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Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata, or Miscellanies
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Book I Chapter I.—Preface—The Author’s Object—The Utility of Written Compositions.
Chapter III.—Against the Sophists.
Chapter IV.—Human Arts as Well as Divine Knowledge Proceed from God.
Chapter V.—Philosophy the Handmaid of Theology.
Chapter VI.—The Benefit of Culture.
Chapter VII.—The Eclectic Philosophy Paves the Way for Divine Virtue.
Chapter VIII.—The Sophistical Arts Useless.
Chapter IX.—Human Knowledge Necessary for the Understanding of the Scriptures.
Chapter X.—To Act Well of Greater Consequence Than to Speak Well.
Chapter XI.—What is the Philosophy Which the Apostle Bids Us Shun?
Chapter XII.—The Mysteries of the Faith Not to Be Divulged to All.
Chapter XIII.—All Sects of Philosophy Contain a Germ of Truth.
Chapter XIV.—Succession of Philosophers in Greece.
Chapter XV.—The Greek Philosophy in Great Part Derived from the Barbarians.
Chapter XVI.—That the Inventors of Other Arts Were Mostly Barbarians.
Chapter XVII.—On the Saying of the Saviour, “All that Came Before Me Were Thieves and Robbers.”
Chapter XVIII.—He Illustrates the Apostle’s Saying, “I Will Destroy the Wisdom of the Wise.”
Chapter XIX.—That the Philosophers Have Attained to Some Portion of Truth.
Chapter XX.—In What Respect Philosophy Contributes to the Comprehension of Divine Truth.
Chapter XXII.—On the Greek Translation of the Old Testament.
Chapter XXIII.—The Age, Birth, and Life of Moses.
Chapter XXIV.—How Moses Discharged the Part of a Military Leader.
Chapter XXV.—Plato an Imitator of Moses in Framing Laws.
Chapter XXVII.—The Law, Even in Correcting and Punishing, Aims at the Good of Men.
Chapter XXVIII.—The Fourfold Division of the Mosaic Law.
Chapter XXIX.—The Greeks But Children Compared with the Hebrews.
Book II. Chapter I.—Introductory.
Chapter II.—The Knowledge of God Can Be Attained Only Through Faith.
Chapter III.—Faith Not a Product of Nature.
Chapter IV.—Faith the Foundation of All Knowledge.
Chapter V.—He Proves by Several Examples that the Greeks Drew from the Sacred Writers.
Chapter VI.—The Excellence and Utility of Faith.
Chapter VII.—The Utility of Fear. Objections Answered.
Chapter VIII.—The Vagaries of Basilides and Valentinus as to Fear Being the Cause of Things.
Chapter IX.—The Connection of the Christian Virtues.
Chapter X.—To What the Philosopher Applies Himself.
Chapter XI.—The Knowledge Which Comes Through Faith the Surest of All.
Chapter XIII.—On First and Second Repentance.
Chapter XIV.—How a Thing May Be Involuntary.
Chapter XV.—On the Different Kinds of Voluntary Actions, and the Sins Thence Proceeding.
Chapter XVI.—How We are to Explain the Passages of Scripture Which Ascribe to God Human Affections.
Chapter XVII.—On the Various Kinds of Knowledge.
Chapter XIX.—The True Gnostic is an Imitator of God, Especially in Beneficence.
Chapter XX.—The True Gnostic Exercises Patience and Self-Restraint.
Chapter XXI.—Opinions of Various Philosophers on the Chief Good.
Book III. Caput I.—Basilidis Sententiam de Continentia Et Nuptiis Refutat.
Caput II.—Carpocratis Et Epiphanis Sententiam de Feminarum Communitate Refutat.
Caput IV.—Quibus Prætextibus Utantur Hæretici ad Omnis Genetis Licentiam Et Libidinem Exercendam.
Caput VII.—Qua in Re Christianorum Continentia Eam Quam Sibi Vindicant Philosophi Antecellat.
Caput X.—Verba Christi Matt. xviii. 20, Mystice Exponit.
Caput XI.—Legis Et Christi Mandatum de Non Concupiscendo Exponit.
Caput XIV.—2 Cor. xi. 3, Et Eph. iv. 24, Exponit.
Caput XV.—1 Cor. vii. 1 Luc. xiv. 26 Isa. lvi. 2, 3, Explicat.
Caput XVI.—Jer. xx. 14 Job xiv. 3 Ps. l. 5 1 Cor. ix. 27, Exponit.
Book IV. Chapter I.—Order of Contents.
