Clement of Alexandria and His Sermon “Who Is a Rich Man That Is Saved”

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the sermon of Clement of Alexandria “Who Is a Rich Man That Is Saved”. It was written at the end of the 2nd century in Alexandria and addressed to educated and wealthy young people who feared that they would not be able to save if they did not give up their earthly riches. Clement argued that Jesus did not exclude the rich from the Heavenly Kingdom, but gave instructions on how the rich should act in order to achieve salvation. Poverty in itself is not a virtue, and money can serve good purposes. The rich should practice detachment from wealth and simplicity of life, and in addition, give alms; the poor have special spiritual gifts, and their prayers protect a rich person from temptation in this world. Clement actively used Stoic and Middle Platonic concepts and terms, but attempts to combine the ancient philosophical tradition and the Old Testament doctrine of redemptive alms led to contradictions in his teaching.