To the Newly Baptized · §3 · Clement of Alexandria

Directing all words and deeds to God and Christ

Click or tap any sentence to jump there. The side buttons skip a paragraph.

Clement continues his direct address to the newly baptized, now turning from rules of speech and conduct to the constant orientation of the soul toward God and Christ.

Let all your works and words be laid before God, and refer everything of yours up to Christ. Turn your soul frequently to God, and rest your thought upon the power of Christ as in a harbor, resting in the divine light of the Savior from all talk and action. During the day, share your wisdom often with people, but be with God as much as possible at night and in the day alike. Do not let long sleep overpower your prayers and hymns to God, for long sleep is a match for death. Always make yourself a partaker of Christ, who shines the divine brightness down from heaven. Let Christ be your perpetual and unceasing joy.

Greek

Κείσθω δέ σοι πάντα εἰς θεὸν καὶ ἔργα καὶ λόγοι, καὶ πάντα ἀνάφερε Χριστῷ τὰ σαυτοῦ, καὶ πυκνῶς ἐπὶ θεὸν τρέπε τὴν ψυχήν, καὶ τὸ νόημα ἐπέρειδε τῇ Χριστοῦ δυνάμει ὥσπερ ἐν λιμένι τινὶ τῷ θείῳ φωτὶ τοῦ σωτῆρος ἀναπαυόμενον ἀπὸ πάσης λαλιᾶς τε καὶ πράξεως. καὶ μεθ’ ἡμέραν πολλάκις μὲν ἀνθρώποις κοίνου τὴν σεαυτοῦ φρόνησιν, θεῷ δὲ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον ἐν νυκτὶ ὁμοίως καὶ ἐν ἡμέρᾳ· μὴ γὰρ ὕπνος σε ἐπικρατείτω πολὺς τῶν πρὸς θεὸν εὐχῶν τε καὶ ὕμνων· θανάτῳ γὰρ ὁ μακρὸς ὕπνος ἐφάμιλλος. μέτοχος Χριστοῦ ἀεὶ καθίστασο τοῦ τὴν θείαν αὐγὴν καταλάμποντος ἐξ οὐρανοῦ· εὐφροσύνη γὰρ ἔστω σοι διηνεκὴς καὶ ἄπαυστος ὁ Χριστός.

About this text

A short address to a newly baptized Christian on conduct, speech, self-control, and trust in God.

Clement of Alexandria (c. 150–c. 215) wrote this short address to a newly baptized Christian. Clement was a leading teacher in the early Church at Alexandria, and he composed the work as a piece of moral and spiritual instruction for a recent convert. Its purpose is to guide the new believer in conduct, speech, self-control, and trust in God.

The address is a direct exhortation from Clement to the new believer, using second-person imperatives throughout. The reader will meet only Clement as the speaker, though he constantly refers the believer to God, Christ, and the Son of God. No other voices are quoted or argued against in this fragment.

A reader should know that the work uses several terms with specific meanings. 'Calm' means quietness and self-possession in speech and action, while 'vehemence' is rash intensity that disturbs the mind. The 'mind' should rule the 'passions' such as gluttony and anger from a quiet throne. 'Modesty' means reverence, especially toward women, and 'graciousness' is the manner of bearing with the proud. Believers are called God's 'members' and 'temples', meaning he cares for them as his own body and sacred shrines. The fragment contains no direct biblical quotations.

New English from the Greek base text; no published English used as wording.

Printed text used

Translated from Clement of Alexandria G.W. Butterworth Clement of Alexandria Harvard University Press Cambridge, MA William Heinemann London 1919 Loeb Classical Library (Greek)

This work has passed this project's source check. This is an AI-assisted study translation. Source fidelity and completeness have not been independently certified. Open Greek on each section for the source text. This is not a complete critical edition.