The True Search

Τὴν πίστιν τοίνυν οὐκ ἀργὴν καὶ μόνην, ἀλλὰ σύν ζητήσει δεῖν. προφαίνειν φαμέν. Οὐ γὰρ τοῦτο λέγω, μηδ᾽ ὅλως ζητεὶν· Ζὴτει γὰρ, καὶ εὐρήσεις, λέγει, τὸ δὲ ζητούμενον Ἁλωτον· ἐκφεύγει δὲ τὰμελούμενον· κατὰ τὸν Σοφοκλὲα. Τὰ δ᾽ ὅμοια καὶ Μένανδρος ὁ κωμικὸς λέγει· πάντα τὰ ζητούμενα Δεῖσθαι μεριμνης φασὶν οἰ σοφώτατοι. ἀλλὰ τὸ μὲν διορατικὸν τῆς ψυχῆς ἀποτείνειν πρὸς τὴν εὔρεσιν χρὴ, καὶ τὰ ἐμποδὼν διακαθαίπειν· φιλονεικίαν τε αὖ καὶ φθόνον, καὶ τήν ἔριν αὐτὴν, τὴν κάκιστα ἐξ ἀνθρώπων ὀλουμένην, ἀποῤῤίψαι τέλεον. Ηαγκάλως γὰρ ὁ Φλιάσιος Τίμων γράφει· Φοιτᾷ δὲ Βροτολοιγὸς ἔρις κενεὸν λελακυῖα, Νεὶκης ἀνδροφόνοιο κασιγνήτη καὶ ἕριδος· Ἢ τάλλα περὶ πάντα κυλίνδεται· αὐτὰρ Ἔς τε Βροτοὺς στήριξε κάρη, καὶ ἐς ἐλπίδα βάλλει. Ἔπειτα, ὀλίγον ὑποβὰς, ἐπιφέρει· Τίς γὰρ τούσδ᾽ ὁλοῇ ἔριδι ξυνέηκε μάχεσθαι; Ἠχοῦς σύνδρομος ὄχλος· ὁ γὰρ, σιγῶσι χολωθεὶς, Νοῦσον ἐπ᾽ ἀνέρας ὦρσε κακὴν, ὀλέκοντο δὲ πολλοὶ· περὶ ψευδαποφάσκοντος λόγου καὶ κερατίνου, διαλεληθότος τε αὖ καὶ κροκοδειλίνου, σωρίτου τε ἔτι καὶ ἐκκεκαλυμμένου, περί τε ἀμφιβολιῶν καὶ σοφισμάτων. Τὸ δὲ ἄρα ζητεὶν περὶ Θεοῦ, ἂν μὴ εἰς ἔπριν, ἀλλὰ εἰς εὔπεριν τείνῃ, σωτήριόν ἐστι. Γέγραπται γὰρ ἐν τῷ Δαβίδ· Φάγονται πένητες καὶ ἐμπλησθήσονται, καὶ αἰνέσουσι Κύριον οἱ ἐκζητοῦντες αύτόν· ζήσεται ἡ καρδία αὐτῶν εἰς τὸν αἰῶνα τοῦ αἰῶνος. Οἱ γὰρ ζητοῦντες κατὰ τὴν ζήτησιν τὴν ἀληθῆ, αἰνοῦντες Κύριον, ἐμπλήσθονται τὴν δόσεως τῆς παρὰ τοῦ Θεοῦ, τουτέστι τῆς γνώσεως· καὶ ζήσεται ἡ ψυχὴ αὐτῶν.  Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λογος Πέμπτος, Κεφ Α'.

So then faith should not be idle and alone, but with it one must seek. For I do not say that we are not to inquire at all. For 'Seek and you shall find,' He says, and 'What is sought can be captured, but that which is neglected escapes,' according to Sophocles. And similarly Menander the comic poet: ' All things sought need careful thought, the wisest say.' But one must direct the soul's discernment to discovery and sweep away obstacles, that is, obstinacy and envy and strife, doomed to perish wretchedly from among men, all should be thrown aside. Timon of Phlius writes beautifully: ' And Strife, bane of mortals, roams howling inanely, the sister of man-murdering quarrel and discord, rolling over all things. But then it turns its head towards mortals and casts them on hope.' Then, a little further on, he continues: ' For who has set these to fight in fatal strife? A mob running with Echo; vexed by those silent, it raised an evil disease among men and many were destroyed.' So it is with the argument which denies the false, and with the one called the dilemma, and with that which escapes notice and with the argument of the crocodile, and of the sorites, and with that which is open, and with all ambiguities and sophistry. To inquire of God, if the inquiry is directed not to strife but to discovery, is salvation. For it is written by David, 'The poor shall eat and be filled; and they shall praise the Lord who seek Him. Their hearts shall live forever.' For those who seek according to the true search, praising the Lord, shall be filled with the gift from God, that is, knowledge. And their soul shall live. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, Book 5, Ch 1.