefore those who care for their own salvation must listen more constantly, so that the absurdities that have multiplied over long times may be matched, in the short time that remains, by constant effort toward cleansing. Since, then, each of you has the end of his own time hidden from him, hasten to root out the many thorns of your hearts, and not little by little; otherwise you will not be able to be cleansed, for you have lain wild a long time. ### Scripture references - Matt 13:22: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 13:7: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The imagery recalls the parable of the sower (Matt 13:7, 22). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.2 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-11-2). ## Homilies 11.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-11-3 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The hearers must turn righteous anger against their evil desires, burning them away like fire on a neglected field. ### Greek text Οὐκ ἄλλως δὲ τὸ πολὺ τῆς σπουδῆς πρὸς κάθαρσιν ὑμῶν ἀναδέξασθαι ὑπομένετε, ἐὰν μή γε αὑτοῖς ὀργισθέντες ἐπιπλήξητε περὶ ὧν ὡς ἀχρεῖοι ἐνηδρεύθητε συνθέμενοι ταῖς κακαῖς ὑμῶν ἐπιθυμίαις, ἵνα τὴν δικαίαν ὑμῶν ὀργὴν τῷ νῷ ὡς πῦρ χερσευούσῃ ἀρούρῃ ἐπαφεῖναι δυνηθῆτε. εἰ μὲν οὖν οὐκ ἔχετε δίκαιον πῦρ, τὴν κατὰ τῶν κακῶν ἐπιθυμιῶν ὀργὴν λέγω, μάθετε ἀπὸ ποίων καλῶν ἐνηδρεύθητε, καὶ πρὸς ποίαν κόλασιν κατηρτίσθητε, καὶ ὑπὸ τίνος ἠπατήθητε, καὶ οὕτως ὑμῶν ὁ νοῦς νήψας, καὶ ὥσπερ πῦρ ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ πέμψαντος ἡμᾶς διδασκαλίας ἐξαφθεὶς εἰς ὀργὴν, τὰ κακὰ τῆς ἐπιθυμίας ἀναλῶσαι δυνηθῇ. πιστεύσατέ μοι, ὅτι θελήσαντες πάντα κατορθῶσαι δυνήσεσθε. ### English translation (Claude) "But you will not bear to undertake the great effort needed for your cleansing unless you become angry with yourselves and rebuke yourselves for the things in which, like worthless men, you were ensnared by agreeing with your evil desires, so that you may be able to set your righteous anger upon your mind like fire upon a field gone wild. If you do not have righteous fire (I mean anger against evil desires), learn from what good things you have been lured away, for what punishment you have been made ready, and by whom you have been deceived; and so your mind, becoming sober and kindled like fire into anger by the teaching of him who sent us, may be able to consume the evils of desire. Believe me: if you are willing, you will be able to set everything right. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.3 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-11-3). ## Homilies 11.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-11-4 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Man, not the idol, is God's image, so godliness toward God means feeding, clothing, sheltering and visiting people in need. ### Greek text Θεοῦ τοῦ ἀοράτου ἐστὲ εἰκών. ὅθεν οἱ εὐσεβεῖν βουλόμενοι μὴ τὰ εἴδωλα λεγέτωσαν Θεοῦ εἰκόνα εἶναι, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο δεῖν αὐτὰ σέβειν. εἰκὼν γὰρ Θεοῦ ὁ ἄνθρωπος. ὁ εἰς Θεὸν εὐσεβεῖν θέλων ἄνθρωπον εὐεργετεῖ, ὅτι εἰκόνα Θεοῦ τὸ ἀνθρώπου βαστάζει σῶμα. τὴν δὲ ὁμοιότητα οὐκέτι πάντες, ἀλλʼ ἀγαθῆς ψυχῆς ὁ καθαρὸς νοῦς. πλὴν ὡς ἡμεῖς οἴδαμεν τὸν ἄνθρωπον κατʼ εἰκόνα καὶ καθʼ ὁμοίωσιν γεγονότα τοῦ Θεοῦ, εἰς τοῦτον ὑμᾶς εὐσεβεῖν λέγομεν, ἵνα εἰς Θεόν, οὗπέρ ἐστιν εἰκών, ἡ χάρις λογισθῇ. τιμὴν οὖν τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰκόνι, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἄνθρωπος, προσφέρειν δεῖ οὕτως, πεινῶντι τροφήν, διψῶντι ποτόν, γυμνητεύοντι ἔνδυμα, νοσοῦντι πρόνοιαν, ξένῳ στέγην, καὶ τῷ ἐν εἱρκτῇ ὄντι ἐπιφαινόμενον βοηθεῖν ὡς δυνατόν ἐστιν. καὶ ἵνα μὴ τὸ κατʼ εἶδος λέγω, πάντα ὅσα ἑαυτῷ τις θέλει καλά, ὡσαύτως ἄλλῳ χρῄζοντι παρεχέτω, καὶ τότε αὐτῷ εἰς τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰκόνα εὐσεβήσαντι δύναται ἀγαθὸς λογισθῆναι μισθός· ᾧ λόγῳ εἰ καὶ ταῦτα ποιεῖν μὴ ἀναδέξηται, ὡς ἀμελήσας τῆς εἰκόνος κολασθήσεται. ### English translation (Claude) "You are the image of the invisible God. So let those who wish to be godly not say that idols are God's image and must therefore be worshipped. For the image of God is man. Whoever wishes to be godly toward God does good to man, because the human body bears the image of God. Not all, however, bear the likeness any longer, but only the pure mind of a good soul. Yet since we know that man was made after the image and likeness of God, we tell you to show your godliness toward him, so that the kindness may be credited to God, whose image he is. You must therefore offer honor to the image of God, which is man, in this way: food to the hungry, drink to the thirsty, clothing to the naked, care to the sick, shelter to the stranger, and to him who is in prison, appearing and helping as far as possible. And not to speak case by case: whatever good things a person wishes for himself, let him provide the same to another in need; and then a good reward can be credited to him for his godliness toward the image of God. By the same reasoning, if he will not undertake to do these things, he will be punished for neglecting the image. ### Scripture references - Col 1:15: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 1:26: allusion, high confidence - Matt 25:35: allusion, high confidence - Matt 25:36: allusion, high confidence - Matt 7:12: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - "Image of the invisible God," said in Col 1:15 of Christ, is here applied to human beings. The list of works follows Matt 25:35–36, and the rule of doing to others as to oneself Matt 7:12. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.4 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-11-4). ## Homilies 11.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-11-5 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Idolaters claim piety toward images while murdering, committing adultery and stealing against man, God's true image. ### Greek text Οἶον οὖν ἐστιν λέγειν ποτέ, ὅτι εὐσεβείας τῆς εἰς Θεὸν χάριν πᾶσαν μορφὴν σεβόμενοι, τὸν ἄνθρωπον τὴν ὄντως εἰκόνα θεοῦ ὄντα ἐν πᾶσιν ἐνυβρίζοντες, φονεύοντες, μοιχεύοντες, κλέπτοντες καὶ κατὰ πολλὰ ἄλλα ἀτιμάζοντες; ἐχρῆν δὲ μηδʼ ἕν κακὸν πράττειν, διʼ ὅ ἄνθρωπος λυπεῖται· νῦν δὲ πάντα πράττετε, διʼ ἅ ἄνθρωπος ἀθυμεῖ· ἀδικία γὰρ καὶ ἂν ἀθυμία γίνεται. διὰ τοῦτο φονεύετε καὶ ἀφαιρεῖσθε τὰ αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὅσα ἄλλα ἴστε, ἅπερ παθεῖν οὐ θέλετε. ὑμεῖς δὲ ἑρπετῷ τινι κακούργῳ πρὸς κακίαν ἀπατηθέντες ὑπονοίᾳ πολυθέου γνώσεως, εἰς μὲν τὴν ὄντως εἰκόνα, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἄνθρωπος, ἀσεβεῖτε, εἰς δὲ τὰ ἀναίσθητα εὐσεβεῖν δοκεῖτε. ### English translation (Claude) "What sort of thing is it, then, to say that you worship every form for the sake of godliness toward God, while in everything you outrage man, who is truly God's image, murdering, committing adultery, stealing, and dishonoring him in many other ways? You ought not to do a single evil thing by which a man is grieved; but as it is, you do everything by which a man is disheartened, for even injustice brings dejection. That is why you murder, take away his goods, and whatever else you know you would not wish to suffer. You, deceived into wickedness by some malicious reptile through the notion of a knowledge of many gods, act impiously toward the true image, which is man, while you think you are godly toward senseless things. ### Scripture references - Exod 20:13: allusion, medium confidence - Exod 20:14: allusion, medium confidence - Exod 20:15: allusion, medium confidence ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.5 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-11-5). ## Homilies 11.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-11-6 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God does not destroy the objects of idol worship, since nearly everything has been worshipped and the worshipped thing itself is not guilty. ### Greek text Τινὲς δὲ λέγουσιν, εἰ μὴ ἤθελεν αὐτὰ εἶναι, οὐκ ἄν ἦν, ἀλλʼ ἀνῃρεῖτο ἄν. φημὶ κᾀγώ, τοῦτο πάντως ἔσται, ὅταν τὴν αὑτῶν πρὸς αὐτὸν δείξωσιν προαίρεσιν, καὶ οὕτως ἀλλαγὴ τοῦ νῦν γενήσεται κόσμου. πλὴν εἰ καὶ οὕτως, εἰ θέλετε αὐτὸν ποιῆσαι, ἵνα μηδὲν τῶν προσκυνουμένων ὑπῆρχεν, εἴπατε ἡμῖν, τί τῶν ὄντων οὐκ ἐθρησκεύσατε; οὐχ οἱ μὲν ὑμῶν τὸν ἥλιον, οἱ δὲ σελήνην, οἱ δὲ ὕδωρ, οἱ δὲ γῆν, οἱ δὲ τὰ ὄρη, οἱ δὲ φυτὰ, οἱ δὲ τὰ σπέρματα, οἱ δὲ καὶ ἄνθρωπον, ὡς ἐν Αἰγύπτῳ, προσκυνοῦσιν; ἐχρῆν οὖν τὸν Θεὸν μηδὲν ἐάσαι, ἀλλὰ μηδὲ ὑμᾶς, ἵνα μηδὲν ἂν ἦν τὸ προσκυνούμενον, μήτε τὸ προσκυνοῦν. ἀληθῶς τοῦτο βούλεται γενέσθαι ὁ ἐν ὑμῖν δεινὸς ἐνδομυχῶν ὄφις, ὅς οὐ φείδεται ὑμῶν. ἀλλʼ οὐχ οὕτως ἔσται. οὐδὲν γὰρ ἁμαρτάνει τὸ προσκυνούμενον βίαν γὰρ πάσχει ὑπὸ τοῦ προσκυνεῖν αὐτὸ θέλοντος. εἰ γὰρ ὑπὸ πάντων ἀνθρώπων ἄδικος γίνεται κρίσις, ἀλλʼ οὐχ ὑπὸ Θεοῦ. οὐ γὰρ δίκαιόν ἐστιν τὴν αὐτὴν τιμωρίαν ἀναδέξασθαι τὸν πάσχοντα καὶ τὸν διαθέμενον, ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ αὐτὸς ἑκὼν ἀναδέξηται τὴν τοῦ μόνου τιμιωτάτου τιμήν. ### English translation (Claude) "Some say: 'If he did not wish these things to exist, they would not exist; he would have destroyed them.' I too say that this will certainly happen, when people have shown their choice toward him, and so a change of the present world will come about. But even so, if you want him to act so that none of the objects of worship should exist, tell us: what existing thing have you not worshipped? Do not some of you worship the sun, others the moon, others water, others earth, others mountains, others plants, others seeds, and others even a man, as in Egypt? Then God ought to have allowed nothing to exist, not even you, so that there would be nothing worshipped and nothing worshipping. Truly this is what the fearsome serpent lurking in you wishes to happen, for he does not spare you. But it will not be so. The thing worshipped does no wrong, for it suffers violence from the one who wishes to worship it. Even if an unjust judgment is given by all men, it is not so with God. For it is not just that the one who suffers and the one who contrived it should receive the same punishment, unless the thing itself willingly accepts the honor of the only Most Honored. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.6 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-11-6). ## Homilies 11.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-11-7 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God does not destroy idolaters because he patiently waits for them to repent, and many have. ### Greek text Ἀλλά φησιν, ἐχρῆν αὐτοὺς τοὺς προσκυνοῦντας ἀναιρεῖσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ ὄντως Θεοῦ, ἵνα ἄλλος τοῦτο μὴ ποιῇ. ἀλλʼ οὐκ εἶ σοφώτερος τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἵνα αὐτῷ ὡς φρονιμώτερος γνώμην δῷς. οἶδεν ὅ ποιεῖ. πᾶσιν γὰρ ἐν ἀσεβείᾳ οὖσιν μακροθυμεῖ, ὡς ἐλεήμων καὶ φιλάνθρωπος πατὴρ, εἰδὼς ὅτι καὶ ἐξ ἀσεβῶν εὐσεβεῖς γίνονται. καὶ αὐτῶν τῶν σεβόντων τὰ αἰσχρὰ καὶ ἀναίσθητα πολλοὶ νήψαντες τὸ μὲν αὐτὰ σέβειν καὶ ἁμαρτάνειν ἐπαύσαντο, τῷ δὲ ὄντως Θεῷ πρὸς ταῖς εὐχαῖς καὶ Ἕλληνες ἐσώθησαν. ### English translation (Claude) "'But,' someone says, 'the worshippers themselves should be destroyed by the true God, so that no one else does this.' But you are not wiser than God, that you should give him advice as one more prudent. He knows what he is doing. He is patient with all who are in ungodliness, as a merciful and kind father, knowing that the ungodly also become godly. And of those very people who worship shameful and senseless things, many have come to their senses and ceased to worship them and to sin, and Greeks too have been saved by their prayers to the true God. ### Scripture references - 2 Pet 3:9: echo, low confidence ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.7 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-11-7). ## Homilies 11.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-11-8 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God gave free will because only chosen goodness is true goodness, and making God the cause of all thoughts makes him the author of sin. ### Greek text Ἀλλὰ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔδει ποιῆσαι ἡμᾶς μηδʼ ὅλως περὶ τοιούτων ἐνθυμεῖσθαι. ταῦτα λέγοντες ἀγνοεῖτε τί ἐστιν τὸ αὐτεξούσιον, καὶ πῶς δυνατόν ἐστιν ἀγαθοὺς τῷ ὄντι εἶναι. ὅτι ὁ ἰδίᾳ προαιρέσει ὤν ἀγαθὸς ὄντως ἀγαθός ἐστιν, ὁ δὲ ὑφʼ ἑτέρου ἀνάγκῃ ἀγαθὸς γενόμενος ὄντως οὐκ ἔστιν, ὅτι μὴ ἰδίᾳ προαιρέσει ἐστὶν ὅ ἐστιν. ἐπεὶ οὖν τὸ ἑκάστου ἐλεύθερον ἀποτελεῖ τὸ ὄντως ἀγαθόν, καὶ δεικνύει τὸ ὄντως κακόν, ἐν ἑκάστῳ γενέσθαι ἐχθρὸν ἢ φίλον διὰ τῶν ὑποθέσεων ὁ Θεὸς ἐμηχανήσατο. οὔ φησιν, ἀλλὰ πᾶν ὅ ἐνθυμούμεθα, αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς ποιεῖ νοεῖν. παύσασθε· τί πλεῖον βλασφημεῖτε οἱ τοῦτο λέγοντες; εἰ γὰρ πᾶν ὅ τι ἐνθυμηθῶμεν, ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ ἐνεργούμεθα, αὐτὸν αἴτιον λέγετε πορνειῶν, ἀσελγειῶν, πλεονεξιῶν καὶ πάσης βλασφημίας. παύσασθε δυσφημοῦντες, οἱ εὐφημεῖν καὶ πᾶσαν τιμὴν αὐτῷ ἀπονέμειν ὀφείλοντες. καὶ μὴ λέγετε· οὐκ ἐπιδικάζεται ὁ θεὸς τιμῆς. εἰ γὰρ αὐτὸς οὐδενὸς ἐπιδικάζεται, ἀλλʼ οὖν γε ὑμᾶς ἐχρῆν εἰς τὸ δίκαιον ἀφορῶντας τὸν ἐν πᾶσιν ὑμᾶς εὐεργετήσαντα εὐχαρίστῳ ἀμείψασθαι φωνῇ. ### English translation (Claude) "'But he should have made us from the beginning so that we would not think about such things at all.' Those who say this do not know what free will is, and how it is possible to be truly good: the one who is good by his own choice is truly good, but the one made good by another through necessity is not truly good, because he is not what he is by his own choice. Since, then, each person's freedom brings about what is truly good and shows what is truly evil, God contrived that in each person enmity or friendship should arise through circumstances. 'No,' someone says, 'but everything we think, he himself makes us think.' Stop! Why do you who say this blaspheme further? For if in everything we think we are moved by him, you are saying that he is the cause of sexual immoralities, debaucheries, greed, and every blasphemy. Stop speaking ill of him, you who ought to speak well of him and give him every honor. And do not say, 'God does not claim honor.' For even if he claims nothing, you, looking to what is just, ought to repay with a thankful voice the one who has done you good in everything. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.8 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/10-1/#p-11-8). ## Homilies 11.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-9 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God does not share his healing with idols, lest they take credit, and praise or blasphemy affects not God but the one who speaks. ### Greek text Ἀλλά φησιν, κρεῖττον ποιοῦμεν, ἅμα αὐτῷ καὶ πᾶσιν εὐχαριστοῦντες. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα λέγοντες οὐκ ἴστε τὴν καθʼ ὑμῶν ἐπιβουλήν. ὡς γάρ, ὁπόταν ἕνα κάμνοντα πολλοὶ ἰατροὶ θεραπεύειν ἐπαγγέλλωνται μηδὲν δυνάμενοι, εἶς δέ τις ὄντως ἰᾶσθαι δυνάμενος τὴν αὐτοῦ ἀντίδοτον μὴ προσφέρει, λογισάμενος ὅτι, ἄν αὐτὸς θεραπεύσῃ, ἄλλοι ἐπιγράφονται, οὕτω καὶ ὁ Θεὸς μετὰ πολλῶν ἀξιούμενος τῶν μηδὲν δυναμένων, οὐκ εὐεργετεῖ. τί οὖν, φησίν, ὁ Θεὸς ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἀγανακτεῖ, ἐάν γε αὐτοῦ θεραπεύοντος ἄλλος ἐπιγραφῇ; φημί, εἰ καὶ μὴ ἀγανακτεῖ, ἀλλʼ οὖν γε οὐ λέγει τῆς ἀπάτης συνεργὸς γενέσθαι. αὐτοῦ γὰρ εὐεργετήσαντος καὶ τὸ μηδὲν ποιῆσαν εἴδωλον ὡς δυνηθὲν πιστοῦται. ἀλλὰ κἀγώ φημί σοι, εἰ μὴ φυσικῶς ἠδίκητο πρὸς ἀναίσθητα ἐπτοημένος, ἴσως ἂν καὶ τοῦτο ὑπομεμενήκει, διʼ ὅν ἥψατε ὑπὲρ τῆς σωτηρίας τὰ εὔλογα νοεῖν. ὁ Θεὸς γὰρ ἀνενδεὴς ὤν αὐτὸς οὐδενὸς δεῖται, οὔτε βλάπτεται. ἡμῶν γάρ ἐστιν τὸ ὠφελεῖσθαι ἢ βλάπτεσθαι. ὅνπερ γὰρ τρόπον Καῖσαρ οὔτε βλασφημούμενος βλάπτεται, οὔτε εὐχαριστούμενος ὠφελεῖται, ἀλλὰ τοῦ εὐχαριστοῦντος μὲν γίνεται τὸ ἀκίνδυνον, τοῦ δὲ βλασφημοῦντος ὄλεθρος, οὕτως οἱ Θεὸν εὐφημοῦντες αὐτὸν μὲν οὐδὲν ὠφελοῦσιν, ἑαυτοὺς δὲ σώζουσιν, ὁμοίως καὶ οἱ βλασφημοῦντες αὐτὸν μὲν οὐκ ἀδικοῦσιν, αὐτοὶ δὲ ὀλοθρεύονται. ### English translation (Claude) "'But,' someone says, 'we do better when we give thanks to him and to all the others together.' Saying this, you do not know the plot against you. For just as, when many physicians who can do nothing promise to cure one sick man, the one who can truly heal does not apply his remedy, reckoning that if he cures him others will take the credit, so God too, when he is asked together with many who can do nothing, does not grant his benefits. 'What then,' someone says, 'is God indignant at this, if another takes the credit when he heals?' I say that even if he is not indignant, he at least does not agree to become an accomplice in the deception. For if he did the good, the idol that did nothing would also be believed to have had power. And I say to you as well: if the one who is infatuated with senseless things had not been harmed by the nature of the case, perhaps he would have tolerated even this; through whom you have begun to think reasonably about salvation. For God, being without need, himself needs nothing and is not harmed; it is we who are helped or harmed. For just as Caesar is neither harmed when he is slandered nor helped when he is thanked, but safety comes to the one who thanks and ruin to the one who slanders, so those who speak well of God help him not at all but save themselves; and likewise those who blaspheme do him no wrong but are themselves destroyed. ### Translation notes - The sentence beginning "if the one who is infatuated" is obscure and probably corrupt in the digital text; the translation is tentative. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.9 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-9). ## Homilies 11.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-10 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Impiety against God is punished more severely, as all creation, indignant, withholds its goods from blasphemers even now. ### Greek text Ἀλλά φησιν, οὐχ ὁμοίως ἐπʼ ἀνθρώπου καὶ Θεοῦ. σύμφημι κἀγὼ ὅτι οὐχ ὁμοίως. μείζων γὰρ ἡ κόλασις ὡς μεῖζον ἀσεβήσαντι, ἥττων δὲ τῷ εἰς τὸν ἥττονα ἁμαρτήσαντι. ὡς οὖν πάντων μείζων ὁ Θεός, οὕτως μείζονα ὑφέξει κόλασιν ὁ εἰς αὐτὸν ἀσεβήσας, ὡς εἰς μείζονα ἁμαρτήσας, οὐκ αὐτοῦ αὐτόχειρος ἀμυνομένου, ἀλλὰ πάσης τῆς κτίσεως ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἀγανακτούσης καὶ φυσικῶς ἐπεξερχομένης. οὐ γὰρ δώσει τῷ βλασφήμῳ οὐχ ἥλιος τὸ φῶς, οὐ γῆ τοὺς καρπούς, οὐ πηγὴ τὸ ὕδωρ, οὐκ ἐν ᾅδῃ τῇ ψυχῇ ὁ ἐκεῖ καθεστὼς ἄρχων τὴν ἀνάπαυσιν, ὁπότε καὶ νῦν ἐπὶ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου προθεσμίας ὑφεστώσης παραγανακτεῖ πᾶσα ἡ κτίσις. διὸ οὔτε τελείους ὑετοὺς παρέχει, οὔτε γῆ τοὺς καρπούς, διὸ οἱ πλείονες λυμαίνονται. ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτὸς ἀὴρ θυμῷ ὑπεκκαιόμενος πρὸς λοιμώδη πρᾶξιν μεταβάλλεται. πλὴν ὅσων ἀπολαύομεν ἀγαθῶν, τῷ αὑτοῦ ἐλέῳ εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν φιλανθρωπίαν βιάζεται τὴν κτίσιν. οὕτως ὑμῖν τοῖς ἀτιμάζουσιν τὸν τῶν ὅλων δημιουργὸν ἡ πᾶσα κτίσις χαλεπαίνει. ### English translation (Claude) "'But,' someone says, 'the case of a man and of God is not alike.' I too agree that it is not alike. For the punishment is greater for one who has committed a greater impiety, and less for one who has sinned against a lesser. As God is greater than all, so the one who acts impiously against him will undergo greater punishment, as having sinned against the greater; not that God avenges himself with his own hand, but the whole creation is indignant at it and by nature pursues the offender. The sun will not give the blasphemer its light, nor the earth its fruits, nor the spring its water, nor will the ruler appointed in Hades give his soul rest; for even now, while the appointed term of the world still stands, the whole creation is indignant. That is why the sky does not provide full rains, nor the earth its fruits, so that very many suffer harm. Even the air itself, inflamed with anger, is changed into pestilential action. Yet as for all the good things we enjoy, by his mercy God constrains creation to kindness toward us. So the whole creation is hostile to you who dishonor the Creator of all. ### Scripture references - Rom 8:22: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The subject of "does not provide full rains" is not expressed in the Greek; the sky or the clouds is implied. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.10 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-10). ## Homilies 11.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-11 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The soul is immortal and the ungodly face endless punishment in unquenchable fire, and Peter must warn of this even at the risk of seeming to frighten. ### Greek text Κἂν γὰρ τῇ τοῦ σώματος λύσει τὴν κόλασιν ἐκφύγητε, πῶς τὴν ψυχὴν ὑμῶν ἄφθαρτον οὖσαν διὰ τῆς φθορᾶς φυγεῖν δυνήσεσθε; ἀθάνατος γὰρ ἡ ψυχὴ καὶ τῶν ἀσεβῶν, οἷς ἄμεινον ἦν μὴ ἄφθαρτον αὐτὴν ἔχειν. κολαζομένη γὰρ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀσβέστου πυρὸς ἀπεράντῳ τιμωρίᾳ, καὶ μὴ θνήσκουσα, ἐπὶ κακῷ τῷ αὑτῆς τέλος λαβεῖν οὐκ ἔχει. ἀλλʼ ἴσως ἐρεῖ τις ὑμῶν· φοβεῖς ἡμᾶς Πέτρε. διδάξατε οὖν ἡμᾶς, πῶς σιγῶντες ἐροῦμεν τὰ ὄντα ὡς ἔστιν, ἄλλως γὰρ αὐτὰ ὑμῖν σημαίνειν οὐ δυνάμεθα. ἐάν τε σιγήσωμεν, ἐνεδρεύεσθε ὑπὸ τῶν κακῶν διὰ τὴν ἄγνοιαν, ἐάν τε λαλήσωμεν, ὡς ἐπὶ ψευδεῖ ὑποθέσει φοβοῦντες ὑμᾶς ὑποπτευόμεθα. πῶς οὖν ἐπᾴσωμεν τῷ εἰς τὴν ὑμετέραν κακῷ ἐνδομυχοῦντι καὶ πανούργως ὑποσπείροντι ὑμῖν τὰς Θεῷ ἐχθραινούσας ὑπονοίας προφάσει τῆς πρὸς Θεὸν φιλίας; διαλλάγητε ἑαυτοῖς· ὑπὲρ γὰρ τῆς ὑμῶν σωτηρίας γίνεται ἡ μετὰ εὐποιΐας πρὸς αὐτὸν καταφυγή. ἔχθρα τίς ἐστιν Θεῷ ἐν ὑμῖν ἄλογος ἐπιθυμία, ὑπονοίᾳ γὰρ φρονήσεως τὴν ἄγνοιαν κρατύνει. ### English translation (Claude) "Even if you escape punishment by the dissolution of the body, how will you be able, through corruption, to escape your soul, which is incorruptible? For the soul even of the ungodly is immortal, and it would be better for them not to have it incorruptible. For it is punished by the unquenchable fire with endless torment, and not dying, it cannot find an end to its misery. But perhaps one of you will say: 'You are frightening us, Peter.' Teach us, then, how we can keep silent and still tell things as they are; for we cannot make them known to you in any other way. If we keep silent, you are ensnared by evils through ignorance; if we speak, we are suspected of frightening you on a false premise. How then shall we charm the evil one who lurks in your soul and cunningly sows in you notions hostile to God under the pretext of friendship toward God? Be reconciled to yourselves: taking refuge in him with good deeds is for your own salvation. Irrational desire in you is a kind of enmity against God, for under the appearance of wisdom it strengthens ignorance. ### Scripture references - Mark 9:43: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 3:12: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - "Unquenchable fire" recalls Mark 9:43. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.11 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-11). ## Homilies 11.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-12 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: God's sun and rain show his care, and honoring idols alongside him insults him as a son insults a father by honoring a stranger. ### Greek text Ἄλλοι δὲ λέγουσιν· οὐ πεφρόντικεν ἡμῶν ὁ Θεός. καὶ τοῦτο ψεῦδός ἐστιν. εἰ γὰρ ὄντως οὐκ ἐφρόντιζεν, οὐκ ἂν οὐδὲ τὸν ἥλιον αὑτοῦ ἀνέτελλεν ἐπὶ ἀγαθοὺς καὶ πονηρούς, οὔτε τὸν ὑετὸν αὑτοῦ ἔφερεν ἐπὶ δικαίους καὶ ἀδίκους. ἕτεροι δὲ λέγουσιν· εὐσεβέστεροί ἐσμεν, καὶ αὐτὸν καὶ τὰ ἀγάλματα σέβοντες. οὐκ οἶμαι, εἰ τοῦτο λέγων ἐρεῖ βασιλεῖ· τὴν ἴσην σοι ἀπονέμω τιμήν, οἵαν καὶ τοῖς νεκροῖς καὶ ἐῤῥιμμένῃ κοπρίᾳ· οὐκ οἴομαι εἰ καλῶς ἀπαλλάξει. ἀλλʼ ἐρεῖ τις· κοπρίαν λέγεις τὰ σεβάσματα ἡμῶν; ναί φημι. ἄχρηστα γὰρ ὑμῖν αὐτὰ ἐποιήσατε, εἰς τὸ σέβειν καταριθμήσαντες, τῆς οὐσίας αὐτῶν ἴσως εἰς ἄλλο τι, εἰς χρῆσιν κόπρου, εὐχρηστησάσης. νῦν δὲ οὐδὲ εἰς τοῦτο χρησιμεύει, ὅτε μετασχηματίσαντες προσκυνεῖτε. πῶς δὲ εὐσεβέστεροι εἶναί φατε, οἱ πάντων ἀσεβέστατοι, ταύτῃ αὐτῇ τῇ μιᾷ καὶ ἀσυγκρίτῳ ἁμαρτίᾳ ψυχῆς ὄλεθρον ὀφείλοντες τὰ ἀληθῆ, ἐὰν ἐπιμείνητε; ὡς γὰρ εἴ τις υἱὸς πολλὰ εὐεργετούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς ἑτέρῳ τινὶ τῷ μὴ πατρὶ τὴν ὀφειλομένην τῷ πατρὶ ἀποδῷ τιμήν, πάντως ἀποκληρονόμος γίνεται· ἐπὰν δὲ κατὰ γνώμην τοῦ πατρὸς βιοὺς εὐχαριστῇ ἐπὶ ταῖς εὐεργεσίαις, εὐλόγως κληρονόμος γίνεται. ### English translation (Claude) "Others say: 'God does not care for us.' This too is false. For if he really did not care, he would not make his sun rise on the good and the evil, nor bring his rain on the just and the unjust. Others say: 'We are more godly, since we worship both him and the images.' I do not think that if someone said to a king, 'I give you equal honor with what I give to corpses and to discarded dung,' he would come off well. But someone will say: 'Do you call our objects of worship dung?' Yes, I say. For you have made them useless to yourselves by counting them as objects of worship, when their material might perhaps have been useful for something else, even for use as manure. But now it is not useful even for this, since you have reshaped it and worship it. How can you say you are more godly, you who are the most ungodly of all, who by this one incomparable sin truly incur the destruction of the soul, if you persist? For if a son who has received many benefits from his father gives to someone else who is not his father the honor owed to his father, he is certainly disinherited; but when he lives according to his father's mind and gives thanks for his benefits, he rightly becomes heir. ### Scripture references - Matt 5:45: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The saying follows Matt 5:45. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.12 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-12). ## Homilies 11.13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-13 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter answers the appeal to ancestral custom and points out that people pray to heaven for rain but give the harvest's firstfruits to idols. ### Greek text Ἄλλοι δὲ λέγουσιν· ἀσεβεῖν μέλλομεν, ἐὰν τὰ παραδοθέντα ἡμῖν ἐκ πατέρων σεβάσματα λείψωμεν· ὅμοιον γάρ ἐστιν τῷ παραθήκην φυλάξαι. οὐκοῦν τούτῳ τῷ λόγῳ κἄν λῃστοῦ τις ᾖ πατρὸς ἢ αἰσχροβίου, οὐκ ὀφείλει ὁ υἱὸς νήψας τὸ κρεῖττον ἑλέσθαι, ἵνα μὴ ἀσεβήσῃ; πῶς δὲ ἀνόητοι οἱ λέγοντες· ταῦτα προσκυνοῦμεν, ἵνα μὴ αὐτῷ ὀχλῶμεν; ὡς ὀχλουμένου Θεοῦ ἐφʼ οἷς εὐφημεῖται, μὴ ὀχλουμένου δὲ ἐφʼ οἷς ἀχαριστούμενος βλασφημεῖται. διὰ τί οὖν, ὁπόταν ἐποχὴ ὑετοῦ γένηται, πρὸς οὐρανὸν τὰ πάντα ἀφορῶντες εὐχὰς καὶ λιτὰς ἀπονέμετε; καὶ ὅταν ἐπιτύχητε, τάχιον ἐπιλανθάνεσθε; ἀμήσαντες γὰρ ἢ τρυγήσαντες εὐθέως τοῖς μηδὲν οὖσιν εἰδώλοις τὰς ἀπαρχὰς ἀπονέμετε, τάχιον ἐπιλανθανόμενοι τοῦ εὐεργετήσαντος Θεοῦ. καὶ οὕτως εἰς ἀεί. καὶ εἰς τοὺς ναοὺς γενόμενοι θυσίας ἐπιτελοῦντες εὐωχεῖσθε. διὰ τοῦτο οἱ μὲν ὑμῶν λέγουσιν παρηγορίας καὶ τοῦ εὐωχεῖσθαι χάριν καλῶς ταῦτα ἐπινενόηται. ### English translation (Claude) "Others say: 'We shall act impiously if we abandon the objects of worship handed down to us from our fathers; for it is like guarding a deposit.' By this reasoning, then, if someone's father is a robber or lives shamefully, the son ought not to come to his senses and choose the better, lest he act impiously? How foolish are those who say, 'We worship these so that we may not trouble him,' as if God were troubled by those who speak well of him, and not troubled by those who ungratefully blaspheme him! Why, then, when there is a withholding of rain, do you all look to heaven and offer prayers and supplications, and when you obtain it, quickly forget? For when you have reaped or gathered the vintage, you at once give the firstfruits to the idols, which are nothing, quickly forgetting God your benefactor. And so it goes forever. And coming to the temples and performing sacrifices, you feast. That is why some of you say: 'These things were well devised for comfort and for the sake of feasting.' ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.13 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-13). ## Homilies 11.14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-14 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter contrasts innocent outdoor feasting with the frenzied rites of pagan worship, including self-mutilation and castration. ### Greek text Ὡ ἀνόητοι! ὑμεῖς τοῦ λεγομένου γίνεσθε δίκαιοι κριταί. εἴπερ γὰρ καὶ ἐχρῆν ἐνταῦθα εἰς εὐφρασίαν σώματος ἑαυτὸν δοῦναι ποίᾳ εὐωχίᾳ, ἄμεινον ἡ ἐν ποταμοῖς καὶ ὕλαις καὶ ἄλσεσιν, ἔνθα εἰλαπίναι καὶ συμπόσια καὶ κατάσκιοι τόποι, ἢ ὅπου ἀπόνοια δαιμόνων, καὶ χειρῶν τομαὶ, καὶ αἰδοίων ἀποκοπαὶ, καὶ οἶστροι, καὶ μανίαι, καὶ τριχῶν κόμαι, καὶ κόμποι, καὶ ἐνθουσιασμοὶ, καὶ ὀλολυγαὶ, καὶ πάντα ἐκεῖνα τὰ μεθʼ ὑποκρίσεως εἰς κατάπληξιν τῶν ἀνοήτων γινόμενα, ὅπως τὰς ὑμῶν ὀφειλομένας εὐχὰς καὶ εὐχαριστίας καὶ νεκρῶν νεκροτέροις προςενέγκητε; ### English translation (Claude) "O foolish people! Be just judges of what is said. If one had to give oneself here to bodily enjoyment by some feast, which is better: a feast by rivers and woods and groves, where there are banquets and drinking parties and shady places, or where there is the madness of demons, the cutting of hands and the castration of genitals, frenzies and manias, locks of hair let loose, boastings, ecstasies and shrieks, and all those things done with pretense to astonish the foolish, so that you may offer your due prayers and thanksgivings to things deader than the dead? ### Translation notes - The self-wounding and castration describe ecstatic cults such as those of Cybele. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.14 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-14). ## Homilies 11.15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-15 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Pagan feasts, with their smoke, blood and wine, feed unclean spirits who enter the worshippers and drive them to vice and violent death. ### Greek text Καὶ διὰ τί χαίροντες ταῦτα ποιεῖτε; ἐπεὶ οὐ θέλει ὑμῖν ὁ ἐμφωλεύων εἰπεῖν ὄφις, ὅς ἐνέσπειρεν ὑμῖν τὴν ἄκαρπον ἐπιθυμίαν, λέγων ὑπομνήσω. ἔχει δὲ οὕτως· παρὰ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ θρησκείᾳ κηρύσσεται νήφειν, σωφρονεῖν, ὀργῆς κρατεῖν, ἀλλότρια μὴ νοσφίζεσθαι, δικαίως βιοῦν, ἐπιεικῶς, εὐσταθῶς, πρᾴως, κολάζειν ἑαυτὸν μᾶλλον ἐν ταῖς ἐνδείαις, ἢ μὴ ἔχοντα ἑτέρου ἀδίκως ἀφελόμενον κορεσθῆναι. παρὰ δὲ τοῖς λεγομένοις θεοῖς τὰ ἐναντία γίνεται. καὶ ἔνια εἰς κατάπληξιν δικαιοσύνης παραγγέλλετε, ἅπερ εἰ καὶ πάντα ποιεῖτε τὰ παραγγέλματα, μία ἡ πρὸς Θεὸν ἄγνοια ἱκανὴ τυγχάνει πρὸς τὴν καθʼ ὑμῶν τιμωρίαν. πλὴν συνερχόμενοι εἰς τοὺς ὑφʼ ὑμῶν αὐτοῖς δοθέντας τόπους ἡδέως μεθύσκεσθε καὶ βωμοὺς ἀνάπτετε, ὧν ἡ κνίσσα ῥεμβομένη καὶ τὰ τυφλὰ καὶ κωφὰ πνεύματα διὰ τῆς ἐξουσίας ἄγει εἰς τὸν τῆς ὀσφρήσεως αὐτῶν τόπον. καὶ οὕτως τῶν ἐκεῖ οἱ μὲν ἐνθουσιασμοῦ, οἱ δὲ βρωτῶν ἀλλοκότων ἐμπίμπλανται, οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ ἀσελγαίνειν τρέπονται, οἱ δὲ ἐπὶ κλοπὰς καὶ φόνους. ἡ γὰρ τοῦ ἐκεῖ αἵματος ἀναθυμίασις καὶ ἡ τῶν οἴνων σπονδὴ καὶ αὐτὴ κορεῖ τὰ ἀκάθαρτα πνεύματα, ἅ τινα ἐνδομυχοῦντα εἰς ὑμᾶς φιληδόνως ἔχειν τὰ ἐκεῖ ποιοῦσιν, καὶ διʼ ὀνείρων ὑμᾶς φαντασίαις ψευδέσιν περιβάλλουσιν, καὶ μυρίοις παθήμασιν τιμωροῦσιν. προφάσει γὰρ τῶν λεγομένων ἱεροθύτων χαλεπῶν δαιμόνων ἐμπίπλασθε, οἵ καὶ φρονίμως ὑμᾶς λανθάνοντες ἀναιροῦσιν, ἵνα μὴ συνῆτε ὑμῶν τὴν ἐπιβουλήν. προφάσει γάρ τινος ἐπηρείας ἢ ἀνάγκης ἢ ἔρωτος ἢ ὀργῆς ἤ λύπης ἢ ἀγχόνῃ ἢ ὕδατι πνίξαντες ἢ ἀπὸ κρημνοῦ ῥίψαντες ἢ αὐτοχειρίᾳ ἢ ἀποπληξίᾳ ἢ ἑτέρῳ τινὶ πάθει τοῦ ζῆν μεθιστᾶσιν. ### English translation (Claude) "And why do you do these things with delight? Since the serpent lurking in you, who sowed in you the fruitless desire, does not wish to tell you, I will remind you. It is like this. In the worship of God it is proclaimed that one must be sober, self-controlled, master one's anger, not appropriate what belongs to others, and live justly, fairly, steadily, gently, and rather punish oneself with want than, having nothing, take another's goods unjustly to satisfy oneself. But among the so-called gods the opposite happens. You do enjoin some things to make an impression of righteousness; but even if you did all the precepts, ignorance of God alone is enough to bring punishment on you. Besides, gathering in the places you have given to them, you gladly get drunk and light altars, whose drifting smell of sacrifice, by the authority granted them, draws even the blind and deaf spirits to the place where they can smell it. And so of those there, some are filled with frenzy, others with strange foods, others turn to debauchery, others to thefts and murders. For the vapor of the blood there and the libation of wine itself glut the unclean spirits, which, lurking in you, make you take pleasure in what is done there, surround you in dreams with false apparitions, and punish you with countless afflictions. For under the pretext of the so-called sacrificial meats you are filled with cruel demons, who also cleverly escape your notice and destroy you, so that you do not perceive the plot against you. On the pretext of some insult, or necessity, or love, or anger, or grief, they remove people from life by the noose, or by drowning them in water, or throwing them from a cliff, or by suicide, or apoplexy, or some other affliction. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.15 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-15). ## Homilies 11.16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-16 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: True worshippers who keep the law are safe from demons, while believers who sin are punished in this life so as to be spared eternal punishment. ### Greek text Ἡμῶν δὲ οὐδεὶς τοιοῦτόν τι παθεῖν δύναται, ἀλλʼ αὐτοὶ ὑφʼ ἡμῶν κολάζονται, ὁπόταν εἴς τινα εἰσιόντες βραδέως ἐξιέναι ἡμᾶς παρακαλοῦσιν. ἀλλʼ ἐρεῖ τις· ἴσως τοιούτοις πάθεσιν καὶ θεοσεβῶν τινες ὑποπίπτουσιν. φημὶ ὅτι τοῦτο ἀδύνατον. θεοσεβὴς γὰρ οὗτός ἐστιν, ἐγώ φημι, ὁ ὄντως θεοσεβής, οὐχ ὅς ἂν μόνον λέγηται, ὁ δὲ ὄντως ὤν τοῦ δοθέντος αὑτῷ νόμου ἐκτελεῖ τὰς πράξεις. ἐάν τις ἀσεβήσῃ, εὐσεβὴς οὐκ ἔστιν. ὅνπερ τρόπον ἐὰν ὁ ἀλλόφυλος τὸν νόμον πράξῃ, Ἰουδαῖός ἐστιν, μὴ πράξας δὲ Ἕλλην· ὁ γὰρ Ἰουδαῖος πιστεύων Θεῷ ποιεῖ τὸν νόμον, διʼ ἧς πίστεως καὶ τὰ ἄλλα τὰ ὄρεσιν ἐοικότα καὶ βαροῦντα μεθίστησιν πάθη. ὁ δὲ μὴ ποιῶν τὸν νόμον δῆλον ὅτι ἐκ τοῦ μὴ πιστεύειν Θεῷ λιποτακτεῖ, καὶ οὕτως ὡς οὐχὶ Ἰουδαῖος ἁμαρτωλὸς διὰ τὴν ἁμαρτίαν ἐπικρατεῖται ὑπὸ τῶν εἰς τὸ τιμωρεῖν τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας καθεστώτων παθῶν. βουλῇ Θεοῦ τῇ ἀπαρχῆς ὁρισθείσῃ δικαίως τοῖς σέβουσιν αὐτὸν παραπτωμάτων χάριν ἡ τιμωρία ἕπεται, ὅ γίνεται, ἵνα ὡς ὀφείλημα διὰ τῆς βασάνου ἀπαιτήσασα τὴν ἁμαρτίαν τοὺς ἐπιστρέψαντας καθαροὺς ἐν τῇ τῶν ὅλων παραστήσῃ κρίσει. ὡς γὰρ τοῖς κακοῖς ἡ ἐνταῦθα τρυφὴ εἰς ζημίαν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν γίνεται, οὕτως αἱ τιμωρίαι τοῖς παραπίπτουσιν Ἰουδαίοις πέμπονται εἰς ἔκπραξιν, ἵνα ἐνταῦθα ἀπολαύοντες τὸ παράπτωμα τῆς ἐκεῖ ἀπαλλαγῶσιν αἰωνίας κολάσεως. ### English translation (Claude) "But none of us can suffer any such thing; rather, the demons are punished by us, when, having entered someone, they beg us to let them come out slowly. But someone will say: 'Perhaps some of the God-fearing also fall into such afflictions.' I say that this is impossible. For the God-fearing man I speak of is the one who is truly God-fearing, not one who is merely called so, but one who truly carries out the deeds of the law given to him. If someone acts impiously, he is not godly. In the same way, if a foreigner does the law, he is a Jew; if he does not, he is a Greek. For the Jew, believing God, does the law, and by that faith he removes the other afflictions too, which are like mountains and heavy. But the one who does not do the law clearly deserts his post through not believing God; and so, as a sinner and not a Jew, because of his sin he is overpowered by the afflictions appointed to punish sinners. By the will of God fixed from the beginning, punishment justly follows those who worship him, on account of their transgressions. This happens so that, having exacted the sin like a debt through torment, it may present those who have turned back pure at the judgment of all things. For as luxury here brings the wicked the loss of eternal goods, so punishments are sent upon Jews who transgress to exact payment, so that, paying for the transgression here, they may be freed from eternal punishment there. ### Scripture references - Matt 17:20: echo, medium confidence - Rom 2:26: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - "Jew" here is defined by keeping the law in faith, whatever one's birth, a view characteristic of the Homilies. Faith removing afflictions "like mountains" echoes Matt 17:20. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.16 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-16). ## Homilies 11.17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-17 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter asks his hearers to listen with a love of truth, since he offers them a share in the good things he believes in. ### Greek text Ὑμεῖς δὲ ταῦτα εἰπεῖν οὐ δύνασθε, οὐ γὰρ πιστεύετε τὰ ἐκεῖ εἶναι ὡς ἡμεῖς λέγομεν, λέγω δὴ, ὅπου πᾶσιν ἡ ἀνταπόδοσις γίνεται. οὗ ἕνεκεν ἀγνοοῦντες τὸ συμφέρον ὑπὸ τῶν προσκαίρων ἡδονῶν μὴ λαβεῖν τὰ αἰώνια ἐνεδρεύεσθε. διὸ ἡμεῖς τοῦ συμφέροντος ὑμῖν τὰς ἀποδείξεις ποιεῖν πειρώμεθα, ἵνα πληροφορηθέντες περὶ τῶν τῆς θεοσεβείας ἐπαγγελμάτων διὰ τῶν ἀγαθῶν πράξεων δυνηθῆτε σὺν ἡμῖν τὸν ἄλυπον αἰῶνα κληρονομῆσαι. μέχρι μὲν οὖν γνωρίζετε ἡμᾶς, μὴ χαλεπαίνετε ἡμῖν ὡς ψευδομένοις περὶ ὧν ὑμῖν θέλομεν καλῶν. τὰ γὰρ ἡμῖν νομισθέντα ἀληθῆ τε καὶ ἀγαθά, ταῦτα ὑμῖν φέρειν οὐκ ἐφθονήσαμεν, ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον ἐσπεύσαμεν συγκληρονόμους ὑμᾶς ποιῆσαι ἀγαθῶν, ὧν ἡμεῖς νενοήκαμεν. οὕτω γὰρ χρὴ πρὸς τοὺς ἀπίστους λέγειν. ὅτι δὲ ἀληθεύομεν ὄντως περὶ ὧν λέγομεν, οὐκ ἄλλως δυνήσεσθε εἰδέναι, ἐὰν μὴ πρότερον φιλαληθῶς ὑπακούσητε. ### English translation (Claude) "But you cannot say this, for you do not believe that things there are as we say, I mean, where recompense is made to all. For this reason, not knowing what is profitable, you are ensnared by temporary pleasures so as not to obtain the eternal. That is why we try to give you proofs of what is profitable, so that, fully convinced of the promises of true religion, you may through good deeds inherit with us the age free from grief. Until you get to know us, do not be angry with us as though we were lying about the good things we wish for you. What we have judged to be true and good we have not begrudged bringing to you; on the contrary, we have hastened to make you fellow heirs of the good things we have come to understand. For so one must speak to unbelievers. But that we are truly speaking the truth about what we say, you will not be able to know in any other way unless you first listen with a love of truth. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.17 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-17). ## Homilies 11.18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-18 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The hearers must resist the serpent's distractions by listening constantly and learning to oppose his counsels with reason. ### Greek text Διὸ ἐπὶ τοῦ παρόντος, κἂν τὰ μυρία ὑμᾶς ὁ ἐν ὑμῖν ἐνδομυχῶν ὄφις, κακοὺς ὑποβαλὼν λογισμοὺς καὶ ἀσχολίας, ἐνεδρεύειν θέλῃ, ἀλλʼ οὖν γε ὑμεῖς ὀφείλετε ταύτῃ μᾶλλον προσφιλονεικοῦντες αὐτῷ συνεχῶς ἡμῶν ἐπακούειν. δεῖ γὰρ συνεδρεύοντας ὑμᾶς τοὺς σφόδρα ἠπατημένους εἰδέναι, πῶς χρὴ ἐπᾴδειν αὐτῷ. ἄλλως δὲ ἀδύνατον. ἐπᾴδειν δὲ λέγω, τῷ λογισμῷ ἀντιτάσσεσθαι ταῖς κακαῖς αὐτῶν συμβουλίαις. ### English translation (Claude) "So for the present, even if the serpent lurking in you wants to ensnare you in countless ways, suggesting evil thoughts and distractions, you ought all the more to strive against him by listening to us constantly. For you who have been so thoroughly deceived must sit with us and learn how to charm him; otherwise it is impossible. By charming I mean opposing their evil counsels with reason. ### Translation notes - ANF's text adds a clause (the serpent brought death into the world by the promise of knowledge) not found here. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.18 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-18). ## Homilies 11.19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-19 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The Prophet of truth brought not peace with error but a sword of knowledge, which divides families for the sake of salvation. ### Greek text Ὅθεν ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας προφήτης πολὺ τὸν κόσμον πεπλανημένον εἰδὼς καὶ τῇ κακίᾳ συνθέμενον ἰδὼν οὐκ ἠγάπησεν τὴν πρὸς αὐτὸν εἰρήνην, ὡς ἐκ πλάνης συνοῦσαν. ὅτι εἰς τέλος ἐπιφέρει πᾶσιν τοῖς πρὸς κακίαν ὁμογνωμονοῦσιν, παραθεὶς ἀντὶ πλάνης, τοῖς νήψασιν ὥσπερ πῦρ ἐμβαλὼν τὴν κατὰ τοῦ ἐνεδρεύσαντος ὀργὴν μαχαίρᾳ ἐοικυῖαν, προτείνας λόγον ἀναιρεῖ τὴν ἄγνοιαν τῇ γνώσει, ὥσπερ τέμνων καὶ χωρίζων ζῶντας ἀπὸ τῶν νεκρῶν. τῆς μὲν οὖν κακίας ὑπὸ τῆς νομίμου γνώσεως νικωμένης πόλεμος συνεῖχε τὸ πᾶν. σωτηρίας γὰρ χάριν υἱὸς ὑπείξας ἀπειθοῦς ἐχωρίζετο πατρὸς, ἢ καὶ πατὴρ τέκνου, ἡ τεκοῦσα θυγατρὸς, ἡ θυγάτηρ μητρὸς, καὶ ἅπαξ οἱ συγγενεῖς συγγενῶν καὶ φίλοι συνήθων. ### English translation (Claude) "Hence the Prophet of truth, knowing that the world had gone far astray and seeing that it had agreed with wickedness, did not love peace with it, since that peace rested on error. So to the end he brings war on all who are of one mind for wickedness, setting truth against error; and casting like fire into those who have come to their senses anger against the one who ensnared them, an anger like a sword, and holding out the word, he destroys ignorance by knowledge, as though cutting and separating the living from the dead. So, while wickedness is being conquered by the knowledge of the law, war held the whole world. For the sake of salvation a son who yielded was separated from his disobedient father, or a father from his child, a mother from her daughter, a daughter from her mother, and in short relatives from relatives and friends from companions. ### Scripture references - Matt 10:34: allusion, high confidence - Matt 10:35: allusion, high confidence - Luke 12:49: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 12:53: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Based on Matt 10:34–36 and Luke 12:49–53. The second sentence is garbled in the digital text; the translation follows the evident sense. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.19 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-19). ## Homilies 11.20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-20 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Believers separated from their families do not hate them but, following Jesus' prayer from the cross, pray for and love even their persecutors. ### Greek text Καὶ μή τις λεγέτω· πῶς τοῦτο δίκαιον, χωρίζεσθαι γονεῖς τέκνων καὶ τέκνα γονέων; δίκαιον καὶ πάνυ. εἰ γὰρ συνόντες, μετὰ τοῦ μηδὲν αὐτοὺς ὠφελεῖν, καὶ συναπώλλυντο αὐτοῖς, πῶς οὐ δίκαιον, χωρισθῆναι τὸν σώζεσθαι θέλοντα ἀπὸ τοῦ μὴ θέλοντος, συναπολέσθαι δὲ βουλομένου; πρὸς τούτοις οὐδὲ αὐτοὶ οἱ τὸ κρεῖττον νενοηκότες χωρισθῆναι ἤθελον, ἀλλὰ συνεῖναι καὶ ὠφελεῖν αὐτοὺς τῇ τῶν κρειττόνων ὑφηγήσει, ὅθεν οἱ ἀπειθεῖς ἐπακούειν αὐτῶν μὴ θέλοντες αὐτοὶ αὐτοὺς ἐπολέμουν, χωρίζοντες, διώκοντες, μισοῦντες. οἱ δὲ ταῦτα πάσχοντες, ἐλεοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς ὑπʼ ἀγνοίας ἐνεδρευομένους, διδασκαλίᾳ φρονήσεως ηὔχοντο ὑπὲρ τῶν κακὰ αὑτοὺς διατιθεμένων, τὴν ἄγνοιαν τοῦ ἁμαρτήματος αἰτίαν εἶναι μεμαθηκότες. αὐτὸς γὰρ ὁ διδάσκαλος προσηλωθεὶς ηὔχετο τῷ πατρὶ, τοῖς αὑτὸν ἀναιροῦσιν ἀφεθῆναι τὸ ἁμάρτημα εἰπών· πάτερ, ἄφες αὐτοῖς τὰς ἁμαρτίας αὐτῶν, οὐ γὰρ οἴδασιν ἃ ποιοῦσιν. μιμηταὶ οὖν γινόμενοι τοῦ διδασκάλου καὶ αὐτοί, ἐν οἷς ἔπασχον, ὑπὲρ τῶν διατιθεμένων ηὔχοντο, ὡς ἐδιδάχθησαν. οὕτως οὐ γονεῖς μισοῦντες ἐχωρίζοντο, ὁπότε καὶ ὑπὲρ τῶν μὴ γονέων μηδὲ συγγενῶν, ἐχθρῶν δὲ γενομένων, ἐποίουν συνεχεῖς εὐχὰς καὶ ἀγαπᾶν πειρῶνται ὡς ἐκελεύσθησαν. ### English translation (Claude) "And let no one say: 'How is it just for parents to be separated from children and children from parents?' It is just, entirely so. For if, staying with them without helping them at all, they also perished with them, how is it not just that the one who wishes to be saved should be separated from the one who does not, but who wants him to perish too? Besides, those who had understood the better way did not themselves wish to be separated, but to stay with them and help them by instruction in better things. It was the disobedient, unwilling to listen to them, who made war on them, separating them, persecuting them, hating them. But those who suffered these things, pitying those ensnared by ignorance, prayed with the instruction of wisdom for those who mistreated them, having learned that ignorance is the cause of sin. For the Teacher himself, when he was nailed to the cross, prayed to the Father that the sin of those killing him be forgiven, saying: 'Father, forgive them their sins, for they do not know what they do.' Becoming imitators of the Teacher, they too, in their sufferings, prayed for those who mistreated them, as they had been taught. So they did not separate from their parents out of hatred, since they made constant prayers even for those who were not their parents or relatives but had become their enemies, and they try to love them, as they were commanded. ### Scripture references - Luke 23:34: quotation, high confidence - Matt 5:44: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The saying from the cross follows Luke 23:34, with "their sins" added. The command to love enemies echoes Matt 5:44. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.20 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-20). ## Homilies 11.21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-21 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Those who love their parents as founders of their race should love God, the founder of all, and could at least know that he is not wood or stone. ### Greek text Εἴπατε δέ μοι ὑμεῖς, πῶς τοὺς γονεῖς ἀγαπᾶτε; εἰ μὲν ὡς τὸ δίκαιον ἀεὶ σκοποῦντες, συνεύχομαι, εἰ δὲ ὡς ἔτυχεν, οὐκέτι, δύνασθε γὰρ καὶ μικρᾷ προφάσει τούτων γενέσθαι ἐχθροί. εἰ δὲ εἰδότες ἀγαπᾶτε, εἴπατε ἡμῖν, τί ἐστιν γονεῖς. ἐρεῖτε· γένους ἀρχηγέται. διὰ τί οὖν τὸ τῶν ὅλων γένος οὐκ ἠγαπήσατε, εἴπερ δικαίῳ φρονήματι τοῦτο ποιεῖν ἐπανείλεσθε; ἀλλʼ ἔτι καὶ νῦν ἐρεῖτε· οὐχ ἑωράκαμεν αὐτόν. διὰ τί οῦν μὴ ζητήσαντες τὰ ἀναίσθητα κολακεύετε; τί δέ; εἰ καὶ δύσκολον ἦν ὑμῖν γνῶναι τί Θεός, τὸ μέντοι τί οὐ Θεός, μὴ εἰδέναι οὐκ ἐδύνασθε, ἵνα λογίσησθε ὅτι Θεός ἐστιν οὐ ξύλον, οὐ λίθος, οὐ χαλκὸς, οὐκ ἄλλο τι ἐκ φθαρτῆς γεγονὸς ὕλης. ### English translation (Claude) "But tell me: how do you love your parents? If it is always with an eye to what is just, I rejoice with you; but if it is by chance, then no, for you can become their enemies on a small pretext. And if you love them knowingly, tell us what parents are. You will say: 'The founders of one's race.' Why then have you not loved the founder of the race of all things, if indeed you undertook to do this with a just understanding? But even now you will say: 'We have not seen him.' Why then, without seeking him, do you flatter senseless things? What then? Even if it was hard for you to know what God is, you could not fail to know what is not God, so as to reason that God is not wood, not stone, not bronze, not anything else made of perishable matter. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.21 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-21). ## Homilies 11.22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-22 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Idols depend on iron, fire and water, while water is moved by the Spirit, whom God used as his hand in creation. ### Greek text Ἦ γὰρ οὐχ ὑπὸ σιδήρου ἐτορνεύθησαν, καὶ ὁ τορνεύσας σίδηρος ὑπὸ πυρὸς ἐμαλάχθη, καὶ τὸ πῦρ αὐτὸ σβέννυται ὑφʼ ὕδατος; τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ οὐχ ὑπὸ πνεύματος τὴν κίνησιν ἔχει, καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ἀπὸ τοῦ τὰ ὅλα πεποιηκότος Θεοῦ τὴν ἀρχὴν τῆς ἐκστάσεως ἔχει; οὕτως γὰρ ὁ προφήτης εἴρηκεν Μωσῆς· ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν, ἡ δὲ γῆ ἦν ἀόρατος καὶ ἀκατασκεύαστος· καὶ σκότος ἐπάνω τῆς ἀβύσσου· καὶ πνεῦμα Θεοῦ ἐπεφέρετο ἐπάνω τοῦ ὕδατος. ὅπερ καὶ λέγοντος τοῦ Θεοῦ, τὸ πνεῦμα, ὥσπερ χεὶρ αὐτοῦ τὰ πάντα δημιουργεῖ, φῶς ἀπὸ σκότους χωρίζον, καὶ μετὰ τὸν ἀόρατον οὐρανὸν τὸν φαινόμενον ἐφαπλῶσαν, ἵνα τὰ ἄνω τοῖς τοῦ φωτὸς ἀγγέλοις οἰκηθῇ, τὰ δὲ κάτω ὑπʼ ἀνθρώπου ἅμα τοῖς διʼ αὐτὸν γενομένοις πᾶσιν διοικηθῇ. ### English translation (Claude) "Were they not shaped by iron, and was not the iron that shaped them softened by fire, and is not fire itself quenched by water? And does not water have its motion from spirit, and does not the spirit have the beginning of its going forth from God who made all things? For so the prophet Moses said: 'In the beginning God made the heaven and the earth. And the earth was invisible and unformed, and darkness was over the abyss, and the Spirit of God was borne over the water.' This Spirit, at God's word, like his hand, fashions all things, separating light from darkness, and after the invisible heaven spreading out the visible one, so that the regions above might be inhabited by the angels of light, and those below governed by man together with all the things made for his sake. ### Scripture references - Gen 1:1: quotation, high confidence - Gen 1:2: quotation, high confidence - Gen 1:4: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 1:6: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Gen 1:1–2 quoted in its Septuagint wording. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.22 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-22). ## Homilies 11.23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-23 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: All creation was ordered to serve man, so his ingratitude toward the Creator earns a greater punishment by fire. ### Greek text Διὰ γὰρ σὲ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ὁ Θεὸς ἐκέλευσεν τὸ ἐπὶ προσώπου τῆς γῆς ὑποχωρῆσαι ὕδωρ, ἵνα καρποὺς ἡ γῆ σοι προσενέγκαι δυνηθῇ, καὶ τρηδόνας ἐποίησεν, ἵνα σοι παρασχῇ πηγὰς καὶ ποταμῶν ῥεῖθρα φανῇ καὶ ζῶα ἐκβρασθῇ, συνελὼν ἐρῶ, ἵνα πάντα σοι παραστῆναι δυνηθῇ. ἢ γὰρ οὐ διὰ σὲ ἄνεμοι πρὸς καρπῶν ἐπιγονὴν καὶ ὑετοὶ φέρονται καὶ τροπαὶ γίνονται; αὐτίκα γοῦν ἥλιος καὶ σελήνη ἅμα τοῖς ἄλλοις ἄστροις διὰ σὲ τὰς ἀνατολὰς καὶ δύσεις ἐκτελοῦσιν, καὶ ποταμοὶ καὶ λίμναι ἅμα ταῖς θαλάσσαις ὑπηρετοῦσιν. ὅθεν σοι τῷ ἀναισθήτῳ ὥσπερ ἡ μείζων ἐδόθη τιμή, οὕτως ἀχαριστήσαντι ἡ μείζων διὰ πυρὸς κόλασις προητοίμασται, ὅτι γνῶναι οὐκ ἠθέλησας ὅν πρὸ πάντων ἔδει γνῶναι. ### English translation (Claude) "For your sake, O man, God commanded the water on the face of the earth to withdraw, so that the earth might be able to bring you fruits; and he made channels to provide you with springs, so that riverbeds might appear and living creatures be brought forth; in short, so that everything might be at your service. Are not the winds borne for your sake to bring on the fruits, and the rains, and the changes of season? The sun and moon, with the other stars, accomplish their risings and settings for your sake, and rivers and lakes with the seas serve you. So, senseless one, as the greater honor was given to you, so for your ingratitude the greater punishment by fire has been prepared, because you would not know him whom you ought to have known before all things. ### Scripture references - Gen 1:9: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 1:14: echo, low confidence - Luke 12:48: echo, low confidence ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.23 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-23). ## Homilies 11.24 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-24 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Reasoning from water to Spirit to God, the hearer should recognize his origin and be born again through the first-born water of baptism. ### Greek text Κἄν νῦν δὲ ἐκ τῶν ἡττόνων ἐπίγνωθι τὴν τῶν ὅλων αἰτίαν, λογισάμενος ὅτι τὰ πάντα τὸ ὕδωρ ποιεῖ, τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ ὑπὸ πνεύματος κινήσεως τὴν γένεσιν λαμβάνει, τὸ δὲ πνεῦμα ἀπὸ τοῦ τῶν ὅλων Θεοῦ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔχει. καὶ οὕτως ἔδει λογίσασθαι, ἵνα ἐπὶ λόγῳ εἰς Θεὸν καταντῆσαι δυνηθῇς, ὅπως ἐπιγνῷς σαυτοῦ γένος, καὶ πρωτογόνῳ ἀναγεννηθεὶς ὕδατι καὶ κληρονόμος καταστῇς τῶν πρὸς ἀφθαρσίαν γεννησάντων σε γονέων. ### English translation (Claude) "Even now, recognize the cause of all things from the lesser: reason that water makes all things, that water receives its generation from the motion of spirit, and that spirit has its beginning from the God of all. So you should have reasoned, in order that by reason you might be able to arrive at God, so that you may recognize your own race and, being born again by the first-born water, may be made heir of the parents who begot you to incorruption. ### Scripture references - John 3:5: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 1:2: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - "Born again by the first-born water" refers to baptism (compare John 3:5). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.24 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-24). ## Homilies 11.25 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-25 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter urges his hearers to come to baptism without delay, since even the most godly person has no hope if unbaptized. ### Greek text Διὸ ἑτοίμως πρόσελθε ὡς υἱὸς πατρί, ἵνα τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων σου ὁ Θεὸς τὴν ἄγνοιαν αἰτίαν θῇ. εἰ δὲ καὶ μετὰ τὸ κληθῆναι οὐ θέλεις ἢ βραδύνεις, δικαίᾳ Θεοῦ ἀπολῇ κρίσει, τῷ μὴ θελῆσαι μὴ θεληθείς. καὶ μή τοι νομίσῃς, ὅτι ἐὰν πάντων τῶν ποτε γενομένων εὐσεβῶν εὐσεβέστερος γένῃ, ἀβάπτιστος δὲ ᾖς, ἐλπίδης τυχεῖν δυνήσῃ ποτέ. ταύτῃ γὰρ μᾶλλον πλείονα ὑφέξεις κόλασιν, ὅτι καλὰ ἔργα οὐκ ἐποίησας καλῶς. καλὴ γὰρ εὐποιΐα, ὁπόταν ὡς Θεὸς ἐκέλευσεν γίνηται. σὺ δὲ εἰ οὐ θέλεις, ὡς ἐκείνῳ ἔδοξεν, βαπτισθῆναι, τῷ σῷ θελήματι ὑπηρετῶν ἐχθραίνεις τῇ ἐκείνου βουλῇ. ### English translation (Claude) "Come readily, then, as a son to a father, so that God may set down ignorance as the cause of your sins. But if even after being called you are unwilling or delay, you will perish by the just judgment of God, unwanted because you did not want. And do not think that, even if you become more godly than all the godly who ever lived, you will ever be able to attain hope if you are unbaptized. On the contrary, for this very reason you will undergo greater punishment, because you did good works not in a good way. For doing good is good when it is done as God commanded. But if you are unwilling to be baptized as he has decided, you serve your own will and set yourself against his counsel. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.25 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-25). ## Homilies 11.26 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-26 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Baptism in living water in the name of Father, Son and Holy Spirit replaces birth from desire with new birth to God and alone quenches the coming fire. ### Greek text Ἀλλʼ ἴσως ἐρεῖ τις· τί συμβάλλεται πρὸς εὐσέβειαν τὸ βαπτισθῆναι ὕδατι; πρῶτον μὲν, ὅτι τὸ δόξαν Θεῷ πράττεις. δεύτερον δέ, ἐξ ὕδατος ἀναγεννηθεὶς Θεῷ, αἰτίᾳ φόβου, τὴν ἐξ ἐπιθυμίας πρώτην σοι γενομένην καταλλάσσεις γένεσιν, καὶ οὕτως σωτηρίας τυχεῖν δύνῃ· ἄλλως δὲ ἀδύνατον. οὕτως γὰρ ἡμῖν ὤμοσεν ὁ προφήτης εἰπών· ἀμὴν ὑμῖν λέγω, ἐὰν μὴ ἀναγεννηθῆτε ὕδατι ζῶντι, εἰς ὄνομα πατρὸς, υἱοῦ, ἁγίου πνεύματος, οὐ μὴ εἰσέλθητε εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τῶν οὐράνων. διὸ προσέλθετε. ἔστιν γάρ τι ἐκεῖ ἀπαρχῆς ἐλεῆμον, ἐπιφερόμενον τῷ ὕδατι, ὁ τοὺς βαπτιζομένους ἐπὶ τῇ τρισμακαρίᾳ ἐπονομασίᾳ καὶ ῥύεται τῆς ἐσομένης κολάσεως, ὥσπερ δῶρα προσφέρον τῷ Θεῷ ὡς ἄν ἀπὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος αὐτῶν τῶν βαπτισθέντων τὰς εὐποιΐας. διὸ προσφεύγετε τῷ ὕδατι, τοῦτο γὰρ μόνον τὴν τοῦ πυρὸς ὁρμὴν σβέσαι δύναται. τούτῳ ὁ μήπω προσελθεῖν θέλων ἔτι τὸ τῆς λύσσης φέρει πνεῦμα, οὗ ἕνεκα ἐπὶ τῇ αὑτοῦ σωτηρίᾳ ὕδατι ζῶντι προσελθεῖν οὐ θέλει. ### English translation (Claude) "But perhaps someone will say: 'What does being baptized with water contribute to godliness?' First, that you do what has pleased God. Second, being born again to God from water, because of fear, you exchange your first birth, which came about from desire, and so you can obtain salvation; otherwise it is impossible. For so the Prophet swore to us, saying: 'Truly I say to you, unless you are born again by living water in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, you shall not enter the kingdom of heaven.' Therefore come. For there is something merciful there from the beginning, borne upon the water, which rescues from the coming punishment those who are baptized with the thrice-blessed invocation, offering to God as gifts the good deeds of the baptized done after their baptism. So flee to the water, for it alone can quench the violence of the fire. Whoever is still unwilling to come to it still carries the spirit of madness, because of which he will not come to the living water for his own salvation. ### Scripture references - John 3:5: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 28:19: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 1:2: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The saying combines the form of John 3:5 ("born again ... enter the kingdom") with "living water" and the triple name of Matt 28:19; it is not found in this form in the Gospels. The merciful presence "borne upon the water" recalls Gen 1:2. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.26 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-26). ## Homilies 11.27 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-27 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Both righteous and unrighteous must hasten to baptism, for forgiveness and a new life of good deeds that honors God as Father. ### Greek text Πρόσελθε οὖν, κἄν δίκαιος ᾖς κἄν ἄδικος. δικαίῳ γὰρ ὄντι σοι μόνον ἔλειπεν τὸ πρὸς σωτηρίαν βαπτισθῆναι, εἰς ἄφεσιν τῶν ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ πεπραγμένων. ἀδίκῳ δʼ ὑποκαταλείπεται κατʼ ἀναλογίαν τῆς ἀσεβείας ἡ ἐπὶ τὸ βάπτισμα εὐποιΐα. διὸ εἴ τε δίκαιος εἶ, εἴτε ἄδικος, σπεῦσον γεννηθῆναι Θεῷ, ὅτι ἡ ἀναβολὴ κίνδυνον φέρει διὰ τὸ ἄδηλον εἶναι τοῦ θανάτου τὴν προθεσμίαν, τῷ ἐξ ὕδατος γεννῶντί σε πατρὶ διὰ τῆς εὐποιΐας τὴν ὁμοιότητα δείξας. ὡς φιλαληθὴς τὸν ἀληθῆ Θεὸν τιμῶν ὡς πατέρα. τιμὴ δὲ αὐτῷ τὸ ζῆν σε ὡς αὐτὸς δίκαιος ὤν θέλει. δικαίου δὲ θέλημα τὸ μὴ ἀδικεῖν. ἀδικία δέ ἐστιν φονεύειν, μοιχεύειν, μισεῖν, πλεονεκτεῖν, καὶ τὰ τούτοις ὅμοια· τούτων δὲ εἴδη πολλά. ### English translation (Claude) "Come, then, whether you are righteous or unrighteous. If you are righteous, the only thing you lacked for salvation was to be baptized, for the forgiveness of what was done in ignorance. If you are unrighteous, there remains for you good conduct after baptism in proportion to your ungodliness. So, whether you are righteous or unrighteous, hasten to be born to God, because delay brings danger, since the appointed time of death is unknown; and show by good deeds your likeness to the Father who begets you from water. As a lover of truth, honor the true God as father. And the honor due to him is that you live as he, being righteous, wishes. The will of the righteous one is that there be no wrongdoing. Wrongdoing is murdering, committing adultery, hating, being greedy, and the like; and there are many kinds of these. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.27 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-27). ## Homilies 11.28 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-28 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The worship of God adds bodily purity, such as abstaining from intercourse during menstruation, but purity of heart must come first. ### Greek text Πλὴν τούτοις συνεισφέρειν δεῖ τί ποτε, ὅ κοινότητα πρὸς ἀνθρώπους μὲν οὐκ ἔχει, ἴδιον δὲ θρησκείας Θεοῦ τυγχάνει. λέγω δὴ τὸ καθαρεύειν, τὸ ἐν ἀφέδρῳ οὔσῃ τῇ ἰδίᾳ γαμετῇ μὴ κοινωνεῖν, ὅτι τοῦτο ὁ Θεοῦ κελεύει νόμος. τί δέ, εἰ μὴ καὶ τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ θρησκείᾳ τὸ καθαρεύειν ἀνέκειτο, ὑμεῖς ὡς οἱ κάνθαροι ἡδέως ἀνεκυλίεσθε. διὸ ὡς ἄνθρωποι ἔχοντές τι πλεῖον τῶν ἀλόγων ζώων, τὸ λογικὸν εἷναι, τὴν μὲν καρδίαν τῶν κακῶν ἐρανιῶ καθάρατε λογισμῷ, λουτρῷ δὲ πλύνατε τὸ σῶμα. κατὰ γὰρ τὰ ἀληθῆ τὸ καθαρεύειν, οὐχ ὡς ὅτι προηγεῖται τῆς κατὰ τὴν καρδίαν καθάρσεως ἡ τοῦ σώματος ἁγνεία, ἀλλʼ ὡς ὅτι ἕπεται τῷ ἀγαθῷ τὸ καθάριον. καὶ γὰρ ὁ διδάσκαλος ἡμῶν ἐνίους τῶν ἐν ὑμῖν Φαρισαίων καὶ γραμματέων, οἵ εἰσιν ἀφωρισμένοι καὶ τὰ νόμιμα ὡς γραμματεῖς τῶν ἄλλων πλεῖον εἰδότες, ὅμως διήλεγχεν αὐτοὺς ὡς ὑποκριτάς, ὅτι μόνα τὰ ἀνθρώποις φαινόμενα ἁγνεύοντες τὰ τῆς καρδίας καθαρὰ καὶ Θεῷ μόνῳ ὁρώμενα παρελίμπανον. ### English translation (Claude) "But along with these one must bring in something which has nothing in common with conduct toward other people but is proper to the worship of God: I mean keeping pure, not having intercourse with one's own wife while she is in her monthly separation, because the law of God commands this. And what if purity were not also bound up with the worship of God? You would gladly roll about like dung beetles. Therefore, as human beings who have something more than irrational animals, namely reason, cleanse your heart of evils by heavenly reasoning, and wash your body with bathing. For keeping pure is truly so, not because purity of body comes before cleansing of heart, but because cleanliness follows goodness. For our Teacher, too, reproved as hypocrites certain of the Pharisees and scribes among you, who are set apart and, as scribes, know the matters of the law better than others, because they kept pure only in what appears to men and neglected the purity of the heart, which is seen by God alone. ### Scripture references - Lev 18:19: allusion, high confidence - Lev 15:19: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 23:27: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The rule follows Lev 15:19–24 and 18:19. The reproof of the Pharisees recalls Matt 23:25–28. "Heavenly" renders ἐρανιῶ, read as οὐρανίῳ. