Chapter 28
God is everywhere
| 1 Πάντων οὖν βλεπομένων καὶ ἀκουομένων, φοβηθῶμεν αὐτόν, καὶ ἀπολίπωμεν φαύλων ἔργων μιαρὰς ἐπιθυμίας, ἵνα τῷ ἐλέει αὐτοῦ σκεπασθῶμεν ἀπὸ τῶν μελλόντων κριμάτων. | Therefore, since all things are seen and heard by Him, let’s fear Him and forsake the filthy lusts of evil works in order that we may be shielded by His mercy from the coming judgments. |
| 2 ποῦ γάρ τις ἡμῶν δύναται φυγεῖν ἀπὸ τῆς κραταιᾶς χειρὸς αὐτοῦ; ποῖος δὲ κόσμος δέξεταί τινα τῶν αὐτομολούντων ἀπ' αὐτοῦ; |
Where can any of us escape from His strong hand? What world will receive any of those who desert from Him? |
| 3 λέγει γάρ που τὸ γραφεῖον· Ποῦ ἀφήξω καὶ ποῦ κρυβήσομαι ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου; ἐὰν ἀναβῶ εἰς τὸν οὐρανόν, σὺ ἐκεῖ εἶ· ἐὰν ἀπέλθω εἰς τὰ ἔσχατα τῆς γῆς, ἐκεῖ ἡ δεξιά σου· ἐὰν καταστρώσω εἰς τὰς ἀβύσσους, ἐκεῖ τὸ πνεῦμά σου. |
For the scripture says somewhere, "Where can I go and where can I hide myself from Your face? If I ascend into the sky, You are there. If I depart to the farthest parts of the earth, Your right hand is there. If I make my bed in the abyss, Your Spirit is there" {Ps. 139:7-10}. |
| 4 ποῖ οὖν τις ἀπέλθῃ ἢ ποῦ ἀποδράσῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐμπεριέχοντος; | Where can a person go or where can someone flee from Him who embraces the universe? |
Summary
In Chapter 28, Clement draws out the urgent moral and behavioral consequences of God’s inescapable omnipresence and omniscience (which he established in Chapter 27). Having affirmed that nothing escapes the divine eye or counsel, he insists that a proper recognition of God’s all-seeing reality (πάντων βλεπομένων καὶ ἀκουομένων) must yield holy reverence (φοβηθῶμεν) and the immediate abandonment of corrupt desires (μιαραὶ ἐπιθυμίαι).
To underscore the impossibility of evading divine accountability, Clement uses military imagery to portray sin as desertion (αὐτομολέω) from God’s sovereign army. He then grounds his argument in a striking quotation of Psalm 138:7–10 LXX (Psalm 139:7–10 MT), emphasizing that neither the highest heavens, the furthest corners of the earth, nor the deepest subterranean abysses offer hiding places from the Creator. Clement concludes with a powerful theological dynamic: because God actively "encompasses all things" (ὁ τὰ πάντα ἐμπεριέχων), flight from Him is both a spiritual delusion and an impossibility.
Significant Greek Expressions
σκεπασθῶμεν ἀπὸ τῶν μελλόντων κριμάτων (May we be sheltered / covered from coming judgments): Uses skepazō (to cover, shelter, or protect). Divine mercy serves as a protective canopy against the impending eschatological judgment for those who turn from wickedness.
τῆς κραταιᾶς χειρὸς αὐτοῦ (His mighty hand): An ancient biblical anthropomorphism (krataia cheir, frequently used in the Septuagint for God’s redemptive and punitive power in the Exodus narrative; cf. 1 Peter 5:6). Highlights God’s supreme authority over human destiny.
τῶν αὐτομολούντων ἀπ̓ αὐτοῦ (Those who desert from Him): From automoleō (to desert, defect, or desert one’s post in battle). Clement continues his motif of framing ecclesial insubordination and moral decay as treasonous military desertion from God’s ranks (cf. λειαποτακτεῖν in Chapter 21).
τὸ γραφεῖον (The Scripture / Holy Writing): An idiom (graphion or grapheion) used to introduce a sacred manuscript or biblical poetic text (here, Psalm 139).
ἐὰν καταστρώσω εἰς τὰς ἀβύσσους (If I make my bed in the abysses): Uses katastrōnnymi (to spread a couch or make a bed) alongside abyssos (the deep, the underworld/Sheol). Illustrates that physical or cosmic depth cannot shield the creature from the Creator’s gaze.
τοῦ τὰ πάντα ἐμπεριέχοντος (Him who encompasses / contains all things): A magnificent participle form of emperiechō (to surround, enclose, encompass, or contain completely). Clement harmonizes biblical omnipresence with Hellenistic cosmic theology: the universe does not contain God; rather, God encompasses and sustains the entire universe.