The writings of Clement of Alexandria, Vol. 2 (of 2)Clement, of Alexandria, Saint
Religion
The writings of Clement of Alexandria, Vol. 2 (of 2)
Clement, of Alexandria, Saint
Theology -- Early works to 1800; Theology -- History -- Early Church, ca. 30-600
And the daughters of Diodorus, who was called Kronus, all became
dialecticians, as Philo the dialectician says in the _Menexenus_,
whose names are mentioned as follow--Menexene, Argia, Theognis,
Artemesia, Pantaclea. I also recollect a female Cynic,--she was
called Hipparchia, a Maronite, the wife of Crates,--in whose case the
so-called dog-wedding was celebrated in the Pœcile. Arete of Cyrene,
too, the daughter of Aristippus, educated her son Aristippus, who
was surnamed Mother-taught. Lastheneia of Arcis, and Axiothea of
Phlius, studied philosophy with Plato. Besides, Aspasia of Miletus,
of whom the writers of comedy write much, was trained by Socrates in
philosophy, by Pericles in rhetoric. I omit, on account of the length
of the discourse, the rest; enumerating neither the poetesses Corinna,
Telesilla, Myia, and Sappho; nor the painters, as Irene the daughter
of Cratinus, and Anaxandra the daughter of Nealces, according to the
account of Didymus in the Symposiaci. The daughter of Cleobulus, the
sage and monarch of the Lindii, was not ashamed to wash the feet of her
father’s guests. Also the wife of Abraham, the blessed Sarah, in her
own person prepared the cakes baked in the ashes for the angels; and
princely maidens among the Hebrews fed sheep. Whence also the Nausicaa
of Homer went to the washing-tubs.
The wise woman, then, will first choose to persuade her husband to
be her associate in what is conducive to happiness. And should that
be found impracticable, let her by herself earnestly aim at virtue,
gaining her husband’s consent in everything, so as never to do anything
against his will, with exception of what is reckoned as contributing to
virtue and salvation. But if one keeps from such a mode of life either
wife or maid-servant, whose heart is set on it; what such a person in
that case plainly does is nothing else than determine to drive her away
from righteousness and sobriety, and to choose to make his own house
wicked and licentious.
It is not then possible that man or woman can be conversant with
anything whatever, without the advantage of education, and application,
and training; and virtue, we have said, depends not on others, but
on ourselves above all. Other things one can repress, by waging war
against them; but with what depends on one’s self, this is entirely
out of the question, even with the most strenuous persistence. For the
gift is one conferred by God, and not in the power of any other. Whence
licentiousness should be regarded as the evil of no other one than of
him who is guilty of licentiousness; and temperance, on the other hand,
as the good of him who is able to practise it.
CHAPTER XX.
A GOOD WIFE.
The woman who, with propriety, loves her husband, Euripides describes,
while admonishing,
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