CLEMENT
47
CLEMENT
tian literature, of orthodox and heretical works.
He was fond of letters also, and had a fine knowledge
of the pagan poets and philosophers; lie loved to
quote them, too, and has thus preserved a number of
fragments of lost works. The mass of facts and
citations collected by him and pieced togetlier in his
writings is in fact unexampled in antiquity, though it
is not unlikely that he drew at times upon the flori-
legia, or anthologies, exhibiting choice passages of
literature.
Scholars have found it no easy task to sum up the chief points of Clement's teachmg. As has already been intimated, he lacks technical precision and makes no pretence to orderly exposition. It is easy, therefore, to misjudge him. We accept the dis- criminating judgment of Tixeront. Clement's rule of faith was sound He admitted the authority of the Church's tradition. He would be, first of all, a Christian, accepting "the ecclesiastical rule", but he would also strive to remain a philosopher, and bring his reason to bear in matters of religion. "Few are they", he said, "who have taken the spoils of the Egyptians, and made of them the furniture of the Tabernacle." He set himself, therefore, with phil- osophy as an instrument, to transform faith into science, and revelation into theology. The tJnostics had already pretended to possess the science of faith, but they were, in fact, mere rationalists, or rather dreamers of fantastic dreams. Clement would have nothing but faith for the basis of his speculations. He cannot, therefore, be accused of disloyalty in will. But he was a pioneer in a difficult undertaking, and it must be admitted that he failed at times in his high endeavour. He was careful to go to Holy Scrip- ture for his doctrine; but he misused the text by his faulty exegesis. He had read all the Books of the New Testament except the Second Epistle of St. Peter and the Third Epistle of St. John. "In fact". Tixeront says, "his evidence as to the primitive form of the Apostolic writings is of the highest value." Unfor- tunately, he interpreted the Scripture after the manner of Philo. He was ready to find allegory everj'where. The facts of the Old Testament became mere symbols to him. He did not. however, permit himself so much freedorti with the New Testament.
The special field which Clement cultivated led him to insist on the difference between the faith of the ordinarj' Christian and the science of the perfect, and his teaching on this point is most characteristic of him. The perfect Christian has an insight into "the great mysteries" — of man, of nature, of virtue — which the ordinary Christian accepts without such clear insight. Clement has seemed to some to exag- gerate the moral worth of religious knowledge; it must however be remembered that he praises not mere sterile knowledge, b\it knowledge which turns to love. It is Christian perfection that he extols. The perfect Christian — the true Gnostic whom Clement loves to describe — leads a life of unalterable calm. And here Clement's teaching is undoubtedly coloured by Stoicism. He is really describing not so much the Christian with his sensitive feelings and desires under due control, but the ideal Stoic who has deadened his feelings altogether. The perfect Chris- tian leads a life of utter devotion; the love in his heart prompts him to live always in closest union with God by prayer, to labour for the conversion of souls, to love his enemies, and even to endure martyrdom itself.
Clement preceded the days of the Trinitarian con- troversies. He taught in the Godhead three Terms. Some critics doubt whether he distinguished them as Persons, but a careful reading of him proves that he did. The Second Tenii of the Trinity is the Word. Photius believed that Clement taught a plurality of Words, whereas in reality Clement merely drew a dis- tinction between the Father's Divine immanent attribute of intelligence and the Personal Word Who
is the Son. The Son is eternally begotten, and has
the very attributes of the Father. They are but one
God. So far, in fact, does Clement push this notion
of unity as to seem to approach Modalism. And yet,
so loose a writer is he that elsewhere are found dis-
qineting traces of the very opposite error of Subordi-
nationism. These, however, may be explained away.
In fact, he needs to be judged, more than writers
generally, not by a chance phrase here or there, but
by the general drift of his teaciiing. Of the Holy
tihost he says little, and when he does refer to the
Third Person of the Blessed Trinity he adheres
closely to the language of Scripture. He acknowl-
edges two natures in Christ. Christ is the Man-God,
who profits us both as God and as man. Clement
evidently regards Christ as one Person — the Word.
Instances of the interchange of idioms are frequent
in his writings. Photius has accused Clement of
Docetism. Clement, however, clearly admits in
Christ a real body, but he thought this body exempt
from the common needs of life, as eating and drink-
ing, and the soul of Christ exempt from the move-
ment of the passions, of joy, and of sadness.
