{"author":null,"backreferences":[{"context_html":"<p>Epicurus, too, who very greatly preferred pleasure to truth, supposes\r\nfaith to be a preconception of the mind; and defines preconception to\r\nbe a grasping at something evident, and at the clear understanding of\r\nthe thing; and asserts that, without preconception, no one can either\r\ninquire, or doubt, or judge, or even argue. How can one, without a\r\npreconceived idea of what he is aiming after, learn about that which\r\nis the subject of his investigation? He, again, who has learned has\r\nalready turned his preconception<a class=\"fnanchor pginternal\" href=\"#Footnote_29\" id=\"FNanchor_29\">[29]</a> into comprehension. And if he\r\nwho learns, learns not without a preconceived idea which takes in\r\nwhat is expressed, that man has ears to hear the truth. And happy is\r\nthe man that speaks to the ears of those who hear; as happy certainly\r\nalso is he who is a child of obedience. Now to hear is to understand.\r\nIf, then, faith is nothing else than a preconception of<span class=\"pagenum\" id=\"Page_11\">[11]</span> the mind\r\nin regard to what is the subject of discourse, and obedience is so\r\ncalled, and understanding and persuasion; no one shall learn aught\r\nwithout faith, since no one [learns aught] without preconception.\r\nConsequently there is a more ample demonstration of the complete truth\r\nof what was spoken by the prophet, “Unless ye believe, neither will ye\r\nunderstand.” Paraphrasing this oracle, Heraclitus of Ephesus says, “If\r\na man hope not, he will not find that which is not hoped for, seeing\r\nit is inscrutable and inaccessible.” Plato the philosopher, also, in\r\n<i>The Laws</i>, says, “that he who would be blessed and happy, must be\r\nstraight from the beginning a partaker of the truth, so as to live true\r\nfor as long a period as possible; for he is a man of faith. But the\r\nunbeliever is one to whom voluntary falsehood is agreeable; and the man\r\nto whom involuntary falsehood is agreeable is senseless;<a class=\"fnanchor pginternal\" href=\"#Footnote_30\" id=\"FNanchor_30\">[30]</a> neither of\r\nwhich is desirable. For he who is devoid of friendliness, is faithless\r\nand ignorant.” And does he not enigmatically say in <i>Euthydemus</i>,\r\nthat this is “the regal wisdom?” In <i>The Statesman</i> he says\r\nexpressly, “So that the knowledge of the true king is kingly; and he\r\nwho possesses it, whether a prince or private person, shall by all\r\nmeans, in consequence of this act, be rightly styled royal.” Now those\r\nwho have believed in Christ both are and are called <i>Chrestoi</i>\r\n(good),<a class=\"fnanchor pginternal\" href=\"#Footnote_31\" id=\"FNanchor_31\">[31]</a> as those who are cared for by the true king are kingly.\r\nFor as the wise are wise by their wisdom, and those observant of law\r\nare so by the law; so also those who belong to Christ the King are\r\nkings, and those that are Christ’s Christians. Then, in continuation,\r\nhe adds clearly, “What is right will turn out to be lawful, law being\r\nin its nature right reason, and not found in writings or elsewhere.”\r\nAnd the stranger of Elea pronounces the kingly and statesmanlike man\r\n“<i>a living law</i>.” Such is he who fulfils the law, “doing the will\r\nof the Father,”<a class=\"fnanchor pginternal\" href=\"#Footnote_32\" id=\"FNanchor_32\">[32]</a> inscribed on a lofty pillar, and set as an example\r\nof divine virtue to all who possess the power of seeing. The<span class=\"pagenum\" id=\"Page_12\">[12]</span> Greeks\r\nare acquainted with the staves of the Ephori at Lacedæmon, inscribed\r\nwith the law on wood. But my law, as was said above, is both royal and\r\nliving; and it is right reason. “Law, which is king of all—of mortals\r\nand immortals,” as the Bœotian Pindar sings. For Speusippus,<a class=\"fnanchor pginternal\" href=\"#Footnote_33\" id=\"FNanchor_33\">[33]</a> in the\r\nfirst book against Cleophon, seems to write like Plato on this wise:\r\n“For if royalty be a good thing, and the wise man the only king and\r\nruler, the law, which is right reason, is good;”<a class=\"fnanchor pginternal\" href=\"#Footnote_34\" id=\"FNanchor_34\">[34]</a> which is the case.\r\nThe Stoics teach what is in conformity with this, assigning kinghood,\r\npriesthood, prophecy, legislation, riches, true beauty, noble birth,\r\nfreedom, to the wise man alone. But that he is exceedingly difficult to\r\nfind, is confessed even by them.</p>","headings":["THE WRITINGS OF CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA.","BOOK II.","CHAPTER IV. FAITH THE FOUNDATION OF ALL KNOWLEDGE."],"marker_anchor":"FNanchor_32","paragraph_id":"pg73020-paragraph-29"}],"canonical_references":[],"date_end":null,"date_start":null,"deduplication_fingerprint":"acc533f393268de905f35498484924c44cfc127935815fdbce94f02cdecf7525","edition_title":"The writings of Clement of Alexandria, Vol. 2 (of 2)","edition_translators":["William Wilson"],"edition_year":1869,"explicit_reference_candidates":[{"book":"MAT","chapter":21,"kind":"unreviewed","source_notation":"Matt. xxi. 31","verse":31,"verse_end":31}],"headings":[],"id":"pg73020-Footnote_32","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_32","source_ebook":73020,"source_html":"<div class=\"footnote\">\n<p><a class=\"label pginternal\" href=\"#FNanchor_32\" id=\"Footnote_32\">[32]</a> Matt. xxi. 31.</p>\n</div>","source_sha256":"c35077683d75abe553cc6ef5d3ef5a1a978f07dfbcf4bad5c3d56302ad03dc19","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/73020/pg73020-images.html#Footnote_32","text_sha256":"704b6c329f5754023be4b6ed9db71e45f0d196da143a95cfd05b2e08effbb42e","verified":false,"work_id":null}