St clement preschool alexandria: Preschool | churchofsaintclement

St. Clement Episcopal School (2022-23 Profile)

Overview
Student Body
Academics and Faculty
Tuition and Acceptance Rate
School Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Nearby Private Schools
School Reviews
Edit School Profile

School Overview

Student Body

Academics and Faculty

Tuition and Acceptance Rate

School Notes

• Saint Clement Episcopal School seeks to offer an educational
  environment, within a Christian community, that promotes the
  development of children’s spiritual, intellectual, social,
  emotional, physical and artistic potential. The parish views the
  school as a special ministry and works with school staff to ensure
  a quality program. The rector oversees the school and meets
  regularly with the school director to coordinate all aspects of the
  school and parish. The school strives to help children know God’s
  love and to seek God within themselves and others. The school is
  dedicated to encouraging children’s curiosity and to maintaining an
  atmosphere of love, joy and tolerance.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)

REQUEST FREE INFORMATION

Frequently Asked Questions

When is the application deadline for St. Clement Episcopal School?

The application deadline for St. Clement Episcopal School is rolling (applications are reviewed as they are received year-round).

School Reviews

Endorse St. Clement Episcopal School. Endorsements should be a few sentences in length. Please include any comments on:

• Quality of academic programs, teachers, and facilities
• Availability of music, art, sports and other extracurricular activities
• Academic or athletic awards

I am a:Please selectParentStudent/AlumniTeacherAdministrator

Name or Alias:

Your review:

December 22, 2022

How To Find The School You Want

Finding the right school for your child is a major project. However, if you tackle it methodically, you will get good results. Here’s a roadmap to finding the school you want.

December 15, 2022

Private School Supplies

Your child will need lots of supplies when she goes off to private school. These lists will help get you organized.

December 07, 2022

A Baker’s Dozen of ‘Must Have’ Sites

Here are my picks for ‘must have’ web sites when it comes to finding out about private K-12 schools.

Email:

Name of parent:

Student first name:

Student last name:

Student date of birth:MonthJanuaryFebruaryMarchAprilMayJuneJulyAugustSeptemberOctoberNovemberDecemberDay12345678910111213141516171819202122232425262728293031Year200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022

Student is:

Male

Female

Currently in grade:NurseryPre-KGr. K123456789101112

Seeking entry for grade:NurseryPre-KGr.K123456789101112

Target start date:FallSpringSummerImmediately202220232024202520262027

Please briefly describe academic, athletic, and extracurricular interests of the student:

Home address:

City:

Country:AfghanistanAlbaniaAlgeriaAntigua and BarbudaArgentinaAustraliaAustriaAzerbaijanBahamasBahrainBangladeshBarbadosBelgiumBelizeBermudaBoliviaBosnia-HerzegowinaBotswanaBrazilBrunei DarussalamBulgariaBurmaCameroonCanadaCayman IslandsChileChinaColombiaCosta RicaCroatiaCyprusCzech RepublicCzechiaDenmarkDominican RepublicEcuadorEgyptEl SalvadorEnglandEstoniaEthiopiaFinlandFranceGermanyGhanaGreeceGuamGuatemalaHaitiHondurasHong KongHungaryIcelandIndiaIndonesiaIranIrelandIsraelItalyJamaicaJapanJordanKazakhstanKenyaKuwaitKyrgyzstanLatviaLebanonLiechtensteinLithuaniaLuxembourgMacauMacedoniaMalaysiaMaldivesMaltaMauritiusMexicoMonacoMongoliaMoroccoNamibiaNepalNetherlandsNew ZealandNicaraguaNigeriaNorwayOmanPakistanPanamaPapau New GuineaParaguayPeruPhilippinesPolandPortugalPuerto RicoQatarRomaniaRussiaRwandaSaudi ArabiaSenegalSerbiaSingaporeSlovakiaSloveniaSomaliaSouth AfricaSouth KoreaSpainSri LankaSwedenSwitzerlandTaiwanTanzaniaThailandTrinidad & TobagoTurkeyUgandaUkraineUnited Arab EmiratesUnited KingdomUnited States of AmericaUruguayVenezuelaVietnamZambiaZimbabwe

