Preparatory Work

Ἥν μὲν οὖν πρὸ τῆς τοῦ Κυρὶου παρουσίας εἰς δικαιοσύνην Ἕλλησιν ἀναγκαία φιλοσοφία· νυνὶ δὲ χρησίμη πρὸς θεοσέβειαν γίνεται προπαιδεία τις οὖσα τοῖς τὴν πίστιν δι' ἀποδείξεως καρπουμένοις· 'ὅτι 'ὁ ποῦς σου,' φησὶν, 'οὐ μὴ προσκόψῃ' ἐπι τὴν πρόνοιαν τὰ καλὰ ἀναφέροντος, ἐάν τε Ἑλληνικὰ ᾗ, ἐάν τε ἡμέτερα. Πάντων μὲν γὰρ αἴτιος τῶν καλῶν ὁ Θεός· ἀλλὰ τῶν μὲν, κατὰ προηγούμενον, ὡς τῆς τε Διαθήκης τῆς Παλαιᾶς, καὶ τῆς Νέας, τῶν δὲ κατ' ἐπακολούθημα, ὡς τῆς φιλοσοφίας. Τάχα δὲ καὶ προηγουμένως τοῖς Ἐλλησιν ἐδόθη ὁτε, πρὶν ἤ τὸν Κύριον καλέσαι καὶ τοὺς Ἕλληνας· 'ἐπαιδαγώγει' γὰρ καὶ αὐτὴ τὸ Ἐλληνικὸν, ὡς 'ὁ νόμος' τοὺς Ἐβραίους, 'ἐις Χριστόν.' Προπαρασκευάζει τοίνυν ἡ φιλοσοφία, προδοποιοῦσα τὸν ὑπὸ Χριστοῦ τελειούμενον. 'Ἀυτίκα τὴν σοφίαν,' ὁ Σαλομὼν, 'περιχαράκωσον,' φησὶ, 'καὶ ὑπερυψώσει σε· στεφάνῳ δὲ τρυφῆς ὑπερασπίσει σε·' ἐπεὶ καὶ σὺ, τῷ θριγκῷ ὑπεροχυρώσας αὐτὴν διὰ φιλοσοφίας καὶ πολυτελείας ὀρθῆς ἀνεπίβατον τοῖς σοφισταῖς τηρήσεις. Μία μὲν οὖν ἡ τῆς ἀληθείας ὁδός· ἀλλ' εἰς αὐτὴν, καθάπερ εἰς ἀένναον ποταμὸν, ἐκρέουσι τὰ ῥεῖθρα ἄλλα ἄλλοθεν. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λόγος Πρῶτος, Κεφ E'.

So before the Advent of the Lord philosophy was necessary to the Greeks for righteousness and now it becomes useful for piety, being a sort of preparatory teaching for those who come to faith through demonstration, 'For your foot,' it is said, 'will not stumble, if you attend to good forethought, whether of the Greeks or of us.' For God is the cause of all good things, but of some primarily, as of the Old and the New Testament, and of others by consequence, as philosophy. And perhaps philosophy was given to the Greeks primarily until the Lord should call the Greeks. For it was a teacher to the Greek, as the law to the Hebrews, unto Christ.  Philosophy, then, was a preparation, an introduction for him who is by Christ perfected. 'Be swift to defend wisdom,' says Solomon, 'and it will exalt you, and it will shield you with a crown of delight.'  For when you have strengthened it with a coping by philosophy, and with right expense, you will keep it unassailable by sophists. The way of truth is therefore one but into it, as into an ever flowing river, streams flow from other places. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, Book 1, Ch 5.