The reality is that we find ourselves lacking any context for the known writings of Clement. This is also the problem with to Theodore. What has prompted Clement to write the letter? Who is Theodore's original source for the 'sordid things' going on in the Alexandrian Church. I now strongly suspect that it was Celsus's True Word. I have noticed that ALL of Clement's surviving writings exhibit a marked apologetic tone. Clement always seems to be on the defensive about his Alexandrian tradition. What makes this reference so interesting is that it occurs right in the middle of what I believe is a discussion of the ritual context for LGM 1 (= the first addition to the longer gospel of Mark referenced in the Letter to Theodore).
In any event, here is the original reference at the beginning of Book Five of the Stromateis and it is followed by two citations of the beginning of Celsus's True Word in the writings of Origen (i.e. Against Celsus 1.9 - 20, Philocalia 15.1 - 7):
Clement Stromateis 5.1
For, in fine, the agreement and harmony of the faith of both contribute to one end -- salvation. We have in the apostle an unerring witness: "For I desire to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, in order that ye may be strengthened; that is, that I may be comforted in you, by the mutual faith of you and me." And further on again he adds, "The righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith." The apostle, then, manifestly announces a twofold faith, or rather one which admits of growth and perfection; for the common faith lies beneath as a foundation. To those, therefore, who desire to be healed, and are moved by faith, He added, "Thy faith hath saved thee" (Ἡ πίστις σου σέσωκέν σε)... I cannot forbear praising exceedingly the poet of Agrigentum, who celebrates faith as follows: "Friends, I know, then, that there is truth in the myths Which I will relate. But very difficult to men, And irksome to the mind, is the attempt of faith." Wherefore also the apostle exhorts, "that your faith should not be in the wisdom of men," (Ἵνα ἡ πίστις ἡμῶν μὴ ᾖ ἐν σοφίᾳ ἀνθρώπων) who profess to persuade, "but in the power of God," which alone without proofs, by mere faith, is able to save. "For the most approved of those that are reputable knows how to keep watch. And justice will apprehend the forger and witnesses of lies," says the Ephesian. For he, having derived his knowledge from the barbarian philosophy, is acquainted with the purification by fire (τὴν διὰ πυρὸς κάθαρσιν) of those who have led bad lives, which the Stoics afterwards called the Conflagration (ἐκπύρωσιν), in which also they teach that each will arise exactly as he was, so treating of the resurrection; while Plato says as follows, that the earth at certain periods (τὴν γῆν χρόνοις) is purified by fire and water (διὰ πυρὸς καθαίρεσθαι καὶ ὕδατος): "There have been many destructions of men in many ways; and there shall be very great ones by fire and water; and others briefer by innumerable causes." And after a little he adds: "And, in truth, there is a change of the objects which revolve about earth and heaven; and in the course of long periods there is the destruction of the objects on earth by a great conflagration." Then he subjoins respecting the deluge: "But when, again, the gods deluge the earth to purify it with water, those on the mountains herdsmen and shepherds, are saved; those in your cities are carried down by the rivers into the sea." And we showed in the first Miscellany that the philosophers of the Greeks are called thieves, inasmuch as they have taken without acknowledgment their principal dogmas from Moses and the prophets (τοὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων φιλοσόφους, παρὰ Μωυσέως καὶ τῶν προφητῶν τὰ κυριώτατα τῶν δογμάτων οὐκ εὐχαρίστως εἰληφότας). To which also we shall add, that the angels who had obtained the superior rank, having sunk into pleasures, told to the women the secrets which had come to their knowledge; while the rest of the angels concealed them, or rather, kept them against the coming of the Lord. Thence emanated the doctrine of providence (τῆς προνοίας διδασκαλία), and the revelation of high things; and prophecy having already been imparted to the philosophers of the Greeks, the treatment of dogma arose among the philosophers (τῆς προφητείας δὲ ἤδη εἰς τοὺς τῶν Ἑλλήνων 〈ποιητὰς〉 διαδοθείσης ἡ δογματικὴ πραγματεία τοῖς φιλοσόφοις), sometimes true when they hit the mark, and sometimes erroneous, when they comprehended not the secret of the prophetic allegory (τῆς προφητικῆς ἀλληγορίας μὴ συνιέντων γέγονεν). And this it is proposed briefly to indicate in running over the points requiring mention. Faith, then, we say, we are to show must not be inert and alone (τὴν πίστιν τοίνυν οὐκ ἀργὴν καὶ μόνην), but accompanied with investigation (ζητήσει). For I do not say that we are not to inquire (ζητεῖν) at all. For "Search (Ζήτει), and thou shalt find," it is said.
