those who want to bec
CLEMENT'S VIEWS ON THE ORIGIN | AND VALUE of some commentators of Aristotle were carefully read.1 The { in the history of mankind natural conclusion is that the curriculum of the Christian school q Christian gnosis; if the hi ofAlexandria was planned after the example of the contemporary j ofa determinate interpre Platonic schools, which the Christian teachers wanted to emulate. that Greek philosophy a Like Clement's eclecticism, the 'eclectic' tendency of the Alexj
Clement, practically one andrine catechetical school must therefore be understood in the whenever a Christian wa light of the character of the Platonism of the time. meaning of Scripture, he " is the reason why Cleme 5. It has already been noticed that, according to Clement, j those who want to bec Greek philosophy, in the history ofmankind, accomplishes a most
" into account philosophy. important task: it prepares the Greeks for the reception of the j Philosophy is, therefor Christian message, the 'true philosophy'.? In our study of Clem- / covering a Christian th ent's conception ofgnosis we shall have occasion to observe that : or a cloak which the Ch the 'true message', the highest aspect of Christianity, does not { order to convert the hea consist for him simply in some general conceptions about God,
\ for the right interpretati or in what can be read and understood by everybody but, first closes its inner meaning.5 of all, in the ddj8ea which is one and the same thing with the of some passages of Scri divine Logos,} i.e. in a system of doctrines which can be known a determinate philosophi only by a select few and which, therefore, represent the object
; aq of an esoteric gnosis. The teacher of this esoteric gnosis is the 1 See Strom. i, 28. alotw 80 drodelfews Kaproupévo historical Christ, the incarnation of the divine Logos.'
Not only Seis mentioned here is nothi did he communicate 'secret' doctrines to some of his apostles, | noticing also the passage ofStro but also taught them the right way of interpreting Scripture :° dvapentryperqy rip adiBerav rots
. sos . émkekpuppevny. only by means of a right interpretation of Scripture 1s It possible 2 Those who want to remain to grasp the truth which is hidden behind its literal meaning and ii. 45. 6 (ii. 197. 6g). It is tr : onosis.? I now remember how strongl } maintains that the Christian te reach the: treasure of gnosis q f we se '
<a Y Greek philosophy; Vélker, of c Clement is inclined to consider Greek philosophy as a product =| evidence in support of his views: of the Logos,$ we cannot keep from observing the intimate conj
Wahrheit' (op. cit. 352). Agains * hat Clement sees no real disti oc F z him ists between the Logos ek: i " nection which, according ou 3 ex '
| of Greek philosophy and the hi philosophy, and the right interpretation of Scripture or ENON f according to him, both of them if the Logos is the source both of philosophy and of the right therefore, substantially identica Seger ai a : ne * . hy is meant to prepare. contains the 'good' parts of phi interpretation of Scripture; if philosophy prepares bea oby mapa maar Karas elpyra 1 Vita Plot. chap. XIV. Cf. A. von Harnack, Lehrbuch der Dogmengeschichte, Exster thought, Clement can say that Band, 641: 'Der Lehrgang [of the catechetical school] war mutatis mutandis because he does not regard p natiirlich derselbe, wie bei den Neuplatonikern.'
Christian doctrines, but as the c 2 See p. 11 above and footnote 1 on the same page.
Philosophy does make stronger, 3 See Strom. i. 32. 4 (ii. 21. 18-19), dAjBera $e adry, wept Hs b KUpios adrds elnev the acceptance of the literal me "eyed eae 4 ad{Oera" (Clement quotes here John 14: 6).
Comes gnosis: see Strom. i. 28.
4 This point will be examined more in detail later on in the section on gnosis, Tots Thy mar bv dmodelgews K chapter III, pp. 144 ff. below.
| = see) the Introduction, p. 3
Chis is Vélker's view: see t 7 See pp. 137 -42 and 154-5 below.
