Matyáš Havrda: The order of education and knowledge in Clement of Alexandria

In his Pedagogue and the Stromateis, Clement outlines the order of education and knowledge within the tradition of the church. Two basic levels of education may be distinguished – one of practical instruction, whose goal is temperance (sōphrosunē), and one of theoretical instruction, divided into ethics, physics, and theology. Within the realm of (theoretical) ethics, dealing mainly with virtues and the goal of life, topics are also arranged in a particular order, corresponding to the order of progress from rational obedience to knowledge. Neither Clement’s physics nor theology has been preserved; but they may be partly reconstructed on the basis of various adumbrations in the Stromateis and other texts. Physics, based on the notion of divine economy, appears to follow the chronological order from the creation of the world to the “end without end”. In a sense, theology permeates the process of education from the beginning – it is encapsulated already in the confession formula –, but it seems to be presented in an ascending order of clarity. We shall explore this complex structure of education and knowledge in Clement’s œuvre, with a particular focus on the question of whether and to what extent it follows contemporary models of Greek education and philosophy.

Laura Rizzerio: Some examples of the interaction of biblical tradition and Greek philosophy in Clement of Alexandria’s anti-gnostic polemic

Taking up an important idea of Martin Grabmann who saw Clement as one of the precursors of Anselme de Canterbury and also as one of the founders of the method scholastic by her capacity to operate an interaction between philosophy and theology (cf History of the method scholastic), my communication wants to show the use of Greek philosophy by Clement and to prove that its manner of using philosophy and theology and/or biblical tradition constitutes for him one privileged tool to fight the Gnostic ones. To clarify this thesis, some examples will privilege. One of those is the concept of phronèsis, quite present in the greek philosophy and in the biblical tradition. Other examples will be proposed, like the use that Clement made of the logos term, of the concept of creation or of the virtue. By recovering the biblical tradition and by interaction with the philosophical tradition, Clement finds a frightening tool to affirm the “true gnosis” against the gnosis heretic.

Emily Cain: Perfected Perception: Knowledge of God in Clement of Alexandria

In Paedagogus1.6.28, Clement describes baptism through the metaphor of a cataract surgery that enables the recipient to see and to know God. In this paper, I argue that this deceptively simple metaphor offers us a key insight into Clement’s understanding of knowledge of God by describing an Epicurean process of vision and knowledge that is ultimately transformed into a Platonic one through this baptism. Epicurean sensory perception understood objects to emit tiny films that entered the eye of the bodyor the eye of the mind, with repeated contact leading to concept formation, and Clement begins with this same depiction to describe how the eye of the soul could see God. Just as Epicurus posited that the gods emitted divine dianoetic εἴδωλα that enter a person’s mind and grant her an idea of the gods, so also Clement suggests that God emits divine effluence(ἀπόρροια), and these incorporeal contacts of the intellect grant each person a seed of the truth. The full truth, however, is blocked by a cataract, and full knowledge is only available to the baptized Christian who has had the cataract removed through baptism and then gains Platonic vision through deified light-bearing(φωσφόρα) eyes. Thus, Clement engages the medical metaphor of cataract surgery in order to describe a transformation in the process of knowledge, moving from Epicurean to Platonic vision and knowledge of the divine.

Judith Kovacs: Counsels of perfection: the place of Colossians, Ephesians, and Hebrews in Clement of Alexandria’s reading of Pauline theology

In the twenty-first century, a scholar asked to give a précis of the theology of Saint Paul might offer the following, based on the seven letters generally accepted as Pauline: Jesus came as the messiah long expected by the Jews, who now, by his death and resurrection, offers freedom from sin and death and reconciliation with God to all people. What began in these two earth-shattering events will soon be consummated in the resurrection of all who trust in Jesus and the full realization of God’s kingdom in a redeemed creation. Clement of Alexandria, who champions Paul as ‘the divine apostle’ and quotes constantly from his letters, might offer a rather different summary, emphasizing knowledge of God as the Christian’s most important concern, the pursuit of perfection, and the hope of ascent through the heavenly spheres to the perfect end of everlasting contemplation of God. To some extent this interpretation reflects the Platonic background that Clement brings to his reading of the Bible. This paper explores another factor: that Clement is reading a larger corpus of ‘Pauline’ letters. It explores how Colossians, Ephesians, and Hebrews encourage Clement to focus on themes that receive only brief mention in the seven-letter corpus. These include an emphasis on heavenly realities, celebration of the mysteries of divine knowledge (Col 1-2; Eph 3, Heb 5), and reflections on Christ’s pre-existence as creator of all (Col 1:15-20) and his role as forerunner in the believer’s heavenly ascent (Heb 4:14; 6:20).

