Who Is the Rich Man That Shall Be Saved? · §6 · Clement of Alexandria

The fitting question: life asks about life

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Clement is introducing the Gospel dialogue, explaining that the rich man's question to Jesus was perfectly suited to who Jesus is.

Our Lord and Savior has been asked a question that suits him perfectly: Life is asked about life, the Savior about salvation, the Teacher about the chief point of the doctrines he teaches, the Truth about true immortality, the Word about the paternal Word, the Perfect One about perfect rest, the Incorruptible about sure incorruptibility. He has been asked about the very things he came down to teach and to give, so that he might show the substance of the gospel: that it is the gift of eternal life. As God, he knew beforehand what he would be asked and what answer someone would give him. Who else would know this better than the Prophet of prophets and Lord of every prophetic spirit? When he was called good, he took his starting point from that very word and began his teaching there, turning the disciple toward God, who is good and first and the only steward of eternal life, which the Son gives us after receiving it from him.

Greek

Ἠρώτηται μὲν γὰρ ἡδέως ὁ κύριος ἡμῶν καὶ σωτὴρ ἐρώτημα καταλληλότατον αὐτῷ, ἡ ζωὴ περὶ ζωῆς, ὁ σωτὴρ περὶ σωτηρίας. ὁ διδάσκαλος περὶ κεφαλαίου [οὐ τῶν διδασκομένων δογμάτων. ἡ ἀλήθεια περὶ τῆς ἀληθινῆς ἀθανασίας, ὁ λόγος περὶ τοῦ πατρῴου λόγου. ὁ τέλειος περὶ τῆς τελείας ἀναπαύσεως, ὁ ἄφθαρτος περὶ τῆς βεβαίας ἀφθαρσίας. ἠρώτηται περὶ τούτων ὑπὲρ ὧν καὶ κατελήλυθεν. ἃ παιδεύει. ἃ διδάσκει. ἃ παρέχει, ἵνα δείξῃ τὴν τοῦ εὐαγγελίου ὑπόθεσιν. ὅτι δόσις ἐστὶν αἰωνίου ζωῆς. πρόοιδε δὲ ὡς θεὸς καὶ ἃ μέλλει διερωτηθήσεσθαι καὶ ἃ μέλλει τις αὐτῷ ἀποκρίνεσθαι. τίς γὰρ καὶ μᾶλλον ἣ ὁ προφήτης προφητῶν καὶ κύριος παντὸς προφητικοῦ πνεύματος; κληθεὶς δὲ ἀγαθός. ἀπ᾿ αὐτοῦ πρώτου τοῦ ῥήματος τούτου τὸ ἐνδόσιμον λαβὼν ἐντεῦθεν καὶ τῆς διδασκαλίας ἄρχεται, ἐπιστρέφων τὸν μαθητὴν ἐπὶ τὸ θεὸν τὸν ἀγαθὸν καὶ πρῶτον καὶ μόνον ζωῆς αἰωνίου ταμίαν, ἣν ὁ υἱὸς δίδωσιν ἡμῖν παρ᾿ ἐκείνου λαβών.

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.