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Clement of Alexandria PDF

343 Pages·2008·1.42 MB·English
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CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA ClementofAlexandria(150–215)livedandtaughtinthemostlively intellectual centre of his day. This book offers a comprehensive account of how he joined the ideas of the New Testament to those of Plato and other classical thinkers. Clement taught that God was active from the beginning to the end of human history and that a Christian life should move on from simple faith to knowledge and love.Hearguedthatasequenceofthreeellipticalrelationsgoverned theuniverse:FatherandSon,Godandhumanity,humansandtheir neighbours. Faith as a fixed conviction which is also a growing mustard seed was joined to Plato’s unwavering search for the best reason. The open heaven of prophecy became intelligible through Plato’s ascending dialectic. This book will be invaluable in making thisoutstandingthinkeroftheearlychurchaccessibletothestudents oftoday. eric osborn ishonoraryProfessorinHistory,LaTrobeUniver- sity and Professorial Fellow in Classics, University of Melbourne, where he is a Fellow of Queen’s College. His most recent publica- tions include Tertullian, First Theologian of the West (1997) and IrenaeusofLyons (2001). CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA ERIC OSBORN CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo, Delhi Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521837538 © Eric Osborn 2005 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provisions of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published 2005 This digitally printed version 2008 A catalogue record for this publication is available from the British Library ISBN 978-0-521-83753-8 hardback ISBN 978-0-521-09081-0 paperback Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of URLs for external or third-party Internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. To My Wife Lorna Grace Contents Preface page xii List of abbreviations xvi 1 Life and works 1 Lifeandthought 1 Questions:mobility,reciprocityandsalvationbyfaith 3 Writings:theliterarypuzzle 5 PlatoandHeraclitus 16 TheCatecheticalSchoolofAlexandria:thehistoricalpuzzle 19 AthensandJerusalem 24 part i divine plan/economy IntroductiontoPartI 29 2 Divine plan/economy and mobility 31 Divineplan/economy:fromsunsettosunrise;thesweetdanger ofdecision 31 Divinemovementanddesign 37 TheascentofhumanitythroughreciprocitywithGod 39 Reciprocityofmovement 44 Theendofthedivineplan/economyistobringmenclosetoGod 46 Thefertilityofgoodness;perpetualflowofgoodthings 47 Problemofevil 49 Providenceanddisciplinecontinuetodeathandbeyond 51 God’splangoeson 53 3 Scripture 56 Fromeconomytometaphysic;fromprophecytoPlato 56 Metaphorandparable 57 Simultaneityofprophecy 59 vii viii Contents Dialecticasquestionandanswer 62 Theupwardpathofdialectic 65 Invitationtotheauthorityandtotalityofscripture 68 Mysteryanderudition 71 Visionandsymbol 72 Clementasabiblicaltheologian 75 Textandcontext 76 Narrativetoprophecy,toPlato,toonewordincarnate 77 4 Philo and Clement: from Divine Oracle to True Philosophy 81 Agreatgulf;rationalreconstruction 82 Manybridgesacrossthegulf;historicalreconstruction 84 Monotheismandthe‘shortsequences’ 85 Movement.Lawaspreparation.SarahandHagar.First‘longsequence’ 90 Movement.Bibleasphilosophy.Divineoracletotruephilosophy. Second‘longsequence’ 91 Movement.Thegentlelaw.Thelawandthevirtues(2.18.78–100; virt.34–100).Third‘longsequence’ 94 Movement.Temple,vestmentsandthenewcreation(5.6.32–40). Fourth‘longsequence’ 95 Method.Parable,allegoryanddialectic 96 Clementandthenewcreation 98 Languageofhope.Illocutionaryforce 99 Literaryproblems 101 Conclusion.Historyofideasandchildren’splaypens 103 part ii divine reciprocity IntroductiontoPartII:Themysteriesoflove,reciprocity andproliferation 107 5 God beyond God and God within God: The known centre of the unknown God 111 GodbeyondGod,GodwithinGod,GodbesideGod 111 MiddlePlatonism;MiddlenotMuddle 114 GodbeyondGod.TheunknownGod 122 GodwithinGod.TheknowncentreofGod 126 ThebosomofGodishismind.Delimitationofsubstance 126 TheplaceoftheideasisthemindofGod 129 Conclusion 130 6 God beside God: the ellipse 132 Divinereciprocity.Thefirstellipse 132 Johannineunityandreciprocity 135 Contents ix Divinesalvation.Thesecondellipse:Godandtheworld 137 Knowledge,reciprocityandphilosophy 142 Onethingasallthings 142 Self-knowledgeandthewaytodeification(paed3.1.1,2) 144 ThehelpofHeraclitus 145 Threeellipses.Father:son;God:world;man:neighbour 147 Wordandspirit 149 part iii faith and salvation IntroductiontoPartIII 155 PaulandPlato,loversoftruth 157 SalvationandanewWorld 158 7 The Spark and ferment of faith (exc 1.1.3) 159 ThepowerofGodandtheunitingforceoffaith 159 Reciprocityoffaithandknowledge 161 Faithascreativewonder 165 Faithandphilosophy 165 Faithgeneratesknowledge 167 Faithgeneratesvirtue 169 Perfectionoffaith(paed1.6.25–32) 171 Ruleoffaith:canon 172 Traditiontakesoff 175 Universalsalvationbyfaith 178 8 Arguments for faith 182 Faithandphilosophy 182 Preconceptionandhope 184 Choosingtobelieve 186 Hearing,seeingandbelieving 188 ScripturestrongerthanSirens 190 Faithandproof 191 Judgementandcriterion 193 9 Knowledge, sciences and philosophy 197 Paulanduniversalknowledge 197 Philosophyandscience 198 Truthandphilosophy 199 Philosophy,wisdomandgnosis 200 Sciences 203 Dialectic 205

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