Miscellanies 1.21.134

Summary: Clement lists more Egyptian and Greek seers, all later than the Hebrew prophets.

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Greek text · Stählin 2:83

ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν παρʼ Αἰγυπτίοις ἀνθρώπων ποτέ, γενομένων δὲ ἀνθρωπίνῃ δόξῃ θεῶν, Ἑρμῆς τε ὁ Θηβαῖος καὶ Ἀσκληπιὸς ὁ Μεμφίτης, Τειρεσίας τε αὖ καὶ Μαντὼ ἐν Θήβαις, ὥς φησιν Εὐριπίδης, Ἕλενος ἤδη καὶ Λαοκόων καὶ Οἰνώνη Κεβρῆνος ἐν Ἰλίῳ· † Κρῆνος γὰρ εἷς τῶν Ἡρακλειδῶν ἐπιφανὴς φέρεται μάντις καὶ Ἴαμος ἄλλος ἐν Ἤλιδι, ἀφʼ οὗ οἱ Ἰαμίδαι, Πολύιδός τε ἐν Ἄργει καὶ ἐν Μεγάροις, οὗ μέμνηται ἡ τραγῳδία. τί μοι Τήλεμον καταλέγειν, ὃς Κυκλώπων μάντις ὢν Πολυφήμῳ θεσπίζει τὰ κατὰ τὴν Ὀδυσσέως πλάνην, ἢ τὸν Ἀθήνησιν Ὀνομάκριτον ἢ τὸν Ἀμφιάρεων τὸν σὺν τοῖς ἑπτὰ τοῖς ἐπὶ Θήβας στρατεύσασι μιᾷ γενεᾷ τῆς Ἰλίου ἁλώσεως πρεσβύτερον φερόμενον ἢ Θεοκλύμενον ἐν Κεφαλληνίᾳ ἢ Τελμησσὸν ἐν Καρίᾳ ἢ Γαλεὸν ἐν Σικελίᾳ; εἶεν δʼ ἂν καὶ ἕτεροι πρὸς τούτοις, Ἴδμων ὁ σὺν τοῖς Ἀργοναύταις, Φημονόη Δελφίς, Μόψος ὁ Ἀπόλλωνος καὶ Μαντοῦς ἐν Παμφυλίᾳ καὶ Κιλικίᾳ, Ἀμφίλοχος Ἀμφιαράου ἐν Κιλικίᾳ, Ἀλκμέων ἐν Ἀκαρνᾶσιν, Ἄνιος ἐν Δήλῳ Ἀρίστανδρός τε ὁ Τελμησσεὺς ὁ σὺν Ἀλεξάνδρῳ γενόμενος. ἤδη δὲ καὶ Ὀρφέα Φιλόχορος μάντιν ἱστορεῖ γενέσθαι ἐν τῷ πρώτῳ Περὶ μαντικῆς.

English · Claude translation

And among the Egyptians there were men who were once men but became gods by human opinion, Hermes of Thebes and Asclepius of Memphis; and further Tiresias and Manto at Thebes, as Euripides says; Helenus, Laocoon, and Oenone, daughter of Cebren, at Ilium; … for Crenus, one of the Heraclidae, is reported a famous seer, and Iamus another in Elis, from whom the Iamidae come; and Polyidus in Argos and in Megara, whom tragedy mentions. Why should I list Telemus, who, being the seer of the Cyclopes, foretold to Polyphemus the wandering of Odysseus; or Onomacritus at Athens; or Amphiaraus, who marched with the Seven against Thebes, said to be a generation older than the capture of Ilium; or Theoclymenus in Cephallenia, or Telmessus in Caria, or Galeus in Sicily? There might be others besides these: Idmon, who sailed with the Argonauts; Phemonoe of Delphi; Mopsus, son of Apollo and Manto, in Pamphylia and Cilicia; Amphilochus, son of Amphiaraus, in Cilicia; Alcmaeon among the Acarnanians; Anius in Delos; and Aristander of Telmessus, who was with Alexander. Philochorus even relates, in the first book of his On Divination, that Orpheus was a seer.

About this passage

Source
Stählin 2:83 · Otto Stählin, ed., Clemens Alexandrinus, vol. 2, Stromata Buch I–VI, GCS 15 (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1906); vol. 3, Stromata Buch VII und VIII, GCS 17 (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1909) · Greek text: Otto Stählin, Clemens Alexandrinus 2–3 (GCS 15, 17, 1906–1909), digitized by the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0
Translation
Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Stählin (1906–1909); made independently of existing English translations.
Extrabiblical texts
  • Homer, Od. 9.507–512 (Homer, Odyssey) · allusion, high confidence
Topics
Scripture and canon

Notes

Translation notes

  • The text is corrupt in one place (dagger). Telemus is in Homer, Odyssey 9.507–512.

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.21.134 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/21/134/).

Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.21.134 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/21/134/).

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