The barbarian Sophist : Clement of Alexandria's Stromateis and the Second Sophistic
Clement of Alexandria, active in the second half of the second century AD, is one of the first Christian authors to explain and defend the nascent religion in the terms of Greek philosophy and in relation to Greek paideia. His major work, the Stromateis, is a lengthy commentary on the true gnosis of the Christian faith, with no apparent overarching structure or organisational principle, replete with quotations from biblical, Jewish, Greek 'gnostic' and Christian works of all genres. This thesis seeks to read this complex and erudite text in conversation with what has been termed the âSecond Sophisticâ, the efflorescence of elite Greek literature under the Roman empire. We will examine the the text as a performance of authorial persona, competing in the agonistic marketplace of Greek paideia. Clement presents himself as a philosophical teacher in a diadoche from the apostles, arrogating to himself a kind of apostolic authority which appeals to both philosophical notions of intellectual credibility and Christian notions of the authentic handing down of tradition. We will also examine how the work engages key thematic concerns of the period, particularly discourses of intellectual eclecticism and ethnicity,
Thomson, Stuart Rowley
Hellenic (Classical Greek) literature ; Church history ; Reception of Classical antiquity ; Clement of Alexandria ; the Alexandrian School ; Second Sophistic ; Church history - primitive and early Church
The barbarian Sophist : Clement of Alexandria's Stromateis and the Second Sophistic. Clement of Alexandria, active in the second half of the second century AD, is one of the first Christian authors to explain and defend the nascent religion in the terms of Greek philosophy and in relation to Greek paideia. His major work, the Stromateis, is a lengthy commentary on the true gnosis of the Christian faith, with no apparent overarching structure or organisational principle, replete with quotations from biblical, Jewish, Greek 'gnostic' and Christian works of all genres. This thesis seeks to read this complex and erudite text in conversation with what has been termed the âSecond Sophisticâ, the efflorescence of elite Greek literature under the Roman empire. We will examine the the text as a performance of authorial persona, competing in the agonistic marketplace of Greek paideia. Clement presents himself as a philosophical teacher in a diadoche from the apostles, arrogating to himself a kind of apostolic authority which appeals to both philosophical notions of intellectual credibility and Christian notions of the authentic handing down of tradition. We will also examine how the work engages key thematic concerns of the period, particularly discourses of intellectual eclecticism and ethnicity,
barbarian sophist clement alexandria second_sophistic clement alexandria active first christian author explain defend nascent religion term greek philosophy relation greek paideia major_work lengthy commentary true christian_faith apparent overarching structure organisational principle replete quotation biblical jewish greek gnostic christian work genre seek read complex text conversation term second_sophistic elite greek_literature roman_empire examine text performance authorial persona compete marketplace greek paideia clement present philosophical teacher apostles kind apostolic authority appeal philosophical notion intellectual credibility christian notion authentic hand tradition also_examine work engage key thematic concern period particularly discourse intellectual ethnicity