Exhortation to the Greeks 9.88
Summary: Taste and see that God is good: the Word shines on all, and those saved become one chorus crying “Abba, Father.”
Greek text · Stählin 1:65–66
»γεύσασθε καὶ ἴδετε ὅτι χρηστὸς ὁ θεός.« ἡ πίστις εἰσάξει, ἡ πεῖρα διδάξει, ἡ γραφὴ παιδαγωγήσει »δεῦτε, ὦ τέκνα,« λέγουσα, »ἀκούσατέ μου, φόβον κυρίου διδάξω ὑμᾶς.« εἶτα ὡς ἤδη πεπιστευκόσι συντόμως ἐπιλέγει »τίς ἐστιν ἄνθρωπος ὁ θέλων ζωήν, ἀγαπῶν ἡμέρας ἰδεῖν ἀγαθάς;« ἡμεῖς ἐσμεν, φήσομεν, οἱ τἀγαθοῦ προσκυνηταί, οἱ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ζηλωταί. ἀκούσατε οὖν »οἱ μακράν,« ἀκούσατε »οἱ ἐγγύς·« οὐκ ἀπεκρύβη τινὰς ὁ λόγος· φῶς ἐστι κοινόν, ἐπιλάμπει πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις· οὐδεὶς Κιμμέριος ἐν λόγῳ· σπεύσωμεν εἰς σωτηρίαν, ἐπὶ τὴν παλιγγενεσίαν· εἰς μίαν ἀγάπην συναχθῆναι οἱ πολλοὶ κατὰ τὴν τῆς μοναδικῆς οὐσίας ἕνωσιν σπεύσωμεν· ἀγαθοεργούμενοι ἀναλόγως ἑνότητα διώκωμεν, τὴν ἀγαθὴν ἐκζητοῦντες μονάδα. ἡ δὲ ἐκ πολλῶν ἕνωσις ἐκ πολυφωνίας καὶ διασπορᾶς ἁρμονίαν λαβοῦσα θεϊκὴν μία γίνεται συμφωνία, ἑνὶ χορευτῇ καὶ διδασκάλῳ τῷ λόγῳ ἑπομένη, ἐπʼ αὐτὴν τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἀναπαυομένη, »Ἀββᾶ« λέγουσα »ὁ πατήρ«· ταύτην ὁ θεὸς τὴν φωνὴν τὴν ἀληθινὴν ἀσπάζεται παρὰ τῶν αὐτοῦ παίδων πρώτην καρπούμενος.
English · Claude translation
“Taste and see that God is good.” Faith will lead you in, experience will teach you, Scripture will train you, saying: “Come, children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the Lord.” Then, as to those who have already believed, it adds briefly: “Who is the man who desires life, who loves to see good days?” We are, we will say, we who worship the Good, who are zealous for good things. Listen, then, “you who are far off”; listen, “you who are near.” The Word has been hidden from no one; he is a common light, he shines on all human beings; there is no Cimmerian in the Word. Let us hasten to salvation, to the new birth. Let us, being many, hasten to be gathered into one love, according to the union of the one essence. Being made good, let us in like manner pursue unity, seeking the good Monad. The union of many, taking divine harmony out of many voices and dispersion, becomes one symphony, following one leader of the chorus and teacher, the Word, resting on the truth itself, saying “Abba, Father.” This true voice God welcomes from his children, gathering it as their first fruits.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Ps 34:8, 11, 12 (33:9, 12, 13 LXX), Eph 2:17 (Isa 57:19), and Rom 8:15 (Gal 4:6). The Cimmerians lived, in Homer, in perpetual darkness (Odyssey 11.14–19). “New birth” (παλιγγενεσία) is baptismal language (Titus 3:5).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray space before the closing quotation mark): έκνα, « → έκνα,«; κράν, « → κράν,«.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Protr. 9.88 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-protrepticus/9/88/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Protr. 9.88 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-protrepticus/9/88/).
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