Clement of Alexandria

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Clement of Alexandria

• Jakki Bennett
• Amanda Bernstein

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Birth

• Born Titus Flavius Clemens
• Though it is likely that he was born in the
  decade 150-160
• Birthplace is not known with certainty.
• Athens named as his birthplace by the
  sixth-century Epiphanius Scholasticus
• Was born of heathen parentage

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Growing Up

• Was attracted to Christianity by the nobility and
  purity of the evangelical doctrines and morals.
• His conversion, if it had not yet taken place,
  was at least imminent when he undertook the
  journeys spoken of in his writings.
• He set out from Greece and traveled through
  southern Italy, Palestine, and finally Egypt,
  seeking everywhere the society of Christian
  teachers.

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His Life

• Towards 180, he met Pantaenus at Alexandria, and
  took up his permanent residence in that city.
• It was there he was ordained a presbyter and,
  from being a disciple of Pantaenus, became, in
  190, his associate and fellow-teacher.
• In 202 or 203, he was forced to suspend his
  lessons on account of the persecution of
  Septimius Severus, which closed the Christian
  school of Alexandria.

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His Life

• He withdrew into Cappadocia, residing there with
  his former disciple, Bishop Alexander.
• We meet him again in 211, carrying to the
  Christians of Antioch a letter from Alexander, in
  which are mentioned the services he, Clement, had
  rendered in Cappadocia.

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Clements Writings

• Clement's writing was not voluminous.
• His three chief works were Exhortation to
  Conversion (Protrepticus), the Tutor
  (Paedagogus), and the Miscellanies (Stromateis).

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From the letters of the most holy Clement, the
author of the Stromateis. To Theodore.
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Clement s Writings

• While he also had other treatises written
  specifically to guide rich converts in living by
  true Christian ethics, he strove, more than
  anything else, to unite the Christian faith and
  science.
• Clement realized that before he could start on
  his philosophical theology he had to prove that
  Christian philosophy was itself a justified
  solution for the enmity between the pagan and
  Christian communities.

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Teachings(Miscellanies) Stromateis

• Contains 7 books, but there is a hiatus between
  the 4th and 5th books in which The Tutor was
  composed
• Never finished, first pages missing
• 8th book just contains extracts from other pagan
  philosophers
• Defends that philosophy is needed to keep
  learning about Christianity
• Shows how faith is related to knowledge
• Insists Gods truth is found in revelation and
  philosophy
• The true Gnostic the perfect and instructed
  Christian
• Mentions religious science as an element to that
  of a perfect Christian

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Teachings(Hortatory Discourse to the Greeks)
Protreptikos pros Ellenas

• Alludes Christ in music
• Christ is the noblest minstrel. His harp and
  Iyre are men. He draws music from their hearts by
  the Holy Spirit nay, Christ is Himself the New
  Canticle, whose melody subdues the fiercest and
  hardest natures.
• Contrast Christianity versus Paganism
• Declares that the truth is found in Christ
• Ends with a description of a humble Christian
  advises those who find it wrong to leave the
  Christian religion

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TeachingsThe Tutor (Paidagogos)

• Guide spread among three books to aid one into
  becoming a learned Christian
• Uses a story of a master and his slave boy to
  show how God shapes us in all aspects of daily
  life
• Ends with two short poems one addressed to
  Clement from a devout reader and a second as a
  hymn attributed to Clement
• Hymn may have been an earlier work of someone
  else, but is unknown

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Teachings(Outlines) Hypotyposeis

• Believed to be one of Clements earliest works
• Is a commentary with historical and doctrinal
  remarks on the Bible and two other non-canonical
  stories
• Was translated into Latin, but all that remains
  are assorted passages written in Greek
• Determined not completely accurate included a
  recap of the Creation Story (myth)
• Frequent grammatical mistakes made it hard to
  read leaving parts up for interpretation

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TeachingsOverview

• Clements works did not have much influence on
  theology except for the impact on Origen
• Works were used by others at times though such as
  by Hippolytus
• Works were also referred to and noted, but with
  remarks that they were often unfounded or
  erroneous
• Great knowledge of poems, letters and Biblical
  literature gave his works substance
• Most likely used an anthology as a reference tool

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TeachingsScience and Philosophy in Works

• Vowed to keep up as a noble Christian but also
  maintain his studies as a philosopher
• Applied philosophy to Christianity so that faith
  could be converted to science, and revelation to
  theology
• Took the Old Testament as highly symbolical, but
  failed to do so for the New Testament later on
  looked only for allegory
• Moral worth of religious knowledge and knowledge
  which turns to love

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Death

• Died between 211 216.
• Ancient authors speak of him as St. Clement, but
  his name was not admitted to the Roman
  Martyrology by Benedict XIV.

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Work Cited

• www.religionfacts.com/christianity/people/clement_
  alexandria.htm
• www.newadvent.org/cathen/04045a.htm
• www.coptic.net/articles/ClementOfAlexandria.txt
• www.earlychurch.org.uk/clementalex.php
• www.religionfacts.com