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.28 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-28). ## Homilies 11.29 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-29 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jesus condemned only the hypocritical Pharisees, who cleaned the outside of the cup, and inner purity leads to outward cleanliness. ### Greek text Ῥητῇ οὖν ταύτῃ φωνῇ ἐχρήσατο, τὰ ἀληθῆ πρὸς τοὺς ὑποκριτὰς αὐτῶν, οὐ πρὸς πάντας. ἐνίων γὰρ καὶ ἐπακούειν ἔλεγεν, ὅτι τὴν Μωυσέως ἐπιστεύθησαν καθέδραν. πλὴν πρὸς τοὺς ὑποκριτὰς ἔλεγεν· οὐαὶ ὑμῖν γραμματεῖς καὶ Φαρισαῖοι, ὑποκριταί, ὅτι καθαρίζετε τοῦ ποτηρίου καὶ τῆς παροψίδος τὸ ἔξωθεν, ἔσωθεν δὲ γέμει ῥύπους. Φαρισαῖου τυφλέ, καθάρισον πρῶτον τοῦ ποτηρίου καὶ τῆς παροψίδος τὸ ἔσωθεν, ἵνα γένηται καὶ τὰ ἔξω αὐτῶν καθαρά. καὶ ἀληθῶς. φωτισθέντος γὰρ τοῦ νοῦ τῇ γνώσει ὁ μαθὼν δύναται ἀγαθὸς εἶναι, ᾧ παρέπεται τὸ καθαρὸν γενέσθαι. ἐκ τῆς ἔσω γὰρ διανοίας ἡ τοῦ ἔξω σώματος ἀγαθὴ γίνεται πρόνοια. ὡς ἀπό γε τῆς κατὰ τὸ σῶμα ἀναισθησίας τῆς διανοίας πρόνοια γενέσθαι οὐ δύναται, οὕτως ὁ καθαρὸς καὶ τὸ ἔξω καὶ τὸ ἔσω καθάραι δύναται, ὁ δὲ τὰ ἔξω καθαίρων, πρὸς ἀνθρώπων τὸν ἔπαινον ἀφορῶν τοῦτο ποιεῖ, καὶ ἐπαίνῳ τῶν ἱστορούντων παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ οὐδὲν ἔχει. ### English translation (Claude) "So he used this explicit saying, truly, of the hypocrites among them, not of all; for of some he said that they should even be obeyed, because they had been entrusted with the seat of Moses. But to the hypocrites he said: 'Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, because you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside it is full of filth. Blind Pharisee, clean first the inside of the cup and the dish, so that their outside also may become clean.' And rightly. For when the mind has been enlightened by knowledge, the one who has learned can be good, and becoming clean follows from that. For from the understanding within comes good care of the body without. As care for the understanding cannot come from indifference toward the body, so the pure man can cleanse both the outside and the inside; but the one who cleanses the outside does it looking to the praise of men, and from the praise of those who see it he has nothing with God. ### Scripture references - Matt 23:25: quotation, high confidence - Matt 23:26: quotation, high confidence - Matt 23:2: allusion, high confidence - Matt 6:1: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The quotation follows Matt 23:25–26 closely; the seat of Moses is Matt 23:2–3. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.29 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-29). ## Homilies 11.30 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-30 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Intercourse should wait until a woman has purified herself after her period, and washing is required after intercourse, as even idolaters practiced purity rites. ### Greek text Τίνι δὲ οὐ φαίνεται, ὅτι κρεῖττόν ἐστιν γυναικὶ ἐν γυναικείοις οὔσῃ μὴ συνελθεῖν, ἀλλὰ καθαρθείσῃ καὶ βαπτισθείσῃ; ἀλλὰ καὶ μετὰ κοινωνίαν βαπτίζεσθαι δεῖ. εἰ δὲ τοῦτο ποιεῖν ὀκνεῖτε, ἀναπολήσατε, πῶς τὰ τῆς ἁγνείας μέρη μετεδιώκετε, ὅτε ἀναισθήτοις εἰδώλοις ἐθρησκεύετε. αἰσχύνθητε ὅτι ἐνταῦθα, ὅπου ἐχρῆν, οὐ τὸ πλεῖον λέγω, ἀλλὰ μόνον καὶ ὅλον τὸ τῆς ἁγνείας ἀναδέξασθαι, ὀκνηρότεροι γίνεσθε. νοήσατε οὖν τὸν ἐκεῖ ὑμᾶς πεποιηκότα, καὶ διανοηθήσεσθε τίς ἐστιν ὁ ἐνταῦθα ὄκνον πρὸς ἁγνείαν ὑμῖν ἐμβάλλων. ### English translation (Claude) "To whom is it not evident that it is better not to have intercourse with a woman during her period, but only after she has been purified and has washed? And after intercourse, too, one must wash. If you are reluctant to do this, recall how you pursued the various parts of purity when you worshipped senseless idols. Be ashamed that here, where you ought to take on, I do not say more, but simply the whole of purity, you become more hesitant. Consider, then, who it was that made you do those things there, and you will understand who it is that casts hesitation about purity into you here. ### Scripture references - Lev 15:18: allusion, high confidence - Lev 15:19: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - "Wash" renders βαπτίζεσθαι, here a ritual bath, not Christian baptism. The rules follow Lev 15:18–24. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.30 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-30). ## Homilies 11.31 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-31 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Whatever pagans did well belongs to the truth and should be kept, and more should be done. ### Greek text Ἀλλʼ ἐρεῖ τις ὑμῶν· χρὴ οὖν ἡμᾶς ποιεῖν ὅσα ἐν εἰδώλοις ἐποιοῦμεν; φημί σοι, οὐχ ὅλα, ἀλλʼ ὅσα καλῶς ἐποιεῖτε, καὶ ἐνταῦθα πλεῖον. ὅ τι γὰρ ἂν καλῶς γίνηται ἐν τῇ πλάνῃ, ἀπὸ τῆς ἀληθείας ἤρτηται, ὡς εἰ καί τι ἐν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ κακῶς γένοιτο, ἀπὸ τῆς πλάνης ἐστίν. ἀπολάβετε οὖν ὑμῶν πανταχόθεν τὰ ἴδια, μὴ τὰ ἀλλότρια, καὶ μὴ λέγετε, εἴ τι ποιοῦσιν οἱ πεπλανημένοι καλόν, ποιεῖν οὐκ ὀφείλομεν. τούτῳ γὰρ τῷ λόγῳ, ἐὰν μὴ φονεύῃ τις εἴδωλα σέβων, φονεύειν ὀφείλομεν, ὅτι ὁ ἐν πλάνῃ ὤν οὐ φονεύει. ### English translation (Claude) "But one of you will say: 'Must we then do all that we did among the idols?' I tell you: not all, but whatever you did well, and here more. For whatever is done well in error depends on the truth, just as, if anything is done badly in the truth, it comes from error. So take back what is your own from every quarter, not what belongs to others; and do not say, 'If those in error do something good, we ought not to do it.' For by this reasoning, if someone who worships idols does not murder, we ought to murder, because the one in error does not murder. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.31 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-31). ## Homilies 11.32 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-32 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Those who know the truth must surpass pagans in goodness, avoiding anger and lust and loving even enemies, or they will be shamed at the judgment. ### Greek text Οὐχί, ἀλλὰ τὸ πλεῖον, ἐὰν οἱ ἐν πλάνῃ μὴ φονεύωσιν, ἡμεῖς μηδὲ ὀργιζώμεθα, ἐὰν ὁ ἐν πλάνῃ μὴ μοιχεύει, ἡμεῖς τὴν ἀρχὴν μηδὲ ἐνθυμηθῶμεν, ἐὰν ὁ ἐν πλάνῃ τὸν ἀγαπῶντα ἀγαπᾷ, ἡμεῖς καὶ τοὺς μισοῦντας, ἐὰν ὁ ἐν πλάνῃ δανείζῃ τοῖς ἔχουσιν, ἡμεῖς καὶ τοῖς μὴ ἔχουσιν. ἁπαξαπλῶς ὀφείλομεν οἱ τὸν ἄπειρον αἰῶνα ἐλπίζοντες κληρονομεῖν, τῶν τὸν παρόντα μόνον εἰδότων, τῶν ὑπʼ αὐτῶν γενομένων καλῶν κρεῖττον ποιεῖν, εἰδότες, ὅτι ἐὰν αὐτῶν τὰ ἔργα τοῖς ἡμετέροις ἔργοις ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως ἀνακριθέντα ἴσα τῇ εὐποιΐᾳ εὑρεθῇ, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἐναισχυνθῆναι ἔχομεν, αὐτοὶ δὲ διὰ πλάνην τὰ καθʼ αὑτῶν ποιήσαντες ἀπολέσθαι. τὸ δὲ αἰσχυνθῆναι κατὰ τοῦτο εἴρηκα, ὅτι μὴ πλεῖον ἐποιήσαμεν αὐτῶν, ὧν καὶ πλεῖον ἐγνώκαμεν. εἰ δὲ αἰσχυνθῆναι ἔστιν, τὴν εὐποιΐαν αὐτοῖς ἴσην δείξαντες καὶ οὐ πλεῖον, πῶς γε μᾶλλον, ἐὰν αὐτῶν τῆς εὐποιΐας τὸ ἧττον δείξωμεν; ### English translation (Claude) "No; rather, if those in error do not murder, let us not even be angry; if the one in error does not commit adultery, let us not even think of it in the first place; if the one in error loves the one who loves him, let us love even those who hate us; if the one in error lends to those who have, let us lend even to those who do not. In short, we who hope to inherit the endless age ought to do better than the good done by those who know only the present one, knowing that if on the day of judgment their works are examined beside ours and found equal in doing good, we shall be put to shame, while they, having acted against themselves through error, will perish. I have spoken of shame in this sense, that we did not do more than those whom we have also surpassed in knowledge. And if it is shameful to show them an equal, and not greater, doing of good, how much more if we show less than their doing of good? ### Scripture references - Matt 5:22: allusion, high confidence - Matt 5:28: allusion, high confidence - Matt 5:44: allusion, high confidence - Luke 6:34: allusion, high confidence - Luke 6:35: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The contrasts follow Matt 5:21–22, 27–28, 43–47 and Luke 6:32–35. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.32 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-32). ## Homilies 11.33 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-33 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Jesus' sayings about the queen of the south and the Ninevites show that pagans' good deeds will condemn believers who do less, including in matters of purity. ### Greek text Ὅτι δὲ ὄντως ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως ταῖς τῶν πεπλανημένων εὐποιΐαις αἱ τῶν ἀλήθειαν ἐγνωκότων ἰσάζονται πράξεις, αὐτὸς ἡμᾶς ὁ ἀψευδὴς ἐδίδαξεν, εἰπὼν πρὸς μὲν τοὺς ἀμελοῦντας ἐλθεῖν καὶ ἐπακούειν αὐτοῦ βασίλισσα νότου ἐγερθήσεται μετὰ τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης, καὶ κατακρινεῖ αὐτήν, ὅτι ἦλθεν ἀπὸ τῶν περάτων τῆς γῆς ἀκοῦσαι τὴν σοφίαν Σολομῶνος· καὶ ἰδοὺ πλεῖον Σολομῶνος ὧδε, καὶ οὐ πιστεύετε. πρὸς δὲ τοὺς ἐν τῷ λαῷ μὴ θέλοντας μετανοῆσαι ἐπὶ τῷ κηρύγματι αὐτοῦ εἶπεν· ἄνδρες Νινευῖται ἐγερθήσονται μετὰ τῆς γενεᾶς ταύτης, καὶ κατακρινοῦσιν αὐτήν, ὅτι ἀκούσαντες μετενόησαν εἰς τὸ κήρυγμα Ἰωνᾶ· καὶ ἰδοὺ πλεῖον ὧδε, καὶ οὐδεὶς πιστεύει. καὶ οὕτως πρὸς πᾶσαν ἀσέβειαν αὐτῶν ἀντιπαραθεὶς τοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν πεποιηκότας, εἰς κατάκρισιν τῶν ἐν θεοσεβείᾳ μηδὲ τὸ ἴσον καλὸν τοῖς πεπλανημένοις πεποιηκότων, τοὺς ἔχοντας λογισμὸν ἐνουθέτει, μὴ μόνον ὅσα τοῖς ἔθνεσιν τὰ καλὰ ἴσως ποιεῖν, ἀλλὰ τὸ πλεῖον. ὁ δὲ λόγος μοι ἐῤῥύη, πρόφασιν λαβὼν ἐκ τοῦ δεῖν φυλάσσειν τὴν ἄφεδρον, καὶ ἀπὸ κοινωνίας βαπτίζεσθαι, μὴ ἀρνεῖσθαι τὴν τοιαύτην ἁγνείαν, κἄν οἱ πεπλανημένοι αὐτὴν πράττωσιν, ὅτε εἰς κατάκρισιν τῶν ἐν θεοσεβείᾳ εἰσὶν οἱ ἐν πλάνῃ ποιοῦντες καλῶς μετὰ τοῦ μὴ σώζεσθαι· ὅτι ἡ τιμὴ τῆς ἁγνείας αὐτῶν ἐστιν διὰ τὴν πλάνην, καὶ οὐ διὰ θρησκείαν τοῦ ὄντως πατρὸς καὶ Θεοῦ τῶν ὅλων. ### English translation (Claude) "That on the day of judgment the deeds of those who have known the truth are indeed weighed against the good deeds of those in error, the One who does not lie himself taught us. To those who neglected to come and listen to him he said: 'The queen of the south will rise with this generation and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon; and behold, something greater than Solomon is here, and you do not believe.' And to those among the people who would not repent at his preaching he said: 'The men of Nineveh will rise with this generation and condemn it, because when they heard they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and behold, something greater is here, and no one believes.' So, setting against all their ungodliness those from the nations who had done well, to condemn those in the true religion who had not done even equal good to those in error, he admonished those who have reason to do not only as much good as the nations, but more. My discourse ran on from the occasion of the need to observe the monthly separation and to wash after intercourse, and not to refuse such purity even if those in error practice it; for those in error who do well, without being saved, serve for the condemnation of those in the true religion, because their regard for purity is due to error and not to the worship of the true Father and God of all." ### Scripture references - Matt 12:42: quotation, high confidence - Matt 12:41: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:31: quotation, medium confidence - Luke 11:32: quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The sayings follow Matt 12:41–42 and Luke 11:31–32, with "and you do not believe" and "no one believes" added. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.33 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-33). ## Homilies 11.34 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-34 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter continues daily in Tripolis, refuting the gods and fate and teaching that providence governs the world. ### Greek text Τοῦτο δὲ εἰπὼν ἀπέλυσεν τοὺς ὄχλους, καὶ συνήθως ἁλῶν σὺν τοῖς φιλτάτοις μεταλαβὼν ἡσύχασεν. οὕτως οὖν ποιῶν καὶ διαλεγόμενος ἑκάστοτε προσαγωγὰς κατὰ τὸ βέβαιον προσέφερεν τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ νόμῳ, τοὺς νομιζομένους μετὰ τῆς νομιζομένης γενέσεως ἐλέγχων, καὶ ὅτι αὐτοματισμὸς μὲν οὐκ ἔστιν, ἀλλὰ κατὰ πρόνοιαν διοικεῖται ὁ κόσμος. ### English translation (Claude) Having said this he dismissed the crowds, and as usual, having shared salt with his dearest friends, he rested. So, acting and discoursing in this way each time, he steadily brought people over to the law of God, refuting the supposed gods together with the supposed doctrine of birth-fate, and showing that there is no chance but the world is governed by providence. ### Translation notes - "Birth-fate" renders γένεσις, the astrological doctrine that one's birth determines one's life. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.34 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-34). ## Homilies 11.35 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-35 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement is baptized, and Peter warns the presbyters to receive no apostle or teacher whose preaching has not been checked with James of Jerusalem. ### Greek text Τριῶν οὖν μηνῶν πληρωθέντων νηστεῦσαί μοι κελεύσας ἡμερῶν, ἀγαγών με εἰς τὰς ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ πλησίον οὔσας πηγάς, ὡς εἰς ἀένναον ἐβάπτισεν ὕδωρ. οὕτως οὖν εὐωχηθέντων τῶν ἀδελφῶν ἡμῶν ἐπὶ τῇ θεοδωρήτῳ μου ἀναγεννήσει, μετʼ οὐ πολλὰς ἡμέρας τοῖς πρεσβυτέροις ἐπιστρέφων ἐπὶ πάσης τῆς ἐκκλησίας ἐνετείλατο λέγων· ὁ ἀποστείλας ἡμᾶς κύριος ἡμῶν καὶ προφήτης ὑφηγήσατο ἡμῖν, ὡς ὁ πονηρὸς τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας διαλεχθεὶς αὐτῷ καὶ μηδὲν δυνηθεὶς πρὸς αὐτόν, ἐκ τῶν αὑτοῦ ἐπηκόων ἐπηγγέλλετο πρὸς ἀπάτην ἀποστόλους πέμψαι. διὸ πρὸ πάντων μέμνησθε ἀπόστολον ἢ διδάσκαλον ἢ προφήτην μὴ πρότερον ἀντιβάλλοντα αὑτοῦ τὸ κήρυγμα Ἰακώβῳ τῷ λεχθέντι ἀδελφῷ τοῦ κυρίου μου καὶ πεπιστευμένῳ ἐν Ἱερουσαλὴμ τὴν Ἑβραίων διέπειν ἐκκλησίαν, καὶ μετὰ μαρτύρων προσεληλυθότα πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἵνα μὴ ἡ κακία ἡ τῷ κυρίῳ προδιαλεχθεῖσα ἡμέρας τεσσαράκοντα, μηδὲν δυνηθεῖσα, ὕστερον ὡς ἀστραπὴ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ ἐπὶ γῆς πεσοῦσα καθʼ ὑμῶν ἐκπέμψῃ κήρυκα, ὡς οὖν ἡμῖν τὸν Σίμωνα ὑπέβαλεν προφάσει ἀληθείας ἐπʼ ὀνόματι τοῦ κυρίου ὑμῶν κηρύσσοντα, πλάνην τε ἐνσπείροντα ὑποβάλλῃ. οὗ χάριν ὁ ἀποστείλας ἡμᾶς ἔφη· πολλοὶ ἐλεύσονται πρός με ἐν ἐνδύματι προβάτων, ἔσωθεν δὲ λύκοι ἅρπαγες ἀπὸ τῶν καρπῶν αὐτῶν ἐπιγινώσκετε αὐτούς. ### English translation (Claude) When three months had been completed, he told me to fast for some days, and taking me to the springs near the sea, he baptized me as in ever-flowing water. When our brothers had feasted over my God-given rebirth, not many days later he turned to the presbyters in the presence of the whole church and charged them, saying: "Our Lord and Prophet who sent us told us that the evil one, having disputed with him forty days and being able to do nothing against him, promised to send apostles from among his own followers to deceive. Therefore remember above all: receive no apostle or teacher or prophet who has not first compared his preaching with James, who was called the brother of my Lord and was entrusted with governing the church of the Hebrews in Jerusalem, and who has not come to you with witnesses; so that the wickedness that disputed with the Lord for forty days and could do nothing may not afterward, falling like lightning from heaven to earth, send out a preacher against you, just as it has now put Simon forward against us, preaching in the name of our Lord under pretext of truth and sowing error. For this reason the one who sent us said: 'Many will come to me in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves; by their fruits you will know them.'" ### Scripture references - Matt 7:15: quotation, high confidence - Matt 7:16: quotation, high confidence - Matt 4:2: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 10:18: allusion, medium confidence - Gal 1:19: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The number of days of fasting is missing in the text. The main verb of the warning ("receive no") is implied, not written; ANF reads it as "shun any ... even though he come with witnesses". The requirement of James's approval reflects the Jewish-Christian outlook of the Homilies. "Your Lord" in the Greek is rendered "our Lord" by sense. The forty days recall Matt 4:1–11, the lightning Luke 10:18. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.35 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-35). ## Homilies 11.36 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-36 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Before leaving Tripolis for Antioch, Peter baptizes many, celebrates the eucharist, and appoints Maroones bishop with twelve presbyters, deacons, and widows. ### Greek text Καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν τοὺς μὲν προπόμπους ἐξέπεμψεν εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν τῆς Συρίας, ἐκεῖ τὴν ἑπομένην ἐπιμένειν εἰπών. τῶν οὖν πορευθέντων ὁ Πέτρος πολλῶν πεπεισμένων ὄχλων νόσους, πάθη, δαίμονας ἀπελάσας, καὶ εἰς τὰς ἐν τῇ θαλάσσῃ πλησίον οὔσας πηγὰς βαπτίσας, καὶ εὐχαριστίαν κλάσας, Μαροόνην τὸν ἀποδεξάμενον αὐτόν, ἤδη λοιπὸν τέλειον ὄντα, ἐπίσκοπον καταστήσας καὶ πρεσβυτέρους δώδεκα ὁρίσας καὶ διακόνους δείξας καὶ χηρικὰ συστησάμενος, ὑπέρ τε τοῦ κοινοῦ καὶ συμφέροντος τῆς ἐκκλησίας τῇ τάξει προσομιλήσας, καὶ τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ Μαροόνῃ πείθεσθαι συμβουλεύσας, ἤδη τριῶν μηνῶν πληρωθέντων τοῖς ἐν Τριπόλει τῆς Φοινίκης ἀποταξάμενος τὴν ἐπʼ Ἀντιόχειαν τῆς Συρίας ἐπορεύετο ὁδόν. ### English translation (Claude) Having said this, he sent the forerunners ahead to Antioch of Syria, telling them to wait there for the following day. When they had gone, Peter, from great crowds who had been persuaded, drove out diseases, afflictions, and demons; he baptized them in the springs near the sea, broke the eucharist, and appointed as bishop Maroones, who had received him and was by now perfected. He set apart twelve presbyters, designated deacons, and established the order of widows; and having spoken about the common good and what was profitable for the good order of the church, and having advised them to obey the bishop Maroones, now that three months had been completed he took leave of those in Tripolis of Phoenicia and set out on the road to Antioch of Syria. ### Translation notes - "The following day" is literally "the following"; the noun is implied. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 11.36 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-11-36). ## Homilies 12.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-12-1 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Leaving Tripolis for Antioch, Peter sends Nicetes and Aquila ahead with the crowd in two scattered groups to avoid envy. ### Greek text Ἐκβάντες οὖν τὴν Τρίπολιν τῆς Φοινίκης, ὡς ἐπʼ Ἀντιόχειαν τῆς Συρίας ἐλθεῖν, αὐτῆς ἡμέρας ἐν Ορθωσίᾳ ἐμείναμεν ἐλθόντες. καὶ διὰ τὸ πλησίον εἶναι ἧς ἐξήλθομεν πόλεως, πάντων σχεδὸν προακηκοότων τοῦ κηρύγματος, μιᾶς ἡμέρας ἐκεῖ μείναντες ἀπήραμεν εἰς Ἀντάραδον. πολλῶν δὲ τῶν συνοδοιπορούντων ἡμῖν ὄντων, ὁ Πέτρος Νικήτῃ καὶ Ἀκύλᾳ προσωμίλει λέγων· ἐπειδὴ πολὺς ὄχλος τῶν συνοδοιπορούντων οὐ μικρὸν φθόνον ἡμῖν εἰσιοῦσιν κατὰ πόλιν ἐπισπᾶται, ἀναγκαίως ἐσκεψάμην φροντίσαι, πῶς μήτε οὗτοι λυπηθῶσιν κωλυθέντες συνεῖναι ἡμῖν, μήτε ἡμεῖς περίβλεπτοι γινόμενοι φθόνῳ τῷ τῆς κακίας ὑποπέσωμεν. τούτου ἕνεκεν βούλομαί σε τὸν Νικήτην καὶ Ἀκύλαν προοδεύειν μου κατὰ συστήματα δύο σποράδην, μανθάνοντες τὰς τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰσέρχεσθαι πόλεις. ### English translation (Claude) So we left Tripolis in Phoenicia to go to Antioch in Syria, and on the same day we came to Orthosia and stayed there. Because it was near the city we had left, and almost everyone had already heard the preaching, we stayed only one day there and set out for Antaradus. Since many were travelling with us, Peter spoke with Nicetes and Aquila, saying: “Because the great crowd of our fellow travellers draws no small envy upon us as we enter each city, I have found it necessary to consider how neither they may be grieved by being prevented from being with us, nor we, by becoming conspicuous, may fall under the envy of wickedness. For this reason I want you, Nicetes and Aquila, to go ahead of me, dividing them into two groups scattered apart, and entering the cities of the Gentiles unnoticed.” ### Translation notes - The printed μανθάνοντες (“learning”) makes little sense; the translation follows the probable reading λανθάνοντες (“unnoticed”). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.1 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-12-1). ## Homilies 12.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-12-2 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter reassures Nicetes and Aquila of his love, tells them to go to Laodicea and wait for him alone at the gates. ### Greek text Οἶδα δὲ ὅτι ἀθυμεῖτε, τοῦτο ποιεῖν ἀκηκοότες, ἀπολιπόμενοί μου διάστημα οὐδʼ ὅλων ἡμερῶν δύο. εἰδέναι οὖν ὑμᾶς θέλω, ὅτι πολλαπλάσιον ἀγαπῶμεν ἡμεῖς οἱ πείσαντες ὑμᾶς τοὺς πεισθέντας, ἢ, εἴπερ, ὑμεῖς ἡμᾶς τοὺς πεπεικότας. ἀλλήλους οὖν στέργοντες, τῷ μὴ ἀλόγως ποιεῖν ἅ θέλωμεν τῆς ἀσφαλείας ὅσον τὸ ἐφʼ ἡμῖν φροντίζωμεν. πρὸς τούτοις δὲ οὐδεμιᾶς ἡμέρας διαλεγομένου μου ἀπολιμπάνεσθε. εἰς γὰρ τὰς ἐπισημοτέρας τῶν ἐπαρχιῶν πόλεις προῄρημαι, ὡς ἴστε καὶ ὑμεῖς, ἡμερῶν ἐπιμένειν καὶ διαλέγεσθαι. καὶ τὸ νῦν εἰς τὴν ἐγγυτέραν ἡμῖν Λαοδίκειαν προάξατε, καὶ μεθʼ ἡμέρας δύο ἢ τρεῖς, ὅσον ἐπὶ τῇ ἐμῇ προαιρέσει, καταλήψομαι ὑμᾶς. ἐπὶ δὲ τῶν πυλῶν ἐκδέξασθέ με ὑμεῖς μόνοι, διὰ τὸν θρύλλον, ἵνα οὕτως ἀψοφητὶ συνεισελθόντες ἅμα ὑμῖν ὦμεν. κᾀκεῖθεν ὁμοίως μετὰ τὸ ἐπιμεῖναι ἡμερῶν ἄλλοι ἀνθʼ ὑμῶν εἰς τὰ ἐπέκεινα κατʼ ἐφημερίας προάξωσιν, τὰς ξενίας ἑτοιμάζοντες. ### English translation (Claude) “I know that you are downcast, having heard that you must do this and be separated from me by a distance of not even two whole days. So I want you to know that we who persuaded you love you, who were persuaded, many times more than you, if indeed at all, love us who persuaded you. Loving one another, then, let us take thought for safety as far as it lies with us, by not doing whatever we wish without reason. Besides, you will not miss a single day of my discourses. For, as you also know, I have decided to stay for some days in the more notable cities of the provinces and to hold discussions there. So for now go ahead to Laodicea, which is nearest to us, and after two or three days, as far as my intention goes, I will overtake you. Wait for me at the gates, you alone, because of the commotion, so that we may enter together with you quietly. And from there likewise, after staying some days, others in your place will go ahead in turn to the places beyond, preparing lodgings.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.2 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-12-2). ## Homilies 12.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-12-3 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Nicetes and Aquila agree, though grieved, and go ahead with instructions to disperse the crowd. ### Greek text Ταῦτα τοῦ Πέτρου εἰπόντος ἠναγκάσθησαν συνθέσθαι λέγοντες· οὐ πάνυ ἡμᾶς, κύριε, λυπεῖ τοῦτο πράττειν, διὰ τὸ ὑπὸ σοῦ κελεύεσθαι. πρῶτον μέν, ὅτι πάντα καλῶς νοεῖν τε καὶ συμβουλεύειν ἄξιος ὤν ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας ἐξελέγης. πρὸς τούτοις δὲ ἐπὶ τὸ πολὺ ἡμερῶν δύο ἀνάγκῃ τοῦ προάγειν ἀπολιμπανόμεθά σου· καὶ αὗται μὲν πολλαὶ πρὸς τὸ μή σε τὸν κύριον ἡμῶν ὁρᾶν Πέτρον, πλὴν λογιζόμεθα, ὅτι πλεῖον λυπηθήσονται οἱ πολὺ μακρὰν προπεμπόμενοι, ὡς ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἀναμένειν σε κατὰ πόλιν κεκελευσμένοι, ἀνιώμενοι ἐν τῷ ἐπὶ πλεῖον ἐστερῆσθαι τὸ ὁρᾶν σου τὸ περιπόθητον πρόσωπον. καὶ ἡμεῖς οὐκ ἔλαττον ἐκείνων ἀθυμοῦντες ὡς κελεύεις διὰ τὸ συμφέρον ποιεῖν οὐκ ἀντιλέγομεν. ὁμῶς ταῦτα εἰπόντες προῆξαν, ἐντολὴν ἔχοντες, ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ πανδοχείῳ προσομιλῆσαι τῷ συνοδοιποροῦντι ὄχλῳ, ὅπως σποράδην ἀλλήλων γενόμενοι εἰς τὰς πόλεις εἰσέρχωνται. ### English translation (Claude) When Peter had said this, they were compelled to agree, saying: “It does not greatly grieve us, lord, to do this, since you command it. First, because you were chosen by the providence of God as one worthy to understand and to counsel everything well. Besides, for the most part it is only for two days that, because we must go ahead, we are separated from you. These days are many indeed when it comes to not seeing you, our lord Peter; yet we reckon that those who are sent much farther ahead will be grieved more, since they are ordered to wait for you longer in each city and are pained at being deprived longer of seeing your longed-for face. And we, no less downcast than they, do not object to doing as you command for the common good.” Having said this, they nevertheless went ahead, with instructions to speak to the travelling crowd at the first inn, so that they might enter the cities scattered apart from one another. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.3 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/11-9/#p-12-3). ## Homilies 12.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-4 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement rejoices to stay with Peter, who teaches him that friends remain together in memory though apart in body. ### Greek text Πορευθέντων οὖν αὐτῶν ἐγὼ Κλήμης μεγάλως ἔχαιρον, ὅτι σὺν αὑτῷ με ἐκέλευσεν εἶναι. καὶ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπον· εὐχαριστῶ τῷ Θεῷ, ὅτι με οὐκ ἐξαπέσταλκας, ὡς τοὺς ἑτέρους, ἐπειδὴ ὀδυνώμενος ἄν διαπεφωνήκειν. ὁ δὲ ἔφη· τί δέ; εἰ καὶ χρεία τις ἔσται πεμφθῆναί σέ που μαθημάτων χάριν, σὺ διὰ τὸ πρὸς ὀλίγον ἀπολιμπάνεσθαί μου συμφερόντως, διὰ τοῦτο τεθνήξῃ; οὐχὶ δὲ προσομιλήσας σεαυτῷ φέρειν τὰ διὰ τὴν ἀνάγκην σοι προσταγέντα εὐθύμως ὑποσταίης; ἢ οὐκ οἶσθα ὅτι σύνεισιν οἱ φίλοι ταῖς μνήμαις, κἄν τοῖς σώμασιν ἀπολιμπάνονται; ὡς ἔνιοι συνόντες τοῖς σώμασιν ἀμνημοσύνης αἰτίᾳ ταῖς ψυχαῖς ἀποδημοῦσιν τοῖς φίλοις. ### English translation (Claude) When they had gone, I, Clement, rejoiced greatly that he had ordered me to be with him. And I said in answer: “I thank God that you have not sent me away like the others, since I would have died of grief.” But he said: “What then? If there is ever need for you to be sent somewhere for the sake of instruction, will you die because you are separated from me for a little while for a good purpose? Will you not rather reason with yourself and cheerfully bear what is laid on you by necessity? Or do you not know that friends are together in memory even when they are apart in body? Just as some who are together in body are away from their friends in soul through forgetfulness.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.4 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-4). ## Homilies 12.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-5 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement explains that Peter is everything to him, that he fears youthful desire without him, and asks to serve him as a slave. ### Greek text Κᾀγὼ ἀπεκρινάμην· μὴ τοίνυν νομίσῃς, κύριε, ὅτι τὰ λύπης πάσχειν ἤμελλον ἀνοήτως, ἀλλὰ καὶ πάνυ ὀρθῷ τινι λογισμῷ. ἐπεὶ γάρ σε, κύριέ μου, ἀντὶ πάντων ἔχω, πατρός τε καὶ μητρὸς καὶ ἀδελφῶν καὶ συγγενῶν, αἴτιόν μοι γενόμενον διὰ τὸν Θεὸν τῆς σωζούσης ἀληθείας, ἀντὶ πάντων ἔχων σε παραμυθίας τῆς μεγίστης τυγχάνω. πρὸς τούτοις, δεδιώς μου καὶ τῆς ἀκμῆς τὴν ἐκ φύσεως ἐπιθυμίαν, ἠγωνίων, μή πως ἀπολειφθείς σου, ἄνθρωπος ὤν νεώτερος, ὅσπερ νῦν οὕτως ἐνστάσεως ἔχω, ὡς ἄν μὴ κατά τινα χόλον Θεοῦ ἀποστῆναί σου ἀδύνατον εἶναι, ἥττων ἐπιθυμίας ἔσομαι. ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ πολλῷ ἄμεινον καὶ ἀσφαλέστερον συνεῖναί μέ σοι, τούτῳ, ᾧ ὁ νοῦς μου αἰδεῖσθαι εὐλόγως προείληφεν, διὸ πάντῃ σοι συνεῖναι εὔχομαι· πρὸς τούτοις δὲ μέμνημαί σου ἐν Καισαρείᾳ εἰπόντος· εἴ τις βούλεταί μοι συνοδεῦσαι, εὐσεβῶς συνοδευέτω. εὐσεβῶς δὲ ἔφης, τὸ μηδένα λυπεῖν κατὰ Θεόν, οἷον ἀπολιπόντα γονεῖς, γυναῖκα ὁμόφρονα, ἢ ἑτέρους τινὰς τῇ θεοσεβείᾳ προσκειμένους. ὅθεν ἐγὼ κατὰ πάντα ἐπιτήδειός εἰμί σοι συνοδοιπόρος, ᾧ εἰ καὶ τὰ μέγιστα χαρίζῃ, τὰς δούλων μοι ὑπηρεσίας συγχωρεῖς ποιεῖν. ### English translation (Claude) And I answered: “Do not think, then, lord, that I was going to feel grief foolishly; rather, it was from quite sound reasoning. For since I have you, my lord, in place of all, father and mother and brothers and relatives, you who became for me, through God, the cause of the saving truth, I find in having you in place of all the greatest consolation. Besides, fearing also the natural desire of my youth, I was anxious lest, if I were left without you, being a younger man, I should be overcome by desire; whereas now I am so resolved that, unless through some wrath of God, it is impossible for me to leave you. But since it is much better and safer for me to be with you, whom my mind has rightly come to revere, I therefore pray to be with you always. Besides, I remember that you said in Caesarea: ‘If anyone wishes to travel with me, let him travel piously.’ By ‘piously’ you meant that no one should grieve anyone in a way contrary to God, for example by leaving parents, or a like-minded wife, or any others devoted to godliness. So I am in every way a suitable travelling companion for you; and if you would grant me the greatest favour, allow me to do for you the services of a slave.” ### Translation notes - The sentence about Clement's present resolve (ὅσπερ νῦν οὕτως ἐνστάσεως ἔχω …) is awkwardly constructed in the Greek; it is rendered by sense. - Peter's condition in Caesarea: a travelling companion must not leave behind, against God's will, parents or a like-minded wife who are themselves devoted to godliness. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.5 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-5). ## Homilies 12.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-6 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter jokes that he has no luxuries needing a slave, describes his simple diet and clothing, and offers instead to serve Clement. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀκούσας γελοίαζων ἔφη· τί οὖν οἴει, Κλήμης, μὴ ὑπʼ αὐτῆς ἀνάγκης σε εἰς δούλων μοι ταγῆναι τόπον; ἐπεὶ τίς τὰς καλὰς καὶ πολλὰς σινδόνας μετὰ τῶν ἑπομένων μοι δακτυλίων καὶ ὑποδήσεων φυλάξει; τίς δὲ καὶ τὰ ἡδέα καὶ πολυτελῆ ὄψα προετοιμάσει, ἅ τινα ποικίλα ὄντα πολλῶν καὶ τεχνιτῶν δεῖται μαγείρων, καὶ πάντα ἐκεῖνα ὅσα ἐκτεθηλυμένων ἀνθρώπων ὡς θηρίῳ μεγάλῳ τῇ ἐπιθυμίᾳ ἐκ πάσης πλεονεξίας πορισθέντα ἑτοιμάζεται; πλὴν ἡ τοιαύτη σε προαίρεσις ὑπεισῆλθεν, ἴσως μὴ συνέντα καὶ τὸν ἐμὸν ἀγνοοῦντα βίον, ὅτι ἄρτῳ μόνῳ καὶ ἐλαίαις χρῶμαι, καὶ σπανίως λαχάνοις, καὶ ὅτι ἱμάτιόν μοι καὶ τριβώνιον ὑπάρχει τοῦτο αὐτὸ ὅ περιβέβλημαι, καὶ ἑτέρου χρείαν οὐκ ἔχω οὐδὲ ἄλλων τινῶν. ἐν γὰρ τούτοις καὶ περισσεύομαι. ὁ νοῦς γάρ μου τὰ ἐκεῖ πάντα ὁρῶν αἰώνια ἀγαθὰ οὐδὲν τῶν ἐνταῦθα περιβλέπεται. πλήν σου μὲν τὴν ἀγαθὴν προαίρεσιν ἀποδέχομαι, καὶ θαυμάζων ἐπαινῶ, πῶς ἀνὴρ ἐκ πολυτελῶν ἐθῶν ὑπάρχων ῥᾳδίως τοῖς ἀναγκαίοις τὸν σεαυτοῦ ὑπήλλαξας βίον. ἡμεῖς γὰρ ἐκ παίδων, ἐγώ τε καὶ Ἀνδρέας ὁ σύναιμος καὶ κατὰ Θεὸν ἀδελφὸς ὤν ἐμός, οὐ μόνον ἐν ὀρφανίᾳ ἀνατραφέντες, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπὸ πενίας καὶ κακουχίας εἰς ἐργασίαν ἐθισθέντες, εὐμαρῶς νῦν τὰς τῶν ὁδῶν φέρομεν σκύλσεις. ὅθεν εἰ ἐπείθου μοι, ἐμοὶ ἄν συγκεχωρήκεις, ἀνδρὶ ἐργάτῃ, σοὶ τὰ δούλων ἀποπληροῦν μέρη. ### English translation (Claude) When Peter heard this, he laughed and said: “What then do you think, Clement? Will you not be put in the place of my slaves by sheer necessity? For who will look after my many fine linen garments, together with my rings and shoes? And who will prepare the sweet and costly dishes, which, being varied, need many skilled cooks, and all those things that are procured with all greed and prepared for effeminate men, for their desire as for a great beast? But such a wish has crept into you, perhaps because you do not understand and do not know my way of life: that I use only bread and olives, and rarely vegetables; and that I have one garment and a worn cloak, this very one I have on, and I need no other, nor anything else. For in these I have even more than enough. For my mind, seeing all the eternal good things there, looks at none of the things here. Still, I accept your good intention, and I praise it with wonder: how you, a man from costly habits, have easily changed your life to what is necessary. For from childhood, I and Andrew, my brother by blood and also my brother according to God, were not only brought up as orphans but, through poverty and hardship, were also accustomed to labour; so now we easily bear the fatigues of the roads. So if you would listen to me, you would allow me, a working man, to perform the part of a slave for you.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.6 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-6). ## Homilies 12.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-7 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement weeps at Peter's offer; Peter cites the Lord who took the form of a slave, and Clement gives thanks to have Peter as a parent. ### Greek text Ἐγὼ δὲ ἀκούσας σύντρομος ἐγενόμην καὶ ἐπίδακρυς, οἷον λόγον εἶπεν ἀνὴρ, οὗ πάντες οἱ τῆς νῦν γενεᾶς ἄνθρωποι τῷ τῆς γνώσεως καὶ εὐσεβείας λόγῳ ἥττους τυγχάνουσιν. ὁ δὲ ἰδών με σύνδακρυν τῶν δακρύων ἐπύθετο τὴν αἰτίαν. κᾀγὼ ἔφην· τί τοιοῦτον ἥμαρτον, ἵνα μοι τοιοῦτον εἴπῃς λόγον; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· εἰ μὲν κακῶς εἴρηκα τὸ δουλεῦσαί σοι, σὺ πρῶτος ἥμαρτες, τοῦτο ἐμοὶ ποιῆσαι ἀξιώσας. κᾀγὼ ἔφην· οὐχ ὅμοιόν ἐστιν· ἐμοὶ μὲν γὰρ τοῦτο ποιεῖν πρέπει πάνυ, σοὶ δὲ τῷ τοῦ Θεοῦ κήρυκι τὰς ἡμετέρας σώζοντι ψυχὰς χαλεπὸν τοῦτο ποιεῖν ἐμοί. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· συνεθέμην ἄν σοι, ἐπεὶ ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν ὁ ἐπὶ σωτηρίᾳ παντὸς τοῦ κόσμου ἐληλυθώς, μόνος ὑπὲρ πάντας εὐγενὴς ὤν, δουλείαν ὑπέμεινεν, ἵνα ἡμᾶς πείσῃ μὴ αἰδεῖσθαι τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς ἡμῶν τὰς δούλων ποιεῖν ὑπηρεσίας, κἄν πάνυ εὐγενεῖς τυγχάνωμεν. κᾀγὼ ἔφην· εἰ μὲν νομίζω σε νικῆσαι λόγῳ, ἀνόητός εἰμι, πλὴν χάριν ἔχω τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίᾳ, ὅτι σε εἰς γονέων τόπον ἔχειν κατηξιώθην. ### English translation (Claude) When I heard this I began to tremble and weep, that such a word should be spoken by a man to whom all men of the present generation are inferior in the word of knowledge and piety. When he saw me in tears, he asked the reason for my tears. And I said: “What great sin have I committed that you should say such a thing to me?” And Peter answered: “If I have spoken wrongly in saying I would serve you, you sinned first, in asking me to do this.” And I said: “It is not the same. It is very fitting for me to do this; but for you, the herald of God who saves our souls, to do this for me is a grievous thing.” And Peter answered: “I would have agreed with you, except that our Lord, who came for the salvation of the whole world, and who alone is noble above all, submitted to slavery, in order to persuade us not to be ashamed to do the services of slaves for our brothers, even if we are very nobly born.” And I said: “If I think I can overcome you in argument, I am a fool; but I give thanks to the providence of God that I have been counted worthy to have you in place of parents.” ### Scripture references - Phil 2:7: allusion, medium confidence - John 13:14: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - The Lord's taking on slavery recalls Phil 2:7 and John 13:14–15 (washing the disciples' feet). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.7 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-7). ## Homilies 12.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-8 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement tells Peter of his family: his father Faustus, his mother Mattidia, and his twin brothers, and his mother's dream bidding her leave Rome. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἐπυνθάνετο· οὐδεὶς δέ σου ἀληθῶς πρὸς γένος ὑπάρχει; κᾀγὼ ἀπεκρινάμην· εἰσὶν μὲν πολλοὶ καὶ μεγάλοι ἄνδρες, Καίσαρος πρὸς γένος ὄντες. ὅθεν τῷ ἐμῷ πατρὶ ὡς καὶ συντρόφῳ αὐτὸς Καῖσαρ συγγενίδα συνηρμόσατο γυναῖκα, ἀφʼ ἧς τρεῖς ἐγενόμεθα υἱοί, δύο μὲν πρὸ ἐμοῦ, οἳ καὶ δίδυμοι ὄντες πάνυ ὅμοιοι ἀλλήλοις ἐτύγχανον, ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ πατὴρ ἔλεγέν μοι. ἐγὼ γὰρ οὔτε αὐτοὺς, οὔτε τὴν τεκοῦσαν πάνυ ἐπίσταμαι, ἀλλʼ ὥσπερ διʼ ὀνείρων ἀμαυρὸν αὐτῶν τὸ εἶδος ἀναφέρω. ἡ μὲν οὖν μήτηρ μου Ματτιδία ἐλέγετο, ὁ δὲ πατὴρ Φαῦστος, τῶν δὲ ἀδελφῶν καὶ αὐτῶν ὁ μὲν Φαυστῖνος ἐκαλεῖτο, ὁ δὲ Φαυστινιανὸς ἐλέγετο. ἐμοῦ οὖν τρίτου ἐπιγεννηθέντος αὐτοῖς ἡ μήτηρ ὄνειρον ἑωράκει, ὥσπερ ὁ πατήρ μου ὑφηγεῖτο, ὅτι ἐὰν μὴ τοὺς διδύμους υἱοὺς αὐτῆς ἐξ αὐτῆς παραλαβοῦσα τὴν Ῥωμαίων πρὸς ἀποδημίαν ἐξέλθοι πόλιν ἐπʼ ἔτη δέκα, πανολεθρίῳ μόρῳ ἅμα αὐτοῖς ἀποθανεῖν ἔχει. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter asked: “Do you really have no one of your family?” And I answered: “There are indeed many great men, relatives of Caesar. Hence Caesar himself gave my father, as one who had been brought up with him, a wife who was his own kinswoman. From her we were born three sons, two before me, who were twins and were very like one another, as my father himself told me. For I do not really know either them or the mother who bore me, but I recall their appearance dimly, as in dreams. My mother was called Mattidia, my father Faustus, and of my brothers one was called Faustinus and the other Faustinianus. After I, the third, was born to them, my mother saw a dream, as my father related, that unless she took her twin sons away with her and left the city of Rome to live abroad for ten years, she and they would die by a death of utter destruction.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.8 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-8). ## Homilies 12.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-9 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement's father sends his wife and twins to Athens; messengers later report that they never arrived and no trace of them can be found. ### Greek text Ὁ μὲν οὖν πατὴρ φιλότεκνος ὤν σύν τε δούλοις καὶ δούλαις ἐφοδιάσας ἱκανῶς καὶ εἰς πλοῖον ἐμβαλλόμενος εἰς τὰς Ἀθήνας ἅμα παιδευθησομένους ἐξέπεμψεν, ἐμὲ δὲ μόνον υἱὸν εἰς παραμυθίαν ἔσχεν μεθʼ ἑαυτοῦ. καὶ ἐπὶ τούτῳ εὐχαριστῶ πολλά, ὅτι κᾀμὲ ὁ ὄνειρος μὴ κεκελεύκει ἅμα τῇ μητρὶ τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἐκβῆναι πόλιν. περαιωθέντος οὖν ἐνιαυτοῦ ὁ πατὴρ ἔπεμψεν εἰς Ἀθήνας χρήματα τοῖς αὑτοῦ, ἅμα τε καὶ μαθεῖν τὸ πῶς διάγουσιν. οἱ δὲ ἀπελθόντες οὐχ ὑπέστρεψαν. τρίτῳ δὲ ἐνιαυτῷ ὁ πατὴρ ἀθυμῶν ἑτέρους ἔπεμψεν ὁμοίως μετʼ ἐφοδίων, οἵ τινες τετάρτῳ ἐνιαυτῷ ἦλθον ἀγγέλλοντες, μήτε μου τὴν τεκοῦσαν ἢ τοὺς ἀδελφοὺς ἑωρακέναι, μήτε μὴν αὐτοὺς Ἀθήναις ἐπιδεδημηκέναι, μήτε ἄλλου τινὸς τῶν σὺν αὐτοῖς ἀπεληλυθότων κἄν ἴχνος εὑρηκέναι. ### English translation (Claude) “My father, who loved his children, provided them amply with male and female slaves, put them on a ship, and sent them to Athens to be educated together, but kept me, his only remaining son, with him for his consolation. And for this I give much thanks, that the dream had not ordered me too to leave the city of Rome with my mother. When a year had passed, my father sent money to Athens for his family, and at the same time to learn how they were doing. But those who went did not come back. In the third year my father, downcast, sent others likewise with provisions, who came back in the fourth year reporting that they had seen neither my mother nor my brothers, that they had never even arrived in Athens, and that they had found not so much as a trace of any of those who had gone with them.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.9 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-9). ## Homilies 12.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-10 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement's father searches the harbour for news, then sails off in search of his family and is never heard of again. ### Greek text Ὁ μὲν οὖν πατὴρ ταῦτα ἀκούσας, καὶ ὑπὸ πολλῆς λύπης ἔκθαμβος γενόμενος, καὶ οὐκ εἰδὼς ποῦ ὁρμήσας ἐπὶ ζήτησιν αὐτῶν γένηται, ἐμέ τε παραλαβὼν καὶ εἰς Πόρτον καταβὰς πολλῶν πυκνότερον ἐπυνθάνετο, ποῦ ἕκαστος αὐτῶν εἶδεν ἢ ἤκουσεν ἀπὸ τεσσάρων ἐτῶν γενόμενον ναυφράγιον; καὶ ἄλλος ἀλλαχῆ ἔλεγεν. ὁ δὲ ἀντεπυνθάνετο, εἰ ἑωράκασιν σῶμα γυναικὸς μετὰ βρεφῶν ἐκβεβρασμένον. τῶν οὖν πολλὰ λεγόντων ἑωρακέναι πτώματα κατὰ πολλοὺς τόπους, ὁ πατὴρ ἀκούων ἐστέναξεν· πλὴν ὑπὸ σπλάγχνων θορυβούμενος ἀλόγιστα ἐπυνθάνετο, ὅτι τοσοῦτον μέγεθος θαλάττης ἐρευνᾶν ἐπειρᾶτο. πλὴν συγγνωστὸς ἦν, ὅτι τῇ πρὸς τοὺς ζητουμένους στοργῇ ἐλπίσιν ἐβουκολεῖτο κεναῖς. καὶ δήποτε ὑπὸ φροντιστὰς ποιήσας μου καὶ εἰς Ρώμην καταλείψας δωδεκαετῆ, αὐτὸς δακρύων εἰς Πόρτον κατελθὼν καὶ εἰς πλοῖον ἐμβάς, ἀναχθεὶς ἐπὶ τὴν ζήτησιν ἐπορεύθη. καὶ ἔκτοτε εἰς τὴν σήμερον ἡμέραν οὔτε γράμματα ἐδεξάμην παρʼ αὐτοῦ, οὔτε εἰ ζῇ ἢ τέθνηκεν σαφῶς ἐπίσταμαι. μᾶλλον δὲ ὑπονοῶ ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς τέθνηκέν που, ἢ ὑπὸ λύπης νικηθεὶς ἢ ναυφραγίῳ περιπεσών. τούτου δὲ δεῖγμα, ὅτι ἤδη λοιπὸν ἔκτοτε εἰκοστὸν ἔτος ἐστίν, ἀφʼ ἧς οὐδεμίαν τινὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ ἀλήθειαν ἤκουσα. ### English translation (Claude) “When my father heard this, he was stunned with great grief, and not knowing where to turn to search for them, he took me and went down to Portus, and asked many people again and again where each of them had seen or heard of a shipwreck in the last four years. One said one place, another another. He asked in turn whether they had seen the body of a woman with little children cast up by the sea. When many said they had seen corpses in many places, my father groaned as he heard it; yet, troubled in his heart, he kept asking unreasonably, as if he were trying to search the vastness of the sea. But he was to be forgiven, since through his affection for those he was seeking he fed himself on empty hopes. And at last he placed me under guardians and left me in Rome, twelve years old, and went down in tears to Portus, boarded a ship, put to sea, and went on the search. From that time to this day I have received no letters from him, nor do I know for certain whether he is alive or dead. Rather, I suspect that he too has died somewhere, either overcome by grief or overtaken by shipwreck. A sign of this is that it is now the twentieth year since then, during which I have heard nothing true about him.” ### Translation notes - Portus: the harbour of Rome at the mouth of the Tiber. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.10 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-10). ## Homilies 12.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-11 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter weeps and observes that the Gentiles too suffer calamities, but without hope, while the godly suffer to pay for their transgressions. ### Greek text Ὁ δὲ Πέτρος ἀκούων ταῦτα ὑπὸ συμπαθείας ἐδάκρυσεν, καὶ εὐθέως τοῖς συνοῦσιν γνησίοις ἔφη· ταῦτα εἴ τις πεπόνθει θεοσεβής, οἷα ὁ τούτου πέπονθεν πατήρ, εὐθέως τῷ τῆς θεοσεβείας λόγῳ τὴν αἰτίαν προσῆπτεν ἐπιγράφων τὸν πονηρόν· οὕτω καὶ τοῖς ταλαιπώροις ἔθνεσιν συμβαίνει πάσχειν, καὶ ἀγνοοῦμεν οἱ θεοσεβεῖς. ταλαιπώρους δὲ αὐτοὺς εὐλόγως εἴρηκα, ὅτι ἐνταῦθα ἀλῶνται καὶ τῆς ἐκεῖ ἐλπίδος οὐ τυγχάνουσιν. οἱ γὰρ ἐν θεοσεβείᾳ πάσχοντες τὰ θλιβερὰ εἰς ἔκπραξιν παραπτωμάτων πάσχουσιν· ### English translation (Claude) When Peter heard this, he wept for sympathy, and at once said to the faithful companions who were with him: “If some godly man had suffered what this man's father has suffered, people would at once have attached the cause to the doctrine of godliness, blaming the evil one. So it happens that the wretched Gentiles suffer such things too, and we godly people do not know it. And I have rightly called them wretched, because here they wander, and they do not obtain the hope there. For those who suffer afflictions in godliness suffer them for the payment of their transgressions.” ### Translation notes - The section ends with a raised stop, as if the sentence continued; the text may be incomplete here. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.11 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-11). ## Homilies 12.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-12 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter allows his companions to sail to the island of Aradus to see its famous vine-wood columns and works of Phidias. ### Greek text Ταῦτα τοῦ Πέτρου εἰπόντος εἷς τις τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν τολμήσας ἀντὶ πάντων παρεκάλεσεν αὐτὸν, αὔριον ὀρθριαίτερον εἰς Ἄραδον τὴν κατέναντι νῆσον εἰσπλεῦσαι, τριάκοντα οἶμαι οὐδʼ ὅλους ἀπέχουσαν σταδίους, ὡς ἐπὶ ἱστορίᾳ τῶν ἐκεῖ ἀμπελίνων δύο στύλων μέγιστα ἐχόντων πάχη. ὁ οὖν πειθήνιος Πέτρος συνεχώρησεν εἰπών· ἐπὰν τοῦ πλοίου ἐκβῆτε, μὴ ἅμα πολλοὶ εἰσέρχεσθε εἰς τὴν θεωρίαν ὧν ἐπιθυμεῖτε· οὐ γὰρ βούλομαι στρέμματα γίνεσθαι εἰς ἡμᾶς τῶν πολιτῶν. καὶ οὕτως πλεύσαντες ῥοπῇ ὥρας κατήχθημεν εἰς τὴν νῆσον. ἐκβάντες δὲ τοῦ σκάφους εἰσῄειμεν ἔνθα οἱ ἀμπέλινοι στύλοι ἦσαν, ὁμῶς ἅμα αὐτοῖς ἄλλος ἄλλο τι τῶν Φειδίου ἔργων ἐθεώρει. ### English translation (Claude) When Peter had said this, one of our number took courage and asked him on behalf of all to sail over early the next morning to Aradus, the island opposite, less, I think, than thirty stadia away, to see the two vine-wood columns there, which are of very great girth. The obliging Peter agreed, saying: “When you get out of the boat, do not go many of you together to see what you desire; for I do not want the citizens' eyes turned toward us.” And so we sailed and in a short hour landed on the island. Getting out of the boat, we went in to where the vine-wood columns were, and at the same time one looked at one and another at another of the works of Phidias. ### Translation notes - στρέμματα ('turnings') is rendered by sense as the citizens' attention being turned toward them. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.12 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-12). ## Homilies 12.13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-13 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: On Aradus Peter meets a crippled beggar woman who has gnawed her own hands and wishes she had the courage to kill herself. ### Greek text Πέτρος δὲ μόνος οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον ἡγήσατο ἐπὶ τὴν τῶν ἐκεῖ ἱστορίαν γενέσθαι, γυναικὶ δέ τινι ἔξω πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν καθεζομένῃ καὶ τροφῆς χάριν μεταιτούσῃ πυκνὰ κατανοήσας ἔφη· γύναι, τί σοι τῶν μελῶν λείπει, ὅτι τοσαύτην ὕβριν ἀνεδέξω, λέγω δὴ τὸ προσαιτεῖν, καὶ μὴ μᾶλλον ταῖς ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ σοι δεδωρημέναις χερσὶν ἐργαζομένη τὰς ἐφημέρους πορίζεις τροφάς; ἡ δὲ στενάξασα ἀπεκρίνατο· εἴθε γὰρ ἦσάν μοι χεῖρες ὑπουργεῖν δυνάμεναι! νῦν δέ μοι σχῆμα μόνον χειρῶν φυλάσσουσιν, νεκραὶ τυγχάνουσαι, ὑπὸ δηγμάτων ἐμῶν βεβασανισμέναι. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἐπύθετο· τίς δὲ ἡ αἰτία τοῦ σε τὸ χαλεπὸν τοῦτο πεπονθέναι; ἡ δὲ ἀπεκρίνατο· ψυχῆς ἀσθένεια καὶ πλέον οὐθέν. εἰ γὰρ ἀνδρεῖον εἶχον φρόνημα, ἦν κρημνὸς ἢ βυθὸς, ὅθεν ἐμαυτὴν ῥίψασα τῶν ὀδυνώντων με παύσασθαι ἠδυνάμην κακῶν. ### English translation (Claude) Peter alone did not think it necessary to go and look at the sights there. But noticing a woman who sat outside before the doors and kept begging for food, he said: “Woman, which of your limbs is lacking, that you have accepted such a disgrace, I mean begging, and do not rather work with the hands God has given you and earn your daily food?” She groaned and answered: “Would that I had hands able to work! But now they keep only the shape of hands; they are dead, tortured by my own biting.” And Peter asked: “What is the reason you have suffered this dreadful thing?” She answered: “Weakness of soul, and nothing more. For if I had had a man's courage, there was a cliff or a deep sea from which I could have thrown myself and put an end to the evils that torment me.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.13 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-13). ## Homilies 12.14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-14 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter warns that suicides are punished in Hades and promises the woman a remedy if she tells him her grief. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· τί οὖν; οἴει, γύναι, ὅτι πάντως οἱ ἀναιροῦντες ἑαυτοὺς κολάσεως ἀπαλλάσσονται, ἢ μὴ τῇ χείρονι κολάσει ἐν ᾅδῃ αἱ τῶν οὕτως θνησκόντων ψυχαὶ περὶ τῆς αὐτοκτονίας κολάζονται; ἡ δὲ ἔφη· εἴθε ἐπεπείσμην, ὅτι ὄντως ἐν ᾅδῃ ψυχαὶ εὑρίσκονται ζῶσαι, καὶ ἠγάπων τῆς κολάσεως καταφρονήσασα θανεῖν, ὅπως τοὺς ἐμοὺς περιποθήτους ἰδῶ κἂν μίαν ὥραν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· τί ἄρα ἐστὶν τὸ λυποῦν σε, μαθεῖν ἤθελον, γύναι. ἐὰν γάρ με διδάξῃς, ἀντὶ ταύτης τῆς χάριτος πληροφορήσω σε, ὅτι ἐν ᾅδῃ ζῶσιν αἱ ψυχαί, καὶ ἀντὶ κρημνοῦ ἢ βυθοῦ φάρμακον δώσω, ὅπως ἀβασανίστως τοῦ ζῆν τὸν βίον μεταλλάξαι δυνηθῇς. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter said: “What then? Do you think, woman, that those who kill themselves are altogether freed from punishment? Are not rather the souls of those who die in this way punished in Hades with a worse punishment for their self-murder?” She said: “Would that I were persuaded that souls really are found alive in Hades! Then I would gladly die, despising the punishment, so that I might see my beloved ones even for one hour.” And Peter said: “I would like to learn, woman, what it is that grieves you. For if you tell me, in return for this favour I will fully convince you that souls live in Hades, and instead of a cliff or a deep sea I will give you a remedy, so that you may be able to pass from this life without torment.” ### Translation notes - Peter's promise of a φάρμακον that lets her “pass from life without torment” is deliberately ambiguous (see 12.15): he means the new life of the truth, while she understands a painless poison. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.14 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-14). ## Homilies 12.15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-15 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The woman tells how, pursued by her husband's brother, she left the city with her twin sons to avoid adultery and family strife. ### Greek text Καὶ ἡ γυνὴ τὸ ἀμφιβόλως ῥηθὲν μὴ συνεῖσα, ἐπὶ τῇ ὑποσχέσει ἡσθεῖσα, τοῦ λέγειν ἤρξατο οὕτως· γένος μὲν καὶ πατρίδα εἰπεῖν, οὐκ οἶμαι πεῖσαί ποτε δυνηθῆναί τινα. πλὴν καί σοι τί διαφέρει τοῦτο μαθεῖν, ἢ μόνον τὴν αἰτίαν, ἧς ἕνεκεν ὀδυνωμένη δήγμασιν τὰς ἐμὰς ἐνέκρωσα χεῖρας. πλὴν τὰ κατʼ ἐμαυτὴν, ὡς δυνατὸν ἀκοῦσαί σε, διηγήσομαι. ἐγὼ πάνυ εὐγενὴς ὑπάρχουσα δυνάστου τινὸς προσταγῇ ἀνδρὶ πρὸς γένους αὐτῷ ὑπάρχοντι ἐγενόμην γυνή. καὶ μετὰ δίδυμα τέκνα ἔσχον ἕτερον υἱόν. ὁ δὲ τοῦ ἐμοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἀδελφὸς μανεὶς οὐκ ἔλαττον ἠράσθη μου τῆς ταλαιπώρου, σφόδρα σωφρονεῖν ἀγαπώσης. καὶ βουλομένη μήτε τῷ ἐραστῇ συνθέσθαι, μήτε τῷ ἐμῷ ἀνδρὶ ἀναθέσθαι τὸν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ αὐτοῦ πρὸς ἐμὲ ἔρωτα, ἐλογισάμην, ἵνα μήτε μοιχησαμένη ἐμαυτὴν μιανῶ, μήτε τοῦ ἐμοῦ ἀνδρὸς τὴν κοίτην ὑβρίσω, μήτε τῷ ἀδελφῷ τὸν ἀδελφὸν πολέμιον καταστήσω, μήτε ὅλον γένος μέγα ὄν εἰς ὀνειδισμὸν πᾶσιν ὑποβαλῶ· ὡς ἔφην, ἐλογισάμην τὴν πόλιν μετὰ τῶν ἐμῶν διδύμων παίδων ἐκβῆναι ἐπὶ χρόνον τινά, ἕως ἂν καὶ ὁ μιαρὸς ἔρως παύσηται τοῦ ἐπὶ τῇ ἐμῇ ὕβρει κολακεύοντός με. τὸν μέντοι ἕτερον υἱὸν παρὰ τῷ πατρὶ μεῖναι εἰς παραμυθίαν κατέλιπον. ### English translation (Claude) The woman, not understanding what had been said ambiguously, and pleased with the promise, began to speak thus: “If I told you my family and country, I do not think I could ever convince anyone. Besides, what difference does it make to you to learn that, rather than only the reason why in my anguish I have deadened my hands with biting? Still, I will tell you my story, so far as it is possible for you to hear it. I was of very noble birth, and by the order of a certain ruler I became the wife of a man who was his relative. After twin children I had another son. But my husband's brother fell madly in love with me, wretched woman that I am, though I greatly loved chastity. Not wishing either to consent to my lover or to disclose to my husband his brother's love for me, I considered how I might neither defile myself by committing adultery, nor dishonour my husband's bed, nor set brother at war with brother, nor expose the whole family, which is a great one, to the reproach of all. As I said, I decided to leave the city with my twin children for a time, until the foul love of the man who flattered me to my dishonour should cease. The other son, however, I left with his father, to stay with him for his comfort.” ### Translation notes - Her motive is chastity: to avoid adultery (μοιχεία) and the dishonour of her husband's bed, without setting the brothers against each other. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.15 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-15). ## Homilies 12.16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-16 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: She describes the invented dream, the voyage toward Athens, and the shipwreck in which she alone seemed to survive. ### Greek text Πλὴν ἵνα οὕτως ταῦτα γένηται, ἐπενόησα ὄνειρον πλάσασθαι, ὡς δή τινος νύκτωρ ἐπιστάντος μοι καὶ εἰρηκότος· γύναι, ἐξαυτῆς ἅμα τοῖς διδύμοις σου τέκνοις ἐπὶ χρόνον τινά, μέχρις ὅτε μηνύσω ἐπανελθεῖν σε ἐνταῦθα, ἔκβηθι τὴν πόλιν. ἐπεὶ ἅμα ἀνδρὶ καὶ πᾶσίν σου τοῖς τέκνοις αἰφνιδίως κακῶς τελευτήσεις. ὁμῶς οὕτως ἐποίησα. ἅμα γὰρ τῷ τὸν ὄνειρον ψεύσασθαί με τῷ ἀνδρί, αὐτὸς περίφοβος γενόμενος μετὰ τῶν ἐμῶν δύο υἱῶν δούλων τε καὶ παιδισκῶν καὶ χρημάτων συχνῶν κατὰ πλοῦν εἰς Ἀθήνας με ἐξέπεμψεν, ἐκπαιδεῦσαι τοὺς υἱούς, μέχρις ἄν, ἔφη, τῷ χρηματίσαντι δόξῃ ἐπανιέναι σε πρὸς ἐμέ. ὁμῶς ἅμα τέκνοις ἡ τάλαινα πλέουσα ὑπʼ ἀνέμων ἀταξίας εἰς τούτους ἀποῤῥιφεῖσα τοὺς τόπους, νυκτὸς τῆς νηὸς διαλυθείσης, ναυφραγίῳ περιέπεσα. πάντων δὲ θανόντων ἡ ἀτυχὴς ἐγὼ μόνη ὑπὸ σφοδροῦ κύματος ῥαπισθεῖσα ἐπὶ πέτρας ἐῤῥίφην, ἐφʼ ἧς καθεσθεῖσα ἡ ἀθλία ἐλπίδι τοῦ τέκνα με ζῶντα εὑρεῖν εἰς τὸ βυθὸν ἐμαυτὴν οὐκ ἔῤῥιψα τότε, ὅτε τὴν ψυχὴν μεμεθυσμένην τοῖς κύμασιν ἔχουσα τοῦτο ποιῆσαι ῥᾳδίως ἐδυνάμην. ### English translation (Claude) “But so that this might be done, I thought of inventing a dream, as though someone had stood by me at night and said: ‘Woman, leave the city at once with your twin children for a time, until I tell you to come back here; otherwise you will suddenly die a miserable death together with your husband and all your children.’ And so I did. For as soon as I had told my husband the false dream, he became very afraid and sent me by sea to Athens with my two sons, with male and female slaves and plenty of money, to educate the sons, ‘until,’ he said, ‘the one who gave the oracle decides that you should come back to me.’ But as I, wretched woman, was sailing with my children, I was driven by the violence of the winds to these parts; the ship broke up at night, and I was shipwrecked. When all the rest had died, I alone, unhappy one, was struck by a violent wave and thrown onto a rock. Sitting on it, miserable as I was, in the hope of finding my children alive I did not throw myself into the deep then, when, with my soul drunk with the waves, I could easily have done it.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.16 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-16). ## Homilies 12.17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-17 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The islanders search in vain for her children; a poor widow, faithful to her dead husband, takes her in. ### Greek text Πλὴν ἐπειδὴ ὄρθρος ἐγένετο, μεγάλα βοῶσα καὶ γοερὰ κωκύουσα περιεβλεπόμην, ζητοῦσα τῶν ἐμῶν ταλαιπώρων βρεφῶν τὰ νεκρὰ σώματα. ἐλεήσαντες οὖν με οἱ ἐπιχώριοι, γυμνὴν ἰδόντες, ἐνδύσαντές με τὸ πρῶτον, τὸν βυθὸν ἀνηρεύνων, τὰ ἐμὰ ζητοῦντες τέκνα. καὶ ἐπεὶ μηδὲν ηὕρισκον ὧν ἐζήτουν, παραμυθίας χάριν τινὲς τῶν φιλοξένων γυναικῶν προσελθοῦσαι διηγοῦντο ἑκάστη τὰ ἑαυτῆς κακὰ, ἵνα τῶν ὁμοίων συμφορᾷ παραμυθίας τύχω, ὅ δὲ μᾶλλόν με ἐλύπει. οὐ γὰρ ἔφην οὕτω κακὴ εἶναι, ὡς ταῖς ἄλλων συμφοραῖς παραμυθίας τύχω. καὶ δὴ εἰς ξενίαν πολλῶν με ἄγειν ἀξιουσῶν μία τις τῶν ἐνταῦθα πενιχρὰ πολὺ βιασαμένη εἰς τὸ ἑαυτῆς ἐλθεῖν ἠνάγκασε σκήνωμα, εἰποῦσά μοι· θάῤῥει γύναι, καὶ γὰρ ὁ ἐμὸς ἀνὴρ ναύτης ὥν κατὰ θάλασσαν τέθνηκεν, ἐν τῇ νεαζούσῃ τυγχάνων ἡλικίᾳ· καὶ ἔκτοτε πολλῶν με ἀξιούντων πρὸς γάμον ἐγὼ χηρεύειν εἱλόμην, τὸν ἐμὸν ποθοῦσα ἄνδρα. ἔσται δὲ ἡμῖν κοινὰ ἃ διὰ χειρῶν ἀμφότεραι πορίζειν δυνάμεθα. ### English translation (Claude) “But when morning came, crying loudly and wailing bitterly, I looked all around, seeking the dead bodies of my poor little ones. The local people took pity on me, seeing me naked; they first clothed me, and then searched the deep, looking for my children. And when they found nothing of what they sought, some of the hospitable women came to comfort me, each telling her own misfortunes, so that I might find comfort in the like calamity of others; but that grieved me the more. For I said I was not so wicked as to find comfort in the misfortunes of others. And when many were asking to take me into their homes, a certain poor woman of this place pressed me hard and made me come to her dwelling, saying to me: ‘Take courage, woman. My husband too, a sailor, died at sea while he was still young; and since then, though many have asked me in marriage, I have chosen to remain a widow, out of longing for my husband. What we can both earn with our hands we shall share.’” ### Translation notes - The widow's refusal of remarriage out of love for her dead husband is presented as a virtue (compare φιλανδρία in 12.18). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.17 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-17). ## Homilies 12.18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-18 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: She tells how both she and her benefactress became disabled, how she begs for them both, and asks Peter for the promised remedy. ### Greek text Καὶ ἵνα μή σοι μηκύνω τοὺς οὐκ ἀναγκαίους λόγους, συνῴκησα αὐτῇ διὰ τὴν φιλανδρίαν. καὶ μετʼ οὐ πολὺ ἐμοῦ τῆς ταλαιπώρου αἱ χεῖρες ὑπὸ τῶν δηγμάτων παρείθησαν, καὶ ἡ ὑποδεξαμένη με γυνὴ ὅλη ὑπὸ πάθους τινὸς συνδεθεῖσα ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας ἔῤῥιπται. ἐπεὶ οὖν ὁ τῶν πάλαι γυναικῶν ἔλεος παρήκμασεν, ἐγὼ δὲ καὶ ἡ κατʼ οἶκον ἀμφότεραι ἐπισινεῖς τυγχάνομεν, ἐκ πολλῶν χρόνων ἐνταῦθα, ὡς ὁρᾷς, καθέζομαι προσαιτοῦσα, καὶ ὧν ἄν εὐπορήσω, καὶ τῇ συνταλαιπώρῳ εἰς τροφὰς κομίζω. καὶ τὰ μὲν ἐμὰ ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον αὐτάρκως εἰρήσθω. λοιπὸν σὺ κωλύεις τὴν ὑπόσχεσιν πληρῶσαι τοῦ δοῦναι τὸ φάρμακον ὅπως κἀκείνῃ ἐπιθυμούσῃ θανεῖν δῶ, καὶ οὕτως κἀγὼ τοῦ ζῇν, ὡς ἔφης, μεταλλάξαι δυνηθῶ. ### English translation (Claude) “Not to lengthen my story with unnecessary words, I lived with her because of her love for her husband. Not long afterwards my hands, wretched woman that I am, became paralysed from my biting, and the woman who took me in was completely bound up by some disease and lies helpless in the house. So since the pity of the women of former days has faded, and both I and she at home are disabled, I have sat here begging for a long time, as you see, and what I obtain I take to my fellow sufferer for our food. Let this be enough said about my affairs. Now what hinders you from fulfilling your promise to give me the remedy, so that I may give it also to her, who wishes to die, and so I too may be able to pass from life, as you said?” ### Translation notes - The last sentence reads literally “Now you hinder the fulfilling of the promise”; it is rendered as a question by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.18 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-18). ## Homilies 12.19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-19 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter, suspecting who she is, asks her name and family; she gives false details, and he tells her he had hoped she was someone else. ### Greek text Ταῦτα τῆς γυναικὸς εἰπούσης ὑπὸ λογισμῶν πολλῶν ὁ Πέτρος μετέωρος ἐδόκει ἵστασθαι. ἐγὼ δὲ ἐπελθὼν ἔφην· ἐκ πολλοῦ σε περιερχόμενος ζητῶ, καὶ τὰ νῦν τί ποιοῦμεν; ὁ δὲ Πέτρος προσέταξέν μοι προάξαντι μένειν αὐτὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ σκάφους. καὶ ἐπειδὴ ἀντειπεῖν οὐκ ἦν αὐτῷ κελεύσαντι, ἐποίησα τὸ προσταχθέν. ὁ δὲ Πέτρος μικρᾷ τινι ὑποψίᾳ, ὡς αὐτός μοι πάντα ὕστερον διηγήσατο, παλλόμενος τὴν καρδίαν ἐπυνθάνετο τῆς γυναικὸς λέγων· εἰπέ μοι, γύναι, τὸ γένος καὶ τὴν πόλιν καὶ τῶν τέκνων τὰ ὀνόματα, καὶ ἤδη δίδωμί σοι τὸ φάρμακον. ἡ δὲ βίαν πάσχουσα καὶ εἰπεῖν οὐ θέλουσα, τὸ δὲ φάρμακον λαβεῖν ἐπιθυμοῦσα, ἐσοφίσατο ἄλλα ἀντὶ ἄλλων εἰπεῖν· καὶ ὁμῶς ἔφη, αὐτὴν μὲν Ἐφεσίαν εἶναι, τὸν δὲ ἄνδρα Σικελόν, ὁμῶς καὶ τῶν τριῶν τέκνων ἤλλαξεν τὰ ὀνόματα. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος νομίσας αὐτὴν ἀληθεύειν ἔφη· οἴμοι γύναι, ἐνόμιζον μεγάλην τινὰ χαρὰν τὴν σήμερον ἄγειν ἡμέραν, ὑποπτεύσας σέ τινα εἶναι, ἣν ἐνόμιζον, ἧς τὰ πράγματα ἀκούσας ἀκριβῶς ἐπίσταμαι. ἡ δὲ ἐξώρκιζεν λέγουσα· δέομαι εἰπέ μοι, ἵνα εἰδῶ εἴ ἐστίν τις ἐν γυναιξὶν ἀθλιωτέρα ἐμοῦ. ### English translation (Claude) When the woman had said this, Peter seemed to stand lost in many thoughts. I came up and said: “I have been going around looking for you for a long while; and now what are we to do?” Peter ordered me to go ahead and wait for him at the boat. Since it was not possible to contradict him when he gave an order, I did what I was told. But Peter, his heart throbbing with a slight suspicion, as he himself afterwards told me everything, questioned the woman, saying: “Tell me, woman, your family and your city and the names of your children, and I will give you the remedy at once.” She, under pressure and unwilling to tell, yet eager to receive the remedy, cleverly said one thing for another. So she said that she was an Ephesian and her husband a Sicilian, and she likewise changed the names of her three children. Peter, thinking she spoke the truth, said: “Alas, woman! I thought I would celebrate a great joy this day, suspecting that you were someone I thought of, whose affairs I have heard and know exactly.” But she adjured him, saying: “Please tell me, so that I may know whether there is any woman more wretched than I.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.19 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-19). ## Homilies 12.20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-20 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter tells the woman the story of Clement, whose mother left Rome with his twin brothers after a dream. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ψεύδεσθαι οὐκ εἰδὼς ὑπὸ ἐλέους τοῦ πρὸς αὐτὴν τὸ ἀληθὲς λέγειν ἤρξατο ἐμοί τις λοιπὸν ἤδη νεανίας ὤν παρέπεται, τῶν τῆς θεοσεβείας ὀρεγόμενος λόγων, Ῥωμαίων ὑπάρχων πολίτης, ὅστις μοι διηγεῖται, πῶς πατέρα ἔχων καὶ ἀδελφοὺς δύο διδύμους οὐδένα τούτων ὁρᾷ. ἥ τε γὰρ μήτηρ, φησίν, ὡς ὁ πατὴρ διηγεῖτό μοι, ἐξῆλθεν ὄνειρον ἰδοῦσα τὴν Ῥωμαίων πόλιν ἐπὶ χρόνον τῶν διδύμων αὐτῆς τέκνων, ἵνα μὴ κακῷ μόρῳ τελευτήσῃ, καὶ σὺν αὐτοῖς ἐκβᾶσα οὐχ εὑρίσκεται. μὲν ἀνήρ, αὐτοῦ δὲ πατὴρ καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς ἐπιζήτησιν οὐχ εὑρίσκεται. ### English translation (Claude) Peter, not knowing that she was lying, out of pity for her began to tell the truth: “A certain young man now accompanies me, eager for the doctrines of godliness, a Roman citizen, who tells me how he has a father and two twin brothers but sees none of them. ‘For my mother,’ he says, ‘as my father told me, saw a dream and left the city of Rome for a time with her twin children, so as not to die an evil death; and having gone away with them she cannot be found. And her husband, his father, himself also went in search of them and cannot be found.’” ### Translation notes - The last sentence is defective in the digital text (it begins “μὲν ἀνήρ, αὐτοῦ δὲ πατὴρ”); it is translated by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.20 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-20). ## Homilies 12.21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-21 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The woman faints, confesses that she is Clement's mother, and begs to be taken to him; Peter asks her to stay quiet until they leave the island. ### Greek text Ταῦτα τοῦ Πέτρου εἰπόντος ἐπιστήσασα ὡς ὑπʼ ἐκπλήξεως ἀπέψυξεν ἡ γυνή. ὁ δὲ Πέτρος προσελθὼν καὶ ἐπισχὼν νήφειν αὐτὴν παρεκελεύσατο, ὁμολογεῖν αὐτὴν πείθων τί ποτέ ἐστιν ὅ πάσχει. ἡ δὲ ὥσπερ ἐκ μέθης τὸ λοιπὸν τοῦ σώματος παρεθεῖσα ὑπέστρεψεν ἑαυτὴν, ὑποστῆναι δυνηθῆναι τὸ μέγεθος τῆς ἐλπιζομένης χαρᾶς, καὶ τρίψασα αὑτῆς τὸ πρόσωπον· ποῦ ἔστιν, ἔφη, οὗτος ὁ νεανίας; ὁ δὲ ἤδη ὅλον συνιδὼν τὸ πρᾶγμα ἔφη· εἰπέ μοι σὺ πρῶτον, ἄλλως γὰρ τοῦτον ἰδεῖν οὐκ ἔχεις. ἡ δὲ σπεύδουσα· ἐγὼ, φησίν, εἰμὶ ἡ τοῦ νεανίσκου μήτηρ. