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[HOMILY II.] On the following day, therefore, I Clement, having been awakened while it was still night and learning that Peter was awake and discoursing on godliness with those who were with him (who were sixteen, and whose names, as I learned each one's in the course of time, I have decided to set forth, so that you may also know who they were: of whom the first was Zacchaeus, the former publican, and Sophonias his brother, and Joseph and his foster-brother Michaias, and in addition Thomas and Eliezer the twins, but also Aeneas and Lazarus the priests, and furthermore also Elisha and Benjamin son of Saphras, likewise Rubelus and Zacharias the builders, Ananias and Aggaeus the Jamnites, and also Nicetas and Aquila the companions)—however, I came in, and after greeting him, sat down, as he bade me. And he, interrupting the discourse that was in progress, as if apologizing, explained why he had not awakened me so that I might hear his words, giving as the reason the fatigue from the voyage; wishing for that to be digested by me, he let me rest. For whenever the soul is occupied with what is lacking to the body, it does not receive the lessons offered to it according to their worth. For this reason I do not wish to discourse either to those who are very grieved on account of some misfortune, or are immoderately angry, or are driven to the madness of love, or have exhausted bodies, or are beset by the cares of life, or are troubled by any other passions, by which the soul (as I said), being overcome and suffering along with the afflicted body, occupies its own mind. And let no one say: Should one not, then, offer consolation and admonition to those who are doing something wrong? I say: If one accomplishes something, let him offer it; but if not, let him yield to the occasion. For I know that “everything has its own season.” Therefore, one must give to men words that strengthen the soul before affliction, so that, if ever anything evil should come, the mind, fore-armed with right reason, may be able to withstand what is brought against it. For then the mind knows how to cooperate with one who helps it with good counsel in the heat of the battle. However, I have learned, O Clement, that in Alexandria Barnabas set forth to you perfectly the discourse concerning prophecy; or is it not so? And I answered: Yes, and very well. And Peter said: Then it is not necessary to occupy the time that is now available to us for other discourses which you do not know, with those which you do know. And I said: You have spoken rightly, Peter. But grant me this, who have decided always to be with you, to continually explain the discourse concerning the prophet to one who gladly hears it; for without it, as I learned from Barnabas, it is impossible to learn the truth. And Peter, greatly pleased at this, answered: Indeed, the correction with respect to you has reached its end, since you have recognized the greatness of unerring prophecy, without which it is impossible for anyone to obtain the pre-eminent good; for while there are many and various goods among things that exist or can exist, the most blessed of all, whether it is eternal life or lasting health or a perfect mind or light or joy or incorruptibility or anything else that is pre-eminent in the nature of things

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[ OΜIΛIA Β.] Τῇ μὲν οὖν ἐπιούσῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἐγὼ Κλήμης, ἔτι τῆς νυκτὸς οὔσης διυπνισθεὶς καὶ μαθὼν τὸν Πέτρον ἐγρηγορότα καὶ τοῖς συνοῦσιν περὶ θεοσεβείας διαλεγόμενον (οἳ ἦσαν δέκα ἕξ, ὧν καὶ τὰ ὀνόματα, ὡς ἑκά- στου ἑξῆς χρόνου μαθών, ἐκθεῖναι ἐβουλευσάμην, ὅπως ἐπιγνῷς καὶ τίνες ἦσαν· ὧν πρῶτος Ζακχαῖος ὁ ποτὲ τελώνης, καὶ Σοφονίας ὁ ἀδελ- φὸς αὐτοῦ, Ἰώσηφός τε καὶ ὁ τούτου σύντροφος Μιχαίας, προσέτι δὲ Θωμᾶς καὶ Ἐλιέζιρος οἱ δίδυμοι, ἀλλὰ καὶ Aἰνέας καὶ Λάζαρος οἱ ἱερεῖς, προσέτι μήν γε καὶ Ἐλισσαῖος Βενιαμίν τε ὁ τοῦ Σαφρᾶ, ὁμοίως γε Ῥούβηλος καὶ Ζαχαρίας οἱ οἰκοδόμοι, Ἀνανίας τε καὶ Ἀγγαῖος οἱ Ἰαμνηνοί, ἔτι τε Νικήτης καὶ Ἀκύλας οἱ ἑταῖροι)-πλὴν ἐπεισιὼν καὶ προσαγορεύσας ἐκαθέσθην, αὐτοῦ κελεύσαντος. ὁ δὲ τοῦ προκειμένου ἐνκόψας λόγου, 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. ὁπόταν γὰρ ἡ ψυχὴ περὶ τὸ λεῖπον τῷ σώματι ἀσχολῆται, τὰ προσφερόμενα μαθήματα οὐ κατ' ἀξίαν προσίεται. τούτου ἕνεκα διαλέγεσθαι οὐ βούλομαι οὔτε πάνυ διά τινα συμφορὰν λυπουμένοις ἢ ἀμέτρως ὀργιζομένοις ἢ πρὸς λύσσαν ἔρωτος ἐκτετραμμένοις ἢ τὸ σῶμα καταπεπονημένοις 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. καὶ μὴ λεγέτω τις· Oὐ χρὴ οὖν παραμυθίας καὶ νουθεσίας προσφέρειν τοῖς φαῦλόν τι πράττουσιν. φημί· Eἰ μὲν ἀνύει τις, προσ- φερέτω· εἰ δὲ μή, τῷ καιρῷ εἰξάτω. ἐγὼ γὰρ οἶδα ὅτι «πάντα καιρὸν ἴδιον ἔχει». διὸ χρὴ τοῖς ἀνθρώποις τοὺς τὴν ψυχὴν ·ωννύντας λόγους πρὸ τῆς κακώσεως ἐπιδιδόναι, ἵνα, εἴ ποτε ἐπέλθοι τι φαῦλον, ὁ νοῦς προω- πλισμένος ὀρθῷ τῷ λογισμῷ τὸ ἐπενεχθὲν ὑποστῆναι δυνηθῇ. τότε γὰρ καὶ τῷ διὰ γνώμης ἀγαθῆς βοηθήσαντι παρὰ τὴν ἀκμὴν τοῦ πολέμου οἶδεν ὁ νοῦς συντρέχειν. πλὴν ἔμαθον, ὦ Κλήμης, ὡς ἐν τῇ Ἀλεξαν- δρείᾳ ὁ Βαρνάβας τὸν περὶ προφητείας λόγον τελείως σοι ἐξέθετο· ἢ γὰρ οὔ; κἀγὼ ἀπεκρινάμην· Ναί, καὶ πάνυ καλῶς. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Oὐκ- οῦν οὐκ ἀναγκαῖον τὸν νῦν χρόνον δυνάμενον ἡμῖν ὑπηρετεῖν εἰς ἑτέρους λόγους οὓς οὐκ ἐπίστασαι, εἰς οὓς ἐπίστασαι ποιεῖσθαι τὴν ἀσχολίαν. κἀγὼ 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. 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 τινι τὸ ἐν ὑπεροχῇ συμφέρον ἀδύνατον· πολλῶν γὰρ καὶ διαφόρων ἀγαθῶν ὄντων ἐν τοῖς οὖσιν ἢ ἔσεσθαι δυναμένοις, τὸ πάν- των μακαριώτατον, εἴτε ἀίδιός ἐστιν ζωὴ ἢ παράμονος ὑγεία ἢ τέλειος νοῦς ἢ φῶς ἢ χαρὰ ἢ ἀφθαρσία ἢ καὶ ἄλλο τι ὃ ἐν τῇ τῶν ὄντων φύσει ὑπερέχον