Sophia Scriptura

Miscellanies 6.4.36

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

Summary: In the procession follow the Sacred Scribe, who knows the hieroglyphic books of cosmography, geography, and temple lore, and the Stolist, who knows the ten books of worship.

Greek text · Stählin 2:449

Ἑξῆς δὲ ὁ ἱερογραμματεὺς προέρχεται, ἔχων πτερὰ ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς βιβλίον τε ἐν χερσὶ καὶ κανοῦν, ἐν ᾧ τό τε γραφικὸν μέλαν καὶ σχοῖνος ᾗ γράφουσι. τοῦτον τὰ τε ἱερογλυφικὰ καλούμενα περί τε τῆς κοσμογραφίας καὶ γεωγραφίας τῆς τάξεως τοῦ ἡλίου καὶ τῆς σελήνης καὶ περὶ τῶν πέντε πλανωμένων, χωρογραφίας τε τῆς Αἰγύπτου καὶ τῆς τοῦ Νείλου διαγραφῆς περί τε τῆς καταγραφῆς κατασκευῆς τῶν ἱερῶν καὶ τῶν ἀφιερωμένων αὐτοῖς χωρίων περί τε μέτρων καὶ τῶν ἐν τοῖς ἱεροῖς χρησίμων εἰδέναι χρή. Ἔπειτα ὁ στολιστὴς τοῖς προειρημένοις ἕπεται, ἔχων τόν τε τῆς δικαιοσύνης πῆχυν καὶ τὸ σπονδεῖον. οὗτος οἶδε τὰ παιδευτικὰ πάντα καὶ τὰ μοσχοσφραγιστικὰ καλούμενα· δέκα δέ ἐστι τὰ εἰς τὴν τιμὴν ἀνήκοντα τῶν παρʼ αὐτοῖς θεῶν καὶ τὴν Αἰγυπτίαν εὐσέβειαν περιέχοντα, οἷον περὶ θυμάτων, ἀπαρχῶν, ὕμνων, εὐχῶν, πομπῶν, ἑορτῶν καὶ τῶν τούτοις ὁμοίων.

English · Claude translation

Next comes the Sacred Scribe, with feathers on his head and a book and a basket in his hands, in which are the writing ink and the reed with which they write. He must know the so-called hieroglyphic books about cosmography and geography, the order of the sun and moon and the five planets, the topography of Egypt and the description of the Nile, the register of the furnishing of the temples and of the lands consecrated to them, and about measures and the things used in the temples. Then the Stolist follows those already mentioned, holding the cubit of justice and the libation cup. He knows all the books of instruction and those called calf-sealing. There are ten books that concern the honor paid to their gods and contain the Egyptian religion, for example about sacrifices, first fruits, hymns, prayers, processions, feasts, and the like.

About this passage

Source
Stählin 2:449 · 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.

Notes

Translation notes

  • “Calf-sealing” refers to the marking of sacrificial calves as fit for sacrifice.

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 6.4.36 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/6/4/36/).

Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 6.4.36 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/6/4/36/).

Download citation:BibTeX ·RIS (Zotero, EndNote)

Whole work:BibTeX ·RIS ·Markdown text

Report an error in this passage