Miscellanies 2.22.136
Summary: We wait in faith for the hope of righteousness, and Proverbs says the one who hears Wisdom will dwell confident; Paul bids us imitate him as he imitates Christ, and Christ God; the aim is likeness to God, the goal the fulfillment of the promise.
Greek text · Stählin 2:188
ἕως καὶ τὰ διανοήματα ὑμῶν ἀπὸ τῆς διανοίας μου. ἡμεῖς τοίνυν κατὰ τὸν γενναῖον ἀπόστολον ἐκ πίστεως ἐλπίδα δικαιοσύνης ἀπεκδεχόμεθα. ἐν γὰρ Χριστῷ οὔτε περιτομή τι ἰσχύει οὔτε ἀκροβυστία, ἀλλὰ πίστις διʼ ἀγάπης ἐνεργουμένη. ἐπιθυμοῦμεν δὲ ἕκαστον ὑμῶν τὴν αὐτὴν ἐνδείκνυσθαι σπουδὴν πρὸς τὴν πληροφορίαν τῆς ἐλπίδος ἕως κατὰ τὴν τάξιν Μελχισεδὲκ ἀρχιερεὺς γενόμενος εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα. τὰ ὅμοια τῷ Παύλῳ καὶ ἡ πανάρετος σοφία λέγει· ὁ δὲ ἐμοῦ ἀκούων κατασκηνώσει ἐπʼ ἐλπίδι πεποιθώς· ἡ γὰρ τῆς ἐλπίδος ἀποκατάστασις ὁμωνύμως ἐλπὶς εἴρηται· διὸ τοῦ κατασκηνώσει τῇ λέξει παγκάλως προσέθηκε τὸ πεποιθώς, δεικνὺς τὸν τοιοῦτον ἀναπεπαῦσθαι ἀπολαβόντα ἣν ἤλπιζεν ἐλπίδα, διὸ καὶ ἐπιφέρει· καὶ ἡσυχάσει ἀφόβως ἀπὸ παντὸς κακοῦ. ἄντικρυς δὲ ὁ ἀπόστολος ἐν τῇ προτέρᾳ τῶν πρὸς Κορινθίους διαρρήδην φησί· μιμηταί μου γίνεσθε καθὼς κἀγὼ Χριστοῦ, ἵνα γένηται ἐκεῖνο· εἰ ὑμεῖς ἐμοῦ, ἐγὼ δὲ Χριστοῦ, ὑμεῖς οὖν μιμηταὶ Χριστοῦ γίνεσθε, Χριστὸς δὲ θεοῦ. τὴν ἐξομοίωσιν τοίνυν τῷ θεῷ εἰς ὅσον οἷόν τε ἦν δίκαιον καὶ ὅσιον μετὰ φρονήσεως γενέσθαι σκοπὸν τῆς πίστεως ὑποτίθεται, τέλος δὲ τὴν ἐπὶ τῇ πίστει τῆς ἐπαγγελίας ἀποκατάστασιν. ἐκ τούτων οὖν αἱ πηγαὶ τῶν περὶ τέλους δογματισάντων ἃς προειρήκαμεν βλύζουσιν. ἀλλὰ τούτων μὲν ἅλις
English · Claude translation
as far as “and your thoughts from my thought.” We, then, according to the noble apostle, “by faith wait for the hope of righteousness. For in Christ neither circumcision nor uncircumcision avails anything, but faith working through love.” “And we desire each of you to show the same eagerness for the full assurance of hope,” as far as “having become a high priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.” All-virtuous Wisdom says things like Paul's: “But the one who hears me will dwell confident in hope”; for the restoration of hope is called hope by the same name. That is why to the word “will dwell” it very finely added “confident,” showing that such a one is at rest, having received the hope he hoped for. That is why it adds: “And he will be quiet without fear of any evil.” And the apostle, in the first letter to the Corinthians, says plainly: “Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ,” so that this may come about: if you are imitators of me, and I of Christ, then you are imitators of Christ, and Christ of God. He sets forth, then, as the aim of faith likeness to God, as far as possible, becoming just and holy with prudence; and as the goal, the restoration of the promise upon faith. From these, then, flow the springs of the doctrines about the goal that we mentioned before. But enough of these.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Isa 55:9, Gal 5:5–6, Heb 6:11–20, Prov 1:33, and 1 Cor 11:1. The philosophers' views of the goal are said to flow from these Scriptures.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (wrong accent on the relative ἃς; wrong breathing on ἀπὸ): τὰ διανοήματα ὑμῶν ἁπὸ τῆς διανοίας → τὰ διανοήματα ὑμῶν ἀπὸ τῆς διανοίας; περὶ τέλους δογματισάντων ἅς προειρήκαμεν → περὶ τέλους δογματισάντων ἃς προειρήκαμεν.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 2.22.136 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/2/22/136/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 2.22.136 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/2/22/136/).
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