Miscellanies 1.11.54
Summary: Instruction needs loving reproof; the upright seek knowledge of God; God's kingdom is in power, not persuasive words; knowledge that puffs up is not truth, but love builds up.
Greek text · Stählin 2:35
παιδεία δὲ ἀνεξέλεγκτος πλανᾶται, καὶ αἱ πληγαὶ καὶ οἱ ἔλεγχοι διδόασι παιδείαν σοφίας, οἱ μετʼ ἀγάπης δηλονότι ἔλεγχοι· καρδία γὰρ εὐθεῖα ἐκζητεῖ γνῶσιν, ὅτι ὁ ζητῶν τὸν θεὸν εὑρήσει γνῶσιν μετὰ δικαιοσύνης, οἱ δὲ ὀρθῶς ζητήσαντες αὐτὸν εἰρήνην εὗρον. καὶ γνώσομαι, φησίν, οὐ τὸν λόγον τῶν πεφυσιωμένων, ἀλλὰ τὴν δύναμιν, τοὺς δοκησισόφους καὶ οἰομένους εἶναι, οὐκ ὄντας δὲ σοφοὺς ἐπιρραπίζων γράφει. οὐ γὰρ ἐν λόγῳ ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ θεοῦ, οὐ τῷ ἀληθεῖ, ἀλλὰ καθʼ ὑπόληψιν πιθανῷ, ἐν δυνάμει δὲ εἶπεν· μόνη γὰρ ἡ ἀλήθεια δυνατή. καὶ πάλιν· εἴ τις δοκεῖ ἐγνωκέναι τι, οὔπω ἔγνω καθὸ δεῖ γνῶναι· οὐ γάρ ποτε ἡ ἀλήθεια οἴησις, ἀλλʼ ἡ μὲν ὑπόληψις τῆς γνώσεως φυσιοῖ καὶ τύφου ἐμπίπλησιν, οἰκοδομεῖ δὲ ἡ ἀγάπη, μὴ περὶ τὴν οἴησιν, ἀλλὰ περὶ τὴν ἀλήθειαν ἀναστρεφομένη. ὅθεν εἴ τις ἀγαπᾷ, οὗτος ἔγνωσται λέγει.
English · Claude translation
“Instruction without reproof goes astray,” and “stripes and reproofs give the instruction of wisdom,” reproofs, clearly, given with love. For “an upright heart seeks knowledge,” since “the one who seeks God will find knowledge with righteousness,” and “those who have sought him rightly have found peace.” “And I will know,” he says, “not the word of those who are puffed up, but their power,” writing to rebuke those who think themselves wise and suppose they are, but are not. “For the kingdom of God is not in word,” not the true word, but the one plausible according to opinion, “but in power,” he said; for only the truth is powerful. And again: “If anyone thinks he knows something, he does not yet know as he ought to know.” For truth is never conceit; but the supposition of knowledge puffs up and fills with pride, while love builds up, being occupied not with conceit but with truth. Hence he says, “If anyone loves, he is known.”
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Prov 10:17, Prov 29:15, Prov 15:14 (LXX), Sir 32:14 (LXX), Wis 1:1 (echo), 1 Cor 4:19–20, and 1 Cor 8:1–3.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray period in the digital text): οὐ τῷ ἀληθεῖ. ἀλλὰ καθʼ ὑπόληψιν → οὐ τῷ ἀληθεῖ, ἀλλὰ καθʼ ὑπόληψιν.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.11.54 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/11/54/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.11.54 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/11/54/).
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