7/13/20
Schaff, Philip. History of the Christian Church (The Complete Eight Volumes in One). Amazon Kindle Edition, 2014.
Volume 2, Ante-Nicene Christianity A.D. 100-325, “Chapter 13. Ecclesiastical Literature of the Ante-Nicene Age, and Biographical Sketches of the Church Fathers.” sec. 159-204.
§ 186. Clement of Alexandria.
Schaff identifies Clement of Alexandria as Titus Flavius Clemens, probably from Athens (Schaff 2014, loc. 22442), raised as a pagan but an adult convert to Christ. Clement had a zeal for learning and sound philosophy. “He became presbyter in the church of Alexandria, and about A.D. 189 succeeded Pantaenus as president of the catechetical school of that city” (Schaff 2014, loc. 22447). He fled Alexandria under persecution, probably in 202, then was later known to be in Antioch, then Jerusalem.
Schaff considers Clement “the father of the Alexandria Christian philosophy” (Schaff 2014, loc. 22452). His theology is not as clearly systematic as we might like and often brings in elements of paganism and gnosticism. His most important works, written between “190 and 195, represent the three stages in the discipline of the human race by the divine Logos, corresponding to the three degrees of knowledge required by tne ancient mystagogues, and are related to one another very much as apologetics, ethics, and dogmatics, or as faith, love, and mystic vision... “ (Schaff 2014, loc. 22467). They call readers to reject the immorality of paganism, to explain the value of Christian morality, and to encourage the reader to reflect on Christian theology.