Sophia Scriptura

Miscellanies 6.17.157

Clement of Alexandria · Miscellanies · ca. 198–203 · Alexandria · Read in context

Summary: Many goods in life, like health and wealth, come from God's providence through human effort; good people's thoughts are inspired by God with the help of angels, who are assigned to nations, cities, and perhaps individuals.

Greek text · Stählin 2:512–513

ἤδη γοῦν πολλὰ τῶν ἐν τῷ βίῳ καὶ διά τινος λογισμοῦ ἀνθρωπίνου λαμβάνει τὴν γένεσιν, θεόθεν τὴν ἔναυσιν εἰληφότα. αὐτίκα ἡ ὑγεία διὰ τῆς ἰατρικῆς καὶ ἡ εὐεξία διὰ τῆς ἀλειπτικῆς καὶ ὁ πλοῦτος διὰ τῆς χρηματιστικῆς λαμβάνει γένεσίν τε καὶ παρουσίαν κατὰ πρόνοιαν μὲν τὴν θείαν, κατὰ συνεργίαν δὲ τὴν ἀνθρωπίνην. θεόθεν δὲ καὶ ἡ σύνεσις. αὐτίκα τῇ τοῦ θεοῦ βουλήσει μάλιστα ἡ τῶν ἀγαθῶν ἀνδρῶν προαίρεσις ὑπακούει. διόπερ κοινὰ μὲν τῶν ἀγαθῶν μέν ἐστιν καὶ τῶν κακῶν ἀνθρώπων πολλὰ τῶν προτερημάτων, γίνεται δʼ ὅμως ὠφέλιμα μόνοις τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς τε καὶ σπουδαίοις, ὧν χάριν αὐτὰ ἐποίησεν ὁ θεός· πρὸς γὰρ τῶν ἀγαθῶν χρῆσιν ἀνδρῶν ἡ τῶν θεοδωρήτων δύναμις πέφυκεν. ἀλλὰ καὶ αἱ τῶν ἐναρέτων ἀνθρώπων ἐπίνοιαι κατὰ ἐπίπνοιαν θείαν γίγνονται, διατιθεμένης πως τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ διαδιδομένου τοῦ θείου θελήματος εἰς τὰς ἀνθρωπίνας ψυχάς, τῶν ἐν μέρει θείων λειτουργῶν συλλαμβανομένων εἰς τὰς τοιαύτας διακονίας· κατά τε γὰρ τὰ ἔθνη καὶ πόλεις νενέμηνται τῶν ἀγγέλων αἱ προστασίαι, τάχα δὲ καὶ τῶν ἐπὶ μέρους ὧν ἐνίοις ἀποτετάχαταί τινες.

English · Claude translation

Indeed, many things in life come into being through some human reasoning, having received their kindling from God. For instance, health through medicine, good condition through physical training, and wealth through business come into being and are present according to divine providence, but with human cooperation. Understanding too is from God. For the choice of good men obeys God's will above all. That is why many advantages are common to good and bad men, yet they are beneficial only to the good and excellent, for whose sake God made them; for the power of God's gifts is by nature for the use of good men. Moreover, the thoughts of virtuous men also come about by divine inspiration, the soul being disposed in a certain way and the divine will being passed on into human souls, with particular divine ministers assisting in such services. For the governorships of the angels are distributed among nations and cities; and perhaps some are also assigned to particular individuals.

About this passage

Source
Stählin 2:512–513 · 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

Notes

Translation notes

  • The allusions are Deut 32:8 LXX (the nations allotted “according to the number of the angels of God”), Dan 10:13, 20, and Matt 18:10.

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 6.17.157 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/6/17/157/).

Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 6.17.157 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/6/17/157/).

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