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From the things that have already happened, we believe also that the things to come will be, not only as to one who knows, but also to one who foreknows. To whom, then, having even a little sense, is it not apparent, that one must believe this one above all in the things that have seemed good to God, who alone among all men knows even without having learned? Therefore, if anyone should not wish to grant to such a one—I mean to him who has foreknowledge on account of the divinity of the spirit in him—to know the truth, if he grants knowledge to another, is he not wanting in sense, having given to a non-prophet what he was unwilling to grant a prophet to know? Hence, before all things, one must seek the prophet by every test through the prophetic promise, and having recognized him, follow without doubting the remaining words of his teaching, and, being confident about the things hoped for, live by the first judgment, knowing, then, that he who said these things does not have a nature for lying. Therefore, if anything of the rest of the things said by him seems to us not to be well said, we must know that it was not badly said by him, but that we ourselves have not understood it, though it is well said. For ignorance does not judge knowledge rightly (since, indeed, neither is knowledge by nature able to judge foreknowledge truly), but foreknowledge provides knowledge to the ignorant. Hence, O friend Clement, if you wish to know the things pertaining to God, you can learn from this one alone, because he alone knows the truth. For if any of the others knows anything, he has it, having received it from this one or from his disciples. And his will and true proclamation is that there is one God, whose work the world is, who, being just, will by all means at some time render to each according to his deeds. For it is altogether necessary for one who says that God is by nature just to believe also that the souls of men are immortal. For where is His justice, when some who have lived piously, being sometimes mistreated, have been violently done away with, while some who have become very impious, having lived luxuriously in a life of extravagance, have died the common death of men? Since, then, without any contradiction, God is good and just, and He will not be known to be just in any other way unless the soul is immortal after the separation from the body, so that the evil man, being in Hades, having received good things here, may be punished there for the things in which he sinned, while the good man, having been punished here for the things in which he sinned, may there be established as an heir of good things in the bosoms of the just. That God, therefore, is just, it is manifest to us that there is also a judgment and that souls are immortal. But if someone (as it seems to Simon the Samaritan) should not wish to grant to God that he is just, to whom else can one grant this, or even that it can exist? For if the root of all things does not have this, it is altogether necessary to understand that it is impossible to find <in> the nature of men as in fruits. But if