Miscellanies 7.11.67
Summary: Some endure martyrdom for glory, from fear, or for rewards, like children in faith; the one who knows endures out of love for God, which is chosen for its own sake, and his self-restraint likewise springs from knowledge, not from ambition, greed, or fear.
Greek text · Stählin 2
οὔτʼ οὖν φόβῳ τῶν μειζόνων δεινῶν τὰ ἐλάττω καθάπερ οἱ λοιποὶ ὑπομένοντες οὔτʼ αὖ ψόγον τὸν ἀπὸ τῶν ὁμοτίμων καὶ ὁμογνωμόνων ὑφορώμενοι τῇ τῆς κλήσεως ἐμμένουσιν ὁμολογίᾳ, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὴν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν ἀγάπην ἑκόντες πείθονται τῇ κλήσει, μηδένα ἕτερον σκοπὸν ἑλόμενοι ἢ τὴν πρὸς τὸν θεὸν εὐαρέστησιν, οὐχὶ δὲ διὰ τὰ ἆθλα τῶν πόνων. οἳ μὲν γὰρ φιλοδοξίᾳ, οἳ δὲ εὐλαβείᾳ κολάσεως ἄλλης δριμυτέρας, οἳ δὲ διά τινας ἡδονὰς καὶ εὐφροσύνας τὰς μετὰ θάνατον ὑπομένοντες παῖδες ἐν πίστει, μακάριοι μέν, οὐδέπω δὲ ἄνδρες ἐν ἀγάπῃ τῇ πρὸς τὸν θεὸν καθάπερ ὁ γνωστικὸς γεγονότες (εἰσὶ γάρ, εἰσὶ καθάπερ ἐν τοῖς ἀγῶσι τοῖς γυμνικοῖς, οὕτως δὲ καὶ κατὰ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν στέφανοι ἀνδρῶν τε καὶ παίδων)· ἡ δὲ ἀγάπη αὐτὴ διʼ αὑτὴν αἱρετή, οὐ διʼ ἄλλο τι. σχεδὸν οὖν τῷ γνωστικῷ μετὰ γνώσεως ἡ τελειότης τῆς ἀνδρείας ἐκ τῆς τοῦ βίου συνασκήσεως αὔξεται, μελετήσαντος ἀεὶ τῶν παθῶν κρατεῖν. Ἄφοβον οὖν καὶ ἀδεᾶ καὶ πεποιθότα ἐπὶ κύριον ἡ ἀγάπη ἀλείφουσα καὶ γυμνάσασα κατασκευάζει τὸν ἴδιον ἀθλητήν, ὥσπερ δικαιοσύνη τὸ διὰ παντὸς ἀληθεύειν αὐτῷ τοῦ βίου περιποιεῖ. δικαιοσύνης γὰρ ἦν ἐπιτομὴ φάναι· »ἔσται ὑμῶν τὸ ναὶ καὶ τὸ οὒ οὔ.« ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς λόγος καὶ ἐπὶ τῆς σωφροσύνης. οὔτε γὰρ διὰ φιλοτιμίαν (καθάπερ οἱ ἀθληταὶ στεφάνων καὶ εὐδοξίας χάριν) οὔτʼ αὖ διὰ φιλοχρηματίαν (ὥς τινες προσποιοῦνται σωφρονεῖν, πάθει δεινῷ τὸ ἀγαθὸν μεταδιώκοντες), οὐ μὴν οὐδὲ διὰ φιλοσωματίαν ὑγείας χάριν, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ διʼ ἀγροικίαν ἐγκρατὴς καὶ ἄγευστος ἡδονῶν οὐδεὶς κατʼ ἀλήθειαν σώφρων (ἀμέλει γευσάμενοι τῶν ἡδονῶν οἱ τὸν ἐργάτην τρίβοντες βίον αὐτίκα μάλα καταγνύουσι τὸ ἀκαμπὲς τῆς ἐγκρατείας εἰς τὰς ἡδονάς). τοιοῦτοι δὲ καὶ οἱ νόμῳ καὶ φόβῳ κωλυόμενοι· καιρὸν γὰρ λαβόντες παρακλέπτουσι τὸν νόμον, ἀποδιδράσκοντες τὰ καλά. ἡ δὲ διʼ αὑτὴν αἱρετὴ σωφροσύνη, κατὰ τὴν γνῶσιν τελειουμένη ἀεί τε παραμένουσα, κύριον καὶ αὐτοκράτορα τὸν ἄνδρα κατασκευάζει, ὡς εἶναι τὸν γνωστικὸν σώφρονα καὶ ἀπαθῆ, ταῖς ἡδοναῖς τε καὶ λύπαις ἄτεγκτον, ὥσπερ φασὶ τὸν ἀδάμαντα τῷ πυρί.
English · Claude translation
They do not, then, remain in the confession of their calling by enduring lesser terrors from fear of greater ones, as the rest do, nor again from fear of blame from their peers and those who share their views; but out of their love for God they willingly obey the calling, choosing no other aim than to please God, and not for the prizes of their toils. For some endure from love of glory, others from fear of another, sharper punishment, and others for the sake of certain pleasures and delights after death: children in faith, blessed indeed, but not yet grown men in love for God as the one who knows is (for there are, there are, as in the athletic games, so also in the church, crowns for men and for boys). But love is to be chosen for its own sake, not for anything else. So for the one who knows, the perfection of courage grows with knowledge out of the discipline of life, as he has always practiced mastering the passions. Love, then, anointing and training her own athlete, makes him fearless, undaunted, and trusting in the Lord, just as righteousness secures for him truthfulness throughout his life. For it was a summary of righteousness to say, “Let your yes be yes and your no no.” The same argument applies to self-restraint. For no one is truly self-restrained who is self-controlled and abstains from pleasures out of love of honor (as athletes do for crowns and fame), or out of love of money (as some pretend to self-restraint, pursuing the good with a dreadful passion), or out of love of the body for the sake of health, or out of boorishness (indeed, those who lead a laborer's life, once they have tasted pleasures, very quickly break down the rigidity of their self-control in the face of pleasures). Such too are those restrained by law and fear; for when they find an opportunity, they cheat the law and run away from what is good. But self-restraint chosen for its own sake, perfected by knowledge and always abiding, makes the man master and ruler of himself, so that the one who knows is self-restrained and free from passion, not to be softened by pleasures and pains, as they say adamant is not softened by fire.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotation is Matt 5:37 (compare Jas 5:12); “children in faith” recalls 1 Cor 3:1–2.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misreading in the digital text (αὖ); misreading in the digital text (κωλυόμενοι); stray period in the digital text; word repeated in the digital text): τῆς κλήσεως ἐμμένουσιν ὁμολογίᾳ. ἀλλὰ → τῆς κλήσεως ἐμμένουσιν ὁμολογίᾳ, ἀλλὰ; πείθονται τῇ κλήσει. μηδένα → πείθονται τῇ κλήσει, μηδένα; παῖδες ἐν πίστει. μακάριοι → παῖδες ἐν πίστει, μακάριοι; τοῖς γυμνικοῖς. οὕτως → τοῖς γυμνικοῖς, οὕτως; συνασκήσεως αὔξεται. μελετήσαντος → συνασκήσεως αὔξεται, μελετήσαντος; οὔτʼ οὖ διὰ → οὔτʼ αὖ διὰ; κωλυόμενον καιρὸν → κωλυόμενοι· καιρὸν; παρακλέπτουσι κλέπτουσι → παρακλέπτουσι.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 7.11.67 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/7/11/67/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 7.11.67 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/7/11/67/).
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