The Philisophical Way

Τριῶν τοίνυν τούτων ἀντέχεται ὁ ἡμεδαπὸς φιλόσοφος· πρῶτον μὲν τῆς θεωρίας, δεύτερον δὲ τῆς τῶν ἐντολῶν ἐπιτελέσεως, τρίτον ἀνδρῶν ἀγαθῶν κατασκευῆς· ἄ δὴ συνελθόντα τὸν γνωστικὸν ἐπιτελεῖ. Ὅ τι δ' ἄν ἐνδέῃ τούτων, χωλεύει τὰ τῆς γνώσεως. Ὅθεν θείως ἡ Γραφή φησι· Καὶ εἴπεν Κύριος πρὸς Μωθσῆν, λέγων· Λάλησον τοῖς υἰοῖς Ἰσραὴλ, καὶ ἐρεῖς πρὸς αὐτούς· Ἐγὼ Κὺριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν. Κατὰ τὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα γῆς Αἰγύπτου, ἐν ᾗ κατῳκήσατε ἐν αὐτῇ, οὐ ποιήσετε· καὶ κατὰ ἐπιτηδεύματα γῆς Καναὰν, εἰς ἥν ἐγὼ εἰσάγω ὑμᾶς ἐκεῖ, οὐ ποιὴσετε· καὶ τοῖς νομίμοις αὐτῶν οὐ πορεύσεσθε· τὰ κρίματά μου ποιήσετε, καὶ τὰ προστάγματά μου φυλαξεσθε· πορεύεσθε ἐν αὐτοῖς· ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν· καὶ φυλάξεσθε πάντα τὰ προστάγματα μου, καὶ ποιήσετε αὐτά. Ὁ ποιήσας αὐτὰ ἄνθρωπος, ζήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς. Ἐγὼ Κὺριος ὁ Θεὸς ὑμῶν. Εἴτ' οὖν κόσμου καὶ ἀπάτης, εἴτε παθῶν καὶ κακιῶν σύμβολον Αἴγυπτος, καὶ ἡ Κανανὶτις γῆ, ὤν μὲν ἀφεκτέον, ὁποῖα δὲ ἐπιτηδευτέον, ὡς θεῖα καὶ οὐ κοσμικὰ, δείκνυσιν ἡμῖν τὸ λόγιον. Ὅταν δὲ εἴπῃ, Ὁ ποιήσας ἄνθρωπος ζήσεται ἐν αὐτοῖς, τήν τε Ἑβραίων αὐτῶν ἐπανόρθωσιν, τήν τε τῶν πέλας ἡμῶν αὐτῶν συνάσκησίν τε καὶ προκοπὴν, ζωὴν λέγει αὐτῶν τε καὶ ἡμῶν. Οἱ γὰρ νεκροὶ τοῖς παρατώμασι συζωοποιοῦνται Χριστῷ, διὰ τῆς ἡμετέρας Διαθήκης. Πολλάκις δὲ ἐπαναλαμβάνουσα ἡ Γραφὴ, τὸ, Ἐγὼ Κύριος ὁ Θεός ὑμῶν, δυσωπεῖ μὲν διατρεπτικώτατα ἔπεσθαι διδάσκουσα τῷ τὰς ἐντολἀς δεδωκότι Θεῷ, ὑπομιμνήσκει δὲ ἡμέρα ζητεῖν τὸν Θεὸν, καὶ ὡς οἶόν τε γινώσκειν ἐπιχειρεῖν· ἤτις ἄν εἴη θεωρία μεγίστη, ἡ ἐποπτικὴ, ἡ τῷ ὅντι ἐπιστήμη, ἡ ἀμετάπτωτος λόγῳ γινομένη· αὔτη ἄν εἴη μόνη ἡ τῆς σοφίας γνῶσις, ἧς οὐδέποτε χωρίζεται ἡ δικαιοπραγία. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λογος Δευτερος, Κεφ Ι'.

These three things, then, the philosopher of our way adheres to: first, contemplation; second, the accomplishment of the commands; third, the fashioning of good men; all of which, taken together, form the man of knowledge, and when one of these is lacking, the parts of knowledge limp. Whence the Scripture divinely says, 'And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, Speak to the sons of Israel, and you shall say to them, I am the Lord your God. According to the customs of the land of Egypt, in which you have dwelt, you shall not do; and according to the customs of the land of Canaan, into which I bring you, you shall not do; and in their usages you shall not walk. My judgments you shall do, and My precepts you will guard, and you will walk in them; I am the Lord your God. And you shall guard all My commandments, and do them. And the man who does them shall live in them. I am the Lord your God.'  So whether Egypt and the land of Canaan be the symbol of the world and deceit, or of sufferings and evils, they are to be abstained from; and the declaration also reveals what should be pursued, as being Divine and not worldly. And when it is said, 'The man that does them shall live in them,'  it is for both the correction of the Hebrews themselves and the training and advancement of us who are now present: it speaks of their life and ours. For 'those who were dead in sins are quickened together with Christ,' by our covenant. Scripture, by the repetition of  'I am the Lord your God,' shames by firmly dissuading, teaches the commandments given by God, and reminds us to seek Him daily, that we might attain to knowledge of Him. This is the greatest contemplation, the highest mystery, the real knowledge, that which becomes flawless by reason; this alone is knowledge of wisdom, from which righteous action is never detached. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, Book 2, Ch 10.