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· τί τούτῳ ὄνομα; ἡ δέ φησιν, Κλήμης. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος εἶπεν· αὐτός ἐστιν, καὶ αὐτὸς ἦν ὁ πρὸ μικροῦ μοι λαλήσας, ᾧ ἀναμένειν με ἐν τῷ πλοίῳ προσέταξα. ἡ δὲ προσπεσοῦσα τῷ Πέτρῳ παρεκάλει σπεύδειν ἐπὶ τὸ πλοῖον ἐλθεῖν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· εἴ μοι τηρεῖς τὰς συνθήκας, καὶ τοῦτο ποιήσω. ἡ δὲ ἔφη· πάντα ποιῶ, μόνον μοι τὸ τέκνον τὸ μονογενὲς δεῖξον. δόξω γὰρ διʼ αὐτοῦ τὰ δύο μου τὰ ἐνταῦθα τεθνηκότα ὁρᾶν τέκνα. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· ὅταν αὐτὸν ἴδῃς, ἡσύχασον μέχρις ἂν τῆς νήσου ἐκβῶμεν. ἡ δὲ ἔφη· οὕτως ποιήσω. ### English translation (Claude) When Peter had said this, the woman, who had been listening intently, fainted as if from shock. Peter went up, held her, and urged her to recover herself, persuading her to confess what it was that she was feeling. She, like one whose body is limp after drunkenness, collected herself so as to be able to bear the greatness of the joy she hoped for, and, rubbing her face, said: “Where is this young man?” Peter, who now understood the whole matter, said: “You tell me first; otherwise you cannot see him.” She said hastily: “I am the young man's mother.” And Peter said: “What is his name?” She said: “Clement.” And Peter said: “It is he, and he was the one who spoke to me a little while ago, whom I ordered to wait for me at the boat.” She fell at Peter's feet and begged him to hurry to the boat. And Peter said: “If you keep our agreement, I will do this too.” She said: “I will do everything; only show me my only child. For through him I shall think I see my two children who died here.” And Peter said: “When you see him, keep quiet until we leave the island.” She said: “I will do so.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.21 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-21). ## Homilies 12.22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-22 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement's mother embraces him at the boat, and he, not knowing her, pushes her away. ### Greek text Λαβόμενος οὖν τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῆς ὁ Πέτρος ἤγειρεν ἐπὶ τὸ πλοῖον. ἐγὼ δὲ ἰδὼν αὐτὸν χειραγωγοῦντα γυναῖκα ἐγέλασα, καὶ προσελθών, εἰς τιμὴν αὐτοῦ, ἀντʼ αὐτοῦ χειραγωγεῖν αὐτὴν ἐπειρώμην. καὶ ἅμα τῷ ἅψασθαί με τῆς χειρὸς αὐτῆς ὀλολύξασα ὡς μήτηρ μέγα καὶ περιπλακεῖσα σφόδρα κατεφίλει με τὸν αὐτῆς υἱόν. ἐγὼ δὲ ἀγνοῶν ὅλον τὸ πρᾶγμα ὡς μαινομένην ἀπεσειόμην, αἰδούμενος δὲ καὶ τὸν Πέτρον ἐπικραινόμην. ### English translation (Claude) So Peter took her by the hand and led her to the boat. When I saw him leading a woman by the hand, I laughed, and coming up, out of respect for him, I tried to lead her by the hand in his place. As soon as I touched her hand, she cried out loudly, as a mother would, embraced me, and kissed me warmly, her son. But I, knowing nothing of the matter, shook her off as a madwoman, but out of respect for Peter I held myself back. ### Translation notes - ἐπικραινόμην is unclear in the digital text; “held myself back” is a probable sense (perhaps ἐπεκρατούμην). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.22 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-22). ## Homilies 12.23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-23 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement recognizes his mother; at her request Peter heals the paralysed woman who had sheltered her, and then heals his mother's hands. ### Greek text Ὁ δὲ Πέτρος ἔφη· ἔα, τί ποιεῖς τέκνον Κλήμης, ἀποσειόμενος τὴν σὴν ὄντως τεκοῦσαν; ἐγὼ δὲ τοῦτο ἀκούσας περίδακρυς γενόμενος καὶ καταπεσούσῃ τῇ τεκούσῃ προσπεσὼν κατεφίλουν. καὶ γὰρ ἅμα τῷ ῥηθῆναί μοι τοῦτο ἀμαυρῶς πως τὸ εἶδος ἀνεκαλούμην. πολλοὶ μὲν οὖν ὄχλοι συνέτρεχον ἱστορῆσαι τὴν προσαιτήτριαν γυναῖκα, λέγοντες ἀλλήλοις, ὅτι αὐτὴν ἐπέγνω ὁ υἱός, ἀνὴρ ἀξιόλογος. βουλομένοις οὖν ἡμῖν ἐξαυτῆς σὺν τῇ μητρὶ τῆς νήσου ἐκβαίνειν ἡ μήτηρ ἔφη· τέκνον μοι ποθεινόν, εὔλογόν ἐστιν ἀποτάξασθαι τῇ ὑποδεξαμένῃ με γυναικί, ἥτις πενιχρὰ οὖσα καὶ ὅλη παρειμένη ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκίας ἔῤῥιπται. ὁ δὲ Πέτρος ἀκούσας ἐθαύμαζεν, καὶ πάντες οἱ περιεστῶτες ὄχλοι, τῆς γυναικὸς τὸ ἀγαθὸν φρόνημα. καὶ εὐθέως ἐκέλευσεν ὁ Πέτρος τισὶν πορευθῆναι καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα ἐπὶ κλίνης κομίσαι. καὶ ὁμῶς ἐνεχθείσης καὶ τεθείσης τῆς κλίνης, πάντων τῶν ὄχλων ἀκουόντων ἔφη ὁ Πέτρος· εἰ ἀληθείας κήρυξ ἐγὼ τυγχάνω, εἰς τὴν τῶν παρεστώτων πίστιν, ἵνα γνῶσιν ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν Θεός, ὁ τὸν κόσμον ποιήσας, ἐξαυτῆς ἐγερθήτω ὑγιής. καὶ ἅμα τῷ εἰπεῖν Πέτρον ταῦτα ἡ γυνὴ ἠγέρθη ὑγιασθεῖσα, καὶ τῷ Πέτρῳ προσέπεσεν, καὶ τὴν συνήθη φίλην καταφιλήσασα ἐπυνθάνετο τί εἴη τοῦτο. ἡ δὲ ὅλον αὐτῇ τὸ πρᾶγμα τοῦ ἀναγνωρισμοῦ συντόμως διηγήσατο, καὶ οἱ ἀκούσαντες κατεπλάγησαν. τότε καὶ ἡ μήτηρ τὴν ξενοδόχον θεραπευθεῖσαν ἱστορήσασα παρεκάλει καὶ αὐτὴ ἰάσεως τυχεῖν. ὁ δὲ ἐπιθεὶς τὴν χεῖρα καὶ αὐτὴν ἐθεράπευσεν. ### English translation (Claude) But Peter said: “Stop! What are you doing, my son Clement, shaking off your own mother?” When I heard this I burst into tears, and falling down beside my mother, who had fallen, I kissed her. For as soon as this was said to me, I somehow dimly recalled her face. Great crowds ran together to see the beggar woman, saying to one another that her son, a distinguished man, had recognized her. When we wanted to leave the island at once with my mother, my mother said: “My dear child, it is right that I should take leave of the woman who took me in, who is poor and completely paralysed and lies helpless in her house.” When Peter heard this, he admired the woman's good disposition, as did all the crowds standing around. And at once Peter ordered some to go and bring the woman on a bed. When the bed had been brought and set down, Peter said in the hearing of all the crowds: “If I am a herald of the truth, then for the faith of those standing by, that they may know that there is one God, who made the world, let her rise up at once healed.” As soon as Peter had said this, the woman rose up healed and fell at Peter's feet; and kissing her old friend, she asked what this meant. She told her briefly the whole story of the recognition, and those who heard were astonished. Then my mother too, seeing that her hostess had been healed, begged that she also might obtain healing. And he laid his hand on her and healed her too. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.23 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-23). ## Homilies 12.24 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-24 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter preaches and invites the islanders to Antioch; Clement provides for the healed woman and they sail back to Antaradus. ### Greek text Καὶ εἶθʼ οὕτως ὁ Πέτρος περὶ Θεοῦ καὶ τῆς αὐτῷ διαφερούσης θρησκείας ὁμιλήσας, προσθεὶς ἐπὶ τέλει, ὅτι εἴ τις βούλεται ταῦτα ἀκριβῶς μαθεῖν, εἰς Ἀντιόχειαν, ὅπου πλειόνων ἡμερῶν περιμένειν ἔκρινα, ἐλθὼν τὰ πρὸς τὴν αὑτοῦ σωτηρίαν μανθανέτω. οὐ γὰρ δὴ εἰ ἐμπορίας ἕνεκα ἢ στρατείας πατρίδας καταλιμπάνειν οἵδατε καὶ εἰς μακροὺς ἀπέρχεσθαι τόπους, διὰ δὲ αἰώνιον σωτηρίαν μηδὲ τριῶν ἡμερῶν ὁδὸν πορευθῆναι θελήσετε. μετὰ μὲν οὖν τὴν προσομιλίαν Πέτρου ἐγὼ τῇ ὑγιασθείσῃ γυναικὶ ἐπὶ παντὸς τοῦ ὄχλου χιλίας δραχμὰς εἰς τροφὰς ἐδωρησάμην, παραθέμενος αὐτὴν ἀγαθῷ τινι ἀνδρί, πρώτῳ τῆς πόλεως ὄντι, φύσει μετὰ χαρᾶς τοῦτο ποιεῖν προῃρημένῳ. ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἄλλοις πολλοῖς ἀργύρια διανείμας, ταῖς ποτε τὴν μητέρα παραμυθησαμέναις εὐχαριστήσας, διέπλευσα εἰς Ἀντάραδον, ἅμα τῇ μητρὶ καὶ Πέτρῳ καὶ τοῖς λοιποῖς ἑταίροις· καὶ οὕτως εἰς τὴν ξενίαν ὡρμήσαμεν. ### English translation (Claude) Then Peter spoke to them about God and the worship due to him, adding at the end: “If anyone wishes to learn these things exactly, let him come to Antioch, where I have decided to stay for many days, and learn what concerns his salvation. For if you know how to leave your native lands for the sake of trade or military service and go away to distant places, surely you will not refuse to travel even a three days' journey for eternal salvation.” After Peter's address I gave the healed woman, in the presence of the whole crowd, a thousand drachmas for her support, entrusting her to a good man, the first man of the city, who by nature was glad to do this. I also distributed money to many others, and thanked the women who had once comforted my mother; then I sailed across to Antaradus with my mother, Peter, and the rest of our companions; and so we went on to our lodging. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.24 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-24). ## Homilies 12.25 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-25 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains that repaying a benefactor is friendship, not love for humanity, which does good to every person simply as a human being. ### Greek text Γενομένων δὲ ἡμῶν καὶ τροφῆς μεταλαβόντων καὶ συνήθως εὐχαριστησάντων, ἔτι ὥρας οὔσης ἔφην ἐγὼ τῷ Πέτρῳ· φιλανθρωπίας ἔργον, κύριέ μου Πέτρε, ἡ ἐμὴ ἐποίησεν μήτηρ, τῆς ξενοδόχου ὑπομνησθεῖσα γυναικός. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο ἄρα γε, ὦ Κλήμης, ἀληθῶς νενόμικας φιλανθρωπίας ἔργον πεποιηκέναι τὴν σὴν τεκοῦσαν, καθʼ ὅ τὴν ἀπὸ ναυφραγίου αὐτὴν ὑποδεξαμένην ἠμείψατο, ἢ ὡς μητρὶ μεγάλα χαριζόμενος τοῦτον εἴρηκας τὸν λόγον; εἰ δὲ οὐχ ὡς χαριζόμενος, ἀλλʼ ὡς ἀληθεύων ἔφης, ἔοικάς μοι ἀγνοεῖν τί ποτέ ἐστι φιλανθρωπίας μέγεθος, ἥτις ἐστὶν ἡ ἄνευ τοῦ φυσικῶς πείθοντος, ἡ πρὸς οἷον δή ποτε στοργή, καθʼ ὅ ἄνθρωπός ἐστιν. ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ τὴν ξενοδόχον τὴν ἀπὸ ναυφραγίου ἀποδεξαμένην τὴν σὴν τεκοῦσαν οὔπω φιλάνθρωπον εἰπεῖν τολμῶ. ὑπʼ ἐλέου γὰρ κολακευθεῖσα ἐπέπειστο εὐεργέτις γενέσθαι γυναικὸς ναυφραγίῳ περιπεσούσης, τέκνα πενθούσης, ξένης, γυμνῆς, μεμονωμένης καὶ σφόδρα ἐπὶ ταῖς συμφοραῖς ὀλοφυρομένης. ἐν τοσαύταις οὖν αὐτῆς συμφοραῖς οὔσης, τίς καὶ ἀσεβῶν ἰδὼν οὐκ ἄν ἠλέησεν; ὥστε οὔπω φιλανθρωπίας ἔργον πεποιηκυῖα φαίνεται οὐδὲ ἡ ξενοδόχος γυνή, ἀλλʼ ὑπʼ ἐλέου τοῦ ἐπὶ μυρίαις συμφοραῖς πρὸς εὐεργεσίας κεκινημένη. πόσῳ γε μᾶλλον ἡ σὴ τεκοῦσα, βίου εὐπορήσασα καὶ ξενοδόχον ἀμειψαμένη, φιλανθρωπίας ἔργον οὐκ ἐποίησεν, ἀλλὰ φιλίας; πολλὴ δὲ διαφορὰ μεταξὺ φιλίας καὶ φιλανθρωπίας, ὅτι ἡ μὲν φιλία ἐξ ἀμοιβῆς γίνεται, ἡ δὲ φιλανθρωπία ἄνευ τοῦ φυσικῶς πείθοντος πάντα ἄνθρωπον, καθὸ ἄνθρωπός ἐστι, φιλοῦσα εὐεργετεῖ. εἰ μὲν οὖν ἡ ἐλεήσασα ξενοδόχος καὶ ἐχθροὺς ἀδικήσαντας ἐλεῶσα εὐεργέτει, φιλάνθρωπος ἄν ἦν· εἰ δὲ διά τι φίλη ἢ ἐχθρὰ, καὶ διά τι ἐχθρὰ ἢ φίλη, τοιαύτη τοῦ τινος αἰτίου φίλη ἐστὶν ἢ ἐχθρὰ, οὐ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. ### English translation (Claude) When we had arrived, had taken food, and had given thanks as usual, while there was still time I said to Peter: “My mother, my lord Peter, has done a work of love for humanity in remembering the woman who took her in.” And Peter answered: “Do you really think, Clement, that your mother did a work of love for humanity in repaying the woman who took her in after the shipwreck? Or did you say this as a great compliment to your mother? If you said it not as a compliment but as the truth, you seem to me not to know what the greatness of love for humanity is: it is affection toward anyone whatever, simply because he is a human being, without anything that naturally induces it. Indeed, I do not yet dare to call even the hostess who received your mother after the shipwreck a lover of humanity. For she was moved by pity and persuaded to become the benefactress of a woman who had suffered shipwreck, who was mourning her children, a stranger, naked, alone, and bitterly lamenting her calamities. When she was in so many calamities, who, even among the ungodly, would not have pitied her on seeing her? So not even the hostess appears yet to have done a work of love for humanity; she was moved to kindness by pity at countless calamities. How much more is it true that your mother, who has become well off and has repaid her hostess, did a work not of love for humanity but of friendship! There is a great difference between friendship and love for humanity: friendship arises from exchange, while love for humanity, without anything that naturally induces it, loves and does good to every human being simply as a human being. If, then, the hostess who showed pity had done good even to enemies who had wronged her, showing them pity, she would have been a lover of humanity. But one who is a friend or an enemy for some reason is the friend or enemy of that reason, not of the human being.” ### Translation notes - φιλανθρωπία is rendered “love for humanity” throughout this discourse (12.25–33), to keep Peter's distinction between it, friendship (φιλία), and pity (ἔλεος). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.25 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-25). ## Homilies 12.26 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-26 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter defines love for humanity as doing good even to enemies, in imitation of God who sends sun and rain on the just and the unjust. ### Greek text Κἀγὼ ἀπεκρινάμην· οὐ δοκεῖ σοι οὖν φιλάνθρωπος εἶναι κἄν ἡ ξενοδόχος, ξένην ἥν οὐκ ἠπίστατο εὐεργετήσασα; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ἐλεήμονα μὲν αὐτὴν εἰπεῖν ἐπίσταμαι, φιλάνθρωπον δὲ οὐ τολμῶ λέγειν, ἅτε δὴ οὔτε τὴν τεκοῦσαν φιλότεκνον· ὑπʼ ὠδίνων γὰρ καὶ ἀνατροφῆς στέργειν πέπεισται. ὡς καὶ ὁ ἐρῶν ὑπὸ τῆς συνηθείας κολακεύεται καὶ εὐνῆς, καὶ ὁ φίλος ὑπὸ τῆς ἀμοιβῆς, οὕτω καὶ ὁ ἐλεῶν ὑπὸ τῆς συμφορᾶς. πλὴν ἐγγὺς ὁ ἐλεήμων τῷ φιλανθρώπῳ, ὅτι ἄνευ τοῦ τι θηρᾶσθαι λαβεῖν εὐεργετεῖν πείθεται. πλὴν οὔπω φιλάνθρωπός ἐστιν. κἀγὼ ἔφην· ἐπὶ ποίαις οὖν πράξεσιν φιλάνθρωπος εἶναί τις δύναται; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· ἐπεὶ ὁρῶ σε γλιχόμενον ἀκοῦσαι, τί ποτέ ἐστιν φιλανθρωπίας ἔργον, οὐκ ὀκνήσω λέγειν. φιλάνθρωπός ἐστιν ὁ καὶ ἐχθροὺς εὐεργετῶν. ὅτι δὲ οὕτως ἔχει ἄκουσον. φιλανθρωπία ἐστὶν ἀῤῥενόθηλυς, ἧς τὸ θῆλυ μέρος ἐλεημοσύνη λέγεται, τὸ δὲ ἄῤῥεν αὐτῆς ἀγάπη πρὸς τὸν πλησίον ὠνόμασται, πλησίον δὲ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐστὶν ὁ πᾶς ἄνθρωπος, οὐχ ὅτι εἷς ἄνθρωπος, ἄνθρωπος γάρ ἐστι καὶ ὁ κακὸς καὶ ὁ ἀγαθὸς καὶ ὁ ἐχθρὸς καὶ ὁ φίλος. χρὴ οὖν τὸν φιλανθρωπίαν ἀσκοῦντα μιμητὴν εἶναι τοῦ Θεοῦ, εὐεργετοῦντα δικαίους καὶ ἀδίκους, ὡς αὐτὸς ὁ Θεὸς πᾶσιν ἐν τῷ νῦν κόσμῳ τόν τε ἥλιον καὶ τοὺς ὑετοὺς αὑτοῦ παρέχων. εἰ δὲ θέλῃς ἀγαθοὺς μὲν εὐεργετεῖν, κακοὺς δὲ μηκέτι, ἢ καὶ κολάζειν, κριτοῦ τὸ ἔργον ἐπιχειρεῖς πράττειν, οὐ τὸ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας σπουδάζεις ἔχειν. ### English translation (Claude) And I answered: “Then does not even the hostess seem to you a lover of humanity, since she did good to a stranger whom she did not know?” And Peter said: “I can call her merciful, but I do not dare call her a lover of humanity, just as I would not call a mother a lover of her children; for she is led to love them by her birth-pangs and by rearing them. As the lover is won by familiarity and the marriage bed, and the friend by exchange, so the one who pities is won by misfortune. Yet the merciful person is close to the lover of humanity, because he is persuaded to do good without seeking to receive anything; but he is not yet a lover of humanity.” And I said: “By what deeds, then, can someone be a lover of humanity?” And Peter answered: “Since I see that you long to hear what the work of love for humanity is, I will not hesitate to tell you. A lover of humanity is one who does good even to his enemies. Hear why this is so. Love for humanity is male and female: its female part is called mercy, and its male part is named love toward one's neighbour. And a human being's neighbour is every human being, not just one particular person; for the bad and the good, the enemy and the friend, are all human beings. So one who practises love for humanity must be an imitator of God, doing good to the just and the unjust, as God himself provides his sun and his rains to all in the present world. But if you want to do good to the good and no longer to the bad, or even to punish them, you are undertaking to do the work of a judge, not striving to have love for humanity.” ### Scripture references - Matt 5:45: allusion, high confidence - Lev 19:18: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - The sun and rain for just and unjust follow Matt 5:45. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.26 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-26). ## Homilies 12.27 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-27 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains that God's judging is itself an act of love for humanity, and that only one with foreknowledge can judge rightly. ### Greek text Κἀγὼ ἔφην· ἄρα γε καὶ ὁ Θεὸς μέλλων ποτὲ κρίνειν, ὡς διδάσκεις ἡμᾶς, οὐ φιλάνθρωπός ἐστιν; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· τοὐναντίον λέγεις. ἐπεὶ γὰρ κρίνει, διὰ τοῦτο φιλάνθρωπός ἐστιν. φιλῶν γὰρ καὶ ἐλεῶν τοὺς ἠδικημένους τιμωρεῖ τοὺς ἠδικηκότας. κἀγὼ ἔφην· οὐκ οὖν, εἰ κἀγὼ ἀγαθοὺς μὲν εὐεργετῶ, τοὺς δὲ ἀδικοῦντας καθʼ ὅ ἀνθρώπους ἠδίκησαν τιμωρῶ, φιλάνθρωπός εἰμι; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· εἰ μετὰ τοῦ πρόγνωσιν ἔχειν εἶχες καὶ τοῦ κρίνειν ἐξουσίαν, ὀρθῶς ἂν τοῦτο ἐποίεις, διὰ μὲν τὸ εἰληφέναι τὴν ἐξουσίαν, καταδικάζων οὕς ὁ Θεὸς ἐδημιούργησε, διὰ δὲ τὴν πρόγνωσιν, ἀπταίστως ἐν τῷ κρίνειν οὕς μὲν ὡς δικαίους δικαιῶν, οὕς δὲ ὡς ἀδίκους καταδικάζων. κἀγὼ ἔφην· ὀρθῶς ἔφης καὶ ἀληθῶς, ἀδύνατον γάρ τινα πρόγνωσιν οὐκ ἔχοντα ὀρθῶς κρίναι. ἐνίοτε γὰρ φαίνονταί τινες ἀγαθοί, ἀθέμιτα κρύφα διαπρασσόμενοι, ἔνιοι δὲ ἀγαθοὶ ὑπὸ διαβολῆς ἐχθρῶν κακοὶ ὑπολαμβανόμενοι. ἀλλʼ εἰ καὶ τοῦ βασανίζειν καὶ ἀνακρίνειν ἐξουσίαν τις ἔχων δικάζει, οὐδὲ οὕτως τὸ πάντως δικαίως αὐτῷ δικάσαι ἐγίνετο. ἔνιοι γὰρ φονεῖς ὄντες τὰς βασάνους ὑπομείναντες ὡς ἀθῷοι ἀπελύθησαν, ἑτέροι δὲ ἀθῷοι ὄντες τὰς βασάνους μὴ ὑπομείναντες, ἑαυτῶν καταψευσάμενοι, ὡς αἴτιοι ἐκολάσθησαν. ### English translation (Claude) And I said: “Then is not God, who will one day judge, as you teach us, a lover of humanity?” And Peter said: “You are saying the opposite of the truth. It is because he judges that he is a lover of humanity. For, loving and pitying those who have been wronged, he punishes those who did the wrong.” And I said: “Then if I too do good to the good and punish the wrongdoers insofar as they have wronged human beings, am I not a lover of humanity?” And Peter answered: “If, together with foreknowledge, you also had authority to judge, you would do this rightly: because of having received the authority, you would condemn those whom God created; and because of the foreknowledge, you would judge without error, acquitting some as just and condemning others as unjust.” And I said: “You have spoken rightly and truly, for it is impossible for someone without foreknowledge to judge rightly. Sometimes some appear good while secretly committing unlawful deeds, and some good people are taken to be bad through the slander of enemies. And even if someone judges who has authority to torture and to examine, not even so would it come about that he judges entirely justly. For some who were murderers endured the tortures and were released as innocent, while others who were innocent could not endure the tortures, lied against themselves, and were punished as guilty.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.27 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-27). ## Homilies 12.28 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-28 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter adds that only a prophet with foreknowledge can tell which of a person's deeds are truly his own. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· μετρίως, ἔφη, ἔχει καὶ ταῦτα, τὸ δὲ μεῖζον ἄκουσον. ἐνίων ἀνθρώπων ἁμαρτανόντων ἢ εὐπραττόντων, ὧν νῦν ποιοῦσιν ἅ μὲν ἴδια αὐτῶν ἐστιν, ἃ δὲ ἀλλότρια, δίκαιον δὲ ἕκαστον ἐπὶ τοῖς ἰδίοις ἁμαρτήμασιν τιμωρεῖσθαι ἢ ἐπὶ τοῖς ἰδίοις κατορθώμασιν εὐεργετεῖσθαι. ἀδύνατον δέ τινι πλὴν προφήτῃ μόνῳ πρόγνωσιν ἔχοντι τὰ ὑπό τινος γινόμενα εἰδέναι, ποῖά ἐστιν αὐτοῦ ἴδια, ποῖα δὲ οὐκ ἦν· πάντα γὰρ διʼ αὐτοῦ γινόμενα βλέπεται. κἀγὼ ἔφην· ἐβουλόμην μαθεῖν πῶς τῶν ἀδικημάτων ἢ κατορθωμάτων ἅ μὲν ἴδια, ἅ δὲ ἀλλότρια. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter said: “These things too are fair enough; but hear the greater point. When some people sin or do well, some of the things they now do are their own and some are not their own. It is just that each should be punished for his own sins and rewarded for his own good deeds. But it is impossible for anyone except a prophet alone, who has foreknowledge, to know which of the things done by someone are his own and which were not; for all are seen as done through him.” And I said: “I would like to learn how, of wrongs and good deeds, some are one's own and others not one's own.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.28 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-28). ## Homilies 12.29 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-29 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter quotes the true Prophet's saying that good and evil must come, with blessing and woe on those through whom they come, and explains that the righteous are tested by the wicked. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο, ὅτι ἀληθείας προφήτης ἔφη· Τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἐλθεῖν δεῖ, μακάριος δέ, φησί, διʼ οὗ ἔρχεται· ὁμοίως καὶ τὰ κακὰ ἀνάγκη ἐλθεῖν, οὐαὶ δὲ διʼ οὗ ἔρχεται. εἰ δὲ διὰ κακῶν κακὰ ἔρχεται, καὶ διὰ ἀγαθῶν ἀγαθὰ φέρεται, προσεῖναι δεῖ ἑκάστῳ τὸ ἴδιον, τὸ ἀγαθὸν εἶναι ἢ κακόν, καὶ ἐξ ὧν προέπραξεν, διὰ τοῦ ἐλθεῖν τὰ δεύτερα ἀγαθὰ ἢ κακά, ἅ τινα ἴδια αὐτοῦ τῆς αἱρέσεως ὄντα ὑπὸ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ προνοίας διελθεῖν ᾠκονόμηται. ἐπὶ οὖν κρίσις αὐτὴ Θεῷ, ὥσπερ ἐπʼ ἀγῶνος τὸν διὰ πάσης κακουχίας διεληλυθότα καὶ ἄμεμπτον εὑρεθέντα, ἐκεῖνον ζωῆς αἰωνίου καταξιοῦσθαι. οἱ γὰρ ἐν ἀγαθοῖς ἰδίᾳ βουλῇ προκόψαντες ὑπὸ τῶν ἱδίᾳ βουλῇ ἐν κακουχίᾳ παραμεινάντων πειράζονται, διωκόμενοι, μισούμενοι, λοιδορούμενοι, ἐπιβουλευόμενοι, τυπτόμενοι, πλεονεκτούμενοι, διαβαλλόμενοι, ἀγγαρευόμενοι, ἐπηρεαζόμενοι, πάντα ἐκεῖνα πάσχοντες, διʼ ὧν εὐλόγως δοκεῖ τὸ ὀργίζεσθαι γίνεσθαι καὶ πρὸς ἄμυναν ὁρμᾶν. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter answered: “The prophet of truth said: ‘Good things must come, and blessed,’ he says, ‘is he through whom they come; likewise evil things must come, but woe to him through whom they come.’ Now if evil things come through evil people, and good things are brought through good people, then to each must belong what is his own, being good or bad; and, because of what he did before, the later good or evil things come through him, which, being his own by his choice, have been arranged by God's providence to pass through him. This, then, is God's judgment: that, as in a contest, the one who has passed through every hardship and been found blameless is counted worthy of eternal life. For those who by their own will have advanced in good things are tested by those who by their own will have remained in wickedness: they are persecuted, hated, reviled, plotted against, struck, defrauded, slandered, pressed into forced service, insulted, suffering all those things by which it seems reasonable to become angry and to rush to retaliation.” ### Scripture references - Matt 18:7: quotation, medium confidence - Luke 17:1: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The saying expands Matt 18:7 (Luke 17:1), which has only the woe on the one through whom offences come; the beatitude on the one through whom good comes is not in the canonical Gospels. - The sentence beginning ἐπὶ οὖν κρίσις αὐτὴ Θεῷ is defective in the digital text; it is rendered by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.29 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-29). ## Homilies 12.30 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-30 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter teaches that the wicked who afflict the righteous should be pitied and prayed for, not resisted, since suffering comes by God's providence. ### Greek text Ὁ δὲ διδάσκαλος εἰδὼς, ὅτι οἱ ταῦτα ἀδίκως ποιοῦντες ἐκ προτέρων ἁμαρτημάτων κατάδικοί εἰσιν, καὶ ὅτι διὰ καταδίκων τὸ τῆς κακίας πνεῦμα ταῦτα ἐνεργεῖ, τοὺς μὲν ἀνθρώπους, καθὰ ἄνθρωποί εἰσιν, καὶ διʼ ἁμαρτίας ὄργανα γινομένους κακίας, ἐλεεῖν συνεβούλευσεν, ὡς φιλανθρωπίαν ἀσκοῦσιν, καὶ τὸ ὅσον ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς ἐστιν, ἀδικουμένους καὶ ἀπολύειν τῆς καταδίκης τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας, ἵνα ὥσπερ οἱ νήφοντες τοῖς μεθύουσιν βοηθῶσιν, εὐχαῖς, νηστείαις, εὐλογίαις, μὴ ἀνθιστάμενοι, μὴ ἀμυνόμενοι, ἵνα μὴ ἐπὶ τὸ πλεῖον αὐτοὺς ἁμαρτεῖν ἀναγκάσωσιν. τοῦ γὰρ παθεῖν πάντως κεκριμένου τινί, οὐκ εὔλογον ἀγανακτεῖν ἐκείνῳ, διʼ οὗ τὸ παθεῖν γίνεται, λογισάμενον, ὅτι εἰ καὶ ἐκεῖνος οὐκ ἐκακούχησεν αὐτόν, διὰ τὸ πάντως κακουχηθῆναι μέλλειν διʼ ἑτέρου τὸ παθεῖν ἦν. τί οὖν ἀγανακτῶ τῷ διαθεμένῳ, ἐμοῦ πάντως παθεῖν κεκριμένου; ἀλλʼ ἔτι μὴν εἰ τὰ αὐτὰ τοῖς κακοῖς προφάσει ἀμύνης ποιῶμεν, παρὰ τὸ πρῶτοι, δεύτεροι τὸ αὐτὸ τοῖς κακοῖς οἱ ἀγαθοὶ πράσσομεν. καὶ ὡς ἔφην, οὐ χρὴ ἀγανακτεῖν, ὡς εἰδότα ὅτι Θεοῦ προνοίᾳ οἱ κακοὶ τοὺς ἀγαθοὺς τιμωροῦσιν. οἱ οὖν τοῖς τιμωροῦσιν χαλεπαίνοντες ὡς τοὺς ἀποστόλους Θεοῦ ὑβρίζοντες ἁμαρτάνουσιν, τιμῶντες δὲ καὶ τὰ ἐναντία τοῖς ἀδικεῖν νομιζομένοις διατιθέμενοι αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν Θεὸν τὸν οὕτω βουλευσάμενον εὐσεβοῦσιν. ### English translation (Claude) “But the Teacher, knowing that those who do these things unjustly are already condemned for earlier sins, and that the spirit of wickedness works these things through the condemned, counselled us to pity these people, insofar as they are human beings and have become instruments of wickedness through sin, as those who practise love for humanity; and, as far as it lies with those who are wronged, even to release the wrongdoers from their condemnation, so that, like the sober helping the drunk, they may help them with prayers, fastings, and blessings, not resisting, not retaliating, so as not to drive them to sin still more. For when someone has been altogether destined to suffer, it is not reasonable for him to be angry with the one through whom the suffering comes, but to reason that even if that man had not afflicted him, since he was altogether going to be afflicted, he would have suffered through another. Why then am I angry with the one who treated me so, when I was in any case destined to suffer? Moreover, if under pretext of retaliation we do the same as the wicked, then we the good, doing the same as the wicked second rather than first, differ from them only in that. And as I said, one should not be angry, knowing that by God's providence the wicked punish the good. So those who are harsh with those who punish them sin, as insulting the messengers of God; but those who honour those thought to do them wrong and treat them in the opposite way show piety toward God, who so decided.” ### Scripture references - Matt 5:39: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “Not resisting” echoes Matt 5:39. - ἀπόστολοι Θεοῦ here means the wrongdoers as God's agents of punishment, so it is rendered “messengers of God”. - The clause παρὰ τὸ πρῶτοι, δεύτεροι … is compressed; it is rendered by sense: retaliating makes the good differ from the wicked only in acting second. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.30 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-30). ## Homilies 12.31 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-31 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains that God uses unrepentant sinners to punish the repentant for their former sins, while the persecutors fill up their own punishment. ### Greek text Κἀγὼ πρὸς ταῦτα ἀπεκρινάμην· οὐκοῦν οἱ ἀδικοῦντες οὐκ εἰσὶν αἴτιοι, ὅτι κρίσει Θεοῦ ἀδικοῦσιν τοὺς δικαίους. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· καὶ πάνυ ἁμαρτάνουσιν, πρὸς γὰρ τὸ ἁμαρτάνειν ἑαυτοὺς ἀποδεδωκότες. ὅθεν εἰδὼς ἁπάντων ἐκλέγεται τιμωρεῖν τοὺς ἐπὶ τοῖς προτέροις ἁμαρτήμασιν μεταμεληθέντας δικαίως, ἵνα τοῖς μὲν δικαίοις διὰ τῆς τοιαύτης τιμωρίας τὰ πρὸ τῆς μετανοίας πραχθέντα ἀφεθῇ κακά. τοῖς δὲ τιμωροῦσιν ἀσεβέσιν κακουχεῖν ἐπιθυμοῦσιν καὶ μετανοεῖν μὴ θέλουσιν εἰς ἀναπλήρωσιν ἰδίας κολάσεως δικαίους κακουχεῖν συνεχωρήθη, ἄνευ γὰρ τῆς τοῦ Θεοῦ βουλῆς οὐδὲ στρουθὸς ἐν παγίδι ἐμπεσεῖν ἔχει· οὕτως δικαίων καὶ αἱ τρίχες τῷ Θεῷ ἐναρίθμιοί εἰσιν. ### English translation (Claude) And I answered this: “Then those who do wrong are not guilty, since it is by the judgment of God that they wrong the righteous.” And Peter said: “Indeed they sin greatly, for they have given themselves up to sinning. Hence God, who knows all, chooses them to punish justly those who have repented of their former sins, so that for the righteous the evils committed before their repentance may be forgiven through such punishment. But to the ungodly punishers, who desire to afflict and are unwilling to repent, it has been permitted to afflict the righteous so as to fill up the measure of their own punishment. For without God's will not even a sparrow can fall into a snare; so too the hairs of the righteous are numbered by God.” ### Scripture references - Matt 10:29: allusion, high confidence - Matt 10:30: allusion, high confidence - Luke 12:6: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The sparrow and the numbered hairs follow Matt 10:29–30 (Luke 12:6–7), with “snare” in place of “fall to the ground” (compare Amos 3:5) and with the hairs restricted to the righteous. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.31 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-4/#p-12-31). ## Homilies 12.32 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-12-32 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter describes the righteous man who loves his enemies and his neighbour as himself, and the works of mercy that make up the female part of love for humanity. ### Greek text Δίκαιος δέ ἐστιν ἐκεῖνος, ὁ τοῦ εὐλόγου ἕνεκα τῇ φύσει μαχόμενος. οἷον πᾶσιν πρόσεστιν ἐκ φύσεως φιλοῦντας φιλεῖν, δίκαιος πειρᾶται καὶ ἐχθροὺς ἀγαπᾶν καὶ λοιδοροῦντας εὐλογεῖν, ἔτι μὴν καὶ ὑπὲρ ἐχθρῶν εὔχεσθαι, ἀδικοῦντας ἐλεεῖν. διὸ καὶ προαδικεῖσθαι ἀπέχεται, καὶ ὁμῶς καταρωμένους εὐλογεῖ, τύπτουσιν συγχωρεῖ, διώκουσιν ὑποχωρεῖ, μὴ ἀσπαζομένους ἀσπάζεται, τοῖς οὐκ ἔχουσιν ὧν ἔχει κοινωνεῖ, ὀργιζόμενον πείθει, τὸν ἐχθρὸν διαλλάσσει, τὸν ἀπειθῆ παρακαλεῖ, τὸν ἄπιστον κατηχεῖ, τὸν πενθοῦντα παραμυθεῖται, ἐπηρεαζόμενος στέγει, ἀχαριστούμενος οὐκ ἀγανακτεῖ. εἰς δὲ τὸ ἀγαπᾶν τὸν πλησίον ὡς ἑαυτὸν ἀποδεδωκὼς πενίαν οὐ πεφόβηται, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἑαυτοῦ μερίζων τοῖς οὐκ ἔχουσιν πένης γίνεται. ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ μὴν ἁμαρτάνοντα τιμωρεῖ. ὁ γὰρ τὸν πλησίον ἀγαπῶν ὡς ἑαυτόν, ὡς αὐτὸς ἁμαρτήσας οἶδεν τιμωρηθῆναι μὴ θέλειν, οὕτως οὐδὲ τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντας τιμωρεῖ. καὶ ὡς θέλει κολακεύεσθαι καὶ εὐλογεῖσθαι καὶ τιμᾶσθαι καὶ πάντα ἁμαρτήματα αὑτῷ συγχωρεῖσθαι, τοῦτο αὐτὸς τῷ πλησίον ποιεῖ, ὡς ἑαυτὸν ἐκεῖνον ἀγαπῶν. ἐνὶ λόγῳ, ὅ θέλει ἑαυτῷ, θέλει καὶ τῷ πλησίον. οὗτος γάρ ἐστιν Θεοῦ νόμος καὶ προφητῶν, αὕτη τῆς ἀληθείας ἡ διδασκαλία. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἀγάπη ἡ πρὸς πάντα ἄνθρωπον τελεία τὸ ἄῤῥεν μέρος ἐστὶν οὖσα τῆς φιλανθρωπίας, τὸ δὲ ἐλεεῖν τὸ θῆλυ μέρος ἐστὶν αὐτῆς. ὅπερ ἐστὶν πεινῶντα θρέψαι καὶ ποτὸν διψῶντι παρασχεῖν γυμνὸν ἐνδύσαι καὶ νοσοῦντα ἐπισκέψασθαι καὶ ξένον δέξασθαι, ἐν εἱρκτῇ κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἐπιφαινόμενον βοηθεῖν, ἁπαξαπλῶς τὸν ἐν συμφοραῖς ἐλεῆσαι. ### English translation (Claude) “The righteous man is the one who fights against nature for the sake of what is reasonable. For example, it belongs to all by nature to love those who love them; the righteous man tries to love even his enemies and to bless those who revile him, and moreover to pray for his enemies and to pity those who wrong him. Therefore he refrains from doing wrong first even when wronged, and he blesses those who curse him, forgives those who strike him, gives way to those who persecute him, greets those who do not greet him, shares what he has with those who have not, persuades the angry, reconciles the enemy, exhorts the disobedient, instructs the unbeliever, comforts the mourner, bears it when insulted, is not angry when met with ingratitude. Having given himself to loving his neighbour as himself, he does not fear poverty, but, sharing his goods with those who have not, he becomes poor. Nor does he punish one who sins. For one who loves his neighbour as himself, as he knows that when he himself has sinned he does not wish to be punished, so he does not punish those who sin. And as he wishes to be treated kindly, to be blessed, to be honoured, and to have all his sins forgiven, this he does for his neighbour, loving him as himself. In a word, what he wishes for himself he wishes also for his neighbour. For this is the law of God and of the prophets; this is the teaching of the truth. These things, then, perfect love toward every human being, are the male part of love for humanity; and pitying is its female part: that is, to feed the hungry, to give drink to the thirsty, to clothe the naked, to visit the sick, to receive the stranger, to appear and help, as far as possible, one who is in prison, in short, to pity the one in misfortune.” ### Scripture references - Matt 5:44: allusion, high confidence - Luke 6:28: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 5:47: allusion, medium confidence - Lev 19:18: allusion, high confidence - Matt 22:39: allusion, high confidence - Matt 7:12: allusion, high confidence - Matt 25:35: allusion, high confidence - Matt 25:36: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Built on Matt 5:44–47 (Luke 6:27–35), Lev 19:18 (Matt 22:39), the golden rule as “the law and the prophets” (Matt 7:12), and the works of mercy of Matt 25:35–36. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.32 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-12-32). ## Homilies 12.33 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-12-33 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter teaches that love for enemies is reached through the fear of God, which, by doing the deeds of love, comes to love itself and makes a person immortal. ### Greek text Ἐγὼ δὲ ἀκούσας ἔφην· ταῦτα μὲν δυνατὸν πράττειν, ἐχθρους δὲ εὐεργετεῖν, πᾶσαν αὐτῶν ὑποφέροντα ἐπήρειαν, οὐκ οἴομαι δυνατὸν ἀνθρωπείᾳ προσεῖναι φύσει. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· ὀρθῶς ἔφης· ἀθανασίας γὰρ αἰτία οὖσα ἡ φιλανθρωπία πολλοῦ δίδοται. κἀγὼ ἔφην· πῶς οὖν σύνεστιν ἐν νῷ λαβεῖν; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· ταύτην, ὦ φίλε Κλήμης, λαβεῖν ἔστιν, ἐὰν πληροφορηθῇ τις, ὅτι οἱ ἐχθροὶ πρὸς καιρὸν κακουχοῦντες, οὕς μισοῦσιν, αἰωνίου κολάσεως ἀπαλλαγῆς αὐτοῖς αἴτιοι γίνονται· προσέτι δὲ αὐτοὺς ὡς εὐεργέτας σφόδρα ἀγαπήσουσιν. ἡ δὲ ὁδὸς τοῦ ταύτην λαβεῖν, ὦ φίλε Κλήμης, μία τίς ἐστιν, ἥπερ ἐστὶν φόβος Θεοῦ. ὁ γὰρ Θεὸν φοβούμενος τὸν πλησίον ὡς ἑαυτὸν ἀγαπᾶν μὲν καταρχὰς οὐ δύναται· ἐπὶ τὸ τοιοῦτο κελεύσαντι οὐ προσέρχεται τῇ ψυχῇ· τῷ μέντοι πρὸς Θεὸν φόβῳ τὰ ἀγαπώντων ποιεῖν δύναται, καὶ εἶθʼ οὕτως πράξαντι τὰ ἀγάπης τὸ ἀγαπᾶν ὡς νύμφη οὖσα προσφέρεται ὡς νυμφίῳ τῷ φόβῳ. καὶ οὕτως τοὺς φιλανθρώπους τίκτουσα λογισμοὺς ἀθάνατον τίθησιν τὸν κεκτημένον, ὡς εἰκόνα Θεοῦ ὁμοίαν, ὑπὸ φθορᾶς ὑβρισθῆναι μὴ δυναμένην τὴν αὐτοῦ φύσιν. ὁμῶς τὸν τῆς φιλανθρωπίας ἐκθεμένου ἡμῖν λόγον, ἑσπέρας ἐπικαταλαβούσης, εἰς ὕπνον ἐτράπημεν. ### English translation (Claude) When I heard this I said: “These things can be done; but to do good to enemies, bearing all their insults, I do not think is possible for human nature.” And Peter answered: “You are right; for love for humanity, being the cause of immortality, is given at a great price.” And I said: “How then can one come to grasp it?” And Peter answered: “It can be grasped, my dear Clement, if one is fully convinced that enemies, by afflicting for a time those whom they hate, become for them the cause of release from eternal punishment; and more than that, they will love them greatly as benefactors. And the way to obtain it, my dear Clement, is one only: the fear of God. For one who fears God cannot at first love his neighbour as himself; when commanded to do so, it does not come to his soul. But through the fear of God he can do the deeds of those who love; and then, when he has done the deeds of love, loving is brought to fear as a bride to a bridegroom. And so, giving birth to thoughts of love for humanity, it makes its possessor immortal, as a faithful image of God, whose nature cannot be outraged by corruption.” When he had set out for us this discourse on love for humanity, evening came on, and we turned to sleep. ### Scripture references - Gen 1:26: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - “A faithful image of God” (εἰκόνα Θεοῦ ὁμοίαν) echoes Gen 1:26–27. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 12.33 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-12-33). ## Homilies 13.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-1 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The party travels to Laodicea, where Nicetes and Aquila meet them and ask who Clement's mother is. ### Greek text Ὄρθρου δὲ γενομένου εἰσιὼν ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· ὁ μὲν Κλήμης μετὰ τῆς αὑτοῦ μητρὸς Ματτιδίας καὶ τῆς ἐμῆς γυναικὸς ἅμα ἐπὶ τοῦ ὀχήματος καθεζέσθωσαν. καὶ ὁμῶς οὕτως ἐγένετο. ὁρμώντων δὲ ἡμῶν τὴν ἐπὶ Βαλανίας ὁδὸν ἐπύθετό μου ἡ μήτηρ, πῶς ὁ πατὴρ διάγει. κἀγὼ ἔφην· ἐπὶ τὴν ζήτησίν σου καὶ τῶν διδύμων ἀδελφῶν μου Φαυστίνου τε καὶ Φαυστινιανοῦ ἐκβὰς ἀνεύρετός ἐστιν. οἶμαι δὲ ἐκ τοῦ πλείστου τελευτῆσαι αὐτόν, ἢ ναυφραγίῳ περιπεσόντα, ἢ ἐν ὁδῷ σφαλέντα, ἢ ὑπὸ λύπης μαρανθέντα. ἡ δὲ ἀκούσασα καὶ ἐπίδακρυς γενομένη ἐστέναξεν λυπηθεῖσα, τῇ δὲ πρὸς ἐμὲ εὑρέσει χαίρουσα τὴν ἐκ τῆς ὑπομνήσεως λύπην μετρίως ἀπήμβλυνεν. ὁμῶς οὖν κατηντήσαμεν εἰς Βαλανίας. τῇ δὲ ἐπιούσῃ ἡμέρᾳ εἰς Πάλτον ἤλθομεν, κἀκεῖθεν εἰς Γάβαλαν· τῇ δὲ ἑτέρᾳ κατηντήσαμεν εἰς Λαοδίκειαν. καὶ ἰδοὺ πρὸ τῶν θυρῶν Νικήτης καὶ Ἀκύλας ἀπήντων ἡμῖν, καὶ καταφιλήσαντες ἦγον ἐπὶ τὴν ξενίαν. ὁ δὲ Πέτρος καλὴν καὶ μεγάλην πόλιν ἰδών· ἄξιον, ἔφη, ἐνταῦθα ἡμερῶν ἐπιμεῖναι. ὡς γὰρ ἐπίπαν τὸ πλῆθος δυνατώτερόν ἐστιν τίκτειν τοὺς ζητουμένους. ὁ μὲν οὖν Νικήτης καὶ Ἀκύλας ἐπυνθάνοντό μου, τίς εἴη αὕτη ἡ ξένη γυνή. κἀγὼ ἔφην· ἐμὴ μήτηρ, ἥν ἐπιγνῶναί μοι ὁ Θεὸς διὰ Πέτρου τοῦ κυρίου μου ἐδωρήσατο. ### English translation (Claude) At daybreak Peter came in and said: “Let Clement, with his mother Mattidia and my wife, sit together in the carriage.” And so it was done. As we set out on the road to Balaneae, my mother asked me how my father was. And I said: “He went out in search of you and of my twin brothers Faustinus and Faustinianus, and cannot be found. I think he died long ago, either overtaken by shipwreck, or lost on the road, or wasted away by grief.” When she heard this, she burst into tears and groaned in grief; but, rejoicing at having found me, she somewhat dulled the grief the memory brought. So we reached Balaneae. On the next day we came to Paltus, and from there to Gabala; and on the day after we reached Laodicea. And there, before the gates, Nicetes and Aquila met us, kissed us, and brought us to our lodging. Peter, seeing a fine and great city, said: “It is worth staying here some days. For, as a rule, a large population is better able to produce those we seek.” Nicetes and Aquila asked me who this strange woman was. And I said: “My mother, whom God granted me to recognize through my lord Peter.” ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 9:5: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Peter's wife travels with the party (compare 1 Cor 9:5). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 13.1 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-1). ## Homilies 13.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-2 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter summarizes for Nicetes and Aquila the story of Clement's family and the recognition of his mother. ### Greek text Ταῦτά μου εἰπόντος, ὁ Πέτρος πάντα αὐτοῖς ἐπὶ κεφαλαίων ἐξέθετο, ὡς ἅμα αὐτοὺς προοδεῦσαι ἐγὼ Κλήμης τὸ ἐμὸν γένος αὐτῷ ἐξεθέμην, καὶ τῆς μητρὸς τὴν ἐκ τῆς τοῦ ὀνείρου πλαστῆς καὶ προφάσεως μετὰ τῶν διδύμων αὐτῆς τέκνων γενομένην ἀποδημίαν, ἔτι τε καὶ τοῦ πατρὸς τὴν ἐπὶ ζήτησιν αὐτῆς ἀποδημίαν· ἔπειτα καὶ ὡς αὐτὸς Πέτρος μετὰ τὸ ἀκοῦσαι ταῦτα εἰσελθὼν εἰς τὴν νῆσον καὶ τῇ γυναικὶ συντυχὼν καὶ προσαιτοῦσαν ἰδὼν καὶ τοῦ προσαιτεῖν τὴν αἰτίαν πυθόμενος, ἔγνω αὐτῆς γένος, ἀναστροφήν, τὸν πλαστὸν ὄνειρον, καὶ τῶν τέκνων τὰ ὀνόματα, ἐμοῦ τε τοῦ καταλειφθέντος παρὰ τῷ πατρὶ καὶ τῶν αὐτῇ συμπορευθέντων διδύμων τέκνων, καὶ οὕς ἐν βυθῷ ὑπενοεῖτο τεθνηκέναι. ### English translation (Claude) When I had said this, Peter told them everything in summary: how, when they had gone ahead, I, Clement, had told him my family history, and my mother's departure with her twin children on the pretext of the invented dream, and also my father's departure in search of her; and then how Peter himself, after hearing this, went onto the island, met the woman, saw her begging, asked the reason for her begging, and learned her family, her way of life, the invented dream, and the names of her children: mine, who had been left with my father, and those of the twin children who had travelled with her and who were supposed to have died in the deep. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 13.2 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-2). ## Homilies 13.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-3 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Nicetes and Aquila realize that they are Clement's twin brothers Faustinus and Faustinianus; Peter restrains them from waking their mother. ### Greek text Τούτων οὖν κεφαλαιωδῶς ῥηθέντων ὑπὸ Πέτρου, ὁ Νικήτης καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας ἐκπλαγέντες ἔλεγον· ἆρά γε, δέσποτα καὶ κύριε τῶν ἀπάντων, τοῦτο ἀληθὲς ἢ ὄνειρός ἐστιν; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· εἰ μὴ κοιμώμεθα, ἀληθὲς τυγχάνει. οἱ δὲ βραχὺ μείναντες καὶ σύννοι γενόμενοι ἔφασαν· ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν Φαυστῖνος καὶ Φαυστινιανὸς, καὶ ἀπαρχῆς σου διαλεγομένου ἀλλήλοις ἐμβλέποντες πολλὰ περὶ ἑαυτῶν κατεστοχαζόμεθα, μὴ ἄρα οὐχ ἡμῖν διαφέρῃ τὰ λεγόμενα, λογιζόμενοι ὅτι πολλὰ παρόμοια γίνεται ἐν τῷ βίῳ· διὸ ἐσιωπῶμεν παλλόμενοι τὰς καρδίας. πρὸς δὲ τὸ τέλος τοῦ λεγομένου ἀποβλέψαντες, ὅτι ἡμῖν διαφέρει τὰ λεγόμενα, τότε αὑτοὺς ὁμολογήσαμεν. καὶ τοῦτο εἰπόντες μετὰ δακρύων ἐπεισῆλθον τῇ μητρὶ, καὶ κοιμωμένην εὑρόντες ἤδη περιπλέκεσθαι ἐβούλοντο. ὁ δὲ Πέτρος ἐκώλυεν αὐτοὺς εἰπών· ἐάσατέ με, προσαγάγω ὑμᾶς παραστῆσαι τῇ μητρί, μή πως ὑπὸ τῆς πολλῆς αἰφνιδίου χαρᾶς εἰς ἔκστασιν ἔλθοι φρενῶν, ἅτε δὴ κοιμωμένη καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα ὑπὸ τοῦ ὕπνου ἀπησχολημένον ἔχουσα. ### English translation (Claude) When Peter had told this in summary, Nicetes and Aquila were astonished and said: “Master and lord of all, is this true, or is it a dream?” And Peter said: “Unless we are asleep, it is true.” They waited a little, deep in thought, and said: “We are Faustinus and Faustinianus. From the beginning of your account we looked at each other and guessed much about ourselves, wondering whether what was said might concern us, since we reasoned that many similar things happen in life; so we kept silent, though our hearts were throbbing. But when we saw toward the end of the account that the things said concerned us, then we declared who we were.” Having said this, they went in to their mother in tears, and finding her asleep, they wanted to embrace her at once. But Peter stopped them, saying: “Let me bring you and present you to your mother, in case she should lose her senses from such great and sudden joy, since she is asleep and her spirit is held fast by sleep.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 13.3 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-3). ## Homilies 13.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-4 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains to Mattidia the Christian way of life, including the rule not to eat with the unbaptized, even with close family. ### Greek text Ὁμῶς ἐπεὶ κόρον ἔσχεν ὕπνου, διεγερθείσῃ τῇ μητρὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἤρξατο προσαγαγὼν λέγειν· γινώσκειν σε θέλω, γύναι, τῆς ἡμετέρας θρησκείας τὴν πολιτείαν. ἡμεῖς ἕνα Θεὸν σέβομεν, τὸν πεποιηκότα ὃν ὁρᾷς κόσμον, καὶ τούτου φυλάσσομεν τὸν νόμον, περιέχοντα ἐν πρώτοις, αὐτὸν σέβειν μόνον καὶ τὸ αὐτοῦ ἁγιάζειν ὄνομα, τιμᾶν τε γονεῖς, καὶ σωφρονεῖν, βιοῦν τε ἡδέως. πρὸς τούτοις δὲ ἀδιαφόρως μὴ βιοῦντες τραπέζης ἐθνῶν οὐκ ἀπολαύομεν, ἅτε δὴ οὐδε συνεστιᾶσθαι αὐτοῖς δυνάμενοι, διὰ τὸ ἀκαθάρτως αὐτοὺς βιοῦν. πλὴν ὁπόταν αὐτοὺς πείσωμεν τὰ τῆς ἀληθείας φρονεῖν τε καὶ ποιεῖν, βαπτίσαντες αὐτοὺς τρισμακαρίᾳ τινὶ ἐπονομασίᾳ, τότε αὐτοῖς συναλιζόμεθα. ἐπεὶ οὐδʼ ἂν πατὴρ ἢ μήτηρ τυγχάνῃ, ἢ γυνὴ, ἢ τέκνον, ἢ ἀδελφὸς, ἢ ἄλλος τις ἐκ φύσεως στοργὴν ἔχων, συνεστιᾶσθαι αὐτῷ τολμᾶν δυνάμεθα. θρησκείᾳ γὰρ διαφερόντως τοῦτο ποιοῦμεν. μὴ οὖν ὕβριν ἡγήσῃ τὸ μὴ συνεστιᾶσθαί σοι τὸν υἱὸν, μέχρις ἂν τὰ αὐτὰ φρονῇς καὶ ποιῆς. ### English translation (Claude) When she had had enough sleep and was awake, Peter brought them to her and began to say: “I want you to know, woman, the way of life of our religion. We worship one God, who made the world that you see, and we keep his law, which contains first of all to worship him alone and to hallow his name, to honour parents, to be chaste, and to live uprightly. Besides this, since we do not live indiscriminately, we do not partake of the table of the Gentiles, because we cannot even eat with them, since they live impurely. But when we have persuaded them to think and to do the things of the truth, and have baptized them with a thrice-blessed invocation, then we eat with them. For even if it were a father or a mother, or a wife, or a child, or a brother, or anyone else who has a natural claim on our affection, we cannot venture to eat with him; for we do this out of religion. So do not consider it an insult that your son does not eat with you, until you think and do the same things.” ### Scripture references - Matt 6:9: echo, medium confidence - Exod 20:12: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 28:19: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - The printed ἡδέως (“pleasantly”) makes poor sense in a list of the law's commands; it is rendered by sense as “uprightly” (perhaps for ὁσίως, “piously”). - The rule of not eating with the unbaptized reflects the Jewish-Christian purity outlook of the Homilies. - “Thrice-blessed invocation”: the baptismal naming, probably of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit (compare Matt 28:19). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 13.4 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-4). ## Homilies 13.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-5 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Mattidia asks for baptism, saying she has already left the gods and has kept her chastity in wealth and poverty, and mourns her lost sons and husband. ### Greek text Ἡ δὲ ἀκούσασα ἔφη· τί οὖν κωλύει με σήμερον βαπτισθῆναι; ἥ τις πρὸ τοῦ σε ἰδεῖν τοὺς λεγομένους θεοὺς ἀπεστράφην, λογισμῷ τούτῳ, ὅτι πολλὰ σχεδὸν καθʼ ἡμέραν θυούσῃ αὐτοῖς ἐν ταῖς ἀνάγκαις οὐ παρεστάθησάν μοι περὶ δὲ μοιχείας τι δεῖ καὶ λέγειν; ὁπότε οὐδʼ ὅτε ἐπλούτουν, τρυφή με τοῦτο ἠπάτησεν, οὐδʼ ἡ μετὰ ταύτην πενία ἐπὶ τοῦτο ἐλθεῖν ἀναγκάσαι δεδύνηται, ἀντιποιουμένην μου τῆς σωφροσύνης ὡς μεγίστου κάλλους, ἧς ἕνεκα εἰς τοσαύτην ἦλθον περίστασιν. ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ οἶμαί σε, κύριέ μου Πέτρε, ἀγνοεῖν, ὅτι ἡ πλείων ἐπιθυμία ἐξ εὐθυμιῶν γίνεται. ὅθεν ἐγὼ ἐν εὐθυμίᾳ σωφρονήσασα, ἐν δυσθυμίᾳ πρὸς ἡδονὰς ἐμαυτὴν οὐκ ἀποδίδωμι. ἀλλὰ μηδὲ νῦν μου κακεχίας ἀπηλλάχθαι νομίσῃς τὴν ψυχήν, τὴν ποσῶς παραμυθίας τυχοῦσαν διὰ τὴν Κλήμεντος ἐπίγνωσιν. ἀντεισερχομένη γὰρ ἡ ἐκ τῶν δύο τέκνων μου ἀθυμία καὶ τὴν ποσῶς ἀμαυροῖ χαράν. παρακαλέσομαι γὰρ περὶ αὐτῶν ὅτι ἐν θαλάσσῃ διεφώνησαν, ἀλλʼ οὐχ ὅτι πρὸς τούτοις ἐκτὸς τειχῶν θρησκείας Θεοῦ φθαρέντες τὰ σώματα καὶ τὰς ψυχὰς ἀπώλοντο. ὁ δὲ τούτων πατὴρ, ἐμὸς δὲ σύμβιος, ὡς παρὰ Κλήμεντος ἔμαθον, ἐπί τε τὴν ἐμὴν καὶ τὴν τῶν υἱῶν ζήτησιν ἐκβάς, τοσούτοις ἔτεσιν ἀφανής ἐστιν· πάντως δὲ ἐτελεύτησεν. καὶ γὰρ ὁ ταλαίπωρος ὑπὸ σωφροσύνης με ἀγαπῶν φιλότεκνος ἦν. ὅθεν πάντων ἡμῶν ὑπὲρ πάντα αὐτῷ ἠγαπημένων στερηθεὶς ὁ γέρων ὑπὸ μεγίστης ἀθυμίας διεφώνησεν. ### English translation (Claude) When she heard this, she said: “What then prevents me from being baptized today? Even before I saw you, I had turned away from the so-called gods, reasoning that, though I sacrificed to them a great deal, almost every day, they did not stand by me in my needs. And what need is there even to speak of adultery? For not even when I was rich did luxury lead me astray into it, nor has the poverty that followed been able to force me into it, since I cling to my chastity as the greatest beauty, for whose sake I fell into such great trouble. But I do not think you are unaware, my lord Peter, that the greater part of desire arises from good cheer. So I, who was chaste in good cheer, do not give myself up to pleasures in despondency. But do not think that even now my soul has been freed from affliction, although it has received some comfort through the recognition of Clement. For the despondency over my two children comes in again and dims what joy I have. For I could be consoled for them, that they perished in the sea, but not that, besides this, they perished body and soul outside the walls of the worship of God. And their father, my husband, as I learned from Clement, went out to seek me and our sons and has not been seen for so many years; surely he has died. For the poor man, loving me because of my chastity, also loved his children. So, deprived of all of us whom he loved above all things, the old man died of the deepest despondency.” ### Translation notes - Mattidia claims never to have committed adultery (μοιχεία), neither when rich nor when poor. - She says she could be consoled that her sons died at sea, but not that they died outside the worship of God. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 13.5 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-5). ## Homilies 13.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-6 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The twins embrace their mother; Peter tells her who they are, and she asks them to tell their story. ### Greek text Τῆς μητρὸς ταῦτα λεγούσης, κατὰ τὴν Πέτρου παραίνεσιν, ἀκούοντες οὐκέτι στέγειν ἐδύναντο οἱ παῖδες, ἀλλʼ ἐγερθέντες περιεπλέκοντο αὐτῇ, πολλὰ δακρύοντες καὶ καταφιλοῦντες. ἡ δὲ ἔφη· τί θέλει τοῦτο εἶναι; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο παράστησον, ὦ γύναι, γενναίως τὸν νοῦν σου, ὅπως τῶν σῶν ἀπολαύσῃς τέκνων. οὗτοι γάρ εἰσιν Φαυστῖνος καὶ Φαυστινιανὸς, οἱ υἱοί σου, οὓς ἐν βυθῷ τεθνάναι ἔλεγες. πῶς δὲ ζῶσιν, ἐπί σου θανόντες ἐν τῇ χαλεπωτάτῃ ἐκείνῃ νυκτὶ, καὶ πῶς νῦν ὁ μὲν αὐτῶν Νικήτης λέγεται, ὁ δὲ Ἀκύλας, αὐτοί σοι εἰπεῖν δυνήσονται, σύν σοι γὰρ ἡμεῖς μαθεῖν ἔχομεν. ταῦτα τοῦ Πέτρου εἰπόντος, ἡ μήτηρ χαρεῖσα σφόδρα ὑπʼ ἐκλύσεως ὀλίγου διεφώνει. ὅτε δὲ αὐτὴν ἀνεκτησάμεθα, ἐκαθέσθη, καὶ ἑαυτῆς γενομένη ἔφη παρακαλῶ, τέκνα μου ποθεινά, εἴπατε ἡμῖν τὰ μετὰ τὴν χαλεπὴν ἐκείνην νύκτα συμβάντα ὑμῖν. ### English translation (Claude) As their mother said this, the sons, who were listening as Peter had advised, could no longer contain themselves, but rose up and embraced her, weeping much and kissing her. She said: “What is the meaning of this?” And Peter answered: “Set your mind firmly, woman, so that you may enjoy your children. For these are Faustinus and Faustinianus, your sons, who you said had died in the deep. How they are alive, though they died, as far as you knew, on that most dreadful night, and how one of them is now called Nicetes and the other Aquila, they themselves will be able to tell you; for we, with you, have yet to learn it.” When Peter said this, our mother rejoiced so greatly that she almost died from faintness. When we had revived her, she sat up, and coming to herself she said: “Please, my beloved children, tell us what happened to you after that dreadful night.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 13.6 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-6). ## Homilies 13.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-7 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Faustinus tells how pirates took the twins from the wreck and sold them in Caesarea to Justa, a Jewish proselyte, who raised them in her religion and in Greek learning. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Νικήτης, τοῦ λοιποῦ Φαυστῖνος, ἤρξατο λέγειν. τῆς αὐτῆς ἐκείνης νυκτὸς τοῦ πλοίου, ὡς οἶσθα, διαλυομένου, ἡμᾶς ἄνδρες τινὲς ἐν τῷ βυθῷ λῃστεύειν μὴ φοβούμενοι ἀνείλαντο, καὶ ἐν σκάφῃ θέντες καὶ κώπαις ἐλαύνοντες ὁτὲ μὲν παρὰ γῆν ἔφερον, ὁτὲ δὲ καὶ τροφὰς μεταπεμπόμενοι εἰς τὴν Στράτωνος ἦγον Καισάρειαν· κἀκεῖ δακρύοντας ἡμᾶς λιμῷ, φόβῳ τε καὶ πληγαῖς, ὅπως μή τι προπετὲς λαλήσωμεν τῶν αὐτοῖς μὴ δοκούντων, ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα ἡμῶν ἀλλάξαντες, πωλῆσαι ἠδυνήθησαν. γυνὴ δέ τις Ἰουδαίοις προσήλυτος, ἀξιόλογος πάνυ, ὀνόματι Ἰοῦστα, ὠνησαμένη ἡμᾶς εἰς τέκνων ἐφύλαττεν τόπον, καὶ πάσῃ ἑλληνικῇ παιδείᾳ μετὰ σπουδῆς ἐξεπαίδευσεν. ἡμεῖς δὲ ἐφʼ ἡλικίας ἔμφρονες γενόμενοι καὶ τὴν θρησκείαν ἠγαπήσαμεν, καὶ τὰ τῆς παιδείας ἐφιλοπονήσαμεν, ὅπως πρὸς τὰ λοιπὰ ἔθνη διαλεγόμενοι ἐλέγχειν αὐτὰ περὶ πλάνης δυνώμεθα. ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰ φιλοσόφων ἠκριβώσαμεν, ἐξαιρέτως δὲ τὰ ἀθεώτατα, λέγω δὴ τὰ Ἐπικούρου καὶ Πύῤῥωνος, ἵνα μᾶλλον ἀνασκευάζειν δυνώμεθα. ### English translation (Claude) And Nicetes, from now on Faustinus, began to speak: “On that same night, when, as you know, the ship was breaking up, some men who did not fear to practise piracy on the deep took us up, put us in a boat, and rowing, sometimes carried us along the coast, sometimes sent for provisions, and brought us to Strato's Caesarea. There, while we wept, by hunger, fear, and blows, so that we should not rashly say anything they did not want, and also by changing our names, they managed to sell us. A certain woman, a proselyte to the Jews, a very distinguished person, named Justa, bought us and kept us as her children, and had us carefully educated in all Greek learning. When we came to years of understanding, we both came to love her religion and laboured at our studies, so that in debating with the other nations we might be able to refute them concerning their error. We also studied the philosophers thoroughly, especially the most godless, I mean the teachings of Epicurus and Pyrrho, so that we might be better able to overturn them.” ### Translation notes - Justa is the Syrophoenician woman's name in Hom. 2.19 (compare Matt 15:22). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 13.7 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-7). ## Homilies 13.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-8 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Faustinus tells how they nearly fell under Simon Magus's influence until Zacchaeus brought them to Peter, and urges their mother to share their faith. ### Greek text Σίμωνι δέ τινι μάγῳ σχεδόν σύντροφοι γενόμενοι, φιλίας ὁδῷ ἀπατηθῆναι ἐκινδυνεύσαμεν. ἔστιν δέ τις περὶ ἀνθρώπου τινὸς λόγος, οὗ φανέντος ἐν βασιλείᾳ τῶν θεοσεβησάντων ὄχλος ἀθανάτως καὶ ἀλύπως βιῶσαι ἔχει· ὅμως ταῦτα μέν σοι, μῆτερ, ἐπὶ καιροῦ ἀκριβέστερον ἐκτελήσεται. πλὴν μέλλουσιν ἡμῖν ἀπατᾶσθαι ὑπὸ τοῦ Σίμωνος ἑταῖρός τις τοῦ κυρίς ἡμῶν Πέτρου, Ζακχαῖος λεγόμενος, προσηκάμενος ἐνουθέτησεν μὴ ἀπατηθῆναι τῷ μάγῳ, ἐπελθόντι δὲ τῷ Πέτρῳ προσήγαγεν, ὅπως ἡμᾶς πληροφορήσας πείσῃ περὶ τῶν τῇ θεοσεβείᾳ διαφερόντων. διὸ καί σε, μῆτερ, εὐχόμεθα, ἵνα ὧν ἡμεῖς κατηξιώθημεν ἀγαθῶν, τούτων καὶ σὺ μεταλάβῃς ὅπως κοινῇ ἁλῶν καὶ τραπέζης μεταλαβεῖν δυνηθῶμεν. αὕτη οὖν ἐστιν ἡ αἰτία, τεκοῦσα, διʼ ἐνόμιζες ἡμᾶς τεθνάναι, τῷ ἐκείνῃ τῇ χαλεπωτάτῃ νυκτὶ ὑπὸ πειρατῶν ἀρθῆναι ἐν πελάγει, σὲ δὲ νομίζειν ἡμᾶς ἀπολωλέναι. ### English translation (Claude) “Having been brought up almost together with a certain Simon, a magician, we were in danger of being deceived by way of friendship. There is a doctrine about a certain man, at whose appearance the multitude of those who have worshipped God will live in his kingdom without death and without grief; but this, mother, will be explained to you more exactly in due time. When we were about to be deceived by Simon, a companion of our lord Peter named Zacchaeus took us up and warned us not to be deceived by the magician, and when Peter arrived he brought us to him, so that he might fully assure us and persuade us of what concerns the worship of God. So we pray, mother, that you too may share in the good things we have been counted worthy of, so that we may be able to share salt and table together. This, then, mother, is the reason why you thought we were dead: on that most dreadful night we were taken up at sea by pirates, and you thought we had perished.” ### Translation notes - The “certain man” at whose appearance the pious will live in his kingdom is the Christ; the teaching is deferred. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 13.8 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-8). ## Homilies 13.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-9 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Mattidia asks to be baptized at once with her hostess; Peter requires at least one day's fast, shortened because of a word that showed her faith. ### Greek text Ταῦτα τοῦ Φαυστίνου εἰπόντος ἡ μήτηρ ἡμῶν προσέπεσεν τῷ Πέτρῳ, δεομένη καὶ ἀξιοῦσα, ὅπως αὐτήν τε καὶ τὴν ξενοδόχον αὐτῆς μεταπεμψάμενος ἐξαυτῆς βαπτίσῃ, ἵνα φησί, μηδεμία τις ἡμέρα ἄμοιρος γένηται, ἀφʼ ἧς τὰ ἐμαυτῆς ἀπέλαβον τέκνα, οὐν ᾗ μὴ συνεστιαθείην αὐτοῖς. ταυτὰ οὖν καὶ ἡμῶν τῇ μητρὶ συμπαρακαλεσάντων, ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· τί νομίζετε, ἐγὼ μόνος ἄσπλαγχνός εἰμι, ὅτι μὴ βούλομαι ὑμᾶς συνεστιαθῆναι τῇ μητρὶ, βαπτίσας αὐτὴν σήμερον; ἀλλὰ κἂν μίαν ἡμέραν πρὸ τοῦ βαπτισθῆναι νηστεύσαι αὐτὴν δεῖ. καὶ ταῦτα ἐπεὶ ἁπλῶς τινα ὑπὲρ ἑαυτῆς ἐφθέγξατο λόγον, ὃν ἐγὼ τῆς πίστεως αὐτῆς ἱκανὸν ἑρμηνέα συνεῖδον· ἐπεὶ πολλῶν ἡμερῶν αὐτὴν ἀφελληνισθῆναι ἔδει. ### English translation (Claude) When Faustinus had said this, our mother fell at Peter's feet, begging and asking him to send for her hostess and to baptize both of them at once, “so that,” she said, “not a single day may pass, from the day I recovered my children, on which I do not eat with them.” When we too joined our mother in asking the same, Peter said: “What do you think? Am I alone heartless, that I do not wish you to eat with your mother by baptizing her today? But she must fast at least one day before being baptized. And that only because she simply spoke a word on her own behalf which I perceived to be a sufficient interpreter of her faith; otherwise she would have needed many days to be cleansed of her paganism.” ### Translation notes - ἀφελληνισθῆναι: literally “to be de-Hellenized”, that is, purified from her pagan way of life before baptism. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 13.9 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-9). ## Homilies 13.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-10 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains that Mattidia's wish to have her benefactress baptized shows faith, and rebukes the baptized who do not urge their families to baptism. ### Greek text Κἀγὼ ἔφην· εἰπὲ ἡμῖν τίνα ἐφθέγξατο λόγον, ᾧ τὴν πίστιν αὐτῆς ἐξέφηνεν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· ἡ ἀξίωσις αὐτῆς τοῦ βαπτισθῆναι αὐτῇ τὴν ξενοδόχον εὐεργέτιν. οὐκ ἂν δὲ τοῦτο τῇ ὑπʼ αὐτῆς ποθουμένῃ δοθῆναι παρεκάλει, εἰ μὴ πρότερον αὐτὴ διετέθη ὡς ἐπὶ μεγάλῃ τῇ τοῦ βαπτίσματος δωρεᾷ. ὅθεν ἐγὼ πολλῶν καταγινώσκω, ὁπότʼ ἂν βαπτισθέντες καὶ πιστεύειν λέγοντες μηδὲν ἄξιον πίστεως ποιῶσι, μηδʼ οὓς ἀγαπῶσιν, λέγω δὴ γυναῖκας αὑτῶν ἢ υἱοὺς ἢ φίλους, πρὸς τοῦτο προτρέπωνται εἰ γὰρ πεπιστεύκασιν ζωὴν αἰώνιον σὺν ἔργοις καλοῖς δωρεῖσθαι τὸν Θεὸν, ἀνυπερθέτως οὓς ἠγάπων προετρέποντο βαπτισθῆναι. ἀλλʼ ἐρεῖ τις ὑμῶν· ἀγαπῶσιν αὐτοὺς καὶ φροντίζουσιν αὐτῶν. τοῦτο εὔηθές ἐστιν. ἐπεὶ τί δή ποτε νοσοῦντας ὁρῶντες, ἢ ἀπαγομένους τὴν ἐπὶ θανάτῳ, ἢ ἄλλα τινὰ χαλεπὰ πάσχοντας, ὀδύρονται καὶ ἐλεῶσιν; οὕτως εἰ πεπιστεύκεισαν αἰώνιον πῦρ μένειν τοὺς τὸν Θεὸν μὴ σέβοντας, οὐκ ἂν ἐπαύσαντο νουθετοῦντες, ἢ καὶ ἀπειθοῦντας ὁρῶντες, ὡς περὶ ἀπίστων ὀδυνώμενοι, τὴν κατʼ αὐτῶν κόλασιν πεπληροφορημένοι. καὶ τὰ νῦν τὴν ξενοδόχον πέμψας ἀνακρινῶ, εἰ τὸν νόμον τὸν διʼ ἡμῶν ἀγαπᾶν αἱρεῖται· καὶ οὕτως ἀκολούθως ἃ δεῖ πράξομεν. ### English translation (Claude) And I said: “Tell us what word she spoke by which she showed her faith.” And Peter said: “Her request that her hostess and benefactress should be baptized with her. She would not have asked for this to be given to the woman she loves, unless she herself had first come to regard baptism as a great gift. Hence I condemn many who, after being baptized and saying that they believe, do nothing worthy of faith, and do not urge those whom they love, I mean their wives or sons or friends, to this. For if they had believed that God gives eternal life with good works, they would have urged those they loved to be baptized without delay. But one of you will say: ‘They love them and care for them.’ That is foolish. For why, when they see them sick, or being led away to death, or suffering some other hardship, do they lament and pity them? In the same way, if they had believed that eternal fire awaits those who do not worship God, they would not have ceased admonishing them, or, seeing them disobedient, grieving over them as unbelievers, being fully assured of the punishment awaiting them. And now I will send for the hostess and question her whether she chooses to love the law proclaimed through us; and so we will do what must be done accordingly.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 13.10 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-10). ## Homilies 13.