The Instructor 3.7.37
Summary: The life of the belly is unworthy of human nature, made by the Beautiful One; love of pleasure and wealth makes it hard to enter the kingdom; luxury only feeds thieves.
Greek text · Stählin 1:258
ἀλλότριον γὰρ τῆς ἀληθοῦς φιλοκαλίας καὶ τῶν ἀστείων ἡδονῶν ὁ ἡδὺς οὗτος καὶ ἀκλεὴς τῶν πολλῶν βίος. φύσει γὰρ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ὑψηλόν ἐστι ζῷον καὶ γαῦρον καὶ τοῦ καλοῦ ζητητικόν, ἄτε τοῦ μόνου καλοῦ δημιούργημα, ὁ δὲ ἐπὶ γαστέρα αὐτῷ βίος ἄσεμνός τε καὶ ἐπονείδιστος καὶ εἰδεχθὴς καὶ καταγέλαστος. ἀλλοτριώτατον δὲ τῆς θείας φύσεως ἡ φιληδονία, ὁμοίως μὲν σιτεῖσθαι τοῖς στρουθοῖς, ὁμοίως δὲ τοῖς ὑσὶν καὶ τοῖς τράγοις ὀχεύειν· τὸ γὰρ τὴν ἡδονὴν νομίζειν ἀγαθὸν ἀπειροκαλίας ἐστὶ τελείας, φιλοπλουτία δὲ ἐξίστησι τῆς ὀρθῆς διαίτης τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἀπερυθριᾶν πρὸς τὰ αἰσχρὰ ἀναπείθουσα, »ἐὰν μόνον ἔχῃ δύναμιν καθάπερ θηρίον τοῦ φαγεῖν παντοδαπὰ καὶ πιεῖν ὡσαύτως καὶ ἀφροδισίων πᾶσαν πάντως παρέχειν πλησμονήν«. διὰ τοῦτο σπανιαίτατα τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ κληρονομεῖ. ποῦ τοίνυν τὰ τοσαῦτα παρασκευάζονται ὄψα ἢ ἵνα μίαν πληρώσωσι γαστέρα; τὸ ἀκάθαρτον τῆς γαστριμαργίας οἱ κοπρῶνες ἐλέγχουσιν, εἰς οὓς ἀποπτύουσιν ἡμῶν αἱ γαστέρες τῆς δαιτὸς τὰ λείψανα. ποῦ δὲ τοὺς οἰνοχόους τοὺς τοσούτους συναγείρουσι μιᾷ κύλικι πλησθῆναι δυνάμενοι; ποῦ δὲ τῶν ἐσθήτων τὰς κιβωτούς; τὰ χρυσία δὲ ποῦ; καὶ τὰ κόσμια ποῦ; λωποδύταις δὲ αὐτὰ καὶ κακούργοις παρασκευάζονται καὶ τοῖς λίχνοις ὀφθαλμοῖς.
English · Claude translation
For this pleasant and inglorious life of the many is foreign to true love of the beautiful and to refined pleasures. By nature the human being is a lofty animal, proud, and a seeker of the beautiful, as the creation of the only Beautiful One; but the life given to the belly is undignified, disgraceful, ugly, and ridiculous. Love of pleasure is most foreign to the divine nature: to feed like sparrows and to mate like pigs and goats. To consider pleasure the good belongs to complete tastelessness; and love of wealth drives the human being out of a right way of life, persuading him to lose all shame at what is shameful, “if only he has the power, like a beast, to eat everything and to drink likewise, and to have every kind of fill of sexual pleasure.” That is why he very rarely inherits the kingdom of God. Why, then, are so many dishes prepared, except to fill one belly? The latrines expose the impurity of gluttony, into which our bellies spit the remains of the feast. Why do they gather so many cupbearers, when one cup can satisfy them? Why chests of clothes? Where is the gold for, and the ornaments? They are prepared for clothes-thieves and criminals and dainty eyes.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quoted phrase is from Plato, Laws 8.831d–e (freely); the allusion is Matt 19:23–24.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (misplaced accent; stray letter in the digital text): μίαν πλήρωσωσι γαστέρα → μίαν πληρώσωσι γαστέρα; λωπολδύταις δὲ αὐτὰ → λωποδύταις δὲ αὐτὰ.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 3.7.37 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/3/7/37/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 3.7.37 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/3/7/37/).
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