Miscellanies 6.15.129
Summary: Each language has its own character; Greek writers use figures of speech deliberately for effect, in imitation of the prophets, but prophecy hides the truth not for beauty but so that only those who seek it in love will find it.
Textual problem in this passage: the printed text is uncertain or disputed here. See the notes.
Greek text · Stählin 2:497
Ἔχει δʼ οὖν καὶ ἄλλας τινὰς ἰδιότητας ἡ Ἑβραίων διάλεκτος, καθάπερ καὶ ἑκάστη τῶν λοιπῶν, λόγον τινὰ ἐμπεριέχουσα ἐθνικὸν ἐμφαίνοντα χαρακτῆρα. διάλεκτον γοῦν ὁρίζονται λέξιν ἐθνικῷ χαρακτῆρι συντελουμένην. ἀλλʼ οὔτι γε ἐκείναις ταῖς διαλέκτοις ἡ προφητεία γνώριμος καθίσταται· ταῖς μὲν γὰρ Ἑλληνικαῖς κατʼ ἐπιτήδευσιν αἱ καλούμεναι τῶν τρόπων ἐξαλλαγαὶ τὰς ἐπικρύψεις ποιοῦνται κατʼ εἰκόνα τῶν παρʼ ἡμῖν προφητειῶν, † ἀναγόμεναι, πλὴν ἑκουσίου τῆς παρατροπῆς παρὰ τὸ ὀρθὸν ἐμμέτρῳ ἢ σχεδίῳ φράσει γινομένης δείκνυται. ἔστι γοῦν ὁ τρόπος λέξις παραγεγραμμένη ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου ἐπὶ τὸ μὴ κύριον κατασκευῆς ἕνεκα καὶ φράσεως τῆς ἐν τῷ λόγῳ εὐχρηστίας χάριν. ἡ προφητεία δὲ οὐδʼ ὅλως τοὺς περὶ τὰς λέξεις σχηματισμοὺς ἐπιτηδεύει διὰ τὸ κάλλος τῆς φράσεως, τῷ δὲ μὴ πάντων εἶναι τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἐπικρύπτεται πολυτρόπως, μόνοις τοῖς εἰς γνῶσιν μεμυημένοις, τοῖς διʼ ἀγάπην ζητοῦσι τὴν ἀλήθειαν, τὸ φῶς ἀνατέλλουσα.
English · Claude translation
The Hebrew language, then, has certain other peculiarities too, as each of the others does, containing a certain character that displays the nation's stamp. A dialect, at any rate, is defined as a diction shaped by a national character. But prophecy is not made known by those dialects. For in the Greek dialects the so-called alterations of the tropes produce concealments by design, in imitation of our prophecies, † being referred back; except that the turning aside from the proper sense is shown to happen voluntarily, in metrical or in extempore speech. A trope, at any rate, is a diction carried over from the proper sense to what is not proper, for the sake of elaboration and of usefulness of expression in speech. But prophecy does not cultivate figures of speech at all for the beauty of expression; rather, because the truth does not belong to all, it is hidden in many ways, making the light rise only for those initiated into knowledge, those who seek the truth through love.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The text is corrupt (dagger) at “being referred back” (ἀναγόμεναι). The definitions of dialect and trope are grammatical school definitions.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 6.15.129 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/6/15/129/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 6.15.129 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/6/15/129/).
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