Chapter II.—The Meaning of the Name Stromata or Miscellanies.
Chapter III.—The True Excellence of Man.
Chapter IV.—The Praises of Martyrdom.
Chapter V.—On Contempt for Pain, Poverty, and Other External Things.
Chapter VI.—Some Points in the Beatitudes.
Chapter VII.—The Blessedness of the Martyr.
Chapter VIII.—Women as Well as Men, Slaves as Well as Freemen, Candidates for the Martyr’s Crown.
Chapter IX.—Christ’s Sayings Respecting Martyrdom.
Chapter X.—Those Who Offered Themselves for Martyrdom Reproved.
Chapter XI.—The Objection, Why Do You Suffer If God Cares for You, Answered.
Chapter XII.—Basilides’ Idea of Martyrdom Refuted.
Chapter XIII.—Valentinian’s Vagaries About the Abolition of Death Refuted.
Chapter XIV.—The Love of All, Even of Our Enemies.
Chapter XV.—On Avoiding Offence.
Chapter XVI.—Passages of Scripture Respecting the Constancy, Patience, and Love of the Martyrs.
Chapter XVII.—Passages from Clement’s Epistle to the Corinthians on Martyrdom.
Chapter XVIII.—On Love, and the Repressing of Our Desires.
Chap. XIX.—Women as well as Men Capable of Perfection.
Chapter XXI.—Description of the Perfect Man, or Gnostic.
Chapter XXIII.—The Same Subject Continued.
Chapter XXIV.—The Reason and End of Divine Punishments.
Chapter XXV.—True Perfection Consists in the Knowledge and Love of God.
Chapter XXVI.—How the Perfect Man Treats the Body and the Things of the World.
Chapter III.—The Objects of Faith and Hope Perceived by the Mind Alone.
Chapter IV.—Divine Things Wrapped Up in Figures Both in the Sacred and in Heathen Writers.
Chapter V.—On the Symbols of Pythagoras.
Chapter VI.—The Mystic Meaning of the Tabernacle and Its Furniture.
Chapter VII.—The Egyptian Symbols and Enigmas of Sacred Things.
Chapter VIII.—The Use of the Symbolic Style by Poets and Philosophers.
Chapter IX.—Reasons for Veiling the Truth in Symbols.
Chapter X.—The Opinion of the Apostles on Veiling the Mysteries of the Faith.
Chapter XII.—God Cannot Be Embraced in Words or by the Mind.
Chapter XIII.—The Knowledge of God a Divine Gift, According to the Philosophers.
Chapter XIV.—Greek Plagiarism from the Hebrews.
Chapter II.—The Subject of Plagiarisms Resumed. The Greeks Plagiarized from One Another.
Chapter III.—Plagiarism by the Greeks of the Miracles Related in the Sacred Books of the Hebrews.
Chapter V.—The Greeks Had Some Knowledge of the True God.
Chapter VI.—The Gospel Was Preached to Jews and Gentiles in Hades.
Chapter VII.—What True Philosophy Is, and Whence So Called.
Chapter VIII.—Philosophy is Knowledge Given by God.
Chapter IX.—The Gnostic Free of All Perturbations of the Soul.
Chapter X.—The Gnostic Avails Himself of the Help of All Human Knowledge.
Chapter XI.—The Mystical Meanings in the Proportions of Numbers, Geometrical Ratios, and Music.
Chapter XII.—Human Nature Possesses an Adaptation for Perfection The Gnostic Alone Attains It.
Chapter XIII.—Degrees of Glory in Heaven Corresponding with the Dignities of the Church Below.
Chapter XIV.—Degrees of Glory in Heaven.
Chapter XV.—Different Degrees of Knowledge.
Chapter XVI.—Gnostic Exposition of the Decalogue.
Chapter XVII.—Philosophy Conveys Only an Imperfect Knowledge of God.
Chapter XVIII.—The Use of Philosophy to the Gnostic.
Chapter II.—The Son the Ruler and Saviour of All.
Chapter III.—The Gnostic Aims at the Nearest Likeness Possible to God and His Son.
Chapter IV.—The Heathens Made Gods Like Themselves, Whence Springs All Superstition.
Chapter V.—The Holy Soul a More Excellent Temple Than Any Edifice Built by Man.
Chapter VI.—Prayers and Praise from a Pure Mind, Ceaselessly Offered, Far Better Than Sacrifices.
Chapter VII.—What Sort of Prayer the Gnostic Employs, and How It is Heard by God.
