Clement of Alexandria: Mariology and the Theology of the Lógos
Clement of Alexandria: the Alexandrian teacher and his contribution to Mariology and to the theology of the Lógos.
Clement of Alexandria: Introduction
Clement of Alexandria (c. 150–c. 215) is one of the great Fathers of the Eastern Church. Clement of Alexandria’s reflection on Mary is part of his theology of the Lógos: the divine Word who becomes flesh and who, as a teacher, leads the Christian to perfection. To study Clement of Alexandria is to enter into the origins of patristic Mariology and of Christian speculative theology.
I. The Life and Works of Clement of Alexandria
Clement of Alexandria succeeded Pantaenus as head of the famous Catechetical School of Alexandria. His principal works are the Protreptikos (exhortation to the Greeks), the Paedagogus (tutor), and the Stromata (miscellanies). In all of them, Clement of Alexandria seeks to show the continuity between Greek philosophy and Christian revelation, with Christ as the universal Lógos.
II. Clement of Alexandria and the Theology of the Lógos
Clement of Alexandria’s theology of the Lógos starts from Jn 1:1-14: the eternal Word, present in all truth and in all human wisdom, becomes incarnate in Christ. This theology of the Lógos prepares the ground for Mariology: Mary is the one in whom the Lógos becomes flesh. When Clement of Alexandria speaks of the Word, he implicitly speaks of the Mother of the Word.
III. Clement of Alexandria and the Virginity of Mary
Clement of Alexandria, in the Paedagogus, clearly affirms the virginity of Mary, even in childbirth. Drawing a bold comparison, Clement of Alexandria says that Mary gave birth and yet was not a woman in labor, because the Word was born without violating the virginal womb. This insight of Clement of Alexandria foreshadows the doctrine of virginity in partu.
IV. Mary, Mother and Virgin in the Church
Clement of Alexandria develops a beautiful parallel: just as Mary is Mother and Virgin, so the Church too is at once mother and virgin. This insight of Clement of Alexandria, taken up by Ambrose and Augustine, is the foundation of Marian ecclesiology. The Church brings forth children as Mary brought forth Christ: through the action of the Spirit.
V. The Legacy of Clement of Alexandria
Clement of Alexandria’s legacy to Mariology is twofold: the integration of Mariology into the theology of the Lógos, and the parallel between Mary and the Church. Clement of Alexandria was also the teacher of Origen, who would carry these insights forward. Explore this further in Benedict XVI’s catechesis on Clement.
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See also: Patristic Mariology: The Fathers of the Church and Mary (2nd-8th Centuries)
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