* On the presence of an inne '
CLEMENT'S VIEWS ON THE ORIGIN AND VALUE which enables him to lift the veil of allegory which keeps the Christian gnosis." This is true meaning of the sacred text hidden to the many: the beginChristianity. ning of the book of Genesis is interpreted with the aid of the { .
Clement's views on t Platonic distinction between the sensible and the intelligible theology cannot be fully soy se e * world; the expressions 707 Cwis and Kar' eikdva (Gen. 2: 73
Middle Platonism duly 1: 26 and 1:
27) are considered as referring to the doctrine of the 30. 1-2, in which Clemen divine origin of human reason; the expression Kad nn of sophy and wisdom, is dir Gen. a 26 is brought ve direct sempention with tie a ; Gr. 792 Philo gives exac formula dpolwors Oe@ of Theaetetus 176 b; the interpretation o} | and of wisdom as those the story concerning Abraham's relations with his handmaid like Clement, attempts to Agar and his wife Sarah (Gen. 16: 1 ff.) goes ultimately back to , | of Greek philosophy. O the Platonic doctrine of the propaedeutic role of the encyclical
| Jewish author is the direc disciplines ;+ and the interpretation of the Jewish tabernacle and | theologian.4 In Middle P of the high priest is based on the cosmological system of the | the same views: in perfe Timaeus as well as on the distinction between sensible and intelhe maintains that philo ligible things.s ; .
. meh. defines wisdom as 'scien Since the interpretation of Scripture, on which the acquisition ' things',® and considers the of wisdom ultimately depends, can only be achieved with the ee Faittrad " z ae . or . i n the preparatory functi aid of philosophy A at 18 €asy' to understand why Clement calls evidence collected by Vélker, 35 philosophy a 'cultivation of wisdom'6 and 'search for the truth q 2 See Stahlin, app., vol. ii. 19 and for the nature of beings'? and is inclined to consider it
| Gon of ie ary oS rrabese fap ian oe es '<ay apt 154, 158, 177) very closely: the as subordinate to theology and as its handmaid © The relation can be found in Stahlin's appar ship which can be observed between Greek philosophy and Chrisand 191; see also, on this questi tian theology in history finds its exact counterpart in the role
| ee Rae OTS. Gii, 88 ; * Z . a :
(iii. 88. which philosophy plays in the interpretation of Scripture: in origin ofthis definition of aoda both cases, philosophy represents a kind of preparation for the * Sce also pp. 140-1, 154-5 b ; . : Did. 152. 6-7. The corresp : See pp. 191-2 below. finition of sogia has been notice See pp. 14-15 above. j his addition to Stahlin's apparat 3 See p. 108 below.
| p. 19). ig 4 On the role of the encyclical disciplines see pp. 169-73 below; on Clement's \ Thideano: sOSa: sob ud yclical dis . interpretation of the story of Gen. 16: 1 ff. see footnotes 2 and 3, p. 59 below. b | adn betas sects: fee S 5 See pp. 174-5 below.
1 (ii 19. 15), €are yop 4 nev Prrocopla emrySevois aodias; im- ' mediately afterwards he defines wisdom as 'scientific knowledge of divine and human things and of their causes', émori}pn trav Oelwv xal dvOpwnivwy mpaypator kal rdv ovr alriwv. i 7 Strom. i. 92. 4 (ii. 21. 17-18), cf. Strom. vi, gt. 1 (ii. 477. 20-1), and Strom.
' ii, 45. 6 (ii. 137. 7-9) (with this last definition it is worth comparing [Plato], i "Opor 414 b: see Stahlin's apparatus, vol. ii. 137).
1 (ii. 19. 16-17), Kupla rolvev %) copia ris Proaoglas.
(ii, 21. Q-10), dordlopar pv ry Koop waidelav ds oy Ocpazavida (these words are part of Clement's allegorical interpretation ofthe wellknown biblical story of Abraham's relations with Agar and Sarah: see Strom. i,
30. 3-32. 3, vol. ii.