The Instructor 2.12.124 · Sophia Scriptura

Greek text · Stählin 1:231–232

πάνυ γοῦν ἐπιψόγως πάντα τὸν γυναικεῖον καταλεγόμενος κόσμον Ἀριστοφάνης ἐν Θεσμοφοριαζούσαις ὑποδείκνυσιν. παραθήσομαι δὲ αὐτὰς τοῦ κωμικοῦ τὰς λέξεις διελεγχούσας ἀκριβῶς τὸ φορτικὸν ὑμῶν τῆς ἀπειραγαθίας· Α. μίτρας, ἀναδήματα, νίτρον, κίσηριν, στρόφιον, ὀπισθοσφενδόνην, κάλυμμα, φῦκος, περιδέραια, ὑπογράμματα, τρυφοκαλάσιριν, ἐλλέβορον, κεκρύφαλον, ζῶμα, ἀμπέχονον, τρύφημα, παρυφές, ξυστίδα, κιθῶνα, βάραθρον, ἔγκυκλον, χιτώνιον. τὰ μέγιστα δʼ οὐκ εἴρηκα τούτων. Β. εἶτα τί; A. διόπας, διάλιθον, πλάστρα, μολόχιον, βότρυς, χλίδωνα, περόνας, ἀμφιδέας, ὅρμους, πέδας, σφραγῖδας, ἁλύσεις, δακτυλίους, καταπλάσματα, πομφόλυγας, ἀποδέσμους, ὀλίσβους, σάρδια, ὑποδερίδας, ἑλικτῆρας.

English · Claude translation

Aristophanes, in the Women Celebrating the Thesmophoria, very reproachfully lists all women's ornament. I will set out the comic poet's own words, which expose exactly the vulgarity of your tastelessness: “A. Headbands, fillets, soda, pumice, breast-band, back-sling, veil, rouge, necklaces, eye paint, soft gown, hellebore, hairnet, girdle, shawl, bordered robe, fine robe, gown, tunic, pit, round cloak, little tunic. And the greatest of them I have not named. B. What then? A. Eardrops, jeweled ornament, earrings, mallow-dyed garment, grape-clusters, bracelets, brooches, armlets, necklaces, anklets, seals, chains, rings, plasters, bubbles, breast-bands, olisboi, carnelians, collars, spiral earrings.”

About this passage

Source

Stählin 1:231–232 · Otto Stählin, ed., Clemens Alexandrinus, vol. 1, Protrepticus und Paedagogus, GCS 12 (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1905) · Greek text: Otto Stählin, Clemens Alexandrinus 1: Protrepticus und Paedagogus (GCS 12, 1905), digitized by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0

Text

As printed in Stählin, GCS 12. Manuscript variants and the editor's apparatus are not reproduced; no textual problem is noted in this passage.

Translation

Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Stählin (1905); made independently of existing English translations.

Compare

Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. 2 (1885) (an older public-domain English translation, whole volume at CCEL; checked against ours only after ours was made)

Topics

Ethics

Notes

Translation notes

The quotation is Aristophanes, fragment 332 (Kock), from the lost second Thesmophoriazusae. Several items are rare words whose meaning is uncertain; olisboi were leather phalluses, included by the comic poet for effect.

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 2.12.124 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/2/12/124/).

Plain text

Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 2.12.124 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/2/12/124/).