3.23.1
ΧΧΙΙΙ. Ἐπὶ τούτοις κατὰ τὴν Ἀσίαν ἔτι τῷ βίῳ περιλειπόμενος αὐτὸς ἐκεῖνος ὃν ἠγάπα ὁ Ἰησοῦς, ; ἀπόστολος ὁμοῦ καὶ εὐαγγελιστὴς Ἰωάννης τὰς αὐτόθι διεῖπεν ἐκκΛησίας, ἀπὸ τῆς κατὰ τὴν νῆσον μετὰ τὴν Δομετιανοῦ τελευτὴν ἐπανελθὼν φυγῆς. ὅτι δὲ εἰς τούτους τῷ βίῳ περιῆν, ἀπόχρη διὰ δύο πιστώσασθαι τὸν λόγον μαρτύρων , πιστοὶ δ’ ἂν εἶεν οὗτοι, τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς πρεσβεύσαντες ὁρθο- δοξίας, εἰ δὴ τοιοῦτοι Εἰρήναιος καὶ Κλήμης ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς· ὧν ὁ μὲν πρότερος ἐν δευτέρῳ τῶν πρὸς τὰς αἱρέσεις ὧδέ πως γράφει κατὰ λέξιν· “ καὶ πάντες οἱ πρεσβύτεροι μαρτυροῦσιν οἱ κατὰ τὴν Λαίαν Ἰωάννη τῷ τοῦ κυρίου μαθητῇ συμβεβληκότες παραδεδωκέναι τὸν Ἰωάννην. παρέμεινεν γὰρ αὐτοῖς μέχρι τῶν Τραϊανοῦ Χρόνων.” 1 καὶ ἐν τρίτῳ δὲ τῆς αὐτῆς ὑποθέσεως ταὐτὸ τοῦτο δηλοῖ διὰ τούτων· “ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἢ ἐν Ἐφέσω ἐκκλησία ὑπὸ Παύλου μὲν τεθεμελιωμένη , Ἰωάννου δὲ παραμείναντος αὐτοῖς μέχρι τῶν Τραϊανοῦ χρόνων, μάρτυς ἀληθής ἐστιν τῆς τῶν ἀποστόλων παραδόσεως.”
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XXIII. At this time that very disciple whom Jesus loved, John, at once Apostle and Evangelist, still remained alive in Asia and administered the churches there, for after the death of Domitian, he had returned from his banishment on the island. And that he remained alive until this time may fully be confirmed by two witnesses, and these ought to be trustworthy, for they represent the orthodoxy of the church, no less persons than Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria. The former of these writes in one place in the second of his books Against the Heresies, as follows: “And all the presbyters who had been associated in Asia with John, the disciple of the Lord, bear witness to his tradition, for he remained with them until the times of ” And in the third book of the same work he makes the same statement as follows: “Now the church at Ephesus was founded by Paul, but John stayed there until the times of Trajan, and it is a true witness of the tradition of the Apostles.”
3.23.2
