What do you think?
Rate this book
Trilogy #3
Miscellanies
Stromata was the third in the trilogy of Clement of Alexandria and continues with the individual cases of conduct began in Paedagogus. Protrepticus, the first in the trilogy, deals with the religious basis of Christian morality and lays a foundation in the knowledge of divine truth. Paedagogus, the second and Stromata, third with the individual cases of conduct. As with Epictetus, true virtue shows itself with him in its external evidences by a natural, simple, and moderate way of living. Titus Flavius Clemens, known as Clement of Alexandria, was a Christian theologian who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. A convert to Christianity, he was an educated man who was familiar with classical Greek philosophy and literature. Clement was influenced by Hellenistic philosophy to a greater extent than any other Christian thinker of his time, and in particular by Plato and the Stoics.
380 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 195
28 people are currently reading
143 people want to read
About the author
Clement of Alexandria
201 books46 followersNeither Clement's birthdate or birthplace is known with any degree of certainty. It is conjectured that he was born in around 150. According to Epiphanius Scholasticus, he was born in Athens, but there is also a tradition of an Alexandrian birth.
His parents were pagans, and Clement was a convert to Christianity. In the Protrepticus he displays an extensive knowledge of Greek mythology and mystery religions, which could only have arisen from the practise of his family's religion.
Having rejected paganism as a young man due to its perceived moral corruption, he travelled in Greece, Asia Minor, Palestine and Egypt. Clement's journeys were primarily a religious undertaking. In Greece, he encountered an Ionian theologian, who has been identified as Athenagoras of Athens; while in the east, he was taught by an Assyrian, sometimes identified with Tatian, and a Jew, who was possibly Theophilus of Caesarea.
In around 180, Clement reached Alexandria, where he met Pantaenus, who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. Eusebius suggests that Pantaenus was the head of the school, but it is controversial whether the institutions of the school were formalized in this way before the time of Origen. Proponents of a formalized leadership and succession suggest that Clement succeeded Pantaenus as leader of the school, and was succeeded himself by Origen. Clement studied under Pantaenus, and was ordained to the priesthood by Pope Julian before 189. Otherwise, virtually nothing is known of Clement's life in Alexandria. He may have been married, a conjecture supported by his writings. Clement's diet is also unknown, but he said some things that look down upon eating flesh such as, "It is good...neither to eat flesh" and that even the fumes from cooked flesh "darken the soul"; however he said non-vegetarians aren't sinning except in certain circumstances such as those who eat flesh with "gluttony" and he was not opposed to all instances of eating meat.
During the Severian persecutions of 202–203, Clement left Alexandria. In 211, Alexander of Jerusalem wrote a letter commending him to the Church of Antioch, which may imply that Clement was living in in Cappadocia at that time. The date and location of his death are unknown.
His parents were pagans, and Clement was a convert to Christianity. In the Protrepticus he displays an extensive knowledge of Greek mythology and mystery religions, which could only have arisen from the practise of his family's religion.
Having rejected paganism as a young man due to its perceived moral corruption, he travelled in Greece, Asia Minor, Palestine and Egypt. Clement's journeys were primarily a religious undertaking. In Greece, he encountered an Ionian theologian, who has been identified as Athenagoras of Athens; while in the east, he was taught by an Assyrian, sometimes identified with Tatian, and a Jew, who was possibly Theophilus of Caesarea.
In around 180, Clement reached Alexandria, where he met Pantaenus, who taught at the Catechetical School of Alexandria. Eusebius suggests that Pantaenus was the head of the school, but it is controversial whether the institutions of the school were formalized in this way before the time of Origen. Proponents of a formalized leadership and succession suggest that Clement succeeded Pantaenus as leader of the school, and was succeeded himself by Origen. Clement studied under Pantaenus, and was ordained to the priesthood by Pope Julian before 189. Otherwise, virtually nothing is known of Clement's life in Alexandria. He may have been married, a conjecture supported by his writings. Clement's diet is also unknown, but he said some things that look down upon eating flesh such as, "It is good...neither to eat flesh" and that even the fumes from cooked flesh "darken the soul"; however he said non-vegetarians aren't sinning except in certain circumstances such as those who eat flesh with "gluttony" and he was not opposed to all instances of eating meat.
During the Severian persecutions of 202–203, Clement left Alexandria. In 211, Alexander of Jerusalem wrote a letter commending him to the Church of Antioch, which may imply that Clement was living in in Cappadocia at that time. The date and location of his death are unknown.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
May 21, 2024
Clement of Alexandria occupies the unusual position between the Apologists and Origen. Despite Clement’s unfortunate use of the term “Gnostic” (by which means one who has true knowledge of God; he is not referring to the mystery cults), he largely avoids many of the errors of both the Apologists and Origen. Nonetheless, many of his conclusions, if not wrong, at least had to be “fine-tuned” by later Nicene writers.
Scope: Clement’s ideal man, the Gnostic, closely parallels Plato’s philosopher king. Rather than ruling a city, Clement’s Gnostic pursues the knowledge of God. Of course, his use of the term “Gnostic” is about as tone-deaf as one can possibly imagine.
Epistemology
Clement begins his epistemology proper in book 2. For him, anticipating thinkers like Michael Polanyi and Esther Lightcap Meek, faith and knowledge, not only of God but of anything, cannot be rigidly isolated. Knowledge itself, being founded on First Principles, rests upon faith (2.4), since First Principles are incapable of demonstration.
Clement goes further. Plato had demonstrated the difficulty of moving from what one knows to what one wants to know (cf. Meno). If knowledge is eternal and in the realm of forms, and what is not knowledge is in the realm of becoming, how can one from the realm of becoming to the realm of true being? Clement cuts this Gordian Knot. He explains: we already have a preconceived idea of what we want to know. The act of knowing, to quote Meek, is like a vector. Faith, as it relates to knowledge, is “the anticipation of a pre-comprehension” (2.6).
I should clarify one point. “Assent,” for the ancients, had a stronger force than it does today. When Clement calls faith “assent” (2.12), he does not mean mere acknowledgement of a true
proposition. Rather, it is closer to a necessary force on the mind. Knowledge is a “sure comprehension,” which he calls a “katalepsis,” leading to sure and true reasons for knowledge (6.18).
Clement counters the objection that we cannot know the true Christian faith because of all the sects. He says, by contrast, we must engage in “exercise of the apprehension of contemplation, and by reasoning of the most decisive character, we must distinguish the true from the seeming” (7.15). Far removed from Clement is the pietistic (falsely so-called) nonsense that says we cannot trust our reasoning powers. Indeed, we can “discover the sequence of truth” and “we are rightly condemned if we do not assent to what we ought to obey.” Indeed, and he hints at this argument, how can we even read the Scriptures if our reasoning is so faulty?
