Miscellanies 4.21.133

Summary: Prophets, the righteous, martyrs, and preachers are each perfect in their own gift while sharing the common virtues; each has his own gift from God, but the apostles were filled with all.

Greek text · Stählin 2:307

ὧν οὕτως ἐχόντων οἱ μὲν προφῆται ἐν προφητείᾳ τέλειοι, οἱ δίκαιοι δὲ ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ οἱ μάρτυρες ἐν ὁμολογίᾳ, ἄλλοι δὲ ἐν κηρύγματι, οὐκ ἀμέτοχοι μὲν τῶν κοινῶν ἀρετῶν, κατορθοῦντες δὲ ἐν οἷς ἐτάχθησαν· ἐπεὶ τίς ἂν εὖ φρονῶν εἴποι τὸν προφήτην οὐ δίκαιον; τί γάρ; οὐχὶ καὶ οἱ δίκαιοι ὥσπερ Ἀβραὰμ προεφήτευσαν; ἄλλῳ μὲν γὰρ ἔδωκε θεὸς πολεμήια ἔργα, ἄλλῳ δʼ ὀρχηστύν, ἑτέρῳ κίθαριν καὶ ἀοιδήν, Ὅμηρος λέγει. ἀλλʼ ἕκαστος ἴδιον ἔχει χάρισμα ἀπὸ θεοῦ, ὃ μὲν οὕτως, ὃ δὲ οὕτως, οἱ ἀπόστολοι δὲ ἐν πᾶσι πεπληρωμένοι.

English · Claude translation

This being so, the prophets are perfect in prophecy, the righteous in righteousness, the martyrs in confession, others in preaching; not without share in the common virtues, but succeeding in those to which they have been appointed. For who in his right mind would say that the prophet is not righteous? What then? Did not the righteous too prophesy, like Abraham? “For to one God gave the works of war, to another dancing, to another the lyre and song,” says Homer. But “each has his own gift from God, one in this way, another in that”; while the apostles were filled in all things.

About this passage

Source

Stählin 2:307 · 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

1 Cor 7:7 · quotation, high confidence
Gen 20:7 · allusion, medium confidence

Extrabiblical texts

Homer, Il. 13.730–731 (Homer, Iliad) · quotation, high confidence

Topics

Martyrdom, Church office

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.21.133 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/21/133/).

Plain text

Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.21.133 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/21/133/).

Greek text · Stählin 2:307

English · Claude translation

About this passage

Notes

Translation notes

Cite this passage