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
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Sion; tell aloud, O daughter of
Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh, just, meek, and bringing salvation;
meek truly is He, and riding on a beast of burden, and a young
colt.”[187] It was not enough to have said colt alone, but He added to
it also _young_, to show the youth of humanity in Christ, and the
eternity of simplicity, which shall know no old age. And we who are
little ones being such colts, are reared up by our divine colt-tamer.
But if the new man in Scripture is represented by the ass, this ass
is also a colt. “And he bound,” it is said, “the colt to the vine,”
having bound this simple and childlike people to the word, whom He
figuratively represents as a vine. For the vine produces wine, as the
Word produces blood, and both drink for health to men--wine for the
body, blood for the spirit.
And that He also calls us lambs, the Spirit by the mouth of Isaiah is
an unimpeachable witness: “He will feed His flock like a shepherd,
He will gather the lambs with His arm,”[188]--using the figurative
appellation of lambs, which are still more tender than sheep, to
express simplicity. And we also in truth, honouring the fairest and
most perfect objects in life with an appellation derived from the
word child, have named training παιδεία, and discipline παιδαγωγία.
Discipline (παιδαγωγία) we declare to be right guiding from childhood
to virtue. Accordingly, our Lord revealed more distinctly to us what
is signified by the appellation of children. On the question arising
among the apostles, “which of them should be the greater,” Jesus placed
a little child in the midst, saying, “Whosoever shall humble himself
as this little child, the same shall be the greater in the kingdom
of heaven.”[189] He does not then use the appellation of children on
account of their very limited amount of understanding from their age,
as some have thought. Nor, if He says, “Except ye become as these
children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of God,” are His words
to be understood as meaning “without learning.” We, then, who are
infants, no longer roll on the ground, nor creep on the earth like
serpents as before, crawling with the whole body about senseless lusts;
but, stretching upwards in soul, loosed from the world and our sins,
touching the earth on tiptoe so as to appear to be in the world, we
pursue holy wisdom, although this seems folly to those whose wits are
whetted for wickedness. Rightly, then, are those called children who
know Him who is God alone as their Father, who are simple, and infants,
and guileless, who are lovers of the horns of the unicorns.[190]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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