State:Select StateAlaskaAlabamaArkansasArizonaAmerican SamoaCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDC, WashingtonDelawareFloridaFederated States of MicronesiaGeorgiaGuamHawaiiIowaIdahoIllinoisIndianaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMassachusettsMarylandMaineMarshall IslandsMichiganMinnesotaMissouriMississippiMontanaNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaNebraskaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNevadaNew YorkNorthern Mariana IslandsOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaPuerto RicoPalauRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaVirgin IslandsWashingtonWisconsinWest VirginiaWyoming

Zip:(enter “N/A” if not applicable)

Phone:

Allow nearby private schools to send me information. Share your information with nearby schools on our site and let them send you brochures.

Save this data and create your user profile. Create your own user account so you don’t have to re-type your user data each time you request information. You’ll also be able to track your information requests, get reminded of application dates, and more!

Username:

Password:

The average private school tuition in Alexandria, VA is $27,579 for elementary schools and $42,503 for high schools (read more about average private school tuition across the country).

The average acceptance rate in Alexandria, VA is 68% (read more about average acceptance rates across the country).

Top School Listings by Category

5 Reasons Why You Might Change Schools

The Parents’ Financial Statement (PFS)

5 Facts about Montessori, Waldorf & Reggio Emilia Schools

More Articles

COVID-19
High School Issues
Choosing a Private School
Pre_elementary
Opinion

St.

Clement Episcopal School Invites Parents of Preschoolers to Open House – January 19th

Zebra Misc

Laura Plaia
Send an email

December 30, 2022

1 minute read

All photos courtesy of St. Clement Episcopal School

ALEXANDRIA, VA – Saint Clement Episcopal School invites parents of preschoolers to visit them at their Open House on Thursday, January 19th at 2:30 p.m. The Director, Jenny Darlington, will offer a presentation of the program which offers a quality preschool education for children ages 2.5 to 5 years old and also tours of the school. 

Support Good News Journalism, Subscribe >>

All photos courtesy of St. Clement Episcopal School

The second event will be at 5:30 p.m. that evening, where parents are encouraged to bring their children to experience the magic of Saint Clement. Teachers and current parents will be available to discuss their experience, and Darlington will offer a presentation of the program and tours of the school.  

“I hope you find Saint Clement Episcopal School to be as magical as I do. The sense of community is strong! Every teacher knows every child and families quickly become close friends (who stay close as their children grow up). The traditions, celebrations, small class sizes, experienced teachers, and commitment to best practice make Saint Clement a wonderful place for children to grow,” added Darlington.

Darlington served many roles while working in early childhood education, including Music Teacher, Program Director, Curriculum Coordinator, and Summer Camp Director before joining the Saint Clement staff in July 2022. Darlington brings a 20-year career background in working with children. 

 “As the Director, I hope to build strong relationships with each child, family, and staff member. I also hope to be a solid bridge between the church and school. This is a thriving mission of the church, and I am beyond grateful to be in this position,” said Darlington.

All photos courtesy of St. Clement Episcopal School

The school offers an active parent organization with lifelong friends among our alumni. They celebrate many cultural backgrounds and traditions, such as most recently The Feast of Saint Clement. Children dressed in togas and came together to picnic on chicken, pita, hummus, and pastries! 

All photos courtesy of St. Clement Episcopal School

 “The school provides a safe and engaging community full of love and play-based learning to the surrounding neighborhoods and beyond,” according to their website.

All photos courtesy of St. Clement Episcopal School

“This truly is a special place and holds many dear memories for so many families,” concluded Darlington. 

[SEE ALSO: Newly Reopened Trattoria Da Franco Italian Food and Opera Night Held December 11th to Sold-Out Crowd]

Post Views: 221

THE MOST IMPORTANT GOOD NEWS AND EVENTS OF THE DAY

Subscribe to our mailing list to receives daily updates direct to your inbox!

