Miscellanies 3.4.38
Summary: The Opposers misread Malachi's “they opposed God and were saved,” which reports the grumbling of the chastised people, not a command; if any God is “shameless,” it is the devil.
Greek text · Stählin 2:213
Ἀναλέγονται δὲ καὶ οὗτοι ἔκ τινων προφητικῶν περικοπῶν λέξεις ἀπανθισάμενοι καὶ συγκαττύσαντες κακῶς κατʼ ἀλληγορίαν εἰρημένας ἐξ εὐθείας λαβόντες. γεγράφθαι γάρ φασιν· ἀντέστησαν θεῷ καὶ ἐσώθησαν. οἳ δὲ καὶ τῷ ἀναιδεῖ θεῷ προστιθέασι, δέχονται δὲ ὡς βουλὴν παρηγγελμένην τὸ λόγιον τοῦτο καὶ σωτηρίαν σφίσι λογίζονται τὸ ἀνθίστασθαι τῷ δημιουργῷ. τῷ μὲν οὖν ἀναιδεῖ θεῷ οὐ γέγραπται· εἰ δὲ καὶ οὕτως ἔχοι, τὸν κεκλημένον διάβολον, ὦ ἀνόητοι, ἐξακούσατε ἀναιδῆ ἢ ὡς διαβάλλοντα τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἢ ὡς κατήγορον τῶν ἁμαρτανόντων ἢ ὡς ἀποστάτην. ὁ γοῦν λαός, ἐφʼ οὗ εἴρηται ἡ περικοπή, παιδευόμενοι ἐφʼ οἷς ἥμαρτον βαρέως φέροντες καὶ στένοντες διεγόγγυζον τὴν εἰρημένην λέξιν, ὅτι τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ἔθνη παρανομοῦντα οὐ κολάζεται, αὐτοὶ δὲ μόνοι παρʼ ἕκαστα κολούονται, ὡς καὶ Ἱερεμίαν εἰρηκέναι, διὰ τί ὁδὸς ἀσεβῶν εὐοδοῦται; ὅμοιον τούτῳ τὸ παρὰ τῷ Μαλαχίᾳ, τὸ προειρημένον, ἀντέστησαν θεῷ καὶ ἐσώθησαν· χρηματιζόμενοι γὰρ οἱ προφῆται οὐ μόνον τινὰ ἀκούειν λέγουσι παρὰ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ καὶ αὐτοὶ διαγγέλλοντες δείκνυνται κατὰ ἀνθυποφορὰν τὰ πρὸς τοῦ λαοῦ θρυλούμενα, ὡς ἐπιζητήματά τινα ὑπὸ τῶν ἀνθρώπων ἀναφέροντες, ἐξ ὧν καὶ τὸ προκείμενον τυγχάνει ῥητόν.
English · Claude translation
These too collect words culled from certain prophetic passages and stitched badly together, taking literally what was said allegorically. For they say it is written: “They opposed God and were saved.” Some also add “the shameless God,” and they take this saying as advice given them, and count opposing the Creator as their salvation. Now “the shameless God” is not written; but even if it were so, you fools, understand the one called the devil as shameless, either as slandering man, or as accuser of sinners, or as apostate. At any rate the people about whom the passage is spoken, being chastised for their sins, bearing it hard and groaning, muttered the words cited: that the other nations transgress the law and are not punished, while they alone are cut down at every turn; as Jeremiah too said, “Why does the way of the ungodly prosper?” Similar to this is what is in Malachi, cited above: “They opposed God and were saved.” For the prophets, receiving oracles, not only say that they hear something from God, but are also shown reporting, by way of objection, what was being muttered among the people, bringing up, as it were, questions raised by men; and the saying in question is one of these.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Mal 3:15 (LXX) and Jer 12:1. The Greek word for “shameless” (ἀναιδής) was added to Malachi by the heretics.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (iota subscript missing; iota subscripts missing; wrong accent in the digital text; wrong breathing on ὦ): τὸ ἀνθίστασθαι τῷ δημιουργῶ. → τὸ ἀνθίστασθαι τῷ δημιουργῷ.; διάβολον, ὧ ἀνόητοι → διάβολον, ὦ ἀνόητοι; ἡ περικοπή, παιδεύομενοι → ἡ περικοπή, παιδευόμενοι; ὅμοιον τούτω τὸ παρὰ τῶ Μαλαχίᾳ → ὅμοιον τούτῳ τὸ παρὰ τῷ Μαλαχίᾳ.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 3.4.38 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/3/4/38/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 3.4.38 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/3/4/38/).
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