Miscellanies 4.22.142 · Sophia Scriptura

Greek text · Stählin 2:310–311

καὶ τοῦτο μὲν συμβόλου χάριν γίνεται τὸ ἔξωθεν κεκοσμῆσθαί τε καὶ ἡγνίσθαι, ἁγνεία δέ ἐστι φρονεῖν ὅσια, καὶ δὴ καὶ ἡ εἰκὼν τοῦ βαπτίσματος εἴη ἂν καὶ ἡ ἐκ Μωυσέως παραδεδομένη τοῖς ποιηταῖς ὧδέ πως· ἣ δʼ ὑδρηναμένη, καθαρὰ χροῒ εἵματʼ ἔχουσα, ἡ Πηνελόπη ἐπὶ τὴν εὐχὴν ἔρχεται· Τηλέμαχος δέ, χεῖρας νιψάμενος πολιῆς ἁλός, εὔχετʼ Ἀθήνῃ. ἔθος τοῦτο Ἰουδαίων, ὡς καὶ τὸ πολλάκις ἐπὶ κοίτῃ βαπτίζεσθαι. εὖ γοῦν κἀκεῖνο εἴρηται· ἴσθι μὴ λουτρῷ, ἀλλὰ νόῳ καθαρός. ἁγνεία γάρ, οἶμαι, τελεία ἡ τοῦ νοῦ καὶ τῶν ἔργων καὶ τῶν διανοημάτων, πρὸς δὲ καὶ τῶν λόγων εἰλικρίνεια καὶ τελευταία ἡ κατὰ τὰ ἐνύπνια ἀναμαρτησία.

English · Claude translation

and this outward adornment and purification is done for the sake of a symbol; but purity is to think holy things. And indeed the image of baptism too would be the one handed down from Moses to the poets, thus: “And she, having washed, with clean garments on her body,” Penelope goes to prayer; and “Telemachus, having washed his hands in the gray sea, prayed to Athena.” This was a custom of the Jews, as was their often washing after the bed. Well, then, was this too said: “Be pure not by washing but in mind.” For perfect purity, I think, is that of the mind, of deeds, and of thoughts, and also sincerity of words, and finally sinlessness in dreams.

About this passage

Source

Stählin 2:310–311 · 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

Lev 15:16 · allusion, medium confidence

Extrabiblical texts

Homer, Od. 4.759; 2.261 (Homer, Odyssey) · quotation, high confidence

Topics

Baptism, Prayer, Ethics

Notes

Translation notes

The quotations are Homer, Odyssey 4.759 and 2.261, and an unknown line (compare Menander). The allusion is Lev 15:16–18.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (misspelling in the digital text; space missing in the digital text): κεκοσμῆσθαί τεκαὶ ἡγνίσθαι → κεκοσμῆσθαί τε καὶ ἡγνίσθαι; ἔθος ταῦτο Ἰουδαίων → ἔθος τοῦτο Ἰουδαίων.

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.22.142 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/22/142/).

Plain text

Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.22.142 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/22/142/).