esti soteria, kai touto
ekklesia kekletai]--here an idea which Hermas had in his mind (see Vol.
I., p. 180. note 4) is pregnantly and excellently expressed. Strom. II.
12. 55; IV. 8. 66: [Greek: eikon tes ouraniou ekklesias he epigeios,
dioper euchometha kai epi ges genesthai to thelema tou Theou hos en
ourano]; IV. 26. 172: [Greek: he ekklesia hupo logou apoliorketos
aturannetos polis epi ges, thelema theion epi ges, hos en ourano]; VI.
13. 106, 107; VI. 14. 108: [Greek: he anotato ekklesia, kath' hen hoi
philosophoi sunagontai tou Theou]; VII. 5. 29: [Greek: pos ou kurios ten
eis timen tou Theou kat' epignosin hagian genomenen ekklesian hieron an
eipoimen Theou to pollou axion ... ou gar nun ton topon, alla to
athroisma ton eklekton ekklesian kalo]; VII. 6. 32; VII. 11. 68: [Greek:
he pneumatike ekklesia]. The empirical conception of the Church is most
clearly formulated in VII. 17. 107; we may draw special attention to the
following sentences: [Greek: phaneron oimai gegenesthai mian einai ten
alethe ekklesian ten toi onti archaian, eis hen hoi kata prothesin
dikaioi egkatalegontai, henos gar ontos tou Theou kai henos tou kuriou
... te goun tou henos phusei sunklerountai ekklesia he mia, hen eis
pollas katatemnein biazontai haireseis].]

[Footnote 157: It may, however, be noted that the old eschatological aim
has fallen into the background in Clement's conception of the Church.]

[Footnote 158: A significance of this kind is suggested by the notion
that the orders in the earthly Church correspond to those in the
heavenly one; but this idea, which afterwards became so important in the
East, was turned to no further account by Clement. In his view the
"Gnostics" are the highest stage in the Church. See Bigg, l.c., p. 100.]

[Footnote 159: De princip. IV. 2, 2: [Greek: he ouranios ekklesia]; Hom.
IX. in Exod. c. 3: "ecclesia credentium plebs;" Hom. XI. in Lev. c. 5;
Hom. VI. in Lev. c. 5; ibid. Hom. IX.: "omni ecclesiae dei et credentium
populo sacerdotium datum.": T. XIV. in Mt. c. 17: c. Cels. VI. 48: VI.
79; Hom. VII. in Lk.; and de orat. 31 a twofold Church is distinguished
([Greek: hoste einai epi ton hagion sunathroizomenon diplen ekklesian
ten men anthropon, ten de angelon]). Nevertheless Origen does not assume
two Churches, