Page:The Classical Heritage of the Middle Ages.djvu/132

 114 THE CLASSICAL HERITAGE [chap. longer as a shepherd, no longer as the Redemption-, but who need him only as the Truth, the Word, the Sanctification, and in whatever other relation he stands to those whose maturity enables them to com- prehend what is most glorious in his character." ^ From a consideration of the necessity of philosophy to a complete understanding of Christianity, Clement often passes to the inculcation of some definite philo- sophical doctrine, and introduces it into his Christian system.^ For example, the readiness coming from pre- vious training helps in the perception of essential mat- ters. Demonstrations secure faith, so that the learner cannot conceive of what is demonstrated as being dif- ferent. In such studies the soul is purged of sensible things and enabled to perceive the truth; without letters, a man may be a believer (ttio-tos), but cannot understand the faith.® Here a thought foreign to Christianity is introduced from Greek philosophy, that by speculation the mind is purged of attachments to things of sense. Again he says : Abstraction from the body and its passions is the sacrifice acceptable to God. If, making such abstraction, we cast ourselves into the greatness of Christ, and then advance into immunity by holiness, we may reach toward some conception of what God is.* The Saviour Himself said, " Watch " ; which is to say, study how to live, and en- deavor to separate the soul from the body.* Christ 1 Origen in Joann., T. I, Sec. 22 (from Neander) ; Migne, Pat. Gr.,14, col. 56. 2 Clement was himself an influence affecting Plotinus' Neo- platonism. « Strom., I, 6. ■* Strom., V, 12. 6 Strom., V, 14. Clement elsewhere says that the Logos (Christ) cures the passions of the soul.