Ante-Nicene Christian Library; Translations Of The Writings Of The Fathers Down To A.D. 325, Volume 4: The Writings Of Clement Of Alexandria, Volume 1

발행: 1867년

분량: 502페이지

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unnecessarn or a proof of the influence os ascetic tendencies. But a codo os Christian morias and manners a sori of wholo

Which Clement, With solemn sternness, and osten mitti caustio Wit, mahes of the preValent Voluptuo ness and vice, form a very Valu lo contribution to our knowledge of that period. Tho fuit titio of tho Stromata, according to Eusebius and Photius, mas Τίτου Φλαυίου Κλήμεντος των κατὰ την αληθῆ φιλοσοφίαν γνωστικων υπομημάτων στρωματεῖς δ - Titus Flavius Clemenes miscellaneous collections os speculative

gnostic) notes bearing upon the true philosophy. Tho almos tho Wota, in accordance With this titie, is, in opposition tognosticism, to sumish tho materials for the construction os atrue gnosis, a Christian philosophy, on the basis os salth, andis Ioad on to this higher knowledge those who, by the discipline of the Paedagogus, had been tra ed for it. The work consisted originalty of eight books. The eighth book is tost; that which appears under this name has plainly no connectionwith tho rest of the Stromata. Various accounts have beengiven of the meaning of the distinctivo mota in the titio

miscellaneous character of iis contenti. And they are Verymiscellaneous. They consist of the speculations os Greeli philosophera, of heretim, and of those who cultivaled thelmo Christian gnosis, and of quotations from sacred Scripture. The lalter lio affirms to bo tho Murco from whicli tho

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14 INTRODUCTORI NOTI .highor Christian knowledge is to be drawn ; as it Was thathom Whicli tho gems of truth in Plato and tho Hollonio philosophy Were derived. Ηe describes philosophy as a divinely ordered preparation of tho Grooks for salth in

Christ, as the laW was for the Hebrews; and shows thenecessi and value os litorature and philosophic culture sortho attainment of true Christian knowledge, in opposition to the numerous body among Christians Who regariled learningas useless and dangerous. Ηo proclatins himself an eclectic, bolieving in tho Oxistendo os fragments of truth in ali systems, Which may bo separated irom error; but doctaring that tho truth can be found in unity and completeness onlyin Christ, as it Was frem Him that ali iis scalterod gernas

originalty proceuded. The Stromata are Written caretessty, and oven confusedly; but the work is one os prodigious learn-ing, and supplies materials of the greatest value for under- standing the various conflicting systems Whicli Christianityhad to combui. It was rogarded so much as the authoes great work, that,on the testimony of Theodoret, Cassiodorus, and othera, melearn that Clomoni received the appellation os Στρωματεύς

the Stromatist). In ali probability, the first part of it wasgivon to the worid about A.D. 194. Tho latest dato to whichhe brings down his chronolo; in tho first book is tho deathos Commodus, which happened in A.D. 192 ; ironi whichEusobius in concludos that ho Wroto this Work during the reignof Sevorus, Who ascended the imperiat throno in Λ.D. 193, and Dignod illi Λ.D. 211. It is lihely that tho whole was composed ere Clement quilled Alexandria in A.D. 202. Thopublication of tho Aedagogus preceded by a stiori time that

of tho Stromata: and the Cohortatio mas written a stiori timobesore tho Pindagogus, as is clear hom statemenis made byCloment himself. So multifarious is the erudition, so multitudinous aro the quotations and the references in authors in ali deparimendi, and of ali countries, the most of Whose Works have perished, that the woris in question could only have been composed

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near an extensive library-hardly anywhere but in the vicini of the famous library of Alexandria. They are a store-house os curious ancient lore,-a museum os sto fossilremains of tho beauties and monstrosities of tho morid of

pagan antiqui , during ali the epoclis and phases of iis histo . The three compositions are reatly paris os one Whole.

The contrat connecting idea is that of tho Logos the Word-the Son os God; whom in tho first Work he exhibiis drawing men froin the superstitions and corruptions of heathenismio faith; in tho second, as training them by precepis and discipline; and in the last, as conducting them to that highorknowledge of the things os God, to Whicli those only who devoto themselves assiduousty to spiritual, moral, and intellectuat culture can attain. Ever before his eye is the grandiarm of the living personal Christ,-the Word, Who was With God, and who was God, but Who became man, and dWelt

of coures there is throughout plenty of false science, and frivolous and sancisul speculation. Who is the rish man that ahail be sared ' τίς ὁ σωζόμενος πλούσιος is ste titie os a practical treatiso, in Which ClementshοWs, in opposition to those Who interpreted our Lord's Wotas to the young ruler as requiring the renunciation ofWoridly goods, that the disposition os the foui is the groat essentiat. Os other numerous Works of Clement, of whichonly a seW stray fragments have been preserved, tho chiesare tho eight books of The Hypotyposes, whicli consisted of expositions os ali tho books of Scripturo. of these wo havsa fow undoubted fragments. The Adumbrations, or Commentaries on some of the Catholio Episties, and The Selee-tions froni the Prophetis Scriptures, are compositions of the Same character, as sar as We can judge, as the Hypotypoερε, and are supposed by some to have formed part of that Work. Othor lost woias of Clement are :Τhe Troatiso os Clement, the Stromatist, on the Prophet ΑmOS.

