Clement of Alexandria: Bio and Significant Christian Writings

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily match my own. - Dr. Bart D. Ehrman

Clement of Alexandria is a key figure in early Christian theology and a major influence on later Christian thinkers. What scholars know about him begins with his conversion to Christianity, an event that shaped his journey from Greek thought to the philosophical aspects of the religion.

Who was Clement of Alexandria? In this article, I’ll look at what we know about his background, how his thought was shaped by Greek philosophy, and how it, in turn, shaped Christian thought for centuries.

Clement of Alexandria’s Background

In his book Clement of Alexandria, John Ferguson writes that we know almost nothing of the early life of Titus Flavius Clement, known to us as Clement of Alexandria. (Affiliate Disclaimer: We may earn commissions on products you purchase through this page at no additional cost to you. Thank you for supporting our site!) His place of birth, first of all, is a matter of some debate. Since he wrote in classical, educated Greek and was well-versed in Greek philosophy, some ancient Christian writers, such as Epiphanius of Salamis, believed he was born in Athens. Others claimed he had been born in the city of Alexandria, with which he was later associated.

His date of birth is equally undetermined. Most scholars, however, estimate his birth year to be around 150 CE, although Clement himself gives no explicit information about the place or time of his birth.

We do know, however, that his parents were not Christians because he writes of his conversion in his book Paedagogos (English title: Tutor). But as Ferguson writes, Clement’s obvious knowledge of Greek philosophy makes it clear that he was educated in that discipline well before becoming a Christian. Clement even includes a detailed description of Greek mystery religions in his book Protrepticus (English title: Exhortation to the Greeks). This is one reason many think he was born in Athens.

Because Clement writes little about his conversion, however, Ferguson believes it to have been a gradual process rather than a dramatic transformation such as that of Paul or Augustine. The impetus for his conversion, according to his own writings, was the simple realization that the gods of the Greek pantheon were morally corrupt, unlike the Christian God.

As a young man in search of knowledge about Christianity, Clement traveled widely in Greece, Asia Minor (modern-day Türkiye), Palestine, and Egypt. On his travels in Greece, he says that he met and learned from an unnamed theologian whom scholars have since identified as an early Church Father named Athenagoras of Athens (133-190 CE).

The Catechetical School of Alexandria and Beyond

Clement’s travels came to an end when he arrived in Alexandria, Egypt, one of the intellectual centers of the Roman Empire. There, he met a Christian teacher named Pantaenus who was associated in some way with the Catechetical School of Alexandria (he may have been the head of the school). This would prove to be a momentous meeting for Clement, spurring him on to theological insights.

The Catechetical School of Alexandria was a school of Christian theologians and bishops which had a huge influence on the theological controversies of the day. This school was less like a Sunday School, though, and more like the philosophical schools of Plato, Aristotle, and other Greek philosophers. After studying under Pantaenus, Clement himself became a teacher at the school, as well as an ordained priest. Eventually, he took over as head of the school.

By the way, Clement never says whether he was married, but his positive view of marriage and childbearing, in opposition to the asceticism advocated by many Christian teachers of his time, may indicate that he was.

Around 202 or 203 CE, Clement left Alexandria, probably because of the persecutions going on at the time, spurred by the reign of the emperor Lucius Septimius Severus. When he left, his prominent and equally influential student Origen took over his post at the school.

We have no information about where Clement went at this point. Ferguson writes that he may have gone to Cappadocia, a region in Asia Minor. We have a letter written around 211 CE from Alexander —a former student of Clement’s and a future bishop — written to the church at Antioch, Syria, commending Clement to them. This implies that right up to the end of his life, he was traveling. Clement died around 215, although whether he died in Cappadocia, Antioch, or Jerusalem is unknown.

Major Works and Theology

While Clement was known as a teacher, he was also a theologian with a strong philosophical streak. As such, he wrote three major works that survive: The Protrepticus (Exhortation to the Greeks), written around 195 CE, the Paedagogus (Tutor) written around 198 CE, and the Stromata (Miscellanies) written between 198-203 CE. Here, I’ll summarize these works and analyze their theological positions.