Such a “lover of truth,” to use Clement’s elegant words, “needs force of soul.” Not only is faith not opposed to reason, but faith, as previously glossed above, is “the essence of demonstration” (7.16).
Theology
Clement’s doctrine of the knowledge of God seems to be similar to other apophatic doctrines, but there are some differences. Clement says God (presumably God the Father) cannot be an object of knowledge because he is not a subject for demonstration (4.25). God is neither genus or species. Lest this plunge us into agnostic despair, Clement points towards a solution: The Son as Logos is the middle term of knowledge between the Father and us. Clement goes on to say that the Son is “the first principle of reasoning and judgment.”
For him, the Father is “absolutely simple,” admitting of no multiplicity and distinction. The Logos, by contrast, although very God, functions like a prism through which the simplicity unfolds into the multiplicity of the universe.
Clement, echoing the terminology of earlier Apologists, makes a distinction between the Word uttered from the Father (logos prosphorikos) and the Word in the Father (logos endiathetos). Despite his sometimes reckless language, Clement never approaches either Origen or the later Arians. Unfortunately, he never approaches the clarity of a contemporary Irenaeus or a later Athanasius. For example, he speaks of “the Word issuing forth” as the cause of creation. Later Arians technically could adopt this language, but Clement, at least here, never places the Word on the side of creation. Clement notes that the Son is “an unoriginated First Principle” (7.1). He later says “the Son is an energy of the Father,” which is not the best use of language (7.2).
Clement equates Plato’s “region of ideas” with the “region of God,” saying that Plato “learned from Moses that it was a place that contained all things universally” (5.11).
Conclusion
Clement gives us a fascinating account of what life must have been like in an Alexandrian school. What is interesting is Clement never talks about the role of the bishopric in the life of the church. And even if he uses mystagogical language, it is never used for initiating acolytes into the ecclesiastical mysteries. Does Clement believe in apostolic succession? Probably, but it does not seem to be that important for him.
Clement’s doctrine of God, while perceptive at times, remained undeveloped. It would take the Origenist controversy and the final victory of Athanasius to cement the true faith.
Scope: Clement’s ideal man, the Gnostic, closely parallels Plato’s philosopher king. Rather than ruling a city, Clement’s Gnostic pursues the knowledge of God. Of course, his use of the term “Gnostic” is about as tone-deaf as one can possibly imagine.
Epistemology
Clement begins his epistemology proper in book 2. For him, anticipating thinkers like Michael Polanyi and Esther Lightcap Meek, faith and knowledge, not only of God but of anything, cannot be rigidly isolated. Knowledge itself, being founded on First Principles, rests upon faith (2.4), since First Principles are incapable of demonstration.
Clement goes further. Plato had demonstrated the difficulty of moving from what one knows to what one wants to know (cf. Meno). If knowledge is eternal and in the realm of forms, and what is not knowledge is in the realm of becoming, how can one from the realm of becoming to the realm of true being? Clement cuts this Gordian Knot. He explains: we already have a preconceived idea of what we want to know. The act of knowing, to quote Meek, is like a vector. Faith, as it relates to knowledge, is “the anticipation of a pre-comprehension” (2.6).
I should clarify one point. “Assent,” for the ancients, had a stronger force than it does today. When Clement calls faith “assent” (2.12), he does not mean mere acknowledgement of a true
proposition. Rather, it is closer to a necessary force on the mind. Knowledge is a “sure comprehension,” which he calls a “katalepsis,” leading to sure and true reasons for knowledge (6.18).
Clement counters the objection that we cannot know the true Christian faith because of all the sects. He says, by contrast, we must engage in “exercise of the apprehension of contemplation, and by reasoning of the most decisive character, we must distinguish the true from the seeming” (7.15). Far removed from Clement is the pietistic (falsely so-called) nonsense that says we cannot trust our reasoning powers. Indeed, we can “discover the sequence of truth” and “we are rightly condemned if we do not assent to what we ought to obey.” Indeed, and he hints at this argument, how can we even read the Scriptures if our reasoning is so faulty?
Such a “lover of truth,” to use Clement’s elegant words, “needs force of soul.” Not only is faith not opposed to reason, but faith, as previously glossed above, is “the essence of demonstration” (7.16).
Theology
Clement’s doctrine of the knowledge of God seems to be similar to other apophatic doctrines, but there are some differences. Clement says God (presumably God the Father) cannot be an object of knowledge because he is not a subject for demonstration (4.25). God is neither genus or species. Lest this plunge us into agnostic despair, Clement points towards a solution: The Son as Logos is the middle term of knowledge between the Father and us. Clement goes on to say that the Son is “the first principle of reasoning and judgment.”
For him, the Father is “absolutely simple,” admitting of no multiplicity and distinction. The Logos, by contrast, although very God, functions like a prism through which the simplicity unfolds into the multiplicity of the universe.
Clement, echoing the terminology of earlier Apologists, makes a distinction between the Word uttered from the Father (logos prosphorikos) and the Word in the Father (logos endiathetos). Despite his sometimes reckless language, Clement never approaches either Origen or the later Arians. Unfortunately, he never approaches the clarity of a contemporary Irenaeus or a later Athanasius. For example, he speaks of “the Word issuing forth” as the cause of creation. Later Arians technically could adopt this language, but Clement, at least here, never places the Word on the side of creation. Clement notes that the Son is “an unoriginated First Principle” (7.1). He later says “the Son is an energy of the Father,” which is not the best use of language (7.2).
Clement equates Plato’s “region of ideas” with the “region of God,” saying that Plato “learned from Moses that it was a place that contained all things universally” (5.11).
Conclusion
Clement gives us a fascinating account of what life must have been like in an Alexandrian school. What is interesting is Clement never talks about the role of the bishopric in the life of the church. And even if he uses mystagogical language, it is never used for initiating acolytes into the ecclesiastical mysteries. Does Clement believe in apostolic succession? Probably, but it does not seem to be that important for him.
Clement’s doctrine of God, while perceptive at times, remained undeveloped. It would take the Origenist controversy and the final victory of Athanasius to cement the true faith.
January 2, 2022
Som namnet indikerar är detta en enormt blandad text, som går ifrån ren moralfilosofi till diskussioner om sanningens natur och i vilken mån filosofi utan religion kan leda till sann sanning. Väldigt mycket är användbart; ännu mer är sådant som jag inte kan se en applikation av idag. Vissa saker är enögda, eller övergeneraliseras snarare bortom det rimliga.
