Sophia Scriptura

Miscellanies 4.25.157

Clement of Alexandria · Miscellanies · ca. 198–203 · Alexandria · Read in context

Summary: The Word is Alpha and Omega, whose end is his beginning; believing in him makes one united, while unbelief divides; the foreigner uncircumcised in heart and flesh, excluded from the sanctuary, is the one who chooses unbelief.

Greek text · Stählin 2:318

διὰ τοῦτο ἄλφα καὶ ὦ ὁ λόγος εἴρηται, οὗ μόνου τὸ τέλος ἀρχὴ γίνεται καὶ τελευτᾷ πάλιν ἐπὶ τὴν ἄνωθεν ἀρχήν, οὐδαμοῦ διάστασιν λαβών. διὸ δὴ καὶ τὸ εἰς αὐτὸν καὶ τὸ διʼ αὐτοῦ πιστεῦσαι μοναδικόν ἐστι γενέσθαι, ἀπερισπάστως ἑνούμενον ἐν αὐτῷ, τὸ δὲ ἀπιστῆσαι διστάσαι ἐστὶ καὶ διαστῆναι καὶ μερισθῆναι. διὰ τοῦτο τάδε λέγει κύριος· πᾶς υἱὸς ἀλλογενὴς ἀπερίτμητος καρδίᾳ καὶ ἀπερίτμητος ἐστι σαρκί, τουτέστιν ἀκάθαρτος σώματί τε καὶ πνεύματι, οὐκ εἰσελεύσεται εἰς τὰ ἅγια ἀπὸ τῶν ἀλλογενῶν ἐν μέσῳ οἴκου Ἰσραήλ, ἀλλʼ ἢ οἱ Λευῖται. ἀλλογενεῖς δὲ εἴρηκεν τοὺς μὴ πιστεῦσαι βουληθέντας, ἀλλʼ ἀπιστεῖν ἐθέλοντας.

English · Claude translation

That is why the Word is called Alpha and Omega, of whom alone the end becomes the beginning and ends again at the original beginning, nowhere admitting a break. That is why believing in him and through him is to become one, being united in him without distraction; while disbelieving is to be in doubt, to stand apart, and to be divided. That is why the Lord says this: “Every foreign son, uncircumcised in heart and uncircumcised in flesh,” that is, unclean in body and spirit, “shall not enter the holy places among the foreigners in the midst of the house of Israel, but only the Levites.” And he called foreigners those who did not wish to believe but chose to disbelieve.

About this passage

Source
Stählin 2:318 · Otto Stählin, ed., Clemens Alexandrinus, vol. 2, Stromata Buch I–VI, GCS 15 (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1906); vol. 3, Stromata Buch VII und VIII, GCS 17 (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1909) · Greek text: Otto Stählin, Clemens Alexandrinus 2–3 (GCS 15, 17, 1906–1909), digitized by the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0
Translation
Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Stählin (1906–1909); made independently of existing English translations.
Scripture
Topics
Christology

Notes

Translation notes

  • The quotations and allusions are Rev 1:8; 21:6; 22:13 and Ezek 44:9–10 (a free form).

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.25.157 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/25/157/).

Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.25.157 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/25/157/).

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