The Instructor 2.5.47 · Sophia Scriptura

Greek text · Stählin 1:186

φρόνιμον λέγει τὸν πανοῦργον νῦν, τὸν ἐναντίως τῷ μωρῷ διακείμενον. ἀλλʼ οὐδʼ ἔμπαλιν εἶναι δεῖ σκυθρωπόν, ἀλλὰ σύννουν· ἀποδέχομαι γὰρ εὖ μάλα ἐκεῖνον [προσώποις μειδιῶντα] ὃς ἐφαίνετο μειδιόων βλοσυροῖσι προσώπασι [τὸν τοῖς βλοσυροῖς]· »ἧττον« γὰρ »ἂν καταγέλαστος ὁ γέλως αὐτῷ εἴη«. χρὴ δὲ καὶ τὸ μειδίαμα παιδαγωγεῖσθαι, καὶ εἰ μὲν ἐπʼ αἰσχροῖς εἴη, ἐρυθριῶντας μᾶλλον ἢ μειδιῶντας φαίνεσθαι, μὴ συνήδεσθαι διὰ συμπάθειαν δοκῶμεν, εἰ δὲ ἐπὶ λυπηροῖς, κατηφεστέρους ἁρμόζει βλέπεσθαι ἢ ἐφήδεσθαι δοκεῖν· τὸ μὲν γὰρ ἀνθρωπίνου λογισμοῦ τεκμήριον, τὸ δὲ ὠμότητος ὑπόληψιν ἐνδείκνυται. οὔτε γὰρ ἀεὶ γελαστέον (ἄμετρον γὰρ) οὔτε πρεσβυτέρων ἤ τινων ἑτέρων ἐντροπῆς ἀξίων παρόντων, εἰ μὴ ἄρα τι αὐτοὶ εἰς τὸ διαχέαι ἡμᾶς χαριεντίσαιντο, οὐδὲ πρὸς τοὺς τυχόντας γελαστέον οὐδʼ ἐν παντὶ τόπῳ οὐδὲ μὴν πᾶσιν οὐδὲ ἐπὶ πᾶσιν.

English · Claude translation

By “shrewd” he now means the prudent man, the one disposed contrary to the fool. But neither, on the other hand, should one be sullen, but thoughtful. For I greatly approve of the one who “appeared smiling with a stern face”; “for his laughter would be less ridiculous.” The smile too must be instructed: if it is at shameful things, we should appear to blush rather than smile, lest we seem to share the pleasure through sympathy; if at painful things, it is fitting to be seen downcast rather than to seem to take pleasure; for the one is a sign of human reasoning, the other suggests cruelty. We should not laugh always (that is immoderate), nor in the presence of elders or others worthy of respect, unless they themselves jest to cheer us; nor should we laugh with just anyone, nor in every place, nor at everyone, nor at everything.

About this passage

Source

Stählin 1:186 · Otto Stählin, ed., Clemens Alexandrinus, vol. 1, Protrepticus und Paedagogus, GCS 12 (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1905) · Greek text: Otto Stählin, Clemens Alexandrinus 1: Protrepticus und Paedagogus (GCS 12, 1905), 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), 2026-09-26 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Stählin (1905); made independently of existing English translations.

Extrabiblical texts

Homer, Il. 7.212 (Homer, Iliad) · quotation, high confidence

Topics

Ethics

Notes

Translation notes

The phrase “smiling with a stern face” is Homer, Iliad 7.212 (of Ajax). The quoted remark is of unknown source. The bracketed words are marked by the editor as glosses.

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 2.5.47 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/2/5/47/).

Plain text

Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 2.5.47 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/2/5/47/).