2. The Role of Jewish and Jewish-Christian Apocalyptic
clement of alexandria on trial
sources shows an important aspect of Clement's hermeneutics. He wished to bring together, often against the original sources themselves, various elements of philosophical and Scriptural wisdom, in order to prove their sole source: divine inspiration. Heraclitus, later the Stoics, but first and foremost the Hebrew prophets, were inspired by the same divine Logos, so there could be no contradiction in the core of their teaching. Although this rhetorical strategy of Clement was problematic, it served, at least in his time and place, the role of bringing together people of various backgrounds to the Christian faith.
One thing is certain, that Heraclitus was one of the first known philosophers to promote the idea of cosmological fire as the beginning and end of the universe. This hypothesis, according to another ancient historian, was pronounced in his work On Nature (Περὶ φύσεως).13
Heraclitus was greatly esteemed in Clement's oeuvre as shown by the noble title 'the admirable' (ὁ γενναῖος),14 and there are many reasons why the Christian scholar respected the Hellenic sage and was attracted to his thought and doctrine. One of them was that the ancient philosopher taught about the crucial turn from sensual pleasures and life to a more advanced philosophy of self-control and virtuous existence.
Clement was also profoundly inspired by Heraclitus' use of riddles to communicate his doctrine to less advanced disciples. But in the theological context it was exactly the notion of purification by fire which drew Clement's attention. This motif was very precious to Clement, as it pointed to the necessary and universal need for change and regeneration. However before examining the evidence from Clement's existing works, I would like to consider another source, which provided additional inspiration to the Alexandrian theologian, while he was pondering upon the genesis and the eschaton of the visible world.
2. The Role of Jewish and Jewish-Christian Apocalyptic It must be noted that, outside of Clement's oeuvre, the philosophical hypothesis of the eschatological conflagration at the end and the beginning of the worlds has some parallels in Jewish and JewishChristian apocalyptic.15 The notion of cosmological fire became very
13 See Diogenes Laertius, V. Ph. 9.7–8; Clement, Strom. 5.50.2.
14 Clement, Strom. 2.8.1.
15 On Clement's acquaintance with this literary genre, see J.H. Charlesworth, The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha and the New Testament (Harrisburg, PA: Trinity
many worlds before the creation of adam
well assimilated by Jewish and Christian literature,16 which was, at least to some extent, available in Clement's milieu. It is certain that Clement was acquainted with some of that literature and its most common imagery.17 But, in his understanding of eschatology, he did not share the same anxiety, hopes and nervous expectation of the forthcoming dramatic climax. Nonetheless, some of the symbolism were assimilated into his exegetical technique and served well in their new Christian pedagogical aim. One of those symbols was the idea of the eschatological fire. The final conflagration played an important role in Jewish and Jewish-Christian apocalyptic. The eschatological
'fire of the world' could signify many things, including 'cleansing', 'destruction and renewal', 'transition from one stage to another',
'God's judgement', 'punishment of the wicked or pagan nations' and 'the ultimate retribution'. In the Jewish and Jewish-Christian apocalyptic context conflagration presupposed the same motif as in Greek philosophy: the termination of one world and the emergence of another. Although, unlike the Greek interpreters, for the Jewish and Jewish-Christian authors, this process was not part of all-governing fate but God's personal intervention, a part of God's providential
International Press, 1998), 36, 76–7. For instance, Clement's Stromateis (5.11.77) preserves a passage from the Apocalypse of Zephaniah which survives nowhere else (see
O.S. Wintermute, "Apocalypse of Zephaniah", in J.H. Charlesworth, The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha [New York: Doubleday, 1983–85], 1: 499).
16 For example, "the lake of fire/burning sulphur" (ἡ λίμη τοῦ πυρὸς) (Rev. 19:20;
20:10). Smalley's analytical commentary on Revelation examines the metaphor of fire as God's punishment in the Bible, providing a number of crucial references: "Fire is linked with theophanies in the Old Testament (Exod. 19.18; Ps 50.3; Ezek 1.4) and a 'stream of fire' is a metaphor of the throne of God (Dan 7.9-10, 1 Enoch 14.18-19). In the thought of Judaism fire is also associated with judgment see (4 Ezra 7.36; 1 Enoch
54.1-2; Sib.Or. 3.53-54; 7.118—31; Apoc.Elijah 5.22-24; 36-37; et al). For the concept of underworld conflagration as a means of judgment see Isa 66.24 also 1 Enoch 10.4-6;
Matt. 5.22; 13.50; Mark 9.43-48; et al. The eschatological image of a critical (and subterranean) 'river of fire' appears in 1 Enoch 17.5; 2 Enoch 10.2 and 3 Enoch 33.4-5;
T. Isaac 5.21-32; see also Apoc.Paul 31, 34-36. The image of a lake of fire, when it is used as such in early Christian texts, is evidently derived from this passage in Rev 19
(see also 15.2); so Apoc.Peter (Akhm.) 23; Irenaeus, Adv.Haer., 5.30.4" (S.S. Smalley,
The Revelation to John [London: SPCK, 2005], 499). This richness of imagery does not suggest direct dependence on, for example, Greek philosophical ideas, but rather a parallel development of symbolism of fire. For the basic context, see M. Eliade, "Fire", in The Ecyclopedia of Religion, ed. M. Eliade (New York: Macmillan Publishing Company; London: Collier Macmillan Publishers, 1987), 5:340–46, and Bibliography.
17 Further details on Clement's literary background can be found in A. van den Hoek, "How Alexandrian was Clement of Alexandria? Reflections on Clement and his
Alexandrian Background", Heythrop Journal 31 (1990): 179–94.