Ὁ δὲ Κλήμης ὁμοῦ τὸν χρόνον ἑπισημηνάμενος , καὶ ἱστορίαν ἀναγκαιοτάτην οἷς τὰ καλὰ καὶ ἐπωφελῆ φίλον ἀκούειν, προστίθησιν ἐν ᾧ “ ίς ὁ σῳζόμενος πλούσιος ’’ ἐπέγραφεν αὐτοῦ συγγράμματι· λαβὼν δὲ ἀνάγνωθι ὧδέ πως ἔχουσαν καὶ αὐτοῦ τὴν γραφήν· “ “ἄκουσον μῦθον οὐ μῦθον ἀλλὰ ὄντα λόγον πέρι Ἰωάννου τοῦ ἀποστόλου παραδεδομένον καὶ μνήμη πεφυλαγμένον . ἐπειδὴ γὰρ τοῦ τυράννου τελευτήσαντος ἀπὸ τῆς Πάτμου τῆς νήσου μετῆλθεν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἔφεσον, ἀπῄει παρακαλούμενος καὶ ἐπὶ τὰ πλησιόχωρα τῶν ἐθνῶν, ὅπου μὲν ἐπισκόπους καταστήσων , ὅπου δὲ ὅλας ἐκκλησίας ἁρμόαων, ὅπου δὲ κλῆρον ἕνα γέ τινα κληρώσων τῶν ὑπὸ τοῦ πνεύματος σημαινομένων . ἐλθὼν οὖν καὶ ἐπί τινα τῶν οὐ μακρὰν πόλεων,2 ἦς καὶ τοὔνομα λέγουσιν ἔνιοι, καὶ τἄλλα ἀναπαύσας τοὺς ἀδελφούς, ἐπὶ πᾶσι τῷ καθεστῶτι προσβλέψας ἐπισκόπῳ, νεανίσκον ἱκανὸν τῷ σώματι καὶ τὴν ὄφιν ἀστεῖον καὶ θερμὸν τὴν ψυχὴν ἰδών, τοῦτον ’ ἔφη σοὶ παρακατατίθεμαι μετὰ πάσης σπουδἠς ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας καὶ τοῦ χριστοῦ μάρτυρος. τοῦ δὲ δεχομένου καὶ πάνθ᾿ ὑπισχνουμένου, καὶ πάλιν τὰ αὐτὰ διελέγετο καὶ διεμαρτύρετο. εἶτα ὁ μὲν ἀπῆρεν ἐπὶ τὴν Ἐφεσον, ὁ δὲ πρεαβύτερος ἀναλαβὼν οἴκαδε τὸν παραδοθέντα νεανίακον ἔτρεφεν, αυνεῖχεν, ἔθαλπεν, τὸ τελευταῖον ἐφώτισεν. καὶ μετὰ τοῦτο ὑφῆκεν τῆς πλείονος ἐπιμελείας καὶ παραφυλακῆς, ὡς τὸ τέλειον αὐτῷ φυλακτήριον ἐπιστήσας τὴν σφραγῖδα κυρίου. τῷ δὲ ἀνέσεως πρὸ ὥρας λαβομένῳ προσφθείρονταί τινες ἥλικες ἀργοὶ καὶ ἀπερρωγότες, ἐθάδες κακῶν, καὶ πρῶτον μὲν δι᾿ ἑατιάαεων πολυτελῶν αὐτὸν ἐπάγονται, εἶτά που καὶ νύκτωρ ἐπὶ λωποδυσίαν ἐξιόντες συνεπάγονται, εἶτά τι καὶ μεῖζον συμπράττειν ἠξίουν· ὃ δὲ κατ᾿ ὀλίγον προσειθίζετο, καὶ διὰ μέγεθος φύσεως ἑκάτας δαπερ ἄστομος καὶ εὔρωστος ἵππος ὀρθῆς ὁδοῦ καὶ τὸν χαλινὸν ἐνδακών, μειζόνως κατὰ τῶν βαράθρων ἐφέρετο, ἀπογνοὺς δὲ τελέως τὴν ἐν θεῷ σωτηρίαν, οὐδὲν ἔτι μικρὸν διενοεῖτο, ἀλλὰ μέγα τι πράξας, ἐπειδήπερ ἅπαξ ἀπολώλει, ἴσα τοῖς ἄλλοις παθεῖν ἠξίου. αὐτοὺς δὴ τούτους ἀναλαβὼν καὶ λῃστήριον συγκροτήσας, ἕτοιμος λῄαταρχος ἢν, βιαιότατος μιαιφονώτατος χαλεπώτατος. χρόνος ἐν μέαῳ, καί τινος ἐπιπεσούσης χρείας ἀνακαλοῦσι τὸν Ἰωάννην. ὃ δὲ ἐπεὶ τὰ ἄλλα ὧν χάριν ἧκεν κατεατήαατο, ῾ἄγε δή᾿ ἔφη ῾ὦ ἐπίσκοπε, τὴν παραθήκην ἀπόδος ἡμῖν, ἢν ἐγώ τε καὶ ὁ Χριατός σοι παρακατεθέμεθα ἐπὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας, ἧς προκαθέζῃ, μάρτυρος. ὃ δὲ τὸ μὲν πρῶτον ἐξεπλάγη, χρήματα οἰόμενος, ἅπερ οὐκ ἔλαβεν, συκοφαντεῖαθαι, καὶ οὔτε πιστεύειν εἶχεν ὑπὲρ ὧν οὐκ εἶχεν, οὔτε ἀπιστεῖν Ἰωάννη· ὡς δέ τὸν νεανίσκον᾿ εἶπεν ῾ἀπαιτῶ καὶ τὴν ψυχὴν τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ᾿ στενάξας κάτωθεν ὁ πρεαβύτης καί τι καὶ ἐπιδακρύσας, ῾ἐκεῖνος᾿ ἔφη τέθνηκεν.