And they say that the robe prophesied the ministry in the flesh, by which He was seen in closer relation to the world. So the high priest, putting off his consecrated robe (the universe, and the creation in the universe, were consecrated by Him assenting that, what was made, was good), washes himself, and puts on the other tunic\u2014a holy-of-holies one, so to speak\u2014which is to accompany him into the adytum; exhibiting, as seems to me, the Levite and Gnostic, as the chief of other priests (those bathed in water, and clothed in faith alone, and expecting their own individual abode), himself distinguishing the objects of the intellect from the things of sense, rising above other priests, hasting to the entrance to the world of ideas, to wash himself from the things here below, not in water, as formerly one was cleansed on being enrolled in the tribe of Levi. But purified already by the gnostic Word in his whole heart, and thoroughly regulated, and having improved that mode of life received from the priest to the highest pitch, being quite sanctified both in word and life, and having put on the bright array of glory, and received the ineffable inheritance of that spiritual and perfect man,… and having become son and friend, he is now replenished with insatiable contemplation face to face.<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd he shall put off the linen robe, which he had put on when he entered into the holy place; and shall lay it aside there, and wash his body in water in the holy place, and put on his robe.\u201d But in one way, as I think, the Lord puts off and puts on by descending into the region of sense; and in another, he who through Him has believed puts off and puts on, as the apostle intimated, the consecrated stole. Thence, after the image of the Lord the worthiest were chosen from the sacred tribes to be high priests, and those elected to the kingly office and to prophecy were anointed.
\n–The Stromata, Bk.V, Ch.VI<\/p>\n
Again: \u201cAbraham, when he came to the place which God told him of on the third day, looking up, saw the place afar off.\u201d For the first day is that which is constituted by the sight of good things; and the second is the soul\u2019s best desire; on the third, the mind perceives spiritual things, the eyes of the understanding being opened by the Teacher who rose on the third day. The three days may be the mystery of the seal, in which God is really believed. … But it is seen by Abraham afar off, because of his being in the realms of generation, and he is forthwith initiated by the angel. Thence says the apostle: \u201cNow we see as through a glass, but then face to face,\u201d by those sole pure and incorporeal applications of the intellect.
\n— The Stromata, Bk.V, Ch.XI<\/p>\n
This discourse respecting God is most difficult to handle. For since the first principle of everything is difficult to find out, the absolutely first and oldest principle, which is the cause of all other things being and having been, is difficult to exhibit. For how can that be expressed which is neither genus, nor difference, nor species, nor individual, nor number; nay more, is neither an event, nor that to which an event happens?<\/p>\n
And if we name it, we do not do so properly, terming it either the One, or the Good, or Mind, or Absolute Being, or Father, or God, or Creator, or Lord. We speak not as supplying His name; but for want, we use good names, in order that the mind may have these as points of support, so as not to err in other respects. For each one by itself does not express God; but all together are indicative of the power of the Omnipotent. For predicates are expressed either from what belongs to things themselves, or from their mutual relation. But none of these are admissible in reference to God. Nor any more is He apprehended by the science of demonstration. For it depends on primary and better known principles. But there is nothing antecedent to the Unbegotten.
\n— The Stromata, Bk.V, Ch.XII<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The Priestly Robe And they say that the robe prophesied the ministry in the flesh, by which He was seen in closer relation to the world. So the high priest, putting off his consecrated robe (the universe, and the creation in the universe, were consecrated by Him assenting that, what was made, was good), washes himself, and puts on the other tunic\u2014a holy-of-holies one, so to speak\u2014which is to accompany […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[7],"tags":[72,87],"class_list":["post-674","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-clement-of-alexandria","tag-first-principle","tag-high-priest"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":676,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/clement-of-alexandria-mystery-of-the-eucharist\/","url_meta":{"origin":674,"position":0},"title":"Clement of Alexandria: Mystery of the Eucharist","author":"Nemo","date":"January 3, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The holy Apostle Paul says, preserving the prophetic and truly ancient secret from which the teachings that were good were derived by the Greeks: \u201cHowbeit we speak wisdom among them who are perfect; but not the wisdom of this world, or of the princes of this world, that come to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Clement of Alexandria"","block_context":{"text":"Clement of Alexandria","link":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/category\/clement-of-alexandria\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":589,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/philo-life-of-moses-ii\/","url_meta":{"origin":674,"position":1},"title":"Philo: Life of Moses II","author":"Nemo","date":"February 28, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"The Ideal Lawgiver Moses, through God's providence, became king and lawgiver and high priest and prophet. But to command what should be done and forbid what should not be done is the peculiar function of law; so that it follows at once that the king is a living law and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Philo of Alexandria"","block_context":{"text":"Philo of Alexandria","link":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/category\/philo-of-alexandria\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":357,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/clement-of-alexandria-trinity\/","url_meta":{"origin":674,"position":2},"title":"Clement Of Alexandria: Trinity","author":"Nemo","date":"January 9, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"The Word and the Immortality of the Soul Before the foundation of the world were we, who, because destined to be in Him, pre-existed in the eye of God before,\u2014we the rational creatures of the Word of God, on whose account we date from the beginning; for \u201cin the beginning\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Clement of Alexandria"","block_context":{"text":"Clement of Alexandria","link":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/category\/clement-of-alexandria\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":389,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/clement-of-alexandria-christ-the-true-king\/","url_meta":{"origin":674,"position":3},"title":"Clement Of Alexandria: Christ The True King","author":"Nemo","date":"March 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Now among the Greeks, Minos the king of nine years\u2019 reign, and familiar friend of Zeus, is celebrated in song; they having heard how once God conversed with Moses, \u201cas one speaking with his friend.\u201d Moses, then, was a sage, king, legislator. But our Saviour surpasses all human nature. He\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Clement of Alexandria"","block_context":{"text":"Clement of Alexandria","link":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/category\/clement-of-alexandria\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":1390,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/the-recognitions-of-clement\/","url_meta":{"origin":674,"position":4},"title":"The Recognitions of Clement","author":"Nemo","date":"October 2, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"The Anointed When God had made the world, as Lord of the universe, He appointed chiefs over the several creatures, over the trees even, and the mountains, and the fountains, and the rivers, and all things which He had made, as we have told you; for it were too long\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Church Fathers"","block_context":{"text":"Church Fathers","link":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/category\/church-fathers\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":390,"url":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/clement-of-alexandria-true-virtue-by-grace\/","url_meta":{"origin":674,"position":5},"title":"Clement Of Alexandria: True Virtue By Grace","author":"Nemo","date":"March 6, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"The human ideal of continence, I mean that which is set forth by Greek philosophers, teaches that one should fight desire and not be subservient to it so as to bring it to practical effect. But our ideal is not to experience desire at all ... This chastity cannot be\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Clement of Alexandria"","block_context":{"text":"Clement of Alexandria","link":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/category\/clement-of-alexandria\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/peqR9l-aS","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=674"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=674"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=674"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nemoslibrary.com\/patristics\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=674"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}