Miscellanies 2.11.50
Summary: The manna jar holding a tenth of three measures points to sense, speech, and mind; the one who knows avoids sins of all three, as the Lord teaches; the human being is a decad.
Greek text · Stählin 2:139–140
Ἡνίκα γοῦν τῆς οὐρανίου καὶ θείας τροφῆς τὸ μνημόσυνον ἐν στάμνῳ χρυσῷ καθιεροῦσθαι προσετάττετο, τὸ γόμορ φησὶ τὸ δέκατον τῶν τριῶν μέτρων ἦν. ἐν ἡμῖν γὰρ αὐτοῖς τρία μέτρα, τρία κριτήρια μηνύεται, αἴσθησις μὲν αἰσθητῶν, λεγομένων δὲ καὶ ὀνομάτων καὶ ῥημάτων ὁ λόγος, νοητῶν δὲ νοῦς. ὁ τοίνυν γνωστικὸς ἀφέξεται μὲν τῶν κατὰ λόγον καὶ τῶν κατὰ διάνοιαν καὶ τῶν κατὰ αἴσθησιν καὶ ἐνέργειαν ἁμαρτημάτων, ἀκηκοὼς ὅπως ὁ ἰδὼν πρὸς ἐπιθυμίαν ἐμοίχευσεν, λαβών τε ἐν νῷ ὡς μακάριοι οἱ καθαροὶ τῇ καρδίᾳ, ὅτι αὐτοὶ τὸν θεὸν ὄψονται, κἀκεῖνο ἐπιστάμενος ὅτι οὐ τὰ εἰσερχόμενα εἰς τὸ στόμα κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐξερχόμενα διὰ τοῦ στόματος ἐκεῖνα κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον· ἐκ γὰρ τῆς καρδίας ἐξέρχονται διαλογισμοί. τοῦτʼ, οἶμαι, τὸ κατὰ θεὸν ἀληθινὸν καὶ δίκαιον μέτρον, ᾧ μετρεῖται τὰ μετρούμενα, ἡ τὸν ἄνθρωπον συνέχουσα δεκάς, ἣν ἐπὶ κεφαλαίων τὰ προειρημένα τρία ἐδήλωσεν μέτρα. εἴη δʼ ἂν σῶμά τε καὶ ψυχὴ αἵ τε πέντε αἰσθήσεις καὶ τὸ φωνητικὸν καὶ σπερματικὸν καὶ τὸ διανοητικὸν ἢ πνευματικὸν ἢ ὅπως καὶ βούλει καλεῖν.
English · Claude translation
When, at any rate, it was commanded that the memorial of the heavenly and divine food should be consecrated in a golden jar, “the gomor,” it says, “was the tenth of the three measures.” For in ourselves three measures, three criteria, are indicated: sense for things perceived by the senses; speech for things said, both names and words; mind for things known by the intellect. The one who knows, then, will abstain from sins of speech, of thought, and of sense and action, having heard how “he who looks with desire has committed adultery,” and taking to heart that “blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God,” and knowing this too, that “it is not what goes into the mouth that defiles a person, but what comes out through the mouth, that defiles a person; for out of the heart come thoughts.” This, I think, is the true and just measure according to God, by which what is measured is measured: the decad that holds the human being together, which the three measures just mentioned showed in summary. It would be body and soul, the five senses, the power of speech, the power of generation, and the intellectual or spiritual power, or whatever you wish to call it.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations and allusions are Exod 16:33, 36, Matt 5:28, 8, 15:11, 18–19. The decad lists ten parts: body, soul, five senses, speech, generation, and intellect.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray period in the digital text): κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον. ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐξερχόμενα → κοινοῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον, ἀλλὰ τὰ ἐξερχόμενα.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 2.11.50 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/2/11/50/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 2.11.50 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/2/11/50/).
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