What does Clement of Alexandria teach in his Exhortation to the Heathen?

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In his Exhortation to the Heathen, Clement of Alexandria urges pagans to abandon immoral and irrational religious rites and turn to Christ, the divine Word, and God the Father. He teaches that the Word became human so that humanity could learn a heavenly way of life and attain deification through the Incarnation.

In his Exhortation to the Heathen (also known as The Exhortation of the Greeks or Protreptikos), Clement of Alexandria sets out to win pagans to the Christian faith and promote the conversion of the Greeks. According to H.G. Bishop Suriel in Christian Education In the Church of Alexandria in the First Five Centuries and the Introduction to Clement's works, the text presents a withering exposure of pagan religions and mystery cults, denouncing them as immoral, irrational, and marked by "abominable licentiousness, the gross imposture and sordidness of paganism." Clement urges his readers to abandon these impious rites in favor of the adoration of the divine Word and God the Father. As recorded in Exhortation to the Heathen, Clement addresses Hellenic myths and renowned minstrels such as Amphion of Thebes, Arion of Methymna, the Thracian song master, and Eunomos the Locrian, who sang an ode at Pytho for the Pythic serpent. In Eusebius’s Praeparatio Evangelica (Book 2), it is noted that Clement unveils the secret mysteries and initiatory rites of pagan shrines, demonstrating that they arise from "daemoniacal delusion" and warrant ridicule, shame, and pity. Citing the Greeks' own writings, Clement explains that their gods were merely mortal men—such as tyrants, giants, sorcerers, quacks, or earthly benefactors—who were falsely proclaimed divine, meaning that the houses of their gods are in reality "tombs of the dead." In place of these pagan delusions, Clement directs his readers to Christ and the revelation of the Gospel. As highlighted in 503, Clement grounds a heavenly mode of life directly in the Incarnation, declaring: "The Word himself speaks to you distinctly now, shaming your lack of belief; yes, I say, the Word of God became human, in order that you may learn from a human being how a human being may possibly become a god." Through this reciprocal understanding of the Word taking on flesh, Clement became the first Alexandrian theologian to employ the language of "deification" to articulate the salvific fruits of the Incarnation for humanity. Sources: H-G-Bishop-Suriel-Christian-Education-In-the-Church-of-Alexandria-in-the-First-Five-Centuries; 503; Clement of Alexandria: Introduction; Exortation to the Brethren - Clement of Alexandria; Eusebius of Caesarea: Praeparatio Evangelica (Preparation for the Gospel). Tr. E.H. Gifford (1903) -- Book 2

What does Clement of Alexandria teach in his Exhortation to the Heathen?

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