Related Articles

Church of the Hieromartyr Clement Pope of Rome in Moscow

XV. Alexandria Church. St. Clement of Alexandria – Library – Church-Scientific Center “Orthodox Encyclopedia”

Alexander Dvorkin. Essays on the history of the Ecumenical Orthodox Church.

Literature: Chadwick; Meyendorff, Introduction; Bolotov; Schmemann, Historical Path; Quasten.

1. Alexandria was the second largest city in the Roman Empire. It was founded in 331 BC. Alexander the Great.

It was a huge cosmopolitan city, the capital of Egypt, the granaries of Rome. Alexandria was the center of a brilliant intellectual life. We can say that it was the birthplace of Hellenism – a cultural phenomenon that arose as a result of the conquests of Alexander the Great. The city, lying at the junction of two continents, has always been characterized by a mixture of many civilizations. The ancient Egyptian heritage, Middle Eastern societies, Greek culture, and Roman statehood left their imprints on it. All this gave rise to a new civilization, which absorbed the most diverse elements. In the city itself they spoke Greek, in the countryside – in the Coptic language, which originated from ancient Egyptian. Under the Ptolemies, a famous school-university was opened, called the Museum (from the Greek Musion, the temple of the Muses – the patroness of science and art), where all the then known sciences were taught. The museum and the library founded under it became the most respected scientific center in the entire ancient world.

Judaism also existed in Alexandria for a long time. The first Jews came to Egypt in the time of Joseph, and since then the Jewish communities have not ceased to exist there. Of course, the Jews settled in Egypt in later times. Let us recall that the Septuagint was created in Alexandria and that it was there that Philo of Alexandria lived.

Christianity apparently came to Egypt as early as the first century, although we have almost no information about it until the second half of the second century. It spread there extremely quickly: by the 4th c. almost the entire population of Egypt became Christian. Apparently, the origin of the Egyptian Church was not directly connected with the preaching of the apostles: the tradition of the preaching of the Apostle Mark in Alexandria was first mentioned by Clement of Alexandria. Of course, the Egyptians well remembered that the Holy Family visited their country, and the points of his stay there became centers of pilgrimage. But in the East there were quite a lot of more famous holy places.

We know of a certain predilection of Egyptian Christians for rigorism, even of a somewhat encratic tinge (Gospel according to the Egyptians), and of their fascination with the allegorical method of exegesis.

From II c. in Alexandria there was a school of catechumens (catechumens). Such schools existed in many local communities. However, the Alexandrian school was special: suffice it to say that it was led in turn by the most famous theologians of Christendom, such as Panten, Clement of Alexandria, and Origen. Gradually, the school became a brilliant academic institution, providing a broad encyclopedic education, including Greek philosophy and the beginnings of the natural sciences. Among its rectors were not only clerics, but also intellectuals from the laity. This situation changed only in the 4th century, when the archbishops who headed the Church of Alexandria, themselves being theologians, took control of the theological and intellectual life of the school.

The broad encyclopedic education provided by the Alexandrian school was especially important for Christian apologetics, since in order to explain the Christian faith and Holy Scripture to the Greeks, it was necessary to carefully study their way of thinking. It was here, in the Alexandrian school, that theologians began to apply exclusively the allegorical method of exegesis. An interesting example of the Alexandrian “allegorization” of Scripture we find in the “Epistle of Barnabas”, where one can already note a tendency to forced interpretations, sometimes having nothing to do with reality; the abuse of method was characteristic of many exegetes of the Alexandrian school. On the one hand, they understood the necessity and importance of the Old Testament story, but, on the other hand, the allegorization of all, even the smallest details of this story, relieved interpreters of the need to take this story seriously, and this made the Old Testament much more acceptable to the Greek mind. Holy Scripture, in the understanding of the representatives of the allegorical school of exegesis, was something like a cryptogram, had an esoteric meaning, accessible only to a select elite of educated intellectuals, but hidden from mere uninitiated mortals.

2. The features of Alexandrian thinking are clearly expressed in the personality and writings of Clement of Alexandria . His full name is Titus Flavius ​​Clement (c. 150 – c. 215).

