Miscellanies 3.12.85
Summary: Paul foretold that some would forbid marriage and foods, which God created good to be received with thanksgiving; no one may be compelled to abstain from marriage, meat, or wine, though abstaining with thanksgiving is also good.
Greek text · Stählin 2:235
καὶ μή τι ἐπὶ τῶν τοιούτων εἰκότως τὸ πνεῦμα ἄντικρυς λέγει ὅτι ἐν ὑστέροις καιροῖς ἀποστήσονταί τινες τῆς πίστεως, προσέχοντες πνεύμασι πλάνοις καὶ διδασκαλίαις δαιμονίων, ἐν ὑποκρίσει ψευδολόγων, κεκαυτηριασμένων τὴν συνείδησιν καὶ κωλυόντων γαμεῖν, ἀπέχεσθαι βρωμάτων, ἃ ὁ θεὸς ἔκτισεν εἰς μετάληψιν μετʼ εὐχαριστίας τοῖς πιστοῖς καὶ ἐπεγνωκόσι τὴν ἀλήθειαν. ὅτι πᾶν κτίσμα θεοῦ καλόν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἀπόβλητον μετʼ εὐχαριστίας λαμβανόμενον. ἁγιάζεται γὰρ διὰ λόγου θεοῦ καὶ ἐντεύξεως. ἐπάναγκες μὲν οὖν οὐ κωλυτέον γαμεῖν οὐδὲ μὴν κρεοφαγεῖν ἢ οἰνοποτεῖν, γέγραπται γάρ· καλὸν τὸ μὴ φαγεῖν κρέα μηδὲ πίνειν οἶνον, ἐὰν διὰ προσκόμματος ἐσθίῃ· καὶ καλὸν μένειν ὡς κἀγώ, ἀλλʼ ὅ τε χρώμενος μετʼ εὐχαριστίας ὅ τε αὖ μὴ χρώμενος καὶ αὐτὸς μετʼ εὐχαριστίας
English · Claude translation
And does not the Spirit fittingly say plainly about such people that “in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceiving spirits and teachings of demons, through the hypocrisy of liars seared in their conscience, forbidding to marry, commanding to abstain from foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving; for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.” One must not, then, be forbidden by constraint to marry, nor indeed to eat meat or drink wine. For it is written: “It is good not to eat meat or drink wine,” if one eats with offense; and “it is good to remain as I am.” But let both the one who uses them, with thanksgiving, and again the one who does not use them, also with thanksgiving,
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are 1 Tim 4:1–5, Rom 14:21 (a free form), and 1 Cor 7:8.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (wrong accent on the relative ἃ): ἀπέχεσθαι βρωμάτων, ἅ ὁ θεὸς ἔκτισεν → ἀπέχεσθαι βρωμάτων, ἃ ὁ θεὸς ἔκτισεν.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 3.12.85 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/3/12/85/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 3.12.85 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/3/12/85/).
Download citation:BibTeX ·RIS (Zotero, EndNote)
Whole work:BibTeX ·RIS ·Markdown text