Christ the Educator

Chapter 9

CHRIST THE EDUCATOR 159 oil of the narcissus is just as beneficial as that of the lily. That from the leaf of the myrtle, and from its berry, is an astringent and checks the flow [of blood] from the body. Oil of roses invigorates. In a word, all these myrrhs have been created for our good. 'Hear me,' Scripture says, 'and bud forth as the rose planted by the brooks of water. Give ye a sweet-odor as frankincense, and bless the Lord in His works.'H This discussion could go on indefinitely, dwelling on the fact that these flowers and herbs have been created for our needs, not to be misused as luxuries. We concede room for some little indulgence, but it is sufficient if we enjoy their fragrance; we need not be decked out with them. The Father treats man with great care, putting at our disposal all His handiwork for this one purpose. Scripture says well: 'Water and fire and iron and milk, bread of flour and honey, the blood of the cluster of grape and oil and clothing. All these things shall be for good to the holy.'45 Chapter 9 (77) Now we must discuss the way we are to sleep, still mindful of the precepts of temperance. After our dinner, once we have given thanks to God for having granted us such pleasures and for the completion of the day, then we should dispose our minds for sleep. We must forbid ourselves the use of expensive bedding, gold-sprinkled rugs and plain carpets embroidered in gold, rich purple bed robes or precious thick cloaks, purple blankets of elaborate art, with 44 Cf. Ecdi. 119.17·19. 45 Ecdi. 119.111,112. 160 CLEMENT OF ALEXANDRIA fleecy cloaks thrown over them,l and beds 'too soft to be slept in.'2 The habit of sleeping in soft down is injurious, apart from the danger of pampering the body, because those who sleep in it sink deep into the softness of the bed; it is not healthy for the sleeper who cannot move about in it because of the high elevation on either side of his body. Sleep is the time for digesting food, but such a bed causes the food simply to burn up and be destroyed, while those who can toss about on their beds, level as though a natural place of exercise during sleep, digest their food more easily and prepare themselves the better to face any contingencies. Again, a bed with silver legs stands as an accusation of extreme ostentatiousness, and couches made of 'ivory, the product of a body separated from its living spirit, is not free from defilement,'3 and is for holy men only a resting place that encourages sloth. (78) We should not be too anxious for such things. Not that they who have them need to leave them unused, but they are forbidden to desire them excessively. Happiness does not lie in that sort of thing. On the other hand, it is Cynic vanity to make a practise of sleeping like Diomedes, under whom 'was spread the hide of an ox of the field.'4 Odysseus supported the weak part of his marriage couch with a wooden post.5 That is the degree of frugality and industry practised, not by a private citizen, but by a leader of the ancient Greeks. But, what further example do I need, when Jacob slept on the ground with a stone for his pillow?6 It was then that .he was accounted worthy of beholding a vision beyond the power of man. 1 Cf. Odysseus 7.335. 2 Theocritus 5.51: 15.125. 3 Plato, Laws XII 956A. 4 Iliad 10.155. 5 Cf. Odysseus 23.195. 6 Cf. Gen. 28.11 . CHRIST THE EDUCATOR 161 Following the dictates of reason, then, we should make use of a bed that is level and unadorned, yet affording some minimum of convenience: of protection, if it be summer; of warmth, if it be winter. Let the couch, too, be unadorned and its posts plain, for ornamented and molded wood readily and frequently becomes an easy path for creeping animals, providing them sure footing in the grooves carved by the craftsmen. But we must specially keep the softness of the bed within limits, for sleep is meant to relax the body, not to debilitate it. For that reason, I say that sleep...