The writings of Clement of Alexandria, Vol. 1 (of 2)Clement, of Alexandria, Saint
Religion
The writings of Clement of Alexandria, Vol. 1 (of 2)
Clement, of Alexandria, Saint
Theology -- Early works to 1800; Theology -- History -- Early Church, ca. 30-600
Since, then, the Greeks are testified to have laid down some true
opinions, we may from this point take a glance at the testimonies.
Paul, in the Acts of the Apostles, is recorded to have said to the
Areopagites, “I perceive that ye are more than ordinarily religious.
For as I passed by, and beheld your devotions, I found an altar with
the inscription, To The Unknown God. Whom therefore ye ignorantly
worship, Him declare I unto you. God, that made the world and all
things therein, seeing that He is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth
not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men’s
hands, as though He needed anything, seeing He giveth to all life, and
breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men
to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times
before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should
seek God, if haply they might feel after Him, and find Him; though He
be not far from every one of us: for in Him we live, and move, and
have our being; as certain also of your own poets have said, For we
also are His offspring.”[970] Whence it is evident that the apostle,
by availing himself of poetical examples from the _Phenomena_
of Aratus, approves of what had been well spoken by the Greeks; and
intimates that, by the unknown God, God the Creator was in a roundabout
way worshipped by the Greeks; but that it was necessary by positive
knowledge to apprehend and learn Him by the Son. “Wherefore, then, I
send thee to the Gentiles,” it is said, “to open their eyes, and to
turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God;
that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them
that are sanctified by faith which is in me.”[971] Such, then, are
the eyes of the blind which are opened. The knowledge of the Father
by the Son is the comprehension of the “Greek circumlocution;”[972]
and to turn from the power of Satan is to change from sin, through
which bondage was produced. We do not, indeed, receive absolutely all
philosophy, but that of which Socrates speaks in Plato. “For there
are (as they say) in the mysteries many bearers of the thyrsus, but
few bacchanals;” meaning, “that many are called, but few chosen.” He
accordingly plainly adds: “These, in my opinion, are none else than
those who have philosophized right; to belong to whose number, I
myself have left nothing undone in life, as far as I could, but have
endeavoured in every way. Whether we have endeavoured rightly and
achieved aught, we shall know when we have gone there, if God will, a
little afterwards.” Does he not then seem to declare from the Hebrew
Scriptures the righteous man’s hope, through faith, after death? And
in _Demodocus_[973] (if that is really the work of Plato): “And
do not imagine that I call it philosophizing to spend life pottering
about the arts, or learning many things, but something different; since
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