20

a just judge? if he «repents», then who is steadfast? if he chooses evil men, then who accepts good men? Therefore, O child Clement, take care not to think anything else about God than that he alone is God and Lord and Father, good and just, Creator, longsuffering, merciful, sus- tainer, benefactor, practicing philanthropy, counseling purity, eternal, making men eternal, incomparable, dwelling in the souls of the good, uncontained yet contained, who in the infinite fixed the great age as a center, who spread out the heaven and condensed the earth, who stored up the water, who set the stars in the heaven, who made springs [of the earth] gush forth, who brought forth fruits, who raised up mountains, who bounded the sea, who arranged the winds and spirits, who secured the enclosing body in an infinite sea by the «spirit of counsel». This one is our judge, looking to whom we must set our own souls aright, thinking all things for his sake, speaking well of him, being persuaded that by his long-suffering he brings to light the rashness of all, and he alone is good. And he, at the end of all things, will be set as a just judge over each of those who have dared what they ought not. When I, Clement, heard these things, I said: Truly this is reverence for God, this is truly piety. And again I said: I wished, then, to learn why the books were written this way. For I remember that you said that it was for the refutation of those who would dare to believe something said against God. But since you grant us to ask of you as we wish, we dare to ask, as you commanded. If someone should wish, dearest Peter, to say to us: ‘What is written is true, even if what was said against God seems false to you;’ how should we answer him? And Peter answered: You have done well to ask, for it will be for your own security. But listen. Since many things have been said by the scriptures against God, given the urgency of the hour [because of the evening], ask one saying that you wish and I will resolve it, showing it to be false not only because it is said against God, but because it is truly false. And I answered: I wish to learn how, when the scriptures say God is ignorant, you are able to prove that he knows. And Peter answered: You have proposed to us something that can be easily refuted. But listen how God is ignorant of nothing, but even foreknows. But what I ask of you, first answer me. He who wrote the books and said how the world was created and that God does not foreknow, was he a man or not? And I said: A man. And Peter an- swered: Being a man, then, how was it possible for him to know without falsehood how the world was created and that God does not foreknow? And I, already perceiving the solution, said with a slight smile: Because he was a prophet. And Peter said: If, then, the prophet, being a man, was ignorant of nothing because he had received foreknowledge from God, how could he himself, who gave foreknowledge to a man, being God, be ignorant? And I said: You have spoken correctly. And Peter: Furthermore, then, he said, consider this with me. Since it is agreed by us that God foreknows all things, it is absolutely necessary that the scriptures which say he is ignorant are false, and those which say he knows are true. And I said: It is necessary that it be so. And Peter said: If, then, of the scriptures

