Sophia Scriptura

Miscellanies 2.16.75

Clement of Alexandria · Miscellanies · ca. 198–203 · Alexandria · Read in context

Summary: God's greatest goodness is to care for us though we are not related to him by nature, only as works of his will; he calls to adoption those who seek the truth; our sins, not God, ensnare us.

Greek text · Stählin 2:152

καὶ δὴ ἡ μεγίστη τῆς τοῦ θεοῦ ἀγαθότητος ἔνδειξις αὕτη τυγχάνει, ὅτι οὕτως ἐχόντων ἡμῶν πρὸς αὐτὸν καὶ φύσει ἀπηλλοτριωμένων παντελῶς ὅμως κήδεται. φυσικὴ μὲν γὰρ ἡ πρὸς τὰ τέκνα φιλοστοργία τοῖς ζῴοις ἥ τε ἐκ συνηθείας τοῖς ὁμογνώμοσι φιλία, θεοῦ δὲ ὁ ἔλεος εἰς ἡμᾶς πλούσιος τοὺς κατὰ μηδὲν αὐτῷ προσήκοντας, τῇ οὐσίᾳ ἡμῶν λέγω ἢ φύσει ἢ δυνάμει τῇ οἰκείᾳ τῆς οὐσίας ἡμῶν, μόνῳ δὲ τῷ ἔργον εἶναι τοῦ θελήματος αὐτοῦ· καὶ δὴ τὸν ἑκόντα μετὰ ἀσκήσεως καὶ διδασκαλίας τὴν γνῶσιν τῆς ἀληθείας ἐπανῃρημένον εἰς υἱοθεσίαν καλεῖ, τὴν μεγίστην πασῶν προκοπήν. παρανομίαι δὲ ἄνδρα ἀγρεύουσι, σειραῖς δὲ τῶν ἑαυτοῦ ἁμαρτιῶν ἕκαστος σφίγγεται, καὶ ἔστιν ὁ θεὸς ἀναίτιος· καὶ τῷ ὄντι μακάριος ἀνὴρ ὃς καταπτήσσει πάντα διʼ εὐλάβειαν.

English · Claude translation

And indeed this is the greatest demonstration of God's goodness: that, though we are so related to him and wholly estranged by nature, he nevertheless cares for us. For the love of animals for their young is natural, and so is friendship among the like-minded from familiarity; but God's mercy toward us is rich, though we are in no way related to him, I mean in our substance or nature or in the power proper to our substance, but only in being the work of his will. And he calls to adoption, the greatest advance of all, the one who willingly, with discipline and teaching, has taken up the knowledge of the truth. “Lawless deeds ensnare a man, and each one is bound with the cords of his own sins”; and God is not responsible. And truly “blessed is the man who is in awe of all things” through reverence.

About this passage

Source
Stählin 2:152 · 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.
Scripture
Extrabiblical texts
  • Plato, Republic 10.617e (Plato (works)) · echo, medium confidence
Topics
Ethics

Notes

Translation notes

  • The quotations are Prov 5:22 and Prov 28:14. “God is not responsible” echoes Plato, Republic 10.617e.

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 2.16.75 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/2/16/75/).

Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 2.16.75 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/2/16/75/).

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