Piotr Ashwin-Siejkowski: Clement of Alexandria and the riddle of the Gospel of the Egyptians.

Clement of Alexandria preserved several unique quotations and references to Christian works which later were labelled as apocryphal and now are lost. In his polemic Clement used various literary sources to support his arguments. Clement’s legacy provide us with the intriguing case of a quote (Strom., 3.13.92) from the Gospel of Egyptians which closely echoes two Sayings from the Gospel of Thomas(22 and 37) and one passage from 2 Clem. 12. The paper explores some similarities and differences in asceticism and background of these two documents. It reconstructs the possible philosophical affiliations of both narratives. It proposes that the Gospel of the Egyptians was used as an authoritative narrative in competition with other ascetic Christian groups. This paper also re-examines the relationship between the Gospel of the Egyptians and the Gospel of Thomas.

Jana Plátová: Clement’s Reading of 1John

The aim of my paper is to show that some verses of 1John have a special importance for Clement, although he quotes them only rarely or he doesn’t quote them at all. I will point to the relation between (1) 1John 4:18 and Clement’s akolúthia of virtue (particularly virtue of fear of God and love); (2) 1John 1:3-4 etc. and trustworthiness of the Christian gnostic; (3) 1John 4:17; 3:18 and Clement’s concept of the assimilation to God; (4) 1John 5:14 and the efficacy of gnostic’s intercessory prayer.
In addition, I will draw attention to some expressions or motifs that are crucial to both the theology of 1John and to Clement’s thinking: (1) addressing "children" and the treatise on Evangelical Childhood in Paed. I; (2) an attitude called parrhesia in 1John and the courageous trust of the gnostic; (3) hamarthology of 1John, Gnostic’s sinlessness and the possibility of a second repentance in Clement; (4) chrisma apo tou agiou in 1John 2:18–27 a gnostic’s spiritual distinguishing.

Sami Yli-Karjanmaa: The Reception of Philo’s Reincarnational Soteriology in Clement

It is usually assumed in scholarship that Christianity inherited a negative attitude from Judaism towards the tenet of reincarnation. However, I have shown that, despite his reticence about the issue, Philo of Alexandria endorsed the doctrine (Reincarnation in Philo of Alexandria, SBL Press 2015). In Philo’s Platonic two-tier worldview the soul must orientate away from the sense-perceptible realm to the noetic in order to become liberated from repeated “prison terms” in the body. The soul’s orientation to things corporeal constitutes the major driving force of reincarnation in his thought. Clement of Alexandria is a highly interesting point of comparison because of the influence both Plato and Philo exerted on him. Contrary to the view of many scholars, a close reading of Clement’s works makes it clear that in his repeated mentions of reincarnation he never reveals his own stance – in marked contrast to heresiologists like Irenaeus and Tertullian, who vehemently denounce the doctrine. Yet Clement clearly implies he has a position. It thus remains for scholars to turn to the more indirect evidence: does reincarnation have a niche in which to thrive in Clement’s thought? Are his ethics and soteriology easier to understand with or without reincarnation? This paper summarizes the findings of a research project focusing on this question.

Veronika Černušková: References to the Apocalypse of Peter in Clement of Alexandria’s Eclogae propheticae

The so called Eclogae propheticae, the last section of the fragmentary textt hat follows the seventh book of the Stromateis in the manuscript, consists of a set of exegetical notes on selected passages in the Scripture. This paper focuses on the passage Ecl. 38–50 which includes esp. references to the Psalm 17, the Book of Wisdom and also the Apocalypse of Peter. The references to the Apocalypse are analysed, their number and demarcations are questioned and individual ideas contained in their context are compared with Clement’s statements in Stromateis. On the basis of this comparison it seems probable that (most of) the references to the Apocalypse of Peter are not Clement’s direct quotations or allusions, but that they are parts of Clement’s excerpts from exegetical literature.