Editions. — The works of Clement of Alexandria were first edited by P. Victorius (Florence, 1550). The most complete edition is that of J. Potter, "Clementis Alexandrini opera quae extant omnia" (Oxford, 1715; Venice, 1757), reproduced in Migne, P. G., yill, IX. The edition of G. Dindorf (Oxford, 1869) is declared unsatisfactory by competent; judges. A new complete edition by O. Stahlin is appearing in the Berlin " Griechischen christlichen Schrift- steller", etc. So far (1908) two volumes have been published: the " Protrepticus " and the " Pa;dagogus " (Leipzig, 1905), and the "Stromata" (Bks. I-VI, ibid., 1906). The preface to the first volume (pp. i- Ixxxiii) contains the best account of the manuscripts and editions of Clement. Among the separate editions of his works the following are noteworthy: Hort and Mayor, "Miscellanies", Bk. VII, with English trans- lation (London, 1902); Zahn, " Adumlirationes " in " Forschungen zur Gesi-liiohte des Neutestament^ lichen Kanons", III, ami " Supplementum Clement- inum" (Erlangen, ISSD; Koster, "Quis dives salvetur?" (Freiburg, 189.3). The last-mentioned work was also edited by P. M. Barnard in "Cam- bridge Texts and Studies" by W. Wilson (1897), and translated by him in "Early Church Clas-sics" for the S. P. C. K. (London, 1901). For an English transla- tion of all the writings of Clement see Ante-Nicene Cliri-M.in Lil.n.rv .Xrw ^-..rk).
I'.i ,., /' ■ ' '., /■/,,.',.., ' of Alexandria (OxSord. 1886);
K \ -1 , ' ; ' ' ' 1 1 , ^ ;jfys and Opinions of Clement
of .lA.;.j/: ... I ,L"iil.n. l?j:.. _'iid ed.. 1890); Westcott in Did. Christ. Bwg. (Boston, 1ST7), I. 559-67; Barn.^rd, The Biblical Text of Clement of Alexandria in Texl.-: and Studies (CamhrifliTR, 1.S99), V, 2; De Fave. Clement d'Alexandrie (Pnri-^, isiisi: Frkppel, Clement d'Alexandrie (Paris, 1865); St V n > I ' / ' !■ znr Kcnntniss der Handschriften des Clemens
Ah \ r-, 1895): ZiEGERT, ZweV Abhandlungen ilbcT T.
Ft.u I: \l,x. (Heidelberg. 1894); Hillen, Clementis
.(/,., ,/,.' .. ' NN. EucharisUte doctrimi (Warendorf, 1861); \\'iNTLR, Die Ethik des Klemena von Alexandrien (Leipzig. 1.SS2); Ernesti. Die Ethik des T. Flavins Klemens von Alex- nndnen (Paderborn, 1900); Capitaine. Die Moral des Clemens von Alexandrien (Paderborn. lilO:!!: Wai-.ner. Der Christ und die Welt nach Clemens ••■. 1 . . - ; ,, n (Ootlincen. 1903); EicKHOFF. Das Neue T. Ki.m.tK Alrrandnnus
(Schleswig, 1890); DAnscii. /' . ' nn, nihehc Schnftkanon
und Klemens von Alexani :• n li.-bur!; im Br., 1894); KrTTER, Klemens Alexandrinus und das Neue Testament (Gie.ssen, 1897); Deiber, Clement d'Alexandrie et I'Eglise in Mem. de Vlnstitut trancais d' Archeologie orientate (Cairo, 1904). — .Sec also the manuals of patrolog.v (Fessler-Jungmann, Bardenhewkr). the histories of Gnosticism (Mansel) and of the Alexandrine School (Gtjericke, Matter, J. Simon, Vacherot). Extensive bibliographies are given by Chevalier in Bio-Bibliofjraphie, s. v., and by Richardson in his hibliograptiical appendi.x to the Ante-Nicene Christian Library. Francis P. Havey.
Clement of Ireland, Saint, also known as Clem- ens ScoTt's (not to be confounded with Claudius Clemens), b. in Ireland, towards the middle of the
