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Clement of Alexandria : O THE PERFECT CHILD!

from Clement's Instructor (Paedagogus), * 1.5, translated by A. Roberts and J. Donaldson.
Text in <angle brackets> added by Elpenor.
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The Original Greek New Testament
Page 14

Whatever is feeble and tender, as needing help on account of its feebleness, is kindly looked on, and is sweet and pleasant, anger changing into help in the case of such: for thus horses' colts, and the little calves of cows, and the lion's whelp, and the stag's fawn, and the child of man, are looked upon with pleasure by their fathers and mothers. Thus also the Father of the universe cherishes affection towards those who have fled to Him; and having begotten them again by His Spirit to the adoption of children, knows them as gentle, and loves those alone, and aids and fights for them; and therefore He bestows on them the name of child. The word Isaac I also connect with child. Isaac means laughter. He was seen sporting with his wife and help meet Rebecca by the prying king. The king, whose name was Abimelech, appears to me to represent a supramundane wisdom contemplating the mystery of sport. They interpret Rebecca to mean endurance. O wise sport, laughter also assisted by endurance, and the king as spectator! The spirit of those that are children in Christ, whose lives are ordered in endurance, rejoice. And this is the divine sport. "Such a sport, of his own, Jove sports," says Heraclitus. Τὸ μὲν τοίνυν [καὶ] ἀσθενὲς καὶ ἁπαλὸν ἅπαν͵ ἅτε δι΄ ἀσθένειαν [ᾗ] βοηθείας δεόμενον͵ κεχαρισμένον τέ ἐστι καὶ ἡδὺ καὶ τερπνόν͵ τοῦ θεοῦ μὴ περιισταμένου τῷ τηλικῷδε τὴν βοήθειαν· ὡς γὰρ οἱ πατέρες καὶ αἱ μητέρες ἥδιον ὁρῶσιν τῶν μὲν ἵππων τοὺς πώλους͵ τῶν δὲ βοῶν τὰ μικρὰ μοσχάρια καὶ λέοντος σκύμνον καὶ ἐλάφου νεβρὸν καὶ ἀνθρώπου παιδίον͵ οὕτως καὶ τῶν ὅλων ὁ πατὴρ τοὺς εἰς αὐτὸν καταπεφευγότας προσίεται καὶ ἀναγεννήσας πνεύματι εἰς υἱοθεσίαν ἠπίους οἶδεν καὶ φιλεῖ τούτους μόνους καὶ βοηθεῖ καὶ ὑπερμαχεῖ καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ὀνομάζει παιδίον. Ἐγὼ καὶ τὸν Ἰσαὰκ εἰς παῖδα ἀναφέρω· γέλως ἑρμηνεύεται ὁ Ἰσαάκ. Τοῦτον ἑώρακεν παίζοντα μετὰ τῆς γυναικὸς καὶ βοηθοῦ͵ τῆς Ρεβέκκας͵ ὁ περίεργος βασιλεύς. Βασιλεύς μοι δοκεῖ͵ Ἀβιμέλεχ ὄνομα αὐτῷ͵ σοφία τις εἶναι ὑπερκόσμιος͵ κατασκοποῦσα τῆς παιδιᾶς τὸ μυστήριον· Ρεβέκκαν δὲ ἑρμηνεύουσιν ὑπομονήν. Ὢ τῆς φρονίμου παιδιᾶς͵ γέλως [καὶ] δι΄ ὑπομονῆς βοηθούμενος καὶ ἔφορος ὁ βασιλεύς. Ἀγαλλιᾶται τὸ πνεῦμα τῶν ἐν Χριστῷ παιδίων ἐν ὑπομονῇ πολιτευομένων καὶ αὕτη ἡ θεία παιδιά. Τοιαύτην τινὰ παίζειν παιδιὰν τὸν ἑαυτοῦ Δία Ἡράκλειτος λέγει.
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