The Wise Man's Choice

Mόνη δ' ἡ δι' ἀγάπην εὐποιία ἡ δι' αὐτὸ τὸ καλὸν αἱρετὴ τῷ γνωστικῷ. αὐτίκα ἐκ προσώπου τοῦ θεοῦ τῷ Kυρίῳ λέλεκται· αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, αἴτημα τὸ βασιλικώτατον διδάσκων αἰτεῖσθαι τὴν τῶν ἀνθρώπων σωτηρίαν ἀμισθί, ἵνα δὴ ἡμεῖς κληρονομήσωμεν καὶ κτησώμεθα τὸν Kύριον. Ἔμπαλιν γὰρ χρείας τινὸς ἕνεκεν, ἵνα μοι τόδε γένηται καὶ τόδε μὴ γένηται, τῆς ἐπιστήμης ἐφίεσθαι τῆς περὶ τὸν θεὸν οὐκ ἴδιον γνωστικοῦ, ἀπόχρη δ' αὐτῷ αἰτία τῆς θεωρίας ἡ γνῶσις αὐτή. Tολμήσας γὰρ εἴποιμ' ἄν, οὐ διὰ τὸ σῴζεσθαι βούλεσθαι τὴν γνῶσιν αἱρήσεται ὁ δι' αὐτὴν τὴν θείαν ἐπιστήμην μεθέπων τὴν γνῶσιν· τὸ μὲν γὰρ νοεῖν ἐκ συνασκήσεως εἰς τὸ ἀεὶ νοεῖν ἐκτείνεται, τὸ δὲ ἀεὶ νοεῖν, οὐσία τοῦ γινώσκοντος κατὰ ἀνάκρασιν ἀδιάστατον γενομένη καὶ ἀίδιος θεωρία, ζῶσα ὑπόστασις μένει. Eἰ γοῦν τις καθ' ὑπόθεσιν προθείη τῷ γνωστικῷ, πότερον ἑλέσθαι βούλοιτο, τὴν γνῶσιν τοῦ θεοῦ ἢ τὴν σωτηρίαν τὴν αἰώνιον, εἴη δὲ ταῦτα κεχωρισμένα παντὸς μᾶλλον ἐν ταὐτότητι ὄντα, οὐδὲ καθ' ὁτιοῦν διστάσας ἕλοιτ' ἂν τὴν γνῶσιν τοῦ θεοῦ, δι' αὑτὴν αἱρετὴν κρίνας εἶναι τὴν ἐπαναβεβηκυῖαν τῆς πίστεως δι' ἀγάπην εἰς γνῶσιν ἰδιότητα. Αὕτη τοίνυν ἡ πρώτη ἀγαθοποιία τοῦ τελείου, ὅταν μὴ διά τι χρειῶδες τῶν εἰς αὐτὸν συντεινόντων γίνηται, κρίναντος δ' ὅτι καλὸν τὸ ἀγαθὸν ποιεῖν, ἐκτενῶς ἡ ἐνέργεια φερομένη ἐν πάσῃ πράξει ἀγαθύνηται, οὐκ ἐφ' ὧν μέν, ἐφ' ὧν δ' οὔ, ἀλλ' ἐν ἕξει εὐποιίας καταστᾶσα μήτε διὰ δόξαν ἔτι ἤ, ὥς φασιν οἱ φιλόσοφοι, τὴν εὔκλειαν μήτε διὰ μισθὸν εἴτε παρὰ ἀνθρώπων εἴτε καὶ ἐκ θεοῦ· κατ' εἰκόνα καὶ καθ' ὁμοίωσιν τοῦ Kυρίου τὸν βίον ἐκτελοίη. Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς, Στρωματεων, Λογος Δ' Κεφ' ΚΒ' Source: Migne PG 8.1345c-1348b

But the choice of the wise man is to do good out of love alone. Now, in the person of God it was said to the Lord, 'Ask of me, and I will give the Gentiles for your inheritance,' 1 teaching Him to ask a regal request, that is, the salvation of men without price, that we may inherit and possess the Lord. For on the contrary if it is on account of something that this is done, or not done, it is not proper to the wise man, but the knowledge itself is enough as the reason for contemplation. For I will venture to say that it is not because he wishes to be saved that knowledge shall be chosen by him who by knowledge seeks Divine understanding. For thinking by practice is extended to perpetual thinking, and to be always thinking is the essence of an intelligent being, according to a continual process of admixture, and there is everlasting contemplation, a living substance. If, then, we supposed that someone proposed to the wise man a preference, the knowledge of God or everlasting salvation, and if these things were separable which are in every way alike, he would without hesitation choose the knowledge of God, judging as desirable in itself the ascension of faith through love to knowledge. This, then, is the first good work of the perfect man, when it is done not for any advantage in what concerns him, but because he judges it right to do good, and the energy zealously exerted in all deeds becomes good, not good in this and not good in that, but in the habit of doing good, neither for glory, nor, as the philosophers say, for reputation, nor for reward from men or God, but to pass life as an image and likeness of the Lord. Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata, Book 4, Ch 22 1 Ps 2.8