᾿ πῶς καὶ τίνα θάνατον;᾿ ῾θεῷ τέθνηκεν᾿ εἷπεν· ῾ἀπέβη γὰρ πονηρὸς καὶ ἐξώλης καί, τὸ κεφάλαιον, λῃστής, καὶ νῦν ἀντὶ τῆς ἐκκλησίας τὸ ὄρος κατείληφεν μεθ᾿ ὁμοίου στρατιωτικοῦ.᾿ καταρρηξάμενος τὴν ἐαθῆτα ὁ ἀπόστολος καὶ μετὰ μεγάλης πληξάμενος τὴν κεφαλήν, ῾καλόν γε᾿ ἔφη ῾φύλακα τῆς τἀδελφοῦ ψυχῆς κατέλιπον . ἀλλ᾿ ἵππος ἤδη μοι παρέατω, καὶ ἡγεμὼν γενέσθω μοί τις τῆς ὁδοῦ.᾿ ἤλαυνεν, ὥσπερ εἶχεν, αὐτόθεν ἀπὸ τῆς ἐκκλησίας. ἐλθὼν δὲ εἰς τὸ χωρίον, ὑπὸ τῆς προφυλακῆς τῶν Λῃστῶν ἁλίσκεται, μήτε φεύγων μήτε παραιτούμενος, ἀλλὰ βοῶν ῾ ἐπὶ τοῦτ᾿ ἐλήλυθα, ἐπὶ τὸν ἄρχοντα ὑμῶν ἀγάγετέ με·᾿ ὃς τέως, ὥσπερ ὥπλιατο, ἀνέμενεν, ὡς δὲ ἐγνώρισε τὸν Ἰωάννην, εἰς φυγὴν αἰδεσθεὶς ἐτράπετο. ὃ δὲ ἐδίωκεν ἀνὰ κράτος, ἐπιλαθόμενος τῆς ἡλικίας τῆς ἑαυτοῦ, κεκραγώς ῾τί με φεύγεις, τέκνον, τὸν ααυτοῦ πατέρα, τὸν γυμνόν, τὸν γέροντα; ἐλέησόν με, τέκνον, μὴ φοβοῦ· ἔχεις ἔτι ζωῆς ἐλπίδας. ἐγὼ Χριατῷ λόγον δώσω ὑπὲρ σοῦ· ἂν δέη, τὸν σὸν θάνατον ἑκὼν ὑπομενῶ, ὡς ὁ κύριος τὸν ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν· ὑπὲρ ἀοῦ τὴν ψυχὴν ἀντιδώσω τὴν ἐμήν. στῆθι, πίατευαον· χριστός με ἀπέατειλεν.’ ὃ δὲ ἀκούσας, πρῶτον ἔστη μὲν κάτω βλέπων, εἶτα ἔρριφεν τὰ ὅπλα, εἶτα τρέμων ἔκλαιεν πικρῶς· προσελθόντα δὲ τὸν γέροντα περιέλαβεν, ἀπολουούμενος ταῖς οἰμωγαῖς ὡς ἐδύνατο καὶ τοῖς δάκρυσι βαπτιζόμενος ἐκ δευτέρου, μόνην ἀποκρύπτων τὴν δεξιάν· ὃ δ ἐγγυώμενος, ἐπομνύμενος ὡς ἄφεαιν αὐτῷ παρὰ τοῦ σωτῆρος ηὕρηται, δεόμενος, γόνυ. πετῶν, αὐτὴν τὴν δεξιὰν ὡς ὑπὸ τῆς μετανοίας κεκαθαρμένην καταφιλῶν, ἐπὶ τὴν ἐκκλησίαν ἐπ᾿. ἀνήγαγεν, καὶ δαφιλέαι μὲν εὐχαῖς ἐξαιτούμενος , συνεχέαι δὲ νηστείαις συναγωνιζόμενος , ποικίλαις δὲ σειρῆαι λόγων κατεπᾴδων αὐτοῦ τὴν γνώμην, οὐ πρότερον ἀπῆλθεν, ὥς φασιν, πρὶν αὐτὸν ἐπιατῆσαι τῇ ἐκκλησίᾳ, διδοὺς μέγα παράδειγμα μετανοίας ἀληθινῆς καὶ μέγα γνώριαμα παλιγγενεσίας, τρόπαιον ἀναστάσεως βλεπομένης.” 1 ταῦτα τοῦ Κλήμεντος, ἱστορίας ὁμοῦ καὶ ὠφελείας τῆς τῶν ἐντευξομένων ἕνεκεν, ἐνταῦθά μοι κείσθω.
