Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata, or Miscellanies

And Daniel the prophet says, “The mystery which the king asks, it is not in the power of the wise, the Magi, the diviners, the Gazarenes, to tell the king; but it is God in heaven who revealeth it.”47 Dan. ii. 27, 28. The words of Jacob to Esau slightly changed from the Septuagint: “For God hath shown mercy to me, and I have all things”—οτι ἠλέησέ με ὁ Θεὸς καὶ ἔστι μοι πάντα (Gen. xxxiii. 11).

Here he terms the Babylonians wise. And that Scripture calls every secular science or art by the one name wisdom (there are other arts and sciences invented over and above by human reason), and that artistic and skilful invention is from God, will be clear if we adduce the following statement: “And the Lord spake to Moses, See, I have called Bezaleel, the son of Uri, the son of Or, of the tribe of Judah; and I have filled him with the divine spirit of wisdom, and understanding, and knowledge, to devise and to execute in all manner of work, to work gold, and silver, and brass, and blue, and purple, and scarlet, and in working stone work, and in the art of working wood,” and even to “all works.”48 Ex. xxxi. 2–5. Ex. iii. 16. And then He adds the general reason, “And to every understanding heart I have given understanding;”49 Ex. xxxi. 6. Jas. ii. 23. that is, to every one capable of acquiring it by pains and exercise. And again, it is written expressly in the name of the Lord: “And speak thou to all that are wise in mind, whom I have filled with the spirit of perception.”50 Ex. xxviii. 3. So the name Israel is explained, Stromata, i. p. 334, Potter; [see p. 300, supra.]

Those who are wise in mind have a certain attribute of nature peculiar to themselves; and they who have shown themselves capable, receive from the Supreme Wisdom a spirit of perception in double measure. For those who practice the common arts, are in what pertains to the senses highly gifted: in hearing, he who is commonly called a musician; in touch, he who moulds clay; in voice the singer, in smell the perfumer, in sight the engraver of devices on seals. Those also that are occupied in instruction, train the sensibility according to which the poets are susceptible to the influence of measure; the sophists apprehend expression; the dialecticians, syllogisms; and the philosophers are capable of the contemplation of which themselves are the objects. For sensibility finds and invents; since it persuasively exhorts to application. And practice will increase the application which has knowledge for its end. With reason, therefore, the apostle has called the wisdom of God “manifold,” and which has manifested its power “in many departments and in many modes”51 Eph. iii. 10; Heb. i. 1. Ex. xxxiii. 11.—by art, by knowledge, by faith, by prophecy—for our benefit. “For all wisdom is from the Lord, and is with Him for ever,” as says the wisdom of Jesus.52 Ecclus. i. 1. [This passage, down to the reference to Plato, is unspeakably sublime. One loves Clement for this exclusive loyalty to the Saviour.]

"For if thou call on wisdom and knowledge with a loud voice, and seek it as treasures of silver, and eagerly track it out, thou shalt understand godliness and find divine knowledge.”53 Prov. ii. 3–5. John i. 9. The prophet says this in contradiction to the knowledge according to philosophy, which teaches us to investigate in a magnanimous and noble manner, for our progress in piety. He opposes, therefore, to it the knowledge which is occupied with piety, when referring to knowledge, when he speaks as follows: “For God gives wisdom out of His own mouth, and knowledge along with understanding, and treasures up help for the righteous.” For to those who have been justified54 [A passage much reflected upon, in questions of Clement’s Catholic orthodoxy. See Elucidation VI., infra.] The Stoics defined piety as “ the knowledge of the worship of God.” by philosophy, the knowledge which leads to piety is laid up as a help.

