Clement of Alexandria

Titus-Flavius Clemens, whom some authors claim to be an Athenian by birth, began his studies in Greece; he continued them in Italy, Asia Minor, Assyria, and Palestine, and completed them in Egypt. An incredible desire to learn thus led him to travel through the different parts of the world. He had, among others, five famous masters: one in Greece, who was of the Ionian sect, two in Calabria, and two in the Orient. Although he was very well-versed in the philosophy of Plato, he gave preference to the principles of the Stoics; but he did not wish to belong to any particular sect; he chose what was best wherever he found it. One of the masters he had in Palestine was of Jewish extraction; it even appears that he was a Christian. The last one he listened to, and whom he himself placed above all the others, was the famous Pantaenus, who was at the head of t he cate Pantène Teacher of Clement of Alexandria and predecessor at the Catechetical School. chetical school of Alexandria.

Clement, whose studies had as their object the search for truth, discovered the errors of idolatry and saw the light of faith shine before his eyes. However well-versed he was in the different branches of secular literature, he saw that he lacked the most essential of knowledge, that upon which the happiness of man depends and which can only be found in the true religion. He therefore began to study theology, a science which, according to him, has no other goal than a life perfected by all the virtues. He informs us that some of the immediate successors of the Apostles, who had preserved the true tradition of the blessed doctrine taught by Saint Peter, Saint James, Saint John, and Saint Paul, were still living in his time. "They sow," he said, "in our hearts the divine seed which they received from the Apostles, their predecessors."

Pantaen Pantène Teacher of Clement of Alexandria and predecessor at the Catechetical School. us having been sent to the Indies by Bishop Demetrius in 189, Clement succeeded him in the position of catechist of Alexandria, which he filled with great success. Among his principal disciples are counted Origen Origène Great theologian and teacher of Gregory in Caesarea. and Saint Alexander saint Alexandre Disciple of Clement, bishop of Jerusalem and martyr. , later Bishop of Jerusalem and martyr. His method was to instruct those who came to listen to him first in what was good in pagan philosophy, in order to lead them by degrees to the knowledge of Christianity. To make them love it and inspire in them the desire to embrace it, he insisted on certain points of morality discovered by natural light and which are found sown in the writings of the philosophers. He was ordained a priest towards the beginning of the reign of Severus; for Eusebius gives Sévère Roman emperor under whose reign Clement was ordained a priest and persecuted. him this title in 195.

The persecution stirred up by this emperor in 202 forced him to abandon his school. He withdrew to Cappadocia. We see him in Jerusalem shortly after, and we learn from a letter of Saint Alexander, bishop of that saint Alexandre Disciple of Clement, bishop of Jerusalem and martyr. city, that he preached there with great zeal and success. From Jerusalem, he went to Antioch. In all the places through which he passed, he encouraged the disciples of Jesus Christ and endeavored to increase their number. From Antioch, he returned to Alexandria.

The ancients bestowed great praise upon his virtue and his knowledge, and these praises are well justified by what remains of his writings. We shall make them known in a few words.

His *Exhortation to the Greeks* has as its object to make felt the absurdity of idolatry; and this absurdity becomes singularly striking through the historical summary the author gives of pagan mythology. Clement inserted into this work several curious discoveries he had made during his travels, which he uses to strengthen his arguments and which pleasantly engage the reader.

He then composed his *Stromata* or tapestries, which ar e but a c Stramates A collection of theological and philosophical miscellanies in eight books. ollection of miscellanies, divided into eight books, in which there is little order. One cannot, the author himself says, compare this work to a garden where the trees and plants are arranged with symmetry; it resembles rather a heap of wild trees, grown of their own accord and scattered here and there. He adds that he had made it to serve as a repertoire in his old age, when his memory might begin to fail him. He has been accused of having followed the dogmas of the ancient philosophers too closely and of not always having expressed himself with sufficient accuracy. But one can generally explain the parts that appear reprehensible in a favorable manner. If the style of this work is a bit harsh, one is compensated by the erudition that reigns within it and by the abundance and variety of the materials it contains. Clement treats with solidity various questions that have as their object morality, metaphysics, the heresies that had appeared until then, paganism, and theology. In the sixth book, he traces the character of the true Christian, to whom he gives the name of *Gnostic*. He requires gnostique Name given by Clement to the true, accomplished Christian. that he command his passions, that he keep exactly the rules of temperance, and that he grant his body only what is necessary to sustain it. The true Gnostic, he adds, must love God above all things, and creatures for God; nothing must be capable of separating him from the love of God. He bears with patience all the accidents of this life and occupies himself only with the means of uniting himself to the sovereign good: he never lets himself be carried away by anger; he prays continually to obtain the remission of his sins, with the grace to sin no more in the future and to practice virtue.

