The Instructor 3.12.90
Summary: God hears the one who acts justly; the fast God chooses is freeing the oppressed and feeding the hungry, and the sacrifice he wants is a broken spirit and a heart that glorifies him.
Greek text · Stählin 1:285–286
»τότε ἐπιβοήσῃ, καὶ ὁ θεὸς ὑπακούσεταί σου· ἔτι λαλοῦντός σου ἐρεῖ· ἰδοὺ πάρειμι.« περὶ δὲ νηστείας »ἵνα τί μοι«, φησίν, »νηστεύετε; λέγει κύριος. οὐ ταύτην τὴν νηστείαν ἐγὼ ἐξελεξάμην, καὶ ἡμέραν ἄνθρωπον ταπεινοῦν τὴν ψυχὴν αὐτοῦ· οὐδʼ ἂν κάμψῃς ὡς κρίκον τὸν τράχηλόν σου καὶ σάκκον καὶ σποδὸν ὑποστρώσῃ, οὐδʼ οὕτως καλέσετε νηστείαν δεκτήν.« τί οὖν αἰνίττεται ἡ νηστεία; »ἰδοὺ αὕτη«, φησίν, »ἡ νηστεία, ἣν ἐγὼ ἐξελεξάμην, λέγει κύριος. λῦε πάντα σύνδεσμον ἀδικίας, διάλυε στραγγαλιὰς βιαίων συναλλαγμάτων, ἀπόλυε τεθραυσμένους ἐν ἀφέσει, καὶ πᾶσαν ἄδικον συγγραφὴν διάσπα. διάθρυπτε πεινῶντι τὸν ἄρτον σου, καὶ πτωχοὺς ἀστέγους εἴσαγε εἰς τὸν οἶκόν σου· ἐὰν ἴδῃς γυμνόν, περίβαλε.« ναὶ μὴν καὶ περὶ θυσιῶν· »τί μοι πλῆθος τῶν θυσιῶν ὑμῶν; λέγει κύριος. πλήρης εἰμὶ ὁλοκαυτωμάτων κριῶν, καὶ στέαρ ἀρνῶν καὶ αἷμα ταύρων καὶ ἐρίφων οὐ βούλομαι, οὐδʼ ἂν ἔρχησθε ὀφθῆναί μοι. τίς γὰρ ἐξεζήτησεν ταῦτα ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν ὑμῶν; πατεῖν μου τὴν αὐλὴν οὐ προσθήσεσθε· ἐὰν φέρητε σεμίδαλιν, μάταιον· θυμίαμα, βδέλυγμά μοί ἐστιν· τὰς νουμηνίας ὑμῶν καὶ τὰ σάββατα οὐκ ἀνέχομαι.« πῶς οὖν θύσω τῷ κυρίῳ; »θυσία«, φησίν, »τῷ κυρίῳ πνεῦμα συντετριμμένον.« πῶς οὖν στέψω ἢ μύρῳ χρίσω; ἢ τί θυμιάσω τῷ κυρίῳ; »ὀσμή«, φησίν, »εὐωδίας τῷ θεῷ καρδία δοξάζουσα τὸν πεπλακότα αὐτήν.«
English · Claude translation
“Then you will cry out, and God will hear you; while you are still speaking he will say, ‘Here I am.’” Concerning fasting: “Why do you fast for me?” he says, “says the Lord. I did not choose this fast, and a day for a man to humble his soul; not even if you bend your neck like a ring and spread sackcloth and ashes beneath you, not even so will you call it an acceptable fast.” What, then, does fasting signify? “Behold,” he says, “this is the fast that I have chosen, says the Lord. Loose every bond of injustice, undo the knots of violent contracts, set free the broken in release, and tear up every unjust bond. Break your bread for the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; if you see one naked, clothe him.” And concerning sacrifices: “What to me is the multitude of your sacrifices? says the Lord. I am full of burnt offerings of rams, and I do not want the fat of lambs and the blood of bulls and goats, nor should you come to appear before me. For who required these from your hands? You shall no longer trample my court. If you bring fine flour, it is vain; incense is an abomination to me; your new moons and sabbaths I cannot endure.” How then shall I sacrifice to the Lord? “A sacrifice to the Lord,” he says, “is a broken spirit.” How then shall I crown myself, or anoint myself with ointment? Or what shall I burn as incense to the Lord? “A sweet-smelling fragrance to God,” he says, “is a heart that glorifies him who formed it.”
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Isa 58:9, Isa 58:4–7 (LXX), Isa 1:11–13, Ps 51:17 (50:19 LXX), and an unidentified saying on the fragrant heart (perhaps from an apocryphal text; compare Barn. 2.10).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (accent: grave on ἂν): οὐδʼ ἄν ἔρχησθε → οὐδʼ ἂν ἔρχησθε.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 3.12.90 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/3/12/90/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 3.12.90 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/3/12/90/).
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