Ante-Nicene Christian Library; Translations Of The Writings Of The Fathers Down To A.D. 325, Volume 12: The Writings Of Clement Of Alexandria, Volume 2

발행: 1869년

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ME MISCELLINTES. 439

that ait things aro managed consummately Well, and that progress to What is beller goes on in the case of souis that have chosen virtuo, tili they come to the Good itself, to tho Fathoes Vestibule, so to speah, close to the great High Priest. Such is Our Gnostic, fiathsul, persuaded that the assairs of tho universeare managed in the best Way. Particularly, he is meli pleraedmith ali that happens. In accordance With reason, then, he aShSior none of those things in lito required for necessary use; being persuaded that God, Who knoWs ali things, supplies the good mitti Whatover is for their benefit, even though they do not ask. For my VieW is, that as ali things are supplied to the manos ari according to the rules of ari, and to the Gentile in a Gentile Way, so also to tho Gnostic ait things are supplied gnosticatly. And the man who turns from among the Gentiles mill ask for salth, while ho that ascends to knoMedge millask sor the perfection os love. And tho Gnostic, Who has reached tho summit, Will pray that contemplation may gro and abide, as the common man will sor continuat good health.

yot quite reached that state of Oneness, by extricating them- solves iram the propensity to that of duali . But him, Who from this has trainod himself to the summitos knowledgo and ths elevated height of the perfeci man, allthings relating to time and place help on, noW that he has mado it his choico in live infallibly, and subjecis himself to

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440THE MISCELLANTES.

NoW knowledgs appears to produce consideration, byteaching to perceive the things that are capsile os contria buting to the permanence of virtve. The highest thing is, then, the knowledge of God; whorosore also is it viriue isso preserved as to bo incapable of boing lost. And he whoknows God is holy and pions. The Gnostic has consequently been demonstrated by us to M the only pious man. He rejοices in good things present, and is glad on accountos inose promised, as ii they Were Hready present. For theydo not elude his notice, as is they were stili absent, becausehe knows by anticipation What sori they are. Being then persuaded by knowledge hoW each futuro thing shali be, hopossesses it. For Want and desect are meas ed With rese ence to What appertains to one. Ii, then, he possesses Wisdom,

and wisdom is a divino thing, he who partises of What hasno mant Will himself have no want. For the imparting of Wisdom does not talis placo is activity and receptivi movingand stopping each other, or by aught being abstracted orbecoming defective. Activity is therelare shown to be un- diminishod in tho act os communication. So, then, Our Gnostic possesses ali good things, as far as possibie; but notlihewiso in number; since othor se he would bo incap te ofchanging his placo through the duo inspired stages os ad-Vancement and acta os administration.

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dently in honour of thela excellent nature and their holychoice, ho inspires inoso Who have made choice of a Modliso with strongth for tho rest of their salvation; exhortingsome, and helping others, Who of themselves have becomemorthy. For ali good is capable of being produced in thoonostio; is indoed it is his aim to know and do everythingintelligently. d as tho physician ministere health in thoso

Who c operate With him in order in health, so also Godministere eternat salvation to those Who comperato for theatruinment of λοπlody and good conduci; and since What the commandmenta enjoin are in Our o n poWer, along Withthe performance of them, the promise is accomptishod. id What follows seems to mo in bo excellently said by the Greelis. An athlete of no mean reputation among those

of old, having sor a long time subjected his body to thorouo

training in ordor in the attainment of manly strength, Ongoing up to tho Olympic games, cast his eye on the statuo of the Pisaean Zeus,- and said: o Zeus, is ali tho requisite

preparations for the contest have been made by me, come, give me the victory, as is right.' For so, in the case os the Gnostic, Who has unblameably and with a good consciencesulfilled ali that deponds on him, in the direction os learning, and training, and wellinoing, and pleasing God, the whole

contributes to caro salvation on to perfection. Froni us,

then, aro demanded the things Which are in Our oWn poWer, and os the things whicli pertain is us, both present and absent, the choice, and destre, and possession, and use, and permanence. Wheresore also he who holds converso mith God must have

his foui immaculato and statiamsty pure, it being essentialis have mado himssis perfectly good. But also it comes him in mise ali his prayers genibalong With tho good. For it is a dangerous thing to talio pari in othera' sins. Accordingly the Gnostic Will prvalong With those Who have more recently bellevia, sor thosethings in res et os Whicli it is their duty to aci together. Αnd his .holo liso is a holy festivat. His sacrifices are Prayers, and praises, and readings in the Scripturos bosoromeais, and psatas and hymns during meias and belare bed,

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442 THE MISCELLINIES.

and prvers also again during night. By these he unites himself to the divino choir, irom continuat recollection, e gaged in contemplation Which has evertasting remembrance. And whail Does ho not also know the other Lind os sacrifice, Whicli consista in tho giving both os doctrines andos money to those Who need ' Assuredly. But he does notuse Wordy prayer by his mouth; haring learned in ask of tho Lord What is requisite. In every place, thereiore, but notostensibiy and visibly to tho multitude, he will prv. ButWhile eugaged in Walhing, in conversation, While in silence, Whilo eugaged in reading and in Works according to reason, he in every mood prays. Is he but form the thought in the Secret chamber of his foui, and cali on the Father withuns hen groanings, He is near, and is at his sido, Whiloyet speahing. Inasmuch as there are but three ends os allaction, he does everything for iis excellence and utili ; butdoing aught for the sine of plemure,' he leaves in those Who

puraue the common lise.

i Rom. viii. 26.3 το δε λιτελειν διὰ τον δύσοιστον κοινὸν βίον is the reading of the texi; hich Potter amenda, so M to bring out What is plataly the idea es inoauthor, the reserence in plemure M tho third end of actiona, and thoend puraued by ordinary men, by changing διά into ηδεα, Which is simple, and leaves δυσοιστον intolerable to stand. Sylburgius notes that the Latin translator rendere M u he rein διὰ την ἡδονην, Which is adopina

ove.

