Clement of Alexandria, Miscellanies 4
Since they refuse to trust either the Good or knowledge for salvation, we ourselves adopt their own ideas as ours—because everything belongs to God, and especially because the good things the Greeks possess originated with us—and so we undertake to instruct them in a way they are accustomed to hearing. The multitude judges what is intelligent or just not from the truth, but from what gives them pleasure; they would be pleased not with what differs from them, but with what resembles them. As long as they remain blind and deaf, lacking understanding and a soul that loves to behold the truth with fearless, keen vision—the vision the Savior alone implants—they are not yet pure or worthy of holy truth. They are still unclean, disorderly, and material, and must remain outside the divine chorus; for we compare spiritual things with spiritual things.
For this reason the method of concealment is divine and most necessary for us, since the sacred, unadulterated Word lies hidden in the inner sanctuary of truth. The Egyptians signified this through their so-called adyta, and the Hebrews through the veil, behind which only their priests—those seated with God, who have circumcised the desires of their passions out of love for the divine alone—were permitted to enter. Even Plato agreed that it is not proper for the pure to touch the pure. From this arise prophecies and oracles spoken in riddles, and mysteries are not shown plainly to those who encounter them, but only after certain purifications and precepts. For the Muse was not yet mercenary or a hireling, nor did sweet, honey-voiced, silver-tongued songs with softened tones persuade Terpsichore.
Immediately, those educated among the Egyptians first master the epistolary method of Egyptian letters; second, the hieratic script used by the sacred scribes; and last and finally, the hieroglyphic script. Of this, one part is literal through the primary elements, another is symbolic. Of the symbolic, one part is literal by imitation, another is written tropically, and another is outrightly allegorized through certain riddles. For instance, to write the sun they make a circle, and for the moon a crescent shape, according to the literal sense. But tropically, by transferring and transposing, changing and transforming in many ways, they engrave. Thus they inscribe the praises of kings, handing down theological myths, through carved reliefs.
Greek
Ἀλλ’ ἐπεὶ μήτε τῷ ἀγαθῷ δικαίως μήτε τῇ γνώσει εἰς σωτηρίαν πιστεύειν ἐθέλουσιν, ἡμεῖς αὐτοὶ τὰ ἐκείνων ἴδια ἡγούμενοι ὅτι πάντα τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ μάλιστα ἐπειδὴ τὰ καλὰ παρ’ ἡμῶν ὥρμηται τοῖς Ἕλλησιν, ἐγχειρῶμεν αὐτοῖς, ὡς ἀκούειν πεφύκασι· τὸ γὰρ συνετὸν ἤτοι τὸ δίκαιον ὁ πολὺς οὗτος ὄχλος οὐκ ἐκ τῆς ἀληθείας, ἀλλ’ ἐξ ὧν ἂν ἡσθῇ, δοκιμάζει. ἥδοιτο δ’ ἂν οὐχ ἑτέροις μᾶλλον ἢ τοῖς ὁμοίοις αὐτοῦ· ὅσον γὰρ τυφλὸν ἔτι καὶ κωφόν, οὐ ξύνεσιν ἔχον οὐδὲ φιλοθεάμονος ψυχῆς ὄψιν ἀθαμβῆ τε καὶ ὀξυδερκῆ, ἣν ὁ σωτὴρ ἐντίθησι μόνος, ὥσπερ ἐν τελεταῖς ἀμύητον ἢ ἐν χορείαις ἄμουσον, οὔπω καθαρὸν ὂν οὐδὲ ἄξιον ἁγνῆς ἀληθείας, ἐκμελὲς δὲ καὶ ἄτακτον καὶ ὑλικόν, ἔτι ἔξω θείου χοροῦ ἵστασθαι δεῖ· πνευματικοῖς τε γὰρ πνευματικὰ συγκρίνομεν. διὰ τοῦτό τοι τῆς ἐπικρύψεως τὸν τρόπον, θεῖον ὄντα ὡς ἀληθῶς καὶ ἀναγκαιότατον ἡμῖν διὰ τὸν ἐν τῷ ἀδύτῳ τῆς ἀληθείας ἀποκείμενον, ἱερὸν ἀτεχνῶς λόγον, Αἰγύπτιοι μὲν διὰ τῶν παρ’ αὐτοῖς ἀδύτων καλουμένων, Ἑβραῖοι δὲ διὰ τοῦ παραπετάσματος ᾐνίξαντο, δἰ οὗ μόνοις ἐξῆν ἐπιβαίνειν αὐτῶν τοῖς ἱερωμένοις, τουτέστι τοῖς ἀνακειμένοις τῷ θεῷ, τοῖς περιτετμημένοις τὰς τῶν παθῶν ἐπιθυμίας διὰ τὴν πρὸς μόνον τὸ θεῖον ἀγάπην· οὐ καθαρῷ γὰρ καθαροῦ ἐφάπτεσθαι οὐ θεμιτὸν εἶναι συνεδόκει καὶ Πλάτωνι. ἐντεῦθεν αἱ προφητεῖαι οἵ τε χρησμοὶ λέγονται δἰ αἰνιγμάτων καὶ αἱ τελεταὶ τοῖς ἐντυγχάνουσιν ἀνέδην οὐ δείκνυνται, ἀλλὰ μετά τινων καθαρμῶν καὶ προρρήσεων· ἁ Μοῦσα γὰρ οὐ φιλοκερδής πω τότ’ ἦν οὐδ’ ἐργάτις· οὐδ’ ἐπέρναντο γλυκεῖαι μελίφθογγοι ποτὶ Τερψιχόρας ἀργυρωθεῖσαι πρόσωπα μαλθακόφωνοι ἀοιδαί. Αὐτίκα οἱ παρ’ Αἰγυπτίοις παιδευόμενοι πρῶτον μὲν πάντων τὴν Αἰγυπτίων γραμμάτων μέθοδον ἐκμανθάνουσι, τὴν ἐπιστολογραφικὴν καλουμένην· δευτέραν δὲ τὴν ἱερατικήν, ᾗ χρῶνται οἱ ἱερογραμματεῖς· ὑστάτην δὲ καὶ τελευταίαν τὴν ἱερογλυφικήν, ἧς ἣ μέν ἐστι διὰ τῶν πρώτων στοιχείων κυριολογική, ἣ δὲ συμβολική. τῆς δὲ συμβολικῆς ἣ μὲν κυριολογεῖται κατὰ μίμησιν, ἣ δ’ ὥσπερ τροπικῶς γράφεται, ἣ δὲ ἄντικρυς ἀλληγορεῖται κατά τινας αἰνιγμούς. Ἥλιον γοῦν γράψαι βουλόμενοι κύκλον ποιοῦσι, σελήνην δὲ σχῆμα μηνοειδὲς κατὰ τὸ κυριολογούμενον εἶδος. Τροπικῶς δὲ κατ’ οἰκειότητα μετάγοντες καὶ μετατιθέντες, τὰ δ’ ἐξαλλάττοντες, τὰ δὲ πολλαχῶς μετασχηματίζοντες χαράττουσιν. τοὺς γοῦν τῶν βασιλέων ἐπαίνους, θεολογουμένοις μύθοις παραδιδόντες, ἀναγράφουσι διὰ τῶν ἀναγλύφων.