Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume VIII/Pseudo-Clementine Literature/The Clementine Homilies/Homily IV/Chapter 12

by Anonymous

Chapter XII.—Genesis.

“Therefore I say that the whole learning of the Greeks is a most dreadful fabrication of a wicked demon.  For they have introduced many gods of their own, and these wicked, and subject to all kinds of passion; so that he who wishes to do the like things may not be ashamed, which belongs to a man, having as an example the wicked and unquiet lives of the mythological gods.  And through his not being ashamed, such an one affords no hope of his repenting.  And others have introduced fate, which is called genesis, contrary to which no one can suffer or do anything.  This, therefore, also is like to the first.  For any one who thinks that no one has aught to do or suffer contrary to genesis easily falls into sin; and having sinned, he does not repent of his impiety, holding it as his apology that he was borne on by genesis to do these things.  And as he cannot rectify genesis, he has no reason to be ashamed of the sins he commits.^[1]

Footnotes

1. [Compare the discussion on Genesis in Homily XIV. 3, etc., but especially the full arguments in Recognitions, viii., ix.—R.]