November 8, 2018
Après avoir lu le Pédagogue et les Stromates, je commence à cerner le personnage de Clément.
Difficile de dire s'il est plus gnostique ou chrétien. Son éthique et ses recommandations sont proches de l'ascèse, il use souvent d'interprétation allégorique de l'écriture, l'ouvrage parait déconstruit. De temps en temps, on tombe sur des perles. Mais, en fait, c'est précisément ce qu'a voulu l'auteur qui déclare "les Stromates ne ressembles pas à ces jardins ordonnés, où les plants sont disposés en rangées pour le plaisir de l'oeil... de même mon écrit veut échapper aux regards... en évitant d'être clairs, etc." VII,XVIII,111,1-4.
Puisqu'il faut retenir ce qui est bon, voilà ce que je retiens de bon des Stromates :
1) La valeur de la philosophie et l'importance de connaître sa culture
Clément puise dans tous les philosophes de son temps, surtout chez Platon. Il ne voit pas d'opposition entre la vraie philosophie, la raison et la foi. Au contraire, toute vérité vient de Dieu. Forcément, comme pionnier dans ce domaine de la réconciliation foi-raison, Clément commet bien des erreurs. Mais cela ne lui ôte pas le mérite d'entreprendre le premier cette tâche, du moins de cette façon.
2) Le but de la connaissance est une vie droite
Clément insiste sur ce sujet : la vraie théologie mène à une vrai vie chrétienne. Il dira qu'il y a "deux sortes d'éducation... la connaissance et la démonstration manifeste fondée sur le témoignage des Écritures et... l'ascèse conforme à la raison... toutes deux grandissent jusqu'à l'amour parfait" VII, XVI,101,6.
3) Les sectes et divisions dans le christianisme doivent nous pousser à chercher d'autant plus la vérité.
Pour Clément, les grecs ont tort d'avancer comme argument contre le christianisme la diversité de ses sectes. En effet, il montre que leurs philosophies sont tout autant divisées et que cela ne les pousse pas à abandonner toute philosophie. Il propose au contraire 3 choses : 1) Faire d'autant plus d'effort pour distinguer le vrai du faux dans ces sectes, 2) Utiliser un critère objectif : les Ecritures, "voix du Seigneur", 3) considérer que les sectes gnostiques ou marcionites sont des inventions postérieures au temps des apôtres.
4) Sola Scriptura
Cela développe la deuxième proposition donnée ci-dessus. Clément ne fait pas appel à un dogme pour distinguer les hérétiques des autres mais il a une ferme confiance en l'Ecriture pour justifier le vrai christianisme. "Mais ceux qui sont prêts à peiner pour le meilleur (note : c'est-à-dire à faire l'effort d'aller au-delà de la division apparente pour distinguer le vrai du faux), n'abandonneront pas la recherche de la vérité avant d'avoir reçu la démonstration des Ecritures elles-mêmes." (VII, XVI, 93,1)
Il va plus loin en s'opposant à ceux qui voudraient qu'un principe précède les Ecritures pour accéder à la vérité. Il pense certainement aux gnostiques qui, comme le dit Irénée, disaient que les Ecritures étaient incompréhensibles à moins de connaître tout d'abord leurs traditions. Il répond "Si l'on supposait que le principe (les Ecritures) ait besoin d'un autre, il ne serait plus préservé réellement comme principe. En fait, celui qui tire de lui même ses preuves, par l'Ecriture et la voix du Seigneur, en tant que c'est par le moyen du Seigneur que la voix opère pour dispenser aux hommes les bienfaits, est avec raison probant... Aussi saisissons-nous avec raison par la foi probante le principe commun indémontrable." (VII,XVI,95,2-6).
Il poursuit en disant qu'il n'accepte pas l'avis d'un homme à moins qu'il soit fondé sur ce principe de vérité que sont les Ecritures : "Nous ne prêterions pas en effet attention à des hommes qui donnent tout simplement leur avis, car on peut avec une force égale leur opposer l'avis contraire... mais il faut prouver ce qu'on a dit... nous prouvons ce qui fait l'objet de la recherche par la voix du Seigneur, qui offre plus de garanties que toutes les démonstrations, bien plus, qui se trouve être la seule démonstration." (VII,XVI,95,7-9). L'Ecriture comme seule démonstration, Sola Scriptura.
5) la réfutation des hérésies par une bonne exégèse.
Clément n'ignore pas que les hérétiques prétendent aussi avoir cette unique démonstration de l'Ecriture de leur côté. Comment donc leur répondre ? En montrant leurs erreurs d'exégèse et en ayant des principes sains d'interprétation : "Et même si les tenants des sectes ont l'audace d'utiliser les Ecritures prophétiques, tout d'abord ils ne les utilisent pas toutes, ensuite ils ne les utilisent pas dans leur intégralité, ni comme l'impliquent le corps et la texture de la prophétie; mais ils choisissent les expressions ambigües pour les adapter à leurs propres opinions, ils cueillent ça et là des bouquets de quelques paroles, sans observer la signification qui en ressort... En effet, dans presque toutes les formules dont ils font leur aliment, vous constaterez qu'ils ne s'occupent que des mots, en altérant leur signification, sans connaître la façon dont ils sont dits ni se servir comme le permet leur nature des choix de passages qu'ils retiennent." Plus loin, il donne un principe d'interprétation (que la tradition protestante appelle l'analogie de la foi, interpréter l'Ecriture par l'Ecriture) "La vérité se trouve... dans l'affermissement de chacune des démonstrations faites d'après les Ecritures, à l'aide, derechef, des passages semblables des Ecritures." (VII,XVI,96,2-4)
Les Stromates sont donc lourdes à lire en raison de leur caractère déconstruit, mais si on sait y puiser, comme le veut l'auteur, on tombe sur des perles ou plutôt, comme dit Clément, sur des "semences de sagesse".
Difficile de dire s'il est plus gnostique ou chrétien. Son éthique et ses recommandations sont proches de l'ascèse, il use souvent d'interprétation allégorique de l'écriture, l'ouvrage parait déconstruit. De temps en temps, on tombe sur des perles. Mais, en fait, c'est précisément ce qu'a voulu l'auteur qui déclare "les Stromates ne ressembles pas à ces jardins ordonnés, où les plants sont disposés en rangées pour le plaisir de l'oeil... de même mon écrit veut échapper aux regards... en évitant d'être clairs, etc." VII,XVIII,111,1-4.
