The Instructor 3.2.10
Summary: Love of finery is insatiable and blind like Wealth itself; women who adorn themselves to be seen betray adultery, and Jeremiah calls their beautifying vain.
Greek text · Stählin 1:241–242
φιλοψία μὲν οὖν καὶ φιλοινία εἰ καὶ πάθη μεγάλα, ἀλλʼ οὐ τοσαῦτα τὸ μέγεθος ὁπόση ἡ φιλοκοσμία. τράπεζα πλήρης καὶ κύλικες ἐπάλληλοι ἱκαναὶ πληρῶσαι τὴν λαιμαργίαν· τοῖς δὲ φιλοχρύσοις καὶ φιλοπορφύροις καὶ φιλολίθοις οὔτε ὁ ὑπὲρ γῆς καὶ ὑπὸ γῆν χρυσὸς αὐτάρκης οὔτε ἡ Τυρίων θάλαττα οὔτε μὴν ὁ φόρτος ὁ ἀπʼ Ἰνδῶν καὶ Αἰθιόπων, ἀλλʼ οὐδὲ ὁ Πακτωλὸς ὁ ῥέων τὸν πλοῦτον. οὐδʼ ἂν Μίδας τις αὐτῶν γένηται, πεπλήρωται, ἀλλὰ ἔτι πένης ἐστὶ πλοῦτον ἄλλον ποθῶν, ἕτοιμοι δὲ οὗτοι συναποθανεῖν χρυσίῳ. εἰ δὲ καὶ ὁ Πλοῦτος τυφλός, ὥσπερ οὖν, αἱ περὶ αὐτὸν ἐπτοημέναι καὶ συμπαθοῦσαι πῶς οὐ τυφλώττουσιν; ὅρον γοῦν ἐπιθυμίας οὐκ ἔχουσαι εἰς ἀναισχυντίαν ἐξοκέλλουσιν· δεῖ γὰρ αὐταῖς καὶ θεάτρου καὶ πομπῆς καὶ πλήθους θεατῶν καὶ πλάνης ἐν ἱεροῖς καὶ τῆς ἐν τοῖς ἀμφόδοις διατριβῆς, ὡς πᾶσιν αὐτὰς γίνεσθαι καταφανεῖς. κοσμοῦνται γὰρ ἵνα ἄλλοις ἀρέσκοιεν αἱ ἐν προσώπῳ καυχώμεναι, οὐκ ἐν καρδίᾳ· ὡς γὰρ τὸν δραπέτην τὰ στίγματα, οὕτω τὴν μοιχαλίδα δείκνυσι τὰ ἀνθίσματα. »κἂν περιβάλῃ κόκκινον καὶ κοσμήσῃ κόσμῳ χρυσῷ, καὶ ἐὰν χρίσῃ στίμμι τοὺς ὀφθαλμούς σου, εἰς μάτην ὁ ὡραϊσμός σου«, ὁ λόγος διὰ Ἱερεμίου φησίν.
English · Claude translation
Love of dainties and love of wine, though great passions, are not as great as love of finery. A full table and cup after cup are enough to satisfy gluttony; but for those who love gold, purple, and precious stones, neither the gold above and below the earth is enough, nor the sea of Tyre, nor the cargo from India and Ethiopia, nor even the Pactolus flowing with wealth. Even if one of them became a Midas, she would not be satisfied, but would still be poor, longing for more wealth; and these are ready to die with their gold. And if Wealth is blind, as he is, how can the women who are excited about him and share his passion not be blind? Having no limit to their desire, they run aground on shamelessness; for they need the theater, the procession, a crowd of spectators, wandering in the temples, and lingering in the streets, so as to be seen by all. For those who glory in appearance, not in heart, adorn themselves to please others; as brands show the runaway slave, so gaudy clothes show the adulteress. “And if you clothe yourself in scarlet and adorn yourself with golden ornament, and if you paint your eyes with antimony, your beautifying is in vain,” the Word says through Jeremiah.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The allusion is 2 Cor 5:12 (“those who boast in appearance and not in heart”); the quotation is Jer 4:30. Plutus (Wealth) was proverbially blind.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 3.2.10 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/3/2/10/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 3.2.10 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/3/2/10/).
Download citation:BibTeX ·RIS (Zotero, EndNote)
Whole work:BibTeX ·RIS ·Markdown text