Miscellanies 4.25.161
Summary: Rebecca, “virgin” said twice, signifies purity of body and soul, the glory of God; righteousness is peace; Christ is king of Salem, “peace,” foreshadowed by Melchizedek, who gave bread and wine as a type of the Eucharist.
Greek text · Stählin 2:319–320
ναὶ μὴν τὴν κατά τε σῶμα κατά τε ψυχὴν ἁγνείαν, ἣν μέτεισιν ὁ γνωστικός, ὁ πάνσοφος Μωυσῆς ἐκπρεπῶς τῇ ἐπαναλήψει χρησάμενος ἐμήνυσεν, τὸ ἀδιάφθορον τοῦ τε σώματος τῆς τε ψυχῆς διαγράφων ἐπὶ τῆς Ῥεβέκκας ὧδέ πως· ἡ δὲ παρθένος ἦν καλή, παρθένος ἦν, ἀνὴρ οὐκ ἔγνω αὐτήν. Ῥεβέκκα δὲ ἑρμηνεύεται θεοῦ δόξα, θεοῦ δὲ δόξα ἀφθαρσία. αὕτη ἡ τῷ ὄντι δικαιοσύνη, μὴ πλεονεκτεῖν ἐν θατέρῳ, ὅλον δὲ εἶναι ἡγιασμένον νεὼν τοῦ κυρίου. δικαιοσύνη οὖν ἐστιν εἰρήνη βίου καὶ εὐστάθεια, ἐφʼ ἣν ὁ κύριος ἀπέλυε λέγων· ἄπελθε εἰς εἰρήνην· Σαλὴμ γὰρ ἑρμηνεύεται εἰρήνη, ἧς ὁ σωτὴρ ἡμῶν ἀναγράφεται βασιλεύς, ὃν φησι Μωυσῆς, Μελχισεδὲκ βασιλεὺς Σαλὴμ ὁ ἱερεὺς τοῦ θεοῦ τοῦ ὑψίστου, ὁ τὸν οἶνον καὶ τὸν ἄρτον τὴν ἡγιασμένην διδοὺς τροφὴν εἰς τύπον εὐχαριστίας. καὶ δὴ ἑρμηνεύεται ὁ Μελχισεδὲκ βασιλεὺς δίκαιος, συνωνυμία δέ ἐστι δικαιοσύνης καὶ εἰρήνης.
English · Claude translation
Indeed the all-wise Moses, using repetition strikingly, has indicated the purity in both body and soul which the one who knows pursues, describing the incorruption of both body and soul in the case of Rebecca thus: “The virgin was beautiful; she was a virgin; no man had known her.” And Rebecca is interpreted “glory of God,” and the glory of God is incorruption. This is true righteousness: not to be greedy in either, but to be wholly a sanctified temple of the Lord. Righteousness, then, is peace and stability of life, to which the Lord dismissed, saying, “Go in peace.” For Salem is interpreted “peace,” of which our Savior is recorded as king, as Moses says: “Melchizedek king of Salem, the priest of God Most High,” who gave the wine and the bread as sanctified food, as a type of the Eucharist. And indeed Melchizedek is interpreted “righteous king”; and righteousness and peace are synonymous.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations and allusions are Gen 24:16, Luke 7:50 (8:48), Gen 14:18, and Heb 7:1–2. Clement's etymology of Rebecca is fanciful.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (wrong accent on the relative ὃν): ἀναγράφεται βασιλεύς, ὅν φησι Μωυσῆς → ἀναγράφεται βασιλεύς, ὃν φησι Μωυσῆς.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.25.161 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/25/161/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.25.161 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/25/161/).
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