Puisqu'il faut retenir ce qui est bon, voilà ce que je retiens de bon des Stromates :
1) La valeur de la philosophie et l'importance de connaître sa culture
Clément puise dans tous les philosophes de son temps, surtout chez Platon. Il ne voit pas d'opposition entre la vraie philosophie, la raison et la foi. Au contraire, toute vérité vient de Dieu. Forcément, comme pionnier dans ce domaine de la réconciliation foi-raison, Clément commet bien des erreurs. Mais cela ne lui ôte pas le mérite d'entreprendre le premier cette tâche, du moins de cette façon.
2) Le but de la connaissance est une vie droite
Clément insiste sur ce sujet : la vraie théologie mène à une vrai vie chrétienne. Il dira qu'il y a "deux sortes d'éducation... la connaissance et la démonstration manifeste fondée sur le témoignage des Écritures et... l'ascèse conforme à la raison... toutes deux grandissent jusqu'à l'amour parfait" VII, XVI,101,6.
3) Les sectes et divisions dans le christianisme doivent nous pousser à chercher d'autant plus la vérité.
Pour Clément, les grecs ont tort d'avancer comme argument contre le christianisme la diversité de ses sectes. En effet, il montre que leurs philosophies sont tout autant divisées et que cela ne les pousse pas à abandonner toute philosophie. Il propose au contraire 3 choses : 1) Faire d'autant plus d'effort pour distinguer le vrai du faux dans ces sectes, 2) Utiliser un critère objectif : les Ecritures, "voix du Seigneur", 3) considérer que les sectes gnostiques ou marcionites sont des inventions postérieures au temps des apôtres.
4) Sola Scriptura
Cela développe la deuxième proposition donnée ci-dessus. Clément ne fait pas appel à un dogme pour distinguer les hérétiques des autres mais il a une ferme confiance en l'Ecriture pour justifier le vrai christianisme. "Mais ceux qui sont prêts à peiner pour le meilleur (note : c'est-à-dire à faire l'effort d'aller au-delà de la division apparente pour distinguer le vrai du faux), n'abandonneront pas la recherche de la vérité avant d'avoir reçu la démonstration des Ecritures elles-mêmes." (VII, XVI, 93,1)
Il va plus loin en s'opposant à ceux qui voudraient qu'un principe précède les Ecritures pour accéder à la vérité. Il pense certainement aux gnostiques qui, comme le dit Irénée, disaient que les Ecritures étaient incompréhensibles à moins de connaître tout d'abord leurs traditions. Il répond "Si l'on supposait que le principe (les Ecritures) ait besoin d'un autre, il ne serait plus préservé réellement comme principe. En fait, celui qui tire de lui même ses preuves, par l'Ecriture et la voix du Seigneur, en tant que c'est par le moyen du Seigneur que la voix opère pour dispenser aux hommes les bienfaits, est avec raison probant... Aussi saisissons-nous avec raison par la foi probante le principe commun indémontrable." (VII,XVI,95,2-6).
Il poursuit en disant qu'il n'accepte pas l'avis d'un homme à moins qu'il soit fondé sur ce principe de vérité que sont les Ecritures : "Nous ne prêterions pas en effet attention à des hommes qui donnent tout simplement leur avis, car on peut avec une force égale leur opposer l'avis contraire... mais il faut prouver ce qu'on a dit... nous prouvons ce qui fait l'objet de la recherche par la voix du Seigneur, qui offre plus de garanties que toutes les démonstrations, bien plus, qui se trouve être la seule démonstration." (VII,XVI,95,7-9). L'Ecriture comme seule démonstration, Sola Scriptura.
5) la réfutation des hérésies par une bonne exégèse.
Clément n'ignore pas que les hérétiques prétendent aussi avoir cette unique démonstration de l'Ecriture de leur côté. Comment donc leur répondre ? En montrant leurs erreurs d'exégèse et en ayant des principes sains d'interprétation : "Et même si les tenants des sectes ont l'audace d'utiliser les Ecritures prophétiques, tout d'abord ils ne les utilisent pas toutes, ensuite ils ne les utilisent pas dans leur intégralité, ni comme l'impliquent le corps et la texture de la prophétie; mais ils choisissent les expressions ambigües pour les adapter à leurs propres opinions, ils cueillent ça et là des bouquets de quelques paroles, sans observer la signification qui en ressort... En effet, dans presque toutes les formules dont ils font leur aliment, vous constaterez qu'ils ne s'occupent que des mots, en altérant leur signification, sans connaître la façon dont ils sont dits ni se servir comme le permet leur nature des choix de passages qu'ils retiennent." Plus loin, il donne un principe d'interprétation (que la tradition protestante appelle l'analogie de la foi, interpréter l'Ecriture par l'Ecriture) "La vérité se trouve... dans l'affermissement de chacune des démonstrations faites d'après les Ecritures, à l'aide, derechef, des passages semblables des Ecritures." (VII,XVI,96,2-4)
Les Stromates sont donc lourdes à lire en raison de leur caractère déconstruit, mais si on sait y puiser, comme le veut l'auteur, on tombe sur des perles ou plutôt, comme dit Clément, sur des "semences de sagesse".
March 9, 2023
"Now it seems that in what are known as Miscellanies are not to be compared to ornamental parks with rows of ordered plantations to please the eye, but rather to some thickly wooded hill, overgrown with cypresses and planes and bay-tree and ivy, and at the same time planted with apple-trees and olives and figs, the cultivation of fruit-bearing and of woodland trees being intentionally mingled together, since the Scripture desires to withdraw from observation on account of those who venture secretly to steal its fruits. It is by transplanting the suckers and trees from these preserves that the gardener will furnish a beautiful park and pleasure-ground." (VII. 111.)
Clement of Alexandria's life is shrouded in much mystery. He lived roughly c. 150 - c. 215 and was a priest and head of the catechetical school of Alexandria. Trained by Pantaenus, Clement had a brilliant mind, was widely read in Greek literature and philosophy, and wrote voluminously, though very many of his works are lost or exist in mere fragments. Stromateis (rendered as Stromata, translated as "Miscellanies," but more accurately, "Patchwork") is a massive, multiple-volume work of Christian apologetics that crosses over into path-forging Christian metaphysics and concludes with a highly technical discussion of disputation and dialectics, the so-called Book VIII, which many believe to be unrelated to the Stromateis and may possibly be a part of his lost-work called Hypotyposes.
The Stromateis is, to my mind, one of the most difficult writings of any of the Church Fathers. It is disorganized and tends to abruptly shift from one topic to the next. Clement claims in the final part that this is intentional, and that he is forcing his readers to do the difficult work of seeking and claiming distinct teachings from a whole mess of ideas.