Miklós Gyurkovics: “Non-canonical” sources for Clement of Alexandria’s “psychology”

In Strom. II, 20, 103, 1 - 126, 4 Clement of Alexandria presents man's way of assimilation to God. Already at the beginning of his argumentation (Strom. II, 19, 102, 6), he states that human being's similarity to God can be achieved solely on the level of reason and mind.  After this statement, however, Clement puts the emphasis on the presentation of the human psyche. His teaching on the psyche is influenced by the external effects of four doctrinal groups:
1) Gnostic authors, mainly Basilides, Isidorus and Valentinus.
2) Christian “psychology” revealed from the writings of the Canonic revelation and inspired teachings.
3) The teaching of the apostolic fathers.
4) The teaching of philosophers including Philo of Alexandria.
In the examined chapter Clement made a number of valuable quotations from the writings of the above mentioned intellectuals, thus, in addition to presenting his teaching on human psyche, I would like to put a special emphasis on presenting the author's argumentation method, which builds on the conscious arrangement of diverse quotations.
The discussion on the doctrine of the human soul’s free will can also be found in this chapter as well as the detailed description of the processes proceeding in human psyche, onto which, according to our authors, the images of revealed biblical truths have beneficial effects.
The aim of this paper is to point out how much the hetorodox opinions were the catalysts of the teaching of Clement of Alexandria, which inspired the expression of a clarified Christian “psychology”.

Husek Vit, Cernuskova Veronika, Ashwin-Siejkowski Piotr, Kovacs Judith, Rizzerio Laura, Yli-Karjanmaa Sami, Platova Jana, Salminen Joona, Dietmar Wyrwa: The High-Priest of the Epistle to the Hebrews in Clement

Clement thinks that the Epistle to the Hebrews is a letter by Paul, originally written in hebrew, but translated by Luke. In a remarkable technique of quotations this enables him to give some of Paul's basic concepts a more or less different emphasis. So he transforms the paradigm of the two aiones, used by Paul, into the view of one universal salvation history. Likewise he gives a more distinctive stress to the other-wordly realm above in comparison to Paul's prevainling eschatological orientation to the future. This goes together with his notion of faith and his differentiation between milk and strong meat. The most prominent issue however is, that Clement adopts the sovereign title of the great High-Priest for Christ, which is missing in Paul altogether. As in Hebrews he want to express in this way the mediatory functions of Christ, though in his concept the central idea of sacrifice is nearly absent. In his view it is less the incarnate Christ, but above all the preexistent Logos or the risen Christ, who exercises functions, which have cosmological and anthropological implications, especially such of soteriology, epistemology, liturgy and eschatology and which work in both directions between God and man and between man and God. But he also identifies the upwards moving soul of the perfect with the high-priest of Hebrews. The allegorical interpretation of the tabernacle and the vestments of the high-priest are to a large extent borrowings from Philo, but lead in the end to a clear Christian position.

Vít Hušek: Scholia of Clement of Alexandria in the Arabic Gospel Catenae

The fragments of Clement of Alexandria in the Arabic Catenae were first discussed in H. Fleisch’s article (1947/48). Fleisch focused on Vat. ar. 452 and 410 (which are a translation of Curzon’s Coptic catena) and identified and translated into French four fragments on Matthew and one fragment (or two closely connected) on John. The fragments on Matthew (including one omitted by Fleisch) were discussed by F.J. Caubet Iturbe in his edition of the catena, with Spanish translation (1969-70). Recently, all fragments were examined by J. Plátová (2010, 2013, 2014 with Czech translation, and 2017).However, there are more fragments attributed to Clement in Vat. ar. 452 and 410. The present paper will discuss all fragments attributed to Clement: their relation to the Coptic catena and possible authors/sources.

