The Tart Taste of Salvation (on the Root -στυφ- as Used by Clement of Alexandria)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17072/2073-6681-2023-4-5-13Keywords:
Clement of Alexandria; astringents; divine pedagogy; metaphor; penance.Abstract
For describing the opposite (punishing and encouraging) methods of divine pedagogy, Clement of Alexandria used metaphors related to taste and medicine. God appears to him to be not a strict judge, punishing sinners, but a caring and wise doctor, prescribing bitter/tart medicine for them. Clement compares harsh but salutary experiences (mental suffering, fear) with astringents. He interprets physical punishment, which is written about in the Book of Proverbs (Prov. 23:13-14), as moral. In his opinion, Hellenic philosophy formed and strengthened morals in advance (προ-τυποῦσα καὶ προ-στύφουσα) (Strom. I, 16, 80, 6), and he intends to reinforce those with the help of the divine Scriptures, using the latter as an astringent (ἐπι-στύψω) (Paed. III, 2, 9, 1). Wateriness (ὑδαρότης, ὑδαρές, ὑδατῶδες) in some cases is associated with depravity, and reproof is regarded as an astringent medicine, relieving of excessive liquid and designed to stop the spread of sinful ulcers. The Alexandrian theologian draws the readers’ attention to points that are important to him, using both verbal play (for example, ἐπιστῦφον… σταφυλῆς) and the polysemy of words (for example, the verb ἐπι-στύφειν has the meanings ‘to exert an astringent effect’ and ‘to reprove’. Clement was not the only one who wrote about the usefulness of censure and astringents. In this he followed in the footsteps of authors such as Plato and Plutarch. The perception of God as a Physician became characteristic of the Orthodox Church and influenced the understanding of the essence of penance, considered as the healing of the penitent.References
Аверинцев С. С. От берегов Босфора до берегов Евфрата / пер., предисл. и коммент. С. С. Аверинцева. М.: Наука, 1987. 360 с.
Братухин А. Ю. Загадка имени Климента Александрийского // Вестник Пермского университета. Российская и зарубежная филология. 2011. № 2(14). С. 123–130.
Давыденков О., прот. Догматическое богословие: учебник. Изд. испр. и доп. М.: Общецерковная аспирантура и докторантура им. святых равноапостольных Кирилла и Мефодия: Познание, 2020. 456 с.
Полякова А. А., Юрина Е. А. Метафоризация вкусовых признаков в русском языке и картине мира // Вестник ТГПУ. 2020. № 2 (208). С. 76–83. doi 10.23951/1609-624X-2020-2-76-84
Яровая Е. Ю. Лингвокультурологические особенности прилагательных полимодальных ощущений во французском, английском и русском языках // Научные ведомости Белгородского го¬сударственного университета. Серия: Гуманитарные науки. 2015. № 12 (209), вып. 26. С. 74–83.
Albacete L., Almagno R. S., Aumann J. and others. The Teaching of Christ. A Catholic Catechism for Adults / Edited by R Lawler, O. F. M. Cap, D. W. Wuerl, Th. C. Lawler. Huntington: Our Sunday Visitor, 1976. 640 p.
Chantraine P. Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue Greque. Histoire des mots. Paris: Éditions Klincksieck, 1977. Tome IV–1. P. 963–1164.
Clément d’Alexandrie. Le Pédagogue. Livre I / Introduction et notes de H.-I. Marrou, traduction de M. Harl. Paris, 1960. 298 p.
Edewaard A. N. Food as Medicine of Body and Soul: Clement of Alexandria’s Dietary Prescriptions in the Paedagogus. A Dissertation submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Notre Dame in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Notre Dame, Indiana: 2020. 249 p.
Frisk H. Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch. Band II. Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, 1970. 1154 p.
Gabrielsson J. Über die Quellen des Clemens Alexandrinus. Zweiter Teil. Upsala, K. W. Appel-bergs Buchdruckerei, 1909. XI, 490 S.
Itter A. C. Esoteric Teaching in the Stromateis of Clement of Alexandria // Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae. Texts and Studies of Early Christian Life and Language. Leiden, Boston: Brill, 2009. Vol. 97. XIX, 233 p.
Lampe G. W. H. A Patristic Greek Lexicon. Oxford: At the Clarendon Press, 1961. XLIX, 1568 p.
Lanzillotta L. R. Greek Philosophy and the Problem of Evil in Clement of Alexandria and Origen // Cuadernos de Filología Clásica. Estudios griegos e indoeuropeos. 2013. № 23. P. 207–223.
Liddell H. G., Scott R, Jones H. S. A Greek-Eng¬lish Lexicon / Compiled by H. G. Liddell and R. Scott. A New Edition Revised and Augmented throughout by H. S. Jones. With the assistance of R. McKenzie. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996. 2042 p.
