Miscellanies 3.4.28
Summary: Such “fellowship” belongs in the brothel; Paul teaches Christians to put off the old man and put on the new, to imitate God in love, and not even to name sexual immorality among them.
Greek text · Stählin 2:208–209
εἰς τὰ χαμαιτυπεῖα μὲν οὖν ἡ τοιάδε εἰσάγει κοινωνία καὶ δὴ συμμέτοχοι εἶεν ἂν αὐτοῖς οἱ σύες καὶ οἱ τράγοι, εἶεν δʼ ἂν ἐν ταῖς μείζοσι παρʼ αὐτοῖς ἐλπίσιν αἱ προεστῶσαι τοῦ τέγους πόρναι ἀνέδην εἰσδεχόμεναι τοὺς βουλομένους ἅπαντας. ὑμεῖς δὲ οὐχ οὕτως ἐμάθετε τὸν Χριστόν, εἴ γε αὐτὸν ἠκούσατε καὶ ἐν αὐτῷ ἐδιδάχθητε, καθώς ἐστιν ἀλήθεια ἐν Χριστῷ Ἰησοῦ, ἀποθέσθαι ὑμᾶς τὰ κατὰ τὴν προτέραν ἀναστροφὴν τὸν παλαιὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν φθειρόμενον κατὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας τῆς ἀπάτης· ἀνανεοῦσθε δὲ τῷ πνεύματι τοῦ νοὸς ὑμῶν καὶ ἐνδύσασθε τὸν καινὸν ἄνθρωπον τὸν κατὰ θεὸν κτισθέντα ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καὶ ὁσιότητι τῆς ἀληθείας, κατὰ τὴν ἐξομοίωσιν τοῦ θείου. γίνεσθε οὖν μιμηταὶ τοῦ θεοῦ, ὡς τέκνα ἀγαπητά, καὶ περιπατεῖτε ἐν ἀγάπῃ, καθὼς καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἠγάπησεν ὑμᾶς καὶ παρέδωκεν ἑαυτὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν προσφορὰν καὶ θυσίαν τῷ θεῷ εἰς ὀσμὴν εὐωδίας. πορνεία δὲ καὶ πᾶσα ἀκαθαρσία ἢ πλεονεξία μηδὲ ὀνομαζέσθω ἐν ὑμῖν, καθὼς πρέπει ἁγίοις, καὶ αἰσχρότης καὶ μωρολογία. καὶ γὰρ ἀπὸ τῆς φωνῆς ἁγνεύειν μελετᾶν διδάσκων ὁ ἀπόστολος γράφει· τοῦτο γὰρ ἴστε γινώσκοντες, ὅτι πᾶς πόρνος καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς ἕως μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ ἐλέγχετε.
English · Claude translation
Such fellowship leads into the brothels, and the pigs and goats would be their partners; and among them, in their greater hopes, the prostitutes who stand at the head of the house would be first, receiving without restraint all who wish. “But you did not so learn Christ, if indeed you heard him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Christ Jesus, to put off, according to your former way of life, the old man, which is corrupted according to the desires of deceit; and be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, created according to God in righteousness and holiness of truth,” according to likeness to the divine. “Be, then, imitators of God, as beloved children, and walk in love, as Christ also loved you and gave himself up for us, an offering and sacrifice to God for a fragrant aroma. But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is fitting for saints, nor shamefulness and foolish talk.” For, teaching us to practice purity even in speech, the apostle writes: “For know this well, that every sexually immoral person,” and so on, as far as “but rather even expose them.”
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotation is Eph 4:20–24; 5:1–5, 11.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 3.4.28 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/3/4/28/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 3.4.28 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/3/4/28/).
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