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-11 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Mattidia has already fasted two days for joy; Peter says that is not a baptismal fast, and Faustinus argues that God arranged it in advance. ### Greek text Ἡ δὲ μήτηρ ὑμῶν ἐπειδὴ πιστῶς διάκειται περὶ τοῦ βαπτίσματος, κἄν μίαν πρὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος νηστευσάτω ἡμέραν. ἡ δὲ ὤμνυεν· δύο τῶν διελθουσῶν ἡμερῶν, τῇ γυναικὶ τὰ κατὰ τὸν ἀναγνωρισμὸν διηγουμένη, ὑπὸ τῆς πολλῆς χαρᾶς τροφῆς μεταλαβεῖν οὐκ ἠδυνήθην, ἢ ἐχθὲς μόνον βραχέος ὕδατος. ἐμαρτύρησέ τε τῷ ὅρκῳ ἡ γυνὴ Πέτρου λέγουσα· ἀληθῶς οὐκ ἐγεύσατο. καὶ ὁ Ἀκύλας, μᾶλλον δὲ τοῦ λοιποῦ Φαυστῖνος, ἔφη· οὐκοῦν οὐδὲν κωλύει αὐτὴν βαπτισθῆναι. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος γελάσας ἀπεκρίνατο· ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἔστι τοῦτο νηστεία βαπτίσματος, ἥ μὴ διʼ αὐτὸ γέγονεν. καὶ ὁ Φαυστῖνος ἀπεκρίνατο· ἴσως οὖν ὁ Θεὸς βουλόμενος ἡμῶν τὴν μητέρα μηδεμίαν ἡμέραν τῆς ἡμῶν ἐπιγνώσεως χωρίσαι τῆς τραπέζης, προῳκονόμησεν τὴν νηστείαν. ὡς γὰρ ἐσωφρόνησεν ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ, τὸ πρέπον τῆς ἀληθείας ποιήσασα, οὕτως καὶ νῦν ὁ Θεὸς ἴσως ᾠκονόμησεν πρὸ μιᾶς νηστεῦσαι αὐτὴν ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ ὑπὲρ τοῦ ἀληθοῦς βαπτίσματος, ἵνα ἀπὸ πρώτης ἡμέρας τοῦ γνωρίσαι ἡμᾶς σὺν ἡμῖν ἁλῶν μεταλαβεῖν δυνηθῇ. ### English translation (Claude) “But since your mother is faithfully disposed toward baptism, let her fast at least one day before baptism.” But she swore: “For two of the past days, while I told the woman about the recognition, I could not take food for great joy, except only a little water yesterday.” And Peter's wife confirmed the oath, saying: “Truly she has not tasted anything.” And Aquila, or rather from now on Faustinus, said: “Then nothing prevents her from being baptized.” And Peter laughed and answered: “But that is not a baptismal fast which was not kept for the sake of baptism.” And Faustinus answered: “Perhaps God, wishing that our mother should not be separated from our table on any day since she recognized us, arranged the fast beforehand. For as she lived chastely in her ignorance, doing what befits the truth, so now too perhaps God arranged that she should fast one day beforehand, in her ignorance, for the sake of the true baptism, so that from the first day of recognizing us she might be able to share salt with us.” ### Translation notes - The digital text names the second speaker “Aquila, or rather from now on Faustinus”; by 13.7 Faustinus is Nicetes, so Aquila should be Faustinianus (as the translation of ANF 8 reads). The name is kept as printed. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 13.11 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-11). ## Homilies 13.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-12 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter refuses to count the accidental fast, fasts with the brothers that day, and sets the baptism for the next day. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· μὴ ἡμᾶς νικάτω ἡ κακία, πρόφασιν εὑροῦσα τὴν πρόνοιαν καὶ τεκούσης στοργήν· ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον ὑμεῖς κἀγὼ σὺν ὑμῖν τὴν σήμερον διαμείνωμεν, καὶ αὔριον βαπτισθήσεται. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἡ ὥρα τῆς σήμερον ἡμέρας ἐπιτήδειός ἐστιν εἰς βάπτισμα. καὶ ὁμῶς οὕτως γενέσθαι οἱ πάντες συνευδοκήσαμεν. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter said: “Let not wickedness overcome us, finding a pretext in providence and in your affection for your mother. Rather, let you, and I with you, continue the fast today, and tomorrow she will be baptized. For the hour of today is not suitable for baptism either.” And so we all agreed that it should be so. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 13.12 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-12). ## Homilies 13.13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-13 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter teaches that chastity brings good outcomes and adultery destruction, and that God rewards chastity even among the unbaptized in this life, though salvation is for the baptized. ### Greek text Αὐτῆς οὖν ἑσπέρας τῆς Πέτρου οἱ πάντες διδασκαλίας ἀπηλαύομεν, δεικνύντος ἡμῖν ἐκ τῆς κατὰ τὴν μητέρα προφάσεως, τίνι λόγῳ τὰ τέλη τῆς σωφροσύνης καλά, τὰ δὲ τῆς μοιχείας χαλεπὰ ὄντα ὅλῳ γένει ὄλεθρον ποιεῖν φύσιν ἔχει, κἄν μὴ ταχέως, ἀλλʼ οὖν γε κἄν βραδέως. ἐπὶ τοσοῦτον δέ, φησίν, τὰ τῆς σωφροσύνης ἀρέσκει τῷ Θεῷ, ὅτι καὶ τοῖς ἐν πλάνῃ οὖσιν βραχεῖάν τινα ὑπὲρ αὐτῆς ἐν τῷ νῦν βίῳ ἀπονέμει χάριν (ἡ γὰρ ἐκεῖ σωτηρία μόνοις τοῖς διὰ τὴν εἰς αὐτὸν ἐλπίδα βαπτισθεῖσιν καὶ σωφρόνως δικαιοπραγοῦσιν ἀποδίδοται). ὥσπερ ἐγνώκατε ἐπὶ τῆς ὑμετέρας μητρὸς γενόμενα, λέγω δὴ τὰ ἐπὶ τέλει καλά. ἴσως δὲ εἰ ἐμοιχήσατο, ἀνῄρητο ἄν. διὸ σωφρονήσασαν ἐλεήσας ὁ Θεὸς τὸν κατʼ αὐτῆς ἀπέστρεψεν φόνον, καὶ τὰ ἀφαιρεθέντα τέκνα ἀπέδωκεν. ### English translation (Claude) That same evening we all enjoyed Peter's teaching. Taking occasion from what had happened to our mother, he showed us why the outcomes of chastity are good, while those of adultery are grievous and by nature bring destruction on a whole family, if not quickly, then at least slowly. “So greatly,” he said, “do the deeds of chastity please God, that even to those who are in error he grants some small favour for it in this present life (for salvation there is given only to those who have been baptized because of their hope in him and who act rightly with chastity). You have seen this happen in the case of your mother, I mean the good things at the end. Perhaps, if she had committed adultery, she would have been killed. Therefore God, pitying her for her chastity, turned away the death that threatened her and gave back the children who had been taken from her.” ### Translation notes - Chastity (σωφροσύνη) here means sexual self-control, especially a wife's faithfulness; adultery is μοιχεία. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 13.13 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-13). ## Homilies 13.14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-14 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter teaches that a chaste woman must flee at once from any illicit love, and that the one sin of adultery brings punishment even on one who does all other good. ### Greek text Ἀλλʼ ἐρεῖ τις ἴσως· πόσοι διὰ σωφροσύνην ἀπώλοντο; φημὶ ἀναισθησίας αἰτίᾳ, χρὴ γὰρ τὴν αἰσθανομένην ἢ ἐρωμένου τινὸς ἢ ἐραστοῦ, παρʼ αὐτὸ φυγεῖν τῆς πρὸς αὐτὸν ἐπιμίξεως, ὡς πῦρ φλέγον ἢ λυσσοῦντα κύνα. ὅνπερ τρόπον ἐποίησεν ἡ ὑμᾶς τεκοῦσα, τὸ τῆς σωφροσύνης ὄντως ἀγαπήσασα καλόν. διʼ ὅ φυλαχθεῖσα σὺν ἡμῖν αἰωνίου βασιλείας ἔλαβεν τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν. ἡ σωφρονεῖν βουλομένη γυνὴ εἰδέναι ὀφείλει, ὅτι φθονουμένη ὑπὸ κακίας προφάσει ἔρωτος πολλοὺς ἔχει τοὺς ἐπιβούλους. μιᾷ δὲ τῇ πρὸς τὸ σωφρονεῖν ἐνστάσει σεμνὴ μείνασα τὴν ὑπὸ πάντων νίκην λαβοῦσα σωθῆναι ἔχει. καὶ γὰρ εἰ πάντα καλὰ διαπράξαιτό τις, μιᾷ τῇ πρὸς τὸ μοιχήσασθαι ἁμαρτίᾳ κολασθῆναι δεῖ, ὁ προφήτης ἔφη. ### English translation (Claude) “But perhaps someone will say: ‘How many have perished because of chastity!’ I say that it was because they did not perceive the danger. For a woman who perceives that someone loves her or that she loves someone must at once flee all contact with him, as from a blazing fire or a rabid dog. This is what the mother who bore you did, truly loving the good of chastity. Therefore she was preserved and, together with us, received the knowledge of the eternal kingdom. The woman who wishes to be chaste must know that, envied by wickedness, she has many plotting against her under pretext of love. But if she remains honourable in the one resolve to be chaste, she will win the victory over all and be saved. For even if someone should do all good things, for the one sin of adultery he must be punished, as the prophet said.” ### Scripture references - Jas 2:10: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The saying of “the prophet” that one sin of adultery brings punishment despite all other good deeds is not found in Scripture; compare Jas 2:10–11. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 13.14 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-14). ## Homilies 13.15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-15 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter praises the chaste woman as a reminder of God's creation of one woman for one man and an example and honour to the church. ### Greek text Ἡ σώφρων γυνὴ τὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ θέλημα ποιοῦσα τῆς αὐτοῦ πρώτης κτίσεως ἀγαθὴ ὑπόμνησις γίνεται. ὅτι εἷς ὤν ὁ Θεὸς ἑνὶ ἀνθρώπῳ μίαν ἔκτισε γυναῖκα. ἔτι δὲ μᾶλλον σώφρων μένει, ἐὰν τῆς κτίσεως μὴ λανθάνῃ, καὶ τὴν κόλασιν προβλέπῃ, καὶ τῶν αἰωνίων ἀγαθῶν τὴν ζημίαν μὴ ἀγνοῇ. ἡ σώφρων γυνὴ ἐπὶ τοῖς σώζεσθαι θέλουσιν ἡδομένη, παράδειγμα εὐσεβὲς τοῖς θεοσεβοῦσιν τυγχάνει· ἀγαθοῦ γὰρ βίου νόμος ἐστίν. ἡ σωφρονεῖν θέλουσα τὰς προφάσεις τῆς λοιδορίας ἐκκόπτει, ἐὰν δὲ μὴ παρέχουσα πρόφασιν λοιδορεῖται ὡς ὑπʼ ἐχθροῦ, ὑπὸ Θεοῦ εὐλογεῖται καὶ ἐκδικεῖται. ἡ σώφρων τὸν Θεὸν ποθεῖ, τὸν Θεὸν φιλεῖ, τὸν Θεὸν τέρπει, τὸν Θεὸν δοξάζει· ἀνθρώποις πρόφασιν πρὸς λοιδορίαν οὐ παρέχει. ἡ σώφρων γυνὴ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἀγαθῇ τιμῇ μυρίζει καὶ ἐπὶ σεμνότητι δοξάζει· ἔτι δὲ καὶ διδασκάλων ἔπαινός ἐστιν, καὶ συνεργὸς αὐτοῖς σωφρονοῦσι τυγχάνει. ### English translation (Claude) “The chaste woman who does the will of God becomes a good reminder of his first creation: that God, being one, created one woman for one man. She remains still more chaste if she does not forget the creation, foresees the punishment, and is not ignorant of the loss of eternal goods. The chaste woman, delighting in those who wish to be saved, is a godly example to those who worship God; for she is a law of good living. She who wishes to be chaste cuts off the occasions of reproach; and if, giving no occasion, she is reviled as by an enemy, she is blessed and avenged by God. The chaste woman longs for God, loves God, delights God, glorifies God; she gives men no occasion for reproach. The chaste woman perfumes the church with good honour and glorifies it for its dignity; moreover she is the praise of her teachers, and a fellow worker with them in their chastity.” ### Scripture references - Gen 2:22: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 2:24: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 19:4: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - “One woman for one man” recalls Gen 2:22–24 (Matt 19:4–6) and is used here as a ground of marital chastity. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 13.15 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-15). ## Homilies 13.16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-16 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter describes the adornment of the chaste wife in spiritual terms and her love and obedience to her husband, except against God. ### Greek text ᾽Η σώφρων γυνὴ ὡς νυμφίῳ υἱῷ Θεοῦ κοσμεῖται, ἐνδεδυμένη τὸ σεμνὸν φῶς. ἔστιν δὲ αὐτῇ κάλλος ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ εὐνομία. μύρου δὲ πνέει τῆς ἀγαθῆς φήμης. καλὰ φορεῖ· ἠμφίεσται τὴν αἰδῶ. καὶ τιμίους μαργαρίτας περίκειται, τοὺς σωφρονίζοντας λόγους. λευκὴ δὲ τυγχάνει, ὅτʼ ἅν τὰς φρένας ᾖ λελαμπρυμένη. καλῷ ἐσόπτρῳ ὁρᾷ, εἰς τὸν Θεὸν ἐμβλέπουσα. καλῷ κόσμῳ χρῆται, τῷ πρὸς Θεὸν φόβῳ τὴν ψυχὴν νουθετοῦσα. καλὴ ἡ γυνὴ, οὐχ ἡ χρυσῷ πεπεδημένη, ἀλλʼ ἡ τῶν προσκαίρων ἐπιθυμιῶν λελυμένη. ἡ σώφρων γυνὴ μεγάλῳ βασιλεῖ περιπόθητός ἐστιν, αὐτῷ μεμνήστευται, αὐτῷ τετήρηται, ὑπὸ αὐτοῦ ἠγάπηται. ἡ σώφρων εἰς τὸ θέλεσθαι προφάσεις οὐ παρέχει, ἢ τῷ αὐτῆς ἀνδρί. ἡ σώφρων ὑπὸ ἑτέρου θελομένη λυπεῖται. ἡ σώφρων τὸν ἄνδρα ἐνδιαθέτως φιλεῖ, καὶ καταφιλεῖ, καὶ κολακεύει, ἀρέσκει, δουλεύει, πρὸς πάντα αὐτῷ πείθεται, παρʼ ἐκτὸς τοῦ ἀπειθεῖν Θεῷ. ἡ γὰρ πειθομένη Θεῷ ἄνευ φυλάκων καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν σωφρονεῖ καὶ τὸ σῶμα καθαρεύει. ### English translation (Claude) “The chaste woman is adorned as for her bridegroom, the Son of God, clothed in holy light. Her beauty is the good order in her soul. She breathes the perfume of a good name. She wears fine things: she is clothed with modesty. She wears precious pearls, the words that make for chastity. She is white when she has been made radiant in mind. She looks in a fine mirror, gazing on God. She uses fine adornment, admonishing her soul with the fear of God. Beautiful is the woman, not bound in chains of gold, but freed from passing desires. The chaste woman is longed for by the great King; she is betrothed to him, kept for him, loved by him. The chaste woman gives no occasion to be desired, except to her own husband. The chaste woman is grieved when she is desired by another. The chaste woman loves her husband from the heart, kisses him, soothes him, pleases him, serves him, obeys him in everything, except where it would mean disobeying God. For she who obeys God is chaste in soul and pure in body without guards.” ### Scripture references - 1 Tim 2:9: allusion, medium confidence - 1 Pet 3:3: allusion, medium confidence - Acts 5:29: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The imagery of true adornment (pearls, gold, modesty) recalls 1 Tim 2:9–10 and 1 Pet 3:3–5; the wife's obedience is limited by obedience to God (compare Acts 5:29). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 13.16 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-16). ## Homilies 13.17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-17 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter warns husbands not to keep their wives from the fear of God and urges them to bring them to the teaching that makes for chastity. ### Greek text Ἀνόητος οὖν πᾶς ἀνηρ ὁ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ γυναῖκα χωρίζων φόβου Θεοῦ. ὅτι ἡ Θεὸν μὴ φοβουμένη οὐδὲ τὸν ἄνδρα φοβεῖται. ἐὰν Θεὸν τὸν ἀόρατα βλέποντα μὴ φοβῆται, πρὸς τὸν μὴ ὁρῶντα πῶς σωφρονήσει; πῶς δὲ σωφρονήσει ἡ μὴ συνερχομένη πρὸς τοὺς σωφρονίζοντας ἀκούειν λόγους; πῶς δὲ καὶ νουθεσίας τύχοι; πῶς δὲ σωφρονήσει ἄνευ φυλάκων, ἐὰν τὴν ἐσομένην κρίσιν τοῦ Θεοῦ μὴ διδαχθῇ, μηδὲ τὴν ἐπὶ μικρᾷ ἡδονῇ αἰώνιον ζημίαν πληροφορηθῇ; διὸ τοὐναντίον ἄκουσαν αὐτὴν πρὸς τὸν σωφρονίζοντα ἀεὶ εἰσέρχεσθαι λόγον ἀνάγκασον, κολάκευσον. ### English translation (Claude) “Foolish, therefore, is every husband who separates his wife from the fear of God. For she who does not fear God does not fear her husband either. If she does not fear God, who sees what is unseen, how will she be chaste toward one who does not see? And how will she be chaste who does not come to hear the words that make for chastity? How will she receive admonition? And how will she be chaste without guards, if she is not taught the coming judgment of God, nor fully assured of the eternal loss that follows a little pleasure? So, on the contrary, compel her, even against her will, always to come to the word that makes for chastity; coax her.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 13.17 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-17). ## Homilies 13.18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-18 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter describes the mutual duties of a chaste husband and wife, including the husband's faithfulness and the wife's submission, and the wife's modest conduct. ### Greek text Πολὺ δὲ κρεῖττον, εἰ χειραγωγήσας ἥξεις· ἵνα καὶ αὐτὸς σώφρων γένῃ· θελήσεις γὰρ σώφρων γενέσθαι, ἵνα γνώσῃ σεμνοῦ γάμου τὸ τέλος, καὶ οὐκ ὀκνήσεις, εἰ ἀγαπᾷς, λέγω δὴ πατὴρ γενέσθαι, ἴδια τέκνα φιλεῖν καὶ ὑπὸ ἰδίων φιλεῖσθαι τέκνων. ὁ σώφρονα γυναῖκα ἔχειν θέλων καὶ αὐτὸς σωφρονεῖ, τὴν ὀφειλομένην εὐνὴν ἀποδίδωσιν, ταύτῃ συνεστιᾶται, ταύτῃ σύνεστιν, σὺν αὐτῇ πρὸς τὸν σωφρονίζοντα ἔρχεται λόγον, οὐ λυπεῖ, οὐκ εἰκῆ μάχεται, ἑαυτὸν μισητὸν οὐ ποιεῖ, ἅ δύναται καλὰ παρέχει, ὧν μὴ ἔχει, τῇ κολακείᾳ τὸ λυποῦν ἀποπληροῖ. ἡ σώφρων γυνὴ κολακευθῆναι οὐκ ἀναμένει, κύριον τὸν ἄνδρα γνωρίζει, πενομένου τὴν πενίαν φέρει, πεινῶντι συμπεινᾷ, ἀποδημοῦντι συναποδημεῖ, λυπούμενον παραμυθεῖται, κἄν προῖκα μείζονα ἔχῃ, ὡς μηδὲν ἔχουσα ὑπόκειται. ὁ δὲ ἀνὴρ κἂν πένητα ἔχῃ γυναῖκα, μεγάλην προῖκα ἡγείσθω αὐτῆς τὴν σωφροσύνην. ἡ σώφρων γυνὴ αὐταρκείᾳ βρωμάτων καὶ ποτῶν χρῆται, ἵνα μὴ λιπανθέντος τοῦ σώματος τῷ βάρει πρὸς ἐπιθυμίας ἀνόμους κατασπάσῃ τὴν ψυχήν. ἀλλʼ ἔτι μὴν σὺν νέοις οὐκ ἰδιάζει, καὶ τοὺς γέροντας ὑποπτεύει, γέλωτας ἀτάκτους ἀπωθεῖται, Θεῷ μόνῳ ἑαυτὴν ἀπονέμουσα οὐ σφάλλεται, σεμνοὺς λόγους ἀκούουσα ἥδεται, τοὺς δὲ μὴ ἐπὶ σωφροσύνης λεγομένους ἀπωθεῖται. ### English translation (Claude) “But much better if you lead her by the hand and come, so that you yourself may also become chaste. For you will wish to become chaste, so that you may know the fulfilment of an honourable marriage; and you will not hesitate, if you desire it, I mean to become a father, to love your own children and be loved by your own children. He who wishes to have a chaste wife is himself chaste: he renders the marriage bed that is due, eats with her, keeps company with her, comes with her to the word that makes for chastity, does not grieve her, does not quarrel without cause, does not make himself hateful, provides what good things he can, and where he lacks, makes up for what grieves her with tenderness. The chaste wife does not wait to be coaxed; she acknowledges her husband as lord, bears poverty with him when he is poor, goes hungry with him when he is hungry, travels with him when he travels, comforts him when he is grieved, and, even if she has the larger dowry, submits as though she had nothing. And the husband, even if he has a poor wife, should count her chastity a great dowry. The chaste wife uses food and drink sparingly, so that the weight of a pampered body may not drag the soul down to lawless desires. Moreover she does not keep private company with young men, and is wary even of old men; she rejects unruly laughter; giving herself to God alone, she does not go astray; she delights to hear honourable words, and rejects those not spoken for the sake of chastity.” ### Scripture references - 1 Cor 7:3: allusion, high confidence - Eph 5:22: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - “Renders the marriage bed that is due” follows 1 Cor 7:3. The husband's chastity is made the condition of expecting a chaste wife. - The phrase “you will not hesitate, if you desire it, I mean to become a father” is compressed in the Greek; it implies that children born of a chaste marriage are surely one's own. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 13.18 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-18). ## Homilies 13.19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-19 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter declares that one adultery is many murders of the soul, defiling the breath of God within a person and leading to eternal fire. ### Greek text Μάρτυς Θεός, πολλοὶ φόνοι μία μοιχεία· καὶ τὸ δεινόν, ὅτι τῶν φόνων αὐτῆς τὸ φοβερὸν καὶ ἀσεβὲς οὐ βλέπεται. ὅτι αἵματος χυθέντος νεκρὸν κεῖται σῶμα, καὶ τὸ τῆς συμφορᾶς δεινὸν πάντας ἐκπλήσσει. τῆς δὲ μοιχείας οἱ τῆς ψυχῆς φόνοι φοβερώτεροι ὄντες, ἐπεὶ μὴ ἀνθρώποις βλέπονται, τοῖς τολμῶσιν ἄοκνον τὴν ὁρμὴν παρέχουσιν. γνῶθι ἄνθρωπε, τίνος πνοὴν ἔχεις πρὸς τὸ ζῆν, καὶ οὐ μὴ αὐτὴν μιανθῆναι θελήσῃς. ὑπὸ μοιχείας μόνης μιαίνεται ἡ Θεοῦ πνοή. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο αὐτὴ τὸν μιάναντα εἰς πῦρ κατασπᾷ. σπεύδει γὰρ τὸν ὑβριστὴν αἰωνίῳ παραδοῦναι κολάσει. ### English translation (Claude) “God is witness: one adultery is many murders. And the terrible thing is that the dreadfulness and ungodliness of its murders is not seen. For when blood is shed, a dead body lies there, and the horror of the calamity strikes all. But the murders of the soul by adultery, though more dreadful, because they are not seen by men, give those who dare them an unhesitating impulse. Know, O man, whose breath you have for your life, and you will not wish it to be defiled. By adultery alone is the breath of God defiled. And for this reason it drags the one who defiled it into fire; for it hastens to hand over the one who outraged it to eternal punishment.” ### Scripture references - Gen 2:7: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The breath of God in human beings recalls Gen 2:7. The claim that adultery alone defiles it is the speaker's own emphasis. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 13.19 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-19). ## Homilies 13.20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-20 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter consoles Mattidia that she suffered for chastity, not for adultery, and that everything she lost has turned to her salvation. ### Greek text Ταῦτα λέγων ὁ Πέτρος, ἀγαθὴν καὶ σώφρονα Ματτιδίαν ὑπὸ χαρᾶς δακρύουσαν ἰδὼν, ὡς ἐπὶ ὑποσχέσει τῶν γεγονότων λυπηθῆναι νομίσας, ἔφη· θάρσει γύναι· πολλῶν πολλὰ κακὰ παθόντων διὰ μοιχείαν σὺ διὰ σωφροσύνην πέπονθας, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο οὐκ ἐτελεύτησας. εἰ δὲ καὶ τεθνήκεις, σεσωσμένην ἄν εἶχες τὴν ψυχήν. πατρίδα Ῥώμην ἔλειπες διὰ σωφροσύνην· ἀλλὰ τῇ ταύτης προφάσει ἀλήθειαν εὗρες, τὸ διάδημα τῆς ἀϊδίου βασιλείας· ἐν βυθῷ κεκινδύνευκας, καὶ οὐκ ἐτελεύτησας, καὶ εἴτε τετελευτήκεις, αὐτός σοι ὁ βυθὸς διὰ σωφροσύνην θνησκούσῃ βάπτισμα ἐγίνετο πρὸς ψυχῆς σωτηρίαν. τέκνων ἀπελείφθης πρὸς ὀλίγον, ἅ τινα γνησίας ὄντα σπορᾶς ἐν τοῖς κρείττοσιν εὕρηται. λιμώττουσα τροφὰς προσήτησας, ἀλλὰ πορνείᾳ σῶμα σὸν οὐκ ἐμίανας. σῶμα σὸν ἐβασάνισας, ἀλλὰ τήν ψυχὴν ἔσωσας. μοιχὸν ἔφυγες, ἵνα μὴ κοίτην ἀνδρὸς μιανῇς ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν σωφροσύνην ὁ τὴν φυγὴν εἰδὼς Θεὸς τὸν ἀνδρὸς ἀποπληρώσει τόπον. λυπηθεῖσα καὶ μονωθεῖσα πρὸς ὀλίγον ἀνδρὸς καὶ τέκνων ἀπελείφθης, ἀλλὰ τούτους πάντας ἀπολείπειν εἶχες προθεσμίᾳ θανάτου· κρεῖττον δὲ ὅτι διὰ σωφροσύνην ἑκοῦσα ἀπελείφθης, ἢ εἴπερ ἄκουσα μετὰ χρόνον ἐφʼ ἁμαρτίαις αὐταῖς ἀπώλλυου. ### English translation (Claude) As Peter said this, he saw the good and chaste Mattidia weeping for joy, and thinking she was grieved at the memory of what had happened, he said: “Take courage, woman. While many have suffered many evils because of adultery, you have suffered because of chastity, and for this reason you did not die. And even if you had died, you would have had your soul saved. You left your native Rome because of chastity; but through it you found the truth, the diadem of the everlasting kingdom. You were in danger in the deep, and did not die; and if you had died, the deep itself would have become for you, dying for chastity, a baptism for the salvation of your soul. You were deprived of your children for a little while, but they, being of legitimate birth, have been found in better circumstances. Starving, you begged for food, but you did not defile your body by sexual immorality. You tormented your body, but you saved your soul. You fled from an adulterer, so that you might not defile your husband's bed; but because of your chastity, God, who knows your flight, will fill the place of your husband. Grieved and left alone, you were deprived of husband and children for a little while; but you would have had to leave all of them at the appointed time of death. It is better that you were willingly deprived of them for chastity than if, after a time, you had perished unwillingly in your very sins.” ### Translation notes - Death at sea for chastity would have been “a baptism for the salvation of your soul”: a notable statement, translated as written. - Here πορνεία (“sexual immorality”) and μοιχός (“adulterer”) are distinct. The last clause (ἀπώλλυου) is garbled in the digital text; the sense is clear. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 13.20 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-20). ## Homilies 13.21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-21 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter teaches that chastity greatly pleases God, but that by God's decree no one, even a chaste Gentile, enters the kingdom unbaptized. ### Greek text Πολλῷ οὖν ἄμεινον τὰ πρωτεῖα εἶναι θλιβερά. καὶ γὰρ ὅτε πάρεστιν, ἐλπίδι τοῦ παρελθεῖν οὐ πάνυ λυπεῖ, προσδοκίᾳ τε τοῦ κρείττονος καὶ χαίρειν παρέχει. πρὸ πάντων δὲ εἰδέναι σε θέλω, πόσον τὸ σωφρονεῖν ἀρέσκει Θεῷ. ἡ σώφρων γυνὴ Θεοῦ ἐκλογὴ, Θεοῦ εὐδοκία, Θεοῦ δόξα, Θεοῦ τέκνον. τοσοῦτον ἀγαθὸν σωφροσύνη. εἰ μὴ ὅτι νόμος ἦν, μηδὲ δίκαιον ἀβάπτιστον εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰσελθεῖν, τάχα που τῶν ἐθνῶν οἱ πεπλανημένοι διὰ σωφροσύνην μόνον σωθῆναι ἐδύναντο. διὰ τοῦτο λίαν ἀθυμῶ περὶ τῶν ἐν πλάνῃ σωφρονούντων, ὅτι ἄνευ ἐλπίδος ἀγαθῆς σωφρονεῖν ἑλόμενοι πρὸς τὸ βαπτισθῆναι ὀκνηρῶς ἔχουσιν. διὸ οὐ σώζονται· ὅτι δόγμα Θεοῦ κεῖται, ἀβάπτιστον εἰς τὴν αὐτοῦ βασιλείαν μὴ εἰσελθεῖν. ταῦτα αὐτοῦ εἰπόντος καὶ τούτων πλείονα, εἰς ὕπνον ἐτράπημεν. ### English translation (Claude) “It is much better, then, that the first things should be painful. For while they are present they do not grieve very much, in the hope that they will pass, and they even give joy in the expectation of something better. But above all I want you to know how much chastity pleases God. The chaste woman is God's choice, God's good pleasure, God's glory, God's child. So great a good is chastity. Were it not that there was a law that not even a righteous person may enter the kingdom of God unbaptized, perhaps the erring among the Gentiles could have been saved by chastity alone. For this reason I am very sad about those in error who are chaste, because, having chosen to be chaste without good hope, they are reluctant to be baptized. Therefore they are not saved; for God's decree stands that no one unbaptized shall enter his kingdom.” When he had said this, and more besides, we turned to sleep. ### Scripture references - John 3:5: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The necessity of baptism for entering the kingdom follows John 3:5. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 13.21 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/12-32/#p-13-21). ## Homilies 14.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-1 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter baptizes Mattidia in the sea at a secluded place and afterwards breaks bread with thanksgiving and salt, sharing it first with her. ### Greek text Ὀρθριαίτερον δὲ πολλῷ τοῦ καθʼ ἡμέραν ὁ Πέτρος διυπνισθεὶς εἰσῄει πρὸς ἡμᾶς, καὶ ἐξυπνίσας ἔφη· Φαυστῖνος καὶ Φαυστινιανὸς ἅμα Κλήμεντι μετὰ τῶν οἰκείων ἀκολουθησάτωσάν μοι, ὅπως ἐν σκεπινῷ τῆς θαλάσσης τόπῳ ἐλθόντες ἐν ἀκατασκόπῳ βαπτίσαι αὐτὴν δυνηθῶμεν. πλὴν ἐπὶ τὸν αἰγιαλὸν γενομένων ἡμῶν, μεταξὺ πετρῶν τινων γαληνοῦ καὶ καθαροῦ τόπου εὐπορησάντων ἐβάπτισεν αὐτήν. ἡμεῖς δὲ οἱ ἀδελφοί, τῶν γυναικῶν χάριν ἅμα ἀδελφῷ καὶ ἄλλοις τισὶν ὑποχωρήσαντες καὶ λουσάμενοι, ἐλθόντες τὰς γυναῖκας παρελάβομεν. καὶ οὕτως ἐν κρυφαίῳ τόπῳ πορευθέντες εὐχόμεθα. ἔπειτα ὁ Πέτρος τὰς γυναῖκας διὰ τὸν ὄχλον προέπεμψεν, διʼ ἄλλης ὁδοῦ ἐπὶ τὴν ξενίαν ἐλθεῖν κελεύσας, ἀνδρῶν τε μόνοις ἡμῖν συνεῖναι τῇ μητρὶ καὶ ταῖς αὐταῖς γυναιξὶν ἐπέτρεψεν. ἐλθόντες οὖν εἰς τὴν ξενίαν καὶ ἀναμένοντες αὐτὸν ἐλθεῖν ἀλλήλοις διελεγόμεθα. μεθʼ ἱκανὰς δὲ ὥρας ὁ Πέτρος ἐλθὼν, τὸν ἄρτον ἐπʼ εὐχαριστίᾳ κλάσας καὶ ἐπιθεὶς ἅλας, τῇ μητρὶ πρῶτον ἐπέδωκεν, μετʼ αὐτὴν τοῖς υἱοῖς αὐτῆς. καὶ οὕτως αὐτῇ συνεστιάθημεν καὶ τὸν Θεὸν εὐλογήσαμεν. ### English translation (Claude) Much earlier than usual, Peter woke up, came in to us, roused us, and said: “Let Faustinus and Faustinianus, together with Clement and the members of the household, follow me, so that we may go to a sheltered place by the sea and be able to baptize her out of sight.” When we reached the shore, having found a calm and clean place between some rocks, he baptized her. We brothers, together with our brother and some others, withdrew out of regard for the women and bathed, and then came and took the women with us; and so, going to a secluded place, we prayed. Then Peter sent the women ahead because of the crowd, telling them to go to the lodging by another road, and allowed only us men to be with our mother and those same women. So we came to the lodging and, waiting for him to come, talked with one another. After some hours Peter came, broke the bread with thanksgiving, put salt on it, and gave it first to our mother and after her to her sons. And so we ate with her and blessed God. ### Translation notes - ἐπʼ εὐχαριστίᾳ may mean “with thanksgiving” or “for the Eucharist”; the salted bread is the first shared meal of the newly baptized with her family (compare 13.4, 13.9). - The narrator's “together with our brother” (ἅμα ἀδελφῷ) is loose in the Greek; the sense is that the brothers withdrew with the other men. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 14.1 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-1). ## Homilies 14.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-2 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains that an old workman who had secretly watched the baptism approached him wishing to speak. ### Greek text Τότε λοιπὸν ὁ Πέτρος τὸν ὄχλον εἰσεληλυθότα ἰδὼν καὶ καθεσθεὶς καὶ παρακαθεσθῆναι ἡμᾶς κελεύσας ὑφηγεῖται τὰ πρῶτα πείθων ἡμᾶς, τίνι λόγῳ προπέμψας ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ βαπτίσματος καὶ αὐτὸς βραδύνας ἐπῆλθεν. τὴν δὲ αἰτίαν ἔλεγεν τοιαύτην. ἅμα τῷ ὑμᾶς, φησίν, ἀποστῆναι, γέρων συνεισῄει ἐργάτης, περιέργως κλέπτων ἑαυτόν, καὶ προκατασκοπήσας ἡμᾶς, ὡς αὐτὸς ὕστερον ὡμολόγει, πρὸς τὸ ἰδεῖν τί ἄν πράττοιμεν εἰς τὸν σκεπινὸν τόπον εἰσελθόντες, λάθρα ἐκβὰς ἠκολούθησεν. ἐν εὐκαίρῳ τόπῳ προσελθὼν καὶ προςαγορεύσας ἔφη· ἐκ πολλοῦ σοι ἀκολουθῶν καὶ συντυχεῖν θέλων ἠδούμην, μήπως ὡς περιέργῳ μοι χαλεπαίνῃς· νῦν δὲ τὰ ἐμοὶ δοκοῦντα ἀληθῆ, εἰ βούλει, λέγω. κἀγὼ ἀπεκρινάμην· λέγε ἡμῖν ὅπερ σοι δοκεῖ καλὸν εἶναι, καὶ ἀποδεξόμεθά σε, κἄν τῷ ὄντι μὴ καλὸν ᾖ τὸ λεγόμενον, ἐπείπερ ἀγαθῇ προαιρέσει τὸ δοκοῦν σοι καλὸν εἰπεῖν ἠθέλησας. ### English translation (Claude) Then Peter, seeing that the crowd had come in, sat down, told us to sit beside him, and first explained, to satisfy us, why after sending us ahead from the baptism he himself had come later. He gave this reason. “As soon as you left,” he said, “an old workman came in with us, carefully hiding himself; he had been spying on us beforehand, as he himself later confessed, to see what we would do when we went into the sheltered place, and when he came out he followed secretly. Coming up in a convenient place and greeting me, he said: ‘I have been following you a long time, wanting to meet you, but I was ashamed, in case you should be angry with me as a busybody. But now, if you wish, I will tell you what seems to me true.’ And I answered: ‘Tell us what seems good to you, and we will welcome you, even if what you say is not really good, since you have wished with a good intention to say what seems good to you.’” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 14.2 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-2). ## Homilies 14.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-3 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The old man argues that there is neither God nor providence, but that everything is governed by genesis, since his own piety did not save him from misfortune. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ γέρων τοῦ λέγειν ἤρξατο οὕτως· θαλάσσῃ ὑμᾶς λελουμένους εἰς τὸν ἀπόκρυφον τόπον ὑποχωρήσαντας ἰδὼν, προσελθὼν λάθρα κατεσκόπουν τὸ τί ἄν ἐν κρυφαίῳ εἰσιόντες πράττοιτε, καὶ ἐπειδὴ εὐχομένους εἶδον, ὑπεχώρησα· ἐλεήσας δὲ ὑμᾶς ἀνέμεινα, ὅπως ἐξιοῦσιν προσομιλήσας πείσω μὴ ἀπατᾶσθαι. οὔτε γὰρ Θεός ἐστιν, οὔτε πρόνοια, ἀλλὰ γενέσει τὰ πάντα ὑπόκειται, ὡς ἐγὼ ἐφʼ οἷς πέπονθα πεπληροφόρημαι, ἐκ πολλοῦ ἀκριβῶν τὸ μάθημα. μὴ οὖν ἀπατῶ, τέκνον. εἴτε γὰρ εὔχῃ, εἴτε μὴ, τὰ ἐκ τῆς γενέσεως πάσχειν ἀνάγκην ἔχεις εἰ γὰρ εὐχαί τι δύνανται ἢ τὸ εὖ ποιεῖν, αὐτὸς ἄν ἐν τοῖς κρείττοσιν ἤμην. καὶ νῦν εἰ μή σε ἀπατᾷ ἡ πενιχρά μου αὕτη ἐσθής, οὐκ ἀπιστήσεις οἷς λέγω. ἐν πολλῇ βίου ποτὲ ὤν περιουσίᾳ, πολλὰ καὶ θεοῖς ἔθυον, καὶ δεομένοις παρεῖχον, καὶ ὅμως εὐχόμενός τε καὶ εὐσεβῶν τὴν πεπρωμένην ἐκφυγεῖν οὐκ ἠδυνήθην. κἀγὼ ἔφην· τίνα ἐστὶν ἃ πέπονθας; ὁ δὲ ἀπεκρίνατο· οὐκ ἀνάγκη λέγειν νῦν, ἴσως ἐπὶ τέλει ἀκούσῃ, τίς τε ὤν ἐγὼ καὶ τίνων, ἐν ποίαις βίου περιστάσεσιν γέγονα. νῦν δὲ ὅτι γενέσει τὰ πάντα ὑπόκειται, πληροφορηθῆναί σε θέλω. ### English translation (Claude) “And the old man began to speak thus: ‘When I saw you, after bathing in the sea, withdraw to the hidden place, I came up and spied secretly on what you might be doing when you went into the secluded spot; and when I saw you praying, I withdrew. But I pitied you and waited, so that I might speak to you as you came out and persuade you not to be deceived. For there is neither God nor providence, but all things are subject to genesis, as I have been fully convinced by what I have suffered, having studied the science carefully for a long time. So do not be deceived, my son. Whether you pray or not, you must suffer what comes from genesis. For if prayers or doing good had any power, I would myself be in better circumstances. And now, unless this poor clothing of mine misleads you, you will not disbelieve what I say. Once I was in great abundance of livelihood; I sacrificed much to the gods and gave to those in need; and yet, though I prayed and was pious, I could not escape what was fated.’ And I said: ‘What is it that you have suffered?’ He answered: ‘There is no need to tell it now; perhaps at the end you will hear who I am and of what family, and in what circumstances of life I have been. But now I want you to be fully convinced that all things are subject to genesis.’” ### Translation notes - “Genesis” (γένεσις) is the technical term for the horoscope, the fate fixed by the stars at one's birth. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 14.3 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-3). ## Homilies 14.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-4 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter answers that advice is pointless if genesis rules all, and that even if genesis exists the Lord of the stars, not the gods, is to be worshipped. ### Greek text Κἀγὼ ἔφην· εἰ γενέσει τὰ πάντα ὑπόκειται, καὶ τοῦτο οὕτως ἔχον πεπληροφόρησαι, σεαυτῷ ἐναντία νοῶν συμβουλεύεις. εἰ μὲν παρὰ γένεσιν οὐ δυνατὸν οὐδὲ τὸ φρονεῖν, τί ματαιοπονεῖς, συμβουλεύων γενέσθαι ὅ γενέσθαι ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν; ἀλλʼ ἔτι μὴν εἰ γένεσις ὑφέστηκεν, μὴ σπεῦδε πείθειν ἐμὲ μὴ σέβειν τὸν καὶ τῶν ἄστρων δεσπότην, οὗ θέλοντος καὶ μὴ γενέσθαι τι, γενέσθαι δυνατόν. αἰεὶ γὰρ τὸ ὑποκείμενον τῷ ἡγουμένῳ πείθεσθαι ἀνάγκην ἔχει. τὸ μέντοι τοὺς νομιζομένους θεοὺς σέβειν, γενέσεως ἐπικρατούσης, περιττόν ἐστιν. οὔτε γὰρ παρὰ τὸ δοκοῦν τῇ πεπρωμένῃ τι γίνεται, οὔτε αὐτοί τι ποιεῖν δύνανται, τῇ καθόλου αὐτῶν ὑποκείμενοι γενέσει. εἰ γένεσις ἔστιν, ἀντίκειται τὸ μὴ πρῶτον ἄρχειν, ἢ ὑποκεῖσθαι οὐ δύναται, τὸ ἀγένητον ὡς ἀγένητον ἑαυτοῦ πρεσβύτερον μηδὲν ἔχον. ### English translation (Claude) “And I said: ‘If all things are subject to genesis, and you are fully convinced that this is so, you are thinking contrary to yourself when you give advice. For if even thinking is impossible apart from genesis, why do you labour in vain advising that something should happen which cannot happen? Moreover, even if genesis exists, do not hurry to persuade me not to worship the Lord even of the stars, who, if he wills that something should not happen, has the power to prevent it. For the subject must always obey what rules it. But to worship the so-called gods, if genesis prevails, is superfluous. For nothing happens contrary to what fate has decided, nor can they themselves do anything, being subject to their own universal genesis. If genesis exists, it is contradictory that it should not be the first ruler, or else it cannot be subject; for the unoriginate, as unoriginate, has nothing older than itself.’” ### Translation notes - The last sentence is obscure in the Greek; it is rendered by sense: genesis, if it existed, would have to be the first principle, which only the unoriginate God can be. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 14.4 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-4). ## Homilies 14.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-5 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter offers to prove providence by healing incurable infirmities through prayer, and argues that fatalism blasphemes God by making him the author of all sin. ### Greek text Τοιαῦτα πρὸς ἀλλήλους λεγόντων ἡμῶν, πολὺς παρέστη ὄχλος. καὶ τότε ἐγὼ εἰς τὸν ὄχλον ἀποβλέπων ἔφην· ἐγὼ καὶ τὸ ἐμὸν φῦλον ἐκ προγόνων Θεὸν σέβειν παρειληφὼς καὶ παράγγελμα ἔχων γενέσει μὴ προσανέχειν, λέγω δὴ τῷ τῆς ἀστρολογίας μαθήματι, διὰ τοῦτο οὐ προσέσχον. ὅθεν ἀστρολογίας μὲν οὐκ εἰμὶ ἔμπειρος, ὧν δέ εἰμι, ὑφηγήσομαι. ἐπειδὴ γένεσιν ἀπʼ αὐτῆς τῆς κατὰ τὴν γένεσιν ἐπιστήμης ἀνασκευάζειν οὐ δύναμαι, βούλομαι ἄλλῳ τρόπῳ ἀποδεῖξαι, ὅτι κατὰ πρόνοιαν διοικεῖται τὰ πράγματα, καὶ ἕκαστος πρὸς ἃ πράττει, τιμῆς ἢ κολάσεως τεύξεται, εἴτε νῦν εἴτε αὖθις, οὐθέν μοι διαφέρει, πλὴν ὅτι πάντως ἀπολαύσει ἕκαστος ὧν ἔπραξεν. ἡ δὲ ἀπόδειξις τοῦ μὴ εἶναι γένεσιν, ἔστιν αὕτη. τῶν παρεστώτων εἴ τις ὀφθαλμῶν ἐστέρηται, ἢ κυλλὴν ἔχει τὴν χεῖρα, ἢ χωλὸν τὸν πόδα, ἢ ἕτερόν τι περὶ σῶμα, ὃ ὑποστροφὴν πρὸς ἴασιν πάλιν οὐκ ἔχει, καὶ παντὸς ἰατικοῦ ἐπαγγέλματος ἐκτός ἐστιν· ὃν οὐδὲ ἀστρολόγοι ἰᾶσθαι ἐπαγγέλλονται, ὅτι μὴ ἀπὸ τοῦ μακροῦ αἰῶνος τοιοῦτόν τι γέγονεν· ἐγὼ δὲ Θεοῦ δεηθεὶς τὴν ἴασιν παρασχῶ, ὁπότε ἐκ γενέσεως κατόρθωσιν τὸ τοιοῦτο οὐδέποτε λαβεῖν ἠδυνήθη. τούτου οὕτως γενομένου οὐχ ἁμαρτάνουσιν οἱ τὸν πάντα δημιουργήσαντα Θεὸν βλασφημοῦντες; καὶ ὁ γέρων ἀπεκρίνατο βλασφημεῖν γάρ ἐστιν τὸ λέγειν γενέσει ὑποκεῖσθαι τὰ πάντα; κἀγὼ ἀπεκρινάμην· καὶ πάνυ. εἰ γὰρ πᾶσαι αἱ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἁμαρτίαι καὶ ἀσέβειαι καὶ ἀσέλγειαι ἐξ ἀστέρων γίνονται, οἱ δὲ ἀστέρες ταῦτα ποιεῖν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ ἐτάγησαν, ἵνα πάντων χαλεπῶν ἀποτελεστικοὶ γένωνται, αἱ πάντων ἁμαρτίαι εἰς αὐτὸν ἀναφέρονται, τὸν τὴν γένεσιν θέντα ἐν τοῖς ἄστροις. ### English translation (Claude) “While we were speaking to each other in this way, a large crowd gathered. Then, looking at the crowd, I said: ‘I and my people, having received from our ancestors the worship of God and the command not to give heed to genesis, I mean the science of astrology, for this reason have not studied it. So I am not skilled in astrology; but I will set out what I am skilled in. Since I cannot overturn genesis from the science of genesis itself, I want to show in another way that affairs are governed by providence and that each person will receive honour or punishment according to what he does, whether now or later, it makes no difference to me, except that each will certainly receive the fruit of what he has done. The proof that there is no genesis is this. If any of those standing here has been deprived of his eyes, or has a crippled hand, or a lame foot, or any other bodily defect that admits of no return to health and lies beyond every promise of medicine, which not even astrologers promise to heal, because nothing of the kind has happened in the long course of ages, then I, praying to God, will provide the healing, though from genesis such a thing could never have been restored. When this has happened, do not those who blaspheme God, the creator of all things, sin?’ The old man answered: ‘Is it blasphemy, then, to say that all things are subject to genesis?’ And I answered: ‘Certainly. For if all the sins, impieties, and debaucheries of human beings come from the stars, and the stars were appointed by God to do these things so as to become the causes of all evils, then the sins of all are referred to him, who set genesis in the stars.’” ### Scripture references - Deut 18:10: allusion, low confidence - Jer 10:2: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - The command not to heed astrology recalls Deut 18:10–14 and Jer 10:2. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 14.5 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-5). ## Homilies 14.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-6 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The old man, an astrologer, cites the horoscope of a Roman nobleman's wife that predicted adultery with a slave and death at sea, and claims it came true. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ γέρων ἀπεκρίνατο· ἀληθῶς μεγάλως ἔφης, ἀλλὰ πάσῃ σου τῇ ἀπαραβλήτῳ ἀποδείξει ἡ ἐμὴ ἐμποδίζει συνείδησις. ἐγὼ γὰρ ἀστρολόγος ὢν, καὶ Ρώμην πρῶτον οἰκήσας φιλωθείς τινι πρὸς γένους ὄντι Καίσαρος, αὐτοῦ τε καὶ τῆς συμβίου τὴν γένεσιν ἠπιστάμην, καὶ ἱστορήσας ἀκολούθως τῇ γενέσει αὐτῶν τὰς πράξεις ἀποτελεσθείσας ἔργῳ, σοὶ λόγῳ πείθεσθαι οὐ δύναμαι. ἦν γὰρ τῆς γενέσεως αὐτῆς τὸ διάθεμα, ποιοῦν μοιχάδας, ἰδίων δούλων ἐρώσας, καὶ ἐπὶ ξένης ἐν ὕδασιν θνησκούσας. ὃ καὶ οὕτω γέγονεν. ἐρασθεῖσα γὰρ τοῦ ἰδίου δούλου καὶ μὴ φέρουσα τὸν ψόγον, φυγοῦσα σὺν αὐτῷ, ἐν ἀλλοδαπῇ ὁρμήσασα καὶ κοινωνήσασα αὐτῷ, θαλάσσῃ διεφθάρη. ### English translation (Claude) “And the old man answered: ‘Truly you have spoken greatly, but my own knowledge stands in the way of all your incomparable proof. For I am an astrologer, and once, living in Rome, I became friends with a man related to Caesar, and knew the horoscope of him and of his wife; and having seen their deeds actually come to pass in accordance with their horoscope, I cannot be persuaded by your argument. For her horoscope had the configuration that makes women adulteresses, in love with their own slaves, and dying in the waters abroad. And that is how it happened. For she fell in love with her own slave, and not bearing the disgrace, she fled with him, went abroad, lived with him, and perished in the sea.’” ### Translation notes - μοιχάς: “adulteress”. The old man's story is his false interpretation of Mattidia's flight (compare 12.15–16). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 14.6 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-6). ## Homilies 14.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-7 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The old man tells the story he heard from the husband's brother, of the dream, the voyage, the husband's search, and the husband's death in Seleucia. ### Greek text Κἀγὼ ἀπεκρινάμην· πῶς γινώσκεις ὅτι ἡ φυγοῦσα ἐν ἀλλοδαπῇ γενομένη τὸν δοῦλον ἔγημεν, καὶ γήμασα ἐτελεύτησεν; καὶ ὁ γέρων· ἀσφαλῶς οἶδα τἀληθῆ, οὐχ ὅτι ἔγημεν, ὁπότε οὐδʼ ὅτι ἤρα ἐγίνωσκον, ἀλλὰ μετὰ τὴν αὐτῆς ἀπαλλαγὴν ὁ ἀδελφὸς ὁ τοῦ ἀνδρὸς αὐτῆς ἐμοὶ διηγήσατο πάντα τὰ κατὰ τὸν αὐτῆς ἔρωτα, καὶ ὡς σεμνὸς ὢν, ἅτε δὴ ὁ ἀδελφὸς, οὐκ ἐβουλήθη μιᾶναι κοίτην, καὶ πῶς βουλομένη καὶ αἰδουμένη αὐτὸν καὶ τὸν ψόγον ἡ τάλαινα (οὐκ ἔστιν γὰρ αὐτὴν μέμψασθαι, ὅτι ἐκ γενέσεως ταῦτα ποιεῖν καὶ πάσχειν ἠναγκάζετο) ὄνειρον εἴτε ἀληθῆ εἴτε ψευδῆ ἐπλάσατο οὐκ ἔχω λέγειν· ἔλεγεν γὰρ αὐτὴν εἰρηκέναι, ὡς ὅτι ἐν ὁράματι ἐπιστάς τις ἐκέλευσέν μοι ἅμα τέκνοις ἐξαυτῆς τὴν Ῥωμαίων ἐκβῆναι πόλιν. ὁ δὲ ἀνὴρ σώζεσθαι αὐτὴν σὺν τοῖς υἱοῖς σπεύδων αὐτίκα αὐτοὺς παιδευθησομένους εἰς τὰς Ἀθήνας ἐξέπεμψεν σὺν τῇ μητρὶ καὶ δούλοις, τρίτον δὲ νεώτερον υἱὸν ἔχων ἔσχεν παρʼ αὑτῷ, ὡς δὴ τοῦ χρηματίσαντος κατʼ ὄναρ συνεῖναι αὐτὸν αὐτῷ ἐπιτρέψαντος. πολλοῦ δὲ χρόνου διελθόντος οὐκ ἔλαβεν γράμματα παρʼ αὐτῆς. αὐτὸς πολλάκις πέμψας εἰς Ἀθήνας, ἐμὲ παραλαβὼν ὡς πάντων αὐτῷ γνησιώτερον ὄντα, ἐπὶ τὴν ζήτησιν ἐπορεύθη. πολλὰ μὲν οὖν αὐτῷ καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἀποδημίαν συνέκαμον προθύμως, μεμνημένος ὅτι τῆς πάλαι αὐτοῦ εὐδαιμονίας κοινωνόν με πάντων εἶχεν, ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ με τοὺς φίλους ἀγαπῶν καὶ δὴ ἀπεπλεύσαμεν αὐτῆς καὶ οὕτως εἰς τὰ ἐνταῦθα τῆς Συρίας μέρη ἐγενόμεθα, εἰς Σελεύκειαν παρεβάλομεν, καὶ οὕτως ἐκβάντων ἡμῶν τοῦ πλοίου μετʼ οὐ πολλὰς ἡμέρας ἀθυμῶν ἐτελεύτησεν. ἐγὼ δὲ ἐνταῦθα ἐλθών, ἑαυτὸν ἀποδοὺς τὰς διὰ τῶν χειρῶν ἔκτοτε μέχρι τοῦ δεῦρο πορίζω τροφάς. ### English translation (Claude) “And I answered: ‘How do you know that the woman who fled married the slave when she was abroad, and died after marrying him?’ And the old man said: ‘I know the truth for certain: not that she married him, since I did not even know that she was in love; but after her departure her husband's brother told me the whole story of her love: how he, being honourable, as a brother would, would not defile his brother's bed; and how the poor woman, both wanting him and ashamed before him and of the disgrace (for she is not to be blamed, since she was compelled by her horoscope to do and suffer these things), invented a dream, whether true or false I cannot say. For he said she had said that someone had stood by her in a vision and ordered her, “Leave the city of Rome at once with your children.” Her husband, anxious that she be saved with the sons, at once sent them to Athens to be educated, with their mother and slaves, and kept with him a third, younger son, since the one who gave the dream had allowed him to stay with him. When much time had passed and he received no letters from her, after sending to Athens many times, he himself took me, as the most faithful of all his friends, and set out on the search. I shared many labours with him on the journey willingly, remembering that in his former prosperity he had made me a partner in everything, loving me above his other friends. We sailed from there and so came to these parts of Syria; we put in at Seleucia, and after we left the ship, not many days later he died of despondency. I came here and, giving myself to work, have earned my food with my hands from then until now.’” ### Translation notes - The brother-in-law's account inverts Mattidia's (12.15): he claims to have refused her advances. The old man is in fact Faustus speaking of himself as another (see 14.10). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 14.7 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-7). ## Homilies 14.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-8 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter reveals that he recognized the old man as the brothers' father, having confirmed the family names, and waited to tell them until after the baptismal meal. ### Greek text Ταῦτα τοῦ γέροντος εἰπόντος σύνοιδα, ὅτι ὅν ἔλεγεν τεθνάναι γέροντα, αὐτὸς ἦν, ἐξ ὧν ἔλεγεν, ὁ ὑμέτερος πατήρ. οὐκ ἐβουλήθην οὖν τὸ καθʼ ὑμᾶς αὐτῷ συναντιβαλεῖν, μέχρις ἄν ὑμῖν προσανάθωμαι. πλὴν τὰ κατὰ τὴν ξενίαν αὐτοῦ καταμαθὼν καὶ τὴν ἐμὴν μηνύσας, ἀκριβείας ἕνεκα, τοῦτο μόνον ἐπυθόμην, τί ὄνομα τῷ γέροντι; ὁ δὲ ἔφη, Φαῦστος. τί δὲ τοῖς διδύμοις υἱοῖς; ὁ δὲ ἀπεκρίνατο, Φαυστῖνος καὶ Φαυστινιανός. τί δὲ τῷ τρίτῳ υἱῷ; ὁ δὲ εἶπεν, Κλήμης. τί δὲ τῇ τούτων μητρὶ ὄνομα; ὁ δὲ ἔφη, Ματτιδία. ὑπὸ συμπαθείας οὖν ἐγὼ σύνδακρυς γενόμενος, ἀπολύσας τοὺς ὄχλους ἦλθον πρὸς ὑμᾶς, ἵνα μετὰ τὴν ἁλῶν κοινωνίαν ταῦτα προςανάθωμαι ὑμῖν. πρὸ δὲ τοῦ ἁλῶν μεταλαβεῖν εἰπεῖν ὑμῖν οὐκ ἐβουλήθην, μή πως ὑπὸ λύπης νικηθέντες ἐν τῇ τοῦ βαπτίσματος ἡμέρᾳ πενθοῦντες διατελέσητε, ὁπότε καὶ ἄγγελοι χαίρουσιν. ταῦτα τοῦ Πέτρου λέγοντος ἐδακρύομεν οἱ πάντες μετὰ τῆς μητρός. ὁ δὲ δακρύοντας ἡμᾶς ἰδὼν ἔφη· νῦν ἕκαστος ὑμῶν φόβῳ τῷ πρὸς τὸν Θεὸν γενναίως φερέτω τὰ λεχθέντα. οὐ γὰρ δὴ σήμερον ὑμῖν ἐτελεύτησεν ὁ πατήρ, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἔκπαλαι, ὡς ὑμεῖς στοχαζόμενοι εἰρήκατε. ### English translation (Claude) “When the old man had said this, I realized from what he said that the old man he said had died was he himself, your father. So I did not wish to tell him about you until I had informed you. But having learned where he lodged and told him where I lodged, for the sake of certainty I asked only this: ‘What was the old man's name?’ He said: ‘Faustus.’ ‘And the names of the twin sons?’ He answered: ‘Faustinus and Faustinianus.’ ‘And of the third son?’ He said: ‘Clement.’ ‘And what was their mother's name?’ He said: ‘Mattidia.’ So, moved to tears with sympathy, I dismissed the crowds and came to you, so that I might tell you these things after the sharing of salt. I did not want to tell you before sharing the salt, in case you should be overcome by grief and spend the day of baptism mourning, when even the angels rejoice.” When Peter said this, we all wept, with our mother. Seeing us weeping, he said: “Now let each of you bear what has been said nobly, in the fear of God. For your father did not die today; he died long ago, as you yourselves have said by conjecture.” ### Scripture references - Luke 15:10: allusion, low confidence ### Translation notes - Peter still believes the old man's claim that Faustus is dead; the old man is Faustus himself (14.9–10). The angels' joy recalls Luke 15:7, 10. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 14.8 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-8). ## Homilies 14.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-9 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: As Mattidia laments her husband, the old man enters, and husband and wife recognize each other; the three sons embrace their father. ### Greek text Ταῦτα τοῦ Πέτρου εἰπόντος, ἡ μήτηρ μὴ φέρουσα βοῶσα ἔφη· οἴμοι ἄνερ, ἡμᾶς ἀγαπῶν κρίσει ἐτελεύτησας, ἡμεῖς δὲ ζῶντες φῶς ὁρῶμεν, καὶ τροφῆς μεταλαμβάνομεν. οὕπω δὲ τῆς μιᾶς ταύτης ὀλολυγῆς παυσαμένης, ἰδοὺ ὁ γέρων εἰσῄει, καὶ ἅμα τῷ βούλεσθαι αὐτὸν τῆς κραυγῆς τὴν αἰτίαν πυνθάνεσθαι, εἰς τὴν γυναῖκα ἐμβλέψας ἔφη· οἴμοι τί θέλει τοῦτο εἶναι; τίνα ὁρῶ; προσελθὼν δὲ καὶ ἀκριβέστερον ἐνιδὼν καὶ ὁραθεὶς περιεπλέκετο. οἱ δὲ ὑπὸ χαρᾶς αἰφνιδίου διεφώνουν ἀμφότεροι, καὶ λαλεῖν ἀλλήλοις βουλόμενοι, ἀφασίᾳ συσχεθέντες, καὶ τῆς ἀπλήστου χαρᾶς οὐκ ἐδύναντο κρατεῖν. πλὴν μετʼ οὐ πολὺ ἡ μὲν μήτηρ· ἔχω σε Φαῦστε, τὸν κατὰ πάντα μοι γλυκύτατον. πῶς ἄρα ζῇς, ὅν ὡς τεθνεῶτα μικρῷ τάχιον ἠκούσαμεν; πλὴν οὗτοί εἰσιν ἡμῶν υἱοὶ, Φαυστῖνος, Φαυστινιανὸς καὶ Κλήμης. ταῦτα εἰπούσης, ἡμεῖς οἱ τρεῖς προσπεσόντες αὐτῷ καὶ καταφιλοῦντες ἀμαυρῶς πως τὴν μορφὴν αὐτοῦ ἀνεφέρομεν. ### English translation (Claude) When Peter had said this, our mother could not bear it and cried out: “Alas, my husband! Loving us, you died by your own decision, while we are alive, see the light, and take food!” Before this one cry had ceased, the old man came in, and as he was about to ask the reason for the outcry, he looked at the woman and said: “Alas, what does this mean? Whom do I see?” Coming closer and looking more carefully, and being recognized in turn, he embraced her. Both almost fainted from sudden joy; wishing to speak to each other, they were seized with speechlessness and could not master their overwhelming joy. But soon our mother said: “I have you, Faustus, dearest to me in all things! How is it that you are alive, whom we heard a little while ago to be dead? But these are our sons, Faustinus, Faustinianus, and Clement.” When she said this, the three of us fell upon him and kissed him, and somehow dimly recalled his appearance. ### Translation notes - κρίσει ἐτελεύτησας is terse: literally “you died by judgment”, probably “by your own decision” (to go searching); possibly a slip for λύπῃ, “of grief”. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 14.9 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-9). ## Homilies 14.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-10 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The old man admits he is Faustus and explains that he told his story as another's to avoid being recognized and restored to wealth he had renounced. ### Greek text Ταῦτα βλέπων ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· σὺ εἶ Φαῦστος, ὁ ταύτης ἀνὴρ καὶ τῶν αὐτῆς παίδων πατήρ; ὁ δὲ ἔφη· ἐγώ εἰμι. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· πῶς οὖν μοι τὰ σεαυτοῦ ὡς περὶ ἄλλου διηγήσω, πόνους εἰπὼν καὶ λύπην καὶ τάφον; καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἀπεκρίνατο· πρὸς γένους ὑπάρχων Καίσαρος, καὶ περίφωρος μὴ θέλων γενέσθαι, ἐπʼ ἄλλου τινὸς τὴν ἐξήγησιν ἀνετυπωσάμην, ἵνα αὐτὸς ὅστις εἰμὶ μὴ νοηθῶ. ᾔδειν γὰρ ὅτι, εἰ ἀναγνώριμος γένωμαι, οἱ κατὰ τόπον ἡγούμενοι ἀκούσαντες, ἀνακαλέσαντες, Καίσαρι κεχαρισμένα ποιοῦντες, τὴν τοῦ βίου μοι εὐδαιμονίαν περιθήσουσιν, ὅπερ ἀπεταξάμην. οὐ γὰρ ἠδυνάμην, περὶ τῶν ἐμοὶ ἠγαπημένων τὰ μέγιστα ὡς περὶ θανόντων κρίνας, πρὸς τὴν τοῦ βίου τρυφὴν ἑαυτὸν ἀποδιδόναι. ### English translation (Claude) Seeing this, Peter said: “Are you Faustus, this woman's husband and the father of her children?” He said: “I am.” And Peter said: “How then did you tell me your own story as about another, speaking of labours and grief and a tomb?” And our father answered: “Being a relative of Caesar and not wishing to be discovered, I shaped the account as about someone else, so that I might not be recognized as the one I am. For I knew that if I were recognized, the local governors would hear of it, call me back to do Caesar a favour, and invest me again with a prosperous life, which I had renounced. For having judged those whom I loved most to be dead, I could not give myself up to the luxury of life.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 14.10 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-10). ## Homilies 14.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-11 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Faustus admits that he truly believes in astrology, taught him by the Egyptian Annubion; Peter replies that astrologers' successes may be mere chance. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· ταῦτα μὲν ἐποίησας ὡς ἐβουλεύσω. περὶ δὲ γενέσεως ἄρα ψευδόμενος διισχυρίζου, ἢ ὡς ἀληθεύων ἐβεβαιοῦ; καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἔφη· οὐ ψεύσομαι πρός σε, ἀληθῶς ὡς οὔσης γενέσεως ἐβεβαίουν. εἰμὶ γὰρ οὐκ ἀμύητος τοῦ θεωρήματος, πλὴν συνῆν μοί τις, ἀστρολόγων ἄριστος, ἀνὴρ Αἰγύπτιος, Ἀννουβίων ὀνόματι, ὅς τις ἐν ταῖς ἀποδημίαις κατʼ ἀρχάς μοι φιλωθεὶς τὸν τῆς ἐμῆς συμβίου μετὰ τῶν τέκνων θάνατον ἐδήλου. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· οὐκοῦν ἔργῳ πέπεισαι, ὅτι οὐ συνέστηκεν τὰ κατὰ γένεσιν; καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἀπεκρίνατο· ἀνάγκη με πάντα τὰ ὑποτρέχοντά μου εἰς τὸν νοῦν ἐκτίθεσθαί σοι, ἵνα πρὸς αὐτὰ ἀκούων μανθάνειν ἔχω τούς σου τούτων ἐλέγχους. ἀλλὰ καὶ πολλὰ πταίειν οἶδα τοὺς ἀστρολόγους, πολλὰ δὲ καὶ ἀληθεύειν. ὑποπτεύω οὖν μήπως ἅ μὲν ἀκριβοῦσιν, ἀληθεύουσιν, ἃ δὲ πταίουσιν, ἀμαθίᾳ πάσχουσιν, ὡς ὑπονοεῖν με, τὸ μὲν μάθημα συνεστάναι, αὐτοὺς δὲ διʼ ἀμαθίαν ψεύδεσθαι μόνην, διὰ τὸ μὴ πάντας περὶ πάντων ἀκριβοῦν δύνασθαι. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· ἄπεχε, μή πως περὶ ὧν ἀληθεύουσιν, ἐπιτυγχάνουσιν, καὶ οὐχὶ ἀκριβοῦντες λέγουσιν. ἀνάγκη γὰρ πᾶσα ἐκ πολλῶν τῶν λεγομένων ἀποβαίνειν τινά. καὶ ὁ γέρων ἔφη. πῶς οὖν ἔστιν περὶ τούτου πληροφορηθῆναι, τὸ εἴτε συνέστηκεν τὸ κατὰ τὴν γένεσιν, ἢ οὔ; ### English translation (Claude) And Peter said: “You did this as you decided. But about genesis, were you insisting on it while lying, or affirming it as the truth?” And our father said: “I will not lie to you: I affirmed genesis as truly existing. For I am not uninitiated in the science. Besides, I had with me a certain man, the best of astrologers, an Egyptian named Annubion, who became my friend at the beginning of my travels and showed me the death of my wife and children.” And Peter said: “Are you not then convinced by the facts that the teaching of genesis does not hold?” And our father answered: “I must set before you all that comes into my mind, so that as I hear your answers I may learn your refutations of them. I know that astrologers are often wrong, and often right. So I suspect that where they are exact they are right, and where they err they do so from ignorance; so that I suppose that the science holds, but that they are wrong only through ignorance, since not everyone can be exact about everything.” And Peter answered: “Beware lest, where they are right, they hit on the truth by chance and do not speak from exact knowledge. For among many things said, some must necessarily come true.” And the old man said: “How then is it possible to be fully convinced about this, whether the teaching of genesis holds or not?” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 14.11 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-11). ## Homilies 14.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-12 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Clement proposes a debate with the astrologer Annubion in his father's presence; Peter says Annubion is with Simon Magus in Antioch. ### Greek text Ἀμφοτέρων οὖν σιωπώντων ἔφην· ἐπειδὴ τὸ μάθημα ἀκριβῶς ἐπίσταμαι, ὁ δὲ κύριος καὶ ὁ πατὴρ οὐχ οὕτως, ἤθελον, εἰ αὐτὸς Ἀννουβίων παρῆν, ἐπὶ τοῦ πατρὸς ἐποιησάμην λόγον. οὕτω γὰρ ἂν τὸ πρᾶγμα εἰς φανερὸν ἐλθεῖν ἠδύνατο, τεχνίτου πρὸς ὁμότεχνον τὴν ζήτησιν ἐσχηκότος. καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἀπεκρίνατο· ποῦ οὖν δυνατόν ἐστιν Ἀννουβίωνι συντυχεῖν; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· ἐν Ἀντιοχείᾳ, ἐκεῖ γὰρ μανθάνω Σίμωνα τὸν μάγον ὄντα, ᾧ Ἀννουβίων παρεπόμενος ἀχώριστός ἐστιν. ὡς ἂν οὖν ἐκεῖ γενώμεθα, ἐάν γε καταλάβωμεν αὐτοὺς, ἡ ζήτησις γενέσθαι δύναται. καὶ ὁμῶς πολλὰ διαλεχθέντες καὶ ἐπὶ τῷ ἀναγνωρισμῷ χαρέντες καὶ Θεῷ εὐχαριστήσαντες, ἑσπέρας ἐπικαταλαβούσης εἰς ὕπνον ἐτράπημεν. ### English translation (Claude) When both were silent, I said: “Since I know the science exactly, and my lord and my father do not, I would like, if Annubion himself were here, to hold a discussion with him in my father's presence. For in this way the matter could come to light, since the inquiry would be between one expert and another of the same craft.” And our father answered: “Where then is it possible to meet Annubion?” And Peter said: “In Antioch; for I learn that Simon the magician is there, whom Annubion follows as his inseparable companion. So when we arrive there, if we find them, the inquiry can take place.” And so, after much conversation, rejoicing at the recognition and giving thanks to God, as evening came on we turned to sleep. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 14.12 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-14-12). ## Homilies 15.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-1 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter urges the father to share the faith of his wife and sons so as not to be separated from them after death. ### Greek text Ὄρθρου δὲ γενομένου ὁ πατὴρ μετὰ τῆς μητρὸς ἡμῶν καὶ τῶν τριῶν υἱῶν εἰσελθὼν, ἔνθα ὁ Πέτρος ἦν, προσαγορεύσας ἐκαθέσθη, ἔπειτα καὶ ἡμεῖς, αὐτοῦ κελεύσαντος. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος τῷ πατρὶ προσεμβλέψας ἔφη· σπεύδω ὁμόφρονά σε γενέσθαι γυναικὶ καὶ τέκνοις, ὅπως αὐτοῖς καὶ ἐνταῦθα ὁμοδίαιτος ᾖς, κἀκεῖ μετὰ τὸν χωρισμὸν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀπὸ τοῦ σώματος συνόντα ἄλυπον ἔσεσθαι. ἢ γὰρ οὐ τὰ μεγιστά σε λυπεῖ καὶ αὐτοὺς τὸ μὴ ἀλλήλοις συνεῖναι; καὶ ὁ πατήρ· καὶ πάνυ γε. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· εἰ οὖν ἐνταῦθα τὸ ἀλλήλων κεχωρίσθαι λυπεῖ, μετὰ θάνατον πάντως ὀφειλόμενον ὑμῖν μετʼ ἀλλήλων μὴ εἶναι, πόσῳ γε μᾶλλον οὐ λυπήσει, σὲ μὲν ἄνδρα σοφὸν ὄντα τῷ τῆς γνώμης λόγῳ σου τῶν σῶν κεχωρίσθαι, αὐτοὺς δὲ πολὺ μᾶλλον ὀδυνᾶσθαι τῷ εἰδέναι, ὅτι σε ἄλλα φρονοῦντα αἰώνιος μένει κόλασις, ῥητοῦ δόγματος ἀποφάσει; ### English translation (Claude) At daybreak our father, with our mother and her three sons, came in to where Peter was, greeted him, and sat down; then we sat down too, at his bidding. And Peter, looking at our father, said: “I am eager for you to become of one mind with your wife and children, so that you may share their life here, and there too, after the soul has been separated from the body, may be with them free from grief. For does it not grieve you, and them, very greatly not to be together?” And my father said: “Very much indeed.” And Peter: “If, then, being separated from one another here grieves you, how much more will it grieve you—since after death you are certainly bound not to be with one another—that you, a wise man, are separated from your own because of the reasoning of your opinion; and how much more will they be pained, knowing that because you think otherwise eternal punishment awaits you, by the sentence of an express decree?” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 15.1 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-1). ## Homilies 15.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-2 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The father denies punishment after death; Peter asks him at least to examine the arguments fairly for his family's sake. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἔφη· ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἔστιν, ὦ φίλτατε, τὸ ἐν ᾅδου ψυχὰς κολάζεσθαι, αὐτῆς ἅμα τῷ ἀποστῆναι τοῦ σώματος εἰς ἀέρα λυομένης. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· μέχρις οὖν ὅτε ἄν περὶ τούτου πείσωμέν σε, ἀπόκριναί μοι, οὐ δοκεῖ σοι, σὲ μὲν ἀπιστοῦντα τὴν κόλασιν μὴ λυπεῖσθαι, ἐκείνους δὲ πεπεισμένους ἀνάγκην ἔχειν περὶ σοῦ ἀνιᾶσθαι; καὶ ὁ πατήρ· ἀκολούθως λέγεις. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· διὰ τί δὲ αὐτοὺς οὐκ ἀπαλλάξεις μεγίστης περὶ σοῦ λύπης, τῇ θρησκείᾳ συνθέμενος, οὐ δυσωπίᾳ λέγω, ἀλλʼ εὐγνωμοσύνῃ, περὶ τῶν λεγομένων σοι ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ ἀκούων, καὶ κρίνων εἰ ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχει, ἢ οὔ; καὶ εἰ μὲν οὕτως ἔχει ὡς λέγομεν, καὶ ὧδε συναπολαύσεις τοῖς φιλτάτοις, κᾀκεῖ συναναπαύσῃ, εἰ δὲ ἐν τῇ τῶν λόγων σκέψει δείξῃς τὰ ὑφʼ ἡμῶν λεγόμενα μῦθόν τινα ψευδῆ εἶναι, καὶ οὕτως καλῶς ποιήσεις, αὐτοὺς ὁμογνώμονάς σοι εἰληφώς, καὶ τοῦ κεναῖς ἐλπίσιν ἐπερείδεσθαι παύσεις, καὶ ψευδῶν φόβων ἀπαλλάξεις. ### English translation (Claude) And the father said: “But, my dearest friend, there is no such thing as souls being punished in Hades, since the soul dissolves into air the moment it leaves the body.” And Peter said: “Until we persuade you about this, answer me: does it not seem to you that, while you, not believing in the punishment, are not grieved, they, being convinced of it, cannot help being distressed about you?” And the father: “What you say follows.” And Peter: “Why then will you not free them from their very great grief over you by assenting to our religion—I do not mean out of embarrassment, but out of fair-mindedness—listening to what I say to you and judging whether these things are so or not? If they are as we say, you will both enjoy the company of your dearest ones here and rest with them there; but if in examining the arguments you show that what we say is some false fable, you will do well in this way too: you will have brought them round to your own opinion, you will stop them leaning on empty hopes, and you will free them from false fears.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 15.2 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-2). ## Homilies 15.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-3 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter asks what keeps the father from the faith and lists the usual hindrances of believers and unbelievers. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ πατήρ· πολλὰ φαίνῃ μοι εὔλογα λέγων. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· τί οὖν ἐστιν τὸ κρατοῦν σε εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν πίστιν ἐλθεῖν, λέγε, ἵνα εἰς αὐτὸ λέγειν ᾀρξώμεθα. πολλὰ γάρ ἐστιν τὰ κρατοῦντα· τοὺς μὲν πεπεισμένους ἀσχολίαι ἀγορασμῶν, πράξεων, γεωργιῶν, φροντίδων καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα· ἀπιστοῦντας δὲ, ἀφʼ ὧν εἶ καὶ σὺ, ὑπολήψεις τοῦ νομίζειν, ἢ θεοὺς τοὺς οὐκ ὄντας εἶναι, ἢ τὸ γενέσει τὰ πάντα ὑποκεῖσθαι, ἢ αὐτοματισμῷ, ἢ τὰς ψυχὰς θνητὰς, ἢ καὶ τὸν ἡμέτερον λόγον ψευδῆ ὡς οὐκ οὔσης προνοίας. ### English translation (Claude) And the father: “You seem to me to be saying many reasonable things.” And Peter said: “What is it, then, that keeps you from coming to our faith? Tell me, so that we may begin by speaking to that. For many things hold people back. Those who are persuaded are held back by the busyness of buying, of business, of farming, of cares, and the like; the unbelievers, of whom you are one, by suppositions: thinking either that gods who do not exist are gods, or that all things are subject to Genesis, or to chance, or that souls are mortal, or even that our teaching is false, on the ground that there is no providence.” ### Translation notes - Genesis (γένεσις) here means the fate fixed by the stars at one's birth, the father's own belief in the earlier homilies. