Chapter 36
God’s great gift is salvation in Christ
| 1 Αὕτη ἡ ὁδός, ἀγαπητοί, ἐν ᾗ εὕρομεν τὸ σωτήριον ἡμῶν, Ἰησοῦν Χριστόν, τὸν ἀρχιερέα τῶν προσφορῶν ἡμῶν, τὸν προστάτην καὶ βοηθὸν τῆς ἀσθενείας ἡμῶν. | This is the way, dear friends, in which we found our salvation, even Jesus Christ the High Priest of our offerings, the defender and helper of our weakness. |
| 2 διὰ τούτου ἀτενίζομεν εἰς τὰ ὕψη τῶν οὐρανῶν, διὰ τούτου ἐνοπτριζόμεθα τὴν ἄμωμον καὶ ὑπερτάτην ὄψιν αὐτοῦ, διὰ τούτου ἠνεῴχθησαν ἡμῶν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ τῆς καρδίας, διὰ τούτου ἡ ἀσύνετος καὶ ἐσκοτωμένη διάνοια ἡμῶν ἀναθάλλει εἰς τὸ φῶς, διὰ τούτου ἠθέλησεν ὁ δεσπότης τῆς ἀθανάτου γνώσεως ἡμᾶς γεύσασθαι, ὃς ὢν ἀπαύγασμα τῆς μεγαλωσύνης αὐτοῦ, τοσούτῳ μείζων ἐστὶν ἀγγέλων, ὅσῳ διαφορώτερον ὄνομα κεκληρονόμηκεν. |
Through Him we look steadily into the heights of heaven. Through Him we look, as though in a mirror, in His faultless and excellent face. Through Him the eyes of our hearts were opened. Through Him our foolish and darkened mind springs up into the light. Through Him the Master has willed that we should taste the immortal knowledge, "Who being the brightness of His majesty is so much greater than angels, as he has inherited a more excellent name" {Heb. 1:3-4}. |
| 3 γέγραπται γὰρ οὕτως· Ὁ ποιῶν τοὺς ἀγγέλους αὐτοῦ πνεύματα καὶ τοὺς λειτουργοὺς αὐτοῦ πυρὸς φλόγα. | For so it is written “Who makes His angels winds and His ministers flames of fire” {Heb. 1:7; Ps. 104:4}. |
| 4 ἐπὶ δὲ τῷ υἱῷ αὐτοῦ οὕτως εἶπεν ὁ δεσπότης. Υἱός μου εἶ σύ, ἐγὼ σήμερον γεγέννηκά σε· αἴτησαι παρ' ἐμοῦ, καὶ δώσω σοι ἔθνη τὴν κληρονομίαν σου καὶ τὴν κατάσχεσίν σου τὰ πέρατα τῆς γῆς. |
But of His Son, the Master said thus, "You are My Son, I have begotten you this day. Ask Me and I will give You the Gentiles for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession" {Heb. 1:5; Ps. 2:7-8}. |
| 5 καὶ πάλιν λέγει πρὸς αὐτόν· Κάθου ἐκ δεξιῶν μου, ἕως ἂν θῶ τοὺς ἐχθρούς σου ὑποπόδιον τῶν ποδῶν σου. | And again He says, "Sit at My right hand until I make Your enemies a footstool for your feet" {Heb. 1:13; Ps. 110:1}. |
| 6 τίνες οὖν οἱ ἐχθροί; οἱ φαῦλοι καὶ ἀντιτασσόμενοι τῷ θελήματι αὐτοῦ. |
Who then are these enemies? They are the wicked men who resist His will. |
Summary
In Chapter 36, Clement reaches a sublime Christological climax, presenting Jesus Christ as the singular "way" (ὁδός) through which salvation, light, and divine knowledge are mediated to the Church. Following his ethical warnings in Chapter 35, Clement grounds ecclesial healing and spiritual perception firmly in the high-priestly and cosmic office of Christ.
He highlights Christ’s multi-faceted identity as:
The High Priest (ἀρχιερεύς) of all Christian offerings.
The Patron/Protector (προστάτης) and Helper (βοηθός) of human weakness.
The Cosmic Mediator through whom believers gaze into heavenly heights, receive spiritual illumination, and taste immortal knowledge.
Using intense stylistic repetition (anaphora via διὰ τούτου / "through Him"), Clement underscores that the human mind transitions from darkness to blossoming light solely through Christ.
He then draws heavily on Hebrews 1:3–13 (and its underlying Septuagint texts, including Psalm 103:4 LXX, Psalm 2:7–8 LXX, and Psalm 109:1 LXX) to demonstrate Christ’s absolute superiority over the angels (μεῖζων ἀγγέλων).
While angels are created as ministering spirits and flames of fire, the Son alone receives eternal enthronement, inheritance of the nations, and total victory over all enemies—whom Clement explicitly identifies as those who resist God’s sovereign will (οἱ ἀντιτασσόμενοι τῷ θελήματι αὐτοῦ).
Significant Greek Expressions
τὸν ἀρχιερέα... τὸν προστάτην καὶ βοηθὸν (The High Priest... the patron/guardian and helper): Integrates Jewish sacerdotal vocabulary (archiereus) with Greco-Roman civic and social terminology (prostatēs—a legal patron, protector, or champion who defends dependent clients). Christ represents believers before God while sheltering them in their physical and moral frailties (astheneia).
ἠνεῴχθησαν ἡμῶν οἱ ὀφθαλμοὶ τῆς καρδίας (The eyes of our heart were opened): A vivid metaphor directly echoing Ephesians 1:18. True spiritual insight and alignment with church unity require an interior opening of perception granted exclusively through Christ.
ἀναθάλλει εἰς τὸ φῶς (Blossoms / shoots up into the light): From anathallō (to shoot up anew, sprout, or bloom again). A poetic image contrasting the former dark, dull mindset (ἡ ἀσύνετος καὶ ἐσκοτωμένη διάνοια) with the vibrant, flourishing spiritual vitality produced by divine truth.
ἀπαύγασμα τῆς μεγαλωσύνης αὐτοῦ (The radiance / effulgence of His majesty): Direct quotation from Hebrews 1:3 (apaugasma, shining forth, brightness, or reflection). Presents Christ as the exact, out-shining light of the Father’s transcendent glory (megalōsynē).
διαφορώτερον ὄνομα κεκληρονόμηκεν (He has inherited a more excellent name): Uses diaphorōteros (more excellent, superior; cf. Hebrews 1:4). The Son’s exalted rank is not merely a delegated position but an inherited status intrinsic to His divine identity.
οἱ φαῦλοι καὶ ἀντιτασσόμενοι (The vile and those set in opposition / arrayed against): Present middle participle of antitassō (to range in opposition, set oneself against as in battle; cf. James 4:6 / 1 Clement 30.2). Clement subtly applies this psalm quotation to the Corinthian rebels: those who resist appointed leadership and sow discord in the church align themselves as enemies (echthroi) standing in opposition to God’s thelēma (will).