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speahing truth on oath arisos from his accord With tho truth. This speahing truth on oath, then, is found to bo the resultos correcinem in duties. Where, then, is the necessity foran oath to him who lives in accordanco with the extremo oftruth Τ Ηe, then, that does not even swear mill be far fromperiuring himseli. And ho Rho does not transgress in Whatis ratified by compacta, Will never sWear; since the ratificationos tho violation and of tho sulfilment is by actions; as ce

of the texi, διακονουμένου.

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444 E MISCELLINIES.

falsehood, though he should die by tortures.

THE gnostic digni is augmented and increased by him Who has underiisen the fidit place in the teaching of othera, and received tho dispensation by word and deed of the greatest good on earth, by which he mediates contaci and fellowshipwith tho Divini . And D those Who worship terrestriat things prv to them as ii they heard, confirmiug compactabefore thom; so, in men Who are living images, the true majesty os ths Word is received by the trustWorthy teacher;

and the beneficenco exerted in arda them is carried up to the Lord, after whose imago he who is a true man by instruction creates and harmoniges, reneWing to salvation the manwho receives instruction. For as tho Greelis called fleel Ares, and wine Dionysus, on account os a certain relation ;so the Gnostic, considering the benefit of his neighboure ashis oWn salvation, may be called a living imago of the Lord, not as respecta the peculiarity os form, but tho symbol ofpower and similarity of preaching. Whatever, theresore, he has in his mind, ho bears on his longue, to those Who are Worthy to hear, speahing as Weli asliving from assent and inclination. For ho both thinis and spealis the truth; unless at any time, medicinalty, as a physician sor the faseu of tho sicli, he may lie or teli an untruth, according to the Sophisis.

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ali at once aWay srom tho laW to the circumcision of thohoari inmugii faith those of the HebreWs Who Were reluctantlistenera, compei them to breah aWay from the synagogue, he, accommodating himself to ths Jens, became a JoW that he might gain ali.' Ηe, then, Who submits to accommodate himself merob sor tho benefit of his neighbours, for the salvation of thois for whose salie lis accommodates himself, notpari ing in any dissimulation through the peril impending

by him primarily, ii ho did not do them on their account. Such an one oves himself for the Church, for the disciplos

whom he has begotion in faith; for an example to those Whoare capable of receiving the supreme economy of the philanthropic and God-loving Instructor, for confirmation of thotruth of his notas, for the exerciso os lovo to the Lord. Such an one is unensiaved by fear, true in Word, enduringin labour, never Willing to lie by ultered mord, and in italWays securing sinlessness; sincs salsehood, being spolienWith a certain deceit, is not an ineri mota, but operates tomischies. On every hand, then, the Gnostic alone testifim to tho

and God-fearing. Tho Christian is not impious. For this Was tho potnt i cumbent on us to demonstrate in the philosophera; so that ho

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446τ- MISCELLANIES.

A TE PS TO PERFECTΙΟΝ.

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Whence at last on account os the necessity for Very great preparation and prerious training in order both to hear Whatis sald, and for tho composure of lise, and sor advancingintelligently to a potnt beyond the righteousness of the lawγit is that knowlodge is committed to thoso fit and selected sorit. It leads us to the endless and perfeci end, teaching mbesorohand the suture lite that wo shali lead, according to God, and with gods; after We are Deed from ali punishmentand penalty Whicli Ue undergo, in consequenes of our Sins, for salutary disciplino. Aster Which redemption tho rem dand tho honoum aro assigned in those Who have become pe feci ; When they have got done Mili purification, and ceased from ali service, though it be holy service, and among sainis. Then bocome pure in heari, and nois to the Lord, thereaWalta them restoration to evertasting contemplation; and

they are called by the appellation of gods, heing destined tosit on thrones With the other gias that have been firat putin their places by the Sliviour. Knowledge is thereiore quich in purisying, and fit forthat acceptabio transformation to the better. Whenco also mitti e e it removes tho soulJ to what is Ain to the foui, divine and holy, and by iis oWn light conveys man throughthe mystic stages of advancement; tili it restores the pure in heari to the croWning place of rest; teaching to gaae on God, face to face, Mith knowledgo and comprehension. For in this consista the perfection of the gnostic foui, in iis beingwith tho Lord, where it is in immediate subjection to Him, aster rising above ali purification and service. Faith is then, so to speah, a comprehensive lino ledgs of the essentiais; and knowledge is the strong and sure demon

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448THE MISCELLANTES.

in evem pari immutabie. The fini modo of the Lord's operation mentioned by us is an inhibition of the recompensa resulting hom pie . Oithe Very great number of testimontes that thero are, I shalladduce one, thus summarily expressed by the prophet David:

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