Chapter 20
| 1 Ἀλλὰ μηδὲ ἐκεῖνο τὴν διάνοιαν ὑμῶν ταρασσέτω, ὅτι βλέπομεν τοὺς ἀδίκους πλουτοῦντας καὶ στενοχωρουμένους τοὺς τοῦ θεοῦ δούλους. | But don’t let it trouble your mind, that we see the unrighteous possessing wealth, and the servants of God are hard pressed. |
|
2 πιστεύωμεν
οὖν,
ἀδελφοὶ
καὶ
ἀδελφαί·
θεοῦ ζῶντος πεῖραν ἀθλοῦμεν καὶ γυμναζόμεθα τῷ νῦν βίῳ, ἵνα τῷ μέλλοντι στεφανωθῶμεν. |
Let us then have faith, brothers and sisters.
We are competing in the contest of a living God and are being trained by the present life in order that we may be crowned in the life to come. |
| 3 οὐδεὶς τῶν δικαίων ταχὺν καρπὸν ἔλαβεν, ἀλλ' ἐκδέχεται αὐτόν. | No righteous person ever received fruit quickly but waits for it. |
|
4 εἰ
γὰρ
τὸν
μισθὸν
τῶν
δικαίων
ὁ
θεὸς
συντόμως
ἀπεδίδου,
εὐθέως
ἐμπορίαν
ἠσκοῦμεν
καὶ
οὐ
θεοσέβειαν·
ἐδοκοῦμεν γὰρ εἶναι δίκαιοι, οὐ τὸ εὐσεβές, ἀλλὰ τὸ κερδαλέον διώκοντες. καὶ διὰ τοῦτο θεία κρίσις ἔβλαψεν πνεῦμα μὴ ὂν δίκαιον, καὶ ἐβάρυνεν δεσμοῖς. |
For if God had paid the reward of the righteous immediately, then we would soon be engaged in business, not godliness;
for we should seem to be righteous, though we were not pursuing piety but profit. And because of this, divine judgment impedes a spirit that is not just, and loads it with chains. |
| 5 Τῷ μόνῳ θεῷ ἀοράτῳ, πατρὶ τῆς ἀληθείας, τῷ ἐξαποστείλαντι ἡμῖν τὸν σωτῆρα καὶ ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ἀφθαρσίας, δι' οὗ καὶ ἐφανέρωσεν ἡμῖν τὴν ἀλήθειαν καὶ τὴν ἐπουράνιον ζωήν, αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ἀμήν. |
To the only God invisible, the Father of truth, who sent forth unto us the Savior and Ruler of immortality, through whom He also revealed unto us the truth and the heavenly life, to Him be the glory for ever and ever. Amen. |
Summary
This final chapter addresses a classic theological problem (theodicy): why the wicked prosper in material wealth while the righteous endure poverty and hardship.The author reassures the congregation that present earthly life is a spiritual training ground (γυμνάσιον) designed to test and prepare believers for an eternal crown.
He observes that if God rewarded piety instantly, faith would degrade into a greedy financial transaction (ἐμπορία).
The homily concludes with a solemn, doxological praise to God for His salvation, revelation, and eternal glory through Jesus Christ.
Significant Greek Expressions
τοὺς ἀδίκους πλουτοῦντας καὶ στενοχωρουμένους... ("the unrighteous abounding in wealth and [servants of God] pressed by hardship"):
Captures the stark earthly inequality troubling the early Christian community. Στενοχωρέω literally means to be squeezed into a narrow space, depicting intense economic or social pressure.
θεοῦ ζῶντος πεῖραν ἀθλοῦμεν ("we are competing in the contest of the living God"): Returns to the athletic metaphor (ἀθλέω, to compete in a contest/athletics; root of athlete). The Christian life is framed as a contest conducted under the gaze and authority of the "living God."
γυμναζόμεθα τῷ νῦν βίῳ ("we are being trained/exercised in the present life"): From γυμνάζω (to train or exercise in a gymnasium). Present trials and hardships are interpreted not as divine neglect, but as intentional spiritual discipline required to attain the eschatological crown (στεφανωθῶμεν).
ἐμπορίαν... καὶ οὐ θεοσέβειαν ("commercial trade... and not godliness"):Ἐμπορία means commerce, trade, or business for profit. The author argues that a system of instant gratification would turn worship into mercenaries seeking cash payouts rather than genuine devotion to God (θεοσέβεια).
ἀρχηγὸν τῆς ἀφθαρσίας ("Prince / Author of incorruptibility"): A majestic Christological title for Jesus. Ἀρχηγός denotes a pioneer, founder, leader, or prince (cf. Acts 3:15, Heb 2:10) who opens the way to divine incorruptibility (ἀφθαρσία).
πατρὶ τῆς ἀληθείας ("Father of truth"): Echoes the opening chapter of the homily (2 Clem 3:1), creating an inverted inclusion that seals the sermon in solemn doxology to the God who reveals divine truth through Christ.