We know almost nothing about his biography, except what can be “calculated” from his own writings, which consist of exegesis of some gospel stories, notes on Valentinian Gnosticism and a very thorough trilogy: “ Exhortation to the Gentiles “, “ Teacher ” and “ Stromata “, which he never completed.

Clement was not from Alexandria. Neither the place nor the time of his birth is exactly known. He is believed to have been born and educated in Athens. His good knowledge of pagan mythology suggests that his parents were pagans, and the breadth of his education suggests that his family was rich and noble. Apparently, his conversion to Christianity was akin to the conversion of Justin the Philosopher. Following the example of many of his wealthy peers, Clement, at the age of about 20, set off to travel around the countries of the East and West.

During his travels he met various Christian teachers and listened to their wisdom. One of the most famous teachers of that time was the Sicilian Panten, who taught at the Alexandrian catechetical school. Clement became interested in Panten’s lectures and stayed in Alexandria for 12 years, succeeding his teacher as head of the school.

Clement’s personal modesty did not allow him to talk much about himself, but he expressed his personal ideas very clearly. Both in his cultural interests and in his character, he is the exact opposite of Tertullian. Nevertheless, behind his calm, “civilized” arguments one can see a burning, no less than that of Tertullian.

Clement, like Tertullian, reports extremely little about the external life of the Church in which he lived. He never mentions Bishop Demetrius of Alexandria. We can learn almost nothing from his writings about the internal development of the community. Like St. Justin the Philosopher, he did most of his work in laymanship, remaining a teacher of “Christian philosophy”, teaching students grammar, rhetoric and ethics as well as proper religious education. In 202 he had to leave Alexandria because of the persecution of Septimius Severus. According to some accounts, he was ordained a presbyter in 215 shortly before his death. He died about the same year 215. In some Western martyrology, the name of Clement of Alexandria is given. However, we know nothing about the veneration of him in the Greek Church. Nevertheless, the ancient writers treated him with extreme respect and called him nothing more than “most reverend” and “sacred man.”

The most famous work of Clement is his trilogy, consisting of “Exhortation to the Gentiles”, “Pedagogue” and “Stromatus”.

“Exhortation” is an apologetic work that refutes paganism, based on myths, saturated with rudeness, superstition and eroticism. Clement notes that even the great philosophers of antiquity were not finally freed from all this pagan corruption.

“Educator” – a kind of textbook of moral foundations and correct behavior for a newly converted Christian: in this book, Clement sought to reveal the moral content of Christianity.

“Stromati”, which means “colorful carpet”, “mosaic”, “fragments”, appeared instead of the supposed 3rd volume of the trilogy, which Clement intended to call “The Teacher”. The third volume was to contain a systematic exposition of Christian doctrine. However, Clement never wrote such a work. He believed that the lofty matters of theology should be treated with the deepest reverence, since they relate to divine mysteries, therefore it would be very dangerous to publish in writing a complete exposition of all Christianity, thus opening it for reading by any, even the most unprepared person. Instead, Clement decided to write an essay of a completely different nature. At that time, several pagan writers had already put out collections of individual thoughts and passages, and this became a very popular form of philosophical prose—deliberately fragmentary and haphazard, so that the subject changed every few pages. The most famous work of this genre is the Attic Nights by Aulus Gellius; Plutarch, Aelian and Athenaeus wrote in the same style. Of the modern authors, Rozanov can be cited.

Clement decided to use this form partly because of literary fashion, but mainly because it suited his purpose perfectly: not to prescribe, but to hint, to point out from afar and let the reader think and guess for himself – instead of open your heart and throw pearls in front of possible pigs. In the Stromata, everything is vague and vague, everything is dressed in the form of poetic associations, and not direct and understandable prose. But it was also in keeping with Clement’s belief that religious language should be akin to poetry.

