Clement of Alexandria and His Sermon Who Is a Rich Man That Is Saved

The article is devoted to the analysis of the sermon of Clement of Alexandria “Who Is a Rich Man That Is Saved”. It was written at the end of the 2nd century in Alexandria and addressed to educated and wealthy young people who feared that they would not be able to save if they did not give up their earthly riches. Clement argued that Jesus did not exclude the rich from the Heavenly Kingdom, but gave instructions on how the rich should act in order to achieve salvation. Poverty in itself is not a virtue, and money can serve good purposes. The rich should practice detachment from wealth and simplicity of life, and in addition, give alms; the poor have special spiritual gifts, and their prayers protect a rich person from temptation in this world. Clement actively used Stoic and Middle Platonic concepts and terms, but attempts to combine the ancient philosophical tradition and the Old Testament doctrine of redemptive alms led to contradictions in his teaching.

Keywords

Clement of Alexandria, “Who Is a Rich Man That Is Saved”, poverty, wealth, alms, ethics

Acknowledgment

The study was supported by a grant of Russian Science Foundation (22-28-01357).

Received

18.01.2023

Publication date

15.03.2023

Number of characters

32511

Cite

GOST	Panteleev A. Clement of Alexandria and His Sermon “Who Is a Rich Man That Is Saved” // ISTORIYA – 2023. – V. 14. – Issue 2 (124) [Electronic resource]. URL: https://history.jes.su/S207987840024678-4-1 (circulation date: 22.05.2024). DOI: 10.18254/S207987840024678-4
MLA	Panteleev, Aleksey "Clement of Alexandria and His Sermon “Who Is a Rich Man That Is Saved”." ISTORIYA 14.2 (124) (2023) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840024678-4
APA	Panteleev A. (2023). Clement of Alexandria and His Sermon “Who Is a Rich Man That Is Saved”. ISTORIYA 14(2 (124)) DOI: 10.18254/S207987840024678-4

100 rub.

When subscribing to an article or issue, the user can download PDF, evaluate the publication or contact the author. Need to register.

Number of purchasers: 0, views: 174

Readers community rating: votes 0

1. Dillon D. Srednie platoniki. 80 g. do n. eh. — 220 n. eh. SPb., 2002.

2. Kargal'tsev A. V. Religioznaya politika Septimiya Severa v svete antikhristianskikh gonenij // Religiya. Tserkov'. Obschestvo. Vyp. 7. 2018. S. 156—173.

3. Kargal'tsev A. V. Aleksandrijskaya shkola v prostranstve Tserkvi i goroda vo II—III vv. // Obrazovatel'nye prostranstva i antropopraktiki goroda / pod red. V. K. Pichuginoj. M., 2021. S. 262—277.

4. Nok A. D. Obraschenie. Staroe i novoe v religii ot Aleksandra Velikogo do Blazhennogo Avgustina. SPb., 2011.

5. Panteleev A. D. Dosug khristianina (po «Pedagogu» Klimenta Aleksandrijskogo) // Mnemon. Issledovaniya i publikatsii po istorii antichnogo mira. Vyp. 8. 2009. S. 401—416.

6. Panteleev A. D. Chto Afiny Ierusalimu? Rannee khristianstvo i Vtoraya sofistika // Schole. Filosofskoe antikovedenie i klassicheskaya traditsiya. T. 14 (2). 2020. S. 567—586.

7. Panteleev A. D. Bednost' i bogatstvo v rannekhristianskoj traditsii: ot Novogo Zaveta do nachala III v. // Vizantiya, Evropa, Rossiya: sotsial'nye praktiki i vzaimosvyaz' dukhovnykh traditsij: Materialy mezhdunarodnoj nauchnoj konferentsii. Vyp. 2. Sankt-Peterburg, 22—24 sentyabrya 2022 g. / otv. redaktor O. N. Nogovitsin. SPb., 2022.

8. Ashwin-Siejkowski P. Clement of Alexandria on Trial: The Evidence of “Heresy” from Photius’ Bibliotheca. Leiden, 2010.

9. Bratukhin A. Clement of Alexandria as a Creator of the Christian Philosophical Prose. Philologia Classica. Vol. 10. 2015. P. 96—108.

10. Clarke A. D. “Do Not Judge Who Is Worthy and Unworthy”: Clement's Warning Not to Speculate about the Rich Young Man’s Response (Mark 10.17—31) // Journal for the Study of the New Testament. Vol. 31. 2009. P. 447—468.

11. Countryman L. W. The Rich Christian in the Church of the Early Empire: Contradictions and Accommodations. N. Y., 1980.

12. Donahue J. R. Stoic Indifferents and Christian Indifference in Clement of Alexandria // Traditio. Vol. 19. 1963. 438—446.

13. Ferguson J. Clement of Alexandria. N. Y., 1974.

14. Gaca K. L. The Making of Fornication: Eros, Ethics, and Political Reform in Greek Philosophy and Early Christianity. Berkeley; Los Angeles; L., 2003.

15. Hildebrand S. M. Should a Christian Sell Everything? Early Interpretations of the Rich Young Man // Sacred Scripture and Secular Struggles / ed. by D. V. Meconi. Leiden, 2015. P. 179—198.

16. Jurasz I. Carpocrate et Epiphane: chrétiens et platoniciens radicaux // Vigiliae Christianae. Vol. 71. 2017. P. 134—167.

17. Lilla S. R. C. Clement of Alexandria: a study of Christian Platonism and Gnosticism. Oxford, 1971.

18. Markgraf. Klemens von Alexandrien als asketischer Schriftsteller in seiner Stellung zu den natürlichen Lebensgütern // Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte. Bd. 22. 1901. S. 487—515.

19. McGuckin J. Christian Asceticism and the Early School of Alexandria // Studies in Church History. Vol. 22. 1985. P. 25—39.

20. O'Brien D. Rich Clients and Poor Patrons: Functions of Friendship in Clement of Alexandria's “Quis Dives Salvetur?”. PhD diss. University of Oxford, 2004.

21. Osborn E. Clement of Alexandria. Cambridge, 2005.

22. Parker C. P. Musonius in Clement // Harvard Studies in Classical Philology. Vol. 12. 1901. P. 191—200.

23. Petrey T. G. Gender and the History of Sexuality in Clement of Alexandria and Epiphanes // Early Christianity. Vol. 9. 2018. P. 319—341.

24. Reesor M. E. The “Indifferents” in the Old and Middle Stoa // Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philo-logical Association. Vol. 82. 1951. P. 102—110.

25. Rudolph K. Gnosis. The Nature and History of Gnosticism. San Francisco, 1984.

26. Stroumsa G. G. Barbarian Philosophy: The Religious Revolution of Early Christianity. Tübingen, 1999.

27. Tollinton R. B. Clement of Alexandria. A Study in Christian Liberalism. 2 vols. L., 1914.

28. Van den Broek R. The Christian “School” of Alexandria in the Second and Third Centuries // van den Broek R. Alexandrian Christianity. Leiden, 1996. P. 197—205.

29. Van den Hoek A. Widening the Eye of the Needle: Wealth and Poverty in the Works of Clement of Alexandria // Wealth and Poverty in Early Church and Society / ed. by S. R. Holman. Grand Rapids, 2008. P. 67—75.