ls in his works and rarest of all the bishops.
These do not at all belong to his conception of the Church, or at least
only in so far as they resemble the English orders (cf. Paed. III. 12.
97, presbyters, bishops, deacons, widows; Strom. VII. 1. 3; III. 12. 90,
presbyters, deacons, laity; VI. 13. 106, presbyters, deacons: VI. 13.
107, bishops, presbyters, deacons: Quis dives 42, bishops and
presbyters). On the other hand, according to Clement, the true Gnostic
has an office like that of the Apostles. See Strom. VI. 13. 106, 107:
[Greek: exestin oun kai nun tais kyriakais enaskesantas entolais kata to
euangelion teleios biosantas kai gnostikos eis ten eklogen ton apostolon
engraphenai houtos presbuteros esti to onti tes ekklesias kai diakonos
alethes tes tou theou bouleseos]. Here we see plainly that the servants
of the earthly Church, as such, have nothing to do with the true Church
and the heavenly hierarchy. Strom VII. 9, 52 says: the true Gnostic is
the mediator with God. In Strom. VI. 14. 108; VII. 12. 77 we find the
words: [Greek: ho gnostikos houtos sunelonti eipein ten apostoliken
apousian antanapleroi, k.t.l.] Clement could not have expressed himself
in this way if the office of bishop had at that time been as much
esteemed in the Alexandrian Church, of which he was a presbyter, as it
was at Rome and in other Churches of the West (see Bigg l.c. 101).
According to Clement the Gnostic as a teacher has the same significance
as is possessed by the bishop in the West; and according to him we may
speak of a natural succession of teachers. Origen in the main still held
the same view as his predecessor. But numerous passages in his works and
above all his own history shew that in his day the episcopate had become
stronger in Alexandria also, and had begun to claim the same attributes
and rights as in the West (see besides de princip. praef. 2: "servetur
ecclesiastica praedicatio per successionis ordinem ab apostolis tradita
et usque ad praesens in ecclesiis permanens: illa sola credenda est
veritas, quae in nullo ab ecclesiastica et apostolica discordat
traditione"--so in Rufinus, and in IV. 2. 2: [Greek: tou kanonos tes
Iesou Christou kata diadochen t. apostolon ouraniou ekklesias]). The
state of things here is therefore exactly the same as in the case of the
apostolic _regula fidei_ and the apostolic canon of scripture. Clement
still represents an earlier stage, whereas by Origen's time the
revolution has been complete