The Protrepticus (Exhortation to the Greeks)

This work’s entire purpose  is to convince non-Christian Greeks to embrace Christianity. As such, it demonstrates Clement’s extensive knowledge of Greek philosophy and myths. In  Homer or Moses?: Early Christian Interpretations of the History of Culture, Arthur Droge writes that Clement attempts to explain Greek religion as anthropological, explaining it in historical stages (Needless to say, he bases all this on pure speculation).

For instance, Clement suggests humans initially believed that the Sun, the Moon, and other heavenly bodies were deities, then worshiped the products of agriculture, from which he surmises the veneration of Demeter and  Dionysus originated. He lumps all this worship of material creation together as idolatry and, therefore, sinful.

He then goes on to criticize Greek gods as morally corrupt and thus unworthy of being worshiped. At the same time, however, Clement praises the philosopher Plato, whose view that God could not be adequately known by humans foreshadowed some forms of Christianity.

The Paedagogus (Tutor)

The title of this book refers to the underlying theme of Christ as the ultimate teacher of humanity. As such, it uses an extensive metaphor of Christians as children needing to be taught.

In his book Clement of Alexandria, Eric Osborn writes that, in The Paedagogus, Clement goes beyond simple instruction, attempting to demonstrate how Christians must respond faithfully to God’s love. He divides life into three sections: character, actions, and passions. The focus of the Paedagogus is on how a Christian should act morally and subdue the passions. Clement develops this theme by drawing on such sources as Stoic philosophy and Greek literature, especially Homer.

Clement goes on to note that since Christ was sinless and without passions, Christians should try to imitate him. He writes that sin is an instinctive reaction in humans and is, thus, irrational. It can only be removed, he says, by the wisdom of Christ, which teaches humans.

One very interesting point in The Paedagogus, is that Clement seems to believe in the equality of the sexes since God’s salvation is offered to all. He writes that “both men and women practice the same sort of virtue; surely, if there is but one God for both, then there is but one Educator for both." In The Spirit and Spirituality, Deborah Gill writes that Clement also indicates God has both male and female aspects; for instance, he describes the Eucharist as milk from the Father’s breast.

Clement then addresses food and drink, warning against overindulgence in either. While he criticizes ostentatious living that includes expensive furniture or clothing, he does not advocate for the complete rejection of worldly pleasures and says Christians should be able to express joy through celebration.

Unlike many theologians of his day, Clement says that while promiscuity is unnatural, total abstinence is equally so and argues that the goal of sex must always be procreation. For this reason, he condemns adultery and prostitution since those would not lead to legitimate offspring by Roman standards. As Peter Brown put it in The Body and Society, while “sexual activity, in itself, carried with it no stigma that might debar the Christian from achieving perfection in Christ,“ sex “beyond the periods strictly necessary for the conception of a child” was “vulgar and plebian.”

The Stromata (Miscellanies)

This work’s title signifies that it, indeed, consists of miscellaneous pieces of writing on miscellaneous topics. Eric Osborn believes it was intended for a limited audience interested in the more philosophical and esoteric aspects of theology. It originally included eight separate works, of which only seven survive.

Book One focuses on Greek philosophy, which Clement says can actually be a good introductory set of principles to Christian thought, not unlike the Torah for Jews. In his discussion, Clement claims Jewish thought had a big influence on the most important Greek philosophers, specifically on Plato (there is no historical evidence for this argument).

Book Two concerns the roles of philosophy and faith in Christianity. While he believes both are important, the fear of God is paramount for him since it brings wisdom (See Proverbs 9:10), which is the goal of philosophy. Faith is a choice, the most important one for drawing nearer to God.

In Book Three, Clement discusses the importance of marriage. As mentioned in the Paedagogus, Clement believes sex within marriage for the purpose of bearing children is good and does not hinder the Christian in his or her quest for perfection. While he acknowledges that some asceticism, motivated by Christian concerns, can be good, marriage and family life are just as good if done for the right reasons.

