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ABSTRACT

From the Friendship of Philosophers to Christian Friendship: Some Reflections Based on the Teachings of Clement of Alexandria: This study examines the philosophical foundations of Clement of Alexandria’s teaching on friendship and considers how the Christian perspective reshapes the conclusions inherited from earlier traditions. The comparison between the ancient philosophers—especially Plato and Aristotle—and Clement becomes particularly meaningful when these sources are read through the interpretive lens associated with the Tübingen School. It is also possible that Clement’s engagement with the topic was motivated by the need to respond to Valentinus’s homily on friendship. Drawing on Gen 1:26, Clement articulates not only the “divine image” of the human being but also the principle of participation in the divine life. He maintains that all people who come into the world are invited to become similar to God and in this likeness to become God’s friends. This universal call to deification, which implies a doctrine of the general redemption of humanity, carries clear anti-Gnostic implications. At the same time, the philosophical consequences for practical life can be compared with the Christian ideal of friendship as it took shape in the late second century, within a community that welcomed even those marginalized by society. The model for this ideal is not the fellowship of philosophers or the noble guardians of Plato’s Republic, but the mutual love of the Father and the Son and the compassionate love of God for human weakness. Through this divine love, human beings may become friends, children, and similar to God.