Who Is the Rich Man That Is Saved? 27.1

Summary: The plain meaning of the parable teaches the rich neither to despair nor to throw their wealth away, but to learn how to use it and gain life.

Greek text · Stählin 3:177

οὐ μὴν ἀλλὰ τό γε φαινόμενον πρῶτον καὶ διʼ ὃ λέλεκται τῆς παραβολῆς παρεχέσθω. διδασκέτω τοὺς εὐποροῦντας ὡς οὐκ ἀμελητέον τῆς ἑαυτῶν σωτηρίας ὡς ἤδη προκατεγνωσμένους οὐδὲ καταποντιστέον αὖ πάλιν τὸν πλοῦτον οὐδὲ καταδικαστέον ὡς τῆς ζωῆς ἐπίβουλον καὶ πολέμιον, ἀλλὰ μαθητέον τίνα τρόπον καὶ πῶς πλούτῳ χρηστέον καὶ τὴν ζωὴν κτητέον.

English · Claude translation

Nevertheless, let the evident, primary meaning of the parable, and the reason it was spoken, be set out. Let it teach the prosperous that they must not neglect their own salvation as though already condemned, nor, on the other hand, sink their wealth in the sea or condemn it as a plotter and enemy of life, but learn in what way and how wealth is to be used and life obtained.

About this passage

Source

Stählin 3:177 · 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.

Topics

Ethics

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Quis div. 27.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-quis-dives/27/1/).

Plain text

Clement of Alexandria, Quis div. 27.1 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-quis-dives/27/1/).