Miscellanies 2.13.57
Summary: God in mercy allows one second repentance after baptism for those overcome by temptation; but repeated repentance followed by the same sins is no better than unbelief, since such a person sins knowingly.
Greek text · Stählin 2:143–144
ἔδωκεν οὖν ἄλλην ἔτι τοῖς κἀν τῇ πίστει περιπίπτουσί τινι πλημμελήματι πολυέλεος ὢν μετάνοιαν δευτέραν, ἵνʼ, εἴ τις ἐκπειρασθείη μετὰ τὴν κλῆσιν, βιασθεὶς δὲ καὶ κατασοφισθείς, μίαν ἔτι μετάνοιαν ἀμετανόητον λάβῃ. ἑκουσίως γὰρ ἁμαρτανόντων ἡμῶν μετὰ τὸ λαβεῖν τὴν ἐπίγνωσιν τῆς ἀληθείας, οὐκέτι περὶ ἁμαρτιῶν ἀπολείπεται θυσία, φοβερὰ δέ τις ἐκδοχὴ κρίσεως καὶ πυρὸς ζῆλος ἐσθίειν μέλλοντος τοὺς ὑπεναντίους. αἱ δὲ συνεχεῖς καὶ ἐπάλληλοι ἐπὶ τοῖς ἁμαρτήμασι μετάνοιαι οὐδὲν τῶν καθάπαξ μὴ πεπιστευκότων διαφέρουσιν ἢ μόνῳ τῷ συναίσθεσθαι ὅτι ἁμαρτάνουσι· καὶ οὐκ οἶδʼ ὁπότερον αὐτοῖν χεῖρον, ἢ τὸ εἰδότα ἁμαρτάνειν ἢ μετανοήσαντα ἐφʼ οἷς ἥμαρτεν πλημμελεῖν αὖθις· τῷ ἐλέγχεσθαι γὰρ ἑκατέρωθεν ἡ ἁμαρτία φαίνεται, ἣ μὲν ἐπὶ τῷ πραχθῆναι καταγινωσκομένη πρὸς τοῦ ἐργάτου τῆς ἀνομίας, ἣ δὲ τὸ πραχθησόμενον προγινώσκοντος ὡς φαῦλον ἐπιχειροῦντος. καὶ ὃ μὲν θυμῷ χαρίζεται ἴσως καὶ ἡδονῇ, οὐκ ἀγνοῶν τίσι χαρίζεται· ὃ δὲ ἐφʼ οἷς ἐχαρίσατο μετανοῶν, εἶτα παλινδρομῶν αὖθις εἰς ἡδονήν, συνάπτει τῷ τὴν ἀρχὴν ἑκουσίως ἐξαμαρτάνοντι· ἐφʼ ᾧ γάρ τις μετενόησεν, αὖθις τοῦτο ποιῶν, οὗ πράσσει κατεγνωκώς.
English · Claude translation
He therefore, being very merciful, gave to those who, even in faith, fall into some offense, a second repentance, so that if anyone should be tempted after the calling, being overpowered and deceived, he might receive one more repentance not to be repented of. “For if we sin willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, but a fearful expectation of judgment and a zeal of fire that will consume the adversaries.” But continual and repeated repentances for sins differ in nothing from those who have not believed at all, except only in being aware that they sin. And I do not know which of the two is worse, to sin knowingly, or, having repented of one's sins, to offend again. For in both cases sin appears by being convicted: in the one it is condemned by the worker of lawlessness in the act itself; in the other, by one who foreknows what he is about to do and undertakes it as bad. And the one perhaps gratifies anger and pleasure, not ignorant of what he gratifies; but the one who, repenting of what he gratified, then runs back again to pleasure, is joined with the one who sins willfully from the beginning. For the one who does again what he repented of, having condemned what he does,
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The second repentance comes from Hermas, Mand. 4.3.6. The quotation is Heb 10:26–27. The digital text repeats ἀρχὴν (“the beginning”); it is translated once.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (word repeated in the digital text; wrong accent on the relative ἣ): ἥ δὲ τὸ πραχθησόμενον → ἣ δὲ τὸ πραχθησόμενον; τὴν ἀρχὴν ἀρχὴν ἑκουσίως → τὴν ἀρχὴν ἑκουσίως.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 2.13.57 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/2/13/57/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 2.13.57 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/2/13/57/).
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