Ashley Edewaard: Wine: Peril or Prophylactic? Ancient Medical Theory in Clement of Alexandria's Dietary Prescriptions

In the late second century C.E., Clement of Alexandria composed the Paedagogus, an ascetic treatise instructing Christians in the ideal approach to daily life. In this text, Clement addresses a wide range of topics, from food and table manners to bathing and sexual activity. The present paper examines Clement’s advice regarding wine, utilising ancient medical models to explain why Clement adopts a cautious view of this substance while simultaneously allowing and even recommending its use. Clement’s understanding of wine’s effects, both positive and negative, draws heavily from the theories articulated in the Hippocratic and Galenic corpora. Doctors prescribe wine as a remedy against bodily and mental disorders, even while recognising the dangers associated with its abuse. The medical authors describe wine as a heating beverage, useful for counteracting the cold of winter and the chill of old age. At the same time, wine’s heat could inflame both the brain and the sexual organs, resulting in intoxication and unbridled sexual activity. Wine’s positive effects on the humours could also be harnessed to remedy digestion and improve mood. In accord with these theories, Clement urges restraint in drinking wine because of its potential to cause sexual impropriety, especially among hot-blooded youths, and intoxication. Because of its effects on the brain, wine was also detrimental to intellectual pursuits. Clement advocates that wine’s heating properties be harnessed to counter cold air, its cheering properties to offset depression, and its purgative properties to aid digestion.

Pamela Mullins Reaves: Dressed for Transformation and Transportation: Heavenly Garments in Clement of Alexandria's Stromateis

In illuminating the meaning of the tabernacle in the fifth book of his Stromateis, Clement of Alexandria presents a distinctive reading of the high priestly garments designated for the Day of Atonement (Lev 16). Clement’s Christian interpretation of the priestly robes expresses his views on accessing elevated realms, both intellectually and cosmologically. In this brief communication, I examine Clement’s presentation of priestly attire, with particular attention to how the garments allow for transformation and transportation beyond the material realm. In this regard, I show how Clement’s presentation reveals not only his explication of scripture, but also his understanding of the potential associated with robing and disrobing. Moreover, I consider how the passage further illuminates Clement’s perspectives on Christ, baptism, the body, and the prospect of Christian gnosis. To inform my analysis, I draw on related contemporary traditions, including select Nag Hammadi materials, that similarly associate shifts in garments with transformation, heavenly ascent, and, at times, baptism.

Manabu Akiyama: Prudenza e lo “spirito del senso” secondo Clemente Alessandrino

Clemente Alessandrino cita spesso il brano di Theèteto (176b) di Platone: “Fuga da qua a là è assimilazione a dio conformemente al possibile; assimilazione è divenire giusto e pio con prudenza («φρόνησις»)” (Str 2,18,81,1; 2,22,133,3; 2,22,136,6; 6,7,56,2; 6,12,97,1). Questo brano è riferito dai padri come una fonte platonica della deificazione. Secondo Clemente invece la prudenza si può interpretare come “spirito del senso” («πνεῦμα αἰσθήσεως») che appare nel testo dei Settanta come un termine corrispondente alla formula “rûaḥ ḥoḵmâ(h)” («spirito di sapienza») nell’originale ebraico dell’Esodo (Es 28,3). Clemente dice: questa facoltà della “prudenza” si estende non solo alle arti, ma alla filosofia stessa (i.e. “l’amare la sapienza”; Str 6,17,154,4). Potremmo dire che questo modo dell’interpretazione di Clemente non soltanto ribadisce il senso originale del testo dell’Esodo, ma anche rivaluta i significati del “senso” dal punto di vista cristiana. Infatti, Clemente cita il brano platonico summenzionato in relazione con un passo della Lettera agli Efesini (4,13) dal punto di vista comunitario del corpo di Cristo: “«giusto e pio con prudenza» s’adopera di raggiungere «la misura dell’età» perfetta” (Str 6,12,97,1; 7,14,84,2). Questo “giusto e pio” non è altro che lo “gnostico”. Dalla nostra congettura potremmo dire che il “senso superiore” («συναίσθησις») sarebbe quello che esprime il più alto livello della spiritualità clementina (Str 7,7,37,2): questo “senso” certifica l’affinità dello “gnostico” con lo spirito di Cristo risorto (Str7,12,76,4). Nello stesso tempo potremmo dire che Clemente ha dato significato alla “prudenza” in un modo cristiano.

