, [Greek: hai hagiai paradoseis] (VII. 18. 110), [Greek: he euklees
kai semnos tes paradoseos kanon] (all gnosis is to be guided by this,
see also [Greek: he kata ten theian paradosin philosophia], I, 1. 15. I:
11. 52., also the expression [Greek: he theia paradosis] (VII. 16. 103),
[Greek: he ekklesiastike paradosis] (VII. 16. 95), [Greek: hai tou
Christou paradoseis] (VII. 16. 99), [Greek: he tou kyriou paradosis]
(VII. 17. 106: VII. 16. 104), [Greek: he theosebes paradosis] (VI. 15.
124)). Its content is not more precisely defined, and, as a rule, nothing
more can be gathered from the context than what Clement once calls
[Greek: to koinon tes pisteos] (VII. 16. 97). Where Clement wishes to
determine the content more accurately he makes use of supplementary
terms. He speaks, e.g., in III. 10. 66 of the [Greek: kata aletheian
euangelikos kanon], and means by that the tradition contained in the
Gospels recognised by the Church in contradistinction to that found in
other gospels (IV. 4. 15: [Greek: kata ton kanona tou euangeliou] =
[Greek: kata t. euang.]). In none of these formulae is any notice taken
of the Apostles. That Clement (like Justin) traced back the public
tradition to the Apostles is a matter of course and manifest from I. 1.
11, where he gives an account of his early teachers ([Greek: hoi men ten
alethe tes makarias sozontes didaskalias paradosin euthus apo Petrou te
kai Iakobou, Ioannou te kai Paulou ton hagion apostolon, tais para
patros ekdechomenos hekon de syn theo kai eis hemas ta progonika ekeina
kai apostolika katathesomenoi spermata]). Clement does not yet appeal to
a hierarchical tradition through the bishops, but adheres to the natural
one through the teachers, though he indeed admits an esoteric tradition
alongside of it. On one occasion he also says that the true Gnostic
keeps the [Greek: apostolike kai ekklesiastike orthotomia ton dogmaton]
(VII. 16. 104). He has no doubt that: [Greek: mia he panton gegone ton
apostolon hosper didaskalia houtos de kai he paradosis] (VII. 17. 108).
But all that might just as well have been written in the first half of
the second century. On the tracing back of the Gnosis, the esoteric
tradition, to the Apostles see Hypotyp. in Euseb., H. E. II. 1. 4,
Strom. VI. 15. 131: [Greek: autika didaxantos tou soteros tous
apostolous he tes engraphou agraphos ede kai eis hemas diadidotai
paradosis]. VI. 7. 61: [Greek: he gnosis de aute he kata diadochas]
(this is the only p