Difference between revisions of "Klēmentos Alexandreōs ta Euriskomena"

Revision as of 11:10, 4 September 2015

by Clement of Alexandria

Klēmentos Alexandreōs ta Euriskomena
Title page from Klēmentos Alexandreōs ta Euriskomena, George Wythe Collection, Wolf Law Library, College of William & Mary.
Author	Clement of Alexandria
Editor	{{{editor}}}
Translator	{{{trans}}}
Published	Lutetiae Parisiorum: Apud Matthaeum Guillemot, via lacobaea, sub signo Bibliothecae
Date	1641
Edition	{{{edition}}}
Language	Greek and Latin in parallel columns
Volumes	{{{set}}} volume set
Pages	[28], 854, [80], 97 [i.e. 79, 1]
Desc.	Folio (36 cm.)
Location	Shelf A-5
	[[Shelf {{{shelf2}}}]]

Clement of Alexandria’s date of birth is unknown, but his death is estimated to have been around the year 215 C.E. Clement’s actual place of birth is also unconfirmed, although most assume that it was Athens, Greece. Most, if not all, of the facts of Clement's life are based on second-hand reports and thus practically nothing is actually known about it. Clement is considered one of the great early Greek theologians of the Catholic Church, and was a founder of the Catechetical School of Alexandria.^[1] This was one of the first major theological schools of the Christian faith. The school focused on theology and comparative Biblical studies, and also founded the question-and-answer form of Biblical commentary.

Clementis Alexandrini Opera Graece et Latine Quae Extant is a complete collection of Clement of Alexandria’s works. The most famous and influential writings attributed to him are referred to as the “great trilogy,” which includes “The Tutor” (Paidagogos), “The Exhortation”, and “Miscellanies” (Stromateis). These three works are said to represent a graduated initiation into the Christian life and philosophy. The works of Clement of Alexandria would be beneficial to anyone looking for insight into the great mysteries of man, nature, and virtue.^[2]

Evidence for Inclusion in Wythe's Library

Thomas Jefferson sold the Library of Congress a copy of the 1641 edition of Klēmentos Alexandreōs ta Euriskomena. In her work on Jefferson's books, Millicent Sowerby wrote "Jefferson may have obtained this with his inheritance from George Wythe; some of the notes appear to be in his hand."^[3] Three of the Wythe Collection sources (Goodwin's pamphlet^[4], Dean's Memo,^[5] and Brown's Bibliography^[6]) list the title based on Sowerby's designation of the volume as Wythe's. Clement of Alexandria is not listed in the Jefferson Inventory of Wythe's Library. Perhaps this was an oversight on Jefferson's part, or Wythe gave him the volume at another time. The Wolf Law Library followed the recommendations of Brown, Dean and Goodwin, and purchased a copy of the 1641 edition.

Description of the Wolf Law Library's copy

Finely bound in modern aniline calf over marble boards. Raised bands with a dark morocco gilt-blocked label. Spine compartments uniformly tooled in gilt. Title in red and black, head and tail pieces, capitals, and marginal notes. Purchased from MW Books Ltd.

View the record for this book in William & Mary's online catalog.

See also

• George Wythe Room
• Wythe's Library

References

1. ↑ The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, s.v. "Clement of Alexandria, St.," F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone, E.A., eds., 2nd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1974).
2. ↑ F. Havey, "“Clement of Alexandria," in The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908), accessed October 10, 2013.
3. ↑ E. Millicent Sowerby, Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson, 2nd ed. (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1983), 2:144 [no.1583].
4. ↑ Mary R. M. Goodwin, The George Wythe House: Its Furniture and Furnishings (Williamsburg, Virginia: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Library, 1958), LI.
5. ↑ Memorandum from Barbara C. Dean, Colonial Williamsburg Found., to Mrs. Stiverson, Colonial Williamsburg Found. (June 16, 1975), 3 (on file at Wolf Law Library, College of William & Mary).
6. ↑ Bennie Brown, "The Library of George Wythe of Williamsburg and Richmond," (unpublished manuscript, May, 2012) Microsoft Word file. Earlier edition available at: https://digitalarchive.wm.edu/handle/10288/13433.