Jane Heath: Paideia and Politeia: Clement of Alexandria and Plato’s Republic

The significance of Plato for Clement of Alexandria has long been recognised, particularly in scholarship on Clement’s systematic theology. The present short communication shifts attention from intellectual doctrine to embodied formation. It argues that the extant works in Clement’s multi-volume project in Christian formation – Protrepticus, Paedagogus, Stromateis– provide a paideiathat creatively reworks the structure of education in Plato’s Republic. Like Plato, Clement begins by reforming the imagination through a renewal of traditional myths and imagery; like Plato, he shifts attention from Homer and tragedy to a different ‘song’, which he (unlike Plato) discovers in the scriptures (Protr.cf. Resp.II-III); like Plato, he then seeks to persuade his readers that they are children of one divine mother who nourishes them, but for him, this is mother church, not mother earth (Paed.I.vi cf. Resp.III.414e). As in Plato’s Republic,he arrays images of bad behaviour in the ‘politeia’, which function as examples that are to be rejected (Paed.II-III cf. Resp.VIII-IX). In this way, he hints that the proper ethical model is more simple and pure, but less easy to imitate. Like Plato, he characterises the activity of giving an account of the perfect human being in terms of constructing an anthropomorphic statue (e.g. Str.VI.xviii.168.4 cf. Resp.IV.420c).This account of Clement’s relationship to Plato’s Republicdraws attention to neglected socio-political and aesthetic themes in Clement’s ethics, and underscores the importance of the theology of the image in Christian ideas for embodied renewal of Greek philosophical formation.

Daniel Crosby: The 'New Song' of Eunomos: Dragons and Materiality in the Protrepticus of Clement of Alexandria

Clement of Alexandria’s version of the myth of Eunomos’ harmonization with the chirping cicada at the beginning of his Protrepticusis such a striking feature of the text that explaining its significance has become a popular problem in scholarship. More successful interpretations have connected Clement’s unique version of the myth of Eunomos with the pagan sinner’s turn toward the Good, Truth, and God, which is the purpose of Clement’s protreptic project (Reinhold Merkelbach 1987 and Charles Cosgrove 2006). Traditionally, though, protreptic is also deeply invested in pointing out what is bad, immoral, and unnatural about current practices. I argue that Clement’s novel introduction of the death of the Delphic dragon Python into his version of myth of Eunomos is especially important since this snake becomes a pervasive metaphor for the danger that the material world poses to souls and the rot that affects the souls clinging to it. The text of the Protrepticusslithers with serpentine imagery as Clement points out how this dragon’s winding coils are wrapped around Graeco-Roman religion, philosophy, and human nature more generally. In light of this reading, we appreciate the real stakes of Clement’s exhortation and find the model of his ideal reader in Eunomos: the sinner who once sang to the dead and rotting snake of evil Greek custom and its inherent materialism now joins in with the pure song of the cicada who has always sung the cosmic 'new song' to its Creator, the victor over the snake.

Léon-Ferdinand KARUHIJE: L'ecclésiologie de Clément d'Alexandrie à la lumière de sa doctrine de l'Incarnation

The doctrine of the Incarnation occupies an important place in the ecclesiological thought of Clement of Alexandria. According to him, the Church belongs to the very same project than the Incarnation; it extends and updates it. This is illustrated by a passage in the Eclogae Propheticae, where Clement says that the words and healings of the incarnated Logos built a bridge between what was formerly done, “by the prophets,” and now, “by the Apostles and the didascals” (Ecl. Proph. 23). Thus, the Church is the means by which the Lord's activity (ἐνέργεια) is revealed, just as his incarnated life was the means by which the Father's will (θέλημα) was revealed.In this presentation, I will show the different ecclesiological facets revealed by Clement's discourse on the Incarnation of the Logos. I will particularly analyze the texts where the Alexandrian Father comments on the prologue of the Gospel according to St. John and on the Passion of Christ.

