The Instructor 2.8.66 · Sophia Scriptura

Summary: Some mild perfumes may be allowed to women, but in excess they smell of the funeral; perfume can make men effeminate.

Greek text · Stählin 1:197

Ἀλλὰ γὰρ μὴ λάθωμεν ὥσπερ οἱ γῦπες τὰ μύρα βδελυττόμενοι ἢ οἱ κάνθαροι (τούτους γὰρ ῥοδίνῳ χρισθέντας μύρῳ τελευτᾶν λέγουσιν), καὶ τούτων ἐγκριτέον ὀλίγα τινὰ τῶν μύρων ταῖς γυναιξίν, ὅσα μὴ καρῶσι τὸν ἄνδρα· αἱ γὰρ ὑπέρμετροι χρίσεις τῶν μύρων κηδείας, οὐ συμβιώσεως ἀποπνέουσιν. καίτοι καὶ τὸ ἔλαιον αὐτὸ ταῖς μελίτταις καὶ τοῖς ἐντόμοις ἐστὶ πολέμιον ζῴοις, ἀνθρώπων δὲ τοὺς μὲν ὤνησεν, ἔστιν δὲ οὓς εἰς μάχην ἐξεκαλέσατο, καὶ τοὺς πρότερον δειλοὺς ἀληλιμμένους τοῦτο ἐν τοῖς σταδίοις ἐκτρέπει εἰς τὸ τῆς ἀγωνίας πάμμαχον. μαλθακὸν δὲ ἔλαιον τὸ μύρον ὂν οὐκ οἴεσθε τὰ ἤθη τὰ γεννικὰ ἐκθηλύνειν δύνασθαι; μάλιστα.

English · Claude translation

But let us not, without noticing, be like vultures who loathe perfumes, or beetles (they say these die when anointed with rose perfume); a few of these perfumes may be allowed to women, those that do not stupefy the husband. For immoderate anointing with perfumes smells of a funeral, not of married life. Indeed oil itself is hostile to bees and insects; among human beings it benefits some, and calls others out to fight, turning those formerly cowardly, when anointed, to all-out fighting in the stadiums. Do you not think that perfume, being softened oil, can make noble characters effeminate? Very much so.

About this passage

Source

Stählin 1:197 · 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.

Topics

Ethics, Marriage

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 2.8.66 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/2/8/66/).

Plain text

Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 2.8.66 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/2/8/66/).