20

δίκαιος κριτής; εἰ αὐτὸς «μεταμελεῖται», καὶ τίς βέβαιος; εἰ αὐτὸς κακοὺς ἐκλέγεται, καὶ τίς ἀγαθοὺς προσίεται; διό, ὦ τέκνον Κλήμης, ἔπεχε μὴ ἄλλο τι φρονήσῃς περὶ τοῦ θεοῦ ἢ ὅτι αὐτὸς μόνος ἐστὶν θεὸς καὶ κύ ριος καὶ πατήρ, ἀγαθὸς καὶ δίκαιος, δημιουργός, μακρόθυμος, ἐλεήμων, τρο- φεύς, εὐεργέτης, φιλανθρωπίαν νομιτεύων, ἁγνείαν συμβουλεύων, αἰώνιος, αἰωνίους ποιῶν, ἀσύγκριτος, ταῖς τῶν ἀγαθῶν ψυχαῖς οἰκιζόμενος, ἀχώρητος καὶ χωρούμενος, ὁ ἐν ἀπείρῳ τὸν μέγαν αἰῶνα ὡς κέντρον πήξας, ὁ οὐρανὸν ἐφαπλώσας καὶ γῆν πιλώσας, ὕδωρ ταμιεύσας, ἄστρα ἐν οὐρανῷ διαθείς, πηγὰς [γῆ] βρύσας, καρποὺς ἐκφύσας, ὄρη ὑψώσας, θάλασσαν περιορίσας, ἀνέμους τε καὶ πνεύματα διατάξας, ὁ τὸ περιέχον σῶμα ἐν ἀπείρῳ πελάγει «πνεύματι βουλῆς» ἀσφαλισάμενος. οὗτος ἡμῶν δικαστής, εἰς ὃν ἀποβλέποντας χρὴ τὰς ἑαυτῶν κατορθοῦν ψυχάς, πάντα ὑπὲρ αὐτοῦ νοοῦντας, αὐτὸν εὐφημοῦντας, πεπεισμένους ὅτι τῇ αὐτοῦ μακροθυμίᾳ πάντων τὴν προπέτειαν εἰς φανερὸν ἄγων μόνος ἀγαθός ἐστιν. καὶ οὗτος ἐπὶ τέλει τοῦ παντὸς ἑκάστῳ τῶν τετολμηκότων ἃ μὴ ἐχρῆν δίκαιος προκαθεσθήσεται κριτής. Ταῦτα ἐγὼ Κλήμης ἀκούσας ἔφην· Ἀληθῶς τοῦτο θεοσέβεια, τοῦτο ἀληθῶς εὐσέβεια. πάλιν τε ἔφην· Ἤθελον μαθεῖν οὖν διὰ τί οὕτως ἐγρά- φησαν αἱ βίβλοι. μέμνημαι γὰρ ὡς ἔφης ὅτι εἰς ἔλεγχον τῶν μελλόντων τολμᾶν πιστεύειν τι λεγόμενον κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ. πλὴν ἐπεὶ χαρίζῃ ἡμῖν πυνθάνεσθαί σου ὡς βουλόμεθα, πυνθάνεσθαι τολμῶμεν, σοῦ κελεύσαντος. εἴ τις βουληθείη, φίλτατε Πέτρε, λέγειν ἡμῖν· Ἀληθῆ ἐστιν τὰ γεγραμμένα, κἂν σοὶ ψευδῆ δοκῇ τὰ κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ ·ηθέντα· πῶς ἀποκριθῶμεν αὐτῷ; καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· Eὖ εἶπας πυθόμενος, εἰς γὰρ σὴν ἀσφάλειαν ἔσται· πλὴν ἄκουσον. ἐπειδὴ πολλά ἐστιν τὰ ὑπὸ τῶν γραφῶν εἰρημένα κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ πρὸς τὸ ἐπεῖγον τῆς ὥρας [διὰ τὴν ἑσπέραν], ἕνα ὃν βούλει λόγον πυ- θοῦ καὶ ἐπιλύσομαι, δείξας αὐτὸν ψευδῆ οὐχ ὅτι μόνον κατὰ τοῦ θεοῦ εἴρηται, ἀλλ' ὅτι ὄντως ψευδής ἐστιν. κἀγὼ ἀπεκρινάμην· Μαθεῖν θέλω πῶς τῶν γραφῶν ἀγνοεῖν λεγουσῶν τὸν θεὸν σὺ γινώσκοντα αὐτὸν ἀποδεῖξαι δύνασαι. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπεκρίνατο· Eὐκόπως ἐλεγχθῆναι δυνάμενον προέτεινας ἡμῖν· πλὴν ἄκουσον πῶς οὐδὲν ἀγνοεῖ θεός, ἀλλὰ καὶ προ- γινώσκει. ὃ δὲ πυνθάνομαί σου, πρῶτον ἀπόκριναί μοι. ὁ τὰς βίβλους γράψας καὶ εἰπὼν πῶς ὁ κόσμος ἐκτίσθη καὶ ὅτι οὐ προγινώσκει ὁ θεός, ἄνθρωπος ἦν ἢ οὔ; κἀγὼ ἔφην· Ἄνθρωπος. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἀπε- κρίνατο· Ἀνθρώπῳ οὖν ὄντι πόθεν δυνατὸν ἦν εἰδέναι ἀψευδῶς, πῶς ὁ κόσμος ἐκτίσθη καὶ ὅτι ὁ θεὸς οὐ προγινώσκει; κἀγὼ αἰσθόμενος ἤδη τὴν ἐπίλυσιν ὑπομειδιῶν ἔφην· Ὅτι προφήτης ἦν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· Eἰ οὖν ὁ προφήτης, ἄνθρωπος ὤν, οὐδὲν ἠγνόει διὰ τὸ ἀπὸ θεοῦ εἰληφέναι τὴν πρόγνωσιν, πῶς ἂν αὐτὸς ὁ δεδωκὼς ἀνθρώπῳ τὸ προ- γινώσκειν, θεὸς ὤν, ἠγνόει; κἀγὼ ἔφην· Ὀρθῶς ἔφης. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος· Ἔτι οὖν, ἔφη, εἰς αὐτὸ συνδιαπόρησόν μοι. ὡμολογημένου ἡμῖν ὅτι ὁ θεὸς πάντα προγινώσκει, ἀνάγκη πᾶσα τὰς λεγούσας αὐτὸν γραφὰς ἀγνοεῖν ψεύδεσθαι, τὰς δὲ γινώσκειν αὐτὸν λεγούσας ἀληθεύειν. κἀγὼ ἔφην· Ἀνάγκη οὕτως ἔχειν. καὶ ὁ Πέτρος ἔφη· Eἰ οὖν τῶν γραφῶν