During the third century, the relationship between philosophy and theology was a major point of controversy. As we noted earlier, Clement was from Alexandria, and was very sympathetic towards the use of Greek philosophy to argue and illumine the Christian faith. He certainly followed in the footsteps of Justin Martyr.
Clement saw the best of Greek thought as preparation for the gospel. For example, he praised the philosophies of Socrates and Plato, and saw them as useful tools in the hands of the schooled Christian thinker.
In this first post on Clement, I want to talk briefly about his life and legacy.
Much of the details of Clement’s life are a mystery to us. All we know for certain is that he became the head of the Alexandrian Christian catechetical school when its founder, Pantaenus, died around 200 AD. We also know that he ended up fleeing Alexandria around 202 AD to escape persecution and probable martyrdom. His death occurred sometime between 211 and 216 AD.
Also, as far as we know, Clement was never an ordained minister or priest. His connection with the formal hierarchy of the church is very obscure. When we look at his writings, he neglects any discussion on the Christian community, but rather the individual Christians responsibility for a growing spirituality.
Upon examination of his writings, Clement seems to be immersed in Middle Platonism, and could have been involved in the emergence of Neo-Platonism. It is hard to tell, since the writings we have from him are so few. What is certain is that he definitely was influenced by Justin Martyr, and his philosophical theology seems to be an expansion of Justin’s.
We have five books of Clement’s that exists today. They are: Exhortation to the Heathens, the Instructor, the Stromata, Who is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved? and Excerpts from Theodotus. Three of these are worth exploring a little further.
Exhortation to the Heathens: This work is a polemic against paganism’s idolatrous belief and worship. In it, Clement paints a very positive picture of the aspects of Greek philosophy which are consistent with the Christian faith. He goes on to state that whatever truth there was in Greek philosophy, was borrowed by the Greeks from people of other cultures and religions such as the Babylonians and Hebrews. So, Socrates and Plato either borrowed from Moses or received their thoughts by direct inspiration from God.
The Instructor: In this book, Clement presents Christ as the cosmic Logos and Wisdom of God whose main function in salvation was to teach by exhortation how to overcome the vile, unnatural passions of the flesh and live a spiritual life of obedience, meditation, and “rational action.” In fact, the Greek title of this work is Paedagogus, and refers to the divine Word of God, the Logos. Clement presents the Christian life as one of obedience. This obedient life is a life according to reason. Thus, Clement states,
Clement saw the best of Greek thought as preparation for the gospel. For example, he praised the philosophies of Socrates and Plato, and saw them as useful tools in the hands of the schooled Christian thinker.
In this first post on Clement, I want to talk briefly about his life and legacy.
Much of the details of Clement’s life are a mystery to us. All we know for certain is that he became the head of the Alexandrian Christian catechetical school when its founder, Pantaenus, died around 200 AD. We also know that he ended up fleeing Alexandria around 202 AD to escape persecution and probable martyrdom. His death occurred sometime between 211 and 216 AD.
Also, as far as we know, Clement was never an ordained minister or priest. His connection with the formal hierarchy of the church is very obscure. When we look at his writings, he neglects any discussion on the Christian community, but rather the individual Christians responsibility for a growing spirituality.
Upon examination of his writings, Clement seems to be immersed in Middle Platonism, and could have been involved in the emergence of Neo-Platonism. It is hard to tell, since the writings we have from him are so few. What is certain is that he definitely was influenced by Justin Martyr, and his philosophical theology seems to be an expansion of Justin’s.
We have five books of Clement’s that exists today. They are: Exhortation to the Heathens, the Instructor, the Stromata, Who is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved? and Excerpts from Theodotus. Three of these are worth exploring a little further.
Exhortation to the Heathens: This work is a polemic against paganism’s idolatrous belief and worship. In it, Clement paints a very positive picture of the aspects of Greek philosophy which are consistent with the Christian faith. He goes on to state that whatever truth there was in Greek philosophy, was borrowed by the Greeks from people of other cultures and religions such as the Babylonians and Hebrews. So, Socrates and Plato either borrowed from Moses or received their thoughts by direct inspiration from God.
The Instructor: In this book, Clement presents Christ as the cosmic Logos and Wisdom of God whose main function in salvation was to teach by exhortation how to overcome the vile, unnatural passions of the flesh and live a spiritual life of obedience, meditation, and “rational action.” In fact, the Greek title of this work is Paedagogus, and refers to the divine Word of God, the Logos. Clement presents the Christian life as one of obedience. This obedient life is a life according to reason. Thus, Clement states,
“For the life of Christians, in which we are now trained, is a systems of reasonable actions- this, of those things taught by the Word- an unfailing energy which we have called faith.” The Instructor 1.13
The Stromata: This work is basically Clements attempt at a comprehensive philosophical theology. It is unsystematic, yet it is clear that he is trying his best to present the reader with a “Christian philosophy.” He also blends various sources, which is why he states,
“Our book will not shrink from making use of what is best in philosophy and other preparatory instruction.” The Stromata 1.1
This is just my personal opinion, but The Stromata is my favorite work of Clement. I think that it is here that we see him laboring in his passion- philosophy and the Christian faith. In the next post, we will dive a bit deeper into Clement’s blending of philosophy and Christianity.