David Gormley O''Brien: Children “who are lovers of the horns of unicorns” (Clement of Alexandria, Paed. 1.5.17) - an exploration of this phrase in light of patristic exegesis and treatments of the unicorn motif

The fabled unicorns feature relatively rarely in Greek pagan literature prior to the Common Era (most references are in Aristotle’s writings).  They do not appear in Greek myths and are considered an oriental curiosity.  They do, however, appear in various places within the Septuagint corpus (Job, Numbers, Deuteronomy and the Psalms) and as a result provide writers of the patristic period a fascinating challenge in interpreting these scriptural texts in order to glean insights to Christian truths.  In Paed. 1.5.17, Clement of Alexandria refers to Christians as children “who are lovers of the horns of unicorns”.  This paper explores the significance of this phrase in light of patristic exegesis and treatments of the unicorn motif.