Sophia Scriptura

Miscellanies 1.4.27

Clement of Alexandria · Miscellanies · ca. 198–203 · Alexandria · Read in context

Summary: God's wisdom is manifold, working through art, knowledge, faith, and prophecy; all wisdom comes from the Lord; beyond philosophy's perception lies the divine perception of godliness.

Greek text · Stählin 2:17

εἰκότως τοίνυν ὁ ἀπόστολος πολυποίκιλον εἴρηκεν τὴν σοφίαν τοῦ θεοῦ, πολυμερῶς καὶ πολυτρόπως, διὰ τέχνης, διὰ ἐπιστήμης, διὰ πίστεως, διὰ προφητείας, τὴν ἑαυτῆς ἐνδεικνυμένην δύναμιν εἰς τὴν ἡμετέραν εὐεργεσίαν, ὅτι πᾶσα σοφία παρὰ κυρίου καὶ μετʼ αὐτοῦ ἐστιν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα, ᾗ φησιν ἡ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ σοφία. ἐὰν γὰρ τὴν φρόνησιν τήν τε αἴσθησιν ἐπικαλέσῃ μεγάλῃ τῇ φωνῇ καὶ ζητήσῃς αὐτὴν ὥσπερ ἀργυρίου θησαυροὺς καὶ προθύμως ἐξιχνιάσῃς, νοήσεις θεοσέβειαν καὶ αἴσθησιν θείαν εὑρήσεις, πρὸς ἀντιδιαστολὴν τῆς κατὰ φιλοσοφίαν αἰσθήσεως εἴρηκεν ὁ προφήτης, ἣν μεγαλοφυῶς καὶ μεγαλοπρεπῶς ἐξερευνᾶν διδάσκει εἰς τὴν ἐπὶ τὴν θεοσέβειαν προκοπήν. ἀντέθηκεν οὖν αὐτῇ τὴν ἐν θεοσεβείᾳ αἴσθησιν, τὴν γνῶσιν αἰνισσόμενος καὶ τάδε λέγων· ὁ γὰρ θεὸς δίδωσι σοφίαν ἐκ τοῦ ἑαυτοῦ στόματος αἴσθησίν τε ἅμα καὶ φρόνησιν, καὶ θησαυρίζει δικαίοις βοήθειαν· τοῖς γὰρ ὑπὸ φιλοσοφίας δεδικαιωμένοις βοήθεια θησαυρίζεται καὶ ἡ εἰς θεοσέβειαν συναίσθησις.

English · Claude translation

Fittingly, then, the apostle has called the wisdom of God “manifold,” showing its power for our benefit “in many parts and in many ways”: through art, through knowledge, through faith, through prophecy. For “all wisdom is from the Lord and is with him forever,” as the Wisdom of Jesus says. “For if you call for prudence and perception with a loud voice, and seek it like treasures of silver and eagerly track it out, you will understand godliness and find divine perception.” The prophet said this by contrast with the perception that comes by philosophy, which he teaches us to search out magnanimously and magnificently for advancement toward godliness. He set against it, then, the perception that is in godliness, hinting at knowledge, and saying this: “For God gives wisdom from his own mouth, perception together with prudence, and stores up help for the righteous.” For to those justified by philosophy, help is stored up, the perception that leads to godliness.

About this passage

Source
Stählin 2:17 · 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
Extrabiblical texts
  • Sir 1:1 (Sirach) · quotation, high confidence
Topics
Scripture and canon

Notes

Translation notes

  • The quotations are Eph 3:10, Heb 1:1, Sir 1:1 (“the Wisdom of Jesus” son of Sirach), and Prov 2:3–7.

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.4.27 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/4/27/).

Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.4.27 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/4/27/).

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