The Instructor 2.4.43
Summary: At meals Christians should love God through thanksgiving and psalms and their neighbor through good conversation; singing to the lyre or cithara, as David did, is not blameworthy.
Greek text · Stählin 1:183–184
Ἔστω δὲ ἡμῶν ἡ παρὰ πότον φιλοφροσύνη διττὴ κατὰ τὸν νόμον· εἰ γὰρ »ἀγαπήσεις κύριον τὸν θεόν σου«, ἔπειτα »τὸν πλησίον σου«, προτέρα μὲν ἡ εἰς θεὸν διʼ εὐχαριστίας καὶ ψαλμῳδίας γενέσθω φιλοφροσύνη, δευτέρα δὲ εἰς τὸν πλησίον διὰ τῆς ὁμιλίας τῆς σεμνῆς· »ὁ γὰρ λόγος ὁ τοῦ κυρίου ἐνοικείτω ἐν ὑμῖν πλουσίως«, ὁ ἀπόστολός φησιν. ὁ δὲ λόγος οὗτος συναρμόζεται καὶ συσχηματίζεται καιροῖς, προσώποις, τόποις, συμποτικὸς δέ ἐστι νῦν· ἐπιφέρει γὰρ ὁ ἀπόστολος πάλιν· »ἐν πάσῃ σοφίᾳ διδάσκοντες καὶ νουθετοῦντες ἑαυτοὺς ψαλμοῖς, ὕμνοις, ᾠδαῖς πνευματικαῖς ἐν τῇ χάριτι, ᾄδοντες ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ ὑμῶν τῷ θεῷ· καὶ πᾶν ὅ τι ἂν ποιῆτε ἢ ἐν λόγῳ ἢ ἐν ἔργῳ, πάντα ἐν ὀνόματι κυρίου Ἰησοῦ, εὐχαριστοῦντες τῷ θεῷ καὶ πατρὶ αὐτοῦ.« οὗτος ἡμῶν ὁ κῶμος ὁ εὐχάριστος, κἂν πρὸς κιθάραν ἐθελήσῃς ἢ λύραν ᾄδειν τε καὶ ψάλλειν, μῶμος οὐκ ἔστιν, Ἑβραῖον μιμήσῃ δίκαιον βασιλέα εὐχάριστον τῷ θεῷ. »ἀγαλλιᾶσθε, δίκαιοι, ἐν τῷ κυρίῳ, τοῖς εὐθέσι πρέπει αἴνεσις«, φησὶν ἡ προφητεία, »ἐξομολογεῖσθε τῷ κυρίῳ ἐν κιθάρᾳ, ἐν ψαλτηρίῳ δεκαχόρδῳ ψάλατε αὐτῷ, ᾄσατε αὐτῷ ᾆσμα καινόν.«
English · Claude translation
Let our friendliness at drinking be twofold, according to the law. For if “you shall love the Lord your God,” and then “your neighbor,” let the first friendliness be toward God, through thanksgiving and psalm-singing, and the second toward our neighbor, through dignified conversation. “For let the word of the Lord dwell in you richly,” says the apostle. And this word adapts and fits itself to times, persons, and places; and now it is at a banquet. For the apostle adds again: “in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, with grace, singing in your hearts to God; and whatever you do, in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and his Father.” This is our thankful revel. And if you wish to sing and play to the cithara or lyre, there is no blame; you will imitate the righteous Hebrew king, who gave thanks to God. “Rejoice in the Lord, you righteous; praise befits the upright,” says the prophecy; “give thanks to the Lord with the cithara, play to him on the ten-stringed psaltery, sing to him a new song.”
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Matt 22:37, 39; Col 3:16–17; and Ps 33:1–3 (32:1–3 LXX). Clement allows stringed instruments at the domestic meal, while treating the instruments of the Psalms allegorically in 2.4.41.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 2.4.43 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/2/4/43/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 2.4.43 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/2/4/43/).
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