Testimonia

{"author":null,"backreferences":[{"context_html":"<p>“Be not elated on account of thy wisdom,” say the Proverbs. “In all\r\nthy ways acknowledge her, that she may direct thy ways, and that thy\r\nfoot may not stumble.” By these remarks he means to show that our deeds\r\nought to be conformable to reason, and to manifest further that we\r\nought to select and possess what is useful out of all culture. Now the\r\nways of wisdom are various that lead right to the way of truth. Faith\r\nis the way. “Thy foot shall not stumble” is said with reference to some\r\nwho seem to oppose the one divine administration of Providence. Whence\r\nit is added, “Be not wise in thine own eyes,” according to the impious\r\nideas which revolt against the administration of God. “But fear God,”\r\nwho alone is powerful. Whence it follows as a consequence that we are\r\nnot to oppose God. The sequel especially teaches clearly, that “the\r\nfear of God is departure from evil;” for it is said, “and depart from\r\nall evil.” Such is the discipline of wisdom (“for whom the Lord loveth\r\nHe chastens”<a class=\"fnanchor pginternal\" href=\"#Footnote_6\" id=\"FNanchor_6\">[6]</a>), causing pain in order to produce understanding,\r\nand restoring to peace and immortality. Accordingly, the Barbarian\r\nphilosophy, which we follow, is in reality perfect and true. And so\r\nit is said in the book of Wisdom: “For He hath given me the unerring\r\nknowledge of things that exist, to know the constitution of the world,”\r\nand so forth, down to “and the virtues of roots.” Among all these he<span class=\"pagenum\" id=\"Page_4\">[4]</span>\r\ncomprehends natural science, which treats of all the phenomena in the\r\nworld of sense. And in continuation, he alludes also to intellectual\r\nobjects in what he subjoins: “And what is hidden or manifest I know;\r\nfor Wisdom, the artificer of all things, taught me.”<a class=\"fnanchor pginternal\" href=\"#Footnote_7\" id=\"FNanchor_7\">[7]</a> You have, in\r\nbrief, the professed aim of our philosophy; and the learning of these\r\nbranches, when pursued with right course of conduct leads through\r\nWisdom, the artificer of all things, to the Ruler of all,—a Being\r\ndifficult to grasp and apprehend, ever receding and withdrawing from\r\nhim who pursues. But He who is far off has—oh ineffable marvel!—come\r\nvery near. “I am a God that draws near,” says the Lord. He is in\r\nessence remote; “for how is it that what is begotten can have\r\napproached the Unbegotten?” But He is very near in virtue of that\r\npower which holds all things in its embrace. “Shall one do aught in\r\nsecret, and I see him not?”<a class=\"fnanchor pginternal\" href=\"#Footnote_8\" id=\"FNanchor_8\">[8]</a> For the power of God is always present,\r\nin contact with us, in the exercise of inspection, of beneficence, of\r\ninstruction. Whence Moses, persuaded that God is not to be known by\r\nhuman wisdom, said, “Show me Thy glory;”<a class=\"fnanchor pginternal\" href=\"#Footnote_9\" id=\"FNanchor_9\">[9]</a> and into the thick darkness\r\nwhere God’s voice was, pressed to enter—that is, into the inaccessible\r\nand invisible ideas respecting Existence. For God is not in darkness\r\nor in place, but above both space and time, and qualities of objects.\r\nWherefore neither is He at any time in a part, either as containing or\r\nas contained, either by limitation or by section. “For what house will\r\nye build to me?” saith the Lord.<a class=\"fnanchor pginternal\" href=\"#Footnote_10\" id=\"FNanchor_10\">[10]</a> Nay, He has not even built one for\r\nHimself, since He cannot be contained. And though heaven be called His\r\nthrone, not even thus is He contained, but He rests delighted in the\r\ncreation.</p>","headings":["THE WRITINGS OF CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA.","BOOK II.","CHAPTER II. THE KNOWLEDGE OF GOD CAN BE ATTAINED ONLY THROUGH FAITH."],"marker_anchor":"FNanchor_9","paragraph_id":"pg73020-paragraph-21"}],"canonical_references":[],"date_end":null,"date_start":null,"deduplication_fingerprint":"2e3398ab39bf219c5d9736e06d7e1241e592c94088c0f5486980eb98c78adf9e","edition_title":"The writings of Clement of Alexandria, Vol. 2 (of 2)","edition_translators":["William Wilson"],"edition_year":1869,"explicit_reference_candidates":[],"headings":[],"id":"pg73020-Footnote_9","license_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html","public_import_allowed":false,"record_kind":"original-editor-translator-note","review_required":["work and recension attribution","original-work chronology","Bible reference numbering and citation kind","English edition rights and attribution"],"review_status":"needs_review","rights_evidence":"Project Gutenberg metadata: Public domain in the USA. Existing 1869 English translation; translator died 1875. Electronic transcription subject to Project Gutenberg reuse terms.","source_anchor":"Footnote_9","source_ebook":73020,"source_html":"<div class=\"footnote\">\n<p><a class=\"label pginternal\" href=\"#FNanchor_9\" id=\"Footnote_9\">[9]</a> Ex. xxx. 13.</p>\n</div>","source_sha256":"c35077683d75abe553cc6ef5d3ef5a1a978f07dfbcf4bad5c3d56302ad03dc19","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/73020/pg73020-images.html#Footnote_9","text_sha256":"93e88fc9e34006d1c89abd8f4543e9e4b9168e88eccce5e00d31731ec07523ca","verified":false,"work_id":null}

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