The focus of the fourth book is martyrdom. While he says that Christians have no reason to fear death, he condemns those who seek out martyrdom for themselves. Clement says that people like this have no respect for the gift of life bestowed by God. Heretics such as Marcionites, believing incorrect principles as they do, would not benefit from martyrdom anyway. In the final part of the book, Clement notes there is no way of proving God’s existence and, therefore, it must be taken on faith.

Speaking of faith, the fifth book argues that awareness of God can only be attained through faith if one’s actions are moral. He argues that only those who show their faith through good deeds are living correctly. Those who merely talk about their faith don’t have enough of it for their own salvation.

In the sixth book, Clement argues that the Greek poets were influenced mainly by the prophetic books of the Hebrew Bible. He then pivots to the topics of sin and hell, saying Adam was not perfect when God created him but was granted the latent possibility to attain perfection. He then goes on to show that he is a universalist, believing that everyone, even those now in hell, will ultimately be saved: "God's punishments are saving and disciplinary, leading to conversion; choosing rather the repentance than the death of a sinner."

Finally, in Book Seven, Clement says that a true Gnostic (“one who knows”) would not include the Gnostics who are well-known, such as Valentinus, but rather the true Christians like himself who have true knowledge of God. In other words, in this book, Clement attempts to reclaim the word “gnosis” for orthodox Christianity. In order to achieve this gnosis, he argues, it is necessary to become as much as possible like Christ. His final argument in this book says immorality emerges not from intention but from ignorance. Therefore, the more one becomes aware of God and the true nature of Christ, the more one moves away from sinful activity.

Other Works and Fragments

Most of the rest of Clement’s writings are in fragments except for the shorter work called Salvation for the Rich but also known as Who Is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved?, written around 203 CE. In this treatise, Clement argues that, contrary to the usual understanding of Mark 10:25 (“It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”), material wealth need not be an impediment to spiritual perfection as long as one is generous with it.

Other fragments include eschatological works in which Clement writes about the heavenly hierarchy including angels, archangels, and humans, and a letter attributed to Clement which may or may not be authentic.

Clement of Alexandria’s Intellectual Influence

Clement’s theological legacy extended far into the future. His student Origen of Alexandria, an extremely influential Christian thinker and writer himself, based much of his theology on Clement’s thought. Later Church historian Eusebius of Caesarea included a summary of Clement’s life and works in his massive 4th-century Church History, as well as extended quotes from Clement’s writings. Christian scholar and translator Jerome wrote that Clement’s writings were “full of eloquence and learning, both in sacred Scripture and in secular literature.” In addition, medieval theologian Maximos the Confessor, living centuries later, referred to him as “the Great Clement,” a level of reverence he gave only to those whose ideas had long been part of the Christian intellectual tradition.

In addition, modern scholars have long recognized Clement’s significance. In God Has Spoken: A History of Christian Theology, Gerald Bray writes that Clement was “the founder of Christian philosophical theology” and “the first major commentator on the Bible.” Likewise, in The Influence of Greek ideas on Christianity, Edwin Hatch calls Clement “the first great teacher of philosophical Christianity.”

Conclusion

Who was Clement of Alexandria? First and foremost, he was one of the first Christian writers to make extensive use of Greek philosophy within Christian theology. He was a convert to Christianity who came to reside in Alexandria, Egypt, an intellectual hub of the ancient Mediterranean world. He was a teacher who then became the head of the great Catechetical School of Alexandria, in which philosophical theologians like himself taught and theorized about the theological issues of the day.

Clement’s theology included some uncommon positions in his day, such as the notion of universal salvation and the equality of men and women. He has been called the first Christian philosopher and had an enormous influence, especially through the later works of his pupil, Origen. As such, he would influence many later Christian writers, including Augustine of Hippo, who believed that Greek philosophical ideas had a place in Christian thought.