Miscellanies 1.11.52
Summary: True philosophy, following the divine tradition, upholds providence and the Creator, and teaches likeness to God; the philosophy Paul condemns deifies the elements and denies providence.
Greek text · Stählin 2:33–34
ὡς οὖν παρελάβετε Ἰησοῦν Χριστὸν τὸν κύριον, ἐν αὐτῷ περιπατεῖτε, ἐρριζωμένοι καὶ ἐποικοδομούμενοι ἐν αὐτῷ καὶ βεβαιούμενοι ἐν τῇ πίστει, πειθὼ δὲ ἡ βεβαίωσις τῆς πίστεως· βλέπετε μή τις ὑμᾶς ἔσται ὁ συλαγωγῶν ἀπὸ τῆς πίστεως τῆς εἰς τὸν Χριστὸν διὰ τῆς φιλοσοφίας καὶ κενῆς ἀπάτης, τῆς ἀναιρούσης τὴν πρόνοιαν, κατὰ τὴν παράδοσιν τῶν ἀνθρώπων· ἡ γὰρ κατὰ τὴν θείαν παράδοσιν φιλοσοφία ἵστησι τὴν πρόνοιαν καὶ βεβαιοῖ, ἧς ἀναιρεθείσης μῦθος ἡ περὶ τὸν σωτῆρα οἰκονομία φαίνεται, κατὰ τὰ στοιχεῖα τοῦ κόσμου καὶ οὐ κατὰ Χριστὸν φερομένων ἡμῶν. ἡ γὰρ ἀκόλουθος Χριστῷ διδασκαλία καὶ τὸν δημιουργὸν ἐκθειάζει καὶ τὴν πρόνοιαν μέχρι τῶν κατὰ μέρος ἄγει καὶ τρεπτὴν καὶ γενητὴν οἶδεν τὴν τῶν στοιχείων φύσιν καὶ πολιτεύεσθαι εἰς δύναμιν ἐξομοιωτικὴν τῷ θεῷ διδάσκει καὶ τὴν οἰκονομίαν ὡς ἡγεμονικὸν τῆς ἁπάσης προσίεσθαι παιδείας. στοιχεῖα δὲ σέβουσι Διογένης μὲν τὸν ἀέρα, Θαλῆς δὲ τὸ ὕδωρ, Ἵππασος δὲ τὸ πῦρ, καὶ οἱ τὰς ἀτόμους ἀρχὰς ὑποτιθέμενοι, φιλοσοφίας ὄνομα ὑποδυόμενοι, ἄθεοί τινες ἀνθρωπίσκοι καὶ φιλήδονοι.
English · Claude translation
“As, then, you received Christ Jesus the Lord, walk in him, rooted and built up in him and confirmed in the faith”; and persuasion is the confirmation of faith. “See that there be no one who carries you off as spoil” from faith in Christ “through philosophy and empty deceit,” which abolishes providence, “according to the tradition of men.” For the philosophy that follows the divine tradition establishes and confirms providence; if providence is abolished, the plan of salvation concerning the Savior appears a myth, as we are carried along “according to the elements of the world and not according to Christ.” For the teaching that follows Christ both honors the Creator as divine and carries providence down to particulars, knows that the nature of the elements is changeable and created, teaches us to live so as to be made like God as far as possible, and to accept the plan of salvation as the governing principle of all education. The elements are worshiped: air by Diogenes, water by Thales, fire by Hippasus, and by those who propose atoms as first principles, who put on the name of philosophy, some godless and pleasure-loving little men.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Col 2:6–8. Diogenes of Apollonia, Thales, and Hippasus made air, water, and fire the first principle; the atomists are Democritus and Epicurus.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray period in the digital text; word repeated in the digital text; wrong accent on οὖν; wrong breathing and accent on εἰς): ὡς οὗν παρελάβετε → ὡς οὖν παρελάβετε; Χριστὸν τὸν κύριον. ἐν αὐτῷ → Χριστὸν τὸν κύριον, ἐν αὐτῷ; καὶ τὸν τὸν δημιουργὸν → καὶ τὸν δημιουργὸν; πολιτεύεσθαι εἷς δύναμιν → πολιτεύεσθαι εἰς δύναμιν.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.11.52 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/11/52/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.11.52 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/11/52/).
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