Clement of Alexandria

CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA (Roman Christian, c. 150-215 CE)

Clement of Alexandria (Titus Flavius Clemens) was a Christian theologian and philosopher in Roman Alexandria, Egypt (though he may have been born at Athens and died at Jerusalem). Having been educated in classical Greek philosophy and literature, his three major works demonstrate greater influence by these disciplines than those of any other Christian thinker of his time. He may also have been familiar with pre-Christian Jewish esotericism and Gnosticism. Considered a Greek "Church Father," he left three works called a "trilogy":

• The Protrepticus (The Exhortation), an attempt to evangelize the Greeks that includes a supposed history of Greek religion;
• The Paedagogus (The Tutor), reflections on Christ's role in teaching humans to act morally and to control their passions; and
• The Stromata (The Miscellanies), topics that spring up in the text like flowers in a meadow.

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