Chapter VIII.—The Gnostic So Addicted to Truth as Not to Need to Use an Oath.
Chapter IX.—Those Who Teach Others, Ought to Excel in Virtues.
Chapter X.—Steps to Perfection.
Chapter XI.—Description of the Gnostic’s Life.
Chapter XII.—The True Gnostic is Beneficent, Continent, and Despises Worldly Things.
Chapter XIII.—Description of the Gnostic Continued.
Chapter XIV.—Description of the Gnostic Furnished by an Exposition of 1 Cor. vi. 1, Etc.
Chapter XV.—The Objection to Join the Church on Account of the Diversity of Heresies Answered.
Chapter XVI.—Scripture the Criterion by Which Truth and Heresy are Distinguished.
Chapter XVII.—The Tradition of the Church Prior to that of the Heresies.
Book VIII. Chapter I.—The Object of Philosophical and Theological Inquiry—The Discovery of Truth.
Chapter II.—The Necessity of Perspicuous Definition.
Chapter III.—Demonstration Defined.
Chapter IV.—To Prevent Ambiguity, We Must Begin with Clear Definition.
Chapter V.—Application of Demonstration to Sceptical Suspense of Judgment.
Chapter VI.—Definitions, Genera, and Species.
Chapter VII.—On the Causes of Doubt or Assent.
Whence the law was rightly said to have been given by Moses, being a rule of right and wrong; and we may call it with accuracy the divine ordinance (θεσμός314 From the ancient derivation of this word from θεος.), inasmuch as it was given by God through Moses. It accordingly conducts to the divine. Paul says: “The law was instituted because of transgressions, till the seed should come, to whom the promise was made.” Then, as if in explanation of his meaning, he adds: “But before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up,” manifestly through fear, in consequence of sins, “unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed; so that the law was a schoolmaster to bring us to Christ, that we should be justified by faith.”315 Gal. iii. 19, 23, 24. The true legislator is he who assigns to each department of the soul what is suitable to it and to its operations. Now Moses, to speak comprehensively, was a living law, governed by the benign Word. Accordingly, he furnished a good polity, which is the right discipline of men in social life. He also handled the administration of justice, which is that branch of knowledge which deals with the correction of transgressors in the interests of justice. Co-ordinate with it is the faculty of dealing with punishments, which is a knowledge of the due measure to be observed in punishments. And punishment, in virtue of its being so, is the correction of the soul. In a word, the whole system of Moses is suited for the training of such as are capable of becoming good and noble men, and for hunting out men like them; and this is the art of command. And that wisdom, which is capable of treating rightly those who have been caught by the Word, is legislative wisdom. For it is the property of this wisdom, being most kingly, to possess and use,
It is the wise man, therefore, alone whom the philosophers proclaim king, legislator, general, just, holy, God-beloved. And if we discover these qualities in Moses, as shown from the Scriptures themselves, we may, with the most assured persuasion, pronounce Moses to be truly wise. As then we say that it belongs to the shepherd’s art to care for the sheep; for so “the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep;”316 John x. 11. so also we shall say that legislation, inasmuch as it presides over and cares for the flock of men, establishes the virtue of men, by fanning into flame, as far as it can, what good there is in humanity.
And if the flock figuratively spoken of as belonging to the Lord is nothing but a flock of men, then He Himself is the good Shepherd and Lawgiver of the one flock, “of the sheep who hear Him,” the one who cares for them, “seeking,” and finding by the law and the word, “that which was lost;” since, in truth, the law is spiritual and leads to felicity. For that which has arisen through the Holy Spirit is spiritual. And he is truly a legislator, who not only announces what is good and noble, but understands it. The law of this man who possesses knowledge is the saving precept; or rather, the law is the precept of knowledge. For the Word is “the power and the wisdom of God.”317 1 Cor. i. 24. Again, the expounder of the laws is the same one by whom the law was given; the first expounder of the divine commands, who unveiled the bosom of the Father, the only-begotten Son.
Then those who obey the law, since they have some knowledge of Him, cannot disbelieve or be ignorant of the truth. But those who disbelieve, and have shown a repugnance to engage in the works of the law, whoever else may, certainly confess their ignorance of the truth.
What, then, is the unbelief of the Greeks? Is it not their unwillingness to believe the truth which declares that the law was divinely given by Moses, whilst they honour Moses in their own writers? They relate that Minos received the laws from Zeus in nine years, by frequenting the cave of Zeus; and Plato, and Aristotle, and Ephorus write that Lycurgus was trained in legislation by going constantly to Apollo at Delphi. Chamæleo of Heraclea, in his book On Drunkenness, and Aristotle in The Polity of Locrians, mention that Zaleucus the Locrian received the laws from Athene.
