Christ’s death as an example of love

Christ’s death as an example of love

My friend (who is studying to become a Licensed Reader) and I were looking through some of the books that I have for inspiration and information for the essay that she’s working on. We had a look in The Christian Theology Reader, edited by Alister E McGrath — basically a book of extended quotes — and came across this quote from Clement of Alexandria. I found it incredibly moving, and it encapsulates so much of what I think about God being love, and expressing that love through his humanity as Jesus. I thought I would share the full quote with you here.

Clement of Alexandria on Christ’s death as an example of love

Consider the mysteries of love, and you will then have a vision of the bosom of the Father, whom the only-begotten God alone has declared. God himself is love, and for the sake of this love he made himself known. And while the unutterable nature of God is Father, his sympathy with us is Mother. It was in his love that the Father became the nature which derives from woman, and the great proof of this is the Son whom he begot from himself, and the love that was the fruit produced from his love. For this he came down, for this he assumed human nature, for this he willingly endured the sufferings of humanity, that being reduced to the measure of our weakness, he might raise us to the measure of his power. And just before he poured out his offering, when he gave himself as a ransom, he left us a new testament: “I give you my love” (John 13:34). What is the nature and extent of this love? For each of us he laid down his life, the life which was worth the whole universe, and he requires in return that we should do the same for each other.

I had one of those real “Wow!” moments when I first read that.

It originally comes from a book written, probably, in the first decade of the third century — Clement of Alexandria: The Exhortation to the Greeks; The Rich Man’s Salavation.