Miscellanies 4.6.37
Summary: The saved will serve in dwelling places proportioned to their merit; Plato describes the purified dwelling above; “blessed are those who mourn” refers to repentance, whether from fear or from conscience, here or hereafter.
Greek text · Stählin 2:264–265
ἐργάσονται μὲν οὖν κατὰ τὰς μονὰς τὰς ἀναλόγους ὧν κατηξιώθησαν γερῶν, συνεργοὶ τῆς ἀρρήτου οἰκονομίας καὶ λειτουργίας. οἳ δὲ δὴ ἂν δόξωσι διαφερόντως πρὸς τὸ ὁσίως βιῶναι προκεκρίσθαι, φησὶν ὁ Πλάτων, οὗτοί εἰσιν οἱ τῶνδε μὲν τῶν ἐν τῇ γῇ ἐλευθερούμενοί τε καὶ ἀπαλλαττόμενοι ὥσπερ δεσμωτηρίων, ἄνω δὲ εἰς καθαρὰν οἴκησιν ἀφικνούμενοι· διὰ σαφεστέρων τε αὖ τὸ αὐτὸ ὧδέ πως λέγει· τούτων δὲ αὐτῶν οἱ ἐν φιλοσοφίᾳ ἱκανῶς καθηράμενοι ἄνευ τε σωμάτων ζῶσι τὸ παράπαν εἰς τὸν ἅπαντα χρόνον, καίτοι σχήματά τινα περιτίθησι ταῖς μὲν ἀέρινα αὐτῶν, ταῖς δὲ καὶ πύρινα. ἔτι ἐπιφέρει· καὶ εἰς οἰκήσεις ἔτι τούτων καλλίους ἀφικνοῦνται, ἃς οὔτε ῥᾴδιον δηλῶσαι οὔτε ὁ χρόνος ἱκανὸς ἐν τῷ παρόντι. ὅθεν εἰκότως μακάριοι οἱ πενθοῦντες, ὅτι αὐτοὶ παρακληθήσονται. οἱ γὰρ μετανοήσαντες ἐφʼ οἷς κακῶς προβεβιώκασιν, εἰς τὴν κλῆσιν παρέσονται· τοῦτο γάρ ἐστι τὸ παρακληθῆναι. τοῦ μετανοοῦντος δὲ τρόποι δύο, ὁ μὲν κοινότερος φόβος ἐπὶ τοῖς πραχθεῖσιν, ὁ δὲ ἰδιαίτερος ἡ δυσωπία ἡ πρὸς ἑαυτὴν τῆς ψυχῆς ἐκ συνειδήσεως, εἴτʼ οὖν ἐνταῦθα εἴτε καὶ ἀλλαχῇ, ἐπεὶ μηδεὶς τόπος ἀργὸς εὐποιίας θεοῦ.
English · Claude translation
They will work, then, according to the dwelling places proportionate to the honors of which they have been thought worthy, fellow workers in the unspeakable arrangement and service. “Those who are judged to have been outstanding in living holily,” says Plato, “are those who are freed and released from these places in the earth as from prisons, and arrive above at the pure dwelling.” And he says the same thing more clearly thus: “Of these, those sufficiently purified by philosophy live without bodies altogether for all time,” though he gives some of them airy forms and others fiery ones. He adds further: “And they come to dwellings still more beautiful than these, which it is not easy to describe, nor is there enough time at present.” Fittingly, then, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.” For those who have repented of their former evil lives will come to the calling; for this is being comforted (paraklēthēnai). And there are two ways of the one who repents: the more common is fear over what has been done; the more particular is the soul's shame toward itself from conscience, whether here or elsewhere, since no place is idle of God's beneficence.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Plato, Phaedo 114b–c and Matt 5:4. Clement plays on παρακληθῆναι (“be comforted”) and κλῆσις (“calling”). The last clause suggests repentance may continue after death.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.6.37 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/6/37/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.6.37 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/6/37/).
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