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 15.3 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-3). ## Homilies 15.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-4 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter points to the family's separation and reunion as proof that God's providence governs all things. ### Greek text Ἐγὼ δὲ προνοίᾳ Θεοῦ τὰ πάντα διοικεῖσθαι ἐκ τῶν περὶ σὲ γενομένων εἶναι λέγω, τοσούτοις ἔτεσιν τὴν διάστασίν σού τε καὶ τῶν σῶν γενέσθαι. ἐπεὶ γὰρ σὺν σοὶ ὄντες ἴσως τὸν τῆς θεοσεβείας λόγον οὐκ ἄν ἐπήκουσαν, ᾠκονομήθη σὺν μητρὶ ἡ ἀποδημία καὶ ναυφράγιον καὶ θανάτου ὑπόνοια καὶ ἀπρασίαι ἔτι τε καὶ ἐκπαιδευθῆναι αὐτοὺς τὰ Ἐλλήνων καὶ ἄθεα δόγματα, ἵνα μᾶλλον ὡς εἰδότες ταῦτα ἀνασκευάζειν δυνατοὶ ὦσιν· ἐπὶ τούτοις τὸ φιλῆσαι τὸν τῆς θεοσεβείας λόγον, καὶ ἐμοὶ ἑνωθῆναι δυνηθῆναι, συλλαβέσθαι μου τῷ κηρύγματι· ἀλλʼ ἔτι μὴν συνελθεῖν ἀδελφὸν Κλήμεντα, καὶ οὕτως τὴν μητέρα ἐπιγνωσθῆναι, θεραπείας τῆς θεότητος πληροφορηθῆναι, καὶ μετʼ οὐ πολὺ εὐθὺ τὰ δίδυμα τέκνα ἐπιγνωσθέντα καὶ ἐπιγνόντα καὶ τῆς ἄλλης ἡμέρας σοι συντυχεῖν, καὶ τοὺς σοὺς ἀπολαβεῖν. τοσαύτην οὖν ταχεῖαν ἁρμονίαν πανταχόθεν συνδραμοῦσαν εἰς ἕνα γνώμης σκοπὸν οὐκ οἶμαι ἀπρονόητον εἶναι. ### English translation (Claude) “But I say that all things are governed by the providence of God, as appears from what has happened to you: that you and your family were parted for so many years. For since, had they been with you, they might perhaps not have listened to the message of godliness, it was so arranged that there should be the journey abroad with their mother, the shipwreck, the supposed death, the sales into slavery, and moreover their being educated in the godless doctrines of the Greeks, so that, knowing them, they might be the better able to refute them; on top of this, that they should come to love the message of godliness and be able to join me and help me in my preaching; and further, that their brother Clement should come too, and so their mother be recognized and be fully assured of the worship of the Godhead; and that not long afterwards the twin children should be recognized and recognize her, and on the next day meet you and receive back their own. So swift a harmony, running together from every side toward one purpose, I do not think can be without providence.” ### Translation notes - “Sales into slavery” renders ἀπρασίαι, apparently a slip for πράσεις (“sales”); the twins were sold as slaves earlier in the story. - θεραπεία, rendered “worship,” can also mean “healing”; Peter had healed the mother earlier in the story, and some take the phrase in that sense. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 15.4 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-4). ## Homilies 15.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-5 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The father reports Clement's account of Jesus' teaching on non-retaliation, which seemed to him unjust. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ πατὴρ τῷ Πέτρῳ ἤρξατο λέγειν· μὴ νομίζε, φίλτατέ μοι Πέτρε, ἐν ἐννοίᾳ μὴ ἔχειν περὶ τοῦ ὑπὸ σοῦ κηρυσσομένου λόγου. πέρας γοῦν ταύτης τῆς παρωχηκυίας νυκτὸς πολλὰ τοῦ Κλήμεντος προτρεπομένου με τῇ ὑπὸ σοῦ κηρυσσομένῃ ἀληθείᾳ, ἀπεκρινάμην· τί γὰρ καινότερον ἐντέλλεσθαι δύναταί τις παρʼ ὅ οἱ ἀρχαῖοι παρῄνεσαν; ὁ δὲ ἠρέμα γελάσας ἔφη· πολλὴ διαφορὰ, πάτερ, μεταξὺ θεοσεβείας λόγων καὶ τῶν τῆς φιλοσοφίας. ὁ γὰρ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀπόδειξιν ἔχει ἐκ προφητείας, ὁ δὲ τῆς φιλοσοφίας καλλιλογίας παρέχων ἐκ στοχασμῶν δοκεῖ παριστᾶν τὰς ἀποδείξεις. καὶ ὁμῶς ταῦτα εἰπὼν δείγματος χάριν τὸν περὶ φιλανθρωπίας μοι ἐξέθετο λόγον, ὅνπερ αὐτῷ ὑφηγήσω, ὅς ἀδικώτατός μοι μᾶλλον ἐφαίνετο. καὶ τὸ πῶς ἐρῶ. δίκαιον ἔφασκεν εἶναι καὶ τῷ τύπτοντι αὐτοῦ τὴν σιαγόνα παρατιθέναι καὶ τὴν ἑτέραν, καὶ τῷ αἴροντι αὐτοῦ τὸ ἱμάτιον προςδιδόναι καὶ τὸ μαφόριον, ἀγγαρεύοντι δὲ μίλιον συναπέρχεσθαι δύο, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα. ### English translation (Claude) And the father began to say to Peter: “Do not think, my dearest Peter, that I have not been turning over in my mind the message you preach. Indeed, at the end of this past night, when Clement was urging me strongly toward the truth you preach, I answered: ‘What newer command can anyone give than what the ancients advised?’ He smiled gently and said: ‘There is a great difference, father, between the words of godliness and those of philosophy. For the word of truth has its proof from prophecy, while the word of philosophy, offering fine phrases, seems to present its proofs from conjectures.’ Having said this, he set out for me by way of example the teaching on love of humankind which you had taught him, and it seemed to me rather most unjust. I shall tell you how. He said it was just to offer to one who strikes one's cheek the other as well, and to one who takes one's garment to give the cloak also, and to go two miles with one who compels one to go one, and so on.” ### Scripture references - Matt 5:39: allusion, high confidence - Matt 5:40: allusion, high confidence - Matt 5:41: allusion, high confidence - Luke 6:29: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The sayings follow Matt 5:39–41 and Luke 6:29 in substance, not in wording; μαφόριον (“cloak”) is a later word for a mantle or hood. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 15.5 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-5). ## Homilies 15.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-6 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter compares Christians to subjects of one king caught in a hostile king's land, for whom mild treatment is kindness. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· ἀλλʼ ἐνόμισας ἄδικον ὅ τι δικαιότατόν ἐστιν. εἴ σοι φίλον ἐστίν, ἄκουσον. καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἔφη· πάνυ μοι φίλον. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· οὐ δοκεῖ σοι, δύο ἐχθρῶν βασιλέων ὄντων καὶ διῃρημένας τὰς χώρας ἐχόντων, εἴ τις ἐκ τῶν τοῦ ἑνὸς ὑπηκόων ἐν τῇ τοῦ ἑτέρου χώρᾳ φωραθείη, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο θάνατον ὀφείλων, ἐὰν ῥαπίσματι καὶ μὴ θανάτῳ τῆς τιμωρίας ἀπολυθῇ, οὐ φαίνεται μὴν ὁ ἀπολύσας φιλάνθρωπος εἶναι; καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἔφη· καὶ πάνυ. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· τί δὲ, εἰ καὶ ἴδιόν τινος αὐτὸς οὗτος ἀφέληται, ἢ καὶ ἄλλο τι, ἐπὶ τούτῳ συλληφθεὶς ἐὰν διπλάσιον δῷ, τετραπλάσιον ὀφείλων, καὶ τὸ θανεῖν, ὡς ἐν τοῖς τοῦ ἐναντίου ἁλοὺς ὅροις, οὐ δοκεῖ σοι ὅτι ὁ λαβὼν τὸ διπλάσιον καὶ θανάτου αὐτὸν ἀπολύσας φιλάνθρωπος τυγχάνει; καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἔφη· φαίνεται. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· τί δὲ, οὐ χρὴ τὸν ἐν ἑτέρου βασιλείᾳ ὄντα, καὶ ταῦτα πονηροῦ τινος ἐχθροῦ, τοῦ ζῆν χάριν πάντας κολακεύειν, καὶ ἀγγαρεύουσιν ἐπὶ πλεῖον ὑπείκειν, μὴ προσαγορεύοντας προσαγορεύειν, ἐχθροὺς διαλλάσσειν, ὀργιζομένοις μὴ φιλονεικεῖν, τὰ ἑαυτοῦ ἀδεῶς παντὶ αἰτοῦντι παρέχειν, καὶ ὅσα τοιαῦτα; καὶ ὁ πατήρ πάντα μᾶλλον εὐλόγως ὑποσταίη, εἴπερ τούτων τὸ ζῆν προκρίνει. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter answered: “But you thought unjust what is most just. If you please, listen.” And the father said: “Very gladly.” And Peter: “Suppose there are two hostile kings with their territories divided, and one of the subjects of the one is caught in the territory of the other and for that reason owes his life: if he is let off the penalty with a slap instead of death, does not the one who let him off plainly appear humane?” And the father said: “Certainly.” And Peter said: “And what if this same man takes something belonging to someone, or anything else, and when caught at it gives back double, though he owes four times the amount and death besides, as one caught within the enemy's borders: does it not seem to you that the one who took the double and let him off death is humane?” And the father said: “So it appears.” And Peter: “Well then, must not one who is in another's kingdom, and that of a wicked enemy, flatter everyone for the sake of staying alive, yield all the more to those who press him into service, greet those who do not greet him, reconcile enemies, not quarrel with those who are angry, give his own things freely to everyone who asks, and so on?” And the father: “He would reasonably submit to all of it, if he prefers staying alive to these things.” ### Scripture references - Matt 5:42: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 5:47: echo, low confidence ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 15.6 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-6). ## Homilies 15.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-7 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains that God gave the present world to an evil king and the age to come to a good one, and each person chooses between them. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· οὔκουν οὕς ἀδικεῖσθαι ἔλεγες, αὐτοὶ παρορισταὶ τυγχάνουσιν, καθὰ ἐν ἑτέρου εἰσὶν βασιλείᾳ, καὶ τοσοῦτον πλεονέκται εἰσὶν, ὅσον κεκτημένοι ὦσιν; οἱ ἀδικεῖν νομιζόμενοι τοσαῦτα ἑκάστῳ τῷ ἐξ ἐναντίας ὄντι χαρίζονται, ὅσα ἂν αὐτοῖς ἔχειν συγχωρῶσιν. αὐτῶν γάρ ἐστιν ταῦτα τῶν τὰ παρόντα ἑλομένων καὶ εἰς τοσοῦτον φιλάνθρωποί εἰσιν, ὡς τὸ ζῆν αὐτοῖς συγχωρεῖν. καὶ τὸ μὲν παράδειγμα οὕτως ἔχει· ἄκουε δὴ αὐτὸ τὸ πρᾶγμα. ὁ τῆς ἀληθείας προφήτης παρὼν ἐδίδαξεν ἡμᾶς, ὅτι ὁ τῶν ὅλων δημιουργὸς καὶ Θεὸς δυσίν τισιν ἀπένειμεν βασιλείας δύο, ἀγαθῷ τε καὶ πονηρῷ, δοὺς τῷ μὲν κακῷ τοῦ παρόντος κόσμου μετὰ νόμου τὴν βασιλείαν, ὥστʼ ἄν ἔχειν ἐξουσίαν κολάζειν τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας τῷ δὲ ἀγαθῷ τὸν ἐσόμενον ἀΐδιον αἰῶνα. ἕκαστον δὲ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἐλεύθερον ἐποίησεν ἔχειν τὴν ἐξουσίαν ἑαυτὸν ἀπονέμειν ᾧ βούλεται, ἢ τῷ παρόντι κακῷ, ἢ τῷ μέλλοντι ἀγαθῷ. ὧν οἱ ἑλόμενοι τὰ παρόντα ἐξουσίαν ἔχουσιν πλουτεῖν, τρυφᾶν, ἥδεσθαι, καὶ πᾶν ὅ τι ἄν δύνωνται. τῶν γὰρ ἐσομένων ἀγαθῶν οὐδὲν ἕξουσιν. οἱ δὲ τὰ τῆς μελλούσης βασιλείας κρίναντες λαβεῖν τῶν ἐνταῦθα ὡς ἀλλοτρίου βασιλέως ἴδια ὄντα αὐτοῖς νομίζεσθαι οὐκ ἔξεστιν, ἢ ὕδατος μόνου καὶ ἄρτου καὶ τούτων μεθʼ ἱδρώτων ποριζομένων πρὸς τὸ ζῆν (ἐπειδὴ ἑκοντὶ ἀποθανεῖν οὐκ ἔξεστιν), ἔτι δὲ καὶ περιβολαίου ἑνός, γυμνὸν γὰρ ἐστάναι οὐκ ἐφίεται, ἕνεκεν τοῦ παντὸς ὁρῶντος οὐρανοῦ. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter: “Are not, then, those you said were wronged themselves the trespassers, since they are in another's kingdom, and are they not taking more than their due in whatever they possess? Those thought to do wrong grant to each person on the opposite side as much as they allow him to keep. For these things belong to those who have chosen the present things, and they are so humane as to allow the others to live. So much for the illustration; now hear the thing itself. The prophet of truth, when he was present, taught us that the Creator and God of all things assigned two kingdoms to two beings, a good one and an evil one: to the evil one he gave the kingdom of the present world, together with law, so that he should have authority to punish those who do wrong; to the good one, the eternal age to come. And he made each human being free, with authority to assign himself to whom he will, either to the present evil or to the coming good. Those who choose the present things have authority to be rich, to live in luxury, to take their pleasure, and to do whatever they can; for they will have nothing of the good things to come. But those who have decided to take the things of the coming kingdom may not regard as their own the things here, since they belong to a foreign king—except only water and bread, and these procured with sweat, for the sake of living (since it is not permitted to die by one's own will), and also one garment, for one is not allowed to stand naked, because of the all-seeing heaven.” ### Translation notes - “The prophet of truth” is the Homilies' usual title for Jesus. The two-kingdoms teaching and the renunciation of all possessions beyond bread, water, and one garment are characteristic of the Pseudo-Clementine writings. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 15.7 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-7). ## Homilies 15.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-8 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter argues that no one is wronged, since each freely chooses the present or the future goods; the father quotes Plato. ### Greek text Εἰ μὲν οὖν τὸν ἀκριβῆ τοῦ πράγματος λόγον ἀκοῦσαι θέλῃς, οὕς μικρῷ τάχιον εἴρηκας ἀδικεῖσθαι, αὐτοὶ μᾶλλον ἀδικοῦσιν. ὅτι αὐτοὶ μὲν οἱ τὰ ἐσόμενα ἑλόμενοι ἐν τοῖς παροῦσιν σύνεισιν τοῖς κακοῖς, κατὰ πολλὰ τῶν ἴσων αὐτοῖς ἀπολαύοντες, αὐτοῦ τε τοῦ ζῆν, τοῦ φωτὸς, τοῦ ἄρτου, τοῦ ὕδατος, τοῦ ἱματίου καὶ ἄλλων τοιούτων τινῶν. οἱ δὲ ἀδικεῖν ὑπὸ σοῦ νομισθέντες τοῖς ἐσομένοις ἀγαθοῖς ἀνδράσιν οὐδὲν συνυπάρχουσιν. καὶ ὁ πατὴρ πρὸς ταῦτα ἀπεκρίνατο· νῦν με ὅτε πέπεικας ὅτι οἱ ἀδικοῦντες αὐτοὶ ἀδικοῦνται, οἱ δὲ ἀδικούμενοι μᾶλλον πλεονεκτοῦσιν, ἔτι μᾶλλον ἀδικώτατον ὅλον μοι φαίνεται τὸ πρᾶγμα, ὅτι οἱ μὲν δοκοῦντες ἀδικεῖν πολλὰ τοῖς τὰ ἐσόμενα ἑλομένοις συγχωροῦσιν, οἱ δὲ δοκοῦντες ἀδικεῖσθαι αὐτοὶ ἀδικοῦσιν, ὅτι τὰ ὅμοια οὐ παρέχουσιν ἐκεῖ τοῖς ἐνταῦθα αὐτοῖς συγκεχωρηκόσιν, ἅ αὐτοὶ αὐτοῖς συνεχώρησαν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· οὐδὲ τοῦτο ἄδικον, διὰ τὸ ἐξουσίαν ἔχειν ἕκαστον τὰ παρόντα αἱρεῖσθαι ἢ τὰ μέλλοντα, εἴτε μικρὰ εἴη, εἴτε μεγάλα. ἰδίᾳ κρίσει καὶ βουλῇ ὁ ἑλόμενος οὐκ ἀδικεῖται, λέγω δὴ οὐδʼ ἂν τὰ μικρὰ ἕληται, ἐπεὶ προέκειτο τὰ μεγάλα. προέκειτο γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ τὰ μικρά. καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἔφη· ὀρθῶς ἔφης, καὶ γὰρ εἴρηταί τινι Ἑλλήνων σοφῷ· αἰτία ἑλομένων, Θεὸς ἀναίτιος. ### English translation (Claude) “If, then, you wish to hear the exact account of the matter, those you said a little while ago were wronged are rather the ones who do wrong. For those who have chosen the things to come live alongside the evil ones among the present things, enjoying many of the same things as they: life itself, light, bread, water, clothing, and some other such things. But those whom you thought to do wrong will share nothing with the good men in the things to come.” And the father answered: “Now that you have persuaded me that the wrongdoers are themselves wronged and the wronged have rather the advantage, the whole matter seems to me still more thoroughly unjust: those who seem to do wrong concede much to those who have chosen the things to come, while those who seem to be wronged are themselves doing wrong, because there they do not grant to those who conceded things to them here the same things they themselves were granted.” And Peter: “Not even this is unjust, because each has the authority to choose the present or the future things, whether they be small or great. One who chooses by his own judgment and will is not wronged—I mean not even if he chooses the small things, since the great ones were set before him, as the small ones were too.” And the father said: “You are right; for a certain wise man of the Greeks has said: ‘The blame is the chooser's; God is blameless.’” ### Extrabiblical texts - Plato, Resp. 617e (Plato (works)): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - The Greek saying is from Plato, Republic 10.617e, adapted to the plural (“of those who choose”). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 15.8 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-8). ## Homilies 15.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-9 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter teaches that possessions are sins and that afflictions, by God's kindness, take them away and spare believers eternal punishment. ### Greek text Ἀλλʼ ἔτι μὴν καὶ τοῦτόν μοι δίελθε τὸν λόγον. μέμνημαι τὸν Κλήμεντά εἰπόντα μοι, ὅτι τὰ ἀδικήματα καὶ τὰ πάθη εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν πάσχομεν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ὀρθῶς ἔχει καὶ οὕτως. ἡμεῖς γὰρ οἱ ἑλόμενοι τὰ ἐσόμενα, ἅ κεκτήμεθα πλείονα, εἴτε ἐσθῆτα εἴτε βρώματα εἴτε ποτὰ εἴτε ἄλλα τινά, ἁμαρτίας κεκτήμεθα, διὰ τὸ δεῖν μηδὲν ἔχειν, ὡς μικρῷ τάχιον διεῖλον τὸν λόγον. πᾶσι τὰ κτήματα ἁμαρτήματα. ἡ τούτων ὅπως ποτὲ στέρησις ἁμαρτιῶν ἐστιν ἀφαίρεσις. καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἔφη· ἀκολούθως ἔχει, καθὼς δύο διεῖλες ὅρους τῶν δύο βασιλέων, τὰ ἐφʼ ἑκάστῳ τῶν ὑπὸ τὴν ἐξουσίαν αὐτῶν ὄντων αἱρεῖσθαι ὅ βούλεται. τί δὲ παντάπασιν εἰ δικαίως πάσχομεν; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· δικαιότατα. ἐπεὶ γὰρ ὁ τῶν σωζομένων ὅρος ἐστὶν, ὡς ἔφην, τὸ μηδενὶ μηδὲν ὑπάρχειν, ὑπάρχει δὲ πολλὰ πολλοῖς κτήματα, καὶ τὰ ἄλλως ἁμαρτήματα, τούτου χάριν ἐξ ὑπερβαλλούσης Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίας ἐπάγεται τὰ πάθη τοῖς μὴ εἰλικρινῶς πολιτευομένοις, ἵνα διὰ τὸ τοσῶς φιλόθεον προσκαίροις τιμωρίαις αἰωνίων σωθῶσιν κολάσεων. ### English translation (Claude) “But explain this further point to me as well. I remember Clement telling me that we suffer wrongs and afflictions for the forgiveness of sins.” And Peter: “That too is right. For we who have chosen the things to come, in so far as we possess more—whether clothing or food or drink or anything else—possess sins, because we ought to have nothing, as I explained a little while ago. To all, possessions are sins. The loss of them, in whatever way it comes, is the removal of sins.” And the father said: “That follows, since you distinguished two domains of the two kings, with each of those under their authority free to choose what he will. But do we really suffer justly?” And Peter: “Most justly. For since the rule for those who are saved is, as I said, that no one should own anything, yet many people have many possessions—which is another name for sins—for this reason, out of God's surpassing love for humankind, afflictions are brought on those who do not live with a pure heart, so that, because of their great love for God, they may be saved from eternal punishments by temporary penalties.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 15.9 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-9). ## Homilies 15.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-10 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains that poverty alone does not save; Jesus blessed the faithful poor who do not sin. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ πατήρ· τί δὲ οὐ πολλοὺς ἀσεβεῖς ὁρῶμεν πένητας; παρὰ τοῦτο καὶ οὗτοι τῶν σωζομένων εἰσίν; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· οὐ πάντως. οὐ γὰρ ἀποδεκτὴ ἡ τοῦ πένητος πενία, ἐὰν ὀρέγηται ὧν οὐ χρή. ὥστε τινὲς τῇ προαιρέσει πλουτοῦσιν χρήμασιν, καὶ ὡς πλεονεκτεῖν ἐπιθυμοῦντες τιμωροῦνται. ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ ἐν τῷ πένητα εἶναί τινα πάντως δίκαιός ἐστιν. δύναται γὰρ πτωχὸς μὲν τοῖς χρήμασιν εἶναι, ἐπιθυμεῖν δὲ ἢ καὶ πράττειν ὅ προηγουμένως οὐ χρή. ἢ γὰρ εἴδωλα σέβει, ἢ βλασφημεῖ, ἢ πορνεύει, ἢ ἀδιαφόρως ζῇ, ἤ ἐπιορκῶν, ἢ ψευδόμενος, ἢ ἀπίστως βιούς. πλὴν ὁ διδάσκαλος ἡμῶν πιστοὺς πένητας ἐμακάρισεν, καὶ αὐτοὺς οὐχ ὡς παρεσχηκότας τι, οὐδὲ γὰρ εἶχον, ἀλλʼ ὡς μηδὲν ἁμαρτάνοντας, καὶ ἐπὶ μόνῳ τῷ τὴν ἐλεημοσύνην μὴ ποιεῖν, διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν, καταδικασθῆναι οὐκ ἔχοντας. καὶ ὁ πατήρ· ἀληθῶς πάνυ κατὰ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ὀρθῶς ἔχειν τὰ πράγματα φαίνεται, διὸ καὶ προαιρέσεως ἐγενόμην τῇ τάξει παντὸς ἐπακοῦσαι τοῦ λόγου. ### English translation (Claude) And the father: “But do we not see many ungodly people who are poor? Are these too, on that account, among the saved?” And Peter: “Not at all. For the poverty of the poor man is not acceptable if he longs for what he should not. So some are rich in money by their intention, and are punished as desiring to have more. Nor is anyone at all righteous simply by being poor. For a person can be poor in money and yet desire, or even do, what above all he should not: he may worship idols, or blaspheme, or commit sexual immorality, or live without distinction of right and wrong, or swear falsely, or lie, or live as an unbeliever. But our teacher pronounced the faithful poor blessed, and them not as having given anything—for they had nothing—but as committing no sin, and as not being condemned for the one thing of not giving alms, since they had nothing.” And the father: “Truly, on your premise, things seem to be quite in order; so I have made up my mind to hear the whole teaching in its order.” ### Scripture references - Luke 6:20: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 5:3: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “Our teacher pronounced the faithful poor blessed” recalls Matt 5:3 and Luke 6:20; the qualification “faithful” is the author's own. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 15.10 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-10). ## Homilies 15.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-11 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter promises to teach about the one God, heals the sick, and retires for the night. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· οὐκοῦν τοῦ λοιποῦ σπεύδοντί σοι τὰ κατὰ τὴν ἡμετέραν θρησκείαν μαθεῖν, ὀφείλω τῇ τάξει τὸν λόγον ἐκθεῖναι ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ ἀρχόμενος τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ δεικνὺς ὅτι αὐτὸν μόνον δεῖ λέγειν Θεόν, ἑτέρους δὲ μήτε λέγειν μήτε νομίζειν, καὶ ὅτι ὁ παρὰ τοῦτο ποιῶν αἰωνίως ἔχει κολασθῆναι, ὡς εἰς αὐτὸν τὸν τῶν ὅλων δεσπότην ἀσεβήσας τὰ μέγιστα. καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν καὶ τοῖς ὑπὸ παθῶν ὀχλουμένοις καὶ νοσοῦσι καὶ δαιμονιῶσι τὰς χεῖρας ἐπιθεὶς καὶ εὐξάμενος καὶ ἰασάμενος ἀπέλυσε τοὺς ὄχλους. καὶ εἶθʼ οὕτως εἰσιὼν τῶν συνηθεστέρων ἁλῶν μεταλαβὼν ὕπνωσιν. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter: “Then, since from now on you are eager to learn the matters of our religion, I must set out the teaching in order, beginning from God himself and showing that he alone must be called God, and that others must neither be called gods nor thought to be so, and that whoever does otherwise must be punished eternally, as having committed the greatest impiety against the very Lord of all.” Having said this, he laid his hands on those troubled by afflictions, on the sick and the demon-possessed, prayed, healed them, and dismissed the crowds. Then he went in, took salt with his closer companions, and slept. ### Translation notes - “Took salt” means shared a meal; salt was the sign of table fellowship. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 15.11 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/14-1/#p-15-11). ## Homilies 16.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-1 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon arrives with Athenodorus the Epicurean to dispute Peter's teaching that there is one God. ### Greek text Ὄρθρου δὲ ἐξιὼν ὁ Πέτρος καὶ ἐπιστὰς ἐπὶ τὸν συνήθη τοῦ διαλέγεσθαι τόπον ὄχλον πολὺν συνεστῶτα εἶδεν. καὶ ἅμα τῷ μέλλειν διαλέγεσθαι αὐτὸν εἰσῄει τις τῶν αὐτοῦ διακόνων λέγων· Σίμων ἀπὸ Ἀντιοχείας ἐληλυθὼς ἐπʼ αὐτῆς ἑσπέρας, μαθὼν ὑποσχόμενόν σε τὸν περὶ μοναρχίας ποιεῖσθαι λόγον, ἕτοιμός ἐστιν μετά γε Ἀθηνοδώρου τοῦ Ἐπικουρείου διαλεγομένῳ σοι ἐπελθεῖν, πρὸς τὸ ἀντιλέγειν δημοσίᾳ πᾶσιν τοῖς ὑπὸ σοῦ ὁπώσποτε ὑπὲρ μοναρχίας λεγομένοις λόγοις. ταῦτα τοῦ διακόνου λέγοντος, ἰδοὺ αὐτὸς εἰσῄει Σίμων μετὰ Ἀθηνοδώρου καὶ ἄλλων τινῶν τῶν ἑταίρων. καὶ πρὸ τοῦ τι τὸν Πέτρον φθέγξασθαι αὐτὸς προλαβὼν ἔφη. ### English translation (Claude) At daybreak Peter went out and, taking his stand at the usual place of discussion, saw a large crowd gathered. Just as he was about to speak, one of his deacons came in, saying: “Simon arrived from Antioch yesterday evening and, having learned that you promised to give the discourse on the sole rule of God, is ready to come upon you while you speak, together with Athenodorus the Epicurean, to contradict publicly every argument you may put forward for the sole rule.” While the deacon was saying this, look, Simon himself came in with Athenodorus and some other companions. And before Peter could say anything, he spoke first. ### Translation notes - “The sole rule” renders μοναρχία, the doctrine that there is one God who alone rules. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 16.1 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-1). ## Homilies 16.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-2 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon challenges Peter to prove before those who know the Scriptures that there is only one God, and calls the father as witness. ### Greek text Ἔμαθον ὡς ὑπέσχου ἐχθὲς τῷ Φαύστῳ, εἰς τὴν σήμερον δεῖξαι τῇ τάξει τὸν λόγον ποιούμενος, καὶ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ ἀρχόμενος τοῦ τῶν ὅλων δεσπότου, ὅτι αὐτὸν μόνον δεῖ λέγειν, ἄλλους δὲ μήτε λέγειν μήτε νομίζειν, ὅτι ὁ παρὰ τοῦτο ποιῶν αἰωνίως κολασθῆναι ἔχει. πρὸ πάντων δὲ ἀληθῶς καταπέπληγμαί σου τὴν πρόνοιαν, ὅτι ἤλπισας εἰς τὴν σὴν βούλησιν μεταπεῖσαι ἄνδρα σοφὸν, καὶ ταῦτα πρεσβύτην. ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐπιτεύξῃ τῶν σῶν βουλευμάτων, ταύτῃ μᾶλλον, παρόντος ἐμοῦ, καὶ τοὺς ψευδεῖς σου διελέγχοντος λόγους. ἴσως γὰρ ἐμοῦ μὴ παρόντος ἠπατήθη ἄν ὁ σοφὸς γέρων, ἰδιώτης ὤν τῶν παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις δημοσίᾳ πεπιστευμένων βίβλων. καὶ τὸ νῦν τοὺς πολλοὺς ὑπερθήσομαι λόγους, ἵνα τῆς ὑποσχέσεώς σου τάχιον τὸν ἔλεγχον ποιήσωμαι. διὸ ἐφʼ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν τῶν τὰς γραφὰς εἰδότων, ὅ ὑπέσχου λέγειν, ἆρξαι. εἰ δὲ τὸν ἔλεγχον αἰδούμενος ἐφʼ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν σὴν ὑπόσχεσιν παραλιπεῖν θέλεις, αὐτάρκης καὶ οὕτως ἡ ἀπόδειξις ὅτι ψεύδῃ, καθʼ ὅτι ἐπὶ τῶν τὰς γραφὰς εἰδότων εἰπεῖν οὐκ ἐτόλμησας. καὶ νῦν δὲ τί σε ἀναμένω λέγειν, μέγιστον ἔχων μάρτυρα τῆς ὑποσχέσεώς σου τὸν παρεστῶτα γέροντα; καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἐμβλέψας τῷ πατρὶ ἔφη· εἰπέ μοι, ἀνδρῶν πάντων τιμιώτατε, οὐχὶ οὗτος ὁ ἀνὴρ ὑπέσχετό σοι δεῖξαι σήμερον, ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν Θεὸς καὶ οὐ χρὴ ἕτερόν τινα λέγειν ἢ νομίζειν Θεόν, ὁ δὲ παρὰ ταῦτα ποιῶν, ὡς τὰ μέγιστα ἁμαρτάνων, αἰωνίως κολασθῆναι ἔχει; ἢ γὰρ οὐκ ἀποκρίνῃ μοι; ### English translation (Claude) “I have learned that yesterday you promised Faustus to show today—setting out your discourse in order and beginning from the Lord of all things himself—that he alone must be called God, and that others must neither be called nor thought gods, and that whoever does otherwise must be punished eternally. Above all I am truly astonished at your forethought, that you hoped to win over to your will a wise man, and an old man at that. But you will not achieve your plans, all the less because I am present and will refute your false arguments. For perhaps, had I not been present, the wise old man would have been deceived, since he is unacquainted with the books publicly believed among the Jews. For now I will pass over many words, so that I may refute your promise the sooner. So begin what you promised to say, before us who know the Scriptures. But if, ashamed of being refuted, you wish to abandon your promise before us, that in itself is sufficient proof that you are lying, since you did not dare to speak before those who know the Scriptures. And now why do I wait for you to speak, when I have the greatest witness of your promise in the old man standing here?” Having said this he looked at the father and said: “Tell me, most honored of all men, did not this man promise to show you today that God is one, and that one must neither call nor think any other God, and that whoever does otherwise, as committing the greatest sin, must be punished eternally? Or will you not answer me?” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 16.2 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-2). ## Homilies 16.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-3 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The father proposes that each disputant first set out his own doctrine. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἔφη· καλῶς ἂν τὴν μαρτυρίαν παρʼ ἐμοῦ ἀπῄτεις, Σίμων, εἰ πρότερον ἠρνεῖτο ὁ Πέτρος· νῦν δὲ οὐκ αἰδεσθήσομαι λέγειν ἃ δεῖ λέγειν. οἶμαί σε ὀργῇ πεπρησμένον διαλεχθῆναι θέλειν, ὅπερ ἀνοίκειόν σοι τοῦτο ποιεῖν, καὶ ἡμῖν τοιοῦτον ὑπακούειν, ὅτι μάχην ἐστὶν ἱστορῆσαι, καὶ οὐ πρὸς ἀλήθειαν ὠφελεῖσθαι. καὶ νῦν ἐξ ἑλληνικῆς παιδείας, ὡς χρὴ τοὺς ζητοῦντας ποιεῖν, εἰδὼς ὑπομνήσω. ἑκάτερος ὑμῶν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ δόγμα ἐκθέσθω, καὶ εἰς ἕτερον οἱ λόγοι γενέσθωσαν. ἐὰν δὲ Πέτρος μόνος ἐκθῆται τὸ ἑαυτοῦ φρόνημα, σὺ δὲ τὸ σὸν σιωπᾷς, ἐνδέχεταί τινα λόγον ὑπὸ σοῦ ῥηθέντα θλίβειν τὸ ἑαυτοῦ καὶ τὸ σὸν φρόνημα, καὶ ἀμφοτέρους ὑμᾶς ὑπὸ τοῦ λόγου ἡττηθέντας μὴ φαίνεσθαι ἡττημένους, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἐκθέμενον τὸ φρόνημα, τὸν δὲ μὴ ἐκθέμενον ὁμοίως ἡττημένον μὴ πρόδηλον εἶναι, ἀλλὰ καὶ νενικηκέναι νομίζεσθαι. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἀπεκρίνατο ποιήσω ὡς λέγεις, ἀθυμῶ δὲ μήπως ἤδη προειλημμένος αὐτοῦ τοῖς λόγοις οὐ φιλαλήθης ἔσῃ κριτής. ### English translation (Claude) And the father said: “You would rightly be demanding testimony from me, Simon, if Peter had first denied it; but as it is, I shall not be ashamed to say what must be said. I think you want to argue while burning with anger, which is unfitting for you to do and for us to listen to, because it means watching a fight, not being helped toward the truth. So, knowing from Greek education how those who inquire ought to proceed, I will remind you of it. Let each of you set out his own doctrine, and let the arguments be aimed at the other's. For if Peter alone sets out his view while you keep yours silent, some argument you put forward might bear hard on both his view and yours; and then, though both of you were defeated by the argument, both would not appear defeated: the one who set out his view would, but the one who did not, though equally defeated, would not be seen to be so, and might even be thought to have won.” And Simon answered: “I will do as you say; but I am afraid that, already prejudiced by his arguments, you will not be a truth-loving judge.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 16.3 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-3). ## Homilies 16.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-4 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: The father admits that, holding there are many gods, he leans toward Simon, but promises to follow the stronger argument. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ πατὴρ ἀπεκρίνατο· μή με βιάζου ἀκρίτως συνθέσθαι σοι, ἵνα δόξω φιλαλήθης εἶναι κριτής, εἰ δὲ τἀληθῆ ἀκοῦσαι θέλῃς, τῷ σῷ φρονήματι μᾶλλον προείλημμαι. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· πῶς προείληψαι, οὐκ εἰδὼς ὅ φρονῶ; καὶ ὁ πατήρ· τοῦτο ῥᾴδιόν ἐστιν εἰδέναι, καὶ πῶς ἄκουσον. ἐλέγχειν ὑπέσχου Πέτρον ἕνα Θεὸν λέγοντα εἶναι, ὅτι ψεύδεται, ὁ δὲ ἕνα λέγοντα ψεύσματος ἐλέγξαι ἐπαγγελλόμενος, ὡς ἀληθεύων, τὸ αὐτὸ οὐ λέγει. εἰ γὰρ τῷ καταψευδομένῳ τὸ αὐτὸ λέγει, καὶ αὐτὸς ψεύδεται, εἰ δὲ τὰ ἐναντία λέγων ἀποδείκνυσιν, τότε ἀληθεύει. οὐκ ἄλλως οὖν τὸν ἕνα Θεὸν εἶναι λέγοντα ψεύστην λέγεις, εἰ μή τι ἄν ὅτι πολλοὺς δοξάζεις θεούς. Θεοὺς δὲ πολλοὺς εἶναι κἀγὼ λέγω. τὸ αὐτὸ οὖν σοι πρὸ τῆς ζητήσεως λέγω. σοὶ μᾶλλον προείλημμαι. καὶ κατὰ τοῦτο ἀγωνιᾶν περὶ ἐμοῦ οὐκ ὀφείλεις, ἀλλὰ Πέτρος, ὅτι ἀκμὴν αὐτῷ τὰ ἐναντία φρονῶ. ὅπερ μετὰ τὴν ὑμετέραν ζήτησιν ἐλπίζω φιλαλήθης ὤν κριτὴς, πρόληψιν ἀποδυσάμενος, τῷ ἐπικρατοῦντι συνθέσθαι λόγῳ. ταῦτα τοῦ πατρὸς εἰπόντος ἡρέμα βοή τις ἐπαίνου ἐκ τῶν ὄχλων ἐγένετο ἐπὶ τῷ οὕτως τὸν πατέρα διαλεχθῆναι. ### English translation (Claude) And the father answered: “Do not force me to agree with you without judgment so that I may seem a truth-loving judge. If you want to hear the truth, it is your view that I am rather prejudiced in favor of.” And Simon: “How are you prejudiced, when you do not know what I think?” And the father: “That is easy to know; hear how. You promised to prove that Peter lies in saying there is one God. Now one who undertakes to convict of falsehood a man who says there is one, as though he himself were speaking the truth, does not say the same thing. For if he says the same as the man he accuses of lying, he too is lying; but if he proves his case by saying the opposite, then he is speaking the truth. You therefore call the one who says there is one God a liar on no other ground than that you hold there are many gods. And I too say there are many gods. So, before the inquiry, I say the same as you: I am rather prejudiced in your favor. On this score you need not be anxious about me; Peter should be, since I still think the opposite of him. Yet after your inquiry I hope, as a truth-loving judge who has put off his prejudice, to agree with the argument that prevails.” When the father had said this, a quiet murmur of praise arose from the crowds at his speaking in this way. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 16.4 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-4). ## Homilies 16.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-5 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter states that there is one God, the Creator; Simon replies that the Jewish Scriptures speak of many gods. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁμῶς ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· ἐγὼ, ὡς ὁ τῶν λόγων μεσίτης εἴρηκεν, ποιεῖν ἕτοιμός εἰμι, καὶ ἤδη ποτὲ πρὸ πάσης ἀναβολῆς τὸ ἐμὸν περὶ Θεοῦ ἐκθήσομαι φρόνημα. κἀγὼ ἕνα Θεὸν εἶναι λέγω, τὸν πεποιηκότα τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν καὶ τὰ ἐν αὐτοῖς πάντα. ἄλλον τε οὔτε λέγειν, οὔτε νομίζειν ἔξεστιν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· ἐγὼ δέ φημι τὰς πεπιστευμένας γραφὰς παρὰ Ἰουδαίοις πολλοὺς λέγειν θεοὺς, καὶ μὴ χαλεπαίνειν ἐπὶ τούτῳ τὸν Θεὸν, τῷ αὐτὸν διὰ γραφῶν αὐτοῦ πολλοὺς θεοὺς εἰρηκέναι. ### English translation (Claude) And then Peter said: “I am ready to do as the arbiter of the debate has said, and at once, without any delay, I will set out my view about God. I say that there is one God, who made heaven and earth and all things in them; and it is not permitted either to call or to think another God.” And Simon: “But I say that the Scriptures believed among the Jews speak of many gods, and that God is not displeased at this, since he himself has spoken of many gods through his Scriptures.” ### Scripture references - Exod 20:11: echo, medium confidence ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 16.5 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-5). ## Homilies 16.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-6 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon cites Genesis, the Law, and the Psalms to show that Scripture speaks of many gods. ### Greek text Αὐτίκα γοῦν ἐν τῇ πρώτῃ φωνῇ τοῦ νόμου φαίνεται καὶ ἑαυτῷ αὐτοὺς ὁμοίως λέγων. οὕτως γέγραπται, ὡς ὅτι τῷ πρώτῳ ἀνθρώπῳ, ἐντολὴν ἔχοντι παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, ἀπὸ παντὸς ξύλου τοῦ ἐν τῷ παραδείσῳ φαγεῖν, ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ξύλου τοῦ γινώσκειν καλὸν καὶ πονηρὸν μὴ φαγεῖν, ὁ ὄφις διὰ τῆς γυναικὸς ἐπὶ ὑποσχέσει τοῦ γενέσθαι αὐτοὺς θεοὺς φαγεῖν αὐτοὺς πείσας, ἀναβλέψαι ἐποίησεν καὶ εἶθʼ οὕτως ὁ Θεὸς ἀναβλέψασιν αὐτοῖς ἔφη· ἰδοὺ γέγονεν Ἀδὰμ, ὡς εἶς ἡμῶν. ὁ μὲν οὖν ὄφις εἰπών· ἔσεσθε ὡς θεοί, ὡς ὄντων θεῶν εἰρηκὼς φαίνεται· ταύτῃ μᾶλλον ᾗ καὶ Θεὸς ἐπεμαρτύρησεν εἰπών· ἰδοὺ γέγονεν Ἀδὰμ ὡς εἶς ἡμῶν. οὕτως ὁ τοὺς πολλοὺς εἰπὼν ὄφις εἶναι θεοὺς οὐκ ἐψεύσατο. πάλιν τὸ γεγράφθαι· θεοὺς οὐ κακολογήσεις καὶ ἄρχοντας τοῦ λαοῦ σου οὐ κακῶς ἐρεῖς, πολλοὺς σημαίνει θεοὺς, οὕς οὐδὲ κακολογεῖσθαι θέλει. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλοθί που γέγραπται· εἰ ἐτόλμησεν Θεὸς ἕτερος εἰσελθεῖν, καὶ λαβεῖν ἑαυτῷ ἔθνος ἐκ μέσου ἔθνους, ὡς ἐγὼ κύριος ὁ Θεός. τὸ εἰπεῖν, εἰ ἐτόλμησεν Θεὸς ἕτερος, ὡς ὄντων ἑτέρων εἴρηκεν. καὶ ἄλλοτε· Θεοὶ οἳ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν οὐκ ἐποίησαν, ἀπολέσθωσαν ὡς τῶν μὴ πεποιηκότων ἀπόλλυσθαι μελλόντων. καὶ ἄλλῃ που λέγει· ἔπεχε σεαυτῷ, μὴ πορευθεὶς λατρεύσῃς θεοῖς ἑτέροις, οἷς οὐκ ᾔδεισαν οἱ πατέρες σου, ὡς ὄντων θεῶν ἑτέρων, οἷς καὶ μὴ ἐξακολουθεῖν αὐτοὺς λέγει. καὶ πάλιν· ὀνόματα θεῶν ἑτέρων οὐκ ἀναβήσεται ἐπὶ τῶν χειλέων σου. καὶ ἐνταῦθα πολλοὺς θεοὺς λέγει, ὧν τὰ ὀνόματα ὀνομάζεσθαι οὐ θέλει. καὶ πάλιν γέγραπται· Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου, οὕτος Θεὸς τῶν θεῶν. καὶ πάλιν· τίς ὅμοιός σοι, κύριε, ἐν θεοῖς καὶ πάλιν· Θεὸς θεῶν κύριος. καὶ πάλιν· ὁ Θεὸς ἔστη ἐν συναγωγῇ θεῶν, ἐν μέσῳ δὲ θεοὺς διακρίνει. ὅθεν θαυμάζω πῶς τοσούτων φωνῶν ἐγγράφως μαρτυρουσῶν πολλοὺς εἶναι θεοὺς, σὺ διαβεβαίωσαι μὴ δεῖν μήτε λέγειν μήτε εἶναι νομίζειν. λοιπὸν πρὸς τὰ σαφῶς ῥηθέντα τί ἔχεις εἰπεῖν, ἐπὶ πάντων λέγε. ### English translation (Claude) “For instance, in the very first utterance of the law he is seen to speak of them as like himself. It is written that, when the first man had a command from God to eat of every tree in paradise but not to eat of the tree of knowing good and evil, the serpent, through the woman, persuaded them to eat by promising that they would become gods, and made them see; and then God said to them, now that their eyes were opened: ‘Behold, Adam has become like one of us.’ So the serpent, in saying ‘You will be like gods,’ evidently spoke as though there were gods—the more so as God confirmed it, saying: ‘Behold, Adam has become like one of us.’ Thus the serpent, who said there were many gods, did not lie. Again, the written words ‘You shall not revile the gods, and you shall not speak evil of the rulers of your people’ point to many gods, whom he does not want even to be reviled. And elsewhere it is written: ‘Has another god dared to come and take for himself a nation out of the midst of a nation, as I, the Lord God?’ In saying ‘Has another god dared,’ he spoke as though there were others. And elsewhere: ‘Let the gods who did not make heaven and earth perish’—as though it were only those who did not make them that are to perish. And elsewhere he says: ‘Take heed to yourself, lest you go and serve other gods, whom your fathers did not know’—as though there were other gods, whom he tells them not to follow. And again: ‘The names of other gods shall not come up upon your lips.’ Here too he speaks of many gods, whose names he does not want named. And again it is written: ‘The Lord your God, he is God of gods.’ And again: ‘Who is like you, Lord, among the gods?’ And again: ‘God, the Lord of gods.’ And again: ‘God stood in the assembly of gods; in their midst he judges gods.’ So I wonder how, with so many sayings bearing written witness that there are many gods, you have firmly asserted that one must neither speak of them nor think they exist. Now then, what have you to say to these plain statements? Say it before everyone.” ### Scripture references - Gen 3:5: quotation, high confidence - Gen 3:22: quotation, high confidence - Exod 22:28: quotation, high confidence - Deut 4:34: quotation, high confidence - Jer 10:11: quotation, high confidence - Deut 13:6: allusion, low confidence - Deut 12:30: allusion, low confidence - Exod 23:13: quotation, high confidence - Deut 10:17: quotation, high confidence - Exod 15:11: quotation, high confidence - Ps 50:1 (49:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 82:1 (81:1 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Quotations: Gen 3:5, 22; Exod 22:28 (LXX, “gods”); Deut 4:34; Jer 10:11; Deut 13:6 or 12:30 (a free combination, uncertain); Exod 23:13; Deut 10:17; Exod 15:11; Ps 50:1 (LXX 49:1); Ps 82:1 (LXX 81:1). The wording follows the Septuagint, often freely. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 16.6 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-6). ## Homilies 16.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-7 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter answers with texts from the Law and the Prophets that declare God to be one. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· συντομώτερον ἄκουε πρὸς ἅ εἴρηκας. αὐτὸς ὁ νόμος ὁ πολλάκις εἰπὼν θεοὺς αὐτὸς τῷ Ἰουδαίῳ ὄχλῳ λέγει· ἰδοὺ κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου ὁ οὐρανὸς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ πάντα ὅσα ἐστὶν ἐν αὐτοῖς, συμπεριλαβὼν, ὅτι εἰ καί εἰσιν θεοὶ, ὑπʼ αὐτόν εἰσιν, τουτέστιν ὑπὸ τὸν Ἰουδαίων Θεόν. καὶ πάλιν· ὅτι κύριος ὁ Θεός σου, οὕτος Θεὸς ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἄνω, καὶ ἐν τῇ γῇ κάτω, καὶ ἐκ ἐστιν ἄλλος πλὴν αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἄλλῃ που λέγει ἡ γραφὴ τῷ Ἰουδαίων ὄχλῳ· Κύριος ὁ Θεός σου, οὗτος Θεὸς τῶν θεῶν, ὥσπερ ὅτι εἰ καί εἰσιν θεοὶ, ὑπὸ τὸν Ἰουδαίων Θεόν εἰσιν. καὶ ἄλλῃ που περὶ αὐτοῦ λέγει ἡ γραφή· ὁ Θεὸς ὁ μέγας καὶ ἀληθινὸς, ὅς οὐ λαμβάνει εἰς πρόσωπον, οὐδὲ μὴ λάβῃ δῶρον, ποιῶν κρίσιν ὀρφανῷ καὶ χήρᾳ. μέγαν δὲ καὶ ἀληθινὸν καὶ κρίσιν ποιοῦντα τὸν Ἰουδαίων ἡ γραφὴ εἰποῦσα Θεὸν, τοὺς ἄλλους μικροὺς καὶ οὐκ ἀληθινοὺς ἐσήμανεν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἄλλῃ που λέγει ἡ γραφή· ζῶ ἐγὼ, λέγει κύριος, οὐκ ἔστιν Θεὸς ἕτερος πλὴν ἐμοῦ. ἐγὼ πρῶτος, ἐγὼ μετὰ ταῦτα, πλὴν ἐμοῦ Θεὸς οὐκ ἔστιν. καὶ πάλιν· Κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου φοβηθήσῃ, καὶ αὐτῷ μόνῳ λατρεύσεις. καὶ πάλιν· ἄκουε Ἰσραήλ, κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν κύριος εἷς ἐστιν. καὶ ὁμῶς πολλαὶ φωναὶ μεθʼ ὅρκου ἐπισφραγίζουσιν, ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν ὁ Θεὸς, καὶ πλὴν αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἔστιν Θεός. ὅθεν θαυμάζω, πῶς τοσούτων μαρτυρουσῶν φωνῶν ἕνα εἶναι Θεὸν, σὺ πολλοὺς εἶναι λέγεις. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter said: “Hear a rather brief answer to what you have said. The very law that often spoke of gods says to the Jewish people: ‘Behold, to the Lord your God belongs the heaven of heaven and all that is in them’—embracing everything, so that even if there are gods, they are under him, that is, under the God of the Jews. And again: ‘For the Lord your God, he is God in heaven above and on the earth beneath, and there is no other besides him.’ And elsewhere the Scripture says to the Jewish people: ‘The Lord your God, he is God of gods’—as if to say that, even if there are gods, they are under the God of the Jews. And elsewhere Scripture says of him: ‘The great and true God, who does not show partiality and will not take a gift, executing justice for the orphan and the widow.’ In calling the God of the Jews great and true and one who executes justice, Scripture indicated that the others are small and not true. And elsewhere too Scripture says: ‘As I live, says the Lord, there is no other God besides me. I am first, I am after these things; besides me there is no God.’ And again: ‘You shall fear the Lord your God, and him only shall you serve.’ And again: ‘Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord.’ So many sayings seal it with an oath that God is one and that besides him there is no God. So I wonder how, with so many sayings testifying that there is one God, you say there are many.” ### Scripture references - Deut 10:14: quotation, high confidence - Deut 4:39: quotation, high confidence - Deut 10:17: quotation, high confidence - Isa 45:21: quotation, medium confidence - Isa 44:6: quotation, medium confidence - Deut 6:13: quotation, high confidence - Deut 6:4: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Quotations: Deut 10:14; Deut 4:39; Deut 10:17; a combination of an oath formula (“As I live, says the Lord”) with Isa 45:21 and 44:6; Deut 6:13 (with “only,” as in Matt 4:10 and Luke 4:8); Deut 6:4. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 16.7 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-7). ## Homilies 16.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-8 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter answers Simon's charge that he reviles the gods, citing Scripture that the one Creator alone endures. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Σίμων· ὁ λόγος τὴν ἀρχὴν ἦν μοι πρὸς σέ, ἀπὸ γραφῶν ἐλέγξαι σε, ὅτι ψεύδῃ, λέγων μὴ αὐτὰ δεῖν φθέγγεσθαι θεούς. ὅθεν πολλὰς ἐγγράφους ἔδειξα φωνὰς, ὅτι αὐταὶ αἱ θείαι γραφαὶ πολλοὺς φθέγγονται θεούς. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· αὐταὶ αἱ πολλοὺς φθεγγόμεναι θεοὺς γραφαὶ, αὐταὶ παρήνεσαν ἡμῖν εἰποῦσαι· ὀνόματα θεῶν ἑτέρων οὐκ ἀναβήσεται ἐπὶ τῶν χειλέων σου. οὕτως οὐ παρὰ τὸ γεγραμμένον ἔφην, ὦ Σίμων. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· ἄκουσον πρὸς αὐτὸ καὶ σὺ, ὦ Πέτρε. ἁμαρτάνειν μοι δοκεῖς, ὅτι αὐτῶν καταλέγεις, τῆς γραφῆς λεγούσης· οὐ κακολογήσεις, καὶ ἄρχοντας τοῦ λαοῦ οὐ κακῶς ἐρεῖς. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· οὐχ ἁμαρτάνω, Σίμων, ἀκολούθως ταῖς γραφαῖς τὴν ἀπώλειαν αὐτῶν προσημαίνων· οὕτω γὰρ γέγραπται· θεοὶ οἵ τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν οὐκ ἐποίησαν, ἀπολέσθωσαν· καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν οὐχ ὡς ἐνίων πεποιηκότων, καὶ μὴ ἀπολλυμένων, ὡς ἑρμήνευσας. δηλοῦται γὰρ εἷς ὁ πεποιηκὼς τῷ ἀπαρχῆς γεγράφθαι· ἐν ἀρχῇ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν οὐρανὸν καὶ τὴν γῆν. καὶ οὐκ εἶπεν οἱ θεοί. καὶ ἄλλῃ που λέγει ποίησιν δὲ χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἀναγγέλλει τὸ στερέωμα. καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ γέγραπται· οἱ οὐρανοὶ αὐτοὶ ἀπολοῦνται, σὺ δὲ διαμενεῖς εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. ### English translation (Claude) And Simon: “My argument from the beginning was against you: to refute you from the Scriptures as lying when you say that one must not speak of gods. So I showed many written sayings to prove that the divine Scriptures themselves speak of many gods.” And Peter: “The very Scriptures that speak of many gods themselves warned us, saying: ‘The names of other gods shall not come up upon your lips.’ So I did not speak against what is written, Simon.” And Simon: “Hear something on this point yourself, Peter. You seem to me to sin in speaking against them, when Scripture says: ‘You shall not revile, and you shall not speak evil of the rulers of the people.’” And Peter: “I do not sin, Simon, in foretelling their destruction in keeping with the Scriptures. For thus it is written: ‘Let the gods who did not make heaven and earth perish.’ It said this not as though some had made them and are not to perish, as you interpreted it. For it is made plain that the maker is one by what is written at the very beginning: ‘In the beginning God made heaven and earth’; and it did not say ‘the gods.’ And elsewhere it says: ‘The firmament proclaims the work of his hands.’ And in another place it is written: ‘The heavens themselves will perish, but you will remain forever.’” ### Scripture references - Exod 23:13: quotation, high confidence - Exod 22:28: quotation, high confidence - Jer 10:11: quotation, high confidence - Gen 1:1: quotation, high confidence - Ps 19:1 (18:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Ps 102:26 (101:27 LXX): quotation, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Quotations: Exod 23:13; Exod 22:28; Jer 10:11; Gen 1:1; Ps 19:1 (LXX 18:2); Ps 102:26–27 (LXX 101:27–28), freely. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 16.8 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-8). ## Homilies 16.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-9 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon argues that the Scriptures contradict themselves and so lead their readers astray. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· πρὸς τὸ ἐμὲ δεῖξαι πολλοὺς εἶναι θεοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν, ἃς σαφεῖς παρέστησα, σὺ δὲ τὰς αὐτὰς ἢ καὶ πλείονας φωνὰς ἀπὸ τῶν αὐτῶν γραφῶν ἐνήνοχας, δεικνύων ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν Θεὸς, καὶ οὗτος Ἰουδαίων. καὶ πρὸς τὸ εἰπεῖν με, οὐ δεῖ κακολογεῖν θεοὺς, ἐπήγαγες πρὸς τὸ δεῖξαι, ὅτι εἷς ἐστιν ὁ πεποιηκὼς, ὅτι οἱ μὴ πεποιηκότες ἀπολέσθαι ἔχουσιν. πρὸς δὲ τὸ εἰπεῖν με, ὅτι δεῖ θεοὺς λέγειν, καθʼ ὅ καὶ αἱ γραφαὶ αὐτοὺς λέγουσιν, καὶ πρὸς τούτοις ἔδειξας, ὅτι μὴ δεῖ αὐτῶν ὀνόματα φθέγγεσθαι, τῷ τὴν αὐτὴν γραφὴν εἰπεῖν, ὀνόματα θεῶν ἑτέρων μὴ φθέγγεσθαι. ἐπεὶ οὖν αὐταὶ αἱ γραφαὶ πολλοὺς λέγουσιν εἶναι θεοὺς, καὶ ἄλλοτε ἕνα μόνον εἶναι, καὶ ὁτὲ μὲν μὴ κακολογεῖσθαι, ὁτὲ δὲ κακολογεῖσθαι, πρὸς τοῦτο τί δεῖ λογίσασθαι, ἢ ὅτι αὐταὶ ἡμᾶς αἱ γραφαὶ πλανῶσιν; ### English translation (Claude) And Simon said: “Against my showing from the Scriptures—which I presented clearly—that there are many gods, you have brought the same number of sayings, or even more, from the same Scriptures, to show that God is one, and he the God of the Jews. And against my saying that one must not revile gods, you replied, to show that the maker is one, that those who did not make heaven and earth must perish. And against my saying that one must speak of gods, since the Scriptures speak of them too, you showed further that their names must not be uttered, since the same Scripture says the names of other gods are not to be uttered. Since, then, the same Scriptures say at one time that there are many gods and at another that there is only one, and at one time that they are not to be reviled and at another that they are, what are we to conclude from this, except that the Scriptures themselves lead us astray?” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 16.9 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-9). ## Homilies 16.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-10 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter says the Scriptures test each reader's intent, and argues that the God in whose image and shape man was made is the only God. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· οὐ πλανῶσιν, ἀλλʼ ἐλέγχουσιν, καὶ εἰς φανερὸν ἄγουσιν τὴν ἐν ἑκάστῳ κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐνδομυχοῦσαν ὥσπερ ὄφεως κακὴν προαίρεσιν. πολλοῖς γὰρ καὶ διαφόροις τύποις ἐοικυῖαι πρόκεινται. ἕκαστος οὖν κηρῷ ἐοικυῖαν τὴν αὑτοῦ προαίρεσιν ἔχων, περιβλεψάμενος αὐτὰς καὶ πάντα εὑρὼν ἐν αὐταῖς, ὁποῖον Θεὸν εἶναι λέγει, τὴν ὡς ἔφην κηρῷ ἐοικυῖαν προαίρεσιν ἐπιβαλὼν ἀπομάσσεται. ἐπεὶ οὖν ὅ τι ἄν βούλεταί τις περὶ Θεοῦ φρονεῖν, ἐν αὐταῖς εὑρίσκει, τούτου χάριν ὁ μὲν πολλῶν θεῶν εἰδέας ἀπομάσσεται ἀπʼ αὐτῶν, καὶ ἡμεῖς τὴν τοῦ ὄντος ἀπεμαξάμεθα εἰδέαν, ἐκ τῆς ἡμετέρας μορφῆς τὸν ἀληθῆ ἐπιγνόντες τύπον. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ ἔνδοθεν ἡμῶν ψυχὴ τὴν αὐτοῦ εἰκόνα πρὸς ἀθανασίαν ἠμφίεσται. ταύτης τὸν γεννήτορα ἐὰν καταλίπω, δικαίᾳ κρίσει καὶ αὐτή με καταλιπεῖν ἔχει, αὐτῷ τολμήματι γνωρίσασα ἄδικον, καὶ ὡς ἀπὸ δικαίου δικαίως καταλείψει με καὶ οὕτως τὴν ψυχὴν μετὰ κόλασιν, τῆς ἀπʼ αὐτῆς ἀπολειφθεὶς βοηθείας, φθαρήσομαι· εἰ δὲ ἔστιν ἕτερος, πρῶτον ἐνδυσάτω ἑτέραν εἰδέαν, ἑτέραν μορφήν, διὰ τῆς τοῦ σώματος καινῆς μορφῆς τὸν καινὸν ἐπιγνῶν Θεόν. εἰ δὲ καὶ τὴν μορφὴν ἀλλάξῃ, μή τι καὶ τῆς ψηχῆς τὴν οὐσίαν; εἰ δὲ καὶ ἀλλάξῃ, οὐκ ἔτι ἐγώ εἰμι, ἄλλος γενόμενος καὶ μορφῇ καὶ οὐσίᾳ. ἄλλους οὖν πλαττέτω, εἰ ἄλλος ἐστίν. οὐκ ἔστιν δέ. εἰ δὲ ἦν, ἔπλασεν ἄν. ἐπεὶ οὖν οὐκ ἔπλασεν, ὡς οὐκ ὢν τὸν ὄντα τῷ ὄντι καταλιπέτω. οὐδεὶς γάρ ἐστιν, ἢ μόνῃ γνώμῃ Σίμωνος. ἐγὼ ἄλλον Θεὸν οὐ παραδέχομαι, πλὴν τὸν κτίσαντά με μόνον. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter said: “They do not lead astray; they test, and bring into the open the evil intent against God that lurks within each person like a serpent. For they lie before us like many different molds. Each person, then, having his own intent like wax, looks them over and finds everything in them, and by pressing upon them his intent, which, as I said, is like wax, takes the impression of whatever kind of God he says there is. Since, then, whatever anyone wishes to think about God he finds in them, for this reason one person takes from them the impression of the forms of many gods, while we have taken the impression of the form of him who is, recognizing the true type from our own shape. Moreover, our inner soul has been clothed with his image for immortality. If I abandon its begetter, by just judgment the soul too must abandon me, having recognized me as unjust by that very act of daring; and as leaving one who is unjust it will justly leave me; and so, after punishment, deprived of its help, I shall perish. But if there is another God, let a man first put on another form, another shape, so as to recognize the new God through his body's new shape. But if the shape should change, would not the substance of the soul change too? And if that changes, I am no longer myself, having become another in both shape and substance. So let him form other men, if he is another God. But there is none; if there were, he would have formed them. Since, then, he has not formed any, let him, as one who does not exist, leave the one who exists to him who exists. For there is no such God, except in Simon's opinion alone. I accept no other God but only the one who created me.” ### Scripture references - Gen 1:26: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 1:27: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The Homilies hold that God has a form (μορφή) and that the human body bears his shape (see 17.7). “Let a man first put on another form”: the subject is unexpressed in the Greek; some take it to be the supposed other God. - The Greek clause “as leaving one who is unjust” reads literally “as from one who is just” (ἀπὸ δικαίου), which may be a slip for ἀπὸ ἀδίκου; translated by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 16.10 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-10). ## Homilies 16.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-11 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon argues from “Let us make man” that more than one God created humankind. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Σίμων· ἐπεὶ πυκνότερόν σε ὁρῶ τὸν λόγον ποιούμενον ὑπὲρ τοῦ πλάσαντός σε Θεοῦ, μάθε παρʼ ἐμοῦ, πῶς καὶ εἰς αὐτὸν ἀσεβεῖς. οἱ πλάσαντες δύο φαίνονται, ὡς ἡ γραφὴ λέγει· καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός, ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον κατʼ εἰκόνα καὶ καθʼ ὁμοίωσιν ἡμετέραν. τὸ ποιήσωμεν δύο σημαίνει, ἢ πλείονας, πλὴν οὐχ ἕνα. ### English translation (Claude) And Simon: “Since I see you speaking rather often on behalf of the God who formed you, learn from me how you are impious even toward him. Those who formed man appear to be two, as the Scripture says: ‘And God said, Let us make man according to our image and likeness.’ ‘Let us make’ signifies two, or more, but not one.” ### Scripture references - Gen 1:26: quotation, high confidence ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 16.11 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-11). ## Homilies 16.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-12 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains “Let us make” as God speaking to his own Wisdom, who is one with him yet extended from him in creation. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· εἷς ἐστιν ὁ τῇ αὐτοῦ σοφίᾳ εἰπών· ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον. ᾗ δὲ σοφίᾳ ὥσπερ ἰδίῳ πνεύματι αὐτὸς ἀεὶ συνέχαιρεν. ἥνωται μὲν ὡς ψυχὴ τῷ Θεῷ, ἐκτείνεται δὲ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ, ὡς χεὶρ, δημιουργοῦσα τὸ πᾶν. διὰ τοῦτο δὲ καὶ εἷς ἄνθρωπος ἐγένετο, ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ δὲ προῆλθεν καὶ τὸ θῆλυ. καὶ μία οὖσα τῷ γένει δυάς ἐστιν. κατὰ γὰρ ἔκτασιν καὶ συστολὴν ἡ μονὰς δυὰς εἶναι νομίζεται. ὥστε ἑνὶ Θεῷ, ὡς γονεῦσιν, ὀρθῶς ποιῶ τὴν πᾶσαν προσαναφέρων τιμήν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη τί δοὺ εἰ καὶ αἱ γραφαὶ ἑτέρους θεοὺς λέγουσιν, οὐ παραδέξῃ; ### English translation (Claude) And Peter answered: “It is the one God who said to his Wisdom, ‘Let us make man.’ In this Wisdom he himself always rejoiced, as in his own spirit. She is united to God as the soul is, but is extended from him as a hand, fashioning the universe. For this reason too one man came into being, and from him the female came forth; and being one in kind, it is a pair. For by extension and contraction the unit is regarded as a pair. So I do right in offering all honor to one God, as to parents.” And Simon said: “What then? Even if the Scriptures speak of other gods, will you not accept them?” ### Scripture references - Gen 1:26: quotation, high confidence - Prov 8:30: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Wisdom rejoicing with God recalls Prov 8:30. The account of Wisdom as God's own extension (a “monad” that becomes a “dyad” by extension and contraction) is the Homilies' own teaching, not a doctrine of the Trinity; “as to parents” apparently pictures God and his Wisdom as father and mother. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 16.12 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-12). ## Homilies 16.13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-13 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter says passages speaking of other gods were written to test readers, citing Deuteronomy on the false prophet. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· εἴτε αἱ γραφαὶ εἴτε πρὸφήται θεοὺς λέγουσιν, εἰς πειρασμὸν τῶν ἀκουόντων λέγουσιν. οὕτω γὰρ γέγραπται· ἐὰν ἀναστῇ ἐν σοὶ προφήτης, διδούς σοι σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα, καὶ ἔλθῃ τότε σημεῖον ἐκεῖνο καὶ τὸ τέρας, ἐρεῖ δέ σοι, πορευθέντες λατρεύσωμεν θεοῖς ἑτέροις, οἷς οὐκ ᾔδεισαν οἱ πατέρες σου, οὐκ ἀκούσεσθε τοῦ προφήτου ἐκείνου· ἐν πρώτοις ἔστωσαν αἱ χεῖρές σου λιθοβολῆσαι αὐτόν. ἐπείρασεν γάρ σε ἀποστῆναι ἀπὸ κυρίου τοῦ Θεοῦ σου. ἐὰν δὲ εἴπῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου· πῶς ἐποίησεν τὸ σημεῖον ἐκεῖνο ἢ τὸ τέρας, γινώσκων γνώσῃ, ὅτι ὁ πειράζων ἐπείραζεν, εἰδέναι, εἰ φοβῇ κύριον τὸν Θεόν σου. ὅτι δὲ ὁ πειράζων ἐπείραζεν, εἴρητο, ἑτέρως δὲ μετὰ τὴν εἰς Βαβυλῶνα μετοικεσίαν φαίνεται. οὐ γὰρ ἄν ὁ τὰ πάντα γινώσκων Θεὸς, ὡς ἐκ πολλῶν ἔστιν δεῖξαι, ἐπείρασεν, ἵνα γνῷ αὐτὸς, ὁ τὰ πάντα προγινώσκων. εἰ δὲ βούλῃ, περὶ τούτου λόγον ποιησώμεθα, καὶ δείξω προγινώσκοντα τὸν Θεόν. τὸ δὲ ἀγνοεῖν αὐτὸν ψεῦσμα ὄν, καὶ τοῦτο πρὸς πειρασμὸν γραφὲν ἀποδέδεικται. οὕτως ἡμεῖς, ὦ Σίμων, οὔτε ἀπὸ γραφῶν οὔτε ὑφʼ ἑτέρου τινὸς σκανδαλισθῆναι δυνάμεθα· οὔτε πολλοὺς θεοὺς ἀποδέξασθαι ἀπατώμεθα, οὐδὲ λόγῳ τινὶ κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ λεγομένῳ συντιθέμεθα. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter answered: “Whether the Scriptures or the prophets speak of gods, they speak so to test the hearers. For thus it is written: ‘If a prophet arises among you, giving you signs and wonders, and that sign and wonder then comes to pass, and he says to you, Let us go and serve other gods, whom your fathers did not know, you shall not listen to that prophet; let your hands be the first upon him to stone him. For he tried to turn you away from the Lord your God. And if you say in your heart, How did he do that sign or wonder? you shall surely know that the tempter was testing you, to know whether you fear the Lord your God.’ That it was ‘the tempter’ who was testing is what had been said; but after the removal to Babylon it appears otherwise. For God, who knows all things, as can be shown from many passages, would not have tested in order that he himself might know—he who foreknows all things. If you wish, let us discuss this, and I will show that God foreknows. But the statement that he does not know, being a falsehood, has been shown to be written—this too—as a test. Thus we, Simon, can be made to stumble neither by the Scriptures nor by anyone else: we are not deceived into accepting many gods, nor do we assent to any statement made against God.” ### Scripture references - Deut 13:1: quotation, high confidence - Deut 13:2: quotation, high confidence - Deut 13:3: quotation, high confidence - Deut 13:5: allusion, medium confidence - Deut 13:9: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The quotation is a free form of Deut 13:1–3, where the Hebrew and the Septuagint say that the Lord your God is testing you. Peter claims the original read “the tempter,” and that the text was altered after the Babylonian exile: this is the Homilies' teaching that false passages entered Scripture (cf. 2.38–52; 3.47–50). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 16.13 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-13). ## Homilies 16.14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-14 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter grants that Scripture calls angels, Christ, Moses, and idols “gods,” but holds that for believers there is one God, the Father of Christ. ### Greek text Ἴσμεν γὰρ καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν ἀγγέλους θεοὺς λεχθέντας, λέγω δὲ ὡς ὁ ἐπὶ τῆς βάτου λαλήσας, καὶ τῷ Ἰακὼβ παλαίσας· ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸν γεννώμενον Ἐμμανουήλ καὶ τὸν λεγόμενον Θεὸν ἰσχυρόν. ἀλλὰ μὴν καὶ Μωυσῆς θεὸς Φαραὼ ἐγενήθη, τῷ δὲ ὄντι ἄνθρωπος ἦν. ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὰ εἴδωλα τῶν ἐθνῶν. ἡμῖν δὲ εἶς Θεὸς, εἷς ὁ τὰς κτίσεις πεποιηκὼς καὶ διακοσμήσας τὰ πάντα· οὗ καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς υἱός, ᾧ πειθόμενοι ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν τὰ ψευδῆ ἐπιγινώσκομεν. ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐκ πατέρων ἐφοδιαζόμενοι τῶν γραφῶν τὰ ἀληθῆ ἕνα μόνον οἴδαμεν τὸν πεποιηκότα τούς τε οὐρανοὺς καὶ τὴν γῆν, Θεὸν Ἰουδαίων καὶ πάντων τῶν σέβειν αὐτὸν αἱρουμένων. τοῦτον καὶ θεοφιλεῖ λογισμῷ ἀληθὲς ὃν δογματίσαντες οἱ πατέρες παρέδωσαν ἡμῖν, ἵνα εἰδῶμεν, ὅτι εἴ τι κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγεται, ψεῦδός ἐστιν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὑπερβαλλόντως τι ἐρῶ· εἰ τοῦτο οὕτως ὡς ἔφην οὐκ ἔχει, ἐμοὶ γένοιτο καὶ τοῖς ἀληθὲς ἀγαπῶσιν, περὶ εὐφημίας τοῦ πεποιηκότος ἡμᾶς Θεοῦ κινδυνεύειν. ### English translation (Claude) “For we ourselves know from the Scriptures that angels have been called gods—I mean, for example, the one who spoke from the bush and the one who wrestled with Jacob; and also the Emmanuel who is born, and the one called mighty God. Moses too became a god to Pharaoh, though in reality he was a man. And further there are the idols of the nations. But for us there is one God, one who made the creatures and set all things in order; whose Son also is the Christ, and by obeying him we recognize what is false in the Scriptures. Moreover, supplied by the fathers with what is true in the Scriptures, we know only one who made the heavens and the earth, the God of the Jews and of all who choose to worship him. This the fathers, having established it as true by God-loving reasoning, handed down to us, so that we may know that whatever is said against God is false. And I will say something more, going further still: if this is not as I have said, may it be my lot, and the lot of those who love the truth, to run a risk for speaking well of the God who made us.” ### Scripture references - Exod 3:2: allusion, high confidence - Gen 32:24: allusion, high confidence - Isa 7:14: allusion, high confidence - Isa 9:6: allusion, high confidence - Exod 7:1: allusion, high confidence - 1 Cor 8:6: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Allusions: Exod 3:2–6 (the angel in the bush); Gen 32:24–30 (Jacob's wrestling); Isa 7:14; Isa 9:6; Exod 7:1; 1 Cor 8:5–6 (“for us there is one God”). The claim that Christ teaches which parts of Scripture are false belongs to the Homilies' doctrine of “false passages” (cf. 16.13). