Miscellanies 1.12.55 · Sophia Scriptura

Greek text · Stählin 2:35

Ἐπεὶ δὲ μὴ κοινὴ ἡ παράδοσις καὶ πάνδημος τῷ γε αἰσθομένῳ τῆς μεγαλειότητος τοῦ λόγου, ἐπικρυπτέον οὖν τὴν ἐν μυστηρίῳ λαλουμένην σοφίαν, ἣν ἐδίδαξεν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ. ἤδη γοῦν καὶ Ἡσαΐας ὁ προφήτης πυρὶ καθαίρεται τὴν γλῶτταν, ὡς εἰπεῖν δυνηθῆναι τὴν ὅρασιν, καὶ οὐδὲ τὴν γλῶτταν μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὰς ἀκοὰς ἁγνίζεσθαι προσήκει ἡμῖν, εἴ γε τῆς ἀληθείας μεθέκται εἶναι πειρώμεθα. ταῦτα ἦν ἐμποδὼν τοῦ γράφειν ἐμοί, καὶ νῦν ἔτι εὐλαβῶς ἔχω, ᾗ φησιν, ἔμπροσθεν τῶν χοίρων τοὺς μαργαρίτας βάλλειν, μή ποτε καταπατήσωσι τοῖς ποσὶ καὶ στραφέντες ῥήξωσιν ὑμᾶς. χαλεπὸν γὰρ τοὺς περὶ τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ φωτὸς καθαροὺς ὄντως καὶ διαυγεῖς ἐπιδεῖξαι λόγους ἀκροατῶν τοῖς ὑώδεσί τε καὶ ἀπαιδεύτοις· σχεδὸν γὰρ οὐκ ἔστι τούτων πρὸς τοὺς πολλοὺς καταγελαστότερα ἀκούσματα, οὐδʼ αὖ πρὸς τοὺς εὐφυεῖς θαυμασιώτερά τε καὶ ἐνθουσιαστικώτερα.

English · Claude translation

Since the tradition is not common and public, at least for one who perceives the majesty of the Word, the wisdom spoken in a mystery, which the Son of God taught, must be hidden. Already the prophet Isaiah has his tongue cleansed with fire, so as to be able to tell the vision; and not only the tongue, but the ears too must be purified by us, if we try to be partakers of the truth. These things hindered me from writing, and even now I am cautious, as it says, of casting the pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet and turn and tear you. For it is difficult to show words that are truly pure and transparent about the true light to hearers who are swinish and uneducated; for there are hardly any teachings more ridiculous to the many than these, nor, on the other hand, more wonderful and inspiring to the gifted.

About this passage

Source

Stählin 2:35 · Otto Stählin, ed., Clemens Alexandrinus, vol. 2, Stromata Buch I–VI, GCS 15 (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1906); vol. 3, Stromata Buch VII und VIII, GCS 17 (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1909) · Greek text: Otto Stählin, Clemens Alexandrinus 2–3 (GCS 15, 17, 1906–1909), digitized by the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0

Text

As printed in Stählin, GCS 15, 17. 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), 2026-09-27 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Stählin (1906–1909); 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) · Book 3 is left partly untranslated (in Latin) there.

Scripture

1 Cor 2:7 · allusion, high confidence
Isa 6:6 · allusion, high confidence
Isa 6:7 · allusion, high confidence
Matt 7:6 · quotation, high confidence

Topics

Scripture and canon

Notes

Translation notes

The allusions are 1 Cor 2:7, Isa 6:6–7, and Matt 7:6.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (iota subscript missing): καὶ πάνδημος τῶ γε αἰσθομένῳ → καὶ πάνδημος τῷ γε αἰσθομένῳ.

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.12.55 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/12/55/).

Plain text

Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.12.55 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/12/55/).