Thursday, December 13, 2012

Unusual Textual Variants in Clement of Alexandria

But the perfect man, out of love, “beareth all things, endureth all things, as not pleasing man, but God.” . ὁ τέλειος δὲ δι' ἀγάπην πάντα στέγει, πάντα ὑπομένει, οὐχ ὡς ἀνθρώπῳ ἀρέσκων, ἀλλὰ θεῷ (Strom 7.12.70.2 - 3 cf. 1 Cor. 13. 7; 1 Thess. 2. 4)

“Unless ye hate father and mother, and besides your own life, and unless ye bear the sign.” (Strom 7.12.79.4 ἐὰν μὴ μισήσητε τὸν πατέρα καὶ τὴν μητέρα, πρὸς ἔτι δὲ καὶ τὴν ἰδίαν ψυχήν, καὶ ἐὰν μὴ τὸ σημεῖον βαστάσητε)

"having sown the flesh" (Strom 7.12.79.7 cmp. Gal 6.8 σπείραντος τὴν σάρκα)

But “all have not knowledge. For I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren,” says the apostle, “that all were under the cloud, and partook of spiritual meat and drink" ... “But with all of them He was not well pleased.” (Strom. 7.16.104.3  1 Corinthians 10:1,3 - 5 Ἀλλ' οὐ πάντων ἡ γνῶσις. οὐ θέλω γὰρ ὑμᾶς ἀγνοεῖν, ἀδελφοί, φησὶν ὁ ἀπόστολος, ὅτι πάντες ὑπὸ τὴν νεφέλην ἦσαν καὶ πνευματικοῦ βρώματός τε καὶ πόματος μετέλαβον ... ἀλλ' οὐκ ἐν πᾶσιν αὐτοῖς ηὐδόκησεν)

"Why do you call Me Lord, and do not the will of My Father?" (Strom. 7.16.104.4 Luke 6. 46, combined with Matt. 7. 21.  τί με λέγετε "κύριε" καὶ οὐ ποιεῖτε τὸ θέλημα τοῦ πατρός μου)

Further it is said, knowledge is said “to puff up" (γνῶσις εἴρηται φυσιοῦν). To whom we say: Perchance seeming knowledge is said to puff up (δοκοῦσα γνῶσις φυσιοῦν), if one suppose the expression means “to be swollen up.” But if, as is rather the case, the expression of the apostle means, “to entertain great and true sentiments,” the difficulty is solved. (Strom 7.16.104.6 1 Cor 8.1)

It is, then, rightly said by the apostle, “This Thou, shall not commit adultery, Thou shall not steal, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is comprehended in this word, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Strom 7.16.105.6 Rom 13:9 εἰκότως ἄρα εἴρηται πρὸς τοῦ ἀποστόλου· τὸ οὐ μοιχεύσεις, οὐ κλέψεις, οὐκ ἐπιθυμήσεις καὶ εἴ τις ἑτέρα ἐντολή, ἐν τούτῳ τῷ λόγῳ ἀνακεφαλαιοῦται, ἐν τῷ)


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