The Instructor 3.7.40 · Sophia Scriptura

Greek text · Stählin 1:259–260

ἀνενδεὴς γὰρ ὁ τὸν παντοκράτορα θεὸν λόγον ἔχων καὶ οὐδενὸς ὧν χρῄζει ἀπορεῖ ποτε· κτῆσις γὰρ ὁ λόγος ἀνενδεὴς καὶ εὐπορίας ἁπάσης αἴτιος. εἰ δέ τις φαίη ἑωρακέναι πολλάκις ἄρτου πενόμενον δίκαιον, σπάνιον μὲν τοῦτο, καὶ ἔνθα οὐκ ἄλλος δίκαιος, ἀναγνώτω δὲ ὅμως κἀκεῖνο· »οὐ γὰρ ἐπʼ ἄρτῳ μόνῳ ζήσεται ὁ δίκαιος, ἀλλʼ ἐν τῷ ῥήματι κυρίου«, ὅς ἐστιν ἄρτος ἀληθινός, ἄρτος οὐρανῶν. οὐκ ἄρα ποτὲ ὁ ἀγαθὸς ἀνὴρ ἄπορος, ἕως ἂν ἔχῃ σῴαν τὴν πρὸς θεὸν ὁμολογίαν· πάρεστι μὲν γὰρ αὐτῷ αἰτεῖσθαι καὶ λαμβάνειν ὧν ἂν δέηται παρὰ τοῦ πατρὸς τῶν ὅλων καὶ τῶν ἰδίων ἀπολαύειν, εἰ φυλάττοι τὸν υἱόν· πάρεστι δὲ καὶ τοῦτο, μηδεμιᾶς ἐνδείας αἰσθάνεσθαι. ὁ παιδαγωγικὸς ἡμῶν οὗτος λόγος τὸν πλοῦτον ἡμῖν δίδωσι, καὶ πλουτεῖν οὐ φθόνος τὸ ἀνενδεὲς κτωμένοις διʼ αὐτοῦ· ὁ τοῦτον ἔχων τὸν πλοῦτον βασιλείαν κληρονομήσει θεοῦ.

English · Claude translation

For the one who has the almighty God, the Word, lacks nothing and is never at a loss for anything he needs; for the Word is a possession that lacks nothing and the cause of all abundance. If anyone should say that he has often seen a just man in need of bread, this is rare, and only where there is no other just man; but let him read this too: “For the just man shall not live by bread alone, but by the word of the Lord,” who is the true bread, the bread of heaven. So the good man is never without resources, as long as he keeps his confession toward God intact. For he may ask and receive from the Father of all whatever he needs, and enjoy what is his own, if he keeps the Son; and this too is possible: to feel no need at all. This Word, our Instructor, gives us wealth, and there is no envy in being rich for those who acquire through him freedom from need; whoever has this wealth will inherit the kingdom of God.

About this passage

Source

Stählin 1:259–260 · 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.

Scripture

Ps 37:25 (36:25 LXX) · echo, medium confidence
Deut 8:3 · quotation, high confidence
Matt 4:4 · quotation, high confidence
John 6:32 · allusion, high confidence
Matt 7:7 · echo, medium confidence

Topics

Ethics

Notes

Translation notes

The allusions and quotations are Ps 37:25 (36:25 LXX), Deut 8:3 (Matt 4:4), John 6:32, and Matt 7:7.

Notes on the original text

Digital text corrected (stray elision mark): πάρεστιʼ δὲ καὶ τοῦτο → πάρεστι δὲ καὶ τοῦτο.

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 3.7.40 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/3/7/40/).

Plain text

Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 3.7.40 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-paedagogus/3/7/40/).