Who Is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved? · §4 · Clement of Alexandria

The Gospel dialogue on the rich man, retold as the true starting point

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Clement has just described the Christian life as a contest; now he prays that the Savior will help him interpret the Gospel passage about the rich man, and he quotes the dialogue from Mark 10 at length.

May the Savior grant us, then, as we begin the discourse from this point, to contribute what is true, fitting, and saving to our brothers and sisters—first for hope itself, and second for the approach to hope. What He grants to those who ask, He also teaches to those who request it, and He dissolves ignorance and shakes off despair by bringing forward again the same words about rich persons, words that become their own interpreters and sure expounders. For there is nothing like hearing the sayings themselves again—the very sayings that until now have troubled us when we listened to them unexaminedly and mistakenly, out of childishness.

“As He was setting out on the road, a man ran up and knelt before Him, saying, ‘Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ Jesus said to him, ‘Why do you call me good? No one is good except one—God. You know the commandments: do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not bear false witness, honor your father and your mother.’ He answered Him, ‘I have kept all these from my youth.’ Jesus looked at him, loved him, and said, ‘One thing you lack: if you wish to be perfect, sell what you have and distribute it to poor persons, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ But he became gloomy at the word and went away grieving, for he had much money and lands.” (Mark 10:17-22)

“Jesus looked around and said to His disciples, ‘How hard it will be for those who have money to enter the kingdom of God.’ The disciples were astounded at His words. But Jesus answered again and said to them, ‘Children, how hard it is for those who trust in money to enter the kingdom of God. It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.’ They were exceedingly astonished and said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ He looked at them and said, ‘What is impossible with human beings is possible with God.’” (Mark 10:23-27)

“Peter began to say to Him, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you.’ Jesus answered, ‘Truly I tell you, whoever leaves his own things and parents and brothers and sisters and money for my sake and for the sake of the gospel will receive a hundredfold—now in this present time fields and money and houses and brothers and sisters, with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life.’” (Mark 10:28-30)

Greek

Δοίη τοίνυν ἡμῖν ὁ σωτὴρ ἐντεῦθεν ἀρξαμένοις τοῦ λόγου τἀληθῆ καὶ τὰ πρέποντα καὶ τὰ σωτήρια συμβαλέσθαι τοῖς ἀδελφοῖς πρός τε τὴν ἐλπίδα πρῶτον αὐτὴν καὶ δεύτερον πρὸς τὴν τῆς ἐλπίδος προσαγωγήν. ὃ δὲ χαρίζεται δεομένοις καὶ αἰτοῦντας διδάσκει καὶ λύει τὴν ἄγνοιαν καὶ τὴν ἀπόγνωσιν ἀποσείεται, τοὺς αὐτοὺς πάλιν εἰσάγων λόγους περὶ τῶν πλουσίων. ἑαυτῶν ἑρμηνέας γινομένους καὶ ἐξηγητὰς ἀσφαλεῖς. οὐδὲν γὰρ οἷον αὐτῶν αὖθις ἀκοῦσαι τῶν ῥητῶν. ἅπερ ἡμᾶς ἐν τοῖς εὐαγγελίοις ἄχρι νῦν διετάρασσεν ἀβασανίστως καὶ διημαρτημένως ὑπὸ νηπιότητος ἀκροωμένους. »ἐκπορευομένου αὐτοῦ εἰς ὁδὸν προσελθών τις ἐγονυπέτει λέγων· ›διδάσκαλε ἀγαθέ, τί ποιήσω, ἵνα ζωὴν αἰώνιον κληρονομήσω;‹ ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς λέγει· τί με ἀγαθὸν λέγεις; οὐδεὶς ἀγαθὸς εἰ μὴ εἷς ὁ θεός. τὰς ἐντολὰς οἶδας· μὴ μοιχεύσῃς, μὴ φονεύσῃς, μὴ κλέψῃς, μὴ ψευδομαρτυρήσῃς, τίμα τὸν πατέρα σου καὶ τὴν μητέρα ὃ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς λέγει αὐτῷ· ›πάντα ταῦτα ἐφύλαξα ἐκ νεότητός μου. ὁ δὲ Ἰησοῦς ἐμβλέψας ἠγάπησεν αὐτὸν καὶ εἶπεν· ›ἕν σοι ὑστερεῖ· εἰ θέλεις τέλειος εἶναι, πώλησον ὅσα ἔχεις καὶ διάδος πτωχοῖς, καὶ ἕξεις θησαυρὸν ἐν οὐρανῷ, καὶ δεῦρο ἀκολούθει μοι.‹ ὃ δὲ στυγνάσας ἐπὶ τῷ λόγῳ ἀπῆλθε λυπούμενος· ἦν γὰρ ἔχων χρήματα πολλὰ καὶ ἀγρούς. περιβλεψάμενος δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς λέγει τοῖς μαθηταῖς αὐτοῦ· ›πῶς δυσκόλως οἱ τὰ χρήμα τα ἔχοντες εἰσελεύσονται εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ.‹ οἱ δὲ μαθηταὶ ἐθαμβοῦντο ἐπὶ τοῖς λόγοις αὐτοῦ. πάλιν δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἀποκριθεὶς λέγει αὐτοῖς· ›τέκνα, πῶς δύσκολόν ἐστι τοὺς πεποιθότας ἐπὶ χρήμασιν εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ εἰσελθεῖν· εὐκόλως διὰ τῆς τρυμαλιᾶς τῆς βελόνης κάμηλος εἰσελεύσεται ἢ πλούσιος εἰς τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ.‹ οἳ δὲ περισσῶς ἐξεπλήσσοντο καὶ ἔλεγον· ›τίς οὖν δύναται σωθῆναι;‹ ὃ δὲ ἐμβλέψας αὐτοῖς εἶπεν· ›ὅ τι παρὰ ἀνθρώποις ἀδύνατον, παρὰ θεῷ δυνατόν.‹ ἤρξατο ὁ Πέτρος λέγειν αὐτῷ· ›ἴδε ἡμεῖς ἀφήκαμεν πάντα καὶ ἠκολουθήσαμέν σοι.‹ ἀποκριθεὶς δὲ ὁ Ἰησοῦς [λέγγει]·› ἀμὴν ὑμῖν λέγω, ὃς ἂν ἀφῇ τὰ ἴδια καὶ γονεῖς καὶ ἀδελφοὺς καὶ χρήματα ἕνεκεν ἐμοῦ καὶ ἕνεκεν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου. ἀπολήψεται ἑκατονταπλασίονα. νῦν ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τούτῳ ἀγροὺς καὶ χρήματα καὶ οἰκίας καὶ ἀδελφοὺς ἔχειν μετὰ διωγμὼν εἰς ποῦ: ἐν δὲ τῷ ἐρχομένῳ ζωή[ν] ἐστιν αἰώνιος.

About this text

Clement explains Jesus' saying about the camel and the needle's eye, and shows how a rich person may be saved.

This homily was written by Clement of Alexandria (c. 150–c. 215), a Greek Christian teacher who led the Catechetical School of Alexandria. He addressed it to fellow Christians who were troubled by Jesus' saying about the camel and the needle's eye, and who either despaired of rich believers being saved or flattered the wealthy. Clement wrote to remove that false despair and to show how a rich person may be saved.

The occasion is a controversy over the moral danger of wealth and the question of who can be saved. Clement argues that Jesus' command to sell one's possessions is not a command to become outwardly poor, but to renounce the passions and attachments of the soul that wealth can excite. The rich man in the Gospel is not condemned for having wealth, but for loving it more than eternal life. Salvation depends on the soul's disposition, not on external possessions, and wealth can be used rightly for love of neighbor.

A reader will meet Jesus, whose words from the Gospels are quoted and interpreted throughout, along with Peter, Martha, Mary, Zacchaeus, Levi, Matthew, and Paul. Clement also cites the pagan philosophers Anaxagoras, Democritus, and Crates as examples of people who gave up wealth for the wrong reasons. The work closes with the story of the apostle John and a young robber, offered as proof that no sinner is beyond hope. To follow the argument, know that Clement uses 'passions' for the disordered attachments of the soul, 'freedom from passions' for the state required for salvation, and 'worldly wealth' for what the Gospels call mammon of unrighteousness. Bible books follow the Septuagint names and Psalm numbering, so Gospel passages correspond to Mark 10:17-31, Matthew 19:16-30, and Luke 18:18-30 in modern Bibles.

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

Printed text used

Translated from Clement of Alexandria Otto Stählin Stromata, Buch VII-VIII. Excerpta ex Theodoto. Eclogae prophetica. Hinrichs Leipzig 1909 Clemens Alexandrinus 3 (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.