Miscellanies 2.9.43
Summary: The calling of the Gentiles was foretold because of Israel's disobedience, yet God's goodness seeks Israel's repentance; the Shepherd of Hermas knows righteous people among Gentiles and Jews even before the law.
Greek text · Stählin 2:135–136
ὅθεν εἴρηται τούτοις παρὰ Μωυσέως· ἐγὼ παραζηλώσω ὑμᾶς ἐπʼ οὐκ ἔθνει, ἐπʼ ἔθνει ἀσυνέτῳ παροργιῶ ὑμᾶς, τῷ εἰς ὑπακοὴν δηλονότι εὐτρεπεῖ γενομένῳ. καὶ διὰ Ἡσαΐου εὑρέθην λέγει τοῖς ἐμὲ μὴ ζητοῦσιν, ἐμφανὴς ἐγενόμην τοῖς ἐμὲ μὴ ἐπερωτῶσι, πρὸ τῆς τοῦ κυρίου παρουσίας δηλαδή, μεθʼ ἣν καὶ τῷ Ἰσραὴλ ἐκεῖνα τὰ προφητευθέντα οἰκείως λέγεται νῦν· ἐξεπέτασα τὰς χεῖράς μου ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἐπὶ λαὸν ἀπειθοῦντα καὶ ἀντιλέγοντα. ὁρᾷς τὴν αἰτίαν τῆς ἐξ ἐθνῶν κλήσεως σαφῶς πρὸς τοῦ προφήτου ἀπείθειαν τοῦ λαοῦ καὶ ἀντιλογίαν εἰρημένην; εἶθʼ ἡ ἀγαθότης καὶ ἐπὶ τούτοις δείκνυται τοῦ θεοῦ· φησὶ γὰρ ὁ ἀπόστολος· ἀλλὰ τῷ αὐτῶν παραπτώματι ἡ σωτηρία τοῖς ἔθνεσιν εἰς τὸ παραζηλῶσαι αὐτοὺς καὶ μετανοῆσαι βουληθῆναι. ὁ Ποιμὴν δὲ ἁπλῶς ἐπὶ τῶν κεκοιμημένων θεὶς τὴν λέξιν δικαίους οἶδέ τινας ἐν ἔθνεσι καὶ ἐν Ἰουδαίοις οὐ μόνον πρὸ τῆς τοῦ κυρίου παρουσίας, ἀλλὰ καὶ πρὸ νόμου κατὰ τὴν πρὸς θεὸν εὐαρέστησιν, ὡς Ἄβελ, ὡς Νῶε, ὡς εἴ τις ἕτερος δίκαιος.
English · Claude translation
That is why it was said to them through Moses: “I will make you jealous by those who are not a nation; by a senseless nation I will provoke you to anger,” that is, by the nation that has become ready for obedience. And through Isaiah he says: “I was found by those who did not seek me; I became manifest to those who did not ask for me,” clearly before the Lord's coming; after which those prophesied words are now fittingly said to Israel too: “I stretched out my hands all day long to a disobedient and contrary people.” Do you see that the cause of the calling from the Gentiles is clearly said by the prophet to be the disobedience and contrariness of the people? Then the goodness of God is shown even toward them; for the apostle says: “But by their trespass salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous” and wish to repent. And the Shepherd, using the expression simply of those who had fallen asleep, knows that some among the Gentiles and among the Jews were righteous, not only before the Lord's coming but even before the law, by being well pleasing to God, like Abel, like Noah, like any other righteous person.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Deut 32:21 (Rom 10:19), Isa 65:1–2 (Rom 10:20–21), and Rom 11:11. “The Shepherd” is Hermas (Sim. 9.16).
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 2.9.43 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/2/9/43/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 2.9.43 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/2/9/43/).
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