Exhortation to the Greeks 9.83
Summary: God wants to make slaves into sons, but many prefer slavery and death; Paul warns against the darkened mind of the Gentiles.
Greek text · Stählin 1:62–63
οἱ πρῶτοι τοῦ διαβόλου κεχωρισμένοι. νυνὶ δὲ τοσούτῳ τινές εἰσιν ἀθεώτεροι, ὅσῳ φιλανθρωπότερος ὁ θεός· ὃ μὲν γὰρ ἐκ δούλων υἱοὺς ἡμᾶς γενέσθαι βούλεται, οἳ δὲ καὶ υἱοὶ γενέσθαι ὑπερηφανήκασιν. ὢ τῆς ἀπονοίας τῆς πολλῆς· τὸν κύριον ἐπαισχύνεσθε. ἐλευθερίαν ἐπαγγέλλεται, ὑμεῖς δὲ εἰς δουλείαν ἀποδιδράσκετε. σωτηρίαν χαρίζεται, ὑμεῖς δὲ εἰς θάνατον ὑποφέρεσθε. ζωὴν δωρεῖται αἰώνιον, ὑμεῖς δὲ τὴν κόλασιν ἀναμένετε· καὶ »τὸ πῦρ« δὲ προσκοπεῖτε, »ὃ ἡτοίμασεν ὁ κύριος τῷ διαβόλῳ καὶ τοῖς ἀγγέλοις αὐτοῦ.« διὰ τοῦτο ὁ μακάριος ἀπόστολος »μαρτύρομαι ἐν κυρίῳ,« φησίν, »μηκέτι ὑμᾶς περιπατεῖν, καθὼς καὶ τὰ ἔθνη περιπατεῖ ἐν ματαιότητι τοῦ νοὸς αὐτῶν, ἐσκοτισμένοι τῇ διανοίᾳ ὄντες καὶ ἀπηλλοτριωμένοι τῆς ζωῆς τοῦ θεοῦ, διὰ τὴν ἄγνοιαν τὴν οὖσαν ἐν αὐτοῖς, διὰ τὴν πώρωσιν τῆς καρδίας αὐτῶν· οἵτινες ἑαυτοὺς παρέδωκαν ἀπηλγηκότες τῇ ἀσελγείᾳ εἰς ἐργασίαν ἀκαθαρσίας
English · Claude translation
the first to be separated from the devil. But now some are the more godless, the more God loves humankind. For he wants us to become sons instead of slaves, but they have disdained even to become sons. O the great folly of it! You are ashamed of the Lord. He promises freedom, and you run away into slavery. He grants salvation, and you are swept down into death. He gives eternal life, and you wait for punishment; and you look ahead to “the fire which the Lord has prepared for the devil and his angels.” That is why the blessed apostle says: “I testify in the Lord that you no longer walk as the Gentiles walk, in the futility of their mind, darkened in their understanding and alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, because of the hardness of their heart; who, having become callous, have given themselves up to licentiousness, for the practice of every uncleanness …
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Matt 25:41 and Eph 4:17–19. The quotation continues in the next section.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray space before the closing quotation mark): υρίῳ, « → υρίῳ,«.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Protr. 9.83 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-protrepticus/9/83/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Protr. 9.83 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-protrepticus/9/83/).
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