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Who is the Rich Man that shall be saved?

Clement of Alexandria

Section 19

About this work

A pastoral interpretation of Jesus and the rich ruler arguing that possessions must be governed by freedom from passion, generosity, repentance, and love rather than abandoned mechanically.

Author: Clement of Alexandria
Date: Late 2nd or early 3rd century
Origin: Alexandria
Genre: Homily

XIX. He then is truly and rightly

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rich

who

is

rich

in

virtue

,

and

is

capable

of

making

a

holy

and

faithful

use

of

any

fortune

;

while

he

is

spuriously

rich

who

is

rich

,

according

to

the

flesh

,

and

turns

life

into

outward

possession

,

which

is

transitory

and

perishing

,

and

now

belongs

to

one

,

now

to

another

,

and

in

the

end

to

nobody

at

all

.

Again

,

in

the

same

way

there

is

a

genuine

poor

man

,

and

another

counterfeit

and

falsely

so

called

.

He

that

is

poor

in

spirit

,

and

that

is

the

right

thing

,

and

he

that

is

poor

in

a

worldly

sense

,

which

is

a

different

thing

.

To

him

who

is

poor

in

worldly

goods

,

but

rich

in

vices

,

who

is

not

poor

in

spirit

and

rich

toward

God

,

it

is

said

,

Abandon

the

alien

possessions

that

are

in

thy

soul

,

that

,

becoming

pure

in

heart

,

thou

mayest

see

God

;

which

is

another

way

of

saying

,

Enter

into

the

kingdom

of

heaven

.

And

how

may

you

abandon

them

?

By

selling

them

.

What

then

?

Are

you

to

take

money

for

effects

,

by

effecting

an

exchange

of

riches

,

by

turning

your

visible

substance

into

money

?

Not

at

all

.

But

by

introducing

,

instead

of

what

was

formerly

inherent

in

your

soul

,

which

you

desire

to

save

,

other

riches

which

deify

and

which

minister

everlasting

life

,

dispositions

in

accordance

with

the

command

of

God

;

for

which

there

shall

accrue

to

you

endless

reward

and

honour

,

and

salvation

,

and

everlasting

immortality

.

It

is

thus

that

thou

dost

rightly

sell

the

possessions

,

many

are

superfluous

,

which

shut

the

heavens

against

thee

by

exchanging

them

for

those

which

are

able

to

save

.

Let

the

former

be

possessed

by

the

carnal

poor

,

who

are

destitute

of

the

latter

.

But

thou

,

by

receiving

instead

spiritual

wealth

,

shalt

have

now

treasure

in

the

heavens

.

Notes

23
ὁ κατὰ πνεῦμα οὑ πτωχὸς … φησί. Segaar omits οὐ, and so makes ὁ κατὰ πνεῦμἀ κ.τ.λ. the nominative to φησί. It seems better, with the Latin translator, to render as above, which supposes the change of ὁ into ός.