In the seventh book, Clement speaks of the virtue of his Gnostic. "He applies himself," he says, "with all his strength to honor God and to love Him; to listen to, to imitate His Word who became man for our salvation; he is gentle, honest, affable, patient, charitable, sincere, faithful, temperate; he despises the goods of this world and is in the disposition to suffer everything for Jesus Christ; he does nothing for ostentation, and his actions have no other motive than the love of justice and the goodness of God. Finally, he is an entirely holy and truly divine man. The Gnostic prays in all places, but principally in secret and in the depths of his heart; he prays without ceasing, in the morning upon rising, at noon, while traveling, when he rests, seeking in everything to glorify God, following the example of the Seraphim mentioned in Isaiah." He distinguishes the true Gnostics from the heretics known by that name, who were then troubling the Church with their abominable doctrine regarding an imaginary perfection. To protect the faithful against the errors and extravagances of the false mystics, he explains the nature and extent of each theological virtue, and shows above all in what pure love consists. He teaches not to confuse resignation with indifference; he treats of activity, transformation, and union: but in such a way that he avoids extremes and fixes the boundaries that separate mysticism from the illusions of fanaticism.

The treatise entitled: Which Rich Man Shall Be Saved? is an explanation of the words that Jesus Christ addressed to a rich young man mentioned in the Gospel. The author shows therein that it is not necessary, in order to be saved, to renounce riches, provided that one makes good use of them. He also treats therein of the love of God and of neighbor, as well as of penance, the efficacy of which he proves by the story of that young thief whom Saint John c Le Pédagogue A treatise on Christian morality detailing daily conduct. onverted.

The Instructor by Clement, divided into three books, is an excellent compendium of morality, where one sees the manner in which good Christians lived in those early times. The author shows in the first book that Jesus Christ is the Master, the Guide, the Shepherd of men, all of whom need to be instructed, and that the life of a Christian must be an uninterrupted series of virtuous actions. One finds in the second book rules of conduct in relation to certain particular duties, such as abstinence, mortification, humility, prayer, almsgiving, and chastity, both in the splendor of marriage and in that of virginity. Following the doctrine of Clement, one must prefer simple food, if only for reasons of health; a single meal per day should suffice, two at most; that is to say, besides supper, a breakfast of dry bread, without drinking. He proves, against the Encratites, that the moderate use of wine is permitted, but he forbids it to young people. He rises with force against luxury in furniture and tableware. He wants one to sleep little, and never during the day; that one begins the night with prayer, and that one is no longer in bed when the day appears. He proves against the pagans that all impure actions are crimes in the eyes of reason itself. In the third book, he treats of modesty and several other virtues. He concludes it by exhorting his readers to listen to the divine lessons of Jesus Christ, whom he thanks for having made him a member of His Church. The prayer that he addresses to Him is likewise addressed to the Father and to the Holy Spirit. This work contains excellent maxims for attaining Christian perfection; but one could only translate it by softening certain expressions, out of regard for current customs.

Photius observes that Clement's style is flowery, elegant, and sublime in the Paedagogus and in the Exhortation to the Greeks, although his diction is not perfectly pure. We have noted that the style of the Stromata had something harsher than that of the other works of the holy doctor. But one admires in all of them a vast erudition. Saint Jerome calls Clement of Alexandria the most learned of ecclesiastical writers. Theodoret says that he surpassed all others by the extent of his knowledge. Saint Alexander of Jerusalem and ancient authors speak highly of the holiness of his life.

Clement died in Alexandria, before the end of the reign of Ca racalla, w Alexandrie Place of refuge and study during the persecution. ho was assassinated in 217.

Godescard, Lefort edition, Lille.