Ὅμηρος δὲ καὶ τέκτονα σοφὸν καλεῖ καὶ περὶ τοῦ Μαργίτου, εἰ δὴ αὐτοῦ, ὧδέ πως γράφει· τὸν δ' οὔτ' ἂρ σκαπτῆρα θεοὶ θέσαν οὔτ' ἀροτῆρα, οὔτ' ἄλλως τι σοφόν, πάσης δ' ἡμάρτανε τέχνης. Ἡσίοδος γὰρ τὸν κιθαριστὴν Λίνον παντοίας σοφίας δεδαηκότα εἰπὼν καὶ ναύτην οὐκ ὀκνεῖ λέγειν σοφόν, οὔτε τι ναυτιλίης σεσοφισμένον γράφων. ∆ανιὴλ δὲ ὁ προφήτης τὸ μυστήριον φησὶν ὃ ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐρωτᾷ, οὐκ ἔστι σοφῶν, μάγων, ἐπαοιδῶν, Γαζαρηνῶν δύναμις τοῦ ἀναγγεῖλαι τῷ βασιλεῖ, ἀλλ' ἔστι θεὸς ἐν οὐρανῷ ἀποκαλύπτων. καὶ δὴ τοὺς Βαβυλῶνος σοφοὺς προσαγορεύει. ὅτι δὲ σοφίαν ὁμωνύμως καλεῖ ἡ γραφὴ πάσαν τὴν κοσμικὴν εἴτε ἐπιστήμην εἴτε τέχνην, πολλαὶ δέ εἰσιν αἱ κατ' ἐπισύνθεσιν ἀνθρωπίνῳ λογισμῷ ἐπινενοημέναι, καὶ ὡς θεόθεν ἡ τεχνικὴ καὶ ἡ σοφὴ ἐπίνοια, σαφὲς ἔσται παραθεμένοις τήνδε τὴν λέξιν· καὶ ἐλάλησεν κύριος πρὸς Μωυσῆν λέγων· ἰδοὺ ἀνακέκληκα τὸν Βεσελεὴλ τὸν τοῦ Οὐρί, τὸν Ὤρ, τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα, καὶ ἐνέπλησᾳ αὐτὸν πνεῦμα θεῖον σοφίας καὶ συνέσεως καὶ ἐπιστήμης ἐν παντὶ ἔργῳ, διανοεῖσθαι καὶ ἀρχιτεκτονῆσαι. ἐργάζεσθαι τὸ χρυσίον καὶ τὸ ἀργύριον καὶ τὸν χαλκόν, καὶ τὴν ὑάκινθον καὶ τὴν πορφύραν καὶ τὸ κόκκινον, καὶ τὰ λιθουργικὰ καὶ τεκτονικὴν τῶν ξύλων, ἐργάζεσθαι ἕως κατὰ πάντα τὰ ἔργα. ἔπειτα ἐπιφέρει καθολικὸν δὴ λόγον· καὶ παντὶ τῷ συνετῷ καρδίᾳ δέδωκα σύνεσιν, τουτέστιν τῷ οἵῳ τε ἐπιδέξασθαι πόνῳ καὶ συνασκήσει. πάλιν τε αὖ διαρρήδην ἐξ ὀνόματος κυρίου γέγραπται· καὶ σὺ λάλησον πᾶσι τοῖς σοφοῖς τῇ διανοίᾳ, οὓς ἐνέπλησα πνεῦμα αἰσθήσεως· ἔχουσι μέν τι οἰκεῖον φύσεως ἰδίωμα οἱ σοφοὶ τῇ διανοίᾳ, λαμβάνουσι δὲ πνεῦμα αἰσθήσεως παρὰ τῆς κυριωτάτης σοφίας διττόν, ἐπιτηδείους σφᾶς αὐτοὺς παραστήσαντες. οἱ μὲν γὰρ τὰς βαναύσους μετιόντες τέχνας τοῦ περὶ τὰς αἰσθήσεις ἀπολαύουσι περιττοῦ, ἀκοῆς μὲν ὁ κοινῶς λεγόμενος μουσικός, ἁφῆς δὲ ὁ πλαστικός. καὶ φωνῆς ὁ ᾠδικός, ὀσφρήσεως ὁ μυρεψικός, ὄψεως ὁ τῶν ἐν ταῖς σφραγῖσιν ἐντυπωμάτων τορευτικός. οἱ δὲ ἀμφὶ τὴν παιδείαν διατρίβοντες τὴν συναίσθησιν χορηγοῦνται, καθ' ἣν τῶν μέτρων οἱ ποιηταὶ καὶ τῆς λέξεως οἱ σοφισταὶ καὶ τῶν συλλογισμῶν οἱ διαλεκτικοὶ καὶ οἱ φιλόσοφοι τῆς κατ' αὐτοὺς θεωρίας ἀντιλαμβάνονται. εὑρετικὸν γὰρ καὶ ἐπινοητικὸν ἡ συναίσθησις ἐπιβάλλειν πιθανῶς ἀναπείθουσα, συναύξει δὲ τὴν ἐπιβολὴν ἡ εἰς ἐπιστήμην συνάσκησις. εἰκότως τοίνυν ὁ ἀπόστολος πολυποίκιλον εἴρηκεν τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ θεοῦ, πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως, διὰ τέχνης, διὰ ἐπιστήμης, διὰ πίστεως, διὰ προφητείας, τὴν ἑαυτῆς ἐνδεικνυμένην δύναμιν εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν εὐεργεσίαν, ὅτι πᾶσα σοφία παρὰ κυρίου καὶ μετ' αὐτοῦ ἐστιν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ᾗ φησιν ἡ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ σοφία. ἐὰν γὰρ τὴν φρόνησιν τήν τε αἴσθησιν ἐπικαλέσῃ μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ καὶ ζητήσῃς αὐτὴν ὥσπερ ἀργορίου θησαυροὺς καὶ προθύμως ἐξιχνιάσῃς, νοήσεις θεοσέβειαν καὶ αἴσθησιν θείαν εὑρήσεις, πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τῆς κατὰ φιλοσοφίαν αἰσθήσεως εἴρηκεν ὁ προφήτης, ἣν μεγαλοφυῶς καὶ μεγαλοπρεπῶς ἐξερευνᾶν διδάσκει εἰς τὴν ἐπὶ τὴν θεοσέβειαν προκοπήν. ἀντέθηκεν οὖν αὐτῇ τὴν ἐν θεοσεβείᾳ αἴσθησιν, τὴν γνῶσιν αἰνισσόμενος καὶ τάδε λέγων· ὁ γὰρ θεὸς δίδωσι σοφίαν ἐκ τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ στόματος αἴσθησίν τε ἅμα καὶ φρόνησιν, καὶ θησαυρίζει δικαίοις βοήθειαν· τοῖς γὰρ ὑπὸ φιλοσοφίας δεδικαιωμένοις βοήθεια θησαυρίζεται καὶ ἡ εἰς θεοσέβειαν συναίσθησις.