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Pr bytera, Deaeon' and Midows; On the Gul: On the R aurrection; On Marriage; On Continenee; Against Ner ies. Preserved among Clemenes Works is a fragment cassed itomes of the Writings of Theodoti , and of the Matern Doctrine, most lihely abridged extracis made by Clemoni sorhis οὐ me, and giving considerable insight into Gnosticism. Clemenes quotations from Scripture are made from the Septuagint version, osten inaccurately hom memory, Some- times hom a disserent texi from What me possess, osten MihVerbal adaptations; and not raraly disserent texta aro blondedisgether. The Woas of Clement present considerable dissicultios totho translator; and one of the clitet is the stato of the lex Whicli greatly needs to bo expurgated and amended. For this there are abundant materiais, in the copious annotations and disquisitions, is various hanti, collected together in Μigno'sedition; Where, however, corruptions the most obvious have been allowed to remata in tho DXt. The publishera aro indebled to Dr. W. L. ALEXANDER sorine poetical translations of the Ηymns of Clement.

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18 EXHORTATION TO THE HEAT N.

hoppees song, made up for the want of the missing string. The grasshopper then Was attracted by the song os Eunomos,as the fabie represenis, according to Which also a braetenstatue of Eunomos With his lyre, and the Locrian's atly in thocontest, Was erected at Pytho. But os ita οὐ aecord it flewto the lyre, and of iis oWn accord sang, and was regarded by

tho Greota as a musical performer.

HOW, let me ash, have you belleuod vain tables, and sup- posed animais to be charmed by music; while Truth's shining face alone, as Would seem, appears to Fou disguised, and istookod on with incredulous oyos ' And so Cithaeron, and Helicon, and the mountians of the Odrysi, and the initiato rites of the Thracians, mysteries of deceit, are hallo ed and celebrated in hymns. For me, I am piania at such calamities as form the subjecta os tragedri though but myths; but byyou the recorda os miserios are turned into dramatis compositions.

But tho dramas and the raring poets, non quite intoxicatet let us crown with ivy; and distracted o right M they are, in Bacchio fashion, With the satyri, and the frenetied rabbie, and the rest of tho demon erem let us confine to Cithaeronand Ηolicon, noW antiquated. But let us bring from above ont os heaven, Truth, With Wisdom in ali ita brighiness, and the sacred prophetic choir, doWn to tho holy mount of God; and let Truth, dariing herlight to the most distant minis, cast her rus ali around oninoso that are involuta in daanem, and delivor men from d lusim, stretching out her very strongy right hant whieli is isdom, for their salvation. And raising their Ves, and lootaing above, let them abandon Helicon and Cithaeron, and inhoup their abode in Sion. For out of Sion stiali go sortii tholam and the word of tho Loes frem Jerusalem,' tho celestialmes, the true athlete crowned in the theatre of tho Wholo

Tho Grein is ὐπιρτάτη , lit. higheat. Poster appinis to the uae olυπερτερος in Sophocles, Electr. 455, in the sense os stronger, as giviug actus to tho meaning hero. The scholiast in Mola inhea the morda tomean that the hand is held over them.

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universe. What my Eunomos sinu is not the measum os Terpander, nor that os Capito, nox tho Phrygian, nor Lydian, nor Dorian, but tho immortat meas o of tho nem harmonywhicli Mars Gossis name-the ne , the Levitical song.δ

Sweet and truo is the charm of persuasion which blenti .ith this strian. To me, thereiare, stat Thracian Orpheus, stat Theban, and that Methymnaean, en, and yet unWorthy of the nam seem in have been deceivers, Who, under the prelance os p trycorrupting human lise, possessed by a spirit os arisui forcerysor purposes of destruction, celebrating crimes in their orgies, and mining human woes the materials Oi religious Worsi λ ero the fimi in entice men to idols; nan in bulld up the stupidi of the nations With blocis of Wood and stone,-thatia, statues and images,-subjecting to the yohe of extremestbondage tho truly nobis se dom os thoso who lived as Deo citigens under heaven, by their songs and incantations. Butnot such is my song, Which has come to loοse, and that speedij,

that had been cast prostrate to tho inrth. It alone has tamedmen, tho most intra table os animais; tho frivolous among thom ans ering to the soWis of the air, deceivere is reptiles, tho irascibio to lions, the voluptuous to sWine, the rapacio to molves. The silly are stocri and stones, and stili more sensolem than stones is a man who is Meeped in ignorance. Asour Witness, Iet us adduce the Volce of prophecy accordant with truth, and beWalling those Who are crushed in ignoranco and folly For God is able of these stones to resse up childrento Abraham ; ' and He, commiserating their great ignorance and hardness of heari Who are petrified against the truth, has raued up a seed os pie , sensitive in viriue, of thosestones f the nations, stat is, Who trusted in stones. Again, the foro, Some Venomous and falso hypocrites, Whο plotted against righteo ness, He once callod a brood of vipers

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20 EXHORTA NON TO THE HEA THEM

the universe into melodious order, and tuned tho discord of the elements to harmonious arrangement, so that the wholemorid might become harmony. It let loose tho fluid ocean, and yet has prevented it hom encroaching on tho land. Thoearth, again, Which had been in a state of commotion, it hasostablished, and fixod the sea as ita boundary. The violenceos firo it has sostened by the atmosphere, as the Dorian is biendod with tho Lydian strain ; and tho harsh cold of tho atrit has modorated by the embrace of sire, harmoniousty arranying these tho extremo tones of the universo. And this dealhless strian,-the suppore of the wholo and the harmony otali, eaching smin the centre to the circumserence, and iromtho extremities to the central pari, has harmonigod this universat frame of things, not according to the Thracian music,

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salvation os meti.

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22 EXHORTA NON TO THE MATHEMtho moon; or, finalty, the Egyptians by thmo Who dream stat

io livo well, are sent on Our Way to lite eternat. For, accord-

Pearance, lost as me Hready mere, He accomptished our in Vation. For that Wiched reptile monster, is his enchaniment' enflaves and plagues men even illi noW; inflicting, as Seems

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