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I would have sailed with you; but I will overtake you sooner. And having said these things and having entrusted him to the leaders of the ship, I returned grieving, mindful of my good and familiar friend. But after spending some days and being unable to receive the whole debt, for the sake of speed I neglected what was left as being an obstacle, and I myself sailed away to Judea and in fifteen days arrived at Caesarea Stratonis. And when I had set foot on the land and was seeking lodging, I learned that a certain Peter, who was the most esteemed disciple of the man who had appeared in Judea and had performed signs and wonders, would tomorrow be holding a debate of words with Simon, the Samaritan from Gitta. And I, hearing these things, asked to be told his lodging; and when I learned it and stood at the gate, I explained who I was and from where I had come. And behold, Barnabas, coming out, as soon as he saw me embraced me, rejoicing greatly and weeping; and taking me by the hand, he led me in where Peter was, saying to me: This is Peter, of whom I promised you the greatest things concerning the wisdom of God, to whom I ceaselessly mentioned you, as you will know of yourself, that I truthfully reported all the good things about you, and at the same time I revealed your disposition, so that he himself yearns even to see you. Therefore I bring you to him as a great gift through my hands. And having said this, he brought me forward and said: This is Clement, Peter. And the good man, jumping up as soon as he heard the name, kissed me and, having made me sit down, immediately said: You did well to receive Barnabas, the herald of the truth, with magnanimity in honor of the true God, not being ashamed, not fearing the wrath of the uneducated crowds. You will be blessed. For as you received the ambassador of the truth with all honor, so truth herself will make you, a stranger, a citizen of her own city; and then you will rejoice greatly because, having now lent a small favor—I mean a disposition for good words—you will be an heir of eternal and inalienable goods. And do not grow weary of reporting your character to me; for the truthful Barnabas has reported to us all things concerning you, making mention of your goodness almost daily. And so that I may tell you the matter at hand in summary as to a genuine friend, if nothing hinders you, travel with us, partaking of the words of truth, which I am about to deliver in city after city all the way to Rome itself. And you too, if you wish anything, speak. And I set forth my disposition from the beginning, and how I was exhausted by unanswerable questions, and all the things which I indicated to you at the beginning, so that I might not write the same things again. And I said: I am ready to travel with you (for this I desire gladly, I know not how), but first I wish to be fully informed concerning the truth, so that I may know whether the soul happens to be mortal or is immortal, and if, being eternal, it is to be judged for what it has done here, and what justice is or what is pleasing to God, and if 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 even exist, and—not to speak in detail—these things and the things that follow them, I said I wished to learn. And he answered these things: Briefly, O Clement, I will impart to you the knowledge of existing things, and now hear from it. The counsel of God is in obscurity

