Klēmentos Alexandreōs ta Euriskomena
Klēmentos Alexandreōs ta Euriskomena = Clementis Alexandrini Opera Graece et Latine Quae Extant
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 |
| Published | Lutetiae Parisiorum: Apud Matthaeum Guillemot, via lacobaea, sub signo Bibliothecae |
| Date | 1641 |
| Language | Greek and Latin in parallel columns |
| Pages | [28], 854, [80], 97 [i.e. 79, 1] |
| Desc. | Folio (36 cm.) |
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. He 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. Most, if not all, of the substantial facts of Clement's life are based on second-hand reports and thus practically nothing is actually known about it.
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 this title. 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.
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 this book in William & Mary's online catalog.
References
- ↑ The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church, s.v. "Clement of Alexandria, St.," ed. F. L. Cross and E. A. Livingstone, E.A., eds., 2nd ed. (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1974).
- ↑ F. Havey, “Clement of Alexandria”, in The Catholic Encyclopedia (New York: Robert Appleton Company, 1908), accessed October 10, 2013.
- ↑ E. Millicent Sowerby, Catalogue of the Library of Thomas Jefferson, 2nd ed. (Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1983), 2:144 [no.1583].
- ↑ Mary R. M. Goodwin, The George Wythe House: Its Furniture and Furnishings (Williamsburg, Virginia: Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Library, 1958), li.
- ↑ Memorandum from Barbara C. Dean, Colonial Williamsburg Found., to Mrs. Stiverson, Colonial Williamsburg Found. (June 16, 1975), 10 (on file at Wolf Law Library, College of William & Mary).
- ↑ 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
