Jesus is preaching in the synagogue
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,
because he has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners
and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free,
19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”[a]
20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
22 All spoke well of him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from his lips.
The true teaching
Clement of Alexandria, Stromata, the 5th Stromata, Cap. VI-I-IX, 54.2-57.2, in Church Fathers and Writers (1982), vol. 5, pp. 342-343
It may be possible that a man from the blockheads comes where you teach gnosis and he is not able to seize the truth; he will understand you wrong and will fall; therefore the Scripture says to be careful with the use of the teaching and to close the living spring which is within yourself; close it for all who approach it without reason and give to drink only to those who are thirsty after truth. Hide the depth of knowledge (Romans 11, 13) for all who are not able to receive it. Cover the pit. The owner of the pit the gnostic will be punished according to the Scripture that he is guilty for the folly of that one; or because that one was swallowed by the greatness of the teaching having a narrow soul…The philosophy – which is philosophy indeed – and the true theology should belong only to those who approach them often and gave a proof of faith in all their life.
Yes, these writings require from us an interpreter or teacher; only in these way they will be better studied and we won`t be wrong anymore as we received the teachings from men who know them well, from men who considered us worthy to use them.
Anyway all things which are seen through a veil show the truth to be greater and more respectable like the fruit seen through water or like the shapes of the things which are distinguished through the veils covering them; as the powerful light leave revealed the flaws; beside this the things which are seen as they are can`t be understood in any other way but one. However it is possible to find more meanings in a symbol as we saw when we spoke of the hidden words. The things being as they are, the inexperienced and uneducated man commits mistakes; but the gnostic understands the true meaning. Those writings won`t be given to anyone at random without any distinction and those who never purified their souls not even in dreams won`t be made partakers at the goods of wisdom; it is not allowed to offer to all the comers the things gained with so many fights or to reveal the secrets of the Word to the unpurified ones.
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