Origen Against Celsus 1.9 - 20
And he (Celsus) asserts that certain (Christians) who do not wish either to give or receive a reason for their belief, keep repeating, “Do not examine, but believe!” (Μὴ ἐξέταζε ἀλλὰ πίστευσον) and, “Your faith will save you!” (Ἡ πίστις σου σώσει σε) And he alleges that such also say, “The wisdom of this life is bad, but that foolishness is a good thing!” (Κακὸν ἡ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ σοφία ἀγαθὸν δ' ἡ μωρία) [Celsus Against Origen 1.9] ... And some (philosophers)also, alarmed at first sight about the doctrine of providence (τὸν περὶ προνοίας λόγον), from seeing what happens in the world to the vicious and to the virtuous, have rashly concluded that there is no divine providence at all (τῷ μηδαμῶς εἶναι πρόνοιαν), and have adopted the views of Epicurus and Celsus [ibid 15.10] ... In the next place, when Celsus says in express words, the wisdom of this life is a bad thing, but that foolishness is good," (Κακὸν μέν γε ἡ ἐν τῷ βίῳ σοφία ἀγαθὸν δ' ἡ μωρία)... And again, not, “If any one among you seems to be wise, let him become a fool universally;” [ibid 1.13] Celsus, being of opinion that there is to be found among many nations a general relationship of doctrine, enumerates all the nations which gave rise to such and such opinions ... For listen to the statement of Celsus: “There is,” he says, “an authoritative account from the very beginning, respecting which there is a constant agreement among all the most learned nations, and cities, and men.” [ibid 1.14] ... In what follows, Celsus, assailing the Mosaic history, finds fault with those who give it a tropical and allegorical signification. [ibid 1.17] ... After these statements, Celsus, from a secret desire to cast discredit upon the Mosaic account of the creation, which teaches that the world is not yet ten thousand years old, but very much under that, while concealing his wish, intimates his agreement with those who hold that the world is uncreated. For, maintaining that there have been, from all eternity, many conflagrations and many deluges (ἐκπυρώσεις γεγονέναι πολλὰς δ' ἐπικλύσεις), and that the flood which lately took place in the time of Deucalion is comparatively modern, he clearly demonstrates to those who are able to understand him, that, in his opinion, the world was uncreated. But let this assailant of the Christian faith tell us by what arguments he was compelled to accept the statement that there have been many conflagrations and many cataclysms, and that the flood which occurred in the time of Deucalion, and the conflagration in that of Phæthon, were more recent than any others. And if he should put forward the dialogues of Plato (as evidence) on these subjects, we shall say to him that it is allowable for us also to believe that there resided in the pure and pious soul of Moses, who ascended above all created things, and united himself to the Creator of the universe, and who made known divine things with far greater clearness than Plato, or those other wise men (who lived) among the Greeks and Romans, a spirit which was divine. And if he demands of us our reasons for such a belief, let him first give grounds for his own unsupported assertions, and then we shall show that this view of ours is the correct one. [ibid 1.19] ... And yet, against his will, Celsus is entangled into testifying that the world is comparatively modern, and not yet ten thousand years old, when he says that the Greeks consider those things as ancient, because, owing to the deluges and conflagrations, they have not beheld or received any memorials of older events. But let Celsus have, as his authorities for the myth regarding the conflagrations and inundations, those persons who, in his opinion, are the most learned of the Egyptians, traces of whose wisdom are to be found in the worship of irrational animals, and in arguments which prove that such a worship of God is in conformity with reason, and of a secret and mysterious character. The Egyptians, then, when they boastfully give their own account of the divinity of animals, are to be considered wise; but if any Jew, who has signified his adherence to the law and the lawgiver, refer everything to the Creator of the universe, and the only God, he is, in the opinion of Celsus and those like him, deemed inferior to him who degrades the Divinity not only to the level of rational and mortal animals, but even to that of irrational also!