Clement handles Greek literature more deftly than probably any other ancient Christian writer. He utilizes texts from the areas of poetry, drama, comedy, philosophy, mathematics, and religion throughout all seven (or eight) books, with the most quotations from Homer and Hesiod, but also a staggering number of quotations from writers who are otherwise unknown, or if they are known, many of their works are lost and therefore found only in fragmentary form in this Patchwork. Clement's purpose in engaging with all this Greek learning is usually to point out that the Greeks had some inkling of God, and that philosophy prepared them like a paedagogus to one day receive the Gospel. Clement's other purpose is to show that it is derivative of "barbarian" (i.e., Hebrew/Jewish) philosophy, specifically the Law of Moses, in most major respects. In addition, Greek writings plagiarize one another extensively. So the ancient Scriptures which the Christians now possess led to the insights of Orpheus, Pythagoras, and Plato in the first place.
It is probably on this point, the relation of Christian theology to Greek philosophy, that the Stromateis holds the most interest for the 21st century reader. Clement approaches the "problem" of philosophy a bit differently than his predecessors Justin, Athenagoras, and Irenaeus. These (mostly early) passages on the meaning and usefulness of pagan philosophy are the most valuable in the entire work. But that's not to say there aren't other fruitful trees that Clement leads us to and bids us to taste.
Another major theme of the Stromateis is the notion of the "true Gnostic." The false gnostic is the heretic who, splitting away from the Catholic Church, believes that esoteric knowledge will grant him salvation. Such a one also tends toward anti-incarnation asceticism on of the one hand or libertine antinomianism on the other hand. The true Gnostic, that is, the true "Scientist" or "Knower," is the one who, not being "puffed up" by useless knowledge (1 Cor. 8:1), is filled with the saving knowledge of God and is being "assimilated" to the Triune God. Paul writes, "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Cor. 4:6 KJV). Much of book VII is dedicated to a thorough description of this true Gnostic, how he looks and acts in life. Clement notes that it is one thing for the true Gnostic to abstain from evil, but he must also do good to be completely perfect. Similar to this, Clement says that faith is the first, most basic part of a Christian's existence, but that faith is perfected by knowledge; there is a different degree of glory between the believer and the Gnostic; one has faith only, while the other has faith and knowledge, a knowledge that pierces heavenly mysteries and leads others into right relation to God.
Clement advances an early view of purgation after death for recalcitrant sinners that I believe would later grow into a more developed doctrine of purgatory in the early Middle Ages, after more reflection by post-Clementine authors such as Augustine and Pope Gregory. He also insists that the Virgin Mary was perpetually virgin, and that the Scriptures, too, are virginal in that they are pregnant with mystical meaning that is hidden and unknown to unbelievers. He also believes that the Church's hierarchy of deacons, priests, and bishops is a symbol of the heavenly hierarchy, and that various heavenly degrees exist for the saints, depending on their goodness during their earthly lives.
Throughout the Stromateis there is an interesting "middle-road" between absolute asceticism and absolute antinomianism. Perhaps following the notion of "mixture" and "the middle" in Plato's Philebus, Clement believes that Gnostics in this world must eat, sleep, walk, and even marry and beget children but all the while think of God and focus their minds on God's law alone. The Gnostic's life is both passive and active, contemplative and vocational. He exists in the middle, making use of the blessings of this world, but never becoming attached to them; he eats only what is necessary and enough, he sleeps only to be refreshed. He never indulges or gets carried away in anything, especially not pleasure, which Clement sees as essentially being only a "help" to procreation and other human activities.
One of the most fascinating aspects of Clement's thought is its apophaticism. Indeed, Clement, while not being the first theologian to engage in "Negative Theology" is probably the earliest one who goes into it in any length. Early on, in Book II, he writes, "For God is not in darkness or in place, but above both space and time, and qualities of objects. Wherefore neither is He at any time in a part, either as containing or as contained, either by limitation or by section." At another place (Book IV, chapter 25), Clement writes, "God, then, being not an object for demonstration, cannot be the object of science. But the Son is wisdom, and knowledge, and truth, and all else that has affinity thereto. He is also susceptible of demonstration and of description. And all the powers of the Spirit, becoming collectively one thing, terminate in the same point—that is, in the Son." Then, in an absolutely fascinating passage in book V, Clement writes, "No one can rightly express Him wholly. For on account of His greatness He is ranked as the All, and is the Father of the universe. Nor are any parts to be predicated of Him. For the One is indivisible; wherefore also it is infinite, not considered with reference to inscrutability, but with reference to its being without dimensions, and not having a limit. And therefore it is without form and name. And if we name it, we do not do so properly, terming it either the One, or the Good, or Mind, or Absolute Being, or Father, or God, or Creator, or Lord. We speak not as supplying His name; but for want, we use good names, in order that the mind may have these as points of support, so as not to err in other respects. For each one by itself does not express God; but all teeter are indicative of the power of the Omnipotent. For predicates are expressed either from what belongs to things themselves or from their mutual relation. But none of these are admissible in reference to God. Nor any more is He apprehended by the science of demonstration. For it depends on primary and better known principles. But there is nothing antecedent to the Unbegotten."
After finishing this large and meandering work, I do feel that Clement achieved what he was aiming for. The work is like a massive, tangled forest; inside are some very beautiful and fecund trees, but there is much that looks barren at first, or too lofty, or too dark and mysterious. The text of the Stromateis itself is parabolic as it discusses the Scripture's parables; it is itself for the initiated as it seeks to initiate.
I'll include now some of the "fruits" of the forest of Miscellanies that stand out to me. I'll give particular attention to Clement's views of the relation of Christianity to pagan philosophy:
- Hellenic philosophy is like nuts; the whole of it is not eatable, but only the digestible centers (I.1.)
- Clement only uses what is the "best" in philosophy as "preparatory instruction." He will be a "Greek to the Greeks," etc. (1 Cor. 9). "In this respect the resources of learning are like a relish mixed with the food of an athlete, who is not indulging in luxury, but entertains a noble desire for distinction." (I.1).
- "Accordingly, before the advent of the Lord, philosophy was necessary to the Greeks for righteousness. And now it becomes conducive to piety; being a kind of preparatory training to those who attain to faith through demonstration." (I. 5).
