Miscellanies 2.6.26
Summary: Teaching needs a receptive learner, as fire needs dry wood and a magnet iron; God calls all, knowing who will refuse, since obedience rests with us; actions are judged by choice, and repentance is knowledge that comes late.
Greek text · Stählin 2:126–127
συνεργεῖ οὖν καὶ γῆ γόνιμος ὑπάρχουσα πρὸς τὴν τῶν σπερμάτων καταβολήν. οὔτε γὰρ τῆς ἀρίστης παιδεύσεως ὄφελός τι ἄνευ τῆς τοῦ μανθάνοντος παραδοχῆς οὔτε μὴν προφητείας οὔτε, τῆς τῶν ἀκουόντων εὐπειθείας μὴ παρούσης. καὶ γὰρ τὰ κάρφη τὰ ξηρά, ἕτοιμα ὄντα καταδέχεσθαι τὴν δύναμιν τὴν καυστικήν, ῥᾷον ἐξάπτεται, καὶ ἡ λίθος ἡ θρυλουμένη ἕλκει τὸν σίδηρον διὰ συγγένειαν, ὥσπερ καὶ τὸ δάκρυον τὸ σούχειον ἐπισπᾶται τὰ κάρφη καὶ τὸ ἤλεκτρον τὰς ἀχυρμιὰς ἀνακινεῖ· πείθεται δὲ αὐτοῖς τὰ ἑλκόμενα ἀρρήτῳ ἑλκόμενα πνεύματι οὐχ ὡς αἴτια, ἀλλʼ ὡς συναίτια. διπλοῦ τοίνυν ὄντος τοῦ τῆς κακίας εἴδους, τοῦ μὲν μετὰ ἀπάτης καὶ τοῦ λανθάνειν, τοῦ δὲ μετὰ βίας ἄγοντος καὶ φέροντος, ὁ θεῖος λόγος κέκραγεν πάντας συλλήβδην καλῶν, εἰδὼς μὲν καὶ μάλιστα τοὺς μὴ πεισθησομένους, ὅμως δʼ οὖν, ὅτι ἐφʼ ἡμῖν τὸ πείθεσθαί τε καὶ μή, ὡς μὴ ἔχειν ἄγνοιαν προφασίσασθαί τινας, δικαίαν τὴν κλῆσιν πεποίηται, τὸ κατὰ δύναμιν δὲ ἑκάστου ἀπαιτεῖ. τοῖς μὲν γὰρ ὁμοῦ τῷ θέλειν καὶ τὸ δύνασθαι πάρεστιν, ἐκ συνασκήσεως ηὐξηκόσι τοῦτο καὶ κεκαθαρμένοις· οἳ δέ, εἰ καὶ μήπω δύνανται, τὸ βούλεσθαι ἤδη ἔχουσιν. ἔργον δὲ τὸ μὲν βούλεσθαι ψυχῆς, τὸ πράττειν δὲ οὐκ ἄνευ σώματος. οὐδὲ μὴν τῷ τέλει παραμετρεῖται μόνῳ τὰ πράγματα, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῇ ἑκάστου κρίνεται προαιρέσει, εἰ ῥᾳδίως εἵλετο, εἰ ἐφʼ οἷς ἥμαρτεν μετενόησεν, εἰ σύνεσιν ἔλαβεν ἐφʼ οἷς ἔπταισεν, καὶ μετέγνω, ὅπερ ἐστὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ἔγνω· βραδεῖα γὰρ γνῶσις μετάνοια, γνῶσις δὲ ἡ πρώτη ἀναμαρτησία.
English · Claude translation
So too fertile soil works together for the sowing of seeds. For there is no benefit from the best teaching without the learner's reception, nor from prophecy, if the hearers' ready obedience is not present. For dry twigs, being ready to receive the power of fire, are kindled more easily; and the famous stone attracts iron through kinship, as the amber tear draws twigs and amber stirs chaff; and the things drawn obey them, drawn by an unspeakable spirit, not as causes but as joint causes. Since, then, the form of vice is twofold, one with deceit and escaping notice, the other leading and carrying off by force, the divine Word has cried out, calling all together, knowing well especially those who will not obey; but nevertheless, since obeying or not rests with us, so that none may plead ignorance, he has made the calling just, and demands from each according to his ability. For some have both willing and power together, having increased this by practice and been purified; others, even if they are not yet able, already have the will. Willing is a work of the soul, but doing is not without the body. Nor are actions measured by the result alone; they are also judged by each one's choice: whether he chose easily, whether he repented of his sins, whether he gained understanding of his failures and changed his mind, that is, came to know afterward. For repentance is slow knowledge, but the first knowledge is sinlessness.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- “The famous stone” is the magnet. Clement plays on μετέγνω (“repented”) and μετὰ ταῦτα ἔγνω (“knew afterward”).
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misreading in the digital text (δὲ); wrong accent on the relative οἳ; wrong breathing in the digital text; wrong breathing on the relative οἷς): τὸ ἤλεκτρον τὰς ᾀχυρμιὰς → τὸ ἤλεκτρον τὰς ἀχυρμιὰς; τοῦ κὲ μετὰ βίας → τοῦ δὲ μετὰ βίας; κεκαθαρμένοις· οἵ δέ, εἰ καὶ → κεκαθαρμένοις· οἳ δέ, εἰ καὶ; εἰ ἐφʼ οἶς ἥμαρτεν → εἰ ἐφʼ οἷς ἥμαρτεν.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 2.6.26 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/2/6/26/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 2.6.26 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/2/6/26/).
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