Miscellanies 6.14.108
Summary: The perfect will rest on God's holy mountain, the highest church, passing beyond the Sabbath rest to the eighth day; the Lord's other sheep have other folds, and “Your faith has saved you” does not mean salvation without works.
Greek text · Stählin 2:486
οἱ τοιοῦτοι κατὰ τὸν Δαβὶδ καταπαύσουσιν ἐν ὄρει ἁγίῳ θεοῦ, τῇ ἀνωτάτω ἐκκλησίᾳ, καθʼ ἣν οἱ φιλόσοφοι συνάγονται τοῦ θεοῦ, οἱ τῷ ὄντι Ἰσραηλῖται οἱ καθαροὶ τὴν καρδίαν, ἐν οἷς δόλος οὐδείς, οἱ μὴ καταμείναντες ἐν ἑβδομάδι ἀναπαύσεως, ἀγαθοεργίᾳ δὲ θείας ἐξομοιώσεως εἰς ὀγδοαδικῆς εὐεργεσίας κληρονομίαν ὑπερκύψαντες, ἀκορέστου θεωρίας εἰλικρινεῖ ἐποπτείᾳ προσανέχοντες. ἔστιν δὲ καὶ ἄλλα, φησὶν ὁ κύριος, πρόβατα, ἃ οὐκ ἔστιν ἐκ τῆς αὐλῆς ταύτης, ἄλλης αὐλῆς καὶ μονῆς ἀναλόγως τῆς πίστεως κατηξιωμένα. τὰ δὲ ἐμὰ πρόβατα τῆς ἐμῆς ἀκούει φωνῆς συνιέντα γνωστικῶς τὰς ἐντολάς· τὸ δʼ ἔστιν μεγαλοφρόνως καὶ ἀξιολόγως ἐκδέχεσθαι σὺν καὶ τῇ τῶν ἔργων ἀνταποδόσει τε καὶ ἀντακολουθίᾳ. ὥστε ὅταν ἀκούσωμεν ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέν σε, οὐχ ἁπλῶς τοὺς ὁπωσοῦν πιστεύσαντας σωθήσεσθαι λέγειν αὐτὸν ἐκδεχόμεθα, ἐὰν μὴ καὶ τὰ ἔργα ἐπακολουθήσῃ. αὐτίκα Ἰουδαίοις μόνοις ταύτην ἔλεγε τὴν φωνὴν τοῖς νομικῶς καὶ ἀνεπιλήπτως βεβιωκόσιν, οἷς μόνον ἡ εἰς τὸν κύριον ὑπελείπετο πίστις.
English · Claude translation
Such people, according to David, will rest on the holy mountain of God, the highest church, in which the philosophers of God are gathered, the true Israelites, the pure in heart, in whom there is no guile; who did not remain in the seventh day of rest, but by the good work of the divine likeness rose up to the inheritance of the eighth-day beneficence, devoting themselves to the pure vision of insatiable contemplation. “And there are other sheep,” says the Lord, “which are not of this fold,” deemed worthy of another fold and dwelling place in proportion to their faith. “But my sheep hear my voice,” understanding the commandments as knowers; that is, receiving them magnanimously and worthily, together with the recompense and consequence of works. So when we hear, “Your faith has saved you,” we do not understand him to say that those who have believed in any way whatever will be saved, unless works also follow. For instance, he spoke this word only to Jews who had lived according to the law and blamelessly, who lacked only faith in the Lord.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The allusions are Ps 15:1 (14:1 LXX), John 1:47, Matt 5:8, John 10:16, John 10:27, and Luke 7:50 (Mark 5:34). The seventh and eighth days stand for rest and the higher inheritance beyond it.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 6.14.108 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/6/14/108/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 6.14.108 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/6/14/108/).
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