3. Clement writes a lot about his teacher Panthen, who converted to Christianity from Stoicism and even, according to some sources, traveled to India. Clement reports that Panten combined the gift of the highest mind with fidelity to the apostolic tradition: “The Sicilian bee, collecting from the flowers of the apostolic and prophetic world a pure treasure of knowledge” (“Stromata”, 1). This was a very rare quality in Alexandria in the second century, where the influence of Valentinian Gnosticism was extremely strong. As Christianity infiltrated the educated circles of Alexandrian society, the choice often faced by the convert was a brilliantly presented, interesting heresy on the one hand, and a kind of dull obscurantist Orthodoxy on the other.

The main task of Clement, like other apologists, was to make Christianity understandable and accessible to the contemporary Hellenistic world, to “build bridges” between the Christian faith and Greek philosophy, to explain the relationship between faith and knowledge. It seems that it was Panten who helped him find the right path to this. By the time Clement began his work in Alexandria, the local Church was on the defensive, suspicious and hostile to pagan Greek literature and Gnostic philosophy. Gnosticism made philosophy suspicious, and pagan religion so permeated classical literature that it was rather difficult to separate a liberal arts education from an acceptance of pagan values ​​and polytheistic myths. The method used in the Stromata allowed Clement to present his position to the careful Christian reader in a way that would assuage all his misgivings. Clement convincingly argued that philosophy not only was not the basis for Gnosticism, but also provided a method of combating it: the Gnostics spoke of a higher mind, but did not exercise theirs too much [4].

According to Clement, part of the truths of Christian teaching was contained in paganism, and there is no complete opposition between philosophy and the Gospel – both strive to achieve the highest Truth. In an effort to convert the Greeks to Christianity, to bring them into the Church, Clement proves the superiority of Christianity over paganism, while at the same time maintaining a positive attitude towards Greek philosophy.

So the Stromata included passages both emphasizing the importance of studying philosophy and refuting Gnostic heretics, while at the same time interpreting biblical themes in a language familiar to the Hellenistic world. Apologetic motives addressed to the inquisitive pagan are intermingled with the defense of the right faith against gnostic perversions. In one place, Clement claims that Plato plagiarized: he borrowed a number of provisions from Moses and the prophets and did not give any references. Elsewhere he writes that Greek philosophy, like the Law of Moses, was given to the Greeks as a guide to Christ and as a restraint of sin. Still further on, Clement notes that the Gnostic doctrines of love and freedom ignore the fact that no serious ethical system can renounce a set of rules, or that in Gnosticism the gap between God and the world is too wide, and between God and the soul too narrow.

“Philosophy was needed by the Greeks for the sake of righteousness, before the coming of the Lord, and even now it is useful for the development of true religion, as a preparatory discipline for those who come to faith by visual demonstration … For God is the source of all good: either directly, as in the Old and New Testaments, or indirectly, as in the case of philosophy. But it is even possible that philosophy was given directly to the Greeks, for it was the “tutor” (Gal. 3:24) of Hellenism to Christ – the same as the Law was for the Jews. Thus, philosophy was a preparation that paved the way for man to perfection in Christ” (“Stromata”, 1).

Clement was also well aware of the difficulties that the educated Greeks faced with the simple and outwardly uncomplicated style of Scripture. In one of the passages, he gives a summary of the moral teaching of the Sermon on the Mount, translated into the language of neo-Pythagorean gnomic wisdom. At the same time, he felt the need to reassure those Christian readers who might be tempted by this passage, and to prove to them that although the very form of expression was not biblical and he did not refer directly to the text of Scripture, the very content of the stated is in full accordance with the teaching of the New Testament. .

It was rather difficult for Clement to use the word “Orthodox” (orthodox) without semi-ironic explanations. It seems that he himself was not completely sure whether he wanted to be associated with those who call themselves that. However, he deeply believed in his mission as the defender of the Apostolic Tradition, which includes “true knowledge”, which is fundamentally different from the false knowledge offered by the sects. The “real Gnostic” is not afraid of philosophy, he can use it for his own purposes, in order to understand his faith acquired in the Church and refute any distortion of it.

