The Wise Man And Adam

Οὗτός ἑστιν ὁ κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ ὁμοίωσιν ὁ γνωστικὸς, ὁ μιμούμενος τὸν Θεὸν καθόσον οἵόν τε, μηδὲν παραλιπὼν τῶν εἰς τὴν ἐνδεχομένην ὁμοίωσιν· ἐγκρατευόμενος, ὑπομένων, δικαίως βιοὺς, βασιλεύων τῶν παθῶν, μεταδιδοὺς ὦν ἔχει ὡς οἷός τε ἐστὶν εὐεργετῶν καὶ λόγῳ καὶ ἔργῳ. Οὗτος μέγιστος, φησὶν, ἐν τῇ βασιλείᾳ, ὃς ἂν ποιῇ καὶ διδάσκῃ, μιμούμενος τὸν Θεὸν τῷ παραπλήσια χαρίζεσθαι· κοινωφελεῖς γὰρ αἱ τοῦ Θεοῦ δωρεαί. Ὅς δ' ἂν ἐγχειρῇ τι πράσσειν μεθ' ὑπερηφανίας, τὸν Θεὸν παροξύνει, φησίν· ἀλαζονεία γὰρ ψυχῆς ἐστι κακία· ἀφ' ἧς καὶ τῶν ἄλλων κακιῶν μετανοεῖνκελεύει, ἁρμοζομένοις τὸν βίον ἐξ ἀναρμοστίας πρὸς τὴν ἀμείνω μεταβολὴν διὰ τῶν τριῶν τούτων, στόματος, καρδίας, χειρῶν, Σύμβολον δ' ἂν εἴη ταῦτα, πράξεως μὲν αἱ χεῖρες, βουλῆς δὲ ἡ καρδία, καὶ λόγου στόμα. Καλῶς οὖν ἐπὶ τῶν μετανοούντων εἴρηται τὸ λόγοιν ἐκεῖνο· Τὸν Θεὸν εἴλου σήμερον, εἰναί Θεόν· καὶ Κύριος εἴλετό σε σήμερον, γενέσθαι λαὸν αὐτῷ. Τὸν γὰρ σπεύδοντα θεραπεύειν τὸ ὄν οἰκέτην ὄντα, ἐξοικειοῦται ὁ Θεός· κἂν εἶς ᾗ τὸν ἀριθμὸν, ἐπίσης τῷ λαῷ τετίμηται· μέρος γὰρ ὦν τοῦ λαοῦ, συμπληρωτικὸς αὐτοῦ γίνεται, ἀποκατασταθεὶς, ἐξ οὖ ἧν· καλεῖται δὲ καὶ ἐκ μέρους τὸ πᾶν. Αὕτη δὲ ἡ εὐγένεια ἐν τῷ ἐλέσθαι καὶ συνασκῆσαι τὰ κάλλιστα διαδείκνυται· ἐπεὶ τί τὸν Ἀδὰμ ὠφέλησεν ἡ τοιαύτη αὐτοῦ εὐγένεια; πατὴρ Αὕτη δὲ ἡ εὐγένεια ἐν τῷ ἐλέσθαι καὶ συνασκῆσαι τὰ κάλλιστα διαδείκνυται· ἐπεὶ τί τὸν Ἀδὰμ ὠφέλησεν ἡ τοιαύτη αὐτοῦ εὐγένεια; πατὴρ δὲ αὐτοῦ θνητὸς οὐδείς· αὐτὸς γὰρ ἀνθρώπων τῶν ἐν γενέσει πατήρ. Τὰ μὲν αἰσχρὰ οὗτος προθύμως εἴλετο, ἑπόμενος τῇ γυναικὶ, τῶν δὲ ἀληθῶν καὶ καλῶν ἠμέλησεν, ἐφ; οἷς θνητὸν ἀθανάτου βίον, ἀλλ' οὐκ εἰς τέλος, ἀνθυπηλλάξατο. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λόγος Δεύτερος, Κεφ ΙΘ' Migne PG 9 1040-1041

As he is according to the image and likeness of God, this is the wise man, one who imitates God as far as possible, lacking in none of the things which contribute to the likeness, in self control enduring, righteously living, reigning over the passions, giving of what he has as far as possible and doing good both by word and deed. 'He is the greatest,' it is said, 'in the kingdom who shall do and teach;' 1 imitating God in showing similar kindness, for the gifts of God are for the common good. 'Whoever performs an undertaking in an arrogant manner, provokes God,' 2 it is said. For boastfulness is an evil of the soul, of which, as with other evils, He calls us to repent, by setting  life in order from a state of discord to a change for the better in these three things: mouth, heart, hands. And these are signs, the hands of action, the heart of volition, the mouth of speech. Well, therefore, has that saying been spoken concerning penitents: 'You have chosen God today to be your God, and the Lord has chosen you today to be His people.' 3  For him who is eager to serve the One, being a servant of the house, God adopts, and though he be just one in number, he is honoured equally with the people. For being a part of the people, he becomes an essential component of it, being restored from what he was, and the whole is named from a part. But nobility is itself shown in choosing and doing what is best. For what benefit to Adam was such a nobility as he had? No mortal was his father; for he himself was father of men that are born. And what is base he readily chose, joining with the woman, neglecting the true and good, by which he exchanged immortality for mortal life, but not forever. Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, Book 2, Ch 19.  1 Mt 5.19 2 Num 15.30  3 Deut 26.17-18