Miscellanies 4.26.164
Summary: Jeremiah shows that “flesh” means sinful living, not the body as such; the soul is better than the body, but neither is good or evil by nature; man is composed of different, not opposed, elements.
Greek text · Stählin 2:321
οὗτος ὁ κλῆρος καὶ μερὶς τοῦ ἀπειθεῖν ὑμᾶς, λέγει κύριος· ὡς ἐπελάθου μου καὶ ἤλπισας ἐπὶ ψεύδεσι, κἀγὼ ἀποκαλύψω τὰ ὀπίσω σου ἐπὶ πρόσωπόν σου, καὶ ὀφθήσεται ἡ ἀτιμία σου, μοιχεία σου καὶ χρεμετισμός σου καὶ τὰ ἑξῆς. τοῦτο γὰρ τὸ ἄνθος τοῦ χόρτου, καὶ τὸ κατὰ σάρκα περιπατεῖν καὶ σαρκικοὺς εἶναι κατὰ τὸν ἀπόστολον, ἐν ἁμαρτίαις ὄντας. κρεῖττον μὲν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ὡμολόγηται ἡ ψυχή, ἧττον δὲ τὸ σῶμα, ἀλλʼ οὔτε ἀγαθὸν ἡ ψυχὴ φύσει οὔτε αὖ κακὸν φύσει τὸ σῶμα οὐδὲ μὴν ὃ μή ἐστιν ἀγαθόν, τοῦτο εὐθέως κακόν. εἰσὶ γὰρ οὖν καὶ μεσότητές τινες καὶ προηγμένα καὶ ἀποπροηγμένα ἐν τοῖς μέσοις. ἐχρῆν δὴ οὖν τὴν σύνθεσιν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου ἐν αἰσθητοῖς γενομένην ἐκ διαφόρων συνεστάναι, ἀλλʼ οὐκ ἐξ ἐναντίων, σώματός τε καὶ ψυχῆς.
English · Claude translation
This is the lot and portion of your disobedience, says the Lord. As you forgot me and hoped in lies, I too will uncover your back parts before your face, and your dishonor will be seen, your adultery and your neighing,” and so on. For this is the flower of grass: walking according to the flesh and being fleshly, according to the apostle, being in sins. The soul is admitted to be the better part of man and the body the lesser; but neither is the soul good by nature nor the body evil by nature; nor is what is not good at once evil. For there are intermediate things, and among the intermediate, things preferred and things not preferred. The composition of man, being in the sensible world, had to consist of things different, but not opposed: body and soul.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations and allusions are Jer 13:25–27 and Rom 8:4–5, 1 Cor 3:3. “Preferred and not preferred” is the Stoic classification of indifferent things.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.26.164 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/26/164/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.26.164 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/26/164/).
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