Miscellanies 2.22.135
Summary: Ezekiel describes the righteous man who avoids idolatry, adultery, and oppression, gives to the poor, and takes no interest; he shall live; Isaiah calls the wicked to seek the Lord and turn to him.
Greek text · Stählin 2:187–188
τὰ ὅμοια καὶ παρὰ τῷ Ἰεζεκιὴλ εὕροις ἂν οὕτως ἔχοντα· ἡ ψυχὴ ἁμαρτάνουσα αὕτη ἀποθανεῖται. καὶ ἀνὴρ ὃς ἂν γένηται δίκαιος καὶ ποιήσῃ κρῖμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην, ἐπὶ τὰ ὄρη οὐκ ἔφαγεν, καὶ τοὺς ὀφθαλμοὺς αὐτοῦ οὐκ ἦρεν ἐπὶ τὰ εἴδωλα οἴκου Ἰσραήλ, καὶ τὴν γυναῖκα τοῦ πλησίον οὐκ ἐμίανεν, καὶ πρὸς γυναῖκα ἐν χωρισμῷ ἀκαθαρσίας αὐτῆς οὐ προσῆλθεν (οὐ γὰρ ἐφύβριστον τὴν ἀνθρώπου σπορὰν εἶναι βούλεται), καὶ ἄνδρα, φησί, μὴ κακώσῃ, ἐνεχύρασμα ὀφείλοντος ἀποδώσει, ἅρπαγμα οὐ μὴ ἁρπάσῃ, τὸν ἄρτον αὐτοῦ πεινῶντι δώσει, καὶ γυμνὸν περιβαλεῖ, τὸ ἀργύριον αὐτοῦ ἐπὶ τόκῳ οὐ δώσει, καὶ πλεονασμὸν οὐ λήψεται, ἐξ ἀδικίας ἀποστρέψει τὴν χεῖρα αὐτοῦ, κρῖμα ἀληθινὸν ποιήσει ἀνὰ μέσον ἀνδρὸς καὶ τοῦ πλησίον, ἐν τοῖς δικαιώμασί μου πορεύσεται καὶ τὰ δικαιώματά μου ἐφύλαξε τοῦ ποιῆσαι ἀλήθειαν· δίκαιός ἐστι, ζωῇ ζήσεται, λέγει ἀδωναῒ κύριος, ὅ τε Ἡσαΐας τὸν μὲν πιστεύσαντα εἰς σεμνότητα βίου, τὸν γνωστικὸν δὲ εἰς ἐπίστασιν παρακαλῶν, μὴ τὴν αὐτὴν εἶναι ἀρετὴν ἀνθρώπου καὶ θεοῦ παριστὰς ὧδέ φησι· ζητήσατε τὸν κύριον, καὶ ἐν τῷ εὑρίσκειν αὐτὸν ἐπικαλέσασθε· ἡνίκα δʼ ἂν ἐγγίζῃ ὑμῖν, ἀπολειπέτω ὁ ἀσεβὴς τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀνὴρ ἄνομος τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐπιστραφήτω πρὸς κύριον, καὶ ἐλεηθήσεται
English · Claude translation
You would find similar things in Ezekiel too, thus: “The soul that sins, it shall die. And a man who is righteous and does judgment and righteousness has not eaten on the mountains, and has not lifted his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, and has not defiled his neighbor's wife, and has not approached a woman in the separation of her uncleanness” (for he does not wish the seed of man to be insulted); “and he will not oppress a man,” it says; “he will return the debtor's pledge; he will not commit robbery; he will give his bread to the hungry and clothe the naked; he will not give his money at interest, and will not take increase; he will turn his hand away from injustice; he will do true judgment between a man and his neighbor; he will walk in my ordinances and has kept my judgments to do the truth: he is righteous, he shall surely live, says Adonai the Lord.” And Isaiah, exhorting the believer to dignity of life and the one who knows to understanding, and showing that the virtue of man and of God is not the same, says: “Seek the Lord, and when you find him call on him; and when he draws near to you, let the ungodly forsake his ways and the lawless man his ways, and let him turn to the Lord, and he will be shown mercy,”
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Ezek 18:4–9 and Isa 55:6–9.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (letter missing in the digital text; word repeated in the digital text): ποιήσῃ κρῖμα καὶ δικαιοσύνη, → ποιήσῃ κρῖμα καὶ δικαιοσύνην,; τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοὺς αὐτοῦ → τὰς ὁδοὺς αὐτοῦ.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 2.22.135 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/2/22/135/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 2.22.135 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/2/22/135/).
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