99), [Greek: he tou kyriou paradosis] (VII. 17. 106: VII. 16. 104), [Greek: he theosebes paradosis] (VI. 15. 124)). Its content is not more precisely defined, and, as a rule, nothing more can be gathered from the context than what Clement once calls [Greek: to koinon tes pisteos] (VII. 16. 97). Where Clement wishes to determine the content more accurately he makes use of supplementary terms. He speaks, e.g., in III. 10. 66 of the [Greek: kata aletheian euangelikos kanon], and means by that the tradition contained in the Gospels recognised by the Church in contradistinction to that found in other gospels (IV. 4. 15: [Greek: kata ton kanona tou euangeliou] = [Greek: kata t. euang.]). In none of these formulae is any notice taken of the Apostles. That Clement (like Justin) traced back the public tradition to the Apostles is a matter of course and manifest from I. 1. 11, where he gives an account of his early teachers ([Greek: hoi men ten alethe tes makarias sozontes didaskalias paradosin euthus apo Petrou te kai Iakobou, Ioannou te kai Paulou ton hagion apostolon, tais para patros ekdechomenos hekon de syn theo kai eis hemas ta progonika ekeina kai apostolika katathesomenoi spermata]). Clement does not yet appeal to a hierarchical tradition through the bishops, but adheres to the natural one through the teachers, though he indeed admits an esoteric tradition alongside of it. On one occasion he also says that the true Gnostic keeps the [Greek: apostolike kai ekklesiastike orthotomia ton dogmaton] (VII. 16. 104). He has no doubt that: [Greek: mia he panton gegone ton apostolon hosper didaskalia houtos de kai he paradosis] (VII. 17. 108). But all that might just as well have been written in the first half of the second century. On the tracing back of the Gnosis, the esoteric tradition, to the Apostles see Hypotyp. in Euseb., H. E. II. 1. 4, Strom. VI. 15. 131: [Greek: autika didaxantos tou soteros tous apostolous he tes engraphou agraphos ede kai eis hemas diadidotai paradosis]. VI. 7. 61: [Greek: he gnosis de aute he kata diadochas] (this is the only place where I find this expression) [Greek: eis oligous ek ton apostolon agraphos paradotheisa kateleluthen], ibid [Greek: he gnostike paradosis]; VII. 10. 55: [Greek: he gnosis ek paradoseos diadidomene tois axious sphas autous tes didaskalias parechomenois oion parakatatheke egcheirizetai]. In VII. 17. 106 Clement has briefly recorded the theories of the Gnostic heretics with regard to the apostolic origin of their teaching, and expressed his doubts. That the tradition of the "Old Church," for so Clement designates the orthodox Church as distinguished from the "human congregation" of the heretics of his day, is throughout derived from the Apostles, he regards as so certain and self-evident that, as a rule, he never specially mentions it, or gives prominence to any particular article as apostolic. But the conclusion that he had no knowledge of any apostolic or fixed