Higher life in the Spirit for Clement means moral and spiritual ascent. It is significant that the Gnostic heretics were not much interested in virtue or character building. The “true Gnostic” Clement knows that spiritual wisdom is given only to those who are pure in heart, who are so humble that they can go to God as a son goes to the Father, and to those whose motives for moral action are rooted not only in the fear of punishment or in hope of reward, but in love for the good for the sake of the good itself. The ascent of Moses into the darkness at the top of Sinai and the Holy of Holies of the tabernacle of Moses symbolize the ascent from faith through knowledge to a beatific vision beyond this life, when the redeemed unites with God Himself. Such a mystical union is possible due to the fact that God at creation gave man His image.

The foundation of Clement’s thought is his doctrine of the Logos (Word). According to Clement, the Logos is the creator of the universe. Through Him the revelation of God was carried out in the Old Testament law and Hellenic philosophy, which ended when “the fullness of time has come” with the incarnation of Christ. As divine mind, the Logos is the teacher and legislator of mankind. True Christianity lies in knowledge, and knowledge is interconnected with faith.

Since God planted the good seeds of truth in all His intelligent creatures, Clement was sure that we can learn a lot from the metaphysics of Plato, from the ethics of the Stoics and from the logic of Aristotle, in each of which there are elements of the knowledge of God. All truth and all goodness, wherever we find them, come from a single Creator. At the same time, Clement opposed the Gnostics, who distorted the created world, declaring matter completely alien to the Supreme God, which led either to insane asceticism or no less insane eroticism.

Clement’s moral teaching is very reasonable and balanced. It is characterized by a joyful perception of the world and its justification: truth and goodness, wherever they are, come from the Creator. Of particular note is the discussion of the issue of married life and celibacy. In the dissolute atmosphere of Greco-Roman society, Christianity introduced two completely new, unheard-of ideas: the idea of ​​the uniqueness of marriage and the idea of ​​a celibate life, equally alien to both Judaism and Hellenism. At the same time, Christian writers sometimes overly insisted on the superiority of celibacy over married life. Examining in detail Christian morality in matters of sex and family life, Clement actively rebelled against the Gnostic claims that sexual intimacy either has nothing to do with higher spiritual life, or contradicts it. Respecting people who have chosen celibacy, Clement rejects the view of marriage as a lower spiritual state. In itself, celibacy is not a virtue, because it can also have egocentric motivations. The Christian life consists in doing the will of God and in the wisdom to recognize this will. Life in marriage can be no less virtuous and, of course, no less difficult and responsible than the path of celibacy. Similarly, Clement rejects the requirement that every Christian should abstain from animal food and from wine: he considered this a matter of individual choice, not a general prohibition. But the Alexandrian teacher was by no means a hedonist. He believed that everything is permissible if everything is accepted in moderation, but, most importantly, if it is subject to the last value: the knowledge of God and the Truth in Him.

Clement also wrote a separate work intended for Christians who do not know how to properly use their money and who are in difficulty because of the absoluteness of the Lord’s demand for a rich young man: “If you want to be perfect, sell everything you have . ..” On at first glance it seems that Clement is trying to find a compromise, distorting the direct meaning of the word of the Lord. But a careful reading shows that Clement saw the gospel ethical standards not as legalistic obligations imposed on everyone, but as the highest divine goal for those who want to give their all to Him. As for money, the main thing is how to use it, and not the fact of owning it. Clement designed a program for the wealthy converts of the Alexandrian Church, imposing on them a very strict standard of modesty of life and self-restraint. Clement was categorically against any luxury and displaying wealth for show.

Clement was undoubtedly the spiritual leader of many Alexandrians. He saw this role as very important, for he understood the Christian life as a pilgrimage to the likeness of God in Christ. He saw the path itself both as a dynamic advancement in understanding the nature of Christian doctrine, but also as an educational process during which the student can make mistakes, for which he brings repentance. He often referred to the church as a school, which has many classes for students of various abilities. Of course, all disciples are chosen, and all the chosen ones are equal. However, some of them are more select than others.

