Miscellanies 1.20.97
Summary: Philosophy is a joint cause helping toward the truth, like one of many men hauling a ship; truth is one, with partial truths in each field, but the sovereign, unassailable truth is found through the Son.
Greek text · Stählin 2:62
Ὡς δὲ οἱ πολλοὶ ἄνθρωποι οἱ καθέλκοντες τὴν ναῦν οὐ πολλὰ αἴτια λέγοιντʼ ἄν, ἀλλʼ ἐκ πολλῶν αἴτιον ἕν (οὐκ ἔστι γὰρ αἴτιος ἕκαστος τοῦ καθέλκεσθαι τὴν ναῦν, ἀλλὰ σὺν τοῖς ἄλλοις), οὕτω καὶ ἡ φιλοσοφία πρὸς κατάληψιν τῆς ἀληθείας, ζήτησις οὖσα ἀληθείας, συλλαμβάνεται, οὐκ αἰτία οὖσα καταλήψεως, σὺν δὲ τοῖς ἄλλοις αἰτία καὶ συνεργός. τάχα δὲ καὶ τὸ συναίτιον αἴτιον. ὡς δὲ, ἑνὸς ὄντος τοῦ εὐδαιμονεῖν, αἴτιαι τυγχάνουσιν αἱ ἀρεταὶ πλείονες ὑπάρχουσαι. καὶ ὡς τοῦ θερμαίνεσθαι ὅ τε ἥλιος τό τε πῦρ βαλανεῖόν τε καὶ ἐσθής, οὕτω μιᾶς οὔσης τῆς ἀληθείας πολλὰ τὰ συλλαμβανόμενα πρὸς ζήτησιν αὐτῆς, ἡ δὲ εὕρεσις διʼ υἱοῦ. εἰ γοῦν σκοποῖμεν, μία κατὰ δύναμίν ἐστιν ἡ ἀρετή, ταύτην δὲ συμβέβηκεν τούτοις μὲν τοῖς πράγμασιν ἐγγενομένην λέγεσθαι φρόνησιν, ἐν τούτοις δὲ σωφροσύνην, ἐν τούτοις δὲ ἀνδρείαν ἢ δικαιοσύνην. ἀνὰ τὸν αὐτὸν οὖν λόγον, καὶ μιᾶς οὔσης ἀληθείας, ἐν γεωμετρίᾳ μὲν γεωμετρίας ἀλήθεια, ἐν μουσικῇ δὲ μουσικῆς, κἀν φιλοσοφίᾳ τῇ ὀρθῇ Ἑλληνικὴ εἴη ἂν ἀλήθεια. μόνη δὲ ἡ κυρία αὕτη ἀλήθεια ἀπαρεγχείρητος, ἣν παρὰ τῷ υἱῷ τοῦ θεοῦ παιδευόμεθα.
English · Claude translation
As the many men who drag a ship down to the sea would not be called many causes, but one cause from many (for each is not the cause of the ship being dragged, but with the others), so philosophy too, being an inquiry into truth, helps toward the apprehension of truth, not being the cause of apprehension, but a cause together with the others and a fellow worker. Perhaps a joint cause is also a cause. And as, happiness being one, the virtues that are many are its causes; and as the sun, fire, the bath, and clothing are causes of being warmed; so, truth being one, many things help toward seeking it, but the finding is through the Son. At any rate, if we consider, virtue is one in power; but it happens that, arising in these matters, it is called prudence, in these self-control, in these courage or justice. By the same reasoning, since truth is one, in geometry there is the truth of geometry, in music that of music, and in right philosophy there would be Greek truth. But the sovereign truth alone is unassailable, which we learn from the Son of God.
About this passage
Notes
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (wrong breathing and accent on the relative ἣν): ἀπαρεγχείρητος, ἢν παρὰ τῷ υἱῷ → ἀπαρεγχείρητος, ἣν παρὰ τῷ υἱῷ.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.20.97 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/20/97/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.20.97 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/20/97/).
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