What was the approach of the early Church to social life?

St. Clement of Alexandria is known for his famous trilogy of works: the “ Protrepticus” or an Exhortation to the Greeks ; the “ Paedagogus” on Christian life and manners; and the eight Books of “ Stromata” or “ Miscellanies.”

Osborn says that the difficulty linking these three major works has attracted attention for the last 50 years.¹¹¹² In addition, Swete says, “Perhaps nothing in the whole range of early patristic literature is more stimulating to the modern reader than this great trilogy of graduated instruction in the Christian life … Clement’s conception of Christianity, in its relation to the whole field of human thought, is one which has an especial value for our own times, and promises to be increasingly useful in the present century.”¹¹¹³

St. Clement says that God’s plan for humankind was executed in three stages which corresponds to his three books.¹¹¹⁴ He distinguishes between the Divine Logos as a Guide (as Protrepticus ) calling people to salvation; as an Instructor (as Paedagogus ) who urges the believers live a better life while healing them from their sufferings by conducting His spiritual work within them; and as a Teacher ( Didaskalos¹¹¹⁵ ) as He teaches general principles and explains the symbolic meanings in the Miscellanies.

St. Clement says, “When the heavenly guide, the Word, invites humanity to salvation, He is called, ‘the Guide’ … And as a physician or an instructor, He is called, ‘the Tutor’ … since the sick person needs a tutor to be healed and then needs a teacher to be granted knowledge of the Logos. As the Logos desires gradual salvation, He uses a perfect method for He first exhorts, then trains, and finally teaches.”¹¹¹⁶

1112 E. F. Osborn, The Philosophy of Clement of Alexandria (Cambridge University Press, 1957): p. 5.

1113 Henry Barclay Swete, Patristic Study (London: Longmans, Green, 1902): p. 48.

1114 Cf. August Neander, General History of the Christian Religion and Church, Vol. 2 (Boston: Houghton, Mifflin, 1871): pp. 11–12.

1115 E. F. Osborn, The Philosophy of Clement of Alexandria (Cambridge University Press, 1957): p. 5.

1116 St. Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor or Christ the Educator (Paedagogus) 1.1 (ANF 2:209).