Clement of Alexandria, Miscellanies 14

And so the *apatheia* that belongs to us, as it were, by way of the gnostic advances through love "to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature" and reaches its goal, becoming assimilated to God and truly "equal to angels" (Eph 4:13). Many other scriptural testimonies could be brought forward, but I think it better to forgo that ambition because of the length of the discourse, leaving those who wish to labor and toil over the doctrines by a selection from the Scriptures to do so. I will, however, recall one passage in brief so as not to leave the place unremarked. For the divine apostle says in the first epistle to the Corinthians, "Does any of you dare, having a matter against another, to be judged before the unrighteous and not before the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world?" and what follows (1 Cor 6:1). Since the passage is very large, we will present the apostle's thought by synchronizing with the opportune words of the apostolic writings, as it were translating the phrase in brief, according to which he describes the perfection of the gnostic. For he does not establish the gnostic only on the ground of being wronged rather than wronging, but also teaches him to be forgetful of evils, not permitting him to pray against the one who wronged him. For he knows that the Lord commanded "to pray for enemies" (Matt 5:44). So then, the phrase "to be judged before the unrighteous" means that the wronged person wishes nothing other than to repay and to retaliate, which is equally to do wrong himself. But the phrase "to be judged before the saints" indicates that some wish to have the excess returned to those who wronged them by prayer, and these are better than the former ones, yet not yet *apathetic*, unless they become completely forgetful of evils, having prayed according to the Lord's teaching and for their enemies. It is good, therefore, for them to acquire sound minds from repentance, having partaken of faith. For even if the truth seems to acquire enemies who are jealous, it does not hate anyone. For "God causes his sun to shine on the righteous and the unrighteous" (Matt 5:45), and he sent the Lord upon the righteous and the unrighteous. The one who forces himself to be assimilated to God, through much forgetfulness of evils, "forgiving seventy times seven" (Matt 18:22) — that is, throughout the whole life and throughout the whole cosmic cycle, signified by the number seventy — shows kindness to everyone, even if someone wrongs the gnostic all the time he lives in the flesh. For he does not think it worthy to entrust judgment to others only, but also to ask from those who judge for the forgiveness of sins against him, and rightly so; for if the injury is only what is outside and concerns the body, even if it proceeds to death.