Sophia Scriptura

Miscellanies 4.7.55

Clement of Alexandria · Miscellanies · ca. 198–203 · Alexandria · Read in context

Summary: Armed with spiritual weapons, the one who knows asks the Lord for occasion to prove his love; virtue is its own reward; Christians should put on compassion, humility, and love, the bond of perfection.

Greek text · Stählin 2:273–274

τούτοις ὁ γνωστικὸς τοῖς ὅπλοις κορυσσόμενος, ὦ κύριε, φησί, δὸς περίστασιν καὶ λάβε ἐπίδειξιν, ἴτω τὸ δεινὸν τοῦτο, κινδύνων ὑπερφρονῶ διὰ τὴν πρὸς σὲ ἀγάπην· ὁθούνεκʼ ἀρετὴ τῶν ἐν ἀνθρώποις μόνη οὐκ ἐκ θυραίων τἀπίχειρα λαμβάνει, αὐτὴ δʼ ἑαυτὴν ἆθλα τῶν πόνων ἔχει. ἐνδύσασθε οὖν, ὡς ἐκλεκτοὶ τοῦ θεοῦ ἅγιοι καὶ ἠγαπημένοι, σπλάγχνα οἰκτιρμῶν, χρηστότητα, ταπεινοφροσύνην, πραότητα, μακροθυμίαν, ἐπὶ πᾶσι δὲ τούτοις τὴν ἀγάπην, ὅ ἐστι σύνδεσμος τῆς τελειότητος. καὶ ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ Χριστοῦ βραβευέτω ἐν ταῖς καρδίαις ὑμῶν, εἰς ἣν καὶ ἐκλήθητε ἐν ἑνὶ σώματι· καὶ εὐχάριστοι γίνεσθε, οἱ ἐν σώματι ἔτι ὄντες, καθάπερ οἱ παλαιοὶ δίκαιοι ἀπάθειαν ψυχῆς καὶ ἀταραξίαν καρπούμενοι·

English · Claude translation

Armed with these weapons, the one who knows says: “O Lord, give me the occasion and receive the proof; let this terror come; I despise dangers because of my love for you.” “Since virtue alone among human things does not take its rewards from outside, but has itself as the prize of its toils.” “Put on, then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience; and above all these, love, which is the bond of perfection. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which you were called in one body; and be thankful,” you who are still in the body, as the righteous of old, reaping freedom from passion and calm of soul.

About this passage

Source
Stählin 2:273–274 · Otto Stählin, ed., Clemens Alexandrinus, vol. 2, Stromata Buch I–VI, GCS 15 (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1906); vol. 3, Stromata Buch VII und VIII, GCS 17 (Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1909) · Greek text: Otto Stählin, Clemens Alexandrinus 2–3 (GCS 15, 17, 1906–1909), digitized by the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA 4.0
Translation
Claude translation (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-27 · Translated by Claude from the Greek text of Stählin (1906–1909); made independently of existing English translations.
Scripture
Topics
Martyrdom, Ethics

Notes

Translation notes

  • The quotations are a tragic poet (fragment) and Col 3:12, 14–15.

Cite this passage

Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.7.55 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/7/55/).

Plain text
Clement of Alexandria, Strom. 4.7.55 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/clement-stromata/4/7/55/).

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