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 16.14 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-14). ## Homilies 16.15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-15 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter denies that Jesus proclaimed himself God; he blessed Peter for calling him Son of God. ### Greek text Ταῦτα ὁ Σίμων ἀκούσας ἔφη· ἐπειδὴ καὶ τέρατα διδόντι προφήτῃ, ἄλλον δὲ θεὸν δεῖν πιστεύειν, μετὰ τοῦ εἰδέναι ὅτι καὶ θάνατον ὀφείλει, οὐκοῦν καὶ ὁ διδάσκαλός σου σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα δεδωκὼς εὐλόγως ἀνῃρέθη. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίθη· ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν οὔτε θεοὺς εἶναι ἐφθέγξατο παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα τὰ πάντα, οὔτε αὐτὸν θεὸν εἶναι ἀνηγόρευσεν, υἱὸν δὲ Θεοῦ τοῦ τὰ πάντα διακοσμήσαντος τὸν εἰπόντα αὐτὸν εὐλόγως ἐμακάρισεν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἀπεκρίνατο· οὐ δοκεῖ σοι οὖν τὸν ἀπὸ Θεοῦ θεὸν εἶναι; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· πῶς τοῦτο εἶναι δύναται, φράσον ἡμῖν. τοῦτο γὰρ ἡμεῖς εἰπεῖν σοι οὐ δυνάμεθα, ὅτι μὴ ἠκούσαμεν παρʼ αὐτοῦ. ### English translation (Claude) Hearing this, Simon said: “Since one must not believe even a prophet who gives wonders if he says one must believe in another god—and you know that he deserves death as well—then your teacher too, having given signs and wonders, was reasonably put to death.” And Peter answered: “Our Lord neither said that there are gods besides the one who created all things, nor proclaimed himself to be God; but he reasonably called blessed the one who called him Son of the God who set all things in order.” And Simon answered: “Does it not seem to you, then, that one who is from God is God?” And Peter said: “Tell us how this can be. For we cannot say this to you, because we did not hear it from him.” ### Scripture references - Deut 13:1: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 16:16: allusion, high confidence - Matt 16:17: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The opening clause is incomplete in the Greek (words such as “one must not believe” and “if he says” are missing); translated by sense. - Peter's statement that Christ did not proclaim himself God expresses the Homilies' own Christology; it recalls Matt 16:16–17 (Peter's confession and Jesus' blessing). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 16.15 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-15). ## Homilies 16.16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-16 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter argues that the begotten Son cannot bear every title of the unbegotten Father, as souls from God are not gods. ### Greek text Πρὸς τούτοις δὲ, τοῦ πατρὸς τὸ μὴ γεγεννῆσθαί ἐστιν, υἱοῦ δὲ τὸ γεγεννῆσθαι· γεννητὸν δὲ ἀγεννήτῳ ἢ καὶ αὐτογεννήτῳ οὐ συγκρίνεται. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· εἰ καὶ τῇ γενέσει οὐ ταυτόν ἐστιν; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· ὁ μὴ κατὰ πάντα τὸ αὐτὸ ὤν τινι τὰς αὐτὰς αὐτῷ πάσας ἔχειν προσωνυμίας οὐ δύναται. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· τοῦτο λέγειν ἐστὶν οὐκ ἀποδεικνύειν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· διὰ τί οὐ νοεῖς, ὅτι ὁ μὲν αὐτογέννητον τυγχάνει ἤ καὶ ἀγέννητον, τὸ δὲ γεννητὸν ὄν τὸ αὐτὸ λέγεσθαι οὐ δύναται, οὐδʼ ἂν τῆς αὐτῆς οὐσίας ὁ γεγεννημένος τὸ γεγεννηκότι. ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο μάθε· τὰ ἀνθρώπων σώματα ψυχὰς ἔχει ἀθανάτους, τὴν τοῦ Θεοῦ πνοὴν ἠμφιεσμένας, καὶ ἐκ τοῦ Θεοῦ προελθοῦσαι τῆς μὲν αὐτῆς οὐσίας εἰσὶ, θεοὶ δὲ οὐκ εἰσίν. εἰ δὲ θεοί εἰσι, τούτῳ τῷ λόγῳ πάντων ἀνθρώπων, τῶν τε ἀποθανόντων καὶ ζώντων καὶ γεννηθησομένων αἱ ψυχαὶ τυγχάνουσιν. εἰ δὲ προσφιλονεικῶν μοι ἐρεῖς, καὶ αὐτὰς θεοὺς εἶναι, καὶ τί τοῦτο ἔτι μέγα καὶ Χριστῷ, τῷ Θεῷ λέγεσθαι; τοῦτο γὰρ ἔχει, ὅ καὶ πάντες ἔχουσιν. ### English translation (Claude) “Besides this, it is proper to the Father not to have been begotten, and to the Son to have been begotten; and what is begotten is not compared with what is unbegotten or self-begotten.” And Simon said: “Even if it is not the same in its origin?” And Peter said: “One who is not in every respect the same as another cannot have all the same names as he.” And Simon: “That is asserting, not proving.” And Peter: “Why do you not see that the one happens to be self-begotten or unbegotten, while what is begotten cannot be called the same—not even if the one begotten is of the same substance as the one who begot him? Learn this too: human bodies have immortal souls, clothed with the breath of God; and having come forth from God they are of the same substance, yet they are not gods. But if they are gods, then by this reasoning the souls of all human beings—the dead, the living, and those yet to be born—are gods. And if, to keep up the contest with me, you say that they too are gods, what great thing is it any longer for Christ to be called God? For he has what everyone has.” ### Scripture references - Gen 2:7: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Simon's question is terse and its sense uncertain. “Not even if … of the same substance” can also be read as “nor is the begotten of the same substance”; the comparison with souls, which are “of the same substance” yet not gods, favors the rendering given. This subordinationist argument is the Homilies' own and predates the Nicene definitions. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 16.16 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-16). ## Homilies 16.17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-17 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter argues that the name God belongs only to the one who is unbegotten, infinite, and incomparable. ### Greek text Ἡμεὶς Θεὸν λέγομεν, οὐ ἐστιν τὸ ἴδιον ἄλλῳ προςεῖναι μὴ δυνάμενον. ὥσπερ γὰρ ἄπειρος ὤν πανταχόθεν διὰ τοῦτο λέγεται ἀπέραντος, καὶ ἀνάγκη πᾶσα, ἑτέρου μὴ δυναμένου ὡς αὐτὸς ἀπείρῳ εἶναι, τὸ καλεῖσθαι ἀπέραντος, (εἰ δέ τις λέγει δυνατὸν εἶναι ψεύδεται· δύο γὰρ πανταχόθεν ἄπειρα συνυπάρχειν οὐ δύνανται· περαιοῦται γὰρ τὸ ἕτερον ὑπὸ τοῦ ἑτέρου), οὕτως φύσις ἐστὶν, ἕν εἶναι τὸ ἀγέννητον. εἰ δὲ ἐν σχήματί ἐστιν, καὶ οὕτως ἕν ἐστιν τὸ ἀσύγκριτον. διὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὕψιστος λέγεται, ὅτι πάντων ἀνώτερος ὤν τὰ πάντα αὐτῷ ὑποκείμενα ἔχει. ### English translation (Claude) “We call God him whose property cannot belong to another. For just as, being infinite in every direction, he is for that reason called boundless, and it is altogether necessary—since no other can be infinite as he is—that he be called boundless (and if anyone says it is possible, he lies; for two things infinite in every direction cannot exist together, since the one is bounded by the other), so it is by nature that the unbegotten is one. And if he is in a shape, even so the incomparable is one. For this reason he is also called Most High, because, being above all, he has all things subject to him.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 16.17 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-17). ## Homilies 16.18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-18 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains that giving the common name “God” to another dishonors the ineffable one it points to. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Σίμων· μὴ γὰρ τοῦτό ἐστιν αὐτοῦ ἀπόῤῥητον ὄνομα, τὸ Θεὸς, ὅπερ πάντες λέγουσιν, ὅτι τοσοῦτον καὶ περὶ ὀνόματος διισχυρίζῃ, ἵνα μὴ ἄλλῳ δοθῇ; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· ἐπίσταμαι ὅτι τοῦτο οὐκ ἔστιν αὐτῷ τι ἀπόῤῥητον ὄνομα, ἀλλὰ τὸ κατὰ συνθήκην ἀνθρώπων λεγόμενον, ὅπερ εἰ ἑτέρῳ δώσεις, καὶ τὸ μὴ λεγόμενον ἑτέρῳ προσάψεις, τῷ τῆς προαιρέσεως λόγῳ. τὸ λεγόμενον ὄνομα τοῦ μὴ λεγομένου πρόοδός ἐστιν. τούτῳ τῷ λόγῳ ἡ ὕβρις καὶ εἰς τὸ μήπω ῥηθὲν λογίζεται, ᾧ λόγῳ ἡ πρὸς τὸ ἐγνωσμένον τιμὴ εἰς τὸ μήπω ἐγνωσμένον ἀναφέρεται. ### English translation (Claude) And Simon: “Is ‘God,’ which everyone says, his ineffable name, then, that you insist so strongly even about a name, that it must not be given to another?” And Peter said: “I know that this is not some ineffable name of his, but the one used by human agreement. Yet if you give it to another, you will attach to another the unspoken name as well, by the logic of intention. The name that is spoken goes before the one that is not spoken. By this reasoning an insult is reckoned against what has not yet been spoken, by the same reasoning by which honor paid to what is known passes on to what is not yet known.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 16.18 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-18). ## Homilies 16.19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-19 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter teaches that the human body bears God's form, which is why the greater creation willingly serves humanity. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· ἤθελον εἰδέναι Πέτρε, εἰ ἀληθῶς πιστεύεις, ὅτι ἡ ἀνθρώπου μορφὴ πρὸς τὴν ἐκείνου μορφὴν διατετύπωται. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀληθῶς, ὦ Σίμων, οὕτως ἔχειν πεπληροφόρημαι. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· πῶς θάνατος τὸ σῶμα λύειν δύναται, σφραγίδι μεγίστῃ διατετυπωμένον; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Θεοῦ δικαίου ἐστὶν μορφή. ἐπὰν οὖν ἀδικεῖν ἄρξηται, ἡ ἐν αὐτῷ εἰδέα φεύγει, καὶ οὕτως τὸ σῶμα λύεται, ἵνα ἡ μορφὴ ἀφανὴς γένηται, ὅπως μὴ δικαίου Θεοῦ μορφὴν ἄδικον ἔχῃ σῶμα. ἡ μέντοι λύσις οὐ περὶ τὴν σφραγίδα γίνεται, ἀλλὰ περὶ τὸ σφραγισθὲν σῶμα. ἄνευ δὲ τοῦ σφραγίσαντος τὸ σφραγισθὲν οὐ λύεται. οὕτως ἄνευ κρίσεως οὐδὲ τὸ ἀποθανεῖν ἔξεστιν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· τίς οὖν ἀνάγκη ἦν, τὴν τοιούτου μορφὴν τῷ ἀπὸ γῆς ἐγερθέντι δοῦναι ἀνθρώπῳ; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· διὰ τὴν τοῦ πεποιηκότος Θεοῦ φιλανθρωπίαν γέγονεν, ἐπεὶ γὰρ τῷ κατʼ οὐσίαν λόγῳ πάντα κρείττονα τυγχάνει τῆς ἀνθρώπου σαρκός, λέγω δὴ τὸν αἰθέρα, τὸν ἥλιον, τὴν σελήνην, τοὺς ἀστέρας, τὸν ἀέρα, τὸ ὕδωρ, τὸ πῦρ, ἑνὶ λόγῳ καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ πάντα, ἅ τινα εἰς ὑπηρεσίαν ἀνθρώπου γενόμενα καὶ κατʼ οὐσίαν κρείττονα ὄντα ἡδέως ὑπομένει δουλεύειν τῷ κατʼ οὐσίαν χείρονι, διὰ τὴν τοῦ κρείττονος μορφήν. ὡς γὰρ οἱ πήλινον ἀνδριάντα βασιλέως τιμῶντες τὴν τιμὴν ἀναφερομένην ἔχουσιν εἰς ἐκεῖνον, οὗπερ ὁ πηλὸς τὴν μορφὴν τυγχάνει ἔχων, οὕτως καὶ ἡ πᾶσα κτίσις τῷ ἀπὸ γῆς γενομένῳ ἀνθρώπῳ χαίρουσα δουλεύει, εἰς τὴν ἐκείνου ἀφορῶσα τιμήν. ### English translation (Claude) And Simon said: “I should like to know, Peter, whether you truly believe that the human form has been molded after his form.” And Peter: “Truly, Simon, I am fully convinced that it is so.” And Simon: “Then how can death dissolve the body, when it has been molded with the greatest of seals?” And Peter: “It is the form of the righteous God. So when a person begins to do wrong, the likeness in him flees, and so the body is dissolved, so that the form may vanish and an unrighteous body may not have the form of the righteous God. The dissolution, however, happens not to the seal but to the body that was sealed. And without the one who sealed it, what was sealed is not dissolved; so not even dying is possible without judgment.” And Simon: “What need was there, then, to give the form of such a being to the man raised up from the earth?” And Peter: “It came about through the love for humankind of God who made him. For in respect of substance all things are superior to human flesh—I mean the ether, the sun, the moon, the stars, the air, the water, the fire, in a word all the rest—and these, having come into being for the service of man and being superior in substance, gladly submit to serve what is inferior in substance, because of the form of the superior. For as those who honor a clay statue of a king have their honor pass to him whose form the clay bears, so the whole creation gladly serves the man who came from the earth, looking to that one's honor.” ### Scripture references - Gen 1:26: allusion, high confidence - Gen 1:27: allusion, high confidence - Gen 2:7: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The Homilies take “image” in Gen 1:26–27 of a bodily form or shape of God. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 16.19 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-19). ## Homilies 16.20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-20 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter points to God's patience with Simon's blasphemy and warns of the judgment God has stored up. ### Greek text Ἰδέ, οἵῳ Θεῷ, Σίμων, ἀχαριστεῖν ἡμᾶς πεῖσαι θέλεις· καὶ βαστάζει σε ἡ γῆ, ἴσως δὲ ἰδεῖν βουλομένη, τίς σοι τὰ ὅμοια φρονεῖν τολμήσοι. πρῶτος γὰρ ἐτόλμησας, ὃ μηδεὶς ἐτόλμησεν, πρῶτος ἐφθέγξω, ἃ πρώτως ἠκούσαμεν. πρῶτοι καὶ μόνοι ἡμεῖς ἐπὶ τοιαύτῃ σου ἀσεβείᾳ τὴν ἄπειρον τοῦ Θεοῦ μακροθυμίαν ἱστορήσαμεν, καὶ οὐκ ἄλλου τινὸς, ἢ τοῦ κτίσαντος τὸν κόσμον, εἰς ὃν ἀσεβεῖν ἐτόλμησας. καὶ χάσματα γῆς οὐκ ἐγενήθη, καὶ πῦρ ἀπʼ οὐρανοῦ οὐ κατεπέμφθη, καὶ εἰς ἐμπρησμὸν ἀνδρῶν οὐκ ἐπεξῆλθεν, καὶ ὑετὸς οὐκ ἐπεσχέθη, καὶ θηρῶν πλῆθος ἀπὸ δρυμῶν οὐκ ἐπέμφθη, καὶ ἐπʼ αὐτοὺς ἡμᾶς διʼ ἕνα ἁμαρτάνοντα ὡς ἐπὶ μοιχείας πνευματικῆς, τῆς κατὰ σάρκα χείρονος ὑπαρχούσης, ἡ Θεοῦ ὀργὴ ὀλέθριος οὐκ ἤρξατο. οὐ γάρ ἐστιν ὁ τότε ἐπεξελθὼν τὰ ἁμαρτήματα οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς κτίστης Θεός; ἐπεὶ καὶ νῦν τὰ μέγιστα βλασφημούμενος τὰ μέγιστα ἐπεξήρχετο. ἀλλὰ τοὐναντίον μακροθυμεῖ, εἰς μετάνοιαν καλεῖ, συντελοῦντα βέλη πρὸς συντέλειαν τῶν ἀσεβῶν ἐν τοῖς θησαυροῖς ἀποκείμενα ἔχων, ἅ τινα ἐπαφήσει ὡς ζῶα ἔμψυχα, ὅταν ἀνταποδοῦναι κρίσιν τοῖς ἐχθροῖς αὐτοῦ προκαθεσθῇ. διὸ φοβηθῶμεν Θεὸν δίκαιον, οὗ τὴν μορφὴν πρὸς τιμὴν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου βαστάζει σῶμα. ### English translation (Claude) “See, Simon, what a God you want to persuade us to be ungrateful to! And the earth bears you, perhaps wishing to see who will dare to think as you do. For you were the first to dare what no one has dared; you were the first to utter what we have heard for the first time. We are the first and only ones to have seen, in the face of such impiety as yours, the boundless patience of God—of none other than the Creator of the world, against whom you dared to be impious. And the earth did not open in chasms, and fire was not sent down from heaven and did not go out to burn men up, and rain was not withheld, and no multitude of wild beasts was sent from the thickets, and the deadly wrath of God did not begin against us ourselves because of one who sins, as for a spiritual adultery—which is worse than adultery of the flesh. For is it not God, the Creator of heaven and earth, who punished sins in those days? Otherwise, blasphemed now in the greatest way, he would be punishing in the greatest way now too. But on the contrary he is patient and calls to repentance, keeping stored in his treasuries the arrows that bring an end, for the end of the ungodly; these he will let loose like living creatures when he takes his seat to render judgment to his enemies. So let us fear the righteous God, whose form the body bears for the honor of man.” ### Scripture references - Num 16:31: allusion, medium confidence - 2 Kgs 1:10: allusion, medium confidence - Deut 32:23: allusion, medium confidence - Deut 32:34: allusion, medium confidence - Deut 32:41: allusion, medium confidence - Rom 2:4: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The sentence “For is it not God … ?” can also be read as a statement (“For it is not God … who punished then; otherwise …”); the sense is uncertain. - The stored arrows and the judgment rendered to enemies recall Deut 32:23, 34, 41 (LXX); the punishments listed recall Num 16:31–35, 2 Kgs 1:10–12, 1 Kgs 17:1, and Lev 26:22. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 16.20 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-20). ## Homilies 16.21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-21 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon promises to prove from Jesus' words that the Creator is not the highest God; Peter foresees heresies springing from Simon. ### Greek text Ταῦτα τοῦ Πέτρου εἰπόντος ὁ Σίμων ἀπεκρίνατο· ἐπειδὴ ὁρῶ σε σοφῶς αἰνισσόμενον ὅτι τὰ γεγραμμένα κατὰ τοῦ δημιουργοῦ ποτε ἐν βίβλοις οὐκ ἀληθῆ τυγχάνει, αὔριον ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ διδασκάλου σου λόγων δείξω τὸ δημιουργὸν μὴ ἀνώτατον λέγοντα εἶναι Θεόν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἐξῆλθεν. ὁ δὲ Πέτρος τοῖς παρεστῶσιν ὄχλοις ἔφη· ὁ Σίμων κἄν μηδὲν ἕτερον περὶ Θεοῦ βλάψαι ἡμᾶς δυνηθῇ, ἀλλʼ οὖν γε ἐμποδίζει ὑμῖν ἀκούειν τοὺς τὴν ψυχὴν δυναμένους καθαίρειν λόγους. ταῦτα τοῦ Πέτρου εἰπόντος πολὺς ψιθυρισμὸς ἐγένετο τῶν ὄχλων λεγόντων· τίς δὲ ἀνάγκη ἐᾶν αὐτὸν ἐνταῦθα εἰσιόντα τὰς κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ βλασφημίας λέγειν; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀκούσας ἔφη· γένοιτο μέχρι Σίμωνος ἀρκετὸν γενέσθαι τὸν κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ πρὸς πειρασμὸν ἀνθρώπων λόγον. ἔσονται γὰρ, ὡς ὁ κύριος εἶπεν, ψευδαπόστολοι, ψευδεῖς προφῆται, αἱρέσεις, φιλαρχίαι· αἵ τινες, ὡς στοχάζομαι, ἀπὸ τοῦ τὸν Θεὸν βλασφημοῦντος Σίμωνος τὴν ἀρχὴν λαβοῦσαι εἰς τὸ τὰ αὐτὰ τῷ Σίμωνι κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ λέγειν συνεργήσουσιν. καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν μετὰ δακρύων, τῇ χειρὶ προσεκαλεῖτο τοὺς ὄχλους, οἷς προσελθοῦσιν τὰς χεῖρας ἐπιτιθεὶς καὶ εὐχόμενος ἀπέλυεν, λέγων ὀρθριαίτερον συνέρχεσθαι. ταῦτα εἰπὼν καὶ στενάζων εἰσελθὼν, οὔτε τροφῆς μεταλαβὼν ὕπνωσεν. ### English translation (Claude) When Peter had said this, Simon answered: “Since I see you hinting cleverly that some things written in the books against the Creator are not true, tomorrow I will show from your teacher's own words that he says the Creator is not the highest God.” Having said this, Simon went out. And Peter said to the crowds standing by: “Even if Simon can harm us in nothing else concerning God, at least he keeps you from hearing the words that can cleanse the soul.” When Peter had said this, there was much murmuring in the crowds, as they said: “What need is there to let him come in here and speak his blasphemies against God?” Hearing this, Peter said: “Would that the talk against God, for the testing of human beings, might stop with Simon! For there will be, as the Lord said, false apostles, false prophets, heresies, and desires for preeminence; and these, as I suppose, taking their beginning from Simon, who blasphemes God, will join in saying the same things against God as Simon.” Having said this with tears, he beckoned the crowds with his hand, and when they came he laid his hands on them, prayed, and dismissed them, telling them to gather earlier. Having said this, groaning, he went in and slept without taking food. ### Scripture references - Matt 24:11: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 24:24: allusion, medium confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Agraphon (Sayings of Jesus outside the Gospels (agrapha)): quotation, medium confidence - Justin, Dial. 35.3 (Dialogue with Trypho): echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The saying “there will be false apostles, false prophets, heresies, desires for preeminence” is not in the canonical Gospels; compare Matt 24:11, 24 and the similar unwritten saying “there will be schisms and heresies” in Justin, Dial. 35.3. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 16.21 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/16-1/#p-16-21). ## Homilies 17.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-1 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Zacchaeus reports that Simon is outside speaking against Peter. ### Greek text Τῆς μὲν οὖν ἄλλης ἡμέρας ὁ Πέτρος πρὸς Σίμωνα ζητεῖν μέλλων ὀρθριαίτερον ἐξυπνισθεὶς ηὔξατο, καὶ ἅμα τῷ παύσασθαι ὁ Ζακχαῖος εἰσῄει λέγων· Σίμων ἔξω καθέζεται, μετὰ ἰδίων αὑτοῦ τινων ὡς τριάκοντα διαλεγόμενος. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· ἐάσθω λαλεῖν, μέχρις ὅτε πλῆθος γένηται, καὶ τότε ζητεῖν ἀρξώμεθα, ἵνα οὕτως ἡμεῖς τὰ ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ λεγόμενα ἀκούσαντες, πρὸς αὐτὰ ἁρμοσάμενοι, ἐξελθόντες διαλεχθῶμεν. καὶ δὴ οὕτως ἐγένετο. ἐκβὰς οὖν καὶ μετʼ οὐ πολὺ πάλιν εἰσελθὼν ὁ Ζακχαῖος ἀντέβαλλεν τῷ Πέτρῳ τοὺς ὑπὸ Σίμωνος κατὰ Πέτρου ῥηθέντας λόγους. ### English translation (Claude) On the next day, then, Peter, being about to dispute with Simon, woke earlier than usual and prayed; and just as he finished, Zacchaeus came in, saying: “Simon is sitting outside, talking with about thirty of his own people.” And Peter said: “Let him talk until a crowd gathers, and then let us begin the dispute, so that, having heard what he says, we may fit our answer to it and go out and discuss.” And so it was. Zacchaeus went out, and coming back in not long after, he reported to Peter the words Simon had spoken against him. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 17.1 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-1). ## Homilies 17.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-2 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon accuses Peter of magic and of teaching something worse than idolatry. ### Greek text Ἔλεγεν δέ· αἰτιᾶταί σε, Πέτρε, ὡς κακίας ὄντα ὑπηρέτην, καὶ μαγείᾳ πολὺ δυνάμενον, καὶ εἰδωλολατρείας χεῖρον τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων φαντασιοῦντα ψυχάς. εἰς τὸ μὲν οὖν μάγον εἶναί σε ταύτην ἐδόκει φέρειν ἀπόδειξιν, λέγων· σύνοιδα ἐμαυτῷ, ὅτι ὧν κατʼ ἐμαυτὸν σκέπτομαι, ἐλθὼν συζητεῖν αὐτῷ, οὐδʼ ἕνα μνημονεύω λόγον. αὐτοῦ γὰρ διαλεγομένου, κἀμοῦ τὸν νοῦν ἀσχολοῦντος εἰς τὸ ἀναπολῆσαι, τίνα ἐστὶν ἅ ἐλογισάμην ἐλθὼν λέγειν πρὸς αὐτόν, οὐδʼ ὁτιοῦν ὧν λέγει ἐπακούω. ἐπεὶ οὖν ἐπʼ ἄλλου τινὸς τοιοῦτό τι οὐ πάσχω, ἢ ἐπʼ αὐτοῦ μόνου, πῶς οὐχὶ μαγευόμενος ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ τυγχάνω; τὸ δὲ ὅτι ἃ ἄν διδάσκῃ, εἰδωλολατρείας χείρονά ἐστιν, τῷ γε νοῦν ἔχοντι, ἐμοῦ μηνύσαντος σαφὲς ἔσται. οὐθὲν γὰρ ἕτερον ὠφεληθῆναι ἔστιν, ἢ τὸ τὴν ψυχὴν εἰδώλων παντοδαπῶν ἐλευθέραν γενέσθαι. φανταζομένη γὰρ εἶδος δεσμεῖται φόβῳ, καὶ φρονοῦσα εὐπαθεῖν τι μαραίνεται καὶ ἀλλοιοῦται ἢ δαιμονᾷ, καὶ δαιμονῶσα τοῖς πολλοῖς σωφρονεῖν δοκεῖ. ### English translation (Claude) He said: “He accuses you, Peter, of being a servant of wickedness, very powerful in magic, and of filling people's souls with fantasies worse than idolatry. That you are a magician he thought he could prove in this way, saying: ‘I am aware that, of the arguments I think over by myself, I remember not one when I come to dispute with him. For while he is speaking and I am busying my mind with recalling what I had planned to say when I came to him, I hear nothing at all of what he says. Since, then, I suffer nothing like this with anyone else, but with him alone, how am I not bewitched by him? And that what he teaches is worse than idolatry will be clear to anyone with sense once I have shown it. For there is no other benefit than for the soul to become free of images of every kind. For when it pictures a form it is bound by fear, and, anxious about how it will fare, it wastes away and is altered, or becomes demon-possessed; and when it is demon-possessed, it seems to most people to be in its right mind.’” ### Translation notes - “Anxious about how it will fare” renders the obscure φρονοῦσα εὐπαθεῖν τι (literally “thinking to fare well in something”); the text may be corrupt. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 17.2 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-2). ## Homilies 17.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-3 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon argues that Peter's God with a form is more frightening than idols and cannot be infinite. ### Greek text Τοῦτο ὑμῖν Πέτρος ὑποσχέσει τοῦ σωφρονίζειν παρέχει. προφάσει γὰρ ἑνὸς Θεοῦ δοκεῖ μὲν ὑμᾶς πολλῶν ἀψύχων ἀπαλλάσσειν εἰδώλων, ἅ οὐ πάνυ τοὺς σέβοντας ἀδικεῖ, τῷ αὐτοῖς ὀφθαλμοῖς ὁρᾶσθαι λίθινα ὄντα ἢ χάλκεα ἢ χρύσεα ἢ καὶ ἐξ ἄλλης τινὸς ἀψύχου ὕλης. διὸ τῷ εἰδέναι ὅτι τὸ βλεπόμενον οὐδέν ἐστιν, οὐχ ὁμοίως τῷ ὁρατῷ ὑπὸ φόβου φαντασιοῦσθαι δύναται ἡ ψυχή. πλάνῳ δὲ διδασκαλίᾳ εἰς φοβερὸν Θεὸν ἀποβλέπουσα τῶν κατὰ φύσιν ἐκβαθρεύεται. καὶ ταῦτα ἐγὼ λέγω, οὐχ ὅτι ὑμᾶς εἴδωλα σέβειν παραινῶ, ἀλλʼ ὅτι Πέτρος φοβερῶν εἰδεῶν δοκῶν ἀπαλλάσσειν ὑμῶν τὰς ψυχὰς, φοβερωτέρᾳ εἰδέᾳ τὸν ἕκαστον ὑμῶν ἐνθουσιᾶν ποιεῖ νοῦν, Θεὸν ἐν μορφῇ εἰσηγούμενος, καὶ ταῦτα ἄκρως δίκαιον, ᾧ ἔπεται τὸ φοβερὸν καὶ τῇ συννοούσῃ ψυχῇ τὸ φρικῶδες, δυνάμενον καὶ τῶν ὀρθῶν λογισμῶν ἐκλῦσαι τοὺς τόνους. ἐν γὰρ τοιούτῳ καθεστὼς χειμῶνι ὁ νοῦς ὡς βυθὸς ὑπʼ ἀνέμου σφοδροῦ θολοῦται τὸ λαμπρόν. διὸ εἰ ἐπʼ ὠφελείᾳ ὑμῶν προσέρχεται, μὴ ὑμῶν τοὺς ἐξ ἀψύχων μορφῶν ἠπίως γινομένους φόβους ἐκλύειν δοκῶν φοβερὰν Θεοῦ ἀντεισφερέτω μορφήν. μορφὴν δὲ ἔχει Θεός; εἰ δὲ ἔχῃ, ἐν σχήματί ἐστιν. ἐν σχήματι δὲ ὤν πῶς οὐ περιόριστός ἐστιν; περιόριστος δὲ ὤν ἐν τόπῳ ἐστίν. ἐν τόπῳ δὲ ὢν ἥττων ἐστὶν τοῦ περιέχοντος αὐτὸν τόπου. ἥττων δέ τινος ὤν πῶς πάντων ἐστὶν ἤ μείζων ἢ ἀνώτατος; καὶ ταῦτα μὲν οὕτως. ### English translation (Claude) “‘This is what Peter offers you under the promise of making you sound-minded. For under the pretext of one God he seems to free you from many lifeless idols, which do little harm to their worshipers, since they are seen with their own eyes to be stone or bronze or gold or some other lifeless material. So, knowing that what is seen is nothing, the soul cannot be seized by fear of the visible in the same way. But when, through a deceiving teaching, it looks to a fearful God, it is thrown off its natural foundations. I say this not to urge you to worship idols, but because Peter, while seeming to free your souls from fearful images, fills each of your minds with a more fearful image, introducing God in a form—and a supremely just one at that—on which fear follows, and dread for the soul that contemplates it, dread that can loosen even the sinews of right reasoning. For a mind caught in such a storm has its clearness troubled, like the deep by a violent wind. Therefore, if he comes for your benefit, let him not, while seeming to dispel the mild fears that arise from lifeless forms, bring in instead a fearful form of God. But does God have a form? If he has, he is in a shape. And if he is in a shape, how is he not circumscribed? And if circumscribed, he is in a place. And if he is in a place, he is less than the place that contains him. And if he is less than something, how is he greater than all, or highest? So much for that.’” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 17.3 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-3). ## Homilies 17.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-4 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon argues that Jesus distinguished the good, unknown Father from the just Creator whom Scripture proclaims. ### Greek text Ὅτι δὲ ἀληθῶς οὐδὲ τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ διδασκάλου αὐτοῦ ῥηθέντα πιστεύει, φανερόν ἐστιν. τὰ γὰρ ἐναντία αὐτῷ κηρύσσει. ἐκείνου γὰρ εἰπόντος τινὶ, ὡς μανθάνῳ· μή με λέγε ἀγαθόν, ὁ γὰρ ἀγαθὸς εἷς ἐστιν· ἀγαθὸν δὲ εἰπὼν οὐκ ἔτι ἐκεῖνον λέγει τὸν δίκαιον, ὅν αἱ γραφαὶ κηρύσσουσιν, ὅς ἀποκτείνει καὶ ζωοποιεῖ, ἀποκτείνει μὲν τοὺς ἁμαρτάνοντες, ζωοποιεῖ δὲ τοὺς κατὰ γνώμην αὐτοῦ βιοῦντας. ὅτι δὲ ὄντως οὐ τὸν δημιουργὸν ἔλεγεν ἀγαθὸν, τῷ διανοηθῆναι δυναμένῳ σαφές ἐστιν. τοῦ γὰρ δημιουργοῦ ἐγνωσμένου καὶ τῷ πλασθέντι Ἀδὰμ, καὶ τῷ εὐαρεστήσαντι αὐτῷ Ἑνὼχ, καὶ τῷ ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ δικαίῳ ὁραθέντι Νῶε, ὁμοίως καὶ τῷ Ἀβραὰμ καὶ Ἰσαὰκ καὶ Ἰακὼβ, ἀλλὰ καὶ Μωυσῇ καὶ λαῷ καὶ ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ, ὁ διδάσκαλος αὐτοῦ Πέτρου Ἰησοῦς ἐλθὼν ἔλεγεν· οὐδεὶς ἔγνω τὸν πατέρα, εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱός, ὡς οὐδὲ τὸν υἱόν τις οἶδεν εἰ μὴ ὁ πατὴρ, καὶ οἷς ἄν βούληται ὁ υἱὸς ἀποκαλύψαι. εἰ οὖν αὐτὸς υἱὸς ἦν ὁ παρὼν, ἀπὸ τῆς αὐτοῦ παρουσίας οἷς ἐβούλετο τὸν πᾶσιν ἄγνωστον ἀπεκάλυπτεν. καὶ οὕτως τοῖς πρὸ αὐτοῦ πᾶσιν ἄγνωστος ἦν ὁ πατήρ, οὐχ οὕτως ὤν ὁ πᾶσιν ἐγνωσμένος. ### English translation (Claude) “‘That he does not truly believe even what his teacher said is plain, for he preaches the opposite. When his teacher said to someone, as I learn, “Do not call me good, for the good is one,” in saying “good” he no longer means that just one whom the Scriptures proclaim, who kills and makes alive—kills those who sin, and makes alive those who live according to his will. That he really did not call the Creator good is clear to anyone able to reflect. For although the Creator was known to Adam, whom he formed, and to Enoch, who pleased him, and to Noah, whom he saw to be righteous, and likewise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and also to Moses and the people and the whole world, Jesus, this Peter's teacher, came and said: “No one knew the Father except the Son, as no one knows the Son except the Father, and those to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.” If, then, the one who was present was himself the Son, from his coming he revealed to whom he wished the one who was unknown to all. And so the Father was unknown to all before him, and so was not the one known to all.’” ### Scripture references - Mark 10:18: quotation, medium confidence - Luke 18:19: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 19:17: allusion, medium confidence - Deut 32:39: allusion, high confidence - 1 Sam 2:6: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 5:24: allusion, high confidence - Gen 7:1: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 11:27: quotation, high confidence - Luke 10:22: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Simon's argument that the “good” God revealed by Jesus differs from the “just” Creator resembles Marcion's teaching. The sayings: Mark 10:18 and Luke 18:19 (in a shorter form); Deut 32:39 and 1 Sam 2:6 (“kills and makes alive”); Matt 11:27 and Luke 10:22, with “knew” in the past tense, a form also cited by other second-century writers. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 17.4 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-4). ## Homilies 17.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-5 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon charges Jesus with contradicting himself by also calling God just and fearful, and attacks Peter's preference of sight over apparitions. ### Greek text Καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν Ἰησοῦς οὐδὲ αὐτὸς ἑαυτῷ συμφωνεῖ. ἐνίοτε γὰρ ἄλλαις φωναῖς τῶν ἀπὸ τῶν γραφῶν φοβερὸν καὶ δίκαιον συνίστησι Θεὸν λέγων· μὴ φοβηθῆτε ἀπὸ τοῦ ἀποκτείνοντος τὸ σῶμα, τῇ δὲ ψυχῇ μὴ δυναμένου τι ποιῆσαι φοβήθητε τὸν δυνάμενον καὶ σῶμα καὶ ψυχὴν εἰς τὴν γέενναν τοῦ πυρὸς βαλεῖν. ναὶ λέγω ὑμῖν, τοῦτον φοβήθητε. ὅτι δὲ ὄντως τοῦτον φοβηθῆναι ἔλεγεν ὡς δίκαιον Θεὸν, πρὸς ὅν καὶ ἀδικουμένους βοᾶν λέγει, παραβολὴν εἰς τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἐπάγει τὴν ἑρμηνείαν λέγων· εἰ οὖν ὁ κριτὴς τῆς ἀδικίας ἐποίησεν οὕτως, διὰ τὸ ἑκάστοτε ἀξιωθῆναι, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ὁ πατὴρ ποιήσει τὴν ἐκδίκησιν τῶν βοώντων πρὸς αὐτὸν ἡμέρας καὶ νυκτός; ἢ διὰ τὸ μακροθυμεῖν αὐτὸν ἐπʼ αὐτοῖς δοκεῖτε ὅτι οὐ ποιήσει; λέγω ὑμῖν, ποιήσει, καὶ ἐν τάχει. ὁ δὲ ἐκδικοῦντα καὶ ἀμειβόμενον λέγων Θεὸν δίκαιον αὐτὸν τῇ φύσει συνίστησιν, καὶ οὐκ ἀγαθόν. ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἐξομολογεῖται τῷ κυρίῳ οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς. εἰ δὲ κύριός ἐστιν οὐρανοῦ καὶ γῆς, ὁμολογεῖται δημιουργός, δημιουργὸς δὲ ὢν δίκαιός ἐστιν. ποτὲ μὲν ἀγαθὸν λέγων, ποτὲ δὲ δίκαιον, οὐδʼ οὕτως συμφωνεῖ. τρίτον δὲ ὁ σοφὸς αὐτοῦ μαθητὴς ἐχθὲς δασχυρίζετο, ἐνάργειαν ὀπτασίας ἱκανωτέραν εἶναι, οὐκ εἰδὼς ὅτι ἡ ἐνάργεια ἀνθρωπεία εἶναι δύναται, ἡ δὲ ὀπτασία θεότητος εἶναι ὁμολογεῖται. ### English translation (Claude) “‘And in saying this Jesus does not even agree with himself. For sometimes, in other sayings taken from the Scriptures, he presents God as fearful and just, saying: “Do not be afraid of the one who kills the body but can do nothing to the soul; fear him who can cast both body and soul into the Gehenna of fire. Yes, I tell you, fear him.” And that he really meant that this one is to be feared as a just God—the one to whom, he says, those who are wronged cry out—he shows by telling a parable on this point and adding its interpretation: “If, then, the judge of unrighteousness acted thus because he was entreated again and again, how much more will the Father avenge those who cry to him day and night? Or do you think that, because he is patient with them, he will not do it? I tell you, he will do it, and quickly.” Now one who speaks of God as avenging and rewarding presents him as just by nature, and not good. Further, he gives thanks to the Lord of heaven and earth. If he is Lord of heaven and earth, he is acknowledged to be the Creator; and being Creator, he is just. Calling him sometimes good and sometimes just, he does not agree with himself even so. Thirdly, his wise disciple insisted yesterday that direct sight is more trustworthy than an apparition, not knowing that direct sight can be merely human, while an apparition is acknowledged to come from the divinity.’” ### Scripture references - Matt 10:28: quotation, high confidence - Luke 12:4: quotation, high confidence - Luke 12:5: quotation, high confidence - Luke 18:6: quotation, high confidence - Luke 18:7: quotation, high confidence - Luke 18:8: quotation, high confidence - Matt 11:25: allusion, high confidence - Luke 10:21: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “Direct sight” renders ἐνάργεια (plain, waking perception); “apparition” renders ὀπτασία, kept distinct from ὅραμα (“vision”) and ἐνύπνιον (“dream”) in 17.13–19. - Sayings: Matt 10:28 and Luke 12:4–5 (combined); Luke 18:6–8 (freely, with “the Father” for “God”); Matt 11:25 and Luke 10:21. “His wise disciple” is Peter, spoken of ironically; the argument over sight and visions is taken up in 17.13–19. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 17.5 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-5). ## Homilies 17.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-6 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter goes out and explains that Jesus taught by brief pronouncements, which the disciples had explained to them privately. ### Greek text Ταῦτα καὶ τὰ τούτοις ὅμοια, Πέτρε, ὁ Σίμων τοῖς ὄχλοις ἔξω ἑστὼς καὶ διαλεγόμενος, ταράσσειν μοι δοκεῖ τοὺς πλείονας. διὸ ἐξαυτῆς ἔξιθι, ἀληθείας δυνάμει τοὺς αὐτοῦ ψευδεῖς ἐκλύων λόγους. ταῦτα τοῦ Ζακχαίου εἰπόντος ὁ Πέτρος συνήθως εὐξάμενος ἐξῄει, καὶ εἰς τὸν πρὸ μιᾶς τόπον στάς, καὶ τῷ τῆς θεοσεβείας ἔθει προσαγορεύσας τοὺς ὄχλους, τοῦ λέγειν ἤρξατο οὕτως· ἀληθὴς ὢν προφήτης ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦς, ὡς ἐπὶ καιροῦ καὶ περὶ τούτου πληροφορήσω, περὶ τῶν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ διαφερόντων συντόμως τὰς ἀποφάσεις ἐποιεῖτο, διὰ δύο ταῦτα, ὅτι πρὸς θεοσεβεῖς ἐποιεῖτο τὸν λόγον, εἰδότας τὰ ἀποφάσει ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ ἐκφερόμενα πιστεύειν· οὐδὲ γὰρ ἦν ξένα τῆς αὐτῶν συνηθείας τὰ λεγόμενα. δεύτερον δὲ ὅτι προθεσμίαν ἔχων κηρῦξαι τῷ τῆς ἀποδείξεως οὐκ ἐχρῆτο λόγῳ, ἵνα μὴ εἰς λόγους τὸν πάντα τῆς προθεσμίας δαπανῷ χρόνον, καὶ οὕτως αὐτῷ συμβήσεται, εἰς ὀλίγων λόγων ἐπιλύσεις ἀσχολεμένῳ, τῶν ὑπὸ πόνου ψυχῆς νοεῖσθαι δυναμένων, τοὺς ἀληθείᾳ διαφέροντας μὴ ἐπὶ πλεῖον εἰσφέρειν λόγους. ἐπειδὴ περὶ ὧν ἤθελεν ἀπεφαίνετο, ὡς λαῷ νοεῖν δυναμένῳ, ἀφʼ ὧν ἐσμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς, οἳ ὁπότε κατὰ τὸ σπάνιον οὐκ ἐνοήσαμεν τῶν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ ῥηθέντων, ἰδίᾳ ἐπυνθανόμεθα, μὴ ἡμῖν τι τῶν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ ῥηθέντων ἀνόητον ᾖ. ### English translation (Claude) “By saying these things and the like, Peter, as he stands outside speaking to the crowds, Simon seems to me to be unsettling most of them. So go out at once and undo his false arguments by the power of truth.” When Zacchaeus had said this, Peter prayed as usual and went out; and standing in the same place as the day before and greeting the crowds after the custom of godliness, he began to speak thus: “Our Lord Jesus, being a true prophet—as I will fully convince you about this too at the proper time—made brief pronouncements on matters that bear on the truth, for these two reasons. First, because he was speaking to godly people, who knew how to believe what he declared by bare pronouncement; for what was said was not foreign to their customs. Second, because, having a set time for preaching, he did not use the method of proof, so as not to spend the whole of the set time on arguments; otherwise it would have happened that, busy with solving a few arguments that the soul can understand by its own labor, he would not have brought forward more of the words that bear on the truth. For he declared what he wished as to a people able to understand—and we were among them. And whenever, rarely, we did not understand something he had said, we asked him privately, so that nothing he said should be beyond our understanding.” ### Scripture references - Mark 4:34: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The disciples' asking Jesus privately recalls Mark 4:10, 34. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 17.6 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-6). ## Homilies 17.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-7 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter teaches that God has a most beautiful form, after which man was molded, so that whatever is done to a human being is done to God. ### Greek text Εἰδὼς οὖν ἡμᾶς εἰδότας πάντα τὰ ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ ῥηθέντα καὶ τὰς ἀποδείξεις παρασχεῖν δυναμένους, εἰς τὰ ἀμαθῆ ἔθνη ἀποστέλλων ἡμᾶς, βαπτίζειν αὐτοὺς εἰς ἄφεσιν ἁμαρτιῶν, ἐνετείλατο ἡμῖν πρότερον διδάξαι αὐτούς· ἀφʼ ὧν ἐντολῶν αὕτη πρώτη καὶ μεγάλη τυγχάνει, τὸ φοβηθῆναι κύριον τὸν Θεὸν καὶ αὐτῷ μόνῳ λατρεύειν. Θεὸν δὲ φοβεῖσθαι ἐκεῖνον εἶπεν, οὗ οἱ ἄγγελοι οἱ τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν ἐλαχίστων πιστῶν ἐν τῷ οὐρανῷ ἑστήκασιν θεωροῦντες τὸ πρόσωπον τοῦ πατρὸς διαπαντός. μορφὴν γὰρ ἔχει, διὰ πρῶτον καὶ μόνον κάλλος· καὶ πάντα μέλη, οὐ διὰ χρῆσιν· οὐ γὰρ διὰ τοῦτο ὀφθαλμοὺς ἔχει, ἵνα ἐκεῖθεν βλέπῃ· πανταχόθεν γὰρ ὁρᾷ, τοῦ ἐν ἡμῖν βλεπτικοῦ πνεύματος ἀπαραβλήτως λαμπρότερος ὤν τὸ σῶμα, καὶ παντὸς φωτὸς στιλπνότερος, ὡς πρὸς σύγκρισιν αὐτοῦ τὸ ἡλίου φῶς λογισθῆναι σκότος. ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ διὰ τοῦτο ὦτα ἔχει, ἵνα ἀκούῃ, πανταχόθεν γὰρ ἀκούει, νοεῖ, κινεῖ, ἐνεργεῖ, ποιεῖ. τὴν δὲ καλλίστην μορφὴν ἔχει διʼ ἄνθρωπον, ἵνα οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ αὐτὸν ἰδεῖν δυνηθῶσιν, ἵνα χαρῶσιν διʼ ἅ τινα ταῦτα ὑπέμειναν. τῇ γὰρ αὐτοῦ μορφῇ ὡς ἐν μεγίστῃ σφραγίδι τὸν ἄνθρωπον διετυπώσατο, ὅπως ἁπάντων ἄρχῃ καὶ κυριεύῃ, καὶ πάντα αὐτῷ δουλεύῃ. διὸ κρίνας εἶναι τὸ πᾶν αὐτὸν, καὶ τὴν αὐτοῦ εἰκόνα τὸν ἄνθρωπον, αὐτὸς ἀόρατος, ἡ δὲ αὐτοῦ εἰκὼν ὁ ἄνθρωπος, ὁ αὐτὸν σέβειν θέλων τὴν ὁρατὴν αὐτοῦ τιμᾷ εἰκόνα, ὅπερ ἐστὶν ἄνθρωπος. ὅ τι ἂν οὖν τις ποιήσει ἀνθρώπῳ, εἴτε ἀγαθὸν εἴτε κακὸν, εἰς ἐκεῖνον ἀναφέρεται. διὸ καὶ ἡ ἐξ αὐτοῦ κρίσις πᾶσιν κατʼ ἀξίαν ἀπονέμουσα ἑκάστῳ προελεύσεται. τὴν γὰρ αὐτοῦ μορφὴν ἐκδικεῖ. ### English translation (Claude) “Knowing, then, that we knew all he had said and were able to supply the proofs, when he sent us to the ignorant nations to baptize them for the forgiveness of sins, he commanded us first to teach them. Of these commandments this is the first and great one: to fear the Lord God and to serve him alone. And he said we should fear that God whose angels—the angels of the least of the faithful among us—stand in heaven, always beholding the face of the Father. For he has a form, for the sake of his first and only beauty, and all limbs, not for use. For he does not have eyes in order to see with them, since he sees on every side, being in body incomparably more brilliant than the seeing spirit in us, and more resplendent than any light, so that in comparison with him the light of the sun would be reckoned darkness. Nor does he have ears in order to hear, for he hears on every side; he thinks, moves, acts, makes. He has the most beautiful form for man's sake, so that the pure in heart may be able to see him, and rejoice for all they have endured. For with his own form, as with the greatest seal, he molded man, so that man might rule and be lord over all, and all things might serve him. Therefore, since he judged that he himself is the All, and man his image—he himself being invisible, while his image, man, is visible—whoever wishes to worship him honors his visible image, which is man. Whatever, then, anyone does to a human being, whether good or bad, passes to him. That is why the judgment that comes from him will go forth, allotting to each according to his desert: for he avenges his own form.” ### Scripture references - Matt 28:19: allusion, high confidence - Acts 2:38: echo, medium confidence - Matt 22:38: allusion, high confidence - Deut 6:13: quotation, high confidence - Matt 18:10: allusion, high confidence - Matt 5:8: allusion, high confidence - Gen 1:26: allusion, high confidence - Gen 1:27: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - Allusions: Matt 28:19 with Acts 2:38 (baptism for forgiveness); Matt 22:38 with Deut 6:13 (the first and great commandment given as “fear”); Matt 18:10; Matt 5:8; Gen 1:26–27. The teaching that God has a bodily form is the Homilies' own and was later rejected by most Christian writers. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 17.7 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-7). ## Homilies 17.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-8 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter argues that place is nothing and that, like the sun in the air, God can have a form and yet extend his power infinitely. ### Greek text Ἀλλʼ ἐρεῖ τις· εἰ μορφὴν ἔχῃ, καὶ σχῆμα ἔχει καὶ ἐν τόπῳ ἐστίν· ἐν τόπῳ δὲ ὤν καὶ ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ περιεχόμενος ὡς ἥττων, πῶς ὑπὲρ πάντα ἐστὶν μέγας; πῶς δὲ καὶ πανταχῆ εἶναι δύναται, ἐν σχήματι ὤν; πρὸς τὸν ταῦτα λέγοντα πρῶτον ἔστιν εἰπεῖν· τοιαῦτα περὶ αὐτοῦ αἱ γραφαὶ φρονεῖν πείθουσιν καὶ πιστεύειν, ἡμεῖς δὲ ἀληθεῖς γινώσκομεν τὰς μαρτυρουμένας ὑπὸ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, οὗ κατὰ κέλευσιν τὰς ἀποδείξεις ὑμῖν τοῦ οὕτως ἔχειν ἀνάγκη παρέχειν. πρῶτον δὲ περὶ τόπου ἐρῶ. καὶ Θεοῦ τόπος ἐστὶν τὸ μὴ ὄν, Θεὸς δὲ τὸ ὄν· τὸ δὲ μὴ ὄν τῷ ὄντι οὐ συγκρίνεται. πῶς γὰρ τόπος ὤν εἶναι δύναται; ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ δευτέρα χώρα εἴη, οἷον οὐρανὸς, γῆ, ὕδωρ, ἀὴρ, καὶ εἰ ἄλλο τί ἐστιν σῶμα, ὅ ἂν καὶ αὐτοῦ πληροῦν τὸ κενόν, ὅ διὰ τοῦτο κενὸν λέγεται, ὅτι οὐδέν ἐστιν. τοῦτο γὰρ αὐτῷ, τὸ οὐδὲν, οἰκειότερον ὄνομα. τὸ γὰρ λεγόμενον κενόν τί ποτʼ ὡς σκεῦός ἐστιν οὐδὲν ἔχον, πλὴν αὐτὸ τὸ σκεῦος κενόν, εἴ περ σκεῦος ἔστιν. ἀνάγκη γὰρ πᾶσα τὸ ὄν ἐν τῷ μηδὲν ὄντι εἶναι. τοῦτο δὲ, τὸ μὴ ὄν, λέγω ὅ ὑπό τινων τόπος λέγεται, οὐδὲν ὄν. οὐδὲν δὲ ὄν τῷ ὄντι πῶς συγκρίνεται; ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ ἐν τοῖς ἐναντίοις, ἵνα τὸ μὲν ὄν μὴ ᾖ, τὸ δὲ μὴ ὂν τόπος λέγηται. εἰ δὲ καὶ ἔστιν τι, πολλῶν παραδειγμάτων σπευδόντων ἐξ ἐμοῦ προελθεῖν εἰς ἀπόδειξιν ἑνὶ μόνῳ χρήσασθαι θέλω, ἵνα δείξω, ὅτι οὐ πάντως τὸ περιέχον τοῦ περιεχομένου κρεῖττόν ἐστιν. ὁ ἥλιος σχῆμά ἐστιν περιφερὲς καὶ ὑπὸ ἀέρος ὅλος περιέχεται, ἀλλὰ τοῦτον ἐκλαμπρύνει, τοῦτον θερμαίνει, τοῦτον τέμνει, κἄν ἀπῇ αὐτοῦ, σκότῳ περιβάλλεται, καὶ οὗ ἄν αὐτοῦ μέρους ἀπὼν γένηται, ὡς νεκρούμενον ψύχεται, ὑπὸ δὲ τῆς αὐτοῦ ἀνατολῆς πάλιν φωτίζεται, καὶ ὅπου ἂν αὐτῷ παραθάλπηται, καὶ κάλλει τῷ μείζονι κοσμεῖται. καὶ ταῦτα ποιεῖ τῇ αὑτοῦ μετουσίᾳ, τὴν οὐσίαν περιωρισμένην ἔχων. τί οὖν ἔτι κωλύει τὸν Θεὸν, ὡς τούτου καὶ πάντων δημιουργὸν καὶ δεσπότην ὄντα, αὐτὸν μὲν ἐν σχήματι καὶ μορφῇ καὶ κάλλει ὄντα, τὴν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ μετουσίαν ἀπείρως ἐκτεταμένην ἔχειν; ### English translation (Claude) “But someone will say: ‘If he has a form, he also has a shape and is in a place; and if he is in a place and contained by it, as being less, how is he great above all? And how can he be everywhere, if he is in a shape?’ To one who says this, the first thing to say is that the Scriptures persuade us to think and believe such things about him, and we know that those passages are true which are attested by our Lord Jesus Christ, at whose command we must give you the proofs that it is so. First I will speak about place. The place of God is the nonexistent, while God is the existent; and the nonexistent is not compared with the existent. For how can place be something existent? Unless it is a second space, such as heaven, earth, water, air, and any other body there may be that fills its void—which is called void for this reason, that it is nothing. For ‘nothing’ is a more fitting name for it. What is called void is, as it were, a vessel holding nothing, except that the vessel itself is empty, if indeed it is a vessel. For it is altogether necessary that what exists be in what is nothing. By this nonexistent I mean what some call place, which is nothing. And being nothing, how is it compared with the existent, except among opposites—so that the existent is not, and the nonexistent is called place? But even if it is something, though many examples press to come forth from me as proof, I will use only one, to show that the container is not always superior to what it contains. The sun is a round shape and is wholly surrounded by air; yet it brightens the air, warms it, cuts through it; if it is absent, the air is wrapped in darkness, and whatever part of it the sun leaves grows cold as if it were dying; but by the sun's rising it is lit again, and wherever it is warmed by it, it is adorned with greater beauty. And the sun does these things by imparting itself, though it has a circumscribed substance. What, then, prevents God—the Creator and Lord of this and of all things—while himself being in shape and form and beauty, from having what he imparts from himself extended without limit?” ### Translation notes - The argument about place and the void is compressed and in places obscure; translated as literally as sense allows. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 17.8 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-8). ## Homilies 17.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-9 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter describes God as the center and heart of the universe, from whom six infinite directions extend, corresponding to the six days of creation. ### Greek text Εἶς οὖν ἐστιν ὁ ὄντως Θεὸς, ὅς ἐν κρείττονι μορφῇ προκαθέζεται, τοῦ ἄνω τε καὶ κάτω δὶς ὑπάρχων καρδία, καὶ ἀπʼ αὑτοῦ ὥσπερ ἀπὸ κέντρου βρύουσα τὴν ζωτικὴν καὶ ἀσώματον δύναμιν, τὰ πάντα σύν τε ἄστροις καὶ νομοῖς οὐρανοῦ, ἀέρος, ὕδατος, γῆς, πυρὸς καὶ εἰ ἄλλο τί ἐστιν, δείκνυται οὐσία ἄπειρος εἰς ὕψος, ἀπέραντος εἰς βάθος, ἀμέτρητος εἰς πλάτος, τρὶς ἐπʼ ἄπειρον τὴν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ ζωοποιὸν καὶ φρόνιμον ἐκτείνουσα φύσιν. τοῦτο οὖν τὸ ἐξ αὐτοῦ πανταχόθεν ἄπειρον ἀνάγκη εἶναι καρδίαν, ἔχον τὸν ὄντως ὑπὲρ πάντα ἐν σχήματι, ὅς ὅπου πότʼ ἂν ᾖ, ὡς ἐν ἀπείρῳ μέσος ἐστὶν, τοῦ παντὸς ὑπάρχων ὅρος. ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ οὖν ἀρχόμεναι αἱ ἐκτάσεις ἐξ ἀπεράντων ἔχουσιν τὴν φύσιν. ὧν ὁ μὲν ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ λαβὼν τὴν ἀρχὴν δείκνυται εἰς ὕψος ἄνω, ὁ δὲ εἰς βάθος κάτω, ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ δεξιάν, ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ λαιάν, ὁ δὲ ἔμπροσθεν, ὁ δὲ ὄπισθεν, εἰς οὓς αὐτὸς ἀποβλέπων ὡς εἰς ἀριθμὸν πανταχόθεν ἴσον χρονικοῖς ἕξ διαστήμασιν συντελεῖ τὸν κόσμον, αὐτὸς ἀνάπαυσις ὤν καὶ τὸν ἐσόμενον ἄπειρον αἰῶνα εἰκόνα ἔχων, ἀρχὴ ὤν καὶ τελευτή. εἰς αὐτὸν γὰρ τὰ ἕξ ἄπειρα τελευτᾷ, καὶ ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ τὴν εἰς ἄπειρον ἔκτασιν λαμβάνει. ### English translation (Claude) “There is, then, one who is truly God, who presides in a superior form, being twice over the heart of what is above and below, and pouring forth from himself, as from a center, the life-giving and incorporeal power. All things—with the stars and regions of heaven, air, water, earth, fire, and whatever else there is—are shown to be a substance infinite in height, boundless in depth, immeasurable in breadth, extending threefold into infinity the life-giving and wise nature that comes from him. This infinity, then, going out from him on every side, must have as its heart him who truly is above all, in a shape; and wherever he is, he is as it were in the middle of the infinite, being the boundary of the universe. Beginning from him, then, the extensions have their nature from the boundless. One of them, taking its beginning from him, extends upward in height, another downward in depth, another to the right, another to the left, another forward, another backward; and looking to these as to a number equal on every side, he completes the world in six intervals of time, being himself the rest, and having the boundless age to come as his image, being beginning and end. For in him the six infinites end, and from him they take their extension into the infinite.” ### Scripture references - Gen 2:2: allusion, medium confidence - Rev 22:13: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The six directions and the six days of creation, with God as the seventh and the rest, recall Gen 2:2; “beginning and end” recalls Rev 21:6 and 22:13. A similar speculation on the six directions and the seventh occurs in Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 6.16. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 17.9 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-9). ## Homilies 17.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-10 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter calls God the rest of all things, near and far, into whose bosom loving souls are drawn after death. ### Greek text Τοῦτό ἐστιν ἑβδομάδος μυστήριον. αὐτὸς γάρ ἐστιν ἡ τῶν ὅλων ἀνάπαυσις, ὡς τοῖς ἐν μικρῷ μιμουμένοις αὐτοῦ τι μέγα αὑτὸν χαρίζεται εἰς ἀνάπαυσιν. αὐτός ἐστιν μόνος, πῇ μὲν καταληπτὸς, τὰς ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ ἐκτάσεις ἔχων εἰς ἄπειρον. οὗτος γὰρ καταληπτός ἐστιν καὶ ἀκατάληπτος, ἐγγὺς καὶ μακρὰν, ὧδε ὤν κἀκεῖ, ὡς μόνος ὑπάρχων καὶ διὰ τοῦ πανταχόθεν ἀπείρου νοὸς τὴν μετουσίαν, ᾗ πάντων ἀναπνέουσιν αἱ ψυχαὶ, τὸ ζῆν ἔχουσιν· κἄν χωρισθῶσιν τοῦ σώματος, καὶ τὸν εἰς αὐτὸν εὑρεθῶσιν πόθον ἔχουσαι, εἰς τὸν αὐτοῦ κόλπον φέρονται, ὡς ἐν χειμῶνι ὥρας οἱ ἀτμοὶ τῶν ὀρῶν ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ ἡλίου ἀκτίνων ἑλκόμενοι φέρονται πρὸς αὐτὸν ἀθάνατοι. οἵαν οὖν στοργὴν συλλαβεῖν δυνάμεθα, ἐὰν τὴν εὐμορφίαν αὐτοῦ τῷ νῷ κατοπτεύσωμεν! ἄλλως δὲ ἀμήχανον. ἀδύνατον γὰρ κάλλος ἄνευ μορφῆς εἶναι, καὶ πρὸς τὸν αὑτοῦ ἔρωτα ἐπισπᾶσθαί τινα, ἢ καὶ δοκεῖν Θεὸν ὁρᾶν εἶδος οὐκ ἔχοντα. ### English translation (Claude) “This is the mystery of the seventh. For he is the rest of all things, and to those who in small measure imitate his greatness he grants himself as their rest. He alone is, in one respect, comprehensible, having his extensions reaching from him into the infinite. For he is comprehensible and incomprehensible, near and far, here and there, being the only one; and through the sharing of his mind, infinite on every side, by which the souls of all breathe, they have life. And if they are separated from the body and are found to have longing for him, they are borne into his bosom, immortal, as in wintertime the mists of the mountains, drawn by the rays of the sun, are borne up to it. What love, then, can we conceive, if we contemplate his beauty of form with the mind! Otherwise it is impossible. For it is impossible for there to be beauty without form, or for it to draw anyone to love of itself, or for anyone even to think he sees God if God has no appearance.” ### Scripture references - Jer 23:23: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - “Near and far” recalls Jer 23:23. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 17.10 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-10). ## Homilies 17.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-11 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter rejects a formless God and defends the fear of God as the source of good deeds and freedom from other fears. ### Greek text Τινὲς δὲ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀλλότριοι ὄντες, καὶ τῇ κακίᾳ συμμαχοῦντες, προφάσει δοξολογίας ἀσχημάτιστον αὐτὸν λέγουσιν, ἵνα ἄμορφος καὶ ἀνείδεος ὤν μηδενὶ ὁρατὸς ᾖ, ὅπως μὴ περιπόθητος γένηται. νοῦς γὰρ εἶδος οὐχ ὁρῶν Θεοῦ κενός ἐστιν αὐτοῦ. πῶς δὲ καὶ εὔχεταί τις, οὐκ ἔχων πρὸς τίνα καταφύγῃ, εἰς τίνα ἐρείσῃ; ἀντιτυπίαν γὰρ οὐκ ἔχων εἰς κενὸν ἐκβαθρεύεται. ναὶ, φησὶν, οὐ χρὴ Θεὸν φοβεῖσθαι, ἀλλʼ ἀγαπᾶν. φημὶ κἀγώ. ἀλλὰ τοῦτο παρέξει ἑκάστης εὐποιΐας εὐσυνειδησία. ἡ δὲ εὐποιΐα ἐκ τοῦ φοβεῖσθαι γίνεται. ἀλλʼ ὁ φόβος, φησίν, ἐκπλήσσει τὴν ψυχήν. ἀλλʼ ἐγώ φημι ὅτι οὐκ ἐκπλήσσει, ἀλλʼ ἐξυπνίζει καὶ ἐπιστρέφει. ἴσως δὲ ὀρθῶς ἐλέγετο μὴ δεῖν Θεὸν φοβεῖσθαι, εἰ μὴ πολλὰ ἕτερα οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐφοβούμεθα, λέγω δὴ τὰς ἐκ τῶν ὁμοίων ἐπιβουλὰς, ἔτι δὲ θηρία, ἑρπετὰ, νόσους, πάθη, δαίμονας καὶ ἄλλα μυρία. ὁ οὖν ἡμᾶς ἀξιῶν μὴ φοβεῖσθαι Θεὸν, τούτων ἡμᾶς ῥυσάσθω, ἵνα μηδὲ ταῦτα φοβώμεθα. εἰ δὲ οὐ δύναται, τί ἡμῖν φθονεῖ, ἑνὶ φόβῳ, τῷ πρὸς τὸ δίκαιον, μυρίων ἀπαλλαγῆναι φόβων, βραχείᾳ τῇ πρὸς αὐτὸν πίστει μυρία πάθη καὶ ἑαυτῶν καὶ ἄλλων μετατιθέναι δυνατὸν γενέσθαι, μετὰ τοῦ καὶ ἀμοιβὴν ἀγαθῶν προςδέχεσθαι, καὶ αἰτίᾳ φόβου τοῦ πάντα ὁρῶντος Θεοῦ μηδὲν κακὸν πράσσοντας καὶ ἐν τῷ παρόντι ἐν εἰρήνῃ διατελεῖν. ### English translation (Claude) “But some, being strangers to the truth and allies of wickedness, say under a pretext of glorifying him that he has no shape, so that, being formless and without appearance, he may be visible to no one, so that he may not be longed for. For a mind that does not see the form of God is empty of him. And how can anyone pray, having no one to flee to, no one to lean on? For having nothing to meet him, he is thrown off his foundation into the void. ‘Yes,’ he says, ‘one ought not to fear God, but to love him.’ I say so too. But a good conscience from each good deed will provide this love; and good deeds come from fearing. ‘But fear,’ he says, ‘strikes the soul with terror.’ But I say that it does not strike it with terror, but wakens it and turns it back. Perhaps it would rightly be said that one ought not to fear God, if we human beings did not fear many other things—I mean plots from our fellows, and further wild beasts, reptiles, diseases, sufferings, demons, and countless other things. Let him, then, who requires us not to fear God rescue us from these, so that we may not fear them either. But if he cannot, why does he begrudge us being freed from countless fears by one fear, the fear of the Just One; being able, by a little faith in him, to remove countless sufferings, our own and others'; while also expecting a reward of good things, and, through fear of God who sees all, doing no evil and so continuing in peace even in the present?” ### Scripture references - 1 John 4:18: echo, low confidence - Matt 17:20: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The objection that God should be loved, not feared, may echo 1 John 4:18; the power of “a little faith” recalls Matt 17:20. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 17.11 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-11). ## Homilies 17.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-12 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter teaches that both fear and love of God serve to keep people from sin, and that one who teaches fearlessness denies the judgment. ### Greek text Οὕτως ἡ πρὸς τὸν ὄντως δεσπότην εὐγνώμων δουλεία τοὺς λοιποὺς πάντας ἐλευθέρους τίθησιν. εἰ μὲν οὖν τινι δυνατόν ἐστιν, ἄνευ τοῦ φοβεῖσθαι τὸν Θεὸν μὴ ἁμαρτάνειν, μὴ φοβείσθω. ἔξεστιν γὰρ ἀγάπῃ τῇ πρὸς αὐτὸν ὅ αὐτῷ μὴ δοκῇ μὴ πράττειν. καὶ γὰρ φοβηθῆναι γέγραπται, καὶ ἀγαπᾶν παρήγγελται· ἵνα πρὸς τὴν αὑτοῦ ἕκαστος κρᾶσιν ἐπιτηδείῳ χρήσηται φαρμάκῳ. φοβεῖσθαι οὖν αὐτὸν ἔστιν, ὅτι δίκαιός ἐστιν. εἴτε οὖν φοβούμενοι, εἴτε ἀγαπῶντες, μὴ ἁμαρτάνετε. γένοιτο δὲ φοβούμενόν τινα ἡδονῶν ἀνόμων κρατεῖν δύνασθαι, ἀλλότρια μὴ ἐπιθυμεῖν, φιλανθρωπίαν ἀσκεῖν, σωφρονεῖν, δικαιοπραγεῖν. ὁρῶ γάρ τινας ἀτελεῖς τῷ πρὸς αὐτὸν φόβῳ πλεῖστα ἁμαρτάνοντας. φοβηθῶμεν οὖν τὸν Θεὸν, μὴ μόνον ὅτι δίκαιός ἐστιν. ἐλεῶν γὰρ τοὺς ἠδικημένους τιμωρεῖ τοὺς ἠδικηκότας. ὡς οὖν ὕδωρ πῦρ σβέννυσιν, οὕτως καὶ φόβος τὴν τῶν κακῶν ἐπιθυμίαν ἀναιρεῖ. ὁ ἀφοβίαν διδάσκων οὐδʼ αὐτὸς φοβεῖται, ὁ δὲ μὴ φοβούμενος οὐδὲ κρίσιν ἔσεσθαι πιστεύει, τὰς ἐπιθυμίας αὔξει, μαγεύει, ἄλλους ἐφʼ οἷς αὐτὸς πράσσει διαβάλλει. ### English translation (Claude) “Thus a grateful service toward the true Master sets one free from all others. If, then, it is possible for anyone not to sin without fearing God, let him not fear; for he may, out of love for him, refrain from doing what does not please him. For it is written that we should fear, and it is also commanded that we should love, so that each may use the remedy suited to his own temperament. It is right, then, to fear him, because he is just. So whether you fear or love, do not sin. Would that one who fears were able to master lawless pleasures, not to desire what belongs to another, to practice kindness, to be self-controlled, to act justly! For I see some who, imperfect in their fear of him, sin a great deal. Let us fear God, then, and not only because he is just; for in pitying those who are wronged he punishes those who have done the wrong. As water quenches fire, so fear takes away the desire for evil. One who teaches fearlessness is himself without fear; and one who does not fear does not even believe there will be a judgment: he increases his desires, practices magic, and slanders others for what he himself does.” ### Scripture references - Deut 6:13: allusion, high confidence - Deut 6:5: allusion, high confidence - Deut 10:12: echo, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The commands to fear and to love God: Deut 6:13 and 6:5 (cf. Deut 10:12). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 17.12 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-12). ## Homilies 17.13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-13 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon argues that a divine apparition gives more certainty than seeing and hearing a man in person. ### Greek text Ταῦτα ὁ Σίμων ἀκούων ἐπικόψας ἔφη· οἶδα πρὸς τίνα ταῦτα λέγεις, ἀλλʼ ἵνα μὴ αὐτὸς τὰ αὐτὰ λέγων πρὸς τὸ ἐλέγχειν σε δαπανῶ τὸν χρόνον εἰς ἃ μὴ θέλω, πρὸς τὰ ὁρισθέντα ἡμῖν ἀπόκριναι. ἐπηγγείλω, ἱκανῶς νενοηκέναι σε τὰ τοῦ διδασκάλου σου λέγων, διὰ τὸ παρόντα ἐναργείᾳ ὁρᾶν καὶ ἀκούειν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἑτέρῳ τινὶ μὴ δυνατὸν εἶναι ὁράματι ἢ ὀπτασίᾳ ἔχειν τὸ ὅμοιον. ὅτι δὲ τοῦτο ψεῦδός ἐστιν, δείξω. ὁ ἐναργῶς ἀκούων τινὸς οὐ πάνυ πληροφορεῖται ἐπὶ τοῖς λεγομένοις. ἔχει γὰρ ὁ νοῦς αὐτοῦ λογίσασθαι, μὴ ἄρα ψεύδεται, ἄνθρωπος ὤν τὸ φαινόμενον. ἡ δὲ ὀπτασία ἅμα τῷ ὀφθῆναι πίστιν παρέχει τῷ ὁρῶντι, ὅτι θειότης ἐστίν. πρὸς τοῦτό μοι πρῶτον ἀπόκριναι. ### English translation (Claude) Hearing this, Simon interrupted and said: “I know whom you are aiming at with these words. But so that I may not spend my time on what I do not wish by saying the same things myself in refuting you, answer on the points we agreed. You declared that you had understood your teacher's teachings adequately because you saw and heard him present, by direct sight, and that it is not possible for anyone else to have the like by a vision or an apparition. That this is false I will show. One who hears someone by direct sight is not at all fully assured of what is said. For his mind can reason whether what appears is perhaps lying, being a man. But an apparition, in the very act of being seen, gives the seer confidence that it is divine. Answer me this first.” ### Scripture references - Gal 1:12: echo, medium confidence - 1 Cor 15:8: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Many scholars read Simon in 17.13–19 as standing for Paul, who claimed to know Jesus through revelation (Gal 1:12, 16; 1 Cor 9:1; 15:8), against Peter, who had been with him. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 17.13 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-13). ## Homilies 17.14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-14 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter answers that a known prophet can be questioned, while apparitions and dreams may come from deceiving demons. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· εἰς ἄλλο προτείνας εἰπεῖν, εἰς ἕτερον ἀπεκρίνου. προέτεινας γὰρ ὡς μᾶλλον δύνασθαί τινα πλεῖον νοεῖν παρʼ ὀπτασίας ἀκούοντα, ἢ γὰρ παρὰ τῆς ἐναργείας, ἐπιβαλὼν δὲ ἔπειθες ἡμᾶς, ὅτι ἀσφαλέστερός ἐστιν ὁ ὑπʼ ὀπτασίας ἀκούων τοῦ παρʼ αὐτῆς ἐναργείας ἀκούοντος. πέρας γοῦν διὰ τοῦτο ἐμοῦ ἱκανώτερον ἔφασκες εἰδέναι τὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ, ὡς ὑπʼ ὀπτασίας αὐτοῦ ἀκηκοὼς τὸν λόγον. πλὴν ἐγὼ εἰς τὸ ἀπαρχῆς προταθὲν ἀποκριναίμην. ὁ προφήτης, ὅτι προφήτης ἐστὶν, πληροφορήσας πρῶτον περὶ τῶν ἐναργῶς ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ λεγομένων, ἀσφαλῶς πιστεύεται, ἀληθὴς ὤν προεπιγνωσθείς, καὶ ὡς ὁ μανθάνων θέλει, ἐξετασθεὶς καὶ ἀνακριθεὶς ἀποκρίνεται. ὁ δὲ ὀπτασίᾳ πιστεύων ἢ ὁράματι καὶ ἐνυπνίῳ, ἐπισφαλής ἐστιν. ἀγνοεῖ γὰρ τίνι πιστεύει. ἐνδέχεται γὰρ αὐτὸν ἢ δαίμονα κακὸν εἶναι, ἢ πνεῦμα πλάνον, ἐν τῷ λέγειν ὑποκρινόμενον εἶναι ὅ μή ἐστιν. εἰ ἄρα τις βουληθείη πυνθάνεσθαι τὸ τίς ἄν ὁ φανείς, δύναται λέγειν ἑαυτῷ ὅ βούλεται. καὶ οὕτως ὡς πονηρὸς ἀστράψας, μείνας ὅσον θέλει, ἀποσβέννυται, μὴ παραμείνας τῷ πυνθανομένῳ εἰς ἀνάκρισιν ὅσον ἠθέλησεν. διὰ δὲ ἐνυπνίων ὁρῶν τις οὐδὲ πυνθάνεσθαι δύναται περὶ ὧν βούλεται. οὐ γὰρ ἰδίας ἐξουσίας ἐστὶν ὁ λογισμὸς τοῦ κοιμωμένου. ἔνθεν γοῦν πολλὰ ἡμεῖς οἱ παρεπιθυμοῦντες μαθεῖν κατʼ ὄναρ περὶ ἑτέρων πυνθανόμεθα, ἢ καὶ μὴ πυνθανόμενοι περὶ τῶν μὴ διαφερόντων ἡμῖν ἀκούμεν, καὶ διυπνισθέντες ἀθυμοῦμεν, ὅτι περὶ ὧν ἐπιθυμοῦμεν μαθεῖν, οὔτε ἠκούσαμεν, οὔτε ἐξητάσαμεν. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter said: “You proposed to speak to one point and answered on another. For you proposed that one could understand more by hearing from an apparition than from direct sight; but as you went on, you tried to persuade us that one who hears through an apparition is surer than one who hears by direct sight. Indeed, it was on this ground that you claimed to know the things of Jesus better than I, as having heard his word through an apparition. But I will answer what was proposed at the start. The prophet, having first given full assurance that he is a prophet, is believed with certainty in what he says directly, since he has already been recognized as true; and, questioned and examined as the learner wishes, he answers. But one who trusts an apparition, or a vision and a dream, is on unsafe ground; for he does not know whom he is trusting. It may be an evil demon or a deceiving spirit, pretending in what it says to be what it is not. And if one should wish to ask who it is that appeared, it can say of itself whatever it likes. And so, like an evil thing, it flashes out, stays as long as it wishes, and is extinguished, not staying with the inquirer for questioning as long as he wished. And one who sees by dreams cannot even ask about what he wishes; for the reasoning of a sleeper is not under his own control. So it is that we, who long to learn about many things, in our dreams ask about other things, or without asking hear about things that do not concern us, and on waking we are disheartened because we neither heard nor examined what we desired to learn.” ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 17.14 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-14). ## Homilies 17.15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-15 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon claims only the righteous receive true dreams; Peter undertakes to prove that the ungodly also do. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· εἰ φῂς τὰς ὀπτασίας μὴ πάντως ἀληθεύειν, ἀλλʼ οὖν γε τὰ ὁράματα καὶ τὰ ἐνύπνια θεόπεμπτα ὄντα οὐ ψεύδεται, περὶ ὧν ἄν εἰπεῖν θέλῃ. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· ὀρθῶς ἔφης, ὅτι θεόπεμπτα ὄντα οὐ ψεύδεται. ἄδηλον δὲ εἰ ὁ ἰδὼν θεόπεμπτον ἑώρακεν ὄνειρον. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· ἐὰν ᾖ ὁ ἑωρακὼς δίκαιος, ἀληθὲς ἑώρακεν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ὀρθῶς ἔφης. τίς δὲ δίκαιος, εἰ ὁράματος χρῄζῃ, ἵνα μάθῃ ἃ δεῖ μαθεῖν, καὶ ποιῇ ἅ δεῖ ποιεῖν; καὶ ὁ Σίμων· τοῦτό μοι δός, ὅτι μόνος ὁ δίκαιος ὅραμα ἀληθὲς ἰδεῖν δύναται, καὶ ἀποκρίνομαί σοι εἰς αὐτό. ἐμοὶ ὅτι ἀσεβὴς ἀληθῆ ὄνειρον οὐχ ὁρᾷ. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ἐστιν, καὶ περὶ τούτου ἀγράφως καὶ ἐγγράφως ἀποδεῖξαι δύναμαι, πεῖσαι δὲ οὐκ ἐπαγγέλλομαι. ὁ γὰρ πρὸς ἔρωτα μοχθηρᾶς νεύσας γυναικὸς εἰς ἑτέρας κατὰ πάντα καλῆς πρὸς συμβίωσιν νόμιμον τὸν ἑαυτοῦ οὐ μετατίθησιν νοῦν· ἐνίοτε καὶ ἑαυτοῖς συνειδότες τὴν κρείττονα, προειλημμένοι ἀγαπῶσιν τὴν χείρονα. τοιοῦτόν τι καὶ σὺ πάσχων ἀγνοεῖς. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· παρελόμενος ταῦτα, εἰς ἅ ἐπηγγείλω λέγε. ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἀδύνατον εἶναι δοκεῖ ἀσεβεῖς ἀνθρώπους ὑπὸ Θεοῦ ᾧ δήποτε ὀνειροπολεῖσθαι τρόπῳ. ### English translation (Claude) And Simon said: “Even if you say that apparitions are not always truthful, yet visions and dreams, being sent by God, do not lie about whatever they may wish to say.” And Peter said: “You said rightly that, being sent by God, they do not lie. But it is uncertain whether the one who saw has seen a God-sent dream.” And Simon: “If the one who has seen is righteous, what he has seen is true.” And Peter: “You said rightly. But who is righteous, if he needs a vision to learn what he must learn and to do what he must do?” And Simon: “Grant me this, that only the righteous can see a true vision, and I will answer you on that point. For I hold that an ungodly man does not see a true dream.” And Peter: “He does; and on this I can give proof both from reasoning and from Scripture, though I do not promise to persuade you. For one who has inclined to the love of a wicked woman does not turn his mind to another, good in every way, for a lawful life together; sometimes, though they know the better one well, being already captured, they love the worse. You too are suffering something like this without knowing it.” And Simon said: “Leave this aside and speak to what you promised. For it seems to me impossible that ungodly people should be given dreams by God in any way at all.” ### Translation notes - Peter's reply begins with the single word ἔστιν (“it is so”); rendered “He does” by sense. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 17.15 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-15). ## Homilies 17.16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-16 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter argues that no one can see God, the Son, or an angel in their fleshless form, so that apparitions come from demons. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· μέμνημαι ἐμαυτοῦ, ὡς ἐπηγγειλάμην δεῖξαι, καὶ ἀγράφως καὶ ἐγγράφως περὶ τούτου τὴν ἀπόδειξιν παρέχειν. καὶ νῦν λέγοντος ἄκουε. ἴσμεν πολλοὺς, εἴ γε εὐγνωμονεῖς (ἐπεί γε τοὺς παρεστῶτας κριτὰς ἔχω), εἴδωλα σέβοντας καὶ μοιχεύοντας καὶ κατὰ πάντα ἁμαρτάνοντας ὁράματα καὶ ἀληθεῖς ὀνείρους ὁρῶντας, ἐνίους δὲ καὶ δαιμόνων ὀπτασίας. τὴν ἄσαρκον εἰδέαν οὐ λέγω δύνασθαι πατρὸς ἢ υἱοῦ ἰδεῖν, διὰ τὸ μεγίστῳ φωτὶ καταυγάζεσθαι τοὺς θνητῶν ὀφθαλμούς. ὅθεν τὸ μὴ ὁρασθῆναι τῷ εἰς σάρκα τετραμμένῳ ἀνθρώπῳ οὐ φθονοῦντός ἐστιν Θεοῦ, ἀλλʼ ἐῶντος. ὁ γὰρ ἰδὼν ζῆν οὐ δύναται. ἡ γὰρ ὑπερβολὴ τοῦ φωτὸς τὴν τοῦ ὁρῶντος ἐκλύει σάρκα, ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ Θεοῦ ἀποῤῥήτῳ δυνάμει ἡ σὰρξ εἰς φύσιν τραπῇ φωτός, ἵνα φῶς ἰδεῖν δυνηθῇ, ἢ ἡ τοῦ φωτὸς οὐσία εἰς σάρκα τραπῇ, ἵνα ὑπὸ σαρκὸς ὁραθῆναι δυνηθῇ. τὸ γὰρ ἀτρέπτως πατέρα ἰδεῖν υἱοῦ μόνου ἐστίν. δικαίων δὲ οὐχ ὁμοίως· ἐν γὰρ τῇ ἀναστάσει τῶν νεκρῶν, ὅτʼ ἄν τραπέντες εἰς φῶς τὰ σώματα ἰσάγγελοι γένωνται, τότε ἰδεῖν δυνήσονται. πέρας γοῦν κἄν ἀγγέλων τις ἀνθρώπῳ ὀφθῆναι πεμφθῇ, τρέπεται εἰς σάρκα, ἵνα ὑπὸ σαρκὸς ὀφθῆναι δυνηθῇ. ἄσαρκον γὰρ δύναμιν, οὐ μόνον υἱοῦ, οὐδʼ ἀγγέλου τις δύναται. εἰ δὲ ἴδῃ τις ὀπτασίαν, κακοῦ δαίμονος ταύτην εἶναι νοείτω. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter said: “I remember that I promised to show it, and to give the proof of this both from reasoning and from Scripture. Now hear me as I speak. We know many people—if you are fair-minded (for I have those standing by as judges)—who worship idols, commit adultery, and sin in every way, yet see visions and true dreams, and some also apparitions of demons. For I say that the fleshless form of the Father or of the Son cannot be seen, because the eyes of mortals are dazzled by the exceeding light. So it is not because God begrudges it that he is not seen by man, who has been turned into flesh, but because he spares him. For one who sees him cannot live. For the excess of light dissolves the flesh of the one who sees, unless by the ineffable power of God the flesh is changed into the nature of light, so that it can see light, or the substance of light is changed into flesh, so that it can be seen by flesh. For to see the Father without being changed belongs to the Son alone. It is not so for the righteous: in the resurrection of the dead, when their bodies have been changed into light and they have become like the angels, then they will be able to see him. Indeed, even if one of the angels is sent to be seen by a human being, he is changed into flesh, so that he can be seen by flesh. For no one can see the fleshless power not only of the Son, but even of an angel. And if anyone sees an apparition, let him understand that it comes from an evil demon.” ### Scripture references - Exod 33:20: allusion, high confidence - Luke 20:36: allusion, high confidence - John 6:46: echo, medium confidence - 1 Tim 6:16: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Allusions: Exod 33:20 (no one can see God and live); Luke 20:36 (“like the angels,” ἰσάγγελοι); John 6:46 (only the Son has seen the Father). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 17.16 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-16). ## Homilies 17.17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-17 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter cites Abimelech, Pharaoh, and Nebuchadnezzar as ungodly men who received true dreams and visions from God. ### Greek text Πλὴν ὅτι καὶ ἀσεβεῖς ὁράματα καὶ ἐνύπνια ἀληθῆ βλέπουσιν, δῆλόν ἐστιν, καὶ ἐγγράφως ἀποδεῖξαι δύναμαι. πέρας γοῦν ἐν τῷ νόμῳ γέγραπται, ὡς ὁ Ἀβιμέλεχ ἀσεβὴς ὤν, τὴν τοῦ δικαίου Ἀβραὰμ γυναῖκα ἐπὶ κοινωνίᾳ μιᾶναι θελήσας, ἤκουσεν παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ καθʼ ὕπνον, ὡς ἡ γραφὴ λέγει, μὴ θιγεῖν αὐτῆς, ὅτι ἀνδρὶ συνῳκηκυῖά ἐστιν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ὁ Φαραὼ, ἀσεβὴς ἀνὴρ, ἑώρακεν ὄνειρον περί τε πυρῶν εὐφορίας καὶ ἀφορίας, ᾧ ὁ Ἰωσὴφ ἐπιλύων παρὰ Θεοῦ ἔφη τὸν ὄνειρον γεγενῆσθαι. Ναβουχοδονόσορ δὲ, ὁ εἴδωλα σέβων, καὶ τοὺς Θεὸν σέβοντας εἰς πῦρ κελεύσας βληθῆναι, ὄνειρον ὅλου μήκους αἰῶνος ὁρᾷ. καὶ μὴ λεγέτω τις· ἀλλʼ ὅραμα ἐγρηγορὼς οὐδεὶς ἀσεβῶν θεωρεῖ. ψεῦδός ἔστιν. αὐτὸς γοῦν ὁ Ναβουχοδονόσορ τρεῖς ἄνδρας κελεύσας βληθῆναι εἰς πῦρ, ἐνιδὼν τῇ καμίνῳ τέταρτον ἔφη· τὸν τέταρτον ὁρῶ ὡς υἱὸν θεοῦ. καὶ ὅμως ὀπτασίας τε καὶ ὁράματα καὶ ἐνύπνια ὁρῶντες ἀληθῆ, ἀσεβεῖς ἦσαν. οὕτως οὐ πάντως ἐκ τοῦ ὁρᾶν τινα ὁράματα καὶ ἐνύπνια καὶ ὀπτασίας πάντως εὐσεβής ἐστιν. τῷ γὰρ εὐσεβεῖ ἐμφύτῳ καὶ καθαρῷ ἀναβλύζει τῷ νῷ τὸ ἀληθὲς, οὐκ ὀνείρῳ σπουδαζόμενον, ἀλλὰ συνέσει ἀγαθοῖς διδόμενον. ### English translation (Claude) “But that the ungodly too see true visions and dreams is plain, and I can prove it from Scripture. In the law it is written that Abimelech, who was ungodly and wished to defile the wife of righteous Abraham by lying with her, heard from God in his sleep, as the Scripture says, that he was not to touch her, because she was living with a husband. And Pharaoh too, an ungodly man, saw a dream about the plenty and the failure of the wheat, and Joseph, interpreting it, said that the dream had come from God. And Nebuchadnezzar, who worshiped idols and ordered those who worshiped God to be thrown into fire, sees a dream of the whole length of the age. And let no one say: ‘But none of the ungodly sees a vision while awake.’ That is false. For Nebuchadnezzar himself, having ordered three men to be thrown into fire, looked into the furnace and said of a fourth: ‘I see the fourth like a son of God.’ And yet, though they saw apparitions and visions and true dreams, they were ungodly. So it does not at all follow that one who sees visions and dreams and apparitions is godly. For in the godly person the truth wells up in his innate and pure mind—not striven for by a dream, but given to the good through understanding.” ### Scripture references - Gen 20:3: allusion, high confidence - Gen 20:6: allusion, high confidence - Gen 41:25: allusion, high confidence - Dan 2:31: allusion, high confidence - Dan 3:25 (3:92 LXX): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - References: Gen 20:3–7; Gen 41:1–32 (41:25); Dan 2:1–45; Dan 3:19–25 (LXX 3:92). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 17.17 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-17). ## Homilies 17.18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-18 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains that true revelation, like his confession of Christ, arises within without visions, while visions and dreams signify God's anger. ### Greek text Οὕτως γὰρ κἀμοὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πατρὸς ἀπεκαλύφθη ὁ υἱός. διὸ οἶδα τίς δύναμις ἀποκαλύψεως, ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ μαθών. ἅμα γὰρ τῷ τὸν κύριον εἰπεῖν, τίνα αὐτὸν λέγουσιν, καὶ ἄλλους ἄλλο τι λέγοντας αὐτὸν ἀκηκοότος ἐμοῦ, ἐπὶ τῆς καρδίας ἀνέβη· οὐκ οἶδα οὖν πῶς εἶπον σὺ εἶ ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ζῶντος Θεοῦ. τὸν δὲ μακαρίσαντά με μηνῦσαί μοι, τὸν ἀποκαλύψαντα πατέρα εἶναι, ἐμὲ δὲ ἔκτοτε μαθεῖν, ὅτι τὸ ἀδιδάκτως, ἄνευ ὀπτασίας καὶ ὀνείρων μαθεῖν ἀποκάλυψίς ἐστιν. καὶ ἀληθῶς οὕτως ἔχει. ἐν γὰρ τῇ ἐν ἡμῖν ἐκ Θεοῦ τεθείσῃ σπερματικῶς πᾶσα ἔνεστιν ἡ ἀλήθεια, Θεοῦ δὲ χειρὶ σκέπεται καὶ ἀποκαλύπτεται, τοῦ ἐνεργοῦντος τὸ κατʼ ἀξίαν ἑκάστου εἰδότος. τὸ δὲ ἔξωθεν διʼ ὀπτασιῶν καὶ ἐνυπνίων δηλωθῆναί τι ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἀποκαλύψεως, ἀλλʼ ὀργῆς, φαίνεται. πέρας γοῦν γέγραπται ἐν τῷ νόμῳ ὅτι ὀργισθεὶς ὁ Θεὸς Ἀαρὼν καὶ Μαριὰμ ἔφη· ἐὰν ἀναστῇ προφήτης ἐξ ὑμῶν, διʼ ὁραμάτων καὶ ἐνυπνίων αὐτῷ γνωρισθήσομαι, οὐχ οὕτως δὲ ὡς Μωυσῇ τῷ θεράποντί μου, ὅτι ἐν εἴδει καὶ οὐ διὰ ἐνυπνίων λαλήσω πρὸς αὐτὸν, ὡς εἴτις λαλήσει πρὸς τὸν ἑαυτοῦ φίλον. ὁρᾷς πῶς τὰ τῆς ὀργῆς διʼ ὁραμάτων καὶ ἐνυπνίων, τὰ δὲ πρὸς φίλον στόμα κατὰ στόμα, ἐν εἴδει, καὶ οὐ διʼ αἰνιγμάτων καὶ ὁραμάτων καὶ ἐνυπνίων, ὡς πρὸς ἐχθρόν. ### English translation (Claude) “For in this way the Son was revealed to me by the Father. So I know what the power of revelation is, having learned it from my own case. For as soon as the Lord asked who people said he was, and I had heard others saying one thing and another about him, it came up into my heart—and I do not know how—and I said: ‘You are the Son of the living God.’ And he, calling me blessed, told me that it was the Father who had revealed it; and from then on I learned that to learn without being taught, without apparition and dreams, is revelation. And truly it is so. For in the soul placed in us by God all the truth is present as a seed; but it is covered and uncovered by the hand of God, who works knowing what each deserves. But for something to be made known from outside, through apparitions and dreams, is plainly a sign not of revelation but of wrath. Indeed it is written in the law that God, angry with Aaron and Miriam, said: ‘If a prophet arises from among you, I will make myself known to him through visions and dreams, but not so as to Moses my servant; for I will speak to him in plain appearance and not through dreams, as one speaks to his own friend.’ You see how the words of wrath come through visions and dreams, but those to a friend mouth to mouth, in plain appearance, and not through riddles and visions and dreams, as to an enemy.” ### Scripture references - Matt 16:13: allusion, high confidence - Matt 16:16: quotation, high confidence - Matt 16:17: allusion, high confidence - Num 12:6: quotation, high confidence - Num 12:7: quotation, high confidence - Num 12:8: quotation, high confidence - Exod 33:11: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The noun after “in the” is missing in the Greek (ἐν γὰρ τῇ … τεθείσῃ); “soul” is supplied by sense. - References: Matt 16:13–17; Num 12:6–8 (freely, with “as one speaks to his friend” from Exod 33:11). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 17.18 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-18). ## Homilies 17.19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-19 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter rejects authority based on visions and rebukes Simon for opposing him, the rock on which the church is founded. ### Greek text Εἰ μὲν οὖν καὶ σοὶ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἡμῶν διʼ ὁράματος ὀφθεὶς ἐγνώσθη καὶ ὡμίλησεν, ὡς ἀντικειμένῳ ὀργιζόμενος, διὸ διʼ ὁραμάτων καὶ ἐνυπνίων ἢ καὶ διʼ ἀποκαλύψεων ἔξωθεν οὐσῶν ἐλάλησεν. εἴ τις δὲ διʼ ὀπτασίαν πρὸς διδασκαλίαν σοφισθῆναι δύναται; καὶ εἰ μὲν ἐρεῖς· δυνατόν ἐστιν, διὰ τί ὅλῳ ἐνιαυτῷ ἐγρηγορόσιν παραμένων ὡμίλησεν ὁ διδάσκαλος; πῶς δέ σοι καὶ πιστεύσομεν αὐτὸ, κἄν ὅτι ὤφθη σοι; πῶς δέ σοι καὶ ὤφθη, ὁπότε αὐτοῦ τὰ ἐναντία τῇ διδασκαλίᾳ φρονεῖς; εἰ δὲ ὑπʼ ἐκείνου μιᾶς ὥρας ὀφθεὶς καὶ μαθητευθεὶς ἀπόστολος ἐγένου, τὰς ἐκείνου φωνὰς κήρυσσε, τὰ ἐκείνου ἑρμήνευε, τοὺς ἐκείνου ἀποστόλους φίλει, ἐμοὶ τῷ συγγενομένῳ αὐτῷ μὴ μάχου. πρὸς γὰρ στερεὰν πέτραν ὄντα με, θεμέλιον ἐκκλησίας, ἐναντίος ἀνθέστηκάς μοι. εἰ μὴ ἀντικείμενος ἦς, οὐκ ἄν με διαβάλλων τὸ διʼ ἐμοῦ κήρυγμα ἐλοιδόρεις, ἵνα ὅ παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου αὐτὸς παρὼν ἀκήκοα, λέγων μὴ πιστεύωμαι, δῆλον ὅτι ὡς ἐμοῦ καταγνωσθέντος καὶ ἐμοῦ εὐδοκιμοῦντος. ἢ εἰ κατεγνωσμένον με λέγεις, Θεοῦ τοῦ ἀποκαλύψαντός μοι τὸν Χριστὸν κατηγορεῖς, καὶ τοῦ ἐπὶ ἀποκαλύψει μακαρίσαντός με καταφέρεις. ἀλλʼ ἐπεί περ ἀληθῶς τῇ ἀληθείᾳ συνεργῆσαι θέλεις, μάθε πρῶτον παρʼ ἡμῶν, ἅ ἡμεῖς παρʼ ἐκείνου ἐμάθομεν, καὶ μαθητὴς ἀληθείας γεγονὼς γένου ἡμῖν συνεργός. ### English translation (Claude) “If, then, our Jesus appeared to you too in a vision, made himself known, and spoke with you, it was as one angry with an adversary; that is why he spoke through visions and dreams, or through revelations that come from outside. But can anyone be made wise enough to teach through an apparition? And if you say, ‘It is possible,’ why did the teacher remain and converse for a whole year with people who were awake? And how shall we believe you even in this, that he appeared to you? And how did he appear to you, when you hold views contrary to his teaching? But if you became an apostle by being seen by him and taught for a single hour, proclaim his sayings, interpret his teachings, love his apostles, and do not fight with me, who was with him. For you have stood against me as an opponent—against me, the firm rock, the foundation of the church. If you were not an adversary, you would not be slandering me and reviling the preaching given through me, so that I may not be believed when I tell what I myself heard from the Lord when I was with him—as though, plainly, I were condemned and you approved. Or if you say that I am condemned, you are accusing God, who revealed the Christ to me, and you are attacking him who called me blessed because of that revelation. But if you truly wish to work together with the truth, first learn from us what we learned from him, and, having become a disciple of the truth, become our fellow worker.” ### Scripture references - Gal 2:11: allusion, high confidence - Matt 16:18: allusion, high confidence - Matt 16:17: allusion, high confidence - Gal 1:12: echo, medium confidence - Gal 1:16: echo, medium confidence - 1 Cor 15:8: echo, medium confidence - Acts 9:3: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Many scholars read this passage as a veiled attack on Paul: the appearance of Jesus in a vision (Acts 9:3–6; 1 Cor 15:8; Gal 1:12, 16), “you have stood against me” and “condemned” (cf. Gal 2:11, where Paul says he opposed Cephas because he “stood condemned”). The Homilies do not name Paul. - “And you approved”: the Greek reads “and I approved” (ἐμοῦ εὐδοκιμοῦντος), apparently a slip; translated by sense. The “whole year” reflects the tradition of a one-year ministry of Jesus. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 17.19 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-19). ## Homilies 17.20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-20 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon refuses to become Peter's disciple and promises to show the next day that the Creator is not the highest good. ### Greek text Ταῦτα ὁ Σίμων ἀκούσας ἔφη· ἀπείη μοι, εἴτε ἐκείνου, εἴτε σου γενέσθαι μαθητήν. οὐδὲ γὰρ ἀγνοῶ ἃ δεῖ γινώσκειν· ἅ δὲ ὡς μανθάνων ἐπυθόμην, ἵνα εἰδῶ εἰ δύνασαι ὀπτασίαν ἐναργείας ἐναργεστέραν δεῖξαι. σὺ δὲ ὡς ἠθέλησας, εἶπες, οὐκ ἔδειξας. καὶ νῦν αὔριόν σοι εἰς τὸν περὶ Θεοῦ, οὗ διισχυρίζῃ δημιουργοῦ, ἐλθὼν καὶ διαλεχθεὶς δείξω μὴ αὐτὸν εἶναι ἀνώτατον ἀγαθὸν, καὶ τὸν σὸν δὲ διδάσκαλον τὰ αὐτά μοι εἰρηκέναι, σὲ δὲ μὴ νενοηκέναι ἐλέγξω. καὶ ταῦτα εἰπὼν ἐξῄει, εἰς ἃ προέτεινεν οὐ θελήσας ἀκοῦσαι. ### English translation (Claude) Hearing this, Simon said: “Far be it from me to become a disciple either of him or of you! For I am not ignorant of what one needs to know. What I asked as though I were learning, I asked in order to find out whether you can show that an apparition is less clear than direct sight. But you said what you pleased; you did not show it. And now, tomorrow I will come to you for the discussion about God, whom you insist is the Creator, and I will show that he is not the highest good; and I will prove that your teacher said the same things as I, and that you did not understand him.” Having said this he went out, not wishing to hear a reply to what he had put forward. ### Translation notes - “Less clear than direct sight” renders ὀπτασίαν ἐναργείας ἐναργεστέραν (literally “an apparition clearer than direct sight”), which contradicts Simon's own point in 17.13–14 and Peter's; the text may be faulty, and the rendering follows the sense of the debate. The reading is uncertain. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 17.20 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/17-1/#p-17-20). ## Homilies 18.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-1 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon opens the debate by claiming that the Creator and lawgiver is just but not good, and so not the highest God whom Jesus called good. ### Greek text Ὄρθρου δὲ, προελθόντος τοῦ Πέτρου εἰς τὸ διαλεχθῆναι, ὁ Σίμων προλαβὼν ἔφη· ἐχθὲς ἀπαλλασσόμενος εἰς τὴν σήμερον ὑπεσχόμην σοι ἐπανελθὼν καὶ συζητήσας δεῖξαι, ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ὁ τὸν κόσμον δημιουργήσας ἀνώτατος Θεὸς, ἀλλʼ ἕτερος, ὅς καὶ μόνος ἀγαθὸς ὤν καὶ μέχρι τοῦ δεῦρο ἄγνωστός ἐστιν. αὐτίκα γοῦν τὸν δημιουργὸν αὐτὸν καὶ νομοθέτην φῂς εἶναι, ἢ οὔ; εἰ μὲν οὖν νομοθέτης ἐστὶν, δίκαιος τυγχάνει, δίκαιος δὲ ὤν ἀγαθὸς οὐκ ἔστιν. εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν, ἕτερον ἐκήρυσσεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς τῷ λέγειν· μή με λέγε ἀγαθόν· ὁ γὰρ ἀγαθὸς εἷς ἐστιν, ὁ πατὴρ ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς. οὐ συμφωνεῖ δὲ τῷ νομοθέτῃ δικαίῳ ὄντι καὶ ἀγαθῷ. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· πρῶτον ἡμῖν εἰπέ, ἐπὶ ποίαις πράξεσιν δοκεῖ σοι ὁ ἀγαθὸς εἶναι, ἐπὶ ποίαις δὲ καὶ ὁ δίκαιος, ἵνα οὕτως κατὰ σκοποῦ τοὺς λόγους πέμπωμεν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· σὺ πρῶτον εἰπὲ, τί σοι δοκεῖ τὸ ἀγαθὸν, ἢ καὶ τὸ δίκαιον. ### English translation (Claude) At daybreak, when Peter came out to hold the discussion, Simon spoke first and said: "Yesterday, as I was leaving, I promised you that I would return today and, in debate, show that the one who fashioned the world is not the highest God, but that there is another, who alone is good and has remained unknown until now. To begin with, then: do you say that the Creator himself is also the lawgiver, or not? If he is the lawgiver, he is just; and being just, he is not good. And if he is not good, then Jesus was proclaiming another when he said, 'Do not call me good; for the good one is one, the Father who is in the heavens.' But in a lawgiver, being just and being good do not agree." And Peter said: "First tell us in what kind of actions you think the good one is shown, and in what kind the just one, so that we may aim our arguments at the mark." And Simon said: "You tell me first what you think the good is, or the just." ### Scripture references - Mark 10:18: quotation, medium confidence - Luke 18:19: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 19:17: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The saying of Jesus is a free form of Mark 10:18 / Luke 18:19 (cf. Matt 19:17), with 'the Father who is in the heavens' added. Simon's position resembles Marcion's distinction between the just Creator and the good God. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.1 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-1). ## Homilies 18.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-2 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter argues that God's goodness shows in giving to all and forgiving the repentant, and his justice in judging each at the end, so the Creator is both good and just. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ἵνα μὴ ἐριστικώτερον διαλεγόμενος δαπανῶ τοὺς χρόνους, ἀπαιτῶν δικαίως τῶν ἐμῶν προτάσεών σε τὰς ἀποκρίσεις ποιεῖσθαι, ὥς σοι δοκεῖ αὐτὸς ὧν ἐπυθόμην ποιήσομαι τὰς ἀποκρίσεις. ἐγώ φημι ἀγαθὸν εἶναι τὸν παρεκτικόν, οἷον ὡς αὐτὸν ὁρῶ ποιοῦντα τὸν δημιουργὸν, παρέχοντα τὸν ἥλιον ἀγαθοῖς καὶ κακοῖς, καὶ τὸν ὑετὸν δικαίοις καὶ ἀδίκοις. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· τοῦτο ἀδικώτατον, ὅτι τὰ αὐτὰ δικαίοις καὶ ἀδίκοις παρέχει. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· σὺ οὖν ἡμῖν τοῦ λοιποῦ λέγε, πῶς ποιῶν ἀγαθὸς ἄν ἦν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· σὲ δεῖ λέγειν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ἐγὼ λέξω. εἰ μὲν τὰ αὐτὰ παρέχων ἀγαθοῖς καὶ δικαίοις, εἴ τε κακοῖς καὶ ἀδίκοις, κατὰ σὲ οὐδὲ δίκαιός ἐστιν, καὶ εἰ ἀγαθοῖς ἀγαθὰ παρεῖχεν, κακοῖς τε κακά, δίκαιον ἄν αὐτὸν εὐλόγως ἔλεγες. ποίᾳ οὖν ἔτι πράξει χρώμενος ἂν ἦν, εἰ μὴ ταύτῃ χρῆται ὁδῷ, κακοῖς μὲν παρέχων τὰ πρόσκαιρα, ἐὰν ἄρα μεταβάλλωνται, ἀγαθοῖς δὲ αἰώνια, ἐάν γε ἐμμείνωσιν; καὶ οὕτως τῷ μὲν πᾶσιν παρέχειν, διαφόροις δὲ χαρίζεσθαι τὸ δίκαιον αὐτοῦ ἀγαθόν ἐστιν, καὶ μακρόθυμον ταύτῃ μᾶλλον, εἰ ἁμαρτωλοῖς μὲν μετανοοῦσιν χαρίζεται τὰ ἁμαρτήματα, εὖ πράξασιν δὲ καὶ ζωὴν αἰώνιον ὑπογράφει. κρίνων δὲ εἰς τέλος, καὶ τὸ κατʼ ἀξίαν ἀπονέμων ἑκάστῳ δίκαιός ἐστιν. εἰ μὲν οὖν ταῦτα ὀρθῶς οὕτως ἔχῃ, ὁμολόγησον. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter said: "So as not to waste the time by arguing too contentiously, though I might justly demand that you give the answers to my questions, I will myself give the answers to what I asked, as you wish. I say that the good one is the one who bestows, as I see the Creator himself doing, providing the sun for the good and the bad, and the rain for the just and the unjust." And Simon said: "That is most unjust, that he provides the same things to the just and the unjust." And Peter said: "Then tell us from here on how he would be good in what he does." And Simon said: "It is for you to say." And Peter said: "I will say it. If, in providing the same things to the good and just and to the bad and unjust, he is by your account not even just, and if, had he given good things to the good and bad things to the bad, you would reasonably call him just, then what other course of action would be left to him, if not this way: providing temporary things to the bad, in case they should change, and eternal things to the good, if they persevere? And so, in giving to all and yet granting favor according to difference, his justice is good; and he is the more long-suffering in this, if he forgives sins to sinners who repent, and also appoints eternal life for those who have done well. But in judging at the end and assigning to each according to his desert, he is just. If this is rightly so, admit it." ### Scripture references - Matt 5:45: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The sun and rain on good and bad alludes to Matt 5:45. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.2 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-2). ## Homilies 18.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-3 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter cites Jesus' answer to the rich questioner, who was sent back to the commandments of the law, to show that the good God and the just lawgiver are the same. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· ἅπαξ ἔφην· πᾶς νομοθέτης, εἰς τὸ δίκαιον ἀφορῶν, δίκαιός ἐστιν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· εἰ ἀγαθοῦ ἐστιν μὴ θεῖναι νόμον, δικαίου δὲ τὸ θέσθαι, καὶ οὕτως ὁ δημιουργὸς ἀγαθός ἐστιν καὶ δίκαιος. ἀγαθὸς μὲν, ὅτι ἀπὸ τῶν χρόνων Ἀδὰμ μέχρι Μωυσέως ἐγγράφως οὐ φαίνεται τεθεικὼς τὸν νόμον· ἀπὸ δὲ Μωυσέως εἰς τοὺς δεῦρο χρόνους, ὡς γέγραπται, καὶ δίκαιός ἐστιν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· ἀπὸ τῶν τοῦ διδασκάλου σου φωνῶν δεῖξον, ὅτι τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐστιν, ἀγαθὸν εἶναι καὶ δίκαιον. ἐμοὶ γὰρ ἀδύνατον φαίνεται, τὸν νομοθέτην ἀγαθὸν ὄντα τὸν αὐτὸν καὶ δίκαιον εἶναι. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ὅτι τὸ ἀγαθὸν αὐτὸ καὶ δίκαιόν ἐστιν, ἐπάκουσον. αὐτὸς ὁ διδάσκαλος ἡμῶν τῷ εἰπόντι Φαρισαίῳ· τί ποιήσας ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονομήσω; πρῶτον ἔφη· μή με λέγε ἀγαθόν· ὁ γὰρ ἀγαθὸς εἷς ἐστιν, ὁ πατὴρ ὁ ἐν τοῖς οὐρανοῖς· εὐθὺς ἐπάξας λέγει· εἰ δὲ θελήσεις τὴν ζωὴν εἰσελθεῖν, τήρησον τὰς ἐντολάς. τοῦ δὲ εἰπόντος, ποίας; ἐπὶ τὰς τοῦ νόμου ἔπεμψεν. οὐκ ἂν δὲ ἕτερόν τινα ἀγαθὸν σημαίνων ἐπὶ τὰς δικαίου ἀνέπεμπεν ἐντολάς. ὅτι δὲ τὸ δίκαιον ἄλλο ἐστὶν, καὶ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἕτερον, καὶ αὐτὸς ὁμολογῶ, ἀλλʼ ὅτι τοῦ αὐτοῦ ἐστιν τὸ ἀγαθὸν εἶναι καὶ δίκαιον, ἀγνοεῖς. ἀγαθὸς γάρ ἐστιν μετανοοῦσι νῦν μακροθυμῶν καὶ ἀποδεχόμενος αὐτούς, δίκαιος δέ ἐστιν, ὅτʼ ἄν κρίνων τὸ κατʼ ἀξίαν ἑκάστῳ ἀπονέμῃ. ### English translation (Claude) And Simon said: "I have said it once: every lawgiver, looking to what is just, is just." And Peter said: "If it belongs to the good one not to lay down a law, and to the just one to lay it down, then even so the Creator is good and just: good, because from the times of Adam until Moses he evidently did not lay down the law in writing; and from Moses to these present times, as it is written, he is also just." And Simon said: "Show from the sayings of your teacher that it belongs to the same being to be good and just. For to me it seems impossible that the lawgiver, if he is good, should be the same one who is just." And Peter said: "Hear, then, that the good one is also just. Our teacher himself, to the Pharisee who said, 'What shall I do to inherit eternal life?', first said, 'Do not call me good; for the good one is one, the Father who is in the heavens'; and at once went on to say, 'But if you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.' And when he said, 'Which ones?', he referred him to those of the law. He would not have sent him back to the commandments of the just one if he were pointing to some other as the good one. That the just is one thing and the good another, I myself also admit; but you do not know that it belongs to the same being to be good and just. For he is good in being long-suffering now toward those who repent and receiving them; but he is just when, in judging, he assigns to each according to his desert." ### Scripture references - Matt 19:16: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 19:17: quotation, high confidence - Mark 10:17: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 18:18: allusion, medium confidence - Rom 5:14: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The questioner is called a Pharisee here (in the Gospels a rich young man or ruler); the saying combines Matt 19:16-17 with Mark 10:17-18 / Luke 18:18-19 in a free form. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.3 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-3). ## Homilies 18.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-4 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon argues from Jesus' saying that no one knew the Father that a hidden Most High exists above the Creator, who is only the Son to whom the Hebrews were allotted. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· πῶς οὖν ἐγνωσμένου τοῦ δημιουργοῦ, τοῦ καὶ τὸν Ἀδὰμ πλάσαντος, καὶ τοῖς κατὰ νόμον δικαίοις ἐγνωσμένου, προσέτι δικαίοις καὶ ἀδίκοις καὶ ὅλῳ τῷ κόσμῳ, ὁ διδάσκαλός σου μετὰ πάντας ἐκείνους ἐληλυθὼς λέγει οὐδεὶς ἔγνω τὸν πατέρα εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱὸς, ὡς οὐδὲ τὸν υἱόν τις οἶδεν, εἰ μὴ ὁ πατὴρ, καὶ οἷς ἄν βούληται ὁ υἱὸς ἀποκαλύψαι; ταῦτα δὲ οὐκ ἄν ἔλεγεν, εἰ μὴ πατέρα τινὰ ἐν ἀποῤῥήτοις ὄντα ἀνήγγελλεν, ὃν καὶ ὕψιστον ὁ νόμος λέγει, ἀφʼ οὗ οὔτε ἀγαθὴ οὔτε κακὴ ἠκούσθη φωνή (ὡς ἐν τοῖς Θρήνοις καὶ Ἰερεμίας μαρτυρεῖ), ὅστις κατʼ ἀριθμὸν τῶν υἱῶν Ἰσραὴλ, οἳ εἰσῆλθον εἰς Αἴγυπτον, οἵ εἰσιν ἑβδομήκοντα, καὶ πρὸς τὰ ὅρια τῶν ἐθνῶν περιγράψας γλώσσαις ἑβδομήκοντα, τῷ αὑτοῦ υἱῷ τῷ καὶ κυρίῳ λεγομένῳ, οὐρανὸν καὶ γῆν διακοσμήσαντι, τοὺς Ἑβραίους ἔδωκεν μερίδα, καὶ αὐτὸν Θεὸν θεῶν εἶναι διώρισεν, θεῶν δὴ λέγω, οἵ τινες τὰς ἄλλας τῶν ἐθνῶν εἰλήφασιν μερίδας. νόμοι οὖν προῆλθον ἀπό τε πάντων τῶν λεχθέντων θεῶν ταῖς αὐτῶν μερίσιν, ἅ τινά ἐστιν τὰ λοιπὰ ἄλλα ἔθνη. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ πάντων κυρίου ὁ παρὰ Ἑβραίοις κείμενος προῆλθε νόμος. τοῦτο δὲ οὕτως ἔχειν ὡρίσθη, ἵνα εἴ τις νόμῳ τινὸς προςφύγῃ, ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκείνου γένηται μερίδος, οὗ δὴ καὶ τὸν νόμον πράττειν ἀνεδέξατο. οὐδεὶς ἔγνω τὸν ἐν ἀποῤῥήτοις ὕψιστον πατέρα ὄντα, ὡς οὐδὲ τὸν τούτου υἱὸν, ὅτι υἱός ἐστιν. αὐτίκα γοῦν σὺ τὰ τοῦ ἀποῤῥήτου ὑψίστου ἴδια διδοὺς τῷ υἱῷ οὐκ οἶδας ὅτι υἱός ἐστιν, πατὴρ ὑπάρχων τοῦ Ἰησοῦ τοῦ καθʼ ὑμᾶς λεγομένου Χριστοῦ. ### English translation (Claude) And Simon said: "How then, when the Creator who also formed Adam was known, and known to the righteous under the law, and moreover to the just and the unjust and to the whole world, does your teacher, coming after all these, say: 'No one knew the Father except the Son, as no one knows even the Son except the Father, and those to whom the Son wishes to reveal him'? He would not have said this unless he were announcing some Father who is in secret, whom the law also calls the Most High, from whom no voice, either good or evil, has been heard (as Jeremiah too testifies in the Lamentations); who, according to the number of the sons of Israel who went into Egypt, who were seventy, having also marked out the boundaries of the nations by seventy languages, gave the Hebrews as a portion to his own Son, who is also called Lord and who arranged heaven and earth, and appointed him to be God of gods, of the gods, I mean, who have received the other portions of the nations. Laws, then, came forth from all the said gods for their own portions, which are all the other nations. Likewise, from the Son of the Lord of all came forth the law that is in force among the Hebrews. And this was established so that, if anyone takes refuge in someone's law, he becomes part of the portion of that one whose law he undertook to keep. No one knew the Most High who is in secret, that he is Father, just as no one knew his Son, that he is Son. So you, for one, in giving to the Son what belongs to the secret Most High, do not know that he is the Son, while the Most High is the Father of the Jesus whom you call the Christ." ### Scripture references - Matt 11:27: quotation, medium confidence - Luke 10:22: quotation, medium confidence - Deut 32:8: allusion, high confidence - Deut 32:9: allusion, medium confidence - Lam 3:38: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 46:27: echo, medium confidence - Deut 10:17: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The saying is Matt 11:27 / Luke 10:22 in a variant form ('no one knew', past tense, with the Father named before the Son), a form also known from Justin and Irenaeus. The allotment of the nations according to the number of the sons of Israel follows the Hebrew of Deut 32:8-9 (the LXX has 'angels of God'); 'no voice, either good or evil' alludes to Lam 3:38; 'God of gods' echoes Deut 10:17. Simon's doctrine of a hidden Father above the Creator is set out as he states it. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.4 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-4). ## Homilies 18.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-5 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter demands that Simon admit he really holds the view he argues, and Simon, after trading insults, finally says he does. ### Greek text Ταῦτα τοῦ Σίμωνος εἰπόντος ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη πρὸς αὐτόν· δύνασαι αὐτὸν ἐκεῖνον διαμαρτύρασθαι, ὅτι οὕτως πιστεύεις, οὐχ ὃν νῦν ἐν ἀποῤῥήτοις λέγεις, ἀλλʼ ὃν σὺ πιστεύων οὐχ ὁμολογεῖς; ἄλλα γὰρ ἀντʼ ἄλλων ὁρίζων φλυαρεῖς. διὸ ἐὰν διαμαρτύρῃ ὅτι ἃ λαλεῖς ταῦτα πιστεύεις, ἀποκρίνομαί σοι. εἰ δὲ ἕστηκας συζητῶν ἐμοὶ ἃ μὴ πιστεύεις, κατὰ κενοῦ με παίειν ἀναγκάζεις. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη παρά τινος τῶν σῶν μαθητῶν ἀκήκοα. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· μὴ ψευδομαρτύρει. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη μή με λοιδόρει, προπετέστατε. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος μέχρις ἂν εἴπῃς τὸν εἰπόντα, ψεύστης εἶ. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· νόμιζε ἐμὲ ταῦτα πλάσαι ἢ καὶ παρὰ ἄλλου ἀκηκοέναι· πρὸς ταῦτα μοι ἀπόκριναι. ἐὰν γὰρ ἀνατραπῆσαι μὴ δυνηθῇ, ἔμαθον τοῦτο εἶναι τὴν ἀλήθειαν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος εἰ ἀνθρώπινόν ἐστιν πλάσμα, οὐκ ἀποκρίνομαι εἰς αὐτό· εἰ δὲ ὑπονοίᾳ αὐτοῦ κεκράτησαι ὡς ἀληθοῦς, τοῦτο αὐτό μοι ὁμολόγησον, καὶ ἔχω τι καὶ αὐτὸς περὶ τούτου λέγειν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἅπαξ μοι δοκεῖ τοῦτο ἔχειν. σὺ πρὸς ταῦτα ἔχῃς τι λέγειν, ἀπόκριναι. ### English translation (Claude) When Simon had said this, Peter said to him: "Can you solemnly swear by that very one that you believe this: not by the one you now say is in secret, but by the one you believe in but do not confess? For you talk nonsense, putting some things in place of others. So if you solemnly declare that you believe what you are saying, I will answer you. But if you stand debating with me things you do not believe, you force me to beat the empty air." And Simon said: "I heard it from one of your disciples." And Peter said: "Do not bear false witness." And Simon said: "Do not abuse me, you most reckless man." And Peter said: "Until you name the one who said it, you are a liar." And Simon said: "Suppose that I made this up, or heard it from someone else: answer me on this. For if it cannot be overthrown, I have learned that this is the truth." And Peter said: "If it is a human fabrication, I will not answer it; but if you have been gripped by the supposition that it is true, admit that very thing to me, and I too have something to say about it." And Simon said: "Once and for all, I think this is so. If you have something to say to it, answer." ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.5 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-5). ## Homilies 18.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-6 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter answers that only the Son can reveal the Father, by an inward revelation rather than by teaching, so Simon, who is not the Son, has no right to reveal him. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· εἰ τοῦτο οὕτως ἔχῃ, τὰ μέγιστα ἀσεβεῖς. εἰ γὰρ υἱοῦ ἐστιν τοῦ οὐρανὸν καὶ γῆν διακοσμήσαντος τὸ ᾧ βούλεται ἀποκαλύπτειν τὸν ἐν ἀποῤῥήτοις αὐτοῦ πατέρα, σὺ μέγιστα, ὡς ἔφην, ἀσεβεῖς ἀποκαλύπτων οἷς ἐκεῖνος οὐκ ἀπεκάλυψεν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· ἀλλʼ αὐτός με βούλεται ἀποκαλύπτειν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· οὐ νοεῖς ἃ λέγω, Σίμων. πλὴν ἀκούσας σύνες· τῷ εἰπεῖν, οἷς ἄν βούληται ὁ υἱὸς ἀποκαλύψει, οὐ διδασκαλίᾳ τινὰ τοιοῦτον μαθεῖν λέγει, ἀλλʼ ἀποκαλύψει μόνον. ἀποκάλυψίς ἐστιν τὸ ἐν πάσαις καρδίαις ἀνθρώπων ἀποῤῥήτως κείμενον κεκαλυμμένον, ἄνευ φωνῆς ταῖς αὐτοῦ βουλαῖς ἀποκαλυπτόμενον. καὶ οὕτως γίνεται γνῶναι, οὐ διδαχθέντα, ἀλλὰ συνέντα. τῷ μέντοι συνέντι οὐκ ἔξεστιν, ἄλλῳ τοῦτο ἀποδεῖξαι, ἐπεὶ μηδʼ αὐτὸς ἐδιδάχθη, οὔτε ἀποκαλύψαι δύναται, ἐπεὶ μὴ αὐτός ἐστιν ὁ υἱός, ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ ἑαυτὸν λέγει εἶναι τὸν υἱόν. σὺ δὲ οὐκ εἶ ὁ ἑστὼς υἱός. εἰ γὰρ υἱὸς ἦς, πάντως ἄν ᾔδης τῆς τοιαύτης ἀποκαλύψεως τοὺς ἀξίους. σὺ δὲ οὐκ οἶδας. εἰ γὰρ ἠπίστασο, τὰ τῶν ἐπισταμένων ἄν ἐποίεις. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter said: "If this is so, you are committing the greatest impiety. For if it belongs to the Son, who arranged heaven and earth, to reveal his Father who is in secret to whom he wishes, then, as I said, you are committing the greatest impiety by revealing him to those to whom that one did not reveal him." And Simon said: "But he himself wishes me to reveal him." And Peter said: "You do not understand what I am saying, Simon. But listen and understand. In saying, 'to whom the Son wishes to reveal him', he does not mean that such a person learns by some teaching, but by revelation alone. Revelation is what lies hidden, in an unspeakable way, in the hearts of all people, and is unveiled without a voice by his will. And so one comes to know, not by being taught, but by understanding. Yet the one who has understood may not demonstrate this to another, since he himself was not taught it; nor can he reveal it, since he is not himself the Son, unless he says that he himself is the Son. But you are not the Standing One, the Son. For if you were the Son, you would certainly know those who are worthy of such a revelation. But you do not know. For if you knew, you would do what those who know do." ### Scripture references - Matt 11:27: quotation, high confidence - Luke 10:22: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 16:17: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - 'The Standing One' (ὁ ἑστώς) was a title claimed by Simon Magus in the Pseudo-Clementine tradition. The quoted saying continues Matt 11:27 / Luke 10:22. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.6 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-6). ## Homilies 18.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-7 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter presses Simon, who wavers between claiming to know the worthy and admitting he did not understand the saying, until Simon asks for a clearer explanation. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· ὁμολογῶ, οὐ συνῆκα πῶς λέγεις, τὰ τῶν ἐπισταμένων ἂν ἐποίεις. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· εἰ οὐ συνῆκας, οὐδὲ τὸν ἑκάστου νοῦν εἰδέναι δύνῃ, καὶ εἰ ἀγνοεῖς, οὐδὲ τοὺς ἀξίους τῆς ἀποκαλύψεως ἐπίστασαι, εἰ δὲ οὐκ ἐπίστασαι, οὐκ εἶ υἱός· ὁ δὲ υἱὸς οἶδεν· διὸ οἷς βούλεται ὡς ἀξίοις οὐσιν ἀποκαλύπτει. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· μὴ ἀπατῶ, οἶδα τοὺς ἀξίους, καὶ υἱὸς οὐκ εἰμί. τοῦτο μέντοι, τί ποτʼ ἔστιν, οἷς βούλεται ἀποκαλύπτει, οὐ συνῆκα ὡς λέγεις· τὸ δὲ μὴ συνιέναι οὐχ ὡς μὴ εἰδὼς εἶπον, ἀλλʼ ὡς εἰδὼς ὅτι οἱ παρεστῶτες οὐ συνῆκαν, ἵνα αὐτὸ σαφέστερον εἴπῃς, ὅπως νοήσωσιν ὧν ἕνεκεν καὶ τὴν ζήτησιν ποιούμεθα. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ἐγὼ σαφέστερον αὐτὸ εἰπεῖν οὐ δύναμαι, σὺ αὐτὸς ὡς νοήσας φράσον. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· ἐγὼ τὰ σὰ οὐκ ἀνάγκην ἔχω λέγειν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· φαίνῃ μοι, Σίμων, μὴ συνιεὶς αὐτὸ, καὶ ὁμολογεῖν μὴ θέλων, ἵνα μὴ ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ φωραθεὶς ἐλεγχθῇς μὴ ὤν σὺ ὁ ἑστὼς υἱός. τοῦτο γὰρ αἰνίσσῃ, κἄν σαφῶς αὐτὸ εἰπεῖν μὴ θέλῃς· ὥστε ἐγὼ μὲν τὰς σὰς βουλὰς ἐξ ὧν αἰνίσσῃ ἐπίσταμαι, προφήτου ἀληθοῦς μαθητὴς ὤν, οὐ προφήτης. σὺ δὲ καὶ τὰ σαφῶς λεγόμενα μὴ συνιὼν υἱὸν ἑαυτὸν εἰπεῖν θέλεις, ἀνθεστὼς ἡμῖν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· ἀρῶ σου πᾶσαν πρόφασιν· ὁμολογῶ, αὐτὸ οὐ συνῆκα, τί ποτʼ ἔστιν, καὶ οἷς ἄν βούληται ὁ υἱὸς ἀποκαλύπτει. λέγε τοίνυν αὐτὸ σαφέστερον. ### English translation (Claude) And Simon said: "I confess I did not understand what you mean by 'you would do what those who know do'." And Peter said: "If you did not understand, you cannot know the mind of each person either; and if you do not know that, you do not know those worthy of the revelation; and if you do not know them, you are not the Son. But the Son knows; therefore he reveals to whom he wishes, as to those who are worthy." And Simon said: "Do not deceive yourself: I do know the worthy, and I am not the Son. But what this means, 'he reveals to whom he wishes', I did not understand as you put it. And I said I did not understand, not as one who does not know, but as one who knows that those standing here did not understand, so that you might state it more clearly, so that those for whose sake we are holding this inquiry may grasp it." And Peter said: "I cannot state it more clearly; you yourself, since you have understood it, explain it." And Simon said: "I am under no necessity to say what is yours to say." And Peter said: "You seem to me, Simon, not to understand it and to be unwilling to admit it, so that you may not be caught in ignorance and shown not to be the Standing One, the Son. For this is what you are hinting at, even if you do not wish to say it plainly. So I know your intentions from what you hint, being the disciple of the true Prophet, not a prophet. But you, not understanding even what is said plainly, wish to call yourself the Son, while you stand against us." And Simon said: "I will take away every excuse from you. I confess I did not understand what it means, even 'to whom the Son wishes, he reveals'. Say it, then, more clearly." ### Scripture references - Matt 11:27: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - 'The true Prophet' is the Pseudo-Clementine title for Jesus. The phrase at the end seems to quote the saying loosely ('to whom the Son wishes, he reveals'). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.7 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-7). ## Homilies 18.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-8 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: By question and answer Peter shows that only the Son, who knows every mind, can reveal the Father to the worthy. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ἐπειδὴ κἂν σχήματι αὐτὸ ὡμολόγησας μὴ συνιέναι, πρὸς ὃ πυνθάνομαί σου, ἀπόκριναί μοι, καὶ μαθήσῃ. λέγε μοι· φῂς τὸν υἱὸν δίκαιον εἶναι, ὅστις ποτʼ ἔστιν, ἢ οὔ; καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· δικαιότατον. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· δίκαιος δὲ ὢν διὰ τί μὴ πᾶσιν ἀποκαλύπτει, ἀλλʼ οἷς βούλεται; καὶ ὁ Σίμων· ὅτι δίκαιος ὢν τοῖς ἀξίοις ἀποκαλύπτειν βούλεται. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος οὐκ οὖν ἀνάγκη αὐτὸν εἰδέναι τὸν ἑκάστου νοῦν, ἵνα ἀξίοις ἀποκαλύπτῃ; καὶ ὁ Σίμων· ἀνάγκη πᾶσα οὕτως ἔχειν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· οὐκοῦν αὐτὸς μόνος εὐλόγως ἀποκαλύπτειν ὡρίσθη, μόνος τὸν ἑκάστου νοῦν εἰδὼς, καὶ οὐ σὺ ὁ μηδὲ τὰ ὑφʼ ἡμῶν λεγόμενα δυνάμενος συνιέναι. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter said: "Since you have at least in form admitted that you do not understand, answer me what I ask you, and you will learn. Tell me: do you say that the Son, whoever he is, is just, or not?" And Simon said: "Most just." And Peter said: "Being just, why does he not reveal to all, but to whom he wishes?" And Simon said: "Because, being just, he wishes to reveal to the worthy." And Peter said: "Is it not necessary, then, that he should know the mind of each, so as to reveal to the worthy?" And Simon said: "It must necessarily be so." And Peter said: "Then he alone has reasonably been appointed to reveal, since he alone knows the mind of each; and not you, who cannot even understand what we are saying." ### Scripture references - Matt 11:27: allusion, medium confidence ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.8 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-8). ## Homilies 18.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-9 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon, embarrassed by the crowd's applause for Peter, claims that losing an argument does not defeat the truth and that he judges all present worthy of the hidden Father. ### Greek text Τοῦτο τοῦ Πέτρου εἰπόντος ἀπὸ μὲν τῶν ὄχλων ἔπαινος ἐγένετο. ὁ δὲ Σίμων κατάφωρος γεγονὼς, αἰδεσθεὶς ἠρυθρίασε, καὶ τὸ μέτωπον τρίψας ἔφη· ἀλλʼ ἐμὲ μάγον λέγουσιν ὑπὸ Πέτρου νικώμενον, ἀλλὰ καὶ συλλογιζόμενον. οὐκ εἴ τις δὲ συλλογισθείη, συναρπασθεὶς τὴν ἐν αὐτῷ ἀλήθειαν νενικημένην ἔχει. οὐ γὰρ ἡ ἀσθένεια τοῦ ἐκδικοῦντος ἀλήθειά ἐστιν τοῦ νικωμένου. πλήν φημί σοι, ὅτι ἐγὼ τοὺς παρεστῶτας πάντας ἀξίους ἔκρινα γνῶναι τὸν ἐν ἀποῤῥήτοις πατέρα. διὸ δημοσίᾳ μου αὐτοῖς ἀποκαλύπτοντος, σὺ αὐτὸς διὰ φθόνον ἐμοὶ τῷ εὐεργετεῖν αὐτοὺς θέλοντι χαλεπαίνεις. ### English translation (Claude) When Peter said this, praise came from the crowds. But Simon, having been caught out, blushed with shame, and rubbing his forehead said: "So they say that I, the magician, am being beaten by Peter, and even outreasoned. But if someone has been outreasoned, it does not follow that, having been tripped up, he holds a truth that has been defeated. For the weakness of the one who defends it is not the truth of the one who wins. However, I tell you that I have judged all those standing here worthy to know the Father who is in secret. Therefore, when I reveal him to them publicly, you yourself are angry out of envy with me, who wish to benefit them." ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.9 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-9). ## Homilies 18.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-10 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter replies that the crowd sided with him, not Simon, and that God would not reveal himself through an evil intermediary but only through the Son, by an inward, unteachable revelation. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· ἐπειδὴ ἀρεσκόντως τοῖς παροῦσιν ὄχλοις οὕτως ἔφης, ἐγὼ ἐρῶ οὐκ ἀρεσκόντως, ἀλλʼ ἀληθῶς. λέγε μοι, πῶς ἀξίους ἐπίστασαι τοὺς παρεστῶτας πάντας, ὅπου σοι ἐκφαίνοντι οὐδʼ εἷς συνέθετο; τὸ γὰρ ἐμοὶ ποιήσασθαι κατὰ σοῦ τὸν ἔπαινον οὐκ ἔστιν συγκαταθεμένων σοὶ, ἀλλʼ ἐμοὶ, ᾧ καὶ τὸν ἔπαινον ὡς ὀρθῶς εἰρηκότι ἀπένειμαν. ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ ὁ Θεὸς δίκαιος ὢν βραβεύει τὸν ἑκάστου νοῦν, ὃ φῂς ἀληθὲς εἶναι, οὐκ ἂν ἐβουλήθη διὰ τῆς ἀριστερᾶς τοῖς δεξιοῖς τοῦτο δοθῆναι, ᾧ λόγῳ ὁ παρὰ κλέπτου τι λαβὼν καὶ αὐτὸς ὑπεύθυνός ἐστιν. ὥστε τούτου ἕνεκεν τὸ ὑπὸ σοῦ φερόμενον οὐκ ἠθέλησεν αὐτοὺς λαβεῖν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τοῦ εἰς τὸ ἀποκαλύπτειν ὡρισμένου υἱοῦ. τίνι γὰρ εὔλογόν ἐστιν ἀποκαλύπτειν τὸν πατέρα, ἢ υἱῷ μόνῳ, διὰ τὸ εἰδέναι τῆς τοιαύτης ἀποκαλύψεως τὸν ἄξιον; οὕτως οὐκ ἔστιν τοῦτο διδάξαι ἢ διδαχθῆναι, ἀλλʼ ἀφράστῳ χειρὶ ἀποκαλυφθῆναι τῷ τοῦτο εἰδέναι ἀξίῳ. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter said: "Since you spoke in this way to please the crowds that are present, I will speak, not to please them, but truly. Tell me, how do you know that all those standing here are worthy, when, as you set it out, not a single one agreed with you? For their giving praise to me against you is not the act of people who agree with you, but with me, to whom they gave the praise as having spoken rightly. But since God, being just, judges the mind of each, which you say is true, he would not have wished this to be given to those on the right through the left hand, for the same reason that one who receives something from a thief is himself liable too. So for this reason he did not wish them to receive what is brought by you, but through the Son appointed to reveal. For to whom is it reasonable to reveal the Father, if not to the Son alone, because he knows who is worthy of such a revelation? So this cannot be taught or learned, but is revealed by an ineffable hand to the one worthy to know it." ### Translation notes - 'Those on the right' and 'the left hand' reflect the Pseudo-Clementine doctrine of the two hands of God, good and evil (see Homily 20). The digital text's ἀποαλύπτειν is read as ἀποκαλύπτειν ('to reveal'). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.10 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-10). ## Homilies 18.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-11 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon now states his real view, that a hidden power exists unknown even to the Creator, and that Jesus stumbled on this truth unawares; Peter says he knows Simon's real teaching. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· πολὺ συμβάλλεται πρὸς νίκην τῷ πολεμοῦντι τὸ ἰδίοις χρήσασθαι ὅπλοις. ὃ γὰρ φιλεῖ τις, καὶ γνησίως ἐκδικεῖν δύναται, γνησίως δὲ ἐκδικούμενον οὐ τὴν τυχοῦσαν ἰσχὺν ἔχει. διὸ τοῦ λοιποῦ ὅπερ ὄντως φρονῶ ἐκθήσομαι. φημί τινα δύναμιν ἐν ἀποῤῥήτοις εἶναι ἄγνωστον πᾶσι, καὶ αὐτῷ τῷ δημιουργῷ, ὡς καὶ αὐτὸς ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἴρηκεν, οὐκ ἐπιστάμενος ὃ ἐφθέγξατο. οὐκ πολυλαλιᾶς γὰρ ἐνίοτε εὐστοχεῖ τις πρὸς τὸ ἀληθὲς, οὐκ εἰδὼς ὃ λέγει. λέγω δὲ καὶ περὶ τούτου, οὗ εἴρηκεν· οὐδεὶς ἔγνω τὸν πατέρα. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος σὺ τὰ ἐκείνου εἰδέναι μηκέτι ἐπαγγέλλου. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· τὰ ἐκείνου οὐκ ἐπαγγέλλομαι πιστεύειν, εἰς δὲ τὰ ἐπιτετευγμένα αὐτῷ διαλέγομαί σοι. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ἵνα μή σοι δῶ πρόφασιν εἰς φυγὴν, ζητήσω σοι ὡς θέλεις. πλὴν μαρτύρομαι πάντας ὅτι οὐδὲ ὃν νῦν ἔφης λόγον, οὐ πιστεύεις. οἶδα γὰρ ἃ φρονεῖς καὶ ἵνα μή με δόξῃς ψεύδεσθαι, ἀνοίξομαί σοι τὰ σὰ, ἵνα εἰδῇς ὅτι πρὸς εἰδότα διαλέγῃ. ### English translation (Claude) And Simon said: "It contributes much to victory for one who fights to use his own weapons. For what someone loves he can also defend sincerely, and what is sincerely defended has no ordinary strength. Therefore from now on I will set out what I really think. I say that there is a certain power in secret, unknown to all, even to the Creator himself, as Jesus himself also said, without understanding what he uttered. For sometimes out of much talking one hits upon the truth without knowing what one says. I mean what he said about this: 'No one knew the Father.'" And Peter said: "Then do not claim any longer to know what is his." And Simon said: "I do not claim to believe what is his; but I am debating with you about what he happened to hit upon." And Peter said: "So as not to give you an excuse for flight, I will inquire with you as you wish. But I call all to witness that you do not believe even the argument you have just stated. For I know what you think; and so that you may not think I am lying, I will lay open to you what is yours, so that you may know that you are debating with one who knows." ### Scripture references - Matt 11:27: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 6:7: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The digital text reads οὐκ πολυλαλιᾶς; the sense requires 'out of' (ἐκ) much talking, and it is translated so (probably a slip for ἐκ; not corrected here). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.11 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-11). ## Homilies 18.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-12 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter exposes Simon's secret doctrine of a great power that sent two angels, one to create and one to give the law, and Simon angrily objects to his revealing it to the crowd. ### Greek text Ἡμεῖς, ὦ Σίμων, ἐκ τῆς μεγάλης δυνάμεως, ἔτι τε καὶ τῆς κυρίας λεγομένης, οὐ λέγομεν δύο ἀπεστάλθαι ἀγγέλους, τὸν μὲν ἐπὶ τῷ κτίσαι κόσμον, τὸν δὲ ἐπὶ τῷ θέσθαι τὸν νόμον· οὐδʼ ὅτι ἑαυτὸν ἕκαστος ἐλθὼν, ἐφʼ οἷς ἐποίησεν αὐτὸς, ὡς αὐθέντην αὐτὸς ἤγγειλεν· οὐδʼ ὁ ἑστὼς στησόμενος ἀντικείμενος. μάθε, πῶς ἀπιστεῖς, καὶ τὴν ὑπόθεσιν ταύτην. ἣν φὴς δύναμιν ἐν ἀποῤῥήτοις εἶναι, ἀγνοίας γέμει. τὴν γὰρ ἀγνωμοσύνην τῶν ὑπʼ αὐτῆς ἀποσταλέντων ἀγγέλων οὐ προεγίνωσκεν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων τοῦ Πέτρου ταῦτα λέγοντος μεγάλως ὀργισθεὶς ἐπέκοψεν λέγοντα, εἰπών· τί φλυαρεῖς, τολμηρὲ καὶ πάντων προπετέστατε, ἐπʼ ὄχλων ἀμαθῶς ἐκφαίνων ἀτεχνῶς τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· τί φθονεῖς εὐεργετεῖσθαι τοὺς παρόντας ἀκροατάς; καὶ ὁ Σίμων· οὐκ οὖν ὁμολογεῖς τὴν τοιαύτην ἐπίγνωσιν εὐεργεσίαν εἶναι; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ὁμολογῶ. τὸ γὰρ ψεῦδος γνωσθὲν εὐεργετεῖ, ἀγνοίας αἰτίᾳ μὴ περιπεσεῖν αὐτῷ. καὶ ὁ Σίμων φαίνῃ μοι μὴ δύναμενος εἰπεῖν εἰς ἃ προέτεινά σοι. λέγω δὴ ὅτι καὶ ὁ διδάσκαλός σου ἐν ἀποῤῥήτοις τινὰ λέγει εἶναι πατέρα. ### English translation (Claude) "We, Simon, do not say that from the great power, which is also called the sovereign one, two angels were sent, one to create the world and the other to lay down the law; nor that each, when he came, proclaimed himself as the absolute author of what he himself had made; nor that there is a Standing One, who will stand, and who is the adversary. Learn how you do not believe even this hypothesis of yours. The power which you say is in secret is full of ignorance. For it did not foreknow the ingratitude of the angels sent by it." And Simon, greatly enraged at Peter's saying this, cut him short as he spoke, saying: "Why do you talk nonsense, you rash man, most reckless of all, crudely laying bare the secret things before crowds in your ignorance?" And Peter said: "Why do you begrudge the hearers present being benefited?" And Simon said: "Do you admit, then, that such knowledge is a benefit?" And Peter said: "I admit it. For falsehood, once known, is a benefit, because it keeps one from falling into it through ignorance." And Simon said: "You seem to me unable to reply to what I put to you. I say that your teacher too says that there is a Father in secret." ### Translation notes - Peter here sets out, and denies, Simon's own teaching: a supreme power sending a creator angel and a lawgiving angel, each claiming to be God, and Simon as 'the Standing One'. The sentence is compressed and its exact construction is uncertain. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.12 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-12). ## Homilies 18.13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-13 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter offers another reading of 'No one knew the Father': it was aimed at the Jews who took Christ to be only David's son, while the righteous from Adam to Jacob did know God. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· ἀποκρινοῦμαι εἰς ὃ θέλεις, περὶ τοῦ· οὐδεὶς ἔγνω τὸν πατέρα, εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱός, οὐδὲ τὸν υἱόν τις οἶδεν, εἰ μὴ ὁ πατήρ, καὶ οἷς ἂν βούληται ὁ υἱὸς ἀποκαλύψαι. πρῶτον μὲν θαυμάζω, πῶς τοῦ λόγου τούτου μυρίας ἔχοντος ἐκδοχὰς σὺ τὸ ἐπικινδυνότερον ἐξελέξω μέρος, πρὸς ἀγνωσίαν τοῦ δημιουργοῦ καὶ τῶν ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ πάντων φήσας εἰρῆσθαι τὸν λόγον. πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ δύναται ὁ λόγος εἰρῆσθαι πρὸς πάντας Ἰουδαίους, τοὺς πατέρα νομίζοντας εἶναι Χριστοῦ τὸν Δαβὶδ, καὶ αὐτὸν δὲ τὸν Χριστὸν υἱὸν ὄντα, καὶ υἱὸν Θεοῦ μὴ ἐγνωκέναι. διὸ καὶ οἰκείως εἴρηται· οὐδεὶς ἔγνω τὸν πατέρα, ἐπεὶ ἀντὶ τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸν Δαβὶδ πάντες ἔλεγον, τὸ δὲ ἐπάζαντα εἰπεῖν, ὡς οὐδὲ τὸν υἱόν τις οἶδεν, ἐπεὶ αὐτὸν υἱὸν ὄντα οὐκ ᾔδεισαν, καὶ τὸ εἰπεῖν, οἷς ἂν βούληται ὁ υἱὸς ἀποκαλύψαι, ὀρθῶς εἴρηται, ὁ γὰρ ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς ὢν υἱὸς μόνος ὡρίσθη, ἵνα οἷς βούλεται ἀποκαλύψῃ. καὶ οὕτως δύναται Ἀδὰμ ὁ πρωτόπλαστος αὐτὸν μὴ ἀγνοεῖν, οὐδὲ Ἑνὼχ ὁ εὐαρεστήσας μὴ εἰδέναι, οὔτε Νῶε ὁ δίκαιος μὴ ἐπίστασθαι, οὔτε Ἀβραὰμ ὁ φίλος μὴ συνιέναι, οὐκ Ἰσαὰκ μὴ νενοηκέναι, οὐκ Ἰακὼβ ὁ παλαίσας μὴ πεπιστευκέναι, καὶ πᾶσιν τοῖς ἐν τῷ λαῷ ἀξίοις μὴ ἀποκεκαλύφθαι. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter said: "I will answer what you wish, concerning the saying, 'No one knew the Father except the Son, nor does anyone know the Son except the Father, and those to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.' First, I am amazed that, when this saying admits countless interpretations, you chose the more dangerous one, declaring that the saying was spoken to express ignorance of the Creator and of all things made by him. For, first, the saying can have been spoken against all the Jews, who thought that David was the father of Christ, and that Christ himself was his son, and did not know him to be the Son of God. Therefore it is fittingly said, 'No one knew the Father', since they all named David instead of God; and in going on to say, 'as no one knows even the Son', since they did not know that he was the Son; and the words 'to whom the Son wishes to reveal him' are rightly said, for he who is the Son from the beginning was alone appointed to reveal to whom he wishes. And so it is possible that Adam, the first-formed, was not ignorant of him; that Enoch, who was well pleasing, did not fail to know him; that Noah the righteous was not unaware of him; that Abraham the friend did not fail to understand him; that Isaac did not fail to perceive him; that Jacob, who wrestled, did not fail to believe him; and that he was not left unrevealed to all the worthy among the people." ### Scripture references - Matt 11:27: quotation, high confidence - Matt 22:42: echo, medium confidence - Gen 5:24: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 6:9: allusion, medium confidence - Isa 41:8: allusion, low confidence - Jas 2:23: allusion, low confidence - Gen 32:24: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Matt 11:27 is again quoted in the form 'no one knew'. The righteous ancestors allude to Gen 5:24 (Enoch), Gen 6:9 (Noah), Isa 41:8 / Jas 2:23 (Abraham the friend), and Gen 32:24 (Jacob wrestling); the Jewish belief that the Christ is David's son echoes Matt 22:42. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.13 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-13). ## Homilies 18.14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-14 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter argues that it would be unjust for the righteous patriarchs to have been ignorant of God while impious Gentiles now know him, so Simon's reading makes God neither good nor just. ### Greek text Εἰ δὲ, ὡς φῄς, ἔσται διὰ τὸ εἰδέναι διὰ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ νῦν πᾶσιν ἀποκαλύπτεσθαι, πῶς οὐκ ἀδικώτατον λέγεις, ἐκείνους μὴ ἐγνωκέναι, ἑπτὰ στύλους ὑπάρξαντας κόσμῳ, καὶ δικαιοτάτῳ Θεῷ εὐαρεστῆσαι δυναμένους, καὶ τοσούτους δὲ νῦν ἀπὸ τῶν ἐθνῶν ἀσεβεῖς ὄντας κατὰ πάντα γνῶναι; οὗτοι παντὸς κρείττονες γνῶναι οὐ κατηξιώθησαν; καὶ πῶς ἐστι τοῦτο ἀγαθὸν, ὃ μὴ δίκαιόν ἐστιν; ἐκτὸς εἰ μὴ ἀγαθὸν θέλῃς λέγειν οὐ τὸν εὐεργετοῦντα τοὺς δικαιοπραγήσαντας, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἀγαπῶντα κἂν μὴ πιστεύωσιν, οἷς καὶ τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα ἀποκαλύπτειν, ἃ δικαίοις ἀποκαλύψαι οὐκ ἠθέλησεν. τὸ γὰρ τοιοῦτον οὔτε ἀγαθῷ, οὔτε δικαίῳ προσήκει, ἀλλὰ τῷ εὐσεβεῖς μεμισηκότι. μή τι σὺ εἶ, Σίμων, ὁ ἑστὼς ὁ ταῦτα οὕτως μή ποτε ῥηθέντα εἰπεῖν ἀποθρασυνόμενος; ### English translation (Claude) "But if, as you say, the knowledge is now to be revealed to all through Jesus, how is it not most unjust, by your account, that those men did not know him, though they were seven pillars of the world and able to please the most just God, while so many from the nations, who are now impious in every way, do know him? Were these men, better than anyone, not counted worthy to know? And how is that good which is not just? Unless you mean to call good not the one who benefits those who have acted justly, but the one who loves even those who do not believe, so as to reveal to them the secret things which he did not wish to reveal to the just. Such conduct befits neither a good nor a just being, but one who hates the godly. Are you, Simon, perhaps the Standing One, since you make bold to say these things, which were never said in this way?" ### Translation notes - The 'seven pillars of the world' are the righteous ancestors listed in 18.13 (in the Pseudo-Clementines, Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Moses). The digital text's μεμσηκότι is read as μεμισηκότι ('hates'). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.14 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-14). ## Homilies 18.15 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-15 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter answers Simon's appeal to Jesus' thanksgiving that hidden things were revealed to babes: the hidden things belong to the Creator himself, and the wise had once held the key of knowledge. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἐπὶ τούτῳ ἀγανακτήσας ἔφη· τὸν σὸν διδάσκαλον αἰτιῶ εἰπόντα· ἐξομολογοῦμαί σοι κύριε τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ τῆς γῆς, ὅτι ἅπερ ἦν κρυπτὰ σοφοῖς, ἀπεκάλυψας αὐτὰ νηπίοις θηλάζουσιν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· οὕτω μὲν, ἔφη, ὁ λόγος οὐκ ἐλέχθη· ἐρῶ δὲ πρῶτον, ὡς οὕτως εἰρημένον ὥσπερ σοι ἔδοξεν. ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν, εἴπερ καὶ εἰρήκει, ἅ τινα ἦν κρυπτὰ σοφοῖς, ταῦτα νηπίοις ἀπεκάλυψεν ὁ πατὴρ, οὐδʼ οὕτως ἄλλον Θεὸν καὶ πατέρα σημαίνειν ἐνομίζετο παρὰ τὸν κτίσαντα τὸν κόσμον. ἐνδέχεται γὰρ αὐτοῦ εἶναι τοῦ δημιουργοῦ τὰ κρυπτα ἃ ἔλεγεν, τῷ καὶ τὸν Ἠσαΐαν εἰπεῖν· ἀνοίξω τὸ στόμα μου ἐν παραβολαῖς, καὶ ἐξερεύξομαι κεκρυμμένα ἀπὸ καταβολῆς κόσμου. νῦν προφήτην ὁμολογεῖς, ὃς τὰ κεκρυμμένα οὐκ ἠγνόει, ἅ τινα ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀπὸ σοφῶν κεκρύφθαι λέγει, νηπίοις δὲ ἀποκεκαλύφθαι; πῶς δὲ ὁ δημιουργὸς ἠγνόει, τοῦ προφήτου αὐτοῦ μὴ ἀγνοοῦντος ̓Ἠσαίου; ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἡμῶν τῷ ὄντι οὐκ εἶπεν, ἅ τινα ἦν κρυπτὰ, ἀλλὰ τὸ δοκοῦν τραχύτερον εἴρηκεν, εἶπεν γάρ· ἀπεκάλυψας αὐτὰ νηπίοις θηλάζουσιν. τὸ δὲ εἰπεῖν, ἀπέκρυψας, ὥς ποτε ἐγνωσμένων αὐτοῖς. παρʼ αὐτοῖς γὰρ ἡ κλεὶς τῆς βασιλείας τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀπέκειτο, τουτέστιν ἡ γνῶσις τῶν ἀποῤῥήτων. ### English translation (Claude) And Simon, indignant at this, said: "Blame your own teacher, who said, 'I confess to you, Lord of heaven and earth, that what was hidden from the wise you have revealed to sucking babes.'" And Peter said: "The saying was not spoken in that way; but I will first speak as though it had been said as you thought. Even if our Lord had said, 'What was hidden from the wise, the Father revealed to babes', not even so would it be thought to point to another God and Father besides the one who created the world. For the hidden things of which he spoke may well belong to the Creator himself, since Isaiah too says, 'I will open my mouth in parables, and I will utter things hidden from the foundation of the world.' Do you now admit that the prophet was not ignorant of the hidden things which Jesus says were hidden from the wise and revealed to babes? And how could the Creator be ignorant of them, when his prophet Isaiah was not ignorant of them? But in fact our Jesus did not say 'what was hidden'; he said something that seems harsher. For he said, '[You hid these things from the wise and] revealed them to sucking babes.' And the words 'you hid' imply that the things had once been known to them. For with them was laid up the key of the kingdom of heaven, that is, the knowledge of the secret things." ### Scripture references - Matt 11:25: quotation, high confidence - Luke 10:21: quotation, medium confidence - Ps 8:2 (8:3 LXX): echo, low confidence - Ps 78:2 (77:2 LXX): quotation, high confidence - Matt 13:35: quotation, high confidence - Luke 11:52: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 23:13: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The saying is Matt 11:25 / Luke 10:21 in a free form ('sucking babes' echoes Ps 8:2). The words 'I will open my mouth in parables…' are ascribed here to Isaiah; they are Ps 78:2 in the form quoted in Matt 13:35. Peter's second version of the saying is only partly given ('you hid… revealed them to sucking babes'); the bracketed words are added for sense from his explanation. The key of the kingdom alludes to Matt 23:13 / Luke 11:52. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.15 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-15). ## Homilies 18.16 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-16 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains that the secret things were justly hidden from the wise because they had hidden the knowledge of the kingdom from others, and are given to the worthy even if they are babes. ### Greek text Καὶ μὴ λέγε, ἠσέβησεν εἰς τοὺς σοφοὺς κρύψας αὐτὰ ἀπʼ αὐτῶν. μὴ γένοιτο τοῦτο ὑπολαβεῖν. οὐ γὰρ ἠσέβησεν, ἀλλʼ ἐπειδὴ ἀπέκρυβον τὴν γνῶσιν τῆς βασιλείας, καὶ οὔτε αὐτοὶ εἰσῆλθον, οὔτε τοῖς βουλομένοις εἰσελθεῖν παρέσχον, τούτου ἕνεκεν κατὰ τὸ δίκαιον, ὡς ἀπέκρυψαν αὐτοὶ τὰς ὁδοὺς ἀπὸ τῶν θελόντων, οὕτω καὶ ἀπʼ αὐτῶν ἀπεκρύβη τὰ ἀπόῤῥητα, ἵνα, ὡς ἐποίησαν, ὁμοίως καὶ αὐτοῖς γένηται, καὶ ᾧ μέτρῳ ἐμέτρησαν, μετρηθῇ αὐτοῖς τῷ ἴσῳ. τῷ γὰρ ἀξίῳ τοῦ γνῶναι, ὅ μὴ οἶδεν, ὀφείλεται, τοῦ δὲ μὴ ἀξίου, κἄν δοκῇ ἔχειν, ἀφαιρεῖται, κἂν ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις ᾖ σοφός, καὶ δίδοται τοῖς ἀξίοις, κἄν ἐν τοῖς χρόνοις τῆς μαθητείας ὦσιν νήπιοι. ### English translation (Claude) "And do not say, 'He acted impiously toward the wise in hiding these things from them.' Far be it from us to suppose that. For he did not act impiously; but since they hid the knowledge of the kingdom, and neither entered themselves nor allowed those who wished to enter, for this reason, in justice, as they themselves hid the ways from those who wished to walk in them, so also the secret things were hidden from them, so that as they did, the same might be done to them, and with the measure with which they measured it might be measured to them equally. For to the one worthy to know, what he does not know is owed; but from the one who is unworthy, even if he seems to have it, it is taken away, even if he is wise in other matters; and it is given to the worthy, even if in the time of their discipleship they are babes." ### Scripture references - Matt 23:13: allusion, high confidence - Luke 11:52: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 7:2: allusion, high confidence - Matt 13:12: allusion, medium confidence - Luke 8:18: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - Alludes to Matt 23:13 (neither entering nor letting others enter), Matt 7:2 (the measure), and Matt 13:12 / 25:29 (taken from one who seems to have). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.16 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-16). ## Homilies 18.17 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-17 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter distinguishes the secrets of the kingdom, which were hidden, from the way of life leading to it, which was never hidden, citing Moses and Jesus. ### Greek text Εἰ δέ τις ἐρεῖ· οὐδὲν ἦν ἀπόκρυφον τοῖς υἱοῖς Ἰσραὴλ, διὰ τὸ γεγράφθαι· οὐδέν σε ἔλαθεν Ἰσραήλ· μή γὰρ εἴπῃς, Ἰακὼβ, ἀπεκρύβη ἡ ὁδὸς ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ· συνιέναι ὀφείλει τις ὅτι τὰ διαφέροντα τῇ βασιλείᾳ ἀπεκέκρυπτο ἀπʼ αὐτῶν, ἡ δὲ εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν εἰσφέρεσα ὁδὸς, ἥ τις ἐστὶν πολιτεία, οὐκ ἀπεκέκρυπτο. διὰ τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ λέγει· μὴ γὰρ εἴπῃς ὅτι ἀπεκρύβη ἀπʼ ἐμοῦ ἡ ὁδός. ὁδὸς δὲ ἡ πολιτεία ἐστὶν, τῷ καὶ τόν Μωυσῆν λέγειν· ἰδοὺ τέθεικα πρὸ προσώπου σου τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς ζωῆς, καὶ τὴν ὁδὸν τοῦ θανάτου. καὶ ὁ διδάσκαλος συμφώνως εἷπεν εἰσέλθετε διὰ τῆς στενῆς καὶ τεθλιμμένης ὁδοῦ, διʼ ἧς εἰσελεύσεσθε εἰς τὴν ζωήν. καὶ ἀλλαχοῦ που, ἐρωτήσαντός τινος· τί ποιήσας ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονομήσω; τὰς τοῦ νόμου ἐντολὰς ὑπέδειξεν. ### English translation (Claude) "And if someone says, 'Nothing was hidden from the sons of Israel, since it is written, "Nothing has escaped you, Israel; for do not say, Jacob, 'The way was hidden from me'"', one should understand that the things that concern the kingdom had been hidden from them, but the way that leads into the kingdom, which is a manner of life, had not been hidden. That is why he says, 'For do not say that the way was hidden from me.' And the way is the manner of life, since Moses also says, 'Behold, I have set before your face the way of life and the way of death.' And the teacher said in agreement, 'Enter through the narrow and afflicted way, through which you will enter into life.' And elsewhere, when someone asked, 'What shall I do to inherit eternal life?', he pointed to the commandments of the law." ### Scripture references - Isa 40:27: quotation, medium confidence - Deut 30:15: quotation, medium confidence - Jer 21:8: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 7:13: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 7:14: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 19:16: allusion, high confidence ### Translation notes - The first quotation freely combines Isa 40:27 with other words not found in that form in the LXX; the second is close to Deut 30:15, 19 / Jer 21:8; the saying of Jesus is a free form of Matt 7:13-14; the last alludes to Matt 19:16-17. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.17 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-17). ## Homilies 18.18 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-18 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains Isaiah's 'Israel did not know me' as the people's ignorance of God's justice, which led them to sin as though he would never punish. ### Greek text Ἐκ δὲ τοῦ εἰπεῖν τὸν Ἠσαΐαν ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ Θεοῦ· Ἰσραὴλ δέ με οὐκ ἔγνω, καὶ ὁ λαός με οὐ συνῆκεν, οὐ παρὰ τοῦτο καὶ ὁ Ἠσαΐας ἄλλον παρὰ τὸν ἐγνωσμένον δημιουργὸν ᾐνίσσετο Θεόν, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἐγνωσμένον ἄγνωστον ἔλεγεν ἑτέρῳ αἰνίγματι, ὡς τὴν διάθεσιν τὴν δικαίαν τοῦ ἐγνωσμένου Θεοῦ ὁ λαὸς ἀγνοῶν ἡμάρτανεν, καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀγαθοῦ Θεοῦ κριθήσεσθαι οὐχ ὑπελάμβανεν. διὰ τοῦτο μετὰ τὸ εἰπεῖν· Ἰσραὴλ δέ με οὐκ ἔγνω, καὶ ὁ λαός με οὐ συνῆκεν, ἐπαγαγὼν λέγει· οὐαὶ ἔθνος ἁμαρτωλὸν, λαὸς πλήρης ἁμαρτιῶν. τῇ γὰρ πρὸς τὸ δίκαιον αὐτοῦ ἀγνωσίᾳ, ὡς ἔφην, μὴ φοβούμενοι πλήρεις ἐγένοντο ἁμαρτιῶν, μόνον ἀγαθὸν, ὡς μὴ ἐπεξερχόμενον αὐτῶν τὰς ἁμαρτίας, εἶναι ὑπειληφότες. ### English translation (Claude) "And from the fact that Isaiah says in the person of God, 'But Israel did not know me, and the people did not understand me', it does not follow that Isaiah too was hinting at another God besides the known Creator. Rather, by another riddle he was calling the known God unknown, in the sense that the people, not knowing the just disposition of the known God, sinned, and did not suppose that they would be judged by the good God. That is why, after saying, 'But Israel did not know me, and the people did not understand me', he goes on to say, 'Woe, sinful nation, a people full of sins.' For through ignorance of his justice, as I said, having no fear, they became full of sins, supposing him to be only good, as though he would not punish their sins." ### Scripture references - Isa 1:3: quotation, high confidence - Isa 1:4: quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Quotes Isa 1:3-4 (close to the LXX). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.18 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-18). ## Homilies 18.19 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-19 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter says others sinned by believing false passages of Scripture that make God ignorant, bloodthirsty, bribable, and deceitful, and then imitated such a God. ### Greek text Καί τινες μὲν οὕτως ἡμάρτανον, ἐκ τῆς διὰ τὸ ἀγαθὸν ἀκρίτου ὑπολήψεως. ἕτεροι δὲ ἐκ τῶν ἐναντίων. τὰς γὰρ κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ τῶν γραφῶν φωνὰς, ἀδίκους οὔσας καὶ ψευδεῖς, ἀληθεῖς ὑπολαμβάνοντες, τὴν ὄντως αὐτοῦ θειότητα καὶ δύναμιν οὐκ ᾔδεισαν. διόπερ ὡς ἀγνοοῦντος αὐτοῦ καὶ φόνοις χαίροντος καὶ θυσιῶν δώροις τοὺς πονηροὺς ἀφιέντος, ἔτι δὲ καὶ ἀπατῶντος καὶ ψευδομένου καὶ πάντα ἄδικα ποιοῦντος, αὐτοὶ ὡς ὅμοια Θεοῦ ποιήσαντες, ἁμαρτάνοντες, ἰσχυρίζοντο εὐσεβεῖν. διʼ ὅ καὶ ἀμετάθετοι εἰς τὸ κρεῖττον ἦσαν, καὶ νουθετούμενοι οὐκ ἐπεστρέφοντο. οὐ γὰρ ἐφοβοῦντο, ὡς τῷ Θεῷ διὰ τῶν τοιούτων πράξεων ἐξομοιούμενοι. ### English translation (Claude) "And some sinned in this way, from a supposition, lacking judgment, based on his goodness; others from the opposite. For, supposing that the sayings of the Scriptures against God, which are unjust and false, were true, they did not know his real divinity and power. Therefore, as though he were ignorant and delighted in slaughter, and let the wicked off for gifts of sacrifices, and moreover deceived and lied and did all unjust things, they themselves, in sinning, claimed to be acting piously, since they did things like God. For this reason they were also unchangeable for the better, and when admonished did not turn back. For they had no fear, as they were making themselves like God through such actions." ### Translation notes - This reflects the Pseudo-Clementine doctrine of 'false pericopes': passages of Scripture that speak unworthily of God are held to be later falsifications (compare Homilies 2.38-52 and 3.39-57). It is translated as written. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.19 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-19). ## Homilies 18.20 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-20 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter applies 'No one knew the Father' to those misled by passages written against God as a test, and urges everyone to be like skilled money-changers who sift true Scripture from false. ### Greek text Πρὸς δὲ τοὺς τοιοῦτον αὐτὸν νομίζοντας εἶναι εὐλόγως ἄν τις λέγοι εἰρῆσθαι· οὐδεὶς ἔγνω τὸν πατέρα, εἰ μὴ ὁ υἱός, ὡς οὐδὲ τὸν υἱόν τις οἶδεν, εἰ μὴ ὁ πατήρ. καὶ εἰκότως. εἰ γὰρ ἠπίσταντο, οὐκ ἄν ταῖς ὄντως πρὸς πειρασμὸν κατὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ γραφείσαις βίβλοις πιστεύοντες ἡμάρτανον. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἀλλαχῆ που λέγει, θέλων σαφέστερον αὐτοῖς τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς πλάνης αὐτῶν ὑποδεῖξαι· διὰ τοῦτο πλανᾶσθε, μὴ εἰδότες τὰ ἀληθῆ τῶν γραφῶν, οὗ εἵνεκεν ἀγνοεῖτε καὶ τὴν δύναμιν τοῦ Θεοῦ. διὸ δεῖ πάντα ἄνθρωπον σωθῆναι θέλοντα γενέσθαι, ὡς ὁ διδάσκαλος εἶπεν, κριτὴν τῶν πρὸς πειρασμὸν γραφεισῶν βίβλων. οὕτως γὰρ εἶπεν· γίνεσθε τραπεζῖται δόκιμοι. τραπεζιτῶν δὲ χρεία, ὅτι τοῖς δοκίμοις καὶ τὰ κίβδηλα ἀναμεμιγμένα. ### English translation (Claude) "Against those who think him to be such, one might reasonably say it was spoken: 'No one knew the Father except the Son, as no one knows even the Son except the Father.' And rightly so. For if they had known, they would not have sinned by believing the books written against God, in truth, as a test. But elsewhere too he says, wishing to show them more clearly the cause of their error: 'This is why you err, not knowing the true things of the Scriptures; for which reason you are ignorant also of the power of God.' Therefore every person who wishes to be saved must become, as the teacher said, a judge of the books written as a test. For he said this: 'Become approved money-changers.' And money-changers are needed because the counterfeit coins are mixed with the genuine." ### Scripture references - Matt 11:27: quotation, high confidence - Mark 12:24: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 22:29: quotation, medium confidence - 1 Thess 5:21: echo, low confidence ### Extrabiblical texts - Agraphon (Sayings of Jesus outside the Gospels (agrapha)): quotation, high confidence ### Translation notes - Matt 11:27 again in the form 'no one knew'. The second saying is a variant of Mark 12:24 / Matt 22:29, with 'the true things of the Scriptures' in place of 'the Scriptures'. 'Become approved money-changers' is a saying of Jesus not in the canonical Gospels, often quoted in early Christian writings (also in Homilies 2.51 and 3.50). The doctrine that some books were written 'as a test' is the work's own. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.20 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-20). ## Homilies 18.21 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-21 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon feigns horror at Peter's view of the Scriptures and prepares to leave, recalling Peter's vow to believe no one who speaks against the Creator, not even Scripture or visions. ### Greek text Ταῦτα τοῦ Πέτρου εἰπόντος, ὁ Σίμων ἐπὶ τοῖς ῥηθεῖσιν περὶ τῶν γραφῶν προσποιησάμενος ἐκπεπλῆχθαι, ὡς πτοηθεὶς ἔφη· ἀπείη μοι καὶ τοῖς ἐμὲ φιλοῦσιν, τῶν σῶν ἐπακούειν λόγων. καὶ μέχρι μὲν ὅτε οὐκ ᾔδειν σε ταῦτα περὶ τῶν γραφῶν φρονοῦντα, ἠνειχόμην καὶ διελεγόμην, νῦν δὲ ἀφίσταμαι. ἔδει μέντοι τὴν ἀρχὴν ὑποχωρῆσαί με, ὅτι ἤκουσά σου λέγοντος· ἐγὼ κατὰ τοῦ κτίσαντος τὸν κόσμον οὐδὲν οὐδενὶ πιστεύω λέγοντι, οὔτε ἀγγέλοις, οὔτε προφήταις, οὐ γραφαῖς, οὐχ ἱερεῦσιν, οὐ διδασκάλοις, οὐκ ἄλλῳ οὐδενὶ, κἄν σημεῖά τις καὶ τέρατα ποιῇ, κἄν ἐν ἀέρι ἐπιφανῶς ἀστράπτῃ, ἢ διʼ ὁραμάτων ἢ διʼ ἐνυπνίων ἀποκαλύπτῃ. τίς οὖν σε μεταπεῖσαι δύναται, εἴτε καλῶς εἴτε κακῶς, ἕτερόν τι φρονεῖν παρὰ τὰ δόξαντά σοι, ἰσχυρῶς οὕτως καὶ ἀκινήτως τῇ σεαυτοῦ γνώσει ἐνδιαμένοντα. ### English translation (Claude) When Peter had said this, Simon, pretending to be astounded at what was said about the Scriptures, said as if alarmed: "Far be it from me and from those who love me to listen to your words! As long as I did not know that you held these views about the Scriptures, I bore with you and debated; but now I withdraw. Indeed, I ought to have retired at the beginning, when I heard you say, 'I believe no one who says anything against the Creator of the world: not angels, not prophets, not Scriptures, not priests, not teachers, not anyone else, even if someone works signs and wonders, even if he flashes visibly in the air, or makes revelations through visions or dreams.' Who, then, can persuade you, whether rightly or wrongly, to think anything other than what you have decided, when you abide so firmly and immovably in your own knowledge?" ### Scripture references - Gal 1:8: echo, low confidence - Matt 24:24: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Peter's earlier words echo Gal 1:8 (not even an angel) and Matt 24:24 (signs and wonders); compare Homily 17.19. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.21 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-21). ## Homilies 18.22 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-22 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter declares that even if the Creator were as evil as some passages say, he would still worship him alone, since one who deserts his own Maker would desert any higher god too. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ταῦτα εἰπόντι τῷ Σίμωνι, ἐκβαίνειν μέλλοντι, ἔφη· ἔτι τοῦτό μου ἄκουσον, καὶ πορεύου ὅπου θέλεις. τοῦ δὲ Σίμωνος ἐπιστραφέντος καὶ ἐπιμείναντος ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· οἶδα πῶς τότε ἀκούων κατεπλάγης, ὅτι εἶπον· ὅστις ποτʼ ἄν ᾖ κατὰ τοῦ τὸν κόσμον κτίσαντος Θεοῦ λέγων ὁτιοῦν, οὐ πιστεύω. τοῦ δὲ ἐπὶ τούτου μεῖζον νῦν ἄκουσον. ἐὰν τῷ ὄντι ὁ τὸν κόσμον κτίσας Θεὸς τὴν γνώμην τοιοῦτος ὤν τυγχάνῃ, ὁποῖον αἱ γραφαὶ καταλέγουσιν, καὶ εἰ ἄλλως πως ἀπαραβλήτως κακός ἐστιν, ὡς οὔτε αἱ γραφαὶ εἰπεῖν ἴσχυσαν, οὔτε ἄλλος τις κἄν ἐννοῆσαι δυνατός ἐστιν, ὁμοίως ἐγὼ οὐκ ἀποστήσομαι τὸν αὐτὸν μόνον σέβειν, καὶ τὸ αὐτοῦ βούλημα ποιεῖν. εἰδέναι γάρ σε θέλω καὶ πεπεῖσθαι, ὅτι ὁ εἰς τὸν αὑτοῦ ποιητὴν οὐκ ἔχων στοργὴν οὐδʼ εἰς ἕτερον ἔχειν ποτὲ δύναται. εἰ δὲ ἔχῃ πρὸς ἕτερον, παρὰ φύσιν ἔχων, ἐκ πονηροῦ τὸν τῶν ἀδίκων ἔρωτα ἔχων ἀγνοεῖ, ὡς μηδʼ ἐκεῖνον βεβαίως φυλάξαι δυνάμενος. καὶ εἰ ἄρα ἐστίν τις ἕτερος ὑπὲρ τὸν δημιουργὸν, ἀποδέξεταί με ὡς ἀγαθὸς ταύτῃ μᾶλλον, ὅτι τὸν ἐμὸν ἀγαπῶ πατέρα, σὲ δὲ οὐκ ἀποδέξεται εἰδὼς, ὅτι τὸν φύσει σου ποιητήν, οὐ γὰρ λέγω πατέρα, κατέλιπες ἐπʼ ἐλπίδι μείζονι, οὐ φροντίσας τοῦ εὐλόγου. οὕτως εἰ καὶ αὐτοῦ κρείττονα εὑρήσῃς, οἶδεν ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸν καταλείψεις ποτέ, καὶ μᾶλλον ὅτι μὴ γέγονέν σου πατήρ, ὁπότε καὶ τὸν ὄντως σου πατέρα κατέλιπες. ### English translation (Claude) When Simon had said this and was about to go out, Peter said to him: "Hear this one thing more from me, and then go where you wish." And when Simon turned back and stayed, Peter said: "I know how you were struck when you heard me say then, 'Whoever says anything at all against the God who created the world, I do not believe him.' Now hear something greater still. If in truth the God who created the world is in his disposition such as the Scriptures describe him, and even if he is in some other way incomparably evil, as neither the Scriptures have been able to say nor anyone else could even conceive, just the same I will not cease to worship him alone and to do his will. For I want you to know and be persuaded that one who has no affection for his own Maker can never have it for another either. And if he has it for another, he has it against nature, and does not realize that he has his love for unjust things from the evil one, since he cannot keep faith firmly even with that other. And if after all there is some other above the Creator, he, being good, will accept me all the more for this, that I love my own Father; but he will not accept you, knowing that you abandoned the one who is by nature your Maker (I do not say Father) in the hope of something greater, caring nothing for what is reasonable. So, if you find one better even than him, he knows that you will some day abandon him too, the more so because he has not become your Father, since you abandoned even the one who is truly your Father." ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.22 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-22). ## Homilies 18.23 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-23 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter tells Simon he is a servant of wickedness; Simon asks where evil comes from, the question is put off till the next day, and Simon's followers repent and are received by Peter. ### Greek text Ἀλλʼ ἐρεῖς· οἶδεν ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἕτερος ὑπὲρ αὐτόν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο καταλειφθῆναι οὐ δύναται. χάρις οὖν τῷ μὴ εἶναι· τὰ δὲ τῆς γνώμης οἶδεν ἕτοιμα πρὸς ἀγνωμοσύνην. εἰ δὲ εἰδὼς ἀγνώμονά σε ἀποδέχεται, ἐμὲ δὲ εὐγνώμονα ἐπιστάμενος οὐ προσίεται, ἀλόγιστός ἐστι κατὰ τὸν σὸν λόγον, τῷ εὐλόγῳ μὴ κεχρημένος. οὕτω πονηρίας, ὦ Σίμων, ὑπουργὸς ἄν ἀγνοεῖς. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἀπεκρίνατο· πόθεν οὖν τὸ πονηρὸν πέφυκεν, εἰπὲ ἡμῖν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ἐπειδὴ σήμερον, ἔφη, ἐκβαίνειν ἔφθασας, καὶ ἔφης τοῦ λοιποῦ ὡς βλασφήμου μὴ ἀκούειν ἐμοῦ, αὔριον, εἴγε θέλῃς μαθεῖν, ἐλθόντι διηγήσομαι, καὶ ὡς θέλεις ἐξετασθῆναί με συγχωρήσω ἄνευ φιλονεικίας. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· ὡς ἄν μοι δόξῃ ποιήσω. καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν ἐπορεύθη. τῶν δὲ συνεισελθόντων αὐτῷ οὐδεὶς συνεξῆλθεν, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ποσὶν προσπεσόντες Πέτρου ἠξίουν, ἐπὶ τῷ συνηρπάσθαι τῷ Σίμωνι συγγνώμης τυγχάνειν, καὶ ἀποδεχθῆναι μετανοῦντας. ὁ δὲ Πέτρος προσιέμενος αὐτούς τε τοὺς μεταμελομένους καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους ὄχλους, ἐπέθηκεν τὰς χεῖρας εὐχόμενος, καὶ ἰώμενος αὐτῶν τοὺς πάσχοντας, καὶ οὕτως ἀπολύων παρήγγελλεν αὐτοῖς, περὶ τὸν ὄρθρον ταχύνειν. καὶ τοῦτο εἰπὼν καὶ εἰσελθὼν μετὰ τῶν συνήθων τὰ εἰωθότα πρὸς τὴν ἐπείγουσαν ἡσυχίαν ἐποίησεν, καταλαβούσης ἑσπέρας. ### English translation (Claude) "But you will say, 'He knows that there is no other above him, and for that reason he cannot be abandoned.' Thanks, then, to there not being one! But he knows that your disposition is ready for ingratitude. And if, knowing you to be ungrateful, he accepts you, while knowing me to be grateful he does not admit me, then by your own reasoning he is irrational, since he does not act reasonably. So, Simon, you do not realize that you are a servant of wickedness." And Simon answered: "Then tell us where evil comes from." And Peter said: "Since today you were first to go out, and said that from now on you would not listen to me as a blasphemer, tomorrow, if you wish to learn, I will explain it to you when you come, and I will allow you to question me as you wish, without contentiousness." And Simon said: "I will do as I see fit." And having said this he went away. But of those who had come in with him not one went out with him; instead, falling at Peter's feet, they begged to obtain pardon for having been carried away by Simon, and to be received as penitents. And Peter, admitting both those who repented and the rest of the crowds, laid his hands on them, praying and healing those among them who were sick; and so, dismissing them, he told them to come early at daybreak. And having said this, he went in with his usual companions and did the customary things for the rest they needed, as evening had come on. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 18.23 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/18-1/#p-18-23). ## Homilies 19.1 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-1 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: On the next day Simon undertakes to prove that the Creator, as maker of all things, cannot be blameless. ### Greek text Τῆς δὲ ἄλλης ἡμέρας ὀρθριαίτερον προελθὼν ὁ Πέτρος, καὶ ἰδὼν τὸν Σίμωνα σὺν ἄλλοις πολλοῖς ἀναμένοντα αὐτὸν, προσαγορεύσας τὸ πλῆθος ἤρξατο διαλέγεσθαι. ἅμα δὲ τῷ ἄρξασθαι ὁ Σίμων ἐκκόψας ἔφη· τὰ μακρά σου ταῦτα παρεὶς προοίμια εἰς τὸ προκείμενον πυνθανομένῳ μοι ἀπόκριναι. ἐπειδὴ συννοῶ σε, ὡς ἀφʼ ὧν ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς ἐπακηκοὼς ἐπίσταμαι, ὅτι μηθὲν ἕτερόν σοι πρόκειται, ἢ πάσῃ μηχανῇ τὸν δημιουργὸν αὐτὸν δεῖξαι μόνον ἄμεμπτον εἶναι Θεόν, καὶ τοσοῦτον προαίρεσιν πόθον ἔχοντα διισχυρίζεσθαι, ὡς καὶ ἐνίας τῶν γραφῶν περικοπὰς σαφῶς καταλεγούσας αὐτοῦ τολμᾶν ψευδεῖς λέγειν· οὗ εἵνεκεν προῄρημαι σήμερον ἀποδεῖξαι, ὅτι ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν αὐτὸν πάντων δημιουργὸν ὄντα ἄμεμπτον εἶναι. τῆς δὲ ἀποδείξεως ἤδη ἄρξασθαι δύναμαι, ἐάν γε πρὸς ὅ πυνθάνομαί σου ἀποκρίνῃ μοι. ### English translation (Claude) The next day Peter came out earlier than usual, and seeing Simon waiting for him with many others, he greeted the crowd and began to speak. But as soon as he began, Simon cut in and said: "Leave out these long preambles of yours and answer my questions on the matter before us. For I perceive, from what I have heard you say from the beginning, that you have no other aim than to show by every device that the Creator himself alone is the blameless God, and that you have so great a desire in your resolve to maintain this that you dare to call false even certain passages of the Scriptures that clearly speak against him. For this reason I have resolved today to prove that it is impossible for him, being the Creator of all things, to be blameless. And I can begin the proof at once, if you will answer me what I ask you." ### Translation notes - 'Passages' renders περικοπαί, the work's term for sections of Scripture it regards as false (see 18.19-20). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 19.1 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-1). ## Homilies 19.2 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-2 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon asks whether there is a leader of evil, and Peter affirms from many sayings of Jesus that the evil one exists. ### Greek text Φῄς τινα κακίας ἡγεμόνα εἶναι, ἢ οὔ; ἐὰν γὰρ εἴπῃς μὴ εἶναι, ἐκ πολλῶν καὶ τῶν τοῦ διδασκάλου σου ἀποδεῖξαι ἔχω, ὅτι ἔστιν· εἰ δὲ εὐγνωμονῶν ὁμολογήσῃς εἶναι τὸν πονηρὸν, ἑπομένως ποιήσω τὸν λόγον. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ἀδύνατόν ἐστίν μοι φωνὴν τοῦ ἐμοῦ ἀρνήσασθαι διδασκάλου, διὸ καὶ ὁμολογῶ εἶναι τὸν πονηρόν, ὅτι πολλάκις αὐτὸν ὑπάρχειν ὁ πάντα ἀληθεύσας εἴρηκεν διδάσκαλος. αὐτίκα γοῦν ὁμολογεῖ ἐπὶ τεσσαράκοντα ἡμέρας διαλεχθέντα πεπειρακέναι αὐτόν. καὶ ἄλλῃ που οἶδα αὐτὸν εἰρηκότα· εἰ ὁ σατανᾶς τὸν σατανᾶν ἐκβάλλῃ, ἐφʼ ἑαυτὸν ἐμερίσθη, πῶς οὖν αὐτοῦ στήκῃ ἡ βασιλεία; καὶ ὅτι ἑώρακεν τὸν πονηρὸν ὡς ἀστραπὴν πεσόντα ἐκ τοῦ οὐρανοῦ ἐδήλωσεν. καὶ ἄλλοθι ἔφη· ὁ δὲ τὸ κακὸν σπέρμα σπείρας ἐστὶν ὁ διάβολος. καὶ πάλιν· μὴ δότε πρόφασιν τῷ πονηρῷ. ἀλλὰ καὶ συμβουλεύων εἴρηκεν· ἔστω ὑμῶν τὸ ναὶ, ναὶ, καὶ τὸ οὔ, οὔ· τὸ δὲ περισσὸν τούτων ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ ἐστιν. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐν ᾗ παρέδωκεν εὐχῇ ἔχομεν εἰρημένον· ῥῦσαι ἡμᾶς ἀπὸ τοῦ πονηροῦ. καὶ ἄλλῃ που εἶπε· ὑπέσχετο τοῖς ἀσεβέσιν, ὑπάγετε εἰς τὸ σκότος τὸ ἐξώτερον, ὅ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ πατὴρ τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ. καὶ ἵνα μὴ εἰς πολὺ μηκύνω τὸν λόγον, πολλάκις οἶδα τὸν διδάσκαλόν μου εἰπόντα εἶναι τὸν πονηρόν. διὸ κἀγὼ σύμφημι αὐτὸν ὑπάρχειν. λοιπὸν εἴ τι ἔχεις ἑπομένως λέγειν, ὡς ὑπέσχου, λέγε. ### English translation (Claude) "Do you say that there is a leader of evil, or not? If you say there is not, I can prove from many sayings, including those of your teacher, that there is. But if you candidly admit that the evil one exists, I will build my argument on that." And Peter said: "It is impossible for me to deny a saying of my teacher. Therefore I admit that the evil one exists, because the teacher, who spoke the truth in all things, said many times that he exists. To begin with, he acknowledges that the evil one conversed with him and tempted him for forty days. And I know that he said elsewhere, 'If Satan casts out Satan, he is divided against himself; how then will his kingdom stand?' And he declared that he had seen the evil one falling like lightning from heaven. And elsewhere he said, 'The one who sowed the bad seed is the devil.' And again, 'Give no occasion to the evil one.' And in giving counsel he said, 'Let your yes be yes, and your no, no; what is more than these is from the evil one.' And in the prayer that he handed down we have it said, 'Deliver us from the evil one.' And elsewhere he promised the ungodly: 'Go away into the outer darkness, which the Father prepared for the devil and his angels.' And not to draw out my argument at length, I know that my teacher said many times that the evil one exists. Therefore I too agree that he exists. Now, if you have anything to say on this basis, as you promised, say it." ### Scripture references - Matt 4:1: allusion, high confidence - Matt 4:2: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 12:26: quotation, high confidence - Luke 10:18: allusion, high confidence - Matt 13:39: quotation, medium confidence - Eph 4:27: allusion, medium confidence - Matt 5:37: quotation, high confidence - Matt 6:13: quotation, high confidence - Matt 25:41: quotation, medium confidence - Matt 25:30: allusion, medium confidence ### Translation notes - The sayings are: the temptation (Matt 4:1-11); Matt 12:26; Luke 10:18; Matt 13:39 (freely); 'Give no occasion to the evil one', which is close to Eph 4:27 but is here given as a saying of Jesus; Matt 5:37; Matt 6:13; and a combination of Matt 25:41 with 'outer darkness' (Matt 8:12, 22:13, 25:30), with 'the Father' in place of the Gospel's passive. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 19.2 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-2). ## Homilies 19.3 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-3 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter refuses to speculate beyond Scripture about the devil's origin, but Simon insists that reasoning can settle whether the evil one was originated or unoriginated. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Σίμων· ἐπεὶ οὖν εὐγνωμονήσας ὡμολόγησας εἶναι πονηρὸν, ἀπὸ γραφῶν, καὶ λέγε τὸ πῶς γέγονεν, εἴπερ γέγονεν, καὶ ὑπὸ τίνος, καὶ διὰ τί. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· σύγγνωθί μοι, Σίμων, μὴ τολμῶντι εἰπεῖν ὅ μὴ γέγραπται. εἰ σὺ φῂς γεγράφθαι, δεῖξον. εἰ δὲ, καθὰ μὴ γέγραπται, οὐδὲ σὺ δεῖξαι δύνῃ, διὰ τί περὶ τῶν μὴ γραφέντων ἀποφαινόμενοι κινδυνεύομεν; ἤ γὰρ οὐ πεπιστεύκαμεν κριθήσεσθαι, ἢ μόνον περὶ ὧν ποιοῦμεν, ἀλλʼ οὐχὶ καὶ περὶ ὧν πιστεύοντες λαλοῦμεν, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο τολμηρότερον περὶ Θεοῦ διαλεγόμεθα; ὁ δὲ Σίμων, συνεὶς ὅτι πρὸς τὴν ἀπόνοιαν αὑτοῦ εἴρηκεν, ἔφη· ἐμὲ ἔα κινδυνεύειν, σὺ δὲ ἣν φῂς βλασφημίαν, πρόφασιν πρὸς ὑποχώρησιν μὴ λάμβανε. συννοῶ γάρ σε βουλόμενον ὑποστέλλεσθαι, ὅπως τὸν ἐπὶ τῶν ὄχλων ἔλεγχον ἐκφύγῃς, ὁτὲ μὲν ὡς δεδιὼς βλασφημίας ἀκοῦσαι, ὁτὲ δὲ ἐπεὶ μὴ γέγραπται πῶς καὶ ὑπὸ τίνος καὶ διὰ τί γέγονεν ὁ πονηρός, ὅτι μὴ χρὴ πλεῖον τῆς γραφῆς τολμᾶν λέγειν· διὸ καὶ ὡς εὐλαβὴς τοῦτο μόνον βεβαιοῖς, ὅτι ἔστιν. ταῦτα δὲ μηχανώμενος σεαυτὸν ἀπατᾷς, οὐκ εἰδὼς ὅτι εἰ βλασφημία ἐστὶν περὶ πονηροῦ ἀκριβοῦν, ἡ αἰτία περὶ ἐμὲ τὸν κατήγορον τυγχάνει, οὐ περὶ σὲ τὸν συνηγοροῦντα τῷ Θεῷ. καὶ εἰ ἄγραφόν ἐστιν τὸ ζητούμενον, καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ζητεῖν θέλεις, εἰσίν τινες ὁδοὶ ἱκαναὶ, δυνάμεναι οὐχ ἧττον γραφῶν δεῖξαι τὰ ζητούμενα. αὐτίκα γοῦν οὐκ ἀνάγκη τὸν πονηρόν, ὅν καὶ σὺ φῂς ὑπάρχειν, ἢ γενητὸν εἶναι ἢ ἀγένητον; ### English translation (Claude) And Simon said: "Since, then, you have candidly admitted from the Scriptures that there is an evil one, tell also how he came to be, if indeed he came to be, and by whom, and why." And Peter said: "Forgive me, Simon, if I do not dare to say what is not written. If you say it is written, show it. But if, since it is not written, you cannot show it either, why should we run the risk of making pronouncements about things not written? Is it that we do not believe we shall be judged, or believe we shall be judged only about what we do and not also about what we say as believers, and so speak about God more rashly?" But Simon, perceiving that this had been said against his own recklessness, said: "Let me run the risk; but do not take what you call blasphemy as a pretext for withdrawing. For I perceive that you want to back away so as to escape refutation before the crowds: at one moment as though afraid to hear blasphemy, at another because it is not written how, by whom, and why the evil one came to be, and one must not dare to say more than Scripture. So, as a devout man, you affirm only this, that he exists. But in contriving this you deceive yourself, not knowing that if it is blasphemy to inquire precisely about the evil one, the blame falls on me, the accuser, not on you, who plead God's cause. And if what is being sought is unwritten, and for that reason you are unwilling to inquire, there are certain adequate ways which can show what is sought no less than the Scriptures. For instance, is it not necessary that the evil one, whom you too say exists, is either originated or unoriginated?" ### Translation notes - The words 'and for that reason you are unwilling to inquire' render a clause that in the printed text lacks a negative ('you wish to inquire'); the sense requires one, and it is translated so. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 19.3 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-3). ## Homilies 19.4 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-4 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon lists every possible way in which the evil one could have come into existence, so as to trace him to a blameworthy cause. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· ἀνάγκη. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· οὐκοῦν εἰ γενητός ἐστιν, ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ τοῦ τὰ πάντα πεποιηκότος γέγονεν Θεοῦ, ἢ ὡς ζῶον γενηθεὶς, ἢ οὐσιωδῶς προβληθεὶς, καὶ ἔξω τῇ κράσει συμβεβηκὼς, [ἢ] ἐκτὸς ἦν αὐτοῦ ἡ ὕλη ἔμψυχος ἤ ἄψυχος, ὅθεν γέγονεν, ἢ διʼ αὐτοῦ Θεοῦ, ἢ ἀφʼ ἑαυτοῦ, ἢ καὶ ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων [συμ]βέβηκεν, τῶν πρός τί ἐστιν, ἢ αἰεὶ ἦν. πάσης οὖν ὁδοῦ, ὡς οἶμαι, ἐνταῦθα διῃρημένης πρὸς τὴν εὕρεσιν αὐτοῦ, ἀνάγκη μιᾷ τινι αὐτῶν ὁδεύουσιν εὑρετὸν αὐτὸν εἶναι· ἑκάστην οὖν ὁδεῦσαι δεῖ ζητοῦντα γένεσιν, καὶ εὑρόντα τὸν αἴτιον ὑπὸ μέμψιν αὐτὸν εἶναι νοεῖν. ἦ γὰρ πῶς δοκεῖ; ### English translation (Claude) And Peter said: "It is necessary." And Simon said: "Then, if he is originated, he came to be through the God who made all things: either begotten as a living being, or put forth from his substance and then arising externally through a mixture; or the matter from which he came was outside God, whether living or lifeless; or he came to be through God himself, or from himself, or arose out of things that did not exist; or he belongs to the class of things that are relative; or he always was. Since every way, I think, is here divided out for finding him, those who travel one of them must necessarily find him. So one must travel each way in seeking his origin, and, having found the one who is responsible, recognize that he is blameworthy. Or how does it seem to you?" ### Translation notes - The list of alternatives is compressed and partly damaged in the edition (bracketed letters and words), and its grouping is uncertain; it is translated by sense and compared with Peter's restatement in 19.9. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 19.4 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-4). ## Homilies 19.5 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-5 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter answers that whether the evil one was made by God or always existed, God is not to be blamed for making, tolerating, or being unable to change him. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, ἐὰν ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ φανῇ γεγονὼς, μήπω δεῖν τὸν ποιήσαντα ὑπὸ μέμψιν εἶναι, μήπως τὸ χρήσιμον αὐτοῦ πάντων ἀναγκαιότερον εὑρεθείη· εἰ δὲ καὶ μὴ γεγονὼς ἀποδειχθείη, ὡς αἰεὶ ὤν, οὐδʼ ἐν τούτῳ ὁ δημιουργὸς μεμπτὸς ἢ μὴ τῶν ὅλων ἐστὶν ὁ κρείττων, εἰ καὶ ἀνάρχῳ ἀρχῇ τέλος [ἐπι]θεῖναι διὰ τὸ μὴ φύσιν ἔχειν οὐ δεδύ[νητ]αι, ἢ δυνατὸς ὤν οὐκ ἀναιρεῖ αὐ[τὸν], ἄδικον κρίνας ἀρχὴν μὴ εἰληφότι τέλος ἐπιθεῖναι, καὶ κακῷ πεφυκότι συγγνῶναι, διὰ τὸ ἄλλο τι γενέσθαι μὴ δύνασθαι, καὶ εἰ τοῦ γενέσθαι τὸ ἐπιθυμεῖν ἔχοι. εἰ δὲ ἀγαθὸν ποιῆσαι θέλων μὴ δύναιτο, καὶ οὕτως ἀγαθός ἐστιν, ὅτι θέλει μὲν, οὐ δύναται δέ· καὶ ἐν ᾧ ἀδυνατεῖ πάντων ἐστὶ δυνατώτατος, ὅτι μὴ ἑτέρῳ τὸ δυνατὸν καταλείπεται. εἰ δέ ἐστίν τις ἕτερος δυνατὸς, καὶ μὴ κατορθῶν, ἐν ᾧ δυνατὸς ὤν μὴ κατορθοῖ, πονηρὸς ὤν ὡμολόγηται, μὴ παύων αὐτὸν, ὡς τοῖς ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ γινομένοις ἡδόμενος. εἰ δὲ οὐδʼ αὐτὸς δύναται, κρείττων ὁ πρὸς τὸ ἀδυνατεῖν κατὰ τὸ δυνατὸν ἡμᾶς εὐεργετεῖν οὐκ ὀκνῶν. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter said: "It seems to me that, if he is shown to have been made by God, the one who made him need not on that account be blamed, since his usefulness might perhaps be found more necessary than anything. And if he is shown not to have come into being, as one who always existed, not even so is the Creator blameworthy, or less than the greatest of all, even if he could not put an end to a beginning without beginning, since it is not in its nature; or if, being able, he does not destroy him, judging it unjust to put an end to what has had no beginning, and pardoning one who is evil by nature, because he cannot become anything else, even if he had the desire to become so. And if, wishing to make him good, he cannot, even so he is good, because he wishes to, though he cannot; and in his very inability he is the most powerful of all, since the power is not left to another. But if there is some other who is able and does not set it right, then, in that he is able and does not set it right, he is admitted to be evil, since he does not stop him, as though pleased with what is done by him. And if he too is unable, better is the one who, in the face of that inability, does not shrink from benefiting us as far as he can." ### Translation notes - A few letters are supplied in brackets by the edition where the manuscript is damaged. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 19.5 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-5). ## Homilies 19.6 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-6 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon and Peter exchange accusations, Peter calling Simon worse than the devil because he openly speaks against God. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Σίμων· ὅτʼ ἂν εἰς ἕκαστον ὧν προέτεινα διαλεχθῇς, σοὶ τῆς κακίας τὸν αἴτιον δείξω. τότε σοι καὶ πρὸς ἅ εἴρηκας ἀποκρινοῦμαι, καὶ ὅν φῂς Θεὸν ἄμεμπτον, ὑπὸ μέμψιν εἶναι ἀποδείξω. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ἐπειδὴ ἀφʼ ὧν ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς φθέγγῃ συννοῶ σε μηδὲν ἕτερον σπουδάζοντα, ἢ ὡς κακίας ἡγεμόνα τὸν Θεὸν ὑποβάλλειν μέμψει, προῄρημαι πάσαις αἷς βούλῃ ὁδοῖς συνοδεύων δεῖξαι Θεὸν πάσης μέμψεως ἐκτὸς ὄντα. καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· ταῦτα ὡς ἀγαπῶν Θεὸν ὅν νενόμικας λέγεις, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἀληθεύεις. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· σὺ δὲ ὡς κακὸς μισῶν Θεὸν, ὅν ἠγνόησας, βλασφήμους ἀφεὶς φωνάς. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· μνημόνευε ὅτι με κακίας ἡγεμόνι παρείκασας. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ὁμολογῶ ἐψευσάμην παρεικάσας σε τῷ πονηρῷ, ἠναγκάσθην γὰρ ἐπὶ τῷ μὴ εὑρεῖν τὸν σὸν ἴσον ἢ καὶ χείρονα. τούτου ἕνεκα τῷ πονηρῷ σε παρείκασα· ἐπεὶ [ἐπεὶ γ]ἀρ καὶ τοῦ τῆς κακίας ἡγεμόνος πολλῷ πονηρότερος τυγχάνεις. τὸν γὰρ πονηρὸν οὐδεὶς κατειπόντα Θεοῦ δεῖξαι δύναται, σὲ δὲ τολμηρῶς καταλέγοντα οἱ πάντες παρόντες ἱστοροῦμεν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· ὁ ἀλήθειαν ζητῶν οὐδὲν οὐδενὶ ὀφείλει παρὰ τὸ ὂν χαρίζεσθαι. ἐπεὶ τί καὶ τὴν ἀρχὴν ζητεῖ; τί δὲ καὶ ἐγὼ οὐ δύναμαι, παρεὶς ἀκριβοῦν τὰ πράγματα, εἰς ἐγκώμιον οὗ μὴ ἐπίσταμαι Θεοῦ τὸν πάντα μου δαπανᾶν χρόνον; ### English translation (Claude) And Simon said: "When you have discussed each of the points I put forward, I will show you the cause of evil. Then I will also answer what you have said, and prove that the God whom you call blameless is open to blame." And Peter said: "Since I perceive from what you have said from the beginning that you are intent on nothing else than to subject God to blame as the leader of evil, I have resolved to travel with you along every way you wish and to show that God is beyond all blame." And Simon said: "You say this as one who loves the God whom you have imagined, but you do not speak the truth." And Peter said: "And you speak as a wicked man who hates the God of whom you are ignorant, letting out blasphemous words." And Simon said: "Remember that you likened me to the leader of evil." And Peter said: "I admit I lied in likening you to the evil one; I was forced to it because I could not find your equal, or anyone worse. That is why I likened you to the evil one: because you are in fact far more wicked even than the leader of evil. For no one can show that the evil one spoke against God, but all of us present can testify that you speak against him boldly." And Simon said: "One who seeks the truth owes no one any favor contrary to what is. Otherwise why seek at all? And why could I not also give up examining things precisely, and spend all my time in praise of a God whom I do not know?" ### Translation notes - The edition's text here repeats a word within a bracketed supplement ('for'); it is translated once. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 19.6 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-6). ## Homilies 19.7 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-7 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter tells Simon that his speech reveals an evil heart ignorant of God's patience, and Simon insists that fear will not stop his inquiry. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· οὔτε τοσοῦτον εἶ μακάριος αὐτὸν ὑμνεῖν, οὔτε μὴν τὸ ἀγαθὸν τοῦτο ποιῆσαι δύνασαι· αὐτοῦ γὰρ πλήρης ἂν ἦς. οὕτω γὰρ ὁ ἀψευδὴς ἡμῶν εἶπε διδάσκαλος· ἐκ περισσεύματος καρδίας στόμα λαλεῖ. ὅθεν σὺ περισσευόμενος προαιρέσει κακῇ, ἀγνοίας αἰτίᾳ, καταλέγεις τοῦ μόνου ἀγαθοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ μήπω κατʼ ἀξίαν πάσχων ὧν ἐτόλμησας λέγειν. ἦ [κρί]σιν οἴῃ μὴ ἔσεσθαι. τάχα δὲ μηδ[ὲ καὶ] εἶναι Θεὸν νομίζεις. ὅθεν τῆς τοσαύτης αὐτοῦ μακροθυμίας οὐκ ἀντιλαμβανόμενος ἐπὶ πλεῖον πρὸς ἀπόνοιαν αὑτὸν ἐκτείνεις. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· μὴ ἔλπιζε φόβῳ δυσωπήσειν με, μὴ ζητεῖν σοι τῶν παραδειγμάτων τὰ ἀληθῆ. ἐγὼ γὰρ τοσοῦτον ἀληθείας ὀρέγομαι, ὡς αὐτῆς ἕνεκα μὴ ὀκνῆσαί με καὶ τὸ κινδυνεύειν ἀναδέχεσθαι. πλὴν πρὸς τὰ ἀπαρχῆς σοι ὑπʼ ἐμοῦ προταθέντα, εἴγε εἰπεῖν ἔχεις, ἤδη λέγε. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter said: "You are not so blessed as to sing his praises, nor indeed can you do this good thing; for you would be full of him. For so our truthful teacher said: 'Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks.' Hence you, overflowing with an evil will through ignorance, speak against the only good God, and are not yet suffering as you deserve for what you have dared to say. Or do you think there will be no judgment? Perhaps you think there is not even a God. Hence, not grasping his great long-suffering, you stretch yourself further toward madness." And Simon said: "Do not hope to shame me with fear into not seeking from you the truth about your illustrations. For I long for the truth so much that for its sake I do not shrink even from facing danger. But now, if you have anything to say, answer what I put to you at the start." ### Scripture references - Matt 12:34: quotation, high confidence - Luke 6:45: quotation, medium confidence - Rom 2:4: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - Quotes Matt 12:34 (cf. Luke 6:45). ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 19.7 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-7). ## Homilies 19.8 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-8 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter reluctantly agrees to examine the devil's origin, on the rule that the view most reverent toward God must be chosen, and promises to show God blameless. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· ἐπειδὴ τολμᾶν ἡμᾶς ἀναγκάζεις, τὰς τοῦ Θεοῦ τέχνας ἀκριβῶς ἐφευρόντας λέγειν, καὶ ταῦτα ἀνθρώπους τοὺς μηδὲ τῶν ὁμοίων τὰς τέχνας ἀκριβῶσαι δυναμένους, διὰ γοῦν τοὺς παρεστῶτας, ἀντὶ τῆς εὐσεβεστάτης σιγῆς, περὶ ὧν θέλεις διαλεχθήσομαι. συνομολογῶ σοι εἶναί τινα κακίας ἡγεμόνα, [οὗ]τὴν γένεσιν γραφὴ οἴτε ἀληθὲς, οὔτε ψευδὲς εἰπεῖν ἐτόλμησεν. πλὴν συνδιαπορήσωμεν πολλαχῶς τὸ πῶς γέγονεν, εἴπερ γέγονεν, καὶ τῶν δοκούντων τὸ εὐφημότερον ἑλώμεθα, ἐπεὶ ἐκ τῶν εἰκότων λαμβάνεται τοῦτο βεβαίως, ὃ μὲν ὅτι Θεῷ τὸ εὐφημώτερον δοῦναι πρέπει, ταύτῃ μᾶλλον, πασῶν ὑπονοιῶν καθαρθεισῶν, καὶ ἄλλης ἱκανῆς καὶ ἀκινδυνοτέρας παρακειμένης ὑποψίας. πλὴν ἤδη σοι πρὸ τῆς ζητήσεως ὑπισχνοῦμαι, ὅτι πᾶσα ὁδὸς ζητήσεως ἄμεμπτον αὐτὸν μόνον δύναται δεῖξαι τὸν Θεόν. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter said: "Since you force us to dare to speak as if we had precisely found out God's workings, and that though we are men who cannot even precisely understand the workings of our equals, I will, for the sake of those standing here, discuss what you wish, instead of keeping the most reverent silence. I agree with you that there is a leader of evil, whose origin Scripture has not dared to state either truly or falsely. But let us examine together, in many ways, how he came to be, if he came to be, and of the views that present themselves let us choose the more reverent. For among probable views this one is firmly held: that it is fitting to ascribe the more reverent to God; all the more when all suppositions have been sifted and another adequate and less dangerous one lies at hand. But I promise you now, before the inquiry, that every way of inquiry can show that God alone is blameless." ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 19.8 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-8). ## Homilies 19.9 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-9 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter restates the possible origins of the evil one, and answers Simon's first argument with the example of good parents who have bad children, like Adam with Cain and Abel. ### Greek text Πλὴν, ὡς ἔφης, ὁ πονηρὸς εἰ γενητός ἐστιν, ἢ ὡς ζῶον γεγένηται, ἢ οὐσιωδῶς ὑπʼ αὐτοῦ προβέβληται, ἢ ἔξω κέκραται, ἢ τῇ κράσει συμβέβηκεν αὐτοῦ ἡ προαίρεσις, ἢ ἄνευ κράσεως καὶ Θεοῦ βουλῆς συνέβη γενέσθαι ἐξ οὐκ ὄντων, ἢ ὑπὸ Θεοῦ, [ἤ] μηδαμοῦ μηδαμῶς γέγονεν, ἢ ἐκτὸς ἦν Θεοῦ ἡ ὕλη ἔμψυχος οὖσα ἢ ἄψυχος ὅθεν γέγονεν, ἢ ἑαυτὸν δημιουργήσας, ἢ ὑπὸ Θεοῦ γεγονὼς, ἢ τῶν πρός τί ἐστιν, ἢ αἰεὶ ἦν, εἰπεῖν γὰρ αὐτὸν μὴ εἶναι οὐ δυνάμεθα, συνωμολογήσαμεν γὰρ αὐτὸν ὑπάρχειν. καὶ ὁ Σίμων· καλῶς πάσας αὐτοῦ τὰς ὁδοὺς διεῖλες, τὸ κεφάλαιον αὐτοῦ. λοιπὸν ἐμόν ἐστι τὴν διαίρεσιν ἀνακρίναντα δεῖξαί σοι τὸν δημιουργὸν ὑπὸ μέμψιν ὄντα. σοῦ δὲ ἔργον ἀποδεῖξαι αὐτόν, ὡς ὑπέσχησαι, πάσης μέμψεως ἐκτὸς ὄντα. θαυμάζω δὲ εἰ δυνήσῃ. πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ ὁ πονηρὸς, εἰ ἀπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ ζῶον γεγένηται, ἀκολούθως τῆς αὐτῆς τοῦ προβάλλοντος κακίας τυγχάνει. καὶ [ὁ Πέτ]ρος· οὐ πάντως. ὁρῶμεν γὰρ πολλοὺς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀγαθοὺς ὄντας, καὶ [κακ]οὺς γεννήσαντας, ἄλλους δὲ [κα]κοὺς ὑπάρχοντας, καὶ ἀγαθοὺς ἐσχηκότας, ἑτέρους δὲ κακοὺς ὄντας, καὶ ἀγαθοὺς προβάλλοντας, ἄλλους δὲ ἀγαθοὺς ὑπάρχοντας, καὶ κακούς τε καὶ ἀγαθοὺς τεκνώσαντας. αὐτίκα γοῦν ὁ πρῶτος δημιουργηθεὶς ἄνθρωπος ἐγέννησεν τὸν ἄδικον Κάϊν καὶ τὸν δίκαιον Ἅβελ. πρὸς ταῦτα ὁ Σίμων ἔφη· ἀνοήτως ποιεῖς περὶ Θεοῦ διαλεγόμενος ἀνθρωπίνοις χρώμενος παραδείγμασιν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· σὺ οὖν ἡμῖν λέγε περὶ Θεοῦ, ἀνθρωπίνοις μὴ χρώμενος παραδείγμασιν, μετὰ τοῦ μέντοι νοηθῆναι δύνασθαι τὰ λεγόμενα· ἀλλʼ οὐ δυνήσῃ. ### English translation (Claude) "But, as you said, if the evil one is originated, either he was begotten as a living being, or was put forth by God from his substance, or was mixed externally, or his will arose by the mixture; or it happened that, without mixture and without God's will, he came to be out of things that did not exist, or by God; or he came to be nowhere and in no way; or the matter from which he came, whether living or lifeless, was outside God; or he fashioned himself, or was made by God; or he belongs to the class of things that are relative; or he always was. For we cannot say that he does not exist, since we have agreed that he does." And Simon said: "You have divided well all the ways of it, the chief point of the matter. It remains for me to examine the division and show you that the Creator is open to blame; and it is your task to prove, as you promised, that he is beyond all blame. But I wonder whether you will be able. First, if the evil one was begotten by God as a living being, it follows that he has the same wickedness as the one who put him forth." And Peter said: "Not at all. For we see many men who are good and have begotten bad children, and others who are bad and have had good ones, others who are bad and produce good ones, and others who are good and have fathered both bad and good. For instance, the first man who was fashioned begot unjust Cain and just Abel." To this Simon said: "You act foolishly in using human examples when discussing God." And Peter said: "Then speak to us about God without using human examples, but in such a way that what is said can be understood. But you will not be able to." ### Scripture references - Gen 4:1: allusion, medium confidence - Gen 4:2: allusion, medium confidence - 1 John 3:12: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - The list again is compressed; the edition brackets one 'or'. The example of Cain and Abel alludes to Gen 4:1-2 and 1 John 3:12. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 19.9 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-9). ## Homilies 19.10 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-10 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter turns Simon's objection back on him: if no human analogy may be used of God, nothing can be said of him at all except what he has revealed of his will. ### Greek text Αὐτίκα γοῦν τί τὴν ἀρχὴν ἔλεγες; εἰ ἐκ Θεοῦ ὁ πονηρὸς γεγένηται, τῆς αὐτῆς αὐτῷ ὤν οὐσίας, καὶ πονηρός ἐστιν. ἐμοῦ δὲ δείξαντος οὐ[ξ οὗ] περ αὐτὸς ἔδωκας παραδείγματο[ς], ὅτι ἐξ ἀγαθῶν κακοὶ γίνονται καὶ ἐκ κακῶν ἀγαθοὶ, οὐ παρεδέξω, ἀνθρώπινον φήσας εἶναι τὸ παράδειγμα. ὅθεν καὶ νῦν ἐγὼ οὐδὲ τὸ γεγεννῆσθαι Θεὸν παραδέχομαι, ὅτι τὸ γεννᾶν ἀνθρώπων ἐστὶν, οὐ Θεοῦ. ἀλλʼ οὔτε ἀγαθὸς ἢ κακὸς, ἢ δίκαιος ἢ ̓ἄδικος εἶναι δύναται ὁ Θεὸς, οὔτε μὴν φρόνιμος ἢ ζῶον ἢ ὅσα ἄλλα ἀνθρώποις προσεῖναι δύναται· ἀνθρώπων γὰρ τὰ τοιαῦτα. καὶ εἰ μὴ χρὴ ζητοῦντας περὶ Θεοῦ διδόναι αὐτῷ τὰ ἀνθρώποις προσόντα καλά, οὐδέν ἐστιν τοῦ λοιποῦ νοεῖν ἢ λέγειν, ἢ τοῦτο μόνον ζητεῖν, τὸ τῆς προαιρέσεως αὐτοῦ, ἥν αὐτὸς συνεχώρησεν ἡμῖν νοεῖν, ὅπως κρινόμενοι ἀναπολόγητοι ὦμεν περὶ ὧν γνόντες οὐκ ἐφυλάξαμεν. ### English translation (Claude) "For instance, what did you say at the beginning? If the evil one was begotten from God, being of the same substance with him, he is also evil. But when I showed from the very example you yourself gave that the bad come from the good and the good from the bad, you did not accept it, saying that the example was human. So now I do not accept even that God begot, since begetting belongs to human beings, not to God. And God cannot be good or bad, just or unjust, nor wise, nor a living being, nor anything else that can belong to human beings; for such things belong to human beings. And if, when inquiring about God, we must not ascribe to him the good things that belong to human beings, then nothing remains to think or say, except to inquire only into what concerns his will, which he himself has allowed us to understand, so that when we are judged we may be without excuse for the things we knew and did not keep." ### Scripture references - Rom 1:20: echo, low confidence ### Translation notes - 'Without excuse' echoes Rom 1:20 and 2:1. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 19.10 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-10). ## Homilies 19.11 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-11 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Simon holds that God's nature can be known by ascribing to him the best human qualities, and Peter concludes that God, then, begets and does only good and is the cause of all good things. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἀκούσας ἔφη· οὐ δυσωπήσεις με, περὶ τῆς οὐσίας αὐτοῦ σιωπήσαντα περὶ τῆς προαιρέσεως αὐτοῦ ζητεῖν μόνης. ἔστιν γὰρ περὶ τῆς οὐσίας αὐτοῦ καὶ νοεῖν καὶ λέγειν, λέγω δὴ ἀπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώποις προσόντων καλῶν. οἷον πρόσεστιν ἀνθρώπῳ τὸ ζῆν καὶ τὸ τεθνάναι, ἀλλὰ τῷ Θεῷ οὐ τὸ τεθνάναι, ἀλλὰ τὸ ζῆν, καὶ τὸ ζῆν αἰωνίως. ἔτι μὴν πρόσεστιν ἀνθρώποις τὸ κακοῖς εἶναι καὶ ἀγαθοῖς, τῷ δὲ Θεῷ τὸ ἀσυγκρίτως ἀγαθῷ εἶναι. καὶ ἵνα μὴ εἰς πολὺ μηκύνω τὸν λόγον, τῶν προσόντων ἀνθρώποις τὰ κρείττονα αἰωνίως πρόσεστιν τῷ Θεῷ. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· λέγε μοι, Σίμων, πρόσεστιν ἀνθρώποις γεννᾶν κακοὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς, καὶ ποιεῖν κακὰ καὶ ἀγαθά; καὶ ὁ Σίμων ἔφη πρόσεστιν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη ἐπεὶ οὕτως ἔφης, τῶν ἀνθρώποις προσόντων τὰ κρείττονα ἀπονέμειν δεῖ τῷ Θεῷ· ἀνθρώπων γεννώντων κακοὺς καὶ ἀγαθοὺς, ὁ Θεὸς ἀγαθοὺς μόνους γεννῆσαι δύναται, ἔτι τε τῶν ἀνθρώπων [ποιούν]των κακὰ καὶ ἀγαθὰ, αὐτὸς μόνος ἀγαθὰ ποιῶν τέρπεται. οὕτως π[ερ], ἢ οὔ, διὰ τῶν ἀνθρώποις προσόντων καλ[ῶν] εὔλογόν ἐστιν ἀπονέμειν αὐτῷ τὰ κρείττονα; καὶ οὕτως πάντων καλῶν μόνος ἐστὶν αἴτιος. ### English translation (Claude) And Simon, hearing this, said: "You will not shame me into keeping silent about his substance and inquiring only about his will. For it is possible both to think and to speak about his substance, I mean from the good things that belong to human beings. For example, living and dying belong to a human being; but to God belongs not dying but living, and living eternally. Again, it belongs to human beings to be bad and good, but to God to be incomparably good. And not to draw out my argument at length, the better of the things belonging to human beings belong eternally to God." And Peter said: "Tell me, Simon: does it belong to human beings to beget bad and good children, and to do bad and good things?" And Simon said: "It does." And Peter said: "Since you have said that one must assign to God the better of the things that belong to human beings, then, while human beings beget bad and good, God can beget only the good; and while human beings do bad and good, he alone delights in doing good. Is it so, or not? Is it not reasonable, by way of the good things that belong to human beings, to assign to him the better? And so he alone is the cause of all good things." ### Translation notes - A few letters are supplied by the edition where the manuscript is damaged. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 19.11 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-11). ## Homilies 19.12 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-12 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter explains that God put forth the four elements, which, mixed outside him by his will, became a living being meant to destroy the wicked, so that evil comes neither from another source nor from God's own nature. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Σίμων· οὐκοῦν εἰ ὁ Θεὸς μόνων τῶν καλῶν αἴτιός ἐστιν, τοῦ λοιποῦ τί ἐστιν νοεῖν, ἢ ὅτι τὸν πονηρὸν ἑτέρα τις ἐγέννησεν ἀρχὴ, ἢ ἄρʼ ἀγέννητόν ἐστιν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· οὔτε ἑτέρα τις δύναμις ἐγέννησεν τὸν πονηρὸν, οὔτε ἀγέννητόν ἐστιν τὸ κακὸν, ὡς ἐπὶ τέλει δείξω· νῦν γὰρ ἀποδεῖξαί μοι πρόκειται, ὡς ἀπʼ ἀρχῆς ὑπεσχόμην, ὅτι κατὰ πάντα τρόπον ὁ Θεὸς ἄμεμπτός ἐστιν. δεδώκαμεν οὖν ὅτι ὁ Θεὸς τῶν ἀνθρώποις προσόντων τὰ κρείττονα ἀσυγκρίτως ἔχει. διὸ καὶ ἐνδέχεται αὐτὸν προβολέα γενέσθαι τῶν τεσσάρων οὐσιῶν, θερμοῦ τε καὶ ψυχροῦ, ὑγροῦ τε καὶ ξηροῦ. [ἔφ]υ μὲν ὡς πρῶτα ἁπλᾶ καὶ ἀμιγῆ [ὄντ]α πρὸς οὐθὲν ἕτερον ἔχειν τὴν ὄρε[ξι]ν, προβληθέντα δὲ ὑπὸ τοῦ Θεοῦ [κ]αὶ ἔξω κραθέντα γενέσθαι ζῶον, προαίρεσιν ἔχον ὀλοθρεῦσαι κακούς. καὶ οὕτως ἐξ αὐτοῦ πάντων γεγεννημένων, ὁ πονηρὸς οὔτε ἄλλοθέν ἐστιν, οὔτε ἀπʼ αὐτοῦ τοῦ πάντα πεποιηκότος Θεοῦ τὴν κακίαν εἴληφεν, παρʼ ᾧ ὑπάρχειν ἀδύνατόν ἐστιν, ὅτι αἱ μὲν οὐσίαι ὡς ἕτεραι οὖσαι, πεφιλοκρινημέναι ἐξ αὐτοῦ προβέβληνται, καὶ ἔξω αὐταῖς κραθείσαις ὑπὸ τῆς αὐτοῦ τέχνης βουλήσει συμβέβηκεν ἡ πρὸς τὸν τῶν κακῶν ὄλεθρον ἐπιθυμία· ἀγαθοὺς δὲ ἡ συμβεβηκυῖα κακία ὀλοθρεῦσαι οὐ δύναται, οὐδʼ εἰ βουληθείη, νόμῳ γὰρ κατὰ τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων ἔχει ἐξουσίαν. ἀγνοῶν οὖν τὰ ἕκαστα τῶν τρόπων τὴν κατʼ αὐτῶν λαμβά [νει ἐμ] πειρίαν, καὶ διελέγξας τιμωρ [εῖ. καὶ ὁ Σί] μων ἔφη· δυνατὸς οὖν ὑπάρχ[ων συγ]κιρνᾶν τὰ στοιχεῖα, καὶ ποιεῖν κρᾶ[σιν] πρὸς ἅς βούλεται γενέσθαι προ [αιρέ]σεις, διὰ τί μὴ ἀγαθῶν προαιρ [ετικὴν] ἐποίει τὴν ἑκάστου κρᾶσιν; ### English translation (Claude) And Simon said: "Then, if God is the cause of good things only, what remains to think, except that some other principle begot the evil one, or that evil is unbegotten?" And Peter said: "Neither did some other power beget the evil one, nor is evil unbegotten, as I will show at the end; for now my task is to prove, as I promised from the beginning, that God is blameless in every way. We have granted, then, that God has incomparably the better of the things that belong to human beings. Therefore it is possible that he became the one who put forth the four substances, hot and cold, wet and dry. By nature, as being at first simple and unmixed, they had no desire toward anything else; but when they had been put forth by God and mixed outside him, they became a living being with a will to destroy the wicked. And so, since all things were begotten from him, the evil one is neither from elsewhere, nor did he receive his wickedness from the God who made all things, in whom it cannot exist. For the substances, being different, were put forth from him carefully distinguished; and when they had been mixed outside him by his art, the desire for the destruction of the wicked came upon them by his will. But the wickedness that has come about cannot destroy the good, not even if it wished, for by law it has power over sinners. So, not knowing the ways of each person, it puts them to the test, and having convicted them, punishes them." And Simon said: "Since he is able to mix the elements and to make a mixture for whatever wills he wishes to arise, why did he not make each one's mixture such as to choose the good?" ### Translation notes - This is the work's own account of the devil as God's instrument of punishment, formed from a mixture of the four elements; it is translated as written. Several words at the line ends are damaged and supplied by the edition. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 19.12 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-12). ## Homilies 19.13 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-13 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter argues that the evil one's disposition arose by God's will in mixing the elements, since nothing living and ruling can arise by chance. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· νῦν ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος πρόκειται, πῶς ἐγένετο ὁ πονηρὸς, εἴπερ γέγονεν, καὶ ὑπὸ τίνος· τὸ δὲ εἰ ἀμέμπτως, ὁπόταν διεξιῶ τὸν νῦν ἡμῖν προκείμενον λόγον· πότε τὸ πῶς καὶ διὰ τί ἐγένετο δείξω, καὶ ὅτι ἄμεμπτος ὁ πεποιηκὼς πληροφορήσω. πλὴν ἔφαμεν ὑπὸ Θεοῦ προβεβλῆσθαι τέσσαρας οὐσίας. καὶ οὕτως βουλῇ τοῦ συγκρίναντος συμβέβηκεν ὡς ἠθέλησεν ἡ τῶν κακῶν προαίρεσις. εἰ γὰρ παρὰ τὴν προαίρεσιν αὐτοῦ ἢ ἐξ ἄλλης τινὸς οὐσίας ἢ καὶ προφάσεως [συμβε]βήκει, οὐκ ἦν ἄν τῷ Θεῷ τὸ τῆς [κράσε]ως βέβαιον· μήπως αὐτοῦ μὴ βουλομένου ἡγεμόνες αἰεὶ κακίας συμβή[σων]ται προσπολεμοῦντες αὐτοῦ τοῖς [βουλ]ήμασιν. ἀλλὰ ταῦτα οὕτως ἔχειν ἀδύνατον. οὐδὲν γὰρ ζῶν καὶ ταῦτα ἡγεμονικὸν ἐκ συμβεβηκότος γενέσθαι δύναται· ἀνάγκη γὰρ πᾶν τὸ γινόμενον ὑπό τινος γίνεσθαι. ### English translation (Claude) And Peter said: "The question now before us is how the evil one came to be, if indeed he came to be, and by whom. Whether it was blamelessly, I will show when I have gone through the argument now before us; then I will show how and why he came to be, and fully prove that the one who made him is blameless. But we said that four substances were put forth by God. And so, by the will of him who combined them, the will directed against the wicked came about as he wished. For if it had come about against his will, or from some other substance or occasion, the mixture would not have been securely in God's control, and perhaps, against his will, leaders of evil would keep arising, warring against his purposes. But it is impossible that this should be so. For no living thing, least of all one fit to rule, can come about by accident; for everything that comes to be must come to be by someone." ### Translation notes - 'The will directed against the wicked' renders ἡ τῶν κακῶν προαίρεσις, which could also mean 'the choice of evil things'; the context of 19.12 (a will to destroy the wicked) favors the first. Some words are supplied by the edition where the manuscript is damaged. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 19.13 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-13). ## Homilies 19.14 - URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-14 - Source: Schwegler - Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 Summary: Peter begins to answer Simon's suggestion that eternal matter produces evil powers, arguing that eternal matter could not be hostile; the text breaks off here. ### Greek text Καὶ ὁ Σίμων· τί δὲ εἰ ὕλη αὐτῷ σύγχρονος οὖσα καὶ ἰσοδύναμος ὡς ἐχθρὰ προβάλλει αὐτῷ ἡγεμόνας, ἐμποδίζοντας αὐτοῦ τοῖς βουλήμασιν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· εἰ ἀΐδιός ἐστιν ἡ ὕλη, οὐδὲ ἐχθρά τινός ἐστιν, τὸ γὰρ αἰεὶ ὄν καὶ ἀπαθές ἐστιν, ἀπαθὲς δὲ ὅν μακάριόν ἐστιν, μακάριον δὲ ὅν ἔχθρας δεκτικὸν γενέσθαι οὐ δύναται, ἀϊδίῳ κτίσει στερηθῆναί τινος μὴ πεφοβημένη. πῶς δὲ οὐχὶ μᾶλλον ἀγαπᾷ τὸν δημιουργὸν ἡ ὕλη, ὁπότε* ### English translation (Claude) And Simon said: "But what if matter, being coeval with him and equal in power, puts forth leaders against him as his enemy, hindering his purposes?" And Peter said: "If matter is eternal, it is not anyone's enemy either. For what always exists is also free from passion, and what is free from passion is blessed, and what is blessed cannot become capable of enmity, since by its eternal constitution it has no fear of being deprived of anything. And how would matter not rather love the Creator, since … ### Translation notes - The Greek text printed by Schwegler, from the Paris manuscript, breaks off in mid-sentence at this point; the rest of Homily 19 and Homily 20 survive in another manuscript (published later by Dressel), which this edition did not have. ### Citation (SBL) Ps.-Clem. Hom. 19.14 (Schwegler; trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/ps-clem-homilies/19-1/#p-19-14).