— a view which goes far beyond the mythical doctrine of transmigration, according to which the soul falls down from the summit of heaven, and enters into the body of brute beasts, both tame and savage! And if the Egyptians related fables of this kind, they are believed to convey a philosophical meaning by their enigmas and mysteries; but if Moses compose and leave behind him histories and laws for an entire nation, they are to be considered as empty fables, the language of which admits of no allegorical meaning! [ibid 1.20]
Origen Philocalia 15.1 - 7
He (Celsus) tells us that certain teachers who will neither give nor receive an account of what they believe employ the formula, "Don't ask why, but believe," (Μὴ ἐξέταζε, ἀλλὰ πίστευσον) and another, "Thy faith shall save thee" (Ἡ πίστις σου σώσει σε) and these teachers, he adds, maintain that "worldly wisdom is a bad thing, and foolishness a good thing." (Κακὸν ἡ ἐν τῷ κόσμῳ σοφία, ἀγαθὸν δ' ἡ μωρία) [Philocalia 15.1] ... And there are some (philosophers) who in their alarm at the faintest approach to the doctrine of Providence, arguing from what on earth befalls both bad and good, rashly conclude that there is no Providence, and take the view of Epicurus and Celsus. [ibid 15.2] ... Let the impugner of the faith of Christians tell us by what demonstrative proofs he was driven to admit the occurrence of numerous conflagrations and deluges, and upon what grounds he maintains that the last deluge was in the time of Deucalion, and the last conflagration in the time of Phaethon. If he adduces the dialogues of Plato on these subjects, we will tell him that we, too, are at liberty to believe that a Divine Spirit abode in the pure and pious soul of Moses, who soared above all things created and clung to the Maker of the universe, and gave clearer views of the things of God than Plato or the Greek and Barbarian philosophers. And if Celsus demands our reasons for such a faith, let him first give us the grounds of his unproved opinions, and we will at once make good our position [ibid 15.3] Celsus is welcome to the teachers of fabulous conflagrations and deluges. According to him they were the wisest of the Egyptians, and traces of their wisdom may be seen in the worship of irrational creatures, and in the arguments to show that such a worship of God, though partly lost and mysterious, is quite reasonable. If the Egyptians boast of their animal worship and explain the principles of their religion, they are wise; but if a man, assenting to the Judaic law and acknowledging the lawgiver, refers everything to the only God, the Maker of the universe, he is accounted by Celsus and his followers inferior to him who degrades the Godhead to the level not only of rational and mortal creatures, but of irrational creatures, thus going beyond the fabulous transmigration of souls, according to which a soul falls from the vaults of heaven and descends to irrational creatures, not only such as are tamed, but even the most savage. And if Egyptians tell these mythic tales, they are believed to have been philosophers with their riddles and mysteries; but if Moses writes histories for a whole nation, and bequeaths laws to the people, his words are regarded as empty fables, incapable of even an allegorical interpretation. For this is the opinion of Celsus and the Epicureans. Then, in express terms, Celsus says, "If they will be good enough to answer me, not as if I were a novice, for I know all about it," and so on. In reply to this claim to know "all about it," which is an astounding piece of swagger [ibid 15.6] ... Celsus, moreover, makes many Christians say, "Wordly wisdom is a bad thing, and foolishness a good thing." We must therefore observe that he slanders the Word, for he does not give Paul's exact words, which run thus: "If any man thinketh that he is wise among you in this world, let him become a fool that he may be wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God." [ibid 15.7]
I will provide some commentary later, but for the moment it is enough to say that Henry Chadwick provides numerous other examples of allusions to Celsus (c. 177 CE) in the Stromateis (c. 193 CE). We have found many others too ...
