Sophia Scriptura

Who Is the Rich Man That Is Saved? 10.2

Clement of Alexandria · Who Is the Rich Man That Is Saved? · ca. 190–210 · Alexandria · Read in context

Summary: God does not force salvation but gives it to those who desire and ask for it.

Greek text · Stählin 3:165–166

δίδωσι δὲ βουλομένοις καὶ ὑπερεσπουδακόσι καὶ δεομένοις, ἵνʼ οὕτως ἴδιον αὐτῶν ἡ σωτηρία γένηται. οὐ γὰρ ἀναγκάζει ὁ θεός, βία γὰρ ἐχθρὸν θεῷ, ἀλλὰ τοῖς ζητοῦσι πορίζει καὶ τοῖς αἰτοῦσι παρέχει καὶ τοῖς κρούουσιν ἀνοίγει.

English · Claude translation

He gives to those who wish, who are very earnest, and who ask, so that salvation may thus become their own. For God does not compel (force is hateful to God), but provides for those who seek, gives to those who ask, and opens to those who knock.

About this passage

Source
Stählin 3:165–166 · Otto Stählin, ed., Clemens Alexandrinus, vol. 3, Stromata Buch VII und VIII, Excerpta ex Theodoto, Eclogae propheticae, Quis dives salvetur, Fragmente, GCS 17 (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1909) · Greek text: Otto Stählin, Clemens Alexandrinus 3 (GCS 17, 1909), 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), 2026-09-27 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Stählin (1909); made independently of existing English translations.
Scripture
Extrabiblical texts
  • Diogn. 7.4 (To Diognetus) · echo, medium confidence
Topics
Ethics

Notes

Translation notes

  • The allusion is Matt 7:7–8. “Force is hateful to God” is also in Diogn. 7.4.

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Quis div. 10.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-quis-dives/10/2/).

Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Quis div. 10.2 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-quis-dives/10/2/).

Download citation:BibTeX ·RIS (Zotero, EndNote)

Whole work:BibTeX ·RIS ·Markdown text

Report an error in this passage