But those who exalt the credit of Greek legislation as far as in them lies, by referring it to a divine source, after the model of Mosaic prophecy, are senseless in not owning the truth, and the archetype of what is related among them.
Ὅθεν ὁ νόμος εἰκότως εἴρηται διὰ Μωυσέως δεδόσθαι, κανὼν τυγχάνων δικαίων τε καὶ ἀδίκων. καὶ τοῦτον κυρίως θεσμὸν ἂν εἴποιμεν τὸν ὑπὸ θεοῦ διὰ Μωυσέως παραδεδομένον. ἔχει γοῦν τὴν ἀγωγὴν εἰς τὸ θεῖον. λέγει δὲ καὶ ὁ Παῦλος· ὁ νόμος τῶν παραβάσεων χάριν ἐτέθη, ἄχρις ἂν ἔλθῃ τὸ σπέρμα ᾧ ἐπήγγελται. εἶτα οἱονεὶ ἐπεξηγούμενος τὴν διάνοιαν ἐπιφέρει· πρὸ τοῦ δὲ ἐλθεῖν τὴν πίστιν ὑπὸ νόμον ἐφρουρούμεθα συγκεκλεισμένοι, φόβῳ δηλαδὴ ἀπὸ ἁμαρτιῶν, εἰς τὴν μέλλουσαν πίστιν ἀποκαλυφθήσεσθαι. ὥστε ὁ νόμος παιδαγωγὸς ἡμῶν ἐγένετο εἰς Χριστόν, ἵνα ἐκ πίστεως δικαιωθῶμεν. ὁ νομοθετικὸς δέ ἐστιν ὁ τὸ προσῆκον ἑκάστῳ μέρει τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τοῖς τούτων ἔργοις ἀπονέμων, Μωυσῆς δὲ συνελόντι εἰπεῖν νόμος ἔμψυχος ἦν τῷ χρηστῷ λόγῳ κυβερνώμενος. πολιτείαν γοῦν διηκόνησεν ἀγαθήν· ἣ δέ ἐστι τροφὴ ἀνθρώπων καλὴ κατὰ κοινωνίαν. αὐτίκα τὴν δικαστικὴν μετεχειρίζετο, ἐπιστήμην οὖσαν διορθωτικὴν τῶν ἁμαρτανομένων ἕνεκεν τοῦ δικαίου. σύστοιχος δὲ αὐτῇ ἡ κολαστική, τοῦ κατὰ τὰς κολάσεις μέτρου ἐπιστημονική τις οὖσα. κόλασις δὲ [δικαία] οὖσα διόρθωσίς ἐστι ψυχῆς. ἔστι δὲ ὡς ἔπος εἰπεῖν τῷ Μωυσεῖ ἡ πᾶσα ἀγωγὴ παιδευτικὴ μὲν τῶν οἵων τε γενέσθαι καλῶν κἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν, θηρευτικὴ δὲ τῶν ὁμοίων τούτοις, ἥτις ἂν εἴη στρατηγική· ἡ δὲ χρηστικὴ τοῖς θηρευθεῖσι λόγῳ κατὰ τρόπον σοφία εἴη ἂν νομοθετική· κτᾶσθαί τε γὰρ καὶ χρῆσθαι ταύτης ἴδιον βασιλικωτάτης οὔσης. μόνον γοῦν τὸν σοφὸν οἱ φιλόσοφοι βασιλέα, νομοθέτην, στρατηγόν, δίκαιον, ὅσιον, θεοφιλῆ κηρύττουσιν. εἰ δὲ ταῦτα περὶ τὸν Μωυσέα εὕροιμεν, ὡς ἐξ αὐτῶν δείκνυται τῶν γραφῶν, εὖ μάλα πεπεισμένως ἂν ἀγορεύοιμεν σοφὸν τῷ ὄντι τὸν Μωυσέα. καθάπερ οὖν τὴν ποιμενικὴν τὸ τῶν προβάτων προνοεῖν φαμεν, οὕτω γὰρ ὁ ἀγαθὸς ποιμὴν τὴν ψυχὴν τίθησιν ὑπὲρ τῶν προβάτων, οὕτω γε καὶ τὴν νομοθετικὴν τὴν ἀνθρώπων ἀρετὴν κατασκευάζειν