Miscellanies 1.24.160
Summary: Moses was the source of Greek strategy: leading Israel out, he avoided the direct road, took the desert route, and traveled by night, and the long journey trained the people in faith.
Greek text · Stählin 2:100–101
Ἰδέαις δὲ ἐνέχεται τὸ στρατήγημα τρισίν, ἀσφαλεῖ, παραβόλῳ καὶ τῷ ἐκ τούτων μικτῷ· συντίθεται δὲ τούτων ἕκαστον ἐκ τριῶν, ἢ διὰ λόγου ἢ διʼ ἔργων ἢ καὶ διʼ ἀμφοτέρων ἅμα τούτων. ταῦτα δὲ ὑπάρξει πάντα ἐπιτελεῖν ἢ πείθοντας ἢ βιαζομένους ἢ ἀδικοῦντας ἐν τῷ ἀμύνασθαι, οἷς ἐμπεριέχεται ἢ τὰ δίκαια ποιοῦντας ἢ ψευδομένους ἢ ἀληθεύοντας, ἢ καὶ τούτων ἅμα τισὶ χρωμένους κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν καιρόν. ταῦτα δὲ σύμπαντα καὶ τὸ πῶς δεῖ χρῆσθαι τούτων ἑκάστῳ παρὰ Μωυσέως λαβόντες Ἕλληνες ὠφέληνται. τύπου δὲ ἕνεκεν ἑνὸς ἢ καὶ δευτέρου ἐπιμνησθήσομαι παραδείγματος στρατηγικοῦ. Μωυσῆς τὸν λαὸν ἐξαγαγὼν ὑποπτεύσας ἐπιδιώξειν τοὺς Αἰγυπτίους τὴν ὀλίγην καὶ σύντομον ἀπολιπὼν ὁδὸν ἐπὶ τὴν ἔρημον ἐτρέπετο καὶ νύκτωρ τὰ πολλὰ τῇ πορείᾳ ἐκέχρητο. ἑτέρα γὰρ ἦν οἰκονομία, καθʼ ἣν ἐπαιδεύοντο Ἑβραῖοι διʼ ἐρημίας πολλῆς καὶ χρόνου μακροῦ, εἰς μόνον τὸ πιστεύειν τὸν θεὸν εἶναι διʼ ὑπομονῆς ἐθιζόμενοι σώφρονος.
English · Claude translation
Strategy has three forms: the safe, the daring, and a mixture of these; and each of these is made up of three: by word, by deeds, or by both together. All these it will be possible to accomplish by persuading, or compelling, or wronging in self-defense, which includes acting justly, or lying, or telling the truth, or using some of these together at the same time. The Greeks benefited by taking all these, and how each should be used, from Moses. For the sake of illustration I will mention one or two examples of strategy. Moses, having led the people out, suspecting that the Egyptians would pursue, left the short and direct road and turned toward the desert, and for the most part traveled at night. For there was another plan, by which the Hebrews were trained through much desert and a long time, being accustomed through self-controlled endurance to believe only that God exists.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The allusion is Exod 13:17–18, 21.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.24.160 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/24/160/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 1.24.160 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/1/24/160/).
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