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Clement indicates the same time, and in the treatise to which he gave the title Who is the rich man that is saved, adds a narrative most acceptable to those who enjoy hearing what is fine and edifying. Take and read here what he wrote: “Listen to a story which is not a story but a true tradition of John the Apostle, preserved in memory. For after the death of the tyrant he passed from the island of Patmos to Ephesus, and used also to go, when he was asked, to the neighbouring districts of the heathen, in some places to appoint bishops, in others to reconcile whole churches, and in others to ordain some one of those pointed out by the Spirit. He came to one of the cities which were near by (and some tell even its name), and gave rest in general to the brethren; then, while looking before them all at the bishop who had been appointed, he saw a young man of strong body, beautiful appearance, and warm heart. ‘This one,’ he said, ‘I commend to you with all diligence in the presence of the church, and with Christ as my witness.’ The bishop received him, and promised everything, and the same conversations and protestations were used. John then returned to Ephesus, and the presbyter took to his house the young man entrusted to him, brought him up, looked after him, and finally baptized him. After this he relaxed his great care and watchfulness, because he had set upon him the seal of the Lord as the perfect safeguard. But some idle and dissolute youths, familiar with evil, corrupted him in his premature freedom. First they led him on by expensive feasts, then they started out at night for robbery and took him with them, then they urged him to greater crimes. He gradually became accustomed to this, and like an unbroken and powerful horse starting from the straight way and tearing at the bit, rushed all the more to the precipice because of his natural vigour. Finally he renounced salvation from God; and now he planned nothing small, but, having perpetrated some great crime, since he was ruined once for all, accepted the same lot as the others. He collected them and formed a band of brigands and was himself a bold captain, most violent, bloodthirsty, and cruel. Time went on, and some necessity arose to summon John. When he had arranged the rest of his mission, John said, ‘Come now, bishop, pay me back the deposit which Christ and I left with you, in the church over which you preside, as witness.’ The bishop was at first amazed, thinking that he was being blackmailed for money which he had not received. He could neither show his faithfulness in what he had never had, nor could he fail John. But when John said, ‘I ask back the young man and the soul of the brother,’ the old man, deeply moved and shedding tears, said, ‘He has died.’ ‘How and with what death?’ ‘He has died to God,’ he said, ‘for he turned out wicked, abandoned, and finally a brigand, and now instead of the church he has taken to the mountains with an armed band of men like himself.’ Then he rent his garments and beat his head with great lamentation. ‘Well,’ he said, ‘it was a fine guardian whom I left for the soul of our brother. But let me have a horse and someone to show me the way.’ So he rode, just as he was, straight from the church. When he came to the place, he was seized by the sentinel of the brigands and neither fled nor made excuses, but called out, ‘This is why I am come; take me to your leader.’ The leader waited for him, armed as he was, but when he recognized John on his approach, he turned and fled in shame. But John pursued with all his might, forgetting his age and calling out, ‘Why do you run away from me, child, your own father, unarmed and old? Pity me, child, do not fear me! You have still hope of life. I will account to Christ for you. If it must be, I will willingly suffer your death, as the Lord suffered for us; for your life, I will give my own. Stay, believe; Christ sent me.’ When he heard this, he first stood looking down, then he tore off his weapons, then he began to tremble and to weep bitterly. He embraced the old man when he came up, pleading for himself with lamentations as best he could, baptized a second time in his tears, but his right hand he kept back. But John assured him by pledges and protestations that he had found forgiveness for him with the Saviour, led him back, prayed and kneeled, and kissed that right hand as though cleansed by his repentance. He brought him to the church, and prayed with many supplications; he joined with him in the struggle of continuous fasting; he worked on his mind by varied addresses, and did not leave him, so they say, until he had restored him to the church, thus giving a great example of true repentance and a great testimony of regeneration, the trophy of a visible resurrection.” These remarks of Clement may be quoted both for the sake of the narrative and the edification of those who shall read them.