Osborn E. F. The Philosophy of Clement of
Alexandria. Cambridge: At the University Press, 1957. XI, 199 p.
Schmoller A. Handkonkordanz zum griechischen Neuen Testament. Stuttgart: Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, 1994. 534 S.
References
Averintsev S. S. Ot beregov Bosfora do beregov Yevfrata [From the Banks of the Bosphorus to the Banks of the Euphrates]. Transl., pref., comm. by S. S. Averintsev. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1987. 360 p. (In Russ.)
Bratukhin A. Yu. Zagadka imeni Klimenta Aleksandriyskogo [The enigma of the name of Clement of Alexandria]. Vestnik Permskogo universiteta. Rossiyskaya i zarubezhnaya filologiya [Perm University Herald. Russian and Foreign Philology], 2011, issue 2 (14), pp. 123–130. (In Russ.)
Davydenkov O. V. Dogmaticheskoe bogoslovie [Dogmatic Theology]: a textbook. Moscow, General Church Postgraduate and Doctoral Studies named after Holy equal-to-the-Apostles Cyril and Methodius: Poznanie Publ., 2020. 456 p. (In Russ.)
Polyakova A. A., Yurina E. A. Metaforizatsiya vkusovykh priznakov v russkom yazyke i kartine mira [Metaphorization of food taste characteristics in the Russian language and the world picture]. Vestnik Tomskogo gosudarstvennogo pedagogicheskogo universiteta [Tomsk State Pedagogical University Bulletin], 2020, issue 2 (208), pp. 76–83. (In Russ.)
Yarovaya E. Yu. Lingvokul’turologicheskie osobennosti prilagatel’nykh polimodal’nykh oshchushcheniy vo frantsuzskom, angliyskom i russkom yazykakh [Lingvo-cultural features of the polymodal senses attributes in the French, English and Russian languages]. Nauchnye vedomosti Belgorodskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta [Belgorod State University Scientific Bulletin. Humanities], 2015, vol. 12(209), issue 26, pp. 74–83. (In Russ.)
Albacete L., Almagno R. S., Aumann J. et al. The Teaching of Christ. A Catholic Catechism for Adults. Ed. by R. Lawler, O. F. M. Cap, D. W. Wuerl, Th. C. Lawler. Huntington, Our Sunday Visitor, 1976. 640 p. (In Eng.)
Chantraine P. Dictionnaire étymologique de la langue Greque. Histoire des mots [An Etymological Dictionary of the Greek Language. The History of Words]. Paris, Éditions Klincksieck, 1977, vol. IV–1, pp. 963–1164. (In Fr.)
Clément d’Alexandrie. Le Pédagogue. Livre I [The Instructor. Book I]. Introduction and notes by H.-I. Marrou; transl. by M. Harl. Paris, Les editions du Cerf, 1960. 298 p. (In Fr.)
Edewaard A. N. Food as medicine of body and soul: Clement of Alexandria’s dietary prescriptions in the Paedagogus. A Dissertation submitted to the Graduate School of the University of Notre Dame in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Notre Dame, Indiana, 2020. 249 p. (In Eng.)
Frisk H. Griechisches etymologisches Wörterbuch [A Greek Etymological Dictionary]. Heidelberg, Carl Winter Universitätsverlag, 1970, vol. 2. 1154 p. (In Ger.)
Gabrielsson J. Über die Quellen des Clemens Alexandrinus [On the Sources of Clement of Alexandria]. Upsala, K. W. Appelbergs Buchdruckerei, 1909, pt. 2, XI, 490 p. (In Ger.)
Itter A. C. Esoteric Teaching in the Stromateis of Clement of Alexandria. Supplements to Vigiliae Christianae. Texts and Studies of Early Christian Life and Language. Leiden, Boston, Brill, 2009, vol. 97, XIX. 233 p. (In Eng.)
Lampe G. W. H. A Patristic Greek Lexicon. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1961, XLIX. 1568 p. (In Eng.)
Lanzillotta L. R. Greek philosophy and the problem of evil in Clement of Alexandria and Origen. Cuadernos de Filología Clásica. Estudios griegos e indoeuropeos [Classical Philology Notebooks. Greek and Indo-European Studies], 2013, issue 23, pp. 207–223. (In Eng.)
Liddell H. G., Scott R, Jones H. S. A Greek-Eng¬lish Lexicon. Comp. by H. G. Liddell and R. Scott, a new edition revised and augmented throughout by H. S. Jones, with the assistance of R. McKenzie. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1996, XXXI, 2042 p. (In Eng.)
Osborn E. F. The Philosophy of Clement of Alexandria. Cambridge, University Press, 1957, XI. 199 p. (In Eng.)
Schmoller A. Handkonkordanz zum griechischen Neuen Testament [A Pocket Concordance to the Greek New Testament]. Stuttgart, Deutsch Bibelgesellschaft, 1994. 534 p. (In Ger.)