- "We merely therefore assert here, that philosophy is characterized by investigation into truth and the nature of things (this is the truth of which the Lord Himself said, 'I am the truth'); and that, again, the preparatory training for rest in Christ exercises the mind, rouses the intelligence, and begets an inquiring shrewdness, by means of the true philosophy, which the initiated possess, having found it, or rather received it, from the truth itself." (I. 5)
- "For the husbandman of the soil which is among men is one; He who from the beginning, from the foundation of the world, sowed nutritious seeds; He who in each age rained down the Lord, the Word. But the times and places which received such gifts, created the differences which exist. Further, the husbandman sows not only wheat (of which there are many varieties), but also other seeds—barley, and beans, and peas, and roots, and vegetable and flower seeds." (I. 7)
- "There is then in philosophy, though stolen as the fire by Prometheus, a slender spark, capable of being fanned into flame, a trace of wisdom and an impulse from God. Well, be it so that 'the thieves and robbers' are the philosophers among the Greeks..." (I. 18)
- On the Septuagint: "And each having severally translated each prophetic book, and all the translations being compared together, they agreed both in meaning and expression. For it was the counsel of God carried out for the benefit of Grecian ears. It was not alien to the inspiration of God, who gave the prophecy, also to produce the translation, and make it as it were Greek prophecy. Since the Sciprture having perished in the captivity of Nabuchodonosor [sic], Esdras the Levite, the priest, in the time of Artaxerxes king of the Persians, having become inspired in the exercise of prophecy restored again the whole of the ancient Scriptures." (I. 22)
- "The sense of the law is to be taken in three ways, — either as exhibiting a symbol, or laying down a precept for right conduct, or as uttering a prophecy." (I. 28)
- "For the Divine Being cannot be declared as it exists: but as we who are fettered in the flesh were able to listen, so the prophets spake to us; the Lord savingly accommodating Himself to the weakness of men." (II. 16)
- "We must then often, as in winnowing sieves, shake and toss up this the great mixture of seeds, in order to separate the wheat." (IV. 2)
- "When, therefore, he who partakes agnostically of this holy quality devotes himself to contemplation, communing in purity with the divine, he enters more nearly into the state of impassible identity, so as no longer to have science and possess knowledge, but to be science and knowledge." (IV. 6) (*note Clement's ideas of assimilation; those who imitate Christ begin to assimilate the divine nature)
- Chapter 19 of Book IV is a fascinating account of all the women who became perfect by God's grace, such as Judith and many Greeks
- "As then, those, who at sea are held by an anchor, pull at the anchor, but do not drag it to them, but drag themselves to the anchor; so those who, according to the gnostic life, draw God towards them, imperceptibly bringing themselves to God: for he who reverences God, reverences Himself" (IV. 23). (n.b., this is not to worship oneself, but to achieve holiness and purity)
- "For wisdom is the knowledge of things divine and human; and righteousness is the concord of the parts of the soul; and holiness is the service of God." (IV. 26). (*important definitions and a theological utilization of Plato's dialectical method)
Clement of Alexandria's life is shrouded in much mystery. He lived roughly c. 150 - c. 215 and was a priest and head of the catechetical school of Alexandria. Trained by Pantaenus, Clement had a brilliant mind, was widely read in Greek literature and philosophy, and wrote voluminously, though very many of his works are lost or exist in mere fragments. Stromateis (rendered as Stromata, translated as "Miscellanies," but more accurately, "Patchwork") is a massive, multiple-volume work of Christian apologetics that crosses over into path-forging Christian metaphysics and concludes with a highly technical discussion of disputation and dialectics, the so-called Book VIII, which many believe to be unrelated to the Stromateis and may possibly be a part of his lost-work called Hypotyposes.
The Stromateis is, to my mind, one of the most difficult writings of any of the Church Fathers. It is disorganized and tends to abruptly shift from one topic to the next. Clement claims in the final part that this is intentional, and that he is forcing his readers to do the difficult work of seeking and claiming distinct teachings from a whole mess of ideas.
Clement handles Greek literature more deftly than probably any other ancient Christian writer. He utilizes texts from the areas of poetry, drama, comedy, philosophy, mathematics, and religion throughout all seven (or eight) books, with the most quotations from Homer and Hesiod, but also a staggering number of quotations from writers who are otherwise unknown, or if they are known, many of their works are lost and therefore found only in fragmentary form in this Patchwork. Clement's purpose in engaging with all this Greek learning is usually to point out that the Greeks had some inkling of God, and that philosophy prepared them like a paedagogus to one day receive the Gospel. Clement's other purpose is to show that it is derivative of "barbarian" (i.e., Hebrew/Jewish) philosophy, specifically the Law of Moses, in most major respects. In addition, Greek writings plagiarize one another extensively. So the ancient Scriptures which the Christians now possess led to the insights of Orpheus, Pythagoras, and Plato in the first place.
It is probably on this point, the relation of Christian theology to Greek philosophy, that the Stromateis holds the most interest for the 21st century reader. Clement approaches the "problem" of philosophy a bit differently than his predecessors Justin, Athenagoras, and Irenaeus. These (mostly early) passages on the meaning and usefulness of pagan philosophy are the most valuable in the entire work. But that's not to say there aren't other fruitful trees that Clement leads us to and bids us to taste.
Another major theme of the Stromateis is the notion of the "true Gnostic." The false gnostic is the heretic who, splitting away from the Catholic Church, believes that esoteric knowledge will grant him salvation. Such a one also tends toward anti-incarnation asceticism on of the one hand or libertine antinomianism on the other hand. The true Gnostic, that is, the true "Scientist" or "Knower," is the one who, not being "puffed up" by useless knowledge (1 Cor. 8:1), is filled with the saving knowledge of God and is being "assimilated" to the Triune God. Paul writes, "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." (2 Cor. 4:6 KJV). Much of book VII is dedicated to a thorough description of this true Gnostic, how he looks and acts in life. Clement notes that it is one thing for the true Gnostic to abstain from evil, but he must also do good to be completely perfect. Similar to this, Clement says that faith is the first, most basic part of a Christian's existence, but that faith is perfected by knowledge; there is a different degree of glory between the believer and the Gnostic; one has faith only, while the other has faith and knowledge, a knowledge that pierces heavenly mysteries and leads others into right relation to God.
Clement advances an early view of purgation after death for recalcitrant sinners that I believe would later grow into a more developed doctrine of purgatory in the early Middle Ages, after more reflection by post-Clementine authors such as Augustine and Pope Gregory. He also insists that the Virgin Mary was perpetually virgin, and that the Scriptures, too, are virginal in that they are pregnant with mystical meaning that is hidden and unknown to unbelievers. He also believes that the Church's hierarchy of deacons, priests, and bishops is a symbol of the heavenly hierarchy, and that various heavenly degrees exist for the saints, depending on their goodness during their earthly lives.
Throughout the Stromateis there is an interesting "middle-road" between absolute asceticism and absolute antinomianism. Perhaps following the notion of "mixture" and "the middle" in Plato's Philebus, Clement believes that Gnostics in this world must eat, sleep, walk, and even marry and beget children but all the while think of God and focus their minds on God's law alone. The Gnostic's life is both passive and active, contemplative and vocational. He exists in the middle, making use of the blessings of this world, but never becoming attached to them; he eats only what is necessary and enough, he sleeps only to be refreshed. He never indulges or gets carried away in anything, especially not pleasure, which Clement sees as essentially being only a "help" to procreation and other human activities.