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αὐτῆς ἄν σοι συνέπλεον· πλὴν τάχιόν σε καταλήψομαι. καὶ ταῦτ' εἰπὼν καὶ παραθέμενος αὐτὸν τοῖς τοῦ πλοίου ἡγουμένοις ὑπέστρεφον λυπούμενος, μεμνημένος τοῦ καλοῦ καὶ συνήθους φίλου. Ἡμερῶν δὲ διατρίψας καὶ τὸ χρέος οὐχ ὅλον λαβεῖν δυνηθείς, τά- χους ἕνεκα ἀμελήσας τοῦ περιλειφθέντος ὡς ἐμποδίου ὄντος, καὶ αὐτὸς εἰς Ἰουδαίαν ἀπέπλευσα καὶ δεκαπέντε ἡμερῶν εἰς Καισάρειαν κατήντησα τὴν Στράτωνος. ἐπιβάντος δέ μου τῆς γῆς καὶ ξενίαν θηρωμένου, ἔμαθον ὅτι Πέτρος τις λεγόμενος, τοῦ ἐν Ἰουδαίᾳ εἰσφανέντος ἀνδρὸς τοῦ ση- μεῖα 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 ὡς ἔμαθον καὶ τῷ πυλῶνι ἐπέστην, ἀντέβαλλον, τίς τε ὢν καὶ πόθεν ἥκω. καὶ ἰδοὺ Βαρ- νάβας ἐκβὰς ἅμα τῷ ἰδεῖν περιεπλάκη μοι, πολὺ χαίρων καὶ δακρύων· καὶ λαβόμενός μου τῆς χειρὸς εἰσέφερεν ἔνθα ἦν ὁ Πέτρος, λέγων μοι· Oὗτός ἐστιν Πέτρος, ὃν μέγιστον ἐπὶ τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ σοφίᾳ ἐπηγγελλόμην σοι, ᾧ ἀπαύστως σε ἀντέβαλλον, ὡς εἴσει ἐκ ταὐτομάτου, ὅτι πάντα τὰ κατὰ σὲ καλὰ ὄντα ἀψευδῶς ἀντέβαλλον, ἅμα καὶ τὴν προαίρεσιν ἐξέφανα, ὡς αὐτὸν γλίχεσθαι καὶ ἰδεῖν σε. μέγα οὖν αὐτῷ δῶρόν σε διὰ τῶν ἐμῶν προσφέρω χειρῶν. καὶ τοῦτ' εἰπὼν προσενέγκας ἔφη· Oὗτός ἐστιν Κλήμης, Πέτρε. ὁ δ' ἀγαθὸς προσπηδήσας ἅμα τῷ ἀκοῦσαι τὸ ὄνομα κατεφίλησεν καὶ καθ- εσθῆναί με ποιήσας ἐξ αὐτῆς ἔφη· Καλῶς ἐποίησας τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας κήρυκα ξενίσας Βαρνάβαν εἰς τιμὴν τοῦ ὄντως θεοῦ μεγαλοφρόνως, οὐκ αἰδε- σθείς, οὐ φοβηθεὶς τὸν τῶν ἀπαιδεύτων ὄχλων θυμόν. μακάριος ἔσῃ. ὡς γὰρ σὺ τὸν τῆς ἀληθείας πρεσβευτὴν ὄντα 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 λέγω, ἀιδίων καὶ ἀναφαιρέτων ἀγαθῶν ἔσῃ κληρονόμος. καὶ μὴ κάμνε ἀντιβάλλειν μοι τὸ σὸν ἦθος· πάντα γὰρ τὰ κατὰ σὲ ὁ ἀψευδὴς ἡμῖν ἀντέβαλεν Βαρνάβας, σχεδὸν καθ' ἡμέραν τὴν ἀγαθήν σου ποιούμενος μνήμην. καὶ ἵνα σοι ἐν ἐπιτομῇ ὡς γνησίῳ φίλῳ τὸ προκεί- μενον ἐρῶ, εἰ μή σοί τι ἐμποδίζει, συνόδευσον ἡμῖν, μεταλαμβάνων τῶν τῆς ἀληθείας λόγων, ὧν κατὰ πόλιν ποιεῖσθαι μέλλω μέχρι Ῥώμης αὐτῆς. καὶ σὺ δὲ εἴ τι βούλει λέγε. κἀγὼ 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 οἶδα ὅπως χαίρων θέλω), πλὴν περὶ ἀληθείας πρῶτον πληροφορηθῆναι θέλω, ἵνα γνῶ εἰ ἡ ψυχὴ θνητὴ τυγχάνει ἢ ἀθάνατός ἐστιν καὶ εἰ ἀίδιος οὖσα περὶ ὧν ἔπραξεν ἐνταῦθα ἔχει κριθῆναι καὶ [εἴ] τί ποτ' ἔστιν δίκαιον [ἢ] ἀρέσκον θεῷ καὶ εἰ γέγονεν <ὁ> κόσμος καὶ διὰ τί γέγονεν καὶ εἰ οὐ λυθήσεται καὶ εἰ λυθήσεται καὶ εἰ κρείττων ἔσται ἢ οὐδὲ ἔσται, καὶ ἵνα μὴ τὸ κατ' εἶδος λέγω, ταῦτά τε καὶ τὰ τούτοις ἑπόμενα μαθεῖν εἶπον θέλειν. ὁ δὲ πρὸς ταῦτα ἀπεκρίνατο· Συντόμως σοι, ὦ Κλήμης, τὴν τῶν ὄντων γνῶσιν παρ- έξομαι, καὶ τὰ νῦν ἐξ αὐτῆς ἄκουσον. ἡ τοῦ θεοῦ βουλὴ ἐν ἀδήλῳ