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The Stromata, or Miscellanies

Clement of Alexandria

Book 4 · Chapter 13

About this work

A wide-ranging collection on faith, knowledge, philosophy, Scripture, ethics, and Christian maturity that intentionally mixes subjects while portraying the ideal Christian knower formed through disciplined inquiry.

Author: Clement of Alexandria
Date: c. AD 195–215
Origin: Alexandria
Genre: Theological Treatise

Chapter XIII.—Valentinian’s Vagaries About the Abolition of Death Refuted.

Valentinian, in a homily, writes in

‹ Book 4 · Chapter 12 Book 4 · Chapter 14 ›

these

words

:

“

Ye

are

originally

immortal

,

and

children

of

eternal

life

,

and

ye

would

have

death

distributed

to

you

,

that

ye

may

spend

and

lavish

it

,

and

that

death

may

die

in

you

and

by

you

;

for

when

we

dissolve

the

world

,

and

are

not

yourselves

dissolved

,

ye

have

dominion

over

creation

and

all

corruption

.

”

For

he

also

,

similarly

with

Basilides

,

supposes

a

class

saved

by

nature

,

and

that

this

different

race

has

come

hither

to

us

from

above

for

the

abolition

of

death

,

and

that

the

origin

of

death

is

the

work

of

the

Creator

of

the

world

.

Wherefore

also

he

so

expounds

that

Scripture

,

“

No

man

shall

see

the

face

of

God

,

and

live

,

”

as

if

He

were

the

cause

of

death

.

Respecting

this

God

,

he

makes

those

allusions

when

writing

in

these

expressions

:

“

As

much

as

the

image

is

inferior

to

the

living

face

,

so

much

is

the

world

inferior

to

the

living

Æon

.

What

is

,

then

,

the

cause

of

the

image

?

The

majesty

of

the

face

,

which

exhibits

the

figure

to

the

painter

,

to

be

honoured

by

his

name

;

for

the

form

is

not

found

exactly

to

the

life

,

but

the

name

supplies

what

is

wanting

in

the

effigy

.

The

invisibility

of

God

co

-

operates

also

in

order

to

the

faith

of

that

which

has

been

fashioned

.

”

For

the

Creator

,

called

God

and

Father

,

he

designated

as

“

Painter

,

”

and

“

Wisdom

,

”

whose

image

that

which

is

formed

is

,

to

the

glory

of

the

invisible

One

;

since

the

things

which

proceed

from

a

pair

are

complements

,

and

those

which

proceed

from

one

are

images

.

But

since

what

is

seen

is

no

part

of

Him

,

the

soul

comes

from

what

is

intermediate

,

which

is

different

;

and

this

is

the

inspiration

of

the

different

spirit

,

and

generally

what

is

breathed

into

the

soul

,

which

is

the

image

of

the

spirit

.

And

in

general

,

what

is

said

of

the

Creator

,

who

was

made

according

to

the

image

,

they

say

was

foretold

by

a

sensible

image

in

the

book

of

Genesis

respecting

the

origin

of

man

;

and

the

likeness

they

transfer

to

themselves

,

teaching

that

the

addition

of

the

different

spirit

was

made

;

unknown

to

the

Creator

.

When

,

then

,

we

treat

of

the

unity

of

the

God

who

is

proclaimed

in

the

law

,

the

prophets

,

and

the

Gospel

,

we

shall

also

discuss

this

;

for

the

topic

is

supreme

.

But

we

must

advance

to

that

which

is

urgent

.

If

for

the

purpose

of

doing

away

with

death

the

peculiar

race

has

come

,

it

is

not

Christ

who

has

abolished

death

,

unless

He

also

is

said

to

be

of

the

same

essence

with

them

.

And

if

He

abolished

it

to

this

end

,

that

it

might

not

touch

the

peculiar

race

,

it

is

not

these

,

the

rivals

of

the

Creator

,

who

breathe

into

the

image

of

their

intermediate

spirit

the

life

from

above

—

in

accordance

with

the

principle

of

their

dogma

—

that

abolish

death

.

But

should

they

say

that

this

takes

place

by

His

mother

,

or

should

they

say

that

they

,

along

with

Christ

,

war

against

death

,

let

them

own

their

secret

dogma

that

they

have

the

hardihood

to

assail

the

divine

power

of

the

Creator

,

by

setting

to

rights

His

creation

,

as

if

they

were

superior

,

endeavouring

to

save

the

vital

image

which

He

was

not

able

to

rescue

from

corruption

.

Then

the

Lord

would

be

superior

to

God

the

Creator

;

for

the

son

would

never

contend

with

the

father

,

especially

among

the

gods

.

But

the

point

that

the

Creator

of

all

things

,

the

omnipotent

Lord

,

is

the

Father

of

the

Son

,

we

have

deferred

till

the

discussion

of

these

points

,

in

which

we

have

undertaken

to dispute against the heresies, showing that He alone is the God proclaimed by Him.

But the apostle, writing to us with reference to the endurance of afflictions, says, “And this is of God, that it is given to you on behalf of Christ, not only to believe on Him, but also to suffer for His sake; having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and now hear to be in me. If there is therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any communion of spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfil ye my joy, that ye may be of the same mind, having the same love, unanimous, thinking one thing. And if he is offered on the sacrifice and service of faith, joying and rejoicing” with the Philippians, to whom the apostle speaks, calling them “fellow-partakers of joy,” how does he say that they are of one soul, and having a soul? Likewise, also, writing respecting Timothy and himself, he says, “For I have no one like-souled, who will nobly care for your state. For all seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ’s.”

Let not the above-mentioned people, then, call us, by way of reproach, “natural men” (ψυκικοί), nor the Phrygians either; for these now call those who do not apply themselves to the new prophecy “natural men” (ψυκικοί), with whom we shall discuss in our remarks on “Prophecy.” The perfect man ought therefore to practice love, and thence to haste to the divine friendship, fulfilling the commandments from love. And loving one’s enemies does not mean loving wickedness, or impiety, or adultery, or theft; but the thief, the impious, the adulterer, not as far as he sins, and in respect of the actions by which he stains the name of man, but as he is a man, and the work of God. Assuredly sin is an activity, not an existence: and therefore it is not a work of God. Now sinners are called enemies of God—enemies, that is, of the commands which they do not obey, as those who obey become friends, the one named so from their fellowship, the others from their estrangement, which is the result of free choice; for there is neither enmity nor sin without the enemy and the sinner. And the command “to covet nothing,” not as if the things to be desired did not belong to us, does not teach us not to entertain desire, as those suppose who teach that the Creator is different from the first God, not as if creation was loathsome and bad (for such opinions are impious). But we say that the things of the world are not our own, not as if they were monstrous, not as if they did not belong to God, the Lord of the universe, but because we do not continue among them for ever; being, in respect of possession, not ours, and passing from one to another in succession; but belonging to us, for whom they were made in respect of use, so long as it is necessary to continue with them. In accordance, therefore, with natural appetite, things disallowed are to be used rightly, avoiding all excess and inordinate affection.

Notes

123
[Kaye, p. 322.]
124
[See the Valentinian jargon about the Demiurge (rival of the true Creator), in Irenæus, vol. i. p. 322, this series.]
125
Phil. i. 29, 30; ii. 1, 2, 17.
126
Phil. i. 7.
127
Phil. ii. 20, 21.
128
[Kaye, p. 405.]
129
[The valuable note of Routh, on a fragment of Melito, should be consulted. Reliquiæ, vol i. p. 140.]