Miscellanies 4.7.54
Summary: The foundation of knowledge is faith, hope, and love, love being greatest; Christian freedom yields to the weaker brother's conscience and does all to God's glory; our warfare is spiritual.
Greek text · Stählin 2:273
Πρόκειται δὲ τοῖς τελείωσιν σπεύδουσιν ἡ γνῶσις ἡ λογική, ἧς θεμέλιος ἡ ἁγία τριάς, πίστις, ἐλπίς, ἀγάπη· μείζων δὲ τούτων ἡ ἀγάπη. ἀμέλει πάντα ἔξεστιν, ἀλλʼ οὐ πάντα συμφέρει· πάντα ἔξεστιν, ἀλλʼ οὐ πάντα οἰκοδομεῖ, φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστολος. καὶ μηδεὶς τὸ ἑαυτοῦ ζητείτω μόνον, ἀλλὰ καὶ τὸ τοῦ ἑτέρου, ὡς ποιεῖν ὁμοῦ καὶ διδάσκειν δύνασθαι οἰκοδομοῦντα καὶ ἐποικοδομοῦντα. ὅτι μὲν γὰρ τοῦ κυρίου ἡ γῆ καὶ τὸ πλήρωμα αὐτῆς, ὡμολόγηται, ἀλλʼ ἡ συνείδησις τοῦ ἀσθενοῦντος ὑποφέρεται. συνείδησιν δὲ λέγω οὐχὶ τὴν ἑαυτοῦ, ἀλλὰ τὴν τοῦ ἑτέρου. ἵνα τί γὰρ ἡ ἐλευθερία μου κρίνεται ὑπὸ ἄλλης συνειδήσεως; εἰ ἐγὼ χάριτι μετέχω, τί βλασφημοῦμαι ὑπὲρ οὗ ἐγὼ εὐχαριστῶ; εἴτε οὖν ἐσθίετε εἴτε πίνετε εἴτε τι ποιεῖτε, πάντα εἰς δόξαν θεοῦ ποιεῖτε. ἐν σαρκὶ γὰρ περιπατοῦντες οὐ κατὰ σάρκα στρατευόμεθα· τὰ γὰρ ὅπλα τῆς στρατείας ἡμῶν οὐ σαρκικά, ἀλλὰ δυνατὰ τῷ θεῷ πρὸς καθαίρεσιν ὀχυρωμάτων, λογισμοὺς καθαιροῦντες καὶ πᾶν ὕψωμα ἐπαιρόμενον κατὰ τῆς γνώσεως τοῦ κυρίου.
English · Claude translation
Set before those who hasten to perfection is rational knowledge, whose foundation is the holy triad, faith, hope, love; “but the greatest of these is love.” Indeed, “all things are lawful, but not all things are profitable; all things are lawful, but not all things build up,” says the apostle. “And let no one seek his own good only, but also that of the other,” so as to be able both to do and to teach, building up and building upon. For that “the earth is the Lord's and its fullness” is agreed; but the conscience of the weak is supported. “Conscience, I say, not your own, but the other's. For why is my freedom judged by another's conscience? If I partake with thanksgiving, why am I blasphemed for what I give thanks for? So whether you eat or drink or do anything, do all to the glory of God.” “For walking in the flesh we do not wage war according to the flesh; for the weapons of our warfare are not fleshly, but powerful before God for the pulling down of strongholds, pulling down reasonings and every height raised up against the knowledge of the Lord.”
About this passage
Notes
Translation notes
- The quotations are 1 Cor 13:13, 1 Cor 10:23–24, 26, 29–31, and 2 Cor 10:3–5.
Notes on the original text
- Digital text corrected (stray period in the digital text): εἰ ἐγὼ χάριτι μετέχω. τί βλασφημοῦμαι → εἰ ἐγὼ χάριτι μετέχω, τί βλασφημοῦμαι.
Cite this passage
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.7.54 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/7/54/).
Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.7.54 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/7/54/).
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