One of the most fascinating aspects of Clement's thought is its apophaticism. Indeed, Clement, while not being the first theologian to engage in "Negative Theology" is probably the earliest one who goes into it in any length. Early on, in Book II, he writes, "For God is not in darkness or in place, but above both space and time, and qualities of objects. Wherefore neither is He at any time in a part, either as containing or as contained, either by limitation or by section." At another place (Book IV, chapter 25), Clement writes, "God, then, being not an object for demonstration, cannot be the object of science. But the Son is wisdom, and knowledge, and truth, and all else that has affinity thereto. He is also susceptible of demonstration and of description. And all the powers of the Spirit, becoming collectively one thing, terminate in the same point—that is, in the Son." Then, in an absolutely fascinating passage in book V, Clement writes, "No one can rightly express Him wholly. For on account of His greatness He is ranked as the All, and is the Father of the universe. Nor are any parts to be predicated of Him. For the One is indivisible; wherefore also it is infinite, not considered with reference to inscrutability, but with reference to its being without dimensions, and not having a limit. And therefore it is without form and name. And if we name it, we do not do so properly, terming it either the One, or the Good, or Mind, or Absolute Being, or Father, or God, or Creator, or Lord. We speak not as supplying His name; but for want, we use good names, in order that the mind may have these as points of support, so as not to err in other respects. For each one by itself does not express God; but all teeter are indicative of the power of the Omnipotent. For predicates are expressed either from what belongs to things themselves or from their mutual relation. But none of these are admissible in reference to God. Nor any more is He apprehended by the science of demonstration. For it depends on primary and better known principles. But there is nothing antecedent to the Unbegotten."
After finishing this large and meandering work, I do feel that Clement achieved what he was aiming for. The work is like a massive, tangled forest; inside are some very beautiful and fecund trees, but there is much that looks barren at first, or too lofty, or too dark and mysterious. The text of the Stromateis itself is parabolic as it discusses the Scripture's parables; it is itself for the initiated as it seeks to initiate.
I'll include now some of the "fruits" of the forest of Miscellanies that stand out to me. I'll give particular attention to Clement's views of the relation of Christianity to pagan philosophy:
- Hellenic philosophy is like nuts; the whole of it is not eatable, but only the digestible centers (I.1.)
- Clement only uses what is the "best" in philosophy as "preparatory instruction." He will be a "Greek to the Greeks," etc. (1 Cor. 9). "In this respect the resources of learning are like a relish mixed with the food of an athlete, who is not indulging in luxury, but entertains a noble desire for distinction." (I.1).
- "Accordingly, before the advent of the Lord, philosophy was necessary to the Greeks for righteousness. And now it becomes conducive to piety; being a kind of preparatory training to those who attain to faith through demonstration." (I. 5).
- "We merely therefore assert here, that philosophy is characterized by investigation into truth and the nature of things (this is the truth of which the Lord Himself said, 'I am the truth'); and that, again, the preparatory training for rest in Christ exercises the mind, rouses the intelligence, and begets an inquiring shrewdness, by means of the true philosophy, which the initiated possess, having found it, or rather received it, from the truth itself." (I. 5)
- "For the husbandman of the soil which is among men is one; He who from the beginning, from the foundation of the world, sowed nutritious seeds; He who in each age rained down the Lord, the Word. But the times and places which received such gifts, created the differences which exist. Further, the husbandman sows not only wheat (of which there are many varieties), but also other seeds—barley, and beans, and peas, and roots, and vegetable and flower seeds." (I. 7)
- "There is then in philosophy, though stolen as the fire by Prometheus, a slender spark, capable of being fanned into flame, a trace of wisdom and an impulse from God. Well, be it so that 'the thieves and robbers' are the philosophers among the Greeks..." (I. 18)
- On the Septuagint: "And each having severally translated each prophetic book, and all the translations being compared together, they agreed both in meaning and expression. For it was the counsel of God carried out for the benefit of Grecian ears. It was not alien to the inspiration of God, who gave the prophecy, also to produce the translation, and make it as it were Greek prophecy. Since the Sciprture having perished in the captivity of Nabuchodonosor [sic], Esdras the Levite, the priest, in the time of Artaxerxes king of the Persians, having become inspired in the exercise of prophecy restored again the whole of the ancient Scriptures." (I. 22)
- "The sense of the law is to be taken in three ways, — either as exhibiting a symbol, or laying down a precept for right conduct, or as uttering a prophecy." (I. 28)
- "For the Divine Being cannot be declared as it exists: but as we who are fettered in the flesh were able to listen, so the prophets spake to us; the Lord savingly accommodating Himself to the weakness of men." (II. 16)
- "We must then often, as in winnowing sieves, shake and toss up this the great mixture of seeds, in order to separate the wheat." (IV. 2)
- "When, therefore, he who partakes agnostically of this holy quality devotes himself to contemplation, communing in purity with the divine, he enters more nearly into the state of impassible identity, so as no longer to have science and possess knowledge, but to be science and knowledge." (IV. 6) (*note Clement's ideas of assimilation; those who imitate Christ begin to assimilate the divine nature)
- Chapter 19 of Book IV is a fascinating account of all the women who became perfect by God's grace, such as Judith and many Greeks
- "As then, those, who at sea are held by an anchor, pull at the anchor, but do not drag it to them, but drag themselves to the anchor; so those who, according to the gnostic life, draw God towards them, imperceptibly bringing themselves to God: for he who reverences God, reverences Himself" (IV. 23). (n.b., this is not to worship oneself, but to achieve holiness and purity)
- "For wisdom is the knowledge of things divine and human; and righteousness is the concord of the parts of the soul; and holiness is the service of God." (IV. 26). (*important definitions and a theological utilization of Plato's dialectical method)
February 7, 2021
I decided to follow up reading by Justin Martyr, Ignatius of Antioch, and Irenaeus of Lyons, with this work by Clement, another long book that is exactly what its translated title suggests it is: miscellaneys. As such, the work does not easily hold ones interest for long periods, though certainly it does a good job of showing some of the development of Christian thinking among those in Egypt in the late second century. (It amazes me that folks wrote out some of these longer books with little through-line for the sake of preserving them, long before the printing press. This is not one I'd have worked hard to preserve, though I'm glad people did, for our historical knowledge.)
