Against Nathan Porter: Of Bodies and Εγκρατεια: Clement's Vision of Spiritual Ascent

Introduction

Clement of Alexandria's writings offer a profound exploration of the relationship between the body, the soul, and the spiritual discipline of εγκρατεια (self-control or continence). His works, particularly the Stromateis (Miscellanies), delve into the dynamic interplay between the material and the spiritual, illustrating a pathway to divine assimilation through rigorous self-discipline and spiritual practice.

The Dual Nature of Man

Clement begins by describing man as a composite being, akin to the mythical Centaur, combining rational and irrational elements. In Stromateis 4.3.9, he writes:

"What shall we say is the peculiar function of man? He is like, it appears to me, the Centaur, a Thessalian figment, compounded of a rational and irrational part, of soul and body. Well, the body tills the ground, and hastes to it; but the soul is raised to God: trained in the true philosophy, it speeds to its kindred above."

Here, Clement sets the stage for understanding the human condition as one caught between earthly toil and heavenly aspiration. The "kindred" he refers to are the angels, a state achievable through εγκρατεια.

The Role of Εγκρατεια

Εγκρατεια, or self-control, is central to Clement's spiritual philosophy. It is both a divine attribute and a human practice, bridging the gap between the earthly and the divine. Clement argues that εγκρατεια enables the soul's ascension, making it "truly angelic" (Stromateis 7.14.84). He asserts:

"Now, of what I may call the passionlessness which we attribute to the gnostic, in which the perfection of the believer, 'advancing by love, comes to a perfect man, to the measure of full stature,' by being assimilated to God, and by becoming truly angelic."

This process of becoming angelic involves the divestment of material concerns and a focus on spiritual purity. Fasting, for instance, is a practical expression of εγκρατεια that purifies both body and soul:

"Especially does fasting empty the soul of matter and make it - along with the body - pure and light for the divine words." (Ecl. Proph. 14)

The Dynamic Character of Εγκρατεια

Contrary to Nathan Porter's interpretation of Epistle 366, which views the continent Jesus as an unattainable ideal due to his divine nature, Clement sees Jesus as the ultimate model for human emulation. As the primal example and source of εγκρατεια, Jesus represents the final state towards which the gnostic strives. Clement illustrates this with the example of Moses, who, through divine grace, was able to transcend physical needs for a period:

"Our aim is not that while a man feels desire he should get the better of it, but that he should be continent even respecting desire itself. This chastity cannot be attained in any other way except by God's grace. That was why he said 'Ask and it shall be given you.' This grace was received even by Moses, though clothed in his needy body, so that for forty days he felt neither thirst nor hunger." (Strom. 3.7.57)

Bodily Lightness and Spiritual Transformation

Clement correlates the physical lightness achieved through an ascetic lifestyle with the anticipated properties of the angelic body. This transformation starts with dietary discipline, leading to a state where the body becomes an instrument of divine operation. He writes:

"And they say that the bodies of children, when shooting up to their height, are made to grow right by deficiency in nourishment. For then the Spirit, which pervades the body in order to its growth, is not checked by abundance of food obstructing the freedom of its course." (Paed. 2.1.17)

This physical regimen results in visible signs of the soul’s ongoing transformation into its angelic form:

"Stretching upwards in soul, loosened from the world and our sins, touching the earth on tiptoe so as to appear to be in the world, we pursue holy wisdom." (Paed. 1.5.16)

The Angelic Body

Clement provides a detailed description of the properties of the angelic body, which the gnostic is being transformed into. He emphasizes that these bodies, though different from earthly ones, are still corporeal:

"And the angels are bodies; at any rate they are seen. Why even the soul is a body, for as the Apostle says, 'It is sown a body of soul, it is raised a body of spirit.'...But, from the story of Lazarus and Dives, the soul is directly shown by its possession of bodily limbs to be a body." (Excerp. ex Theod. 14)

These angelic bodies lack internal organs, further highlighting their spiritual nature:

"Nor yet any of the angels: for in the way that angels, in virtue of being angels, speak, men do not hear; nor, as we have ears, have they a tongue to correspond; nor would anyone attribute to the angels organs of speech, lips I mean, and the parts contiguous, throat, and windpipe, and chest, breath and air to vibrate." (Strom. 6.7.57)

Conclusion

Clement's vision of εγκρατεια as a transformative spiritual discipline bridges the material and the divine, enabling the soul's ascent to its angelic kindred. This process involves rigorous self-discipline, ascetic practices, and the emulation of divine models like Jesus and Moses. By achieving a state of εγκρατεια, the gnostic not only attains spiritual purity but also begins to experience the properties of the angelic body, reflecting a realized eschatology where the divine kingdom is anticipated in the here and now.