David King: Widening the Eye of the Needle: The Peculiar Edition of Mark 10:17-31 in Clement of Alexandria's Quis Dives Salevtur

In his Quis Dives Salvetur, Who Is the Rich Man Who Shall Be Saved? Clement of Alexandria interprets the gospel story of the Rich Young Ruler (Mark 10:17-31, Matt 19:16-30, Luke 18:18-30). The pericope has one of the more radical economic messages in the gospels, suggesting that “it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to be saved.” Clement seeks to domesticate this message and make the church safe for well-to-do Christians. He does this through clever exegesis, but also through a very peculiar edition of the biblical text. Clement presents a unique version of the pericope, one that seems to be cobbled together with the goal of stripping the story of its radical edge. This paper examines Clement’s literary techniques and shows that before he has even turned to exegesis, Clement has already drastically changed the meaning of the text through edition.

Dimitrios Papanikolaou: Clement of Alexandria and Buddhism

The paper is concerned with a passage of the Stromateisof Clement of Alexandria (1.15.71.6), which provides the oldest preserved reference in European literature tothe Buddha. The paper argues thatClement does not demonstrate any serious knowledge of Buddha’s precepts. Nevertheless, Buddha’s image in the passage is positive and Buddha is treated by Clement with respect. The paper examines the issue of Clement’s sources on Buddha and accepts that Hellenistic or Roman-era Greek sources might have been proven a useful starting point for Clement’s knowledge on Buddha. On the other hand, it is argued that Clement had oral sources concerning Buddhism in India. This is indicated by the curious indeclinable word BOYTTA used by Clement, a form elsewhere unattested. The paper raises doubts on recent theories which connect BOYTTA to the Parthian language and to Kushan Buddhism. Based on various pieces of evidence (e.g. Clement’s perception of India, Dio Chrysostom’s information on the presence of Indians in Alexandria, epigraphically attested presence of Buddhist Indians in Roman Egypt) the paper stresses the possibility that Clement could have received the information concerning Buddha from Indians living in Alexandria. Particular focus is given to the mime XAPITION (P.Oxy. 413), where whole sections of the plot involve dialogues in unattested forms of south Indian dialects. On the basis of all this evidence, the paper argues that the form BOYTTA could well reproduce the phonology of the word in an obscure vernacular of the Indian subcontinent during the second century AD.

Manabu Akiyama: L’esegesi per mezzo dell’Unigenito Dio (Gv 1,18) secondo Clemente Alessandrino

Nel libro quinto di Stromati (Strom. V 81,3-4) Clemente Alssandrino, basandosi sul passo del Vangelo secondo Giovanni (Gv 1,18: “μονογενὴς θεὸς ὁ ὢν εἰς τὸν κόλπον τοῦ πατρὸς ἐκεῖνος ἐξηγήσατο”), dice che la questione teologica più difficile da trattare è la dimostrazione del principio primo e più antico. D’altronde Clemente, quando interpreta tipologicamente un tralcio con un grappolo d’uva descritto nel libro dei Numeri (Nm 13,23-14,12) per esempio, basandosi sulla figura di Gesù crocifisso, sviluppa per la prima volta tra i padri ecclesiastici una spiegazione soteriologica e sacramentale su questo passo (Paed. II 19,3-4). Il modo d’interpretazione di Clemente corrisponde alla direzione fuoriuscente dello Spirito Santo dal fianco di Gesù crocifisso (Gv 19,34), perché il corpo stesso di Gesù sulla croce si unisce al Verbo eterno di Dio (Gv 19,30). Nonostante il passo del quarto Vangelo di cui sopra si traduce di solito che “l’Unigenito Dio, quegli che è nel seno del Padre, Egli lo rivelo”, mi sembra invece che Clemente non interpreti la frase “εἰς τὸν κόλπον” come qualificatrice del sostantivo “ὁ ὤν”, ma del verbo “ἐξηγήσατο”: cioè, l’Unigenito Dio-Verbo rivela (ἐξηγήσατο) il mistero del Padre eternamente, mentre noi siamo condotti per mezzo di questo Unigenito Dio nel seno (εἰς τὸν κόλπον) del Padre infinitamente. Diveniamo quindi incessantemente l’immagine di Dio (Gn 1,26), cioè il Verbo di Dio, specialmente unificandoci alla figura di Cristo sulla croce. Secondo Clemente così, lo gnostico vive sempre nella comunione trinitaria del Padre, del Figlio-Verbo, e dello Spirito Santo nel corpo di Cristo crocifisso.