ἐροῦμεν, τὸ ἀνθρώπινον κατὰ δύναμιν ἀγαθὸν ἀναζωπυροῦσαν, ἐπιστατικὴν οὖσαν καὶ κηδεμονικὴν τῆς ἀνθρώπων ἀγέλης. εἰ δὲ ἡ ποίμνη ἡ ἀλληγορουμένη πρὸς τοῦ κυρίου οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ ἀγέλη τις ἀνθρώπων ἐστίν, ὁ αὐτὸς ἔσται ποιμήν τε καὶ νομοθέτης ἀγαθὸς μιᾶς τῆς ἀγέλης τῶν αὐτοῦ ἐπαϊόντων προβάτων, ὁ εἷς κηδεμών, ὁ τὸ ἀπολωλὸς ἐπιζητῶν τε καὶ εὑρίσκων νόμῳ καὶ λόγῳ, εἶ γε ὁ νόμος πνευματικός, καὶ ἐπὶ τὴν εὐδαιμονίαν ἄγων· ὁ γὰρ πνεύματι ἁγίῳ γενόμενος πνευματικός. οὗτος δὲ ὁ τῷ ὄντι νομοθέτης, ὃς οὐ μόνον ἐπαγγέλλεται τὰ ἀγαθά τε καὶ καλά, ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπίσταται. τούτου καὶ ὁ νόμος τοῦ τὴν ἐπιστήμην ἔχοντος τὸ σωτήριον πρόσταγμα, μᾶλλον δὲ ἐπιστήμης πρόσταγμα ὁ νόμος, δύναμις γὰρ καὶ σοφία ὁ λόγος τοῦ θεοῦ. νόμων τε αὖ ἐξηγητὴς οὗτος αὐτός, δι' οὗ ὁ νόμος ἐδόθη, ὁ πρῶτος ἐξηγητὴς τῶν θείων προσταγμάτων, ὁ τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρὸς ἐξηγούμενος υἱὸς μονογενής. ἔπειτα οἱ μὲν πειθόμενοι τῷ νόμῳ τῷ τε γνῶσιν ἔχειν τινὰ αὐτοῦ οὔτ' ἀπιστεῖν οὔτ' ἀγνοεῖν δύνανται τὴν ἀλήθειαν, οἱ δὲ ἀπιστοῦντες ἥκιστά τε ἐν τοῖς ἔργοις εἶναι βεβουλημένοι, εἴπερ τινὲς ἄλλοι καὶ οὗτοι ἀγνοεῖν ὁμολογοῦνται τὴν ἀλήθειαν. τίς τοίνυν ἡ ἀπιστία τῶν Ἑλλήνων; μή πῃ βούλεσθαι πείθεσθαι τῇ ἀληθείᾳ φασκούσῃ θεόθεν διὰ Μωυσέως δεδόσθαι τὸν νόμον, ὁπότε γε καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐκ τῶν παρὰ σφίσι τιμῶσι Μωυσῆ. τόν τε Μίνω παρὰ ∆ιὸς δι' ἐνάτου ἔτους λαμβάνειν τοὺς νόμους ἱστοροῦσι φοιτῶντα εἰς τὸ τοῦ ∆ιὸς ἄντρον, τόν τε αὖ Λυκοῦργον τὰ νομοθετικὰ εἰς ∆ελφοὺς πρὸς τὸν Ἀπόλλωνα συνεχὲς ἀπιόντα παιδεύεσθαι γράφουσι Πλάτων τε καὶ Ἀριστοτέλης καὶ Ἔφορος, Χαμαιλέων τε ὁ Ἡρακλεώτης ἐν τῷ Περὶ μέθης καὶ Ἀριστοτέλης ἐν τῇ Λοκρῶν πολιτείᾳ Ζάλευκον τὸν Λοκρὸν παρὰ τῆς Ἀθηνᾶς τοὺς νόμους λαμβάνειν ἀπομνημονεύουσιν. οἳ δὲ τὸ ἀξιόπιστον τῆς παρ' Ἕλλησι νομοθεσίας, ὡς οἷόν τε αὐτοῖς, ἐπαίροντες εἰς τὸ θεῖον κατ' εἰκόνα τῆς κατὰ τὸν Μωυσέα προφητείας ἀγνώμονες, οὐκ αὐτόθεν ὁμολογοῦντες τήν τε ἀλήθειαν καὶ τὸ ἀρχέτυπον τῶν παρὰ σφίσιν ἱστορουμένων.