Miscellanies 4.16.99
Summary: Paul describes perfect righteousness as believing in the heart and confessing with the mouth; we must bless persecutors, and our boast is a conscience that has lived in holiness by God's grace.
Greek text · Stählin 2:292
Καρδίᾳ μὲν πιστεύεται εἰς δικαιοσύνην, στόματι δὲ ὁμολογεῖται εἰς σωτηρίαν. λέγει γοῦν ἡ γραφή· ›πᾶς ὁ πιστεύων ἐπʼ αὐτῷ οὐ καταισχυνθήσεται.‹ τοῦτʼ ἔστι τὸ ῥῆμα τῆς πίστεως ὃ κηρύσσομεν, ὅτι ἐὰν ὁμολογήσῃς τὸ ῥῆμα τῷ στόματί σου ὅτι κύριος Ἰησοῦς καὶ πιστεύσῃς ἐν τῇ καρδίᾳ σου ὅτι ὁ θεὸς ἤγειρεν αὐτὸν ἐκ νεκρῶν, σωθήσῃ. ἄντικρυς τελείαν δικαιοσύνην ὑπογράφει ἔργῳ τε καὶ θεωρίᾳ πεπληρωμένην. εὐλογητέον οὖν τοὺς διώκοντας· εὐλογεῖτε καὶ μὴ καταρᾶσθε. ἡ γὰρ καύχησις ἡμῶν αὕτη ἐστί, τὸ μαρτύριον τῆς συνειδήσεως ἡμῶν, ὅτι ἐν ἁγιότητι καὶ εἰλικρινείᾳ θεὸν ἔγνωμεν, διʼ ὀλίγης ταύτης προφάσεως τὸ τῆς ἀγάπης ἔργον ἐνδεικνύμενοι, ὅτι οὐκ ἐν σοφίᾳ σαρκικῇ, ἀλλʼ ἐν χάριτι θεοῦ ἀνεστράφημεν ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ.
English · Claude translation
“For with the heart one believes for righteousness, and with the mouth one confesses for salvation. For the Scripture says, ‘Everyone who believes in him will not be put to shame.’ This is the word of faith that we preach: that if you confess the word with your mouth, that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” He plainly describes perfect righteousness, filled out with both deed and contemplation. We must bless, then, those who persecute: “Bless and do not curse.” “For this is our boast, the testimony of our conscience, that we have known God in holiness and sincerity,” showing the work of love through this small pretext, “that we have conducted ourselves in the world not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God.”
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Rom 10:10–11, 8–9, Rom 12:14, and 2 Cor 1:12 (a free form).
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.16.99 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/16/99/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.16.99 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/16/99/).
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