Clement of Alexandria has often been portrayed as the quintessential “Christian Platonist” on account of his deep intellectual roots in the Greco-Roman philosophical tradition (Bigg, The Christian Platonists of Alexandria; Lilla, Clement of Alexandria: A Study in Christian Platonism). And indeed, his Protrepticus, or Exhortation to the Greeks, in particular, displays profound engagement with leading cultural sources and values in the course of its apologetic appeal.
This classic depiction of Clement as a “synthesizing” Christian Platonist (Niebuhr, Christ and Culture) undermined the perceived value of his apologetic arguments in the context of modernity (which no longer shared their metaphysical foundations). Yet the postmodern turn has, intriguingly, opened the door for a reassessment, on account of their pronounced ethical and aesthetic dimensions (Saieg, “Non-Logical Methods of Persuasion in Clement of Alexandria’s Protrepticus”). Indeed, Augustine’s apologetic has recently received a similar reevaluation (Chatraw and Allen, The Augustine Way: Retrieving a Vision for the Church’s Apologetic Witness).
While there is much to commend in this renewed interest in, and retrieval of, the moral and aesthetic dimensions of early Christian apologetics, there may also be some risk of overcorrection—of erring in the opposite direction, by detaching the moral vision and rhetorical appeal from their underlying metaphysical commitments. What I suggest is necessary, for the sake of both faithful historical understanding and any effective contemporary application, is a holistic approach, which remains sensitive to the deeply interwoven integration of these dimensions within early Christian thought.
Thus, in this paper, I draw attention to a component of early Christian self-understanding which, historically, helped to maintain this integration (though it is not often discussed in connection with apologetics): the biblical and theological notion of covenant. I demonstrate that for Clement, the covenant concept unites both metaphysical and ethical concerns, in the service of articulating, defending, and urging acceptance of a distinctly-recognizable Christian identity.
I begin with a brief summary of Clement’s development of the covenant concept across his three major works (Paedogogus, Stromateis, and Protrepticus), where he uses the term in a variety of ways, including the curious suggestion that for the Greeks, philosophy itself functioned as a preliminary “covenant” (Strom. 6.5).
Next, building on studies of Clement’s use of protreptric as a literary genre (Hofer, “Clement of Alexandria’s Logos Protreptikos”), I examine his use of this multifaceted covenant concept within the argument of the Protrepticus itself, where it informs and shapes his appeal to a rhetorical Greek audience to recognize and embrace, in the Christian faith, the fulfillment of their own most treasured cultural ideals and values. Here Clement insists that progressing from the “covenant” of “Hellenic training” (philosophy) to the new covenant of Christ enables and empowers (1) recognizing the Christian God as Creator (Prot. 1.11-16; 29), (2) living in rational harmony with the cosmic order by participation in the Logos (Prot. 6.8), and (3) growing in virtue through reception of the indwelling Holy Spirit (Prot. 2.4-10; 11). In this way the concept organically unites Clement’s metaphysics, epistemology, and ethics.
I conclude by briefly observing how for Clement, the resulting covenantal-philosophical worldview reinforces the truthful insights of his culture’s leading thinkers, locates their fulfillment in the revelation of Christ, and provides an intellectually and morally satisfying resolution to their lingering tensions.