Source edition
Clement of Alexandria. Clemens Alexandrinus, Volume 3: Stromata, Buch VII-VIII, Excerpta ex Theodoto, Eclogae prophetica. Stählin, Otto, editor. Leipzig: Hinrichs, 1909.
Source data
Perseus Digital Library · CC BY-SA 4.0
Cloned and adapted by Humanitext, with ongoing edits.
Summary
This work is a collection of theological fragments that spiritually and allegorically interpret various biblical passages to reveal the process of the soul's salvation and ascent. Beginning with the escape from the material world and spiritual rebirth through baptism, it discusses the purification of the soul through fasting and prayer, and the stages of progress that true knowledge (gnosis) brings to the soul. Furthermore, the text allegorically interprets natural elements and angelic beings described in scripture, clarifying the origin of the soul, the salvation of young souls, and the developmental stages of souls and angels after death. Depicting God as an unknowable light, the work outlines the process by which believers detach themselves from material attachments, achieve spiritual progress, and ultimately ascend to an angelic state to complete their salvation.