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The Protrepticus of Clement of Alexandria: a Commentary

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The Protrepticus of Clement of Alexandria: a Commentary Miguel Herrero de Jáuregui THE PROTREPTICUS OF CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA: A COMMENTARY to; ga;r yeu'do" ouj yilh'/ th'/ paraqevsei tajlhqou'" diaskedavnnutai, th'/ de; crhvsei th'" ajlhqeiva" ejkbiazovmenon fugadeuvetai. La falsedad no se dispersa por la simple comparación con la verdad, sino que la práctica de la verdad la fuerza a huir. Protréptico 8.77.3 PREFACIO Una tesis doctoral debe tratar de contribuir al avance del conocimiento humano en su disciplina, y la pretensión de que este comentario al Protréptico tenga la máxima utilidad posible me obliga a escribirla en inglés porque es la única lengua que hoy casi todos los interesados pueden leer. Pero no deja de ser extraño que en la casa de Nebrija se deje de lado la lengua castellana. La deuda que contraigo ahora con el español sólo se paliará si en el futuro puedo, en compensación, “dar a los hombres de mi lengua obras en que mejor puedan emplear su ocio”. Empiezo ahora a saldarla, empleándola para estos agradecimientos, breves en extensión pero no en sinceridad. Mi gratitud va, en primer lugar, al Cardenal Don Gil Álvarez de Albornoz, fundador del Real Colegio de España, a cuya generosidad y previsión debo dos años provechosos y felices en Bolonia. Al Rector, José Guillermo García-Valdecasas, que administra la herencia de Albornoz con ejemplar dedicación, eficacia y amor a la casa. A todas las personas que trabajan en el Colegio y hacen que cumpla con creces los objetivos para los que se fundó. Y a mis compañeros bolonios durante estos dos años. Ha sido un honor muy grato disfrutar con todos ellos de la herencia albornociana. En Bolonia debo agradecer también al Profesor Lorenzo Perrone su guía experta y paciente por los senderos de la tradición alejandrina antigua y los de la patrística moderna. En Madrid, a los profesores Alberto Bernabé y Antonio Piñero, que mantuvieron desde la distancia su disponibilidad y colaboración académica y personal en todo momento. Y también el Ministerio de Educación de España que me concedió una beca postdoctoral para investigar en Bolonia. Sin la ayuda de todos los aquí mencionados, y de algunos más, no habría sido posible realizar el comentario. No son responsables de ninguno de los errores que pueden encontrarse. Pero sí han contribuido, cada uno a su modo, a enseñarme que “la práctica de la verdad ahuyenta la falsedad”. Miguel Herrero de Jáuregui Bolonia, 6 de Febrero de 2008 5 CONTENTS Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 9 1. Clement: his life, work and environment ............................................................. 9 2. Composition of the Protrepticus ........................................................................ 14 3. Contents.............................................................................................................. 15 4. The protreptic discourse ..................................................................................... 20 5. Style.................................................................................................................... 23 6. Audience............................................................................................................. 27 7. The Protrepticus in apologetic tradition............................................................. 28 8. Sources ............................................................................................................... 32 9. Philosophical background .................................................................................. 36 10. Biblical background.......................................................................................... 39 11. Theology and anthropology.............................................................................. 42 12. Transmission and reception.............................................................................. 45 13. The text............................................................................................................. 49 This commentary ............................................................................................................ 51 Abbreviations ................................................................................................................. 52 Reading text.................................................................................................................... 55 Chapter I..................................................................................................................... 109 Old Song vs New Song......................................................................................... 111 The cosmic music of the Logos............................................................................ 117 Theological presentation of the Logos ................................................................. 119 Biblical presentation of the Logos........................................................................ 122 Chapter II...................................................................................................................... 127 The condemnation of Greek divination................................................................ 127 The condemnation of Greek mysteries................................................................. 129 Greek Atheism...................................................................................................... 145 The heavenly origin of fallen man........................................................................ 147 The seven ways of idolatry................................................................................... 148 Exhortation to run back to Heaven....................................................................... 149 The multiplicity of homonymous gods................................................................. 150 Human features of the gods.................................................................................. 151 Immorality of Greek gods .................................................................................... 153 Slavery of the gods ............................................................................................... 156 Human passions in the gods ................................................................................. 157 Divinization of men.............................................................................................. 159 Theriomorphic gods.............................................................................................. 161 Gods are daemons................................................................................................. 162 Chapter III .................................................................................................................... 165 Greek gods demand human death......................................................................... 165 Greek men are better than Greek gods ................................................................. 167 The beginning of superstition............................................................................... 168 Sanctuaries are Tombs.......................................................................................... 170 Chapter IV .................................................................................................................... 173 Statues................................................................................................................... 174 Egypt: Sarapis and Antinoos ................................................................................ 176 The Sibyll and Heraclitus against statues............................................................. 178 Statues are insensible............................................................................................ 179 7 Greeks themselves do not trust statues................................................................. 181 Fire........................................................................................................................ 181 Artists ................................................................................................................... 182 Deified men .......................................................................................................... 183 Against Greek gods .............................................................................................. 185 Art can deceive ..................................................................................................... 186 Immorality of Greek gods and their images ......................................................... 188 Exhortation to adore God instead of his works .................................................... 190 Chapter V...................................................................................................................... 193 Philosophers deified elements .............................................................................. 193 Chapter VI .................................................................................................................... 199 Critique of philosophy.......................................................................................... 200 Plato helps in the quest for truth........................................................................... 200 God is heavenly and unseeable............................................................................. 202 God is the true
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