Miscellanies 7.12.73
Summary: The one who knows prays always and receives what he asks, because he asks only for what is good; righteousness chosen freely, not from fear or hope of reward, is the royal road.
Greek text · Stählin 2
κἂν πονηρὰ εἶναι δοκῇ τὰ προσιόντα γυμνάσια, ἅτινα ἡμῖν προσφέρει ἡ σὴ οἰκονομία εἰς συνάσκησιν βεβαιότητος.‹ Ὁ μὲν οὖν γνωστικὸς διʼ ὑπερβολὴν ὁσιότητος αἰτούμενος μᾶλλον ἀποτυχεῖν ἕτοιμος ἢ μὴ αἰτούμενος τυχεῖν. εὐχὴ γὰρ αὐτῷ ὁ βίος ἅπας καὶ ὁμιλία πρὸς θεόν, κἂν καθαρὸς ᾖ ἁμαρτημάτων, πάντως οὗ βούλεται τεύξεται. λέγει γὰρ ὁ θεὸς τῷ δικαίῳ· »αἴτησαι, καὶ δώσω σοί· ἐννοήθητι, καὶ ποιήσω.« ἐὰν μὲν οὖν συμφέροντα ᾖ, παραχρῆμα λήψεται· ἀσύμφορα δὲ οὐδέποτε αἰτήσεται, διὸ οὐδὲ λήψεται. οὕτως ἔσται ὃ βούλεται. κἄν τις ἡμῖν λέγῃ ἐπιτυγχάνειν τινὰς καὶ τῶν ἁμαρτωλῶν κατὰ τὰς αἰτήσεις, σπανίως μὲν τοῦτο διὰ τὴν τοῦ θεοῦ δικαίαν ἀγαθότητα, δίδοται δὲ τοῖς καὶ ἄλλους εὐεργετεῖν δυναμένοις. ὅθεν οὐ διὰ τὸν αἰτήσαντα ἡ δόσις γίνεται, ἀλλʼ ἡ οἰκονομία τὸν σῴζεσθαι διʼ αὐτοῦ μέλλοντα προορωμένη δικαίαν πάλιν ποιεῖται τὴν δωρεάν. τοῖς δʼ ὅσοι ἄξιοι τὰ ὄντως ἀγαθὰ καὶ μὴ αἰτουμένοις δίδοται. ὅταν οὖν μὴ κατὰ ἀνάγκην ἢ φόβον ἢ ἐλπίδα δίκαιός τις ᾖ, ἀλλʼ ἐκ προαιρέσεως, αὕτη ἡ ὁδὸς λέγεται βασιλική, ἣν τὸ βασιλικὸν ὁδεύει γένος, ὀλισθηραὶ δὲ αἱ ἄλλαι παρεκτροπαὶ καὶ κρημνώδεις. εἰ γοῦν τις ἀφέλοι τὸν φόβον καὶ τὴν τιμήν, οὐκ οἶδʼ εἰ ἔτι ὑποστήσονται τὰς θλίψεις οἱ γεννάδαι τῶν παρρησιαζομένων φιλοσόφων.
English · Claude translation
even if the trials that come seem to be evil, the exercises that your dispensation brings upon us for training in steadfastness.” The one who knows, then, out of surpassing holiness, is readier to fail when he asks than to obtain without asking. For his whole life is prayer and converse with God, and if he is pure of sins, he will certainly obtain what he wishes. For God says to the righteous man, “Ask, and I will give to you; think, and I will do it.” If, then, the things are beneficial, he will receive them at once; and things that are not beneficial he will never ask for, so he will not receive them either. So it will be as he wishes. And if someone tells us that some sinners too obtain what they ask, this happens rarely, because of God's just goodness, and it is given to those who are able to benefit others as well. Hence the gift is not made for the sake of the one who asked; rather, the dispensation, foreseeing the one who is to be saved through him, makes the gift just once again. But to those who are worthy the truly good things are given even without asking. When, then, someone is righteous not from necessity or fear or hope, but by choice, this is called the royal road, which the royal race travels; the other byways are slippery and lead over cliffs. If, at any rate, one took away fear and honor, I do not know whether the noble philosophers who speak so boldly would still endure afflictions.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The saying “Ask, and I will give to you; think, and I will do it” is not found in Scripture (compare Isa 58:9, 65:24); its source is unidentified. “The royal road” recalls Num 20:17 and 21:22.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray period in the digital text; word split in the digital text): καθαρὸς ᾖ ἁμαρτημάτων. πάντως → καθαρὸς ᾖ ἁμαρτημάτων, πάντως; ἐννοήθητι. καὶ ποιήσω → ἐννοήθητι, καὶ ποιήσω; ὀλισθ ηραὶ → ὀλισθηραὶ.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 7.12.73 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/7/12/73/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 7.12.73 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/7/12/73/).
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