Excerpts from Theodotus 49.1

Summary: The Demiurge, unaware that Wisdom works through him, thinks he creates by his own power; they apply Rom 8:20–21 to him.

Greek text · Stählin 3:123

Ἐπεὶ δὲ οὐκ ἐγίνωσκεν τὴν διʼ αὑτοῦ ἐνεργοῦσαν οἰόμενος ἰδίᾳ δυνάμει δημιουργεῖν φιλεργὸς ὢν φύσει, διὰ τοῦτο εἶπεν ὁ ἀπόστολος· »ὑπετάγη τῇ ματαιότητι τοῦ κόσμου, οὐχ ἑκών, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸν ὑποτάξαντα, ἐπʼ ἐλπίδι, ὅτι καὶ αὐτὸς ἐλευθερωθήσεται«, ὅταν συλλεγῇ τὰ σπέρματα τοῦ θεοῦ.

English · Claude translation

Since he did not know her who was working through him, thinking that he created by his own power, being by nature fond of work, the apostle said for this reason: “It was subjected to the vanity of the world, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope, that it too will be set free,” when the seeds of God are gathered.

About this passage

Source

Stählin 3:123 · Otto Stählin, ed., Clemens Alexandrinus, vol. 3, Stromata Buch VII und VIII, Excerpta ex Theodoto, Eclogae propheticae, Quis dives salvetur, Fragmente, GCS 17 (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1909) · Greek text: Otto Stählin, Clemens Alexandrinus 3 (GCS 17, 1909), digitized by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0

Translation

Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Stählin (1909); made independently of existing English translations.

Scripture

Rom 8:20 · quotation, high confidence
Rom 8:21 · quotation, high confidence

Topics

Heresy

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Exc. 49.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-excerpta/49/1/).

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Plain text

Clement of Alexandria, Exc. 49.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-excerpta/49/1/).

Greek text · Stählin 3:123

English · Claude translation

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Notes

Translation notes

Cite this passage