For we must never, as do those who follow the heresies, adulterate the truth, or steal the canon of the Church, by gratifying our own lusts and vanity, by defrauding our neighbours; whom above all it is our duty, in the exercise of love to them, to teach to adhere to the truth. It is accordingly expressly said, "Declare among the heathen His statutes," that they may not be judged, but that those who have previously given ear may be converted. But those who speak treacherously with their tongues have the penalties that are on record.So those who follow the heresies:
Those, then, that adhere to impious words, and dictate them to others, inasmuch as they do not make a right but a perverse use of the divine words, neither themselves enter into the kingdom of heaven, nor permit those whom they have deluded to attain the truth. But not having the key of entrance, but a false (and as the common phrase expresses it), a counterfeit key (ἀντικλεῖς), by which they do not enter in as we enter in, through the tradition of the Lord, by drawing aside the curtain; but bursting through the side-door, and digging clandestinely through the wall of the Church, and stepping over the truth, they constitute themselves the Mystagogues of the soul of the impious.
1) adulterate the truth,
2) steal the canon of the Church, by
3) gratifying their own lusts, and
4) do not draw aside the curtain to attain the truth, but
5) dig secretly into the church to become
6) false mystagogues.
Very much like the Carpocratians in To Theodore, who
1) mix the truth with inventions, by
2) stealing the secret gospel, and
3) engage in carnal sins, unlike
4) the Christians who witness the truth hidden by veils. The Carpocratians
5) stole the most carefully guarded gospel, which for the Christians serves as
6) a mystagogue.
This is clearly a genuine parallel. Several scholars have noted it. What is less clear is whether the presence of this parallel in the Mar Saba letter supports authenticity or Clementine imitation.
ReplyDeleteeg: The late Eric Osborn, (in Clement of Alexandria (2005) p 195 and p 219), claimed that the way in which Clementine metaphors in Stromateis book 6 seem to be taken literally in the Mar Saba letter suggests an ancient attempt to imitate Clement.
The Stromateis reference for the parallel in both the OP and my comment should be book 7 not book 6
ReplyDeleteExcellent--thanks for the information! I'll be sure to look it up.
ReplyDeleteAnd you are quite right about book 7--I'll correct it.
I should add that I realize we can't tell for certain which text came first. But this is another example of where the hoax hypothesis begins to strain my credulity--how many characteristic Clementine phrases and passages could Smith really have drawn together?
ReplyDelete