Clement fully allowed a second repentance for those who had fallen away, and at the same time put forward the highest moral demands for all Christians. The seventh part of “Stromatus” (the last, completed by him in his lifetime, the eighth part consists of passages on logic, most likely found in the papers of Clement after his death) describes the spiritual ideal of a true Gnostic in terms that combine the requirements of the Apostle Paul (Philippians 3) with Platonic language about the merging of the soul with God and with the Stoic ideas of dispassion. It seems that Clement was based on the teachings of St. Paul, and not the Platonists, when he wrote about the knowledge of God as a dynamic movement forward, and not a static possession of the truth. Once he even stated that if a true Gnostic had to choose between eternal salvation and the knowledge of God, he would immediately prefer the latter without any hesitation.

Since Clement saw the spiritual life as an unending progress, he did not believe that the process of divine education ends with physical death. Unlike their teachers, Sts. Justin the Philosopher and Irenaeus of Lyon – he did not linger on the idea of ​​a physical resurrection to participate in the thousand-year earthly kingdom of Christ. Yes, sinners will burn in blazing fire; however, this fire will not be able to destroy the image of God, but only the wood, straw and garbage of sins. No one in this life can achieve such holiness as to avoid purification by wise fire before becoming worthy to stand before the Face of God.

4. As we have seen, in his attempt to express Christianity in the language of Greek philosophy, Clement often goes beyond the dogmatic boundaries of Orthodoxy. For example, the urgency with which Clement again and again emphasizes the role of knowledge (i.e., “gnosis”) reflects the intellectualism of his religious thinking. And we see that, nevertheless, he unwittingly believes that the fullness of knowledge is available only to the true elite.

Although Gnostic elements can undoubtedly be found in Clement’s teaching, a distinction must be made between Gnostics like Valentinus, who broke with the Church and founded his own sect, and “gnostics” like Clement, who always remained in communion with Church and who made a significant contribution to its Tradition.

But it is precisely in Clement’s teaching on Tradition that the Gnostic orientation of his thought becomes even more clear: he speaks of the transmission of knowledge through individuals. Unlike St. Irenaeus, who asserted that the Truth belongs to the Church, that Christian knowledge is of a communal, public nature, Clement considers knowledge to be the prerogative of the elect. His comments on this matter can be understood in different ways. In a sense, Clement asserts something diametrically opposed to St. Irenaeus. But we should also not forget that in the Orthodox tradition, saints who possessed a direct contemplative and mystical knowledge of God have always enjoyed special reverence. St. Basil the Great in his writings distinguished between the authority of charismatics (people endowed with spiritual gifts) and the authority of the church hierarchy, emphasizing, however, that there should be no conflict between them. The history of the Church knows examples of such great saints and mystics as St. Seraphim of Sarov, St. Simeon the New Theologian, the Optina Elders, who personally reached the highest level of knowledge of God. But even such saints never claimed any special authority or rejected the authority of the episcopate. The Church as a whole has always recognized the saints as people having the gift of communion with God, and in this sense a certain “gnostic” element was invariably part of Orthodox Tradition in the East, but it was balanced by the universally recognized authority of the Church. In Clement, this balance is disturbed: from his writings one gets the impression that the knowledge of God in the true sense is accessible only to a few educated and intelligent people, that only they can comprehend the mystical heights of communication with God.

Western Christianity, on the other hand, has always been more skeptical of spiritual tradition, and the balance between ecclesiastical authority and the charisma of individuals has been upset in the opposite sense from Clement, in favor of the formal authority of the ecclesiastical hierarchy. In the Roman Catholic tradition, very early there was a division of all the faithful into the “Teaching Church”, on the one hand, and ordinary believers, on the other. “Revelations for the laity” were not encouraged. This has never happened in the East: the spirit of catholicity has always supported the conviction that the Truth belongs to God, Who reveals it to all people, regardless of their clerical “status”. Knowledge of the truth is not the prerogative of either persons holding high administrative positions or those who have successfully completed their higher theological education. The assertion that there are people to whom the knowledge of Church Tradition is inaccessible must be recognized as a Gnostic heresy.