Clement spends much of the work referencing Greek and Roman philosophy, in addition to various biblical passages. The latter, he sometimes engages with by offering analogies to show how a given biblical idea fits within a moral concept of Christians (e.g., clean and unclean meats as symbolic of different kinds of thinking). The former, he spends much time referencing as inferior to Christian thinking, as antithetical to it, and as a predescessor to it. Through philosophy, Clement claims at some points, God brought Gentiles to a knowledge of the truth and of Jesus, just as through scriptures were Jews brought to such knowledge. But being a miscellany, Clement's views differ from section to section and purpose to purpose.
Book 8, being the most freshly on my mind, shows something of how Clement's thinking was in many ways more philosophically disposed than biblically. That book focuses not on anything religious but on ideas about symbology, writing, words, and names--how language came to exist as it does.
Clement spends much of the work referencing Greek and Roman philosophy, in addition to various biblical passages. The latter, he sometimes engages with by offering analogies to show how a given biblical idea fits within a moral concept of Christians (e.g., clean and unclean meats as symbolic of different kinds of thinking). The former, he spends much time referencing as inferior to Christian thinking, as antithetical to it, and as a predescessor to it. Through philosophy, Clement claims at some points, God brought Gentiles to a knowledge of the truth and of Jesus, just as through scriptures were Jews brought to such knowledge. But being a miscellany, Clement's views differ from section to section and purpose to purpose.
Book 8, being the most freshly on my mind, shows something of how Clement's thinking was in many ways more philosophically disposed than biblically. That book focuses not on anything religious but on ideas about symbology, writing, words, and names--how language came to exist as it does.
March 8, 2025
Despite being written almost 2000 years ago, this book is remarkably proper for our days.
April 9, 2025
Clements Stromata is an insightful work and I do think people should read it. However it is also terribly boring at great lengths.
March 1, 2017
Clement said that Greek philosophy had its origin among non-Greeks, claiming that both Plato and Pythagoras were taught by Egyptian scholars. Clement also claimed, along with other second temple Jews and early Christian writers, that the Greek philosophers were greatly influenced by the Bible. Modern scholars believe that is an error. The discrepancy can be explained by the different way the scriptures are interpreted today. Modern scholars use history based systems such as the historical-critical or historical-grammatical methods. Ancients used philosophical and/or spiritual ideas.
"And barbarians were inventors not only of philosophy, but almost of every art."
The Stromata (Kindle Location 655).
"It were tedious to go over all the Prophets and the Law, specifying what is spoken in enigmas; for almost the whole Scripture gives its utterances in this way."
The Stromata (Kindle Locations 4977-4978).
"For many reasons, then, the Scriptures hide the sense. First, that we may become inquisitive, and be ever on the watch for the discovery of the words of salvation. Then it was not suitable for all to understand, so that they might not receive harm in consequence of taking in another sense the things declared for salvation by the Holy Spirit. Wherefore the holy mysteries of the prophecies are veiled in the parables—preserved for chosen men, selected to knowledge in consequence of their faith; for the style of the Scriptures is parabolic."
The Stromata (Kindle Locations 6998-7002).
He taught that ancient barbarians learned from nature, the skys most significantly, and these ideas were later turned into myths. This influenced the structure of temples, including those in the Bible. The astronomical alignment of temples is confirmed by modern archaeoastronomy.
"And the table, in my opinion, exhibits the image of the earth, supported as it is on four feet, summer, autumn, spring, winter, by which the year travels."
The Stromata (Kindle Locations 6676-6677).
"There were also, however, those who, from the worship of the heavenly bodies, did not return to the Maker of them. For this was the sway given to the nations to rise up to God, by means of the worship of the heavenly bodies. But those who would not abide by those heavenly bodies assigned to them, but fell away from them to stocks and stones, were counted, it is said, as chaff-dust and as a drop from a jar, beyond salvation, cast away from the body."
The Stromata (Kindle Locations 6868-6871).
"Whence also the most ancient temples looked towards the west, that people might be taught to turn to the east when facing the images. Let my prayer be directed before You as incense, the uplifting of my hands as the evening sacrifice, say the Psalms."
The Stromata (Kindle Locations 7828-7830).
Gnosticism is a modern term categorizing a collection of ancient religions whose adherents shunned the material world. False gnosis (knowledge, 1 Tim 6:20) was the basis of such religion according to those like Clement. True gnosis was based on faith in God.
"For the life of the Gnostic, in my view, is nothing but deeds and words corresponding to the tradition of the Lord."
The Stromata (Kindle Locations 8512-8513).
"And barbarians were inventors not only of philosophy, but almost of every art."
The Stromata (Kindle Location 655).
"It were tedious to go over all the Prophets and the Law, specifying what is spoken in enigmas; for almost the whole Scripture gives its utterances in this way."
The Stromata (Kindle Locations 4977-4978).
"For many reasons, then, the Scriptures hide the sense. First, that we may become inquisitive, and be ever on the watch for the discovery of the words of salvation. Then it was not suitable for all to understand, so that they might not receive harm in consequence of taking in another sense the things declared for salvation by the Holy Spirit. Wherefore the holy mysteries of the prophecies are veiled in the parables—preserved for chosen men, selected to knowledge in consequence of their faith; for the style of the Scriptures is parabolic."
The Stromata (Kindle Locations 6998-7002).
He taught that ancient barbarians learned from nature, the skys most significantly, and these ideas were later turned into myths. This influenced the structure of temples, including those in the Bible. The astronomical alignment of temples is confirmed by modern archaeoastronomy.
"And the table, in my opinion, exhibits the image of the earth, supported as it is on four feet, summer, autumn, spring, winter, by which the year travels."
The Stromata (Kindle Locations 6676-6677).
"There were also, however, those who, from the worship of the heavenly bodies, did not return to the Maker of them. For this was the sway given to the nations to rise up to God, by means of the worship of the heavenly bodies. But those who would not abide by those heavenly bodies assigned to them, but fell away from them to stocks and stones, were counted, it is said, as chaff-dust and as a drop from a jar, beyond salvation, cast away from the body."
The Stromata (Kindle Locations 6868-6871).
"Whence also the most ancient temples looked towards the west, that people might be taught to turn to the east when facing the images. Let my prayer be directed before You as incense, the uplifting of my hands as the evening sacrifice, say the Psalms."
The Stromata (Kindle Locations 7828-7830).
Gnosticism is a modern term categorizing a collection of ancient religions whose adherents shunned the material world. False gnosis (knowledge, 1 Tim 6:20) was the basis of such religion according to those like Clement. True gnosis was based on faith in God.
"For the life of the Gnostic, in my view, is nothing but deeds and words corresponding to the tradition of the Lord."
The Stromata (Kindle Locations 8512-8513).
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews