Second Clement: An Ancient Homily · §12 · Anonymous (2 Clement)

The Kingdom Comes When Two Become One

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The preacher is urging the congregation to await God's kingdom hour by hour, and now explains the Lord's saying about when the kingdom will come.

Since we do not know the day of God's appearing, let us await the kingdom of God hour by hour in love and righteousness.

For when the Lord himself was asked by someone when his kingdom would come, he said: "When the two will be one, and the outside as the inside, and the male with the female neither male nor female."

Now the two are one when we speak truth to one another, and in two bodies there may be one soul without hypocrisy.

And "the outside as the inside" means this: the inside is the soul, and the outside is the body. So just as your body is visible, let your soul be evident in good works.

And "the male with the female, neither male nor female" means this: that a brother who sees a sister should think nothing female about her, nor should he think anything male about himself.

When you do these things, the Lord says, the kingdom of my Father will come.

Greek

Ἐκδεχώμεθα οὖν καθ̓ ῶραν τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ ἐν ἀγάπῃ καὶ δικαιοσύνῃ, ἐπειδὴ οὐκ οἴδαμεν τὴν ἡμέραν τῆς ἐπιφανείας τοῦ θεοῦ.

ἐπερωτηθεὶς γὰρ αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος ὑπό τινος, πότε ἥξει αὐτοῦ ἡ βασιλεία, εἶπεν: Ὅταν ἔσται τὰ δύο ἕν, καὶ τὸ ἔξω ὡς τὸ ἔσω, καὶ τὸ ἄρσεν μετὰ τῆς θηλείας οὔτε ἅρσεν οὔτε θῆλυ.

τὰ δύο δὲ ἕν ἐστιν, ὅταν λαλῶμεν ἑαυτοῖς ἀλήθειαν καὶ ἐν δυσὶ σώμασιν ἀνυποκρίτως εἴη μία ψυχή.

καὶ τὸ ἔξω ὡς τὸ ἔσω, τοῦτο λέγει: τὴν ψυχὴν λέγει τὸ ἕσω, τὸ δὲ ἔξω τὸ σῶμα λέγει. ὃν τρόπον οὖν σου τὸ σῶμα φαίνεται, οὕτως καὶ ἡ ψυχή σου δῆλος ἔστω ἐν τοῖς καλοῖς ἔργοις.

καὶ τὸ ἄρσεν μετὰ τῆς θηλείας, οὔτε ἄρσεν οὔτε θῆλυ, τοῦτο λέγει: ἵνα ἀδελφὸς ἰδὼν ἀδελφὴν οὐδὲν φρονῇ περὶ αὐτῆς θηλυκόν, μηδὲ φρονῇ τι περὶ αὐτοῦ ἀρσενικόν.

ταῦτα ὑμῶν ποιούντων, φησίν, ἐλεύσεται ἡ βασιλεία τοῦ πατρός μου.