Miscellanies 4.26.168
Summary: Job, having gained knowledge, called himself earth and ashes; the ignorant are “earth,” while the knower, made like God, is spiritual and elect; Jeremiah calls the disobedient “earth.”
Greek text · Stählin 2:323
Εἰκότως οὖν γνώσεως ἐπήβολος ὁ Ἰὼβ γενόμενος νῦν οἶδα εἶπεν ὅτι πάντα δύνασαι, ἀδυνατεῖ δέ σοι οὐθέν. τίς γὰρ ἀπαγγέλλει μοι ἃ οὐκ ᾔδειν, μεγάλα καὶ θαυμαστὰ ἃ οὐκ ἠπιστάμην; ἐγὼ δὲ ἐφαύλισα ἐμαυτὸν ἡγησάμενος ἐμαυτὸν εἶναι γῆν καὶ σποδόν. ὁ γὰρ ἐν ἀγνοίᾳ ὢν ἁμαρτητικός τέ ἐστι καὶ γῆ καὶ σποδός, ὁ δʼ ἐν γνώσει καθεστώς, ἐξομοιούμενος θεῷ εἰς ὅσον δύναται, ἤδη πνευματικὸς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐκλεκτός. ὅτι δὲ τοὺς ἀνοήτους καὶ ἀπειθεῖς γῆν καλεῖ ἡ γραφή, σαφὲς ποιήσει Ἱερεμίας ὁ προφήτης κατὰ Ἰωακεὶμ καὶ τῶν ἀδελφῶν αὐτοῦ λέγων· γῆ γῆ, ἄκουε λόγον κυρίου· γράψον τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον ἐκκήρυκτον ἄνθρωπον.
English · Claude translation
Fittingly, then, Job, having attained knowledge, said: “Now I know that you can do all things, and nothing is impossible for you. For who tells me what I did not know, great and marvelous things that I did not understand? And I despised myself, considering myself earth and ashes.” For the one in ignorance is sinful and earth and ashes; but the one established in knowledge, being made like God as far as he can, is already spiritual and so elect. And that Scripture calls the foolish and disobedient “earth,” the prophet Jeremiah will make clear, speaking against Joachim and his brothers: “Earth, earth, hear the word of the Lord; write this man down as an outcast man.”
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Job 42:2–3, 6 (LXX, a free form) and Jer 22:29–30 (LXX).
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.26.168 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/26/168/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.26.168 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/26/168/).
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