Miscellanies 4.6.38
Summary: Mercy is not grief but a noble thing God desires more than sacrifice; those who wish to show mercy but cannot, through poverty, illness, or age, share the same honor as those who can.
Greek text · Stählin 2:265
πάλιν φησίν· μακάριοι οἱ ἐλεήμονες, ὅτι αὐτοὶ ἐλεηθήσονται. ὁ δὲ ἔλεος οὐχ ᾗ τινες τῶν φιλοσόφων ὑπειλήφασι, λύπη ἐπʼ ἀλλοτρίαις συμφοραῖς, μᾶλλον δὲ ἀστεῖόν τί ἐστιν, ὡς οἱ προφῆται λέγουσιν· ἔλεον, γάρ φησι, θέλω καὶ οὐ θυσίαν. ἐλεήμονας δʼ εἶναι βούλεται οὐ μόνον τοὺς ἔλεον ποιοῦντας, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοὺς ἐθέλοντας ἐλεεῖν, κἂν μὴ δύνωνται, οἷς κατὰ προαίρεσιν τὸ ἐνεργεῖν πάρεστιν· ἐνίοτε γὰρ βουλόμεθα διʼ ἀργυρίου δόσεως ἢ διὰ σωματικῆς σπουδῆς ἔλεον ποιῆσαι, ὡς δεομένῳ ἐπαρκέσαι ἢ νοσοῦντι ὑπουργῆσαι ἢ ἐν περιστάσει γενομένῳ παραστῆναι, καὶ οὐχ οἷοί τέ ἐσμεν ἤτοι διὰ πενίαν ἢ νόσον ἢ γῆρας (φυσικὴ γὰρ νόσος καὶ τοῦτο) ἐξυπηρετῆσαι τῇ προαιρέσει ἐφʼ ἣν ὁρμώμεθα, μὴ δυνηθέντες ἐπὶ τέλος ἀγαγεῖν ὃ βεβουλήμεθα. τῆς αὐτῆς οὖν τιμῆς μεθέξουσι τοῖς δυνηθεῖσιν οἱ βεβουλημένοι, ὧν ἡ προαίρεσις ἴση, κἂν πλεονεκτῶσιν ἕτεροι τῇ περιουσίᾳ.
English · Claude translation
Again he says: “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.” Mercy is not, as some philosophers have supposed, grief at others' misfortunes, but rather something fine, as the prophets say: “For I desire mercy and not sacrifice.” And by the merciful he means not only those who do mercy, but also those who wish to show mercy even if they cannot, to whom action is present in their choice. For sometimes we wish to do mercy by giving money or by bodily effort, such as helping someone in need, serving someone sick, or standing by someone in distress; and we are not able, whether because of poverty, disease, or old age (for this too is a natural disease), to carry out the choice toward which we are moved, being unable to bring what we have willed to completion. Those who have willed, then, will share the same honor with those who were able, since their choice is equal, even if others surpass them in abundance.
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are Matt 5:7 and Hos 6:6 (Matt 9:13). The definition of pity as grief is Stoic.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.6.38 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/6/38/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.6.38 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/6/38/).
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