|
HOME | GREEK LANGUAGE | LIBRARIES | BLOG | HELP | SEARCH | FREEWARE | BOOKSTORE |
|
|
Translated by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson.
Clement of Alexandria in Print
|
This Part: 128 Pages
Page 120
Chapter X.--The Gnostic Avails Himself of the Help of All Human Knowledge.
For to him knowledge (gnosis) is the principal thing. Consequently, therefore, he applies to the subjects that are a training for knowledge, taking from each branch of study its contribution to the truth. Prosecuting, then, the proportion of harmonies in music; and in arithmetic noting the increasing and decreasing of numbers, and their relations to one another, and how the most of things fall under some proportion of numbers; studying geometry, which is abstract essence, he perceives a continuous distance, and an immutable essence which is different from these bodies. And by astronomy, again, raised from the earth in his mind, he is elevated along with heaven, and will revolve with its revolution; studying ever divine things, and their harmony with each other; from which Abraham starting, ascended to the knowledge of Him who created them. Further, the Gnostic will avail himself of dialectics, fixing on the distinction of genera into species, and will master [3326] the distinction of existences, till he come to what are primary and simple.
But the multitude are frightened at the Hellenic philosophy, as children are at masks, being afraid lest it lead them astray. But if the faith (for I cannot call it knowledge) which they possess be such as to be dissolved by plausible speech, let it be by all means dissolved, [3327] and let them confess that they will not retain the truth. For truth is immoveable; but false opinion dissolves. We choose, for instance, one purple by comparison with another purple. So that, if one confesses that he has not a heart that has been made right, he has not the table of the money-changers or the test of words. [3328] And how can he be any longer a money-changer, who is not able to prove and distinguish spurious coin, even offhand?
[3326] Our choice lies between the reading of the text, prosisetai; that of Hervetus, prosoisetai; the conjecture of Sylburgius, proseisetai, or prosesetai, used a little after in the phrase prosesetai ten aletheian.
[3327] There is some difficulty in the sentence as it stands. Hervetus omits in his translation the words rendered here, "let it be by all means dissolved." We have omitted dia toutous, which follows immediately after, but which is generally retained and translated "by these," i.e., philosophers.
[3328] ton logon, Sylburgius; ton logon is the reading of the text.
|
Clement of Alexandria Home Page
Elpenor's Greek Forum : Post a question / Start a discussion |
Reference address : https://www.ellopos.net/elpenor/greek-texts/fathers/clement-alexandria/stromata-4.asp?pg=120
