Miscellanies 6.15.115
Summary: The knower bears the closer likeness, the Teacher's mind, teaching and living it; a Christian must master his inner passions and exceed the Pharisees, and only the knower understands the hidden sayings of the Spirit, keeping silent before the unworthy.
Greek text · Stählin 2:489–490
Ὁ γνωστικὸς ἄρα τὴν προσεχεστέραν ἀναμάσσεται ὁμοιότητα, τὴν διάνοιαν τὴν τοῦ διδασκάλου, ἥντινα ἐκεῖνος νοῶν ἐνετείλατό τε καὶ συνεβούλευσε τοῖς φρονίμοις καὶ σώφροσι, ταύτην συνιείς, ὡς ὁ διδάξας ἐβούλετο, καὶ ἰδίᾳ τὴν νόησιν ἀναλαβὼν τὴν μεγαλοπρεπῆ, διδάξας μὲν ἀξιολόγως ἐπὶ τῶν δωμάτων τοὺς ὑψηλῶς οἰκοδομεῖσθαι δυναμένους, προκατάρξας δὲ τῆς τῶν λεγομένων ἐνεργείας κατὰ τὸ ὑπόδειγμα τῆς πολιτείας· δυνατὰ γὰρ ἐνετείλατο, καὶ δεῖ τῷ ὄντι ἀρχικὸν εἶναι καὶ ἡγεμονικὸν τὸν βασιλικόν τε καὶ Χριστιανόν, ἐπεὶ μὴ τῶν ἔξω μόνον θηρίων κατακυριεύειν ἐτάγημεν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν ἐν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς ἀγρίων παθῶν. κατʼ ἐπίστασιν οὖν, ὡς ἔοικεν, τοῦ κακοῦ καὶ ἀγαθοῦ βίου σῴζεται ὁ γνωστικός, πλέον τῶν γραμματέων καὶ Φαρισαίων συνιείς τε καὶ ἐνεργῶν. ἔντεινον καὶ κατευοδοῦ καὶ βασίλευε, ὁ Δαβὶδ γράφει, ἕνεκεν ἀληθείας καὶ πραότητος καὶ δικαιοσύνης, καὶ ὁδηγήσει σε θαυμαστῶς ἡ δεξιά σου, τουτέστιν ὁ κύριος. τίς οὖν σοφὸς καὶ συνήσει ταῦτα; συνετὸς καὶ γνώσεται αὐτά; διότι εὐθεῖαι αἱ ὁδοὶ τοῦ κυρίου, φησὶν ὁ προφήτης, δηλῶν μόνον δύνασθαι τὸν γνωστικὸν τὰ ἐπικεκρυμμένως πρὸς τοῦ πνεύματος εἰρημένα νοήσειν τε καὶ διασαφήσειν· καὶ ὁ συνίων ἐν τῷ καιρῷ ἐκείνῳ σιωπήσεται, λέγει ἡ γραφή, δηλονότι πρὸς τοὺς ἀναξίους ἐξειπεῖν, ὅτι φησὶν ὁ κύριος· ὁ ἔχων ὦτα ἀκούειν ἀκουέτω, οὐ πάντων εἶναι τὸ ἀκούειν καὶ συνιέναι λέγων.
English · Claude translation
The one who knows, then, is stamped with the closer likeness, the mind of the teacher. Understanding that mind, with which he gave his commands and counsel to the prudent and self-restrained, as the one who taught wished, and taking up for himself its magnificent meaning, he teaches worthily on the housetops those able to be built up to a height, and he leads the way in doing what is said, according to the pattern of conduct. For the commands he gave are possible; and in truth the kingly person, the Christian, must be one who rules and leads, since we were appointed to be lords not only over the wild beasts outside but also over the savage passions within ourselves. By understanding of the evil and the good life, then, it seems, the one who knows is saved, understanding and doing more than the scribes and Pharisees. “Bend your bow, prosper, and reign,” David writes, “for the sake of truth and meekness and righteousness, and your right hand will guide you wonderfully,” that is, the Lord. “Who, then, is wise and will understand these things? Who is understanding and will know them? For the ways of the Lord are straight,” says the prophet, showing that only the one who knows can understand and explain what was spoken in a hidden way by the Spirit. “And the one who understands will keep silent at that time,” says Scripture, that is, about speaking out to the unworthy; since the Lord says, “Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear,” saying that hearing and understanding do not belong to all.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The allusions and quotations are Matt 10:27 (housetops), Gen 1:28, Matt 5:20, Ps 45:4 (44:5 LXX), Hos 14:9 (14:10 LXX), Amos 5:13, and Matt 11:15.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (word repeated in the digital text): ἐκείνῳ ἐκείνῳ → ἐκείνῳ.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 6.15.115 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/6/15/115/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 6.15.115 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/6/15/115/).
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