it can be found in men, how much more in God? But if it can be found nowhere, neither with God nor with men, then by all means neither can what is unjust. But what is just exists; for injustice is spoken of because justice exists. [just as injustice is spoken of when justice is compared to it and is found to be contrary.] Therefore, indeed, God, teaching men concerning the truth of things, being himself one, divided all the extremes in two and contrary ways, [from the beginning being himself one and only God,] having made heaven

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τῶν ἤδη γεγενημένων καὶ τὰ ἐσόμενα ἔσεσθαι πιστεύομεν, οὐ μόνον ὡς γινώσκοντι, ἀλλὰ καὶ προγινώσκοντι. τίνι οὖν κἂν 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 πνεύμα- τος θειότητα, τὸ ἀληθὲς εἰδέναι μὴ διδόναι τις θέλοι, τινὶ ἑτέρῳ δοὺς εἰδέ- ναι οὐκ ἐνδεὴς ὑπάρχει φρενῶν, ἀποδεδωκὼς τῷ μὴ προφήτῃ ἃ προφήτῃ εἰδέναι δοῦναι οὐκ ἐβουλήθη; ὅθεν πρὸ πάντων πάσῃ κρίσει διὰ τῆς προφητικῆς ἐπαγγελίας τὸν προφήτην ζητεῖν δεῖ, καὶ γνόντα τοῖς λοιποῖς τῆς διδασκαλίας αὐτοῦ λόγοις ἀνενδοιάστως ἕπεσθαι, καὶ θαρροῦντα περὶ τῶν ἐλπιζομένων, πολιτεύεσθαι τῇ πρώτῃ κρίσει, γνόντα οὖν ὅτι ὁ ταῦτα εἰπὼν πρὸς τὸ ψεύσασθαι φύσιν οὐκ ἔχει. διὸ ἐάν τι τοῦ λοιποῦ τῶν ὑπ' αὐτοῦ ·ηθέντων δοκῇ ἡμῖν μὴ καλῶς εἰρῆσθαι, εἰδέναι χρὴ ὅτι οὐκ αὐτῷ εἴρηται κακῶς, ἀλλ' αὐτὸ ἡμεῖς καλῶς ἔχον οὐκ ἐνοήσα- μεν. ἄγνοια γὰρ γνῶσιν οὐκ ὀρθῶς κρίνει (ἅτε δὴ οὔτε γνῶσις πρόγνω- σιν ἀληθῶς κρίνειν πέφυκεν), ἀλλὰ ἡ πρόγνωσις τοῖς ἀγνοοῦσιν παρέχει τὴν γνῶσιν. ὅθεν, ὦ φίλε Κλήμης, εἴγε τὰ τῷ θεῷ διαφέροντα γνῶ ναι θέλεις, 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. ἔστιν δὲ αὐτοῦ τό τε βούλημα καὶ ἀληθὲς κή- ρυγμα ὅτι εἷς θεός, οὗ κόσμος ἔργον, ὃς δίκαιος ὢν πάντως ἑκάστῳ πρὸς τὰς πράξεις ἀποδώσει ποτέ. ἀνάγκη γὰρ πᾶσα, φύσει δίκαιον εἶναι λέγοντα τὸν θεὸν καὶ τὰς τῶν ἀνθρώπων ψυχὰς ἀθανάτους εἶναι πιστεύειν. ἐπεὶ ποῦ τὸ δίκαιον αὐτοῦ, ὅπου τινὲς εὐσεβῶς βιώσαντες, κακουχηθέντες ἐνίοτε, βιαίως ἀνῃρέθησαν, ἔνιοι δὲ ἀσεβεῖς πάνυ γεγενημένοι, ἐν πολυ- τελείᾳ 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, ἵν' ὁ μὲν κακὸς ἐν ᾅδῃ γενόμενος, ὡς ἐνταῦθα τὰ ἀγαθὰ ἀπολαβών, ἐκεῖ περὶ ὧν ἥμαρτεν κολασθῇ, ὁ δὲ ἀγαθὸς ἐνταῦθα περὶ ὧν ἥμαρτεν κολασθείς, ἐκεῖ ὡς ἐν κόλποις δι- καίων ἀγαθῶν κληρονόμος καταστῇ. ὅτι τοίνυν ὁ θεὸς δίκαιος, πρόδηλον ἡμῖν ἐστιν ὅτι καὶ κρίσις γίνεται καὶ ψυχαὶ ἀθάνατοι τυγχάνουσιν. 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 δύνα- σθαι; τῆς γὰρ ·ίζης τῶν ὅλων τοῦτο οὐκ ἐχούσης, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα νοεῖν ὅτι <ἐν> τῇ τῶν ἀνθρώπων φύσει ὡς ἐν καρποῖς εὑρεῖν ἀδύνατον. εἰ δὲ ἔστιν εὑρεῖν ἐν ἀνθρώποις, πόσῳ μᾶλλον ἐν θεῷ; εἰ δὲ οὐδαμοῦ, οὔτε παρὰ θεῷ οὔτε παρὰ ἀνθρώποις, ἔστιν εὑρεῖν τὸ δίκαιον, πάντως οὐδὲ τὸ ἄδικον. ἀλλ' ἔστιν τὸ δίκαιον· δικαιοσύνης γὰρ οὔσης τὸ ἄδικον λέγεται. [ὥσπερ παραβαλλομένης τῆς δικαιοσύνης αὐτῇ καὶ ἐναντίως ἔχειν εὑρισκομένης ἀδικία λέγεται.] ἔνθεν γοῦν ὁ θεὸς διδάσκων τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, πρὸς τὴν τῶν ὄντων ἀλήθειαν, εἷς ὢν αὐτός, διχῶς καὶ ἐναντίως διεῖλεν πάντα τὰ τῶν ἄκρων, [ἀπ' ἀρχῆς αὐτὸς εἷς ὢν καὶ μόνος θεός,] ποιήσας οὐρανὸν