Clement of
Alexandria

ca 150-213
CE

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Titus Flavius Clemens was the
intellectual leader of the Christian community in Alexandria (Egypt) for
the last two decades of the 2nd c. CE.  The son of pagan parents
from Athens, Clement became a Christian sometime before 180 CE, when he
succeeded his mentor, Pantaenus, as head of the catechetical school at
Alexandria. Against sectarians who professed esoteric knowledge (gnosis), Clement
argued that a moral life was the test of real wisdom. Against
anti-intellectual pietists, he championed the ideal of spiritual
enlightenment. His characterization of the real Christian as an
intellectual whose life is a moral example for others influenced the
development of the monastic ideal. During the persecution of Alexandrian
Christians (201 CE), Clement found refuge in Jerusalem. He was succeeded
at Alexandria by his brilliant protégé, Origen.

While several works of Clement
have survived, many others, including his biblical Outlines
(Hypotyposes) were lost, except for passages quoted by 3rd &
4th c. writers. Eusebius of Caesarea
(Eccles. Hist. 6.14.5-7) ascribed this information about the
origin of the gospels to him:

And again Clement has inserted
in the same books a tradition of the primitive elders concerning the
order of the gospels as follows. He said that the gospels that include
genealogies [Matthew & Luke] were written first; but that the
gospel according to Mark came about in this way: When Peter had
publicly proclaimed the word & by the Spirit preached the gospel
at Rome, those who were present, being many, urged Mark---as one of
his [Peter's] long-time followers who remembered what was said---to
make a record of what had been spoken. And he did this and distributed
the gospel among those who had asked him. And when this matter came to
Peter's attention, he neither strongly forbid it, nor urged it on.
But, last of all, John---aware that the outward facts had been set out
in the [synoptic] gospels, --- was encouraged by his disciples &
divinely motivated by the Spirit, composed a spiritual gospel. This is
Clement's account.

It is hard to know how much of
Eusebius' comments are to be credited directly to Clement, since he only
describes Clement's position indirectly. If this passage
represents the actual content of Clement's text, his views on the origin
of the gospels were distinct from other early Christian writers in two
respects:

the claim that not only Matthew but
Luke was written before Mark and

the claim that Mark was written
during Peter's lifetime.

Recently another work credited to
Clement has added fuel to the fires of scholarly controversy over gospel
origins. In 1958 a letter in which Clement quotes previously unknown
passages from a secret edition of the gospel of Mark was discovered by
Morton Smith in Jerusalem.

Other On-line
Resources:

External
Evidence: Clement of Alexandria - Stephen Carlson posts Greek text
& translation of Eusebius' report of Clement's account of the origin
of the canonical gospels (Synoptic
Problem Home Page).

A brief biographical
sketch of Clement & background on the catechetical school
of Alexandria (posted by The
École Initiative).

From
the Books of the Hypotyposes - excerpts from Clement's lost
work quoted by other early Christian authors (from Ante-Nicene
Fathers vol. 2, posted by Christian Classics
Ethereal Library).

Development
of the NT Canon: Clement of Alexandria - excerpts of Clement's
statements regarding non-canonical Christian sources (posted by Glenn
Davis).

The
Strange Case of the Secret Gospel according to Mark - Shawn
Eyer's 1995 article details of the discovery a previously unknown letter
by Clement regarding a secret version of Mark & the resulting furor.

Letter
of Clement of Alexandria to Theodore - translation &
pictures of the ms. discovered by Morton Smith (posted by Wieland
Willker, U of Bremen).

Saint
Clement of Alexandria: biographical essay (Encyclopædia
Britannica).

Clement
of Alexandria - Peter Kirby's e-edition of the Roberts-Donaldson
translation of Clement's collected works (Early
Christian Writings).

Clement
of Alexandria - Rob Bradshaw's brief introduction to Clement's
teaching with extensive hyper-bibliography (EarlyChurch.org).

index

glossary

last revised 13
December 2003

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Smith
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