Christ the Educator

Chapter 6

CHRIST THE EDUCATOR 137 Chapter 6 (49) We ourselves must steer completely clear of all indecent talk, and those who resort to it we must silence by a sharp look, or by turning our face away, or by what is called a grunt of disgust, or by some pointed remark. 'For the things that come out of the mouth,' Scripture says, 'defile a man,'l and reveal him as uncouth, barbaric, undisciplined, and unrestrained , and as completely without self-possession, decorum, or modesty. As for listening to or gazing upon indecent things, the divine Educator, in an effort to keep our hearing from being offended against, has proposed words on self-restraint for those of His children engaged in the fight with such things, as mufflers for the ears. Thus, talk about indecent things will not be able to penetrate into the soul and injure it. The eyes, too, He directs to the vision of good things, saying that it is better to stumble with the feet than with the eyes.2 (50) Then, the Apostle, lashing out at this indecent talk, cautions us: 'Let no ill speech proceed from your mouth, but whatever is good,'3 and another time: 'As becomes saints, let obscenity or foolish talk or scurrility not even be named among you; which are out of place, but rather thanksgiving.'4 If he who merely calls his brother a fool is liable to judgment,5 what sentence should be passed upon obscene conversation? 'Whoever speaks an idle word shall give an account to the Lord on the day of judgment,' and again: 'By thy words I Matt. 15.18. 2 Cf. Matt. 18.9. 3 Eph. 4.29. 4 Eph. 5.3. 5 Cf. Matt. 5.22. 138 CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA thou wilt be justified, and by thy words thou wilt be condemned .'6 Now, what are these protecting mufflers for the ears? And what the directions He gives for eyes so prone to stumble? The precaution of cultivating the friendship of good people, and of turning deaf ear to those who would lead us away from the truth. 'Evil associations corrupt good manners,' the poet says.7 But a quotation from the Apostle is more to the point: 'Hate what is evil, hold to what is good.'8 He who associates with the holy will become ho~y. (51 ) It is imperative, then, that we neither listen to nor look at nor talk about obscene things. And it is even more imperative that we keep free of every immodest action, exposing or laying bare any parts of our body improperly, or looking at its private parts. The chaste son could not endure looking upon the immodest nakedness of a good man; chastity covered over what drunkenness had exposed in a transgression committed in ignorance but manifest to all.' It is no less urgent that we keep ourselves pure in our choice of words, avoiding those which should be alien to the ears of one who believes in Christ. That is why, I believe, the Educator has forbidden us to utter the least thing that is unbecoming , to keep us far from immorality. He is ever skillful in cutting to the very roots of sin, commanding: 'Thou shalt not lust,'lO to safeguard the other command: 'Thou shalt not commit adultery.'ll Adultery is only the fruit of lust, and lust is its evil root. 6 Matt. 12.36. 7 Menander, Thais Frog. 218 CAF III 62. 8 Rom. 12.9. 9 Cf. Gen. 9.21·23. 10 Cf. Matt. 5.27.28. 11 Ibid.; Exod. 20.14; Deut. 5.18. CHRIST THE EDUCATOR 139 (52) For the same reason, our Educator has proscribed the too free use of certain terms, meaning to eliminate too free contact with immorality. Lack of restraint in the words we use gives rise to habitual disorderliness in actions, while to take pains to be discreet in our language is to control licentiousness . In a more profound discussion,l~ we have shown that it is not the terms, or the sexual organs, or the marriage act, to which names not in common use describing intercourse are affixed, that we should consider obscene. It is not the knee, or the thigh, or the names given to them, or even the use made of them, that is obscene. (In fact, even the private parts of a man's body deserve to...