Jerome. Lives of Illustrious Men 38
38 Clemens the presbyter PL 23, 653
Clemens, presbyter of the Alexandrian church, and a pupil of the Pantaenus mentioned above, led the theological school at Alexandria after the death of his master and was teacher of the Catechetes. He is the author of notable volumes, full of eloquence and learning, both in sacred Scripture and in secular literature; among these are the Stromata, eight books, Hypotyposes eight books, Against the nations one book, On pedagogy three books, On the Passover, Disquisition on fasting and another book entitled, What rich man is saved? one book On Calumny, On ecclesiastical canons and against those who follow the error of the Jews, one book which he addressed to Alexander bishop of Jerusalem. He also mentions in his volumes of Stromata the work of Tatian Against the nations which we mentioned above and a Chronography of one Cassianus, a work which I have not been able to find. He also mentioned certain Jewish writers against the nations, one Aristobulus and Demetrius and Eupolemus who after the example of Josephus asserted the primacy of Moses and the Jewish people. There is a letter of Alexander the bishop of Jerusalem who afterwards ruled the church with Narcissus, on the ordination of Asclepiades the confessor, addressed to the Antiochians congratulating them, at the end of which he says “these writings honoured brethren I have sent to you by the blessed presbyter Clement, a man illustrious and approved, whom you also know and with whom now you will become better acquainted a man who, when he had come hither by the special providence of God, strengthened and enlarged the church of God.” Origen is known to have been his disciple. He flourished moreover during the reigns of Severus and his son Antoninus.
Clemens, Alexandrinae Ecclesiae Presbyter, Pantaeni, de quo supra retulimus, auditor, post ejus mortem Alexandriae ecclesiasticam scholam tenuit, et κατηχήσεων magister fuit. Feruntur ejus insignia volumina, plenaque eruditionis et eloquentiae, tam de Scripturis divinis, quam de saecularis litteraturae instrumento. E quibus illa sunt, στρωματεῖς, libri octo; Ὑποτυπώσεων libri octo; adversus Gentes, liber unus; Paedagogi libri tres, de Pascha liber unus, de jejunio disceptatio, et alius qui inscribitur Quisnam dives ille sit, qui salvetur; de obtrectatione liber unus; de Canonibus ecclesiasticis, et adversum eos, 879 qui Judaeorum sequuntur errorem, liber unus, quem proprie Alexandro, Hierosolymorum episcopo, προσεφώνησε. Meminit autem in Stromatibus suis, voluminis Tatiani adversus Gentes, de quo supra diximus, et Casiani cujusdam χρονογραφίας, quod opusculum invenire non potui. Necnon et de Judaeis Aristobulum quemdam et Demetrium et Eupolemum scriptores adversus Gentes refert, qui in similitudinem Josephi ἀρχαιογονίαν Moysi et Judaicae gentis asseverant. Exstat Alexandri Hierosolymorum episcopi, qui cum Narcisso postea rexit Ecclesiam, epistola super ordinatione Asclepiadis confessoris ad Antiochenses, congratulantis eis, in qua ponit in fine: Haec vobis, domini ac fratres, scripta transmisi per Clementem beatum presbyterum, virum illustrem et probatum, quem vos quoque scitis, et nunc plenius recognoscetis, qui cum huc venisset juxta providentiam et visitationem Dei, confirmavit et auxit Domini Ecclesiam. Constat, Origenem hujus fuisse discipulum. Floruit autem Severi et Antonini filii ejus temporibus.
Κλήμης, Ἀλεξανδρείας πρεσβύτερος, Πανταίνου, περὶ οὗ προείπομεν, ἀκροατὴς, ὃς μετὰ τὴν τούτου τελευτὴν τὰς διατριβὰς τῆς ἐν Ἀλεξανδρείᾳ Ἐκκλησίας κατέσχε, καὶ κατηχήσεων διδάσκαλος γέγονεν. Ἐπίσημά τε τεύχη, παιδεύσεως καὶ εὐγλωττίας ἀνάμεστα συνέταξε, τοῦτο μὲν τῶν θείων, τοῦτο δὲ καὶ κοσμικῶν, ἀφ' ὧν ἐστι τάδε· Στρωματεῖς ὀκτὼ, Ὑποτυπώσεων λόγοι ὀκτὼ, κατὰ τῶν Ἐθνῶν, Παιδαγωγοὶ τρεῖς, περὶ τοῦ Πάσχα εἷς, περὶ Νηστείας διάλεξις, καὶ ἕτερος ἐπιγραφόμενος Τίς ἄρα πλούσιος σωθήσεται, περὶ Κακολογίας λόγος εἷς, περὶ Κανόνων ἐκκλησιαστικῶν, καὶ κατὰ ἀκολουθούντων τῇ τῶν Ἰουδαίων πλάνῃ λόγον, ὅντινα ἰδικῶς Ἀλεξάνδρῳ ἐπισκόπῳ Ἱεροσολύμων προσεφώνησε. 880 Μέμνηται δὲ ἐν τοῖς ἰδίοις Στρώμασιν τοῦ τεύχους Τατιανοῦ τοῦ προειρημένου κατὰ τῶν Ἐθνῶν, καὶ Κασσιανοῦ τινος χρονογραφίας, ὅπερ ἐν τοῖς παλαιοῖς εὑρεῖν οὐκ ἐδυνήθημεν. Οὐδὲν δὲ ἧττον καὶ Ἰουδαίους Ἀριστόβουλόν τινα καὶ Δημήτριον, καὶ Εὐπόλεμον ἀναφέρει, οἷα κατὰ τῶν ἐθνῶν συγγραψαμένους καθ' ὁμοιότητα Ἱωσήπου, ἀρχαιογονίας Μωϋσέως, καὶ τοῦ Ἰουδαϊκοῦ ἔθνους. Ἔστι καὶ Ἀλεξάνδρου Ἱεροσολύμων Ἐπισκόπου ὃς μετὰ Νάρκισσον ὕστερον προέστη τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, Ἐπιστολὴ περὶ χειροτονίας Ἀσκληπιάδου ὁμολογητοῦ, πρὸς Ἀντιοχέας, συγχαίροντος αὐτοῖς, ἐν ᾗ εἰς τὸ τέλος οὔτως λέγει· « Ταῦτα ὑμῖν, κύριοι ἀδελφοί τε, τὰ γράμματα πέπομφα, διὰ τοῦ εὐλαβεστάτου Κλήμεντος ἀνδρὸς περιφανοῦς, καὶ δεδοκιμασμένου, ὃν καὶ ὑμεῖς ἵστε, καὶ νῦν πλέον ἐπιγνώσεσθε ὅστις ἐνταῦθα ἐλθὸν κατὰ πρόνοιαν καὶ ἐπιφοίτησιν θεοῦ, ἐστερέωσε καὶ ηὔξησε τοῦ Κυρίου τὴν Ἐκκλησίαν. Ὡμολόγηται τὸν Ὠριγένην τούτου γεγενῆσθα μαθητήν. Ἤνθησε δὲ βασιλευόντων Σεβήρου καὶ Ἀντωνί νου τοῦ υἱοῦ αὐτοῦ.