The Instructor 1.6.29
Summary: Faith already holds eternal life; what it grasps now as promise it receives after the resurrection as rest, while enlightenment dispels the darkness of ignorance.
Greek text · Stählin 1:107–108
τῇ ἐσχάτῃ ἡμέρᾳ.« καθʼ ὅσον μὲν οὖν δυνατὸν ἐν τῷδε τῷ κόσμῳ, ὃν ἐσχάτην ἡμέραν ᾐνίξατο, εἰς τότε τηρουμένους ὅτε παύσεται, τελείους ἡμᾶς γενέσθαι πιστεύομεν. πίστις γὰρ μαθήσεως τελειότης· διὰ τοῦτό φησιν »ὁ πιστεύων εἰς τὸν υἱὸν ἔχει ζωὴν αἰώνιον.« εἰ τοίνυν οἱ πιστεύσαντες ἔχομεν τὴν ζωήν, τί περαιτέρω τοῦ κεκτῆσθαι ζωὴν ἀίδιον ὑπολείπεται; οὐδὲν δὲ ἐνδεῖ τῇ πίστει τελείᾳ οὔσῃ ἐξ ἑαυτῆς καὶ πεπληρωμένῃ. εἰ δὲ ἐνδεῖ τι αὐτῇ, οὐκ ἔστιν ὁλοτελής, οὐδὲ πίστις ἐστί, σκάζουσα περί τι, οὐδὲ μετὰ τὴν ἐνθένδε ἀποδημίαν ἄλλα μένει τοὺς πεπιστευκότας, ἀδιακρίτως ἐνταῦθα ἠρραβωνισμένους, ἐκεῖνο δὲ τῷ πιστεῦσαι ἤδη προειληφότες ἐσόμενον, μετὰ τὴν ἀνάστασιν ἀπολαμβάνομεν γενόμενον, ὅπως ἂν ἐκεῖνο πληρωθῇ τὸ λεχθὲν »γενηθήτω κατὰ τὴν πίστιν σου.« οὗ δὲ ἡ πίστις, ἐνταῦθα ἡ ἐπαγγελία, τελείωσις δὲ ἐπαγγελίας ἡ ἀνάπαυσις. ὥστε ἡ μὲν γνῶσις ἐν τῷ φωτίσματι, τὸ δὲ πέρας τῆς γνώσεως ἡ ἀνάπαυσις, ὃ δὴ ἔσχατον νοεῖται ὀρεκτόν. καθάπερ οὖν τῇ πείρᾳ ἡ ἀπειρία καταλύεται καὶ τῷ πόρῳ ἡ ἀπορία, οὕτως ἀνάγκη τῷ φωτισμῷ ἐξαφανίζεσθαι τὸ σκότος· ἡ ἄγνοια δὲ τὸ σκότος, καθʼ ἣν περιπίπτομεν τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασιν, ἀμβλυωποῦντες περὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν. φωτισμὸς ἄρα ἡ γνῶσίς ἐστιν, ὁ ἐξαφανίζων τὴν ἄγνοιαν καὶ τὸ διορατικὸν ἐντιθείς. ἀλλὰ καὶ ἡ τῶν χειρόνων ἀποβολὴ τῶν κρειττόνων ἐστὶν ἀποκάλυψις. ἃ γὰρ ἡ ἄγνοια συνέδησεν κακῶς, ταῦτα διὰ τῆς ἐπιγνώσεως ἀναλύεται καλῶς.
English · Claude translation
“… the last day.” So, as far as is possible in this world, which he hinted at as “the last day,” being kept until the time when it will end, we believe that we have become perfect. For faith is the perfection of learning; that is why he says, “Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life.” If, then, we who have believed have life, what remains beyond the possession of eternal life? Nothing is lacking to faith, which is perfect of itself and complete. If anything is lacking to it, it is not wholly perfect, and it is not faith, limping in some respect. Nor do other things await believers after their departure from here, who have all alike received the pledge here; but what we have already grasped beforehand by believing as something that will be, we receive after the resurrection as something that has come to be, so that the saying may be fulfilled: “Let it be done according to your faith.” Where faith is, there is the promise; and the fulfillment of the promise is rest. So knowledge is in the enlightenment, and the end of knowledge is rest, which is understood to be the last thing desired. As inexperience is ended by experience and perplexity by a way through, so darkness must vanish by enlightenment. Darkness is ignorance, by which we fall into sins, being dim-sighted about the truth. Enlightenment, then, is knowledge, which makes ignorance vanish and gives clear sight. And the casting off of worse things is the revealing of better things; for what ignorance wrongly bound, knowledge rightly unbinds.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are John 6:40 (end), John 3:36, and Matt 9:29 (8:13). “Pledge” (ἀρραβών) recalls Eph 1:14; “rest” recalls Heb 4:9–10.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 1.6.29 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/1/6/29/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 1.6.29 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/1/6/29/).
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