Miscellanies 3.6.49
Summary: Some call marriage fornication from the devil and claim to imitate the unmarried Lord; but Christ's bride was the church, he needed no helper or heirs, and he himself upheld marriage and spoke of it continuing until his coming.
Greek text · Stählin 2:218–219
Εἰσὶν δʼ οἳ πορνείαν ἄντικρυς τὸν γάμον λέγουσι καὶ ὑπὸ τοῦ διαβόλου ταύτην παραδεδόσθαι δογματίζουσι, μιμεῖσθαι δʼ αὑτοὺς οἱ μεγάλαυχοί φασι τὸν κύριον μήτε γήμαντα μήτε τι ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ κτησάμενον, μᾶλλον παρὰ τοὺς ἄλλους νενοηκέναι τὸ εὐαγγέλιον καυχώμενοι. λέγει δὲ αὐτοῖς ἡ γραφή· ὑπερηφάνοις ὁ θεὸς ἀντιτάσσεται, ταπεινοῖς δὲ δίδωσι χάριν. εἶτʼ οὐκ ἴσασι τὴν αἰτίαν τοῦ μὴ γῆμαι τὸν κύριον· πρῶτον μὲν γὰρ τὴν ἰδίαν νύμφην εἶχεν, τὴν ἐκκλησίαν, ἔπειτα δὲ οὐδὲ ἄνθρωπος ἦν κοινός, ἵνα καὶ βοηθοῦ τινος κατὰ σάρκα δεηθῇ· οὐδὲ τεκνοποιήσασθαι ἦν αὐτῷ ἀναγκαῖον ἀιδίως μένοντι καὶ μόνῳ υἱῷ θεοῦ γεγονότι. αὐτὸς δὲ οὗτος ὁ κύριος λέγει· ὃ ὁ θεὸς συνέζευξεν, ἄνθρωπος μὴ χωριζέτω. καὶ πάλιν· ὥσπερ δὲ ἦν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Νῶε, ἦσαν γαμοῦντες γαμίζοντες, οἰκοδομοῦντες φυτεύοντες, καὶ ὡς ἦν ἐν ταῖς ἡμέραις Λώτ, οὕτως ἔσται ἡ παρουσία τοῦ υἱοῦ τοῦ ἀνθρώπου. καὶ ὅτι οὐ πρὸς τὰ ἔθνη λέγει, ἐπιφέρει· ἆρα ἐλθὼν ὁ υἱὸς τοῦ ἀνθρώπου εὑρήσει τὴν πίστιν ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς; καὶ πάλιν· οὐαὶ δὲ ταῖς ἐν γαστρὶ ἐχούσαις καὶ ταῖς θηλαζούσαις ἐν ἐκείναις ταῖς ἡμέραις. καίτοι καὶ ταῦτα ἀλληγορεῖται. διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ τοὺς καιροὺς ὥρισεν οὓς ὁ πατὴρ ἔθετο ἐν τῇ ἰδίᾳ ἐξουσίᾳ, ἵνα διαμένῃ κατὰ τὰς γενεὰς ὁ κόσμος.
English · Claude translation
There are some who say plainly that marriage is sexual immorality, and teach that it was handed down by the devil; and these boasters say that they imitate the Lord, who neither married nor acquired anything in the world, boasting that they have understood the gospel better than others. But Scripture says to them: “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” And they do not know the reason why the Lord did not marry. First, he had his own bride, the church; then, he was not an ordinary man, so as to need a helper according to the flesh; nor was it necessary for him to beget children, since he remains forever and is the only Son of God. This same Lord says: “What God has joined, let no man separate.” And again: “As it was in the days of Noah, they were marrying and giving in marriage, building and planting; and as it was in the days of Lot, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.” And to show that he is not speaking to the Gentiles, he adds: “When the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth?” And again: “Woe to those who are pregnant and those who are nursing in those days,” though these things too are allegorized. For this reason he did not define the times which the Father has set in his own authority, so that the world might continue through the generations.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations and allusions are Jas 4:6 (Prov 3:34; 1 Pet 5:5), Eph 5:25–32, Matt 19:6, Luke 17:26–28 (Matt 24:37–38), Luke 18:8, Matt 24:19, and Acts 1:7.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misreading in the digital text (δʼ); wrong accent on the relative οὓς; wrong accent on the relative ὃ): Εἰσίν θʼ οἳ πορνείαν → Εἰσὶν δʼ οἳ πορνείαν; ὅ ὁ θεὸς συνέζευξεν → ὃ ὁ θεὸς συνέζευξεν; τοὺς καιροὺς ὥρισεν οὕς ὁ πατὴρ → τοὺς καιροὺς ὥρισεν οὓς ὁ πατὴρ.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 3.6.49 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/3/6/49/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 3.6.49 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/3/6/49/).
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