Clement of Alexandria

Clemens Alexandrinus

Biography

Born around 150. Before his conversion as an adult, Clement travelled a lot, eager for knowledge. He settled in Alexandria, where he learnt from Pantaenus. He opened a school where he taught Christianity as a philosophy (but he was not responsible for catechesis, contrary to what has often been said). He had pagan scholars in his audience, not only Christians. He fled to Cappadocia during the persecution of Septimius Severus (202-203). He probably died around 215-216.

His three principal extant works are in the apologetic genre: the Protreptic (SC 2bis) which urges the Greeks to become Christians; the Pedagogue (SC 70, 108, 158) which trains Christians and guides them in the various aspects of life in the world: the Stromateis (SC 30, 38, 463, 278-279, 446, 428) which discuss different themes related to the relationship between Christian faith and Greek wisdom. He also left us a homily, What Rich Person Will Be Saved (SC 537), and Excerpts from Theodotus (SC 23) quoting and refuting excerpts from the Gnostic Theodotus.

Works

• Canon ecclesiasticus
• De pascha
• Eclogae ex scripturis propheticis
• Epistulae
• Excerpta e Theodoto

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Quotations

• [OBNIg]
• [JB] Ge 1
• [JB] Ge 1:1-3
• [JB] Ge 1:1
• [JB] Ge 1:14

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