Defenders of the Faith S1, E2: Clement of Alexandria – The Scholarly Bridge-Builder

Step into the intellectual heart of ancient Alexandria, where minds clashed and new ideas blossomed. Here, Clement of Alexandria forged a revolutionary vision: that Greek philosophy wasn't an enemy of faith, but a "preparation for the Gospel." Join us to explore how this brilliant scholar harmonized classical wisdom with Christian truth, building bridges between Athens and Jerusalem. Discover his enduring lessons for those who believe faith and intellect are not just compatible, but mutually enriching.

References

Bennett, Alice. "10 Reasons The Ancient City Of Alexandria Was An Intellectual Powerhouse." TheCollector, 5 Dec. 2020.

Bergjan, Silke-Petra. "Logic and Theology in Clement of Alexandria: The Purpose of the 8th Book of the Stromata." Zeitschrift für antikes Christentum, vol. 12, no. 3, 2008, pp. 394-411, doi:10.1515/ZAC.2008.025.

Bobonich, Christopher. "Why Should Philosophers Rule? Plato's Republic and Aristotle's Protrepticus." Social Philosophy and Policy, vol. 24, no. 2, July 2007, pp. 153-75, doi:10.1017/S0265052507070203.

Chroust, Anton-Hermann. "A Brief Account of the Reconstruction of Aristotle's Protrepticus." Classical Philology, vol. 60, no. 4, Oct. 1965, doi:10.1086/365046.

Clement of Alexandria. Exhortation to the Greeks. Translated by G. W. Butterworth, Loeb Classical Library, vol. 92, Harvard University Press, 1919. Theoi Classical Texts Library.

---. Stromateis. Books One to Three. Translated by John Ferguson, Catholic University of America Press, 1991. Internet Archive.

CopticChurch.net. "The Allegorical Interpretation of the Scriptures." n.d.

---. "The School of Alexandria and Philosophical Attitudes." n.d.

Czarnuch, Monika. "Clement of Alexandria's Attitude towards the Greek Philosophy." Scripta Classica, vol. 10, 2013, pp. 141-46.

Escoffey, Carole. Ancient Alexandria. Illustrated by Flora Cavoura, Bibliotheca Alexandrina, 2012.

"Faith and Reason in Roman Catholic Thought from Clement of Alexandria to Vatican II." Centro Documentazione Saveriani Roma, n.d.

Glenn, Justin Lawrence. The Educational Philosophy of Clement of Alexandria in the Stromata. PhD dissertation, Boyce Digital Repository, 2018.

Havrda, Matyáš. "Clement of Alexandria." [Unnamed Collection], n.d., pp. 358-72.

Herrera-Posada, Juan. "Faith and Reason in St. Clement of Alexandria." n.p., n.d. Draft.

Hrůšová, Veronika, et al., editors. Clement of Alexandria’s Paedagogus. Brill, 2025.

Maher, Jimmy. "Chapter 6: Alexandrian Astronomy." The Analog Antiquarian, 27 Feb. 2021.

Mihai, Constantin-Ionuț. Protreptic Discourse and Way of Life in Ancient Philosophy: Classical Sources and Christian Receptions. PhD dissertation, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iași, 2015.

Mirus, Thomas V. "Church Fathers: Clement of Alexandria, Part I." CatholicCulture.org, 6 Oct. 2015.

---. "Church Fathers: Clement of Alexandria, Part II." CatholicCulture.org, 6 Oct. 2015.

"Approaching the Divine Darkness Negative Theology in Clement and Gregory." [No publication information provided], n.d.

"Clement of Alexandria's Ethic of Wealth as an Ethic of Grace." Mid-America Journal of Theology, vol. 2, n.d., pp. 140-47.

"The Ptolemies: An Unloved and Unknown Dynasty. Contributions to a Different Perspective and Approach." CORE, n.d.

Osborn, Eric. Clement of Alexandria. Cambridge University Press, 2005.

Ryan, Jim. Clement of Alexandria: Liminal Servant, Proto-Liberation Theologian, and Proto-Feminist (Maybe!). PhD dissertation, York University, n.d.

u/Chiyonosuke. "Do any 'protreptic' philosophical works still exist today?" Reddit, r/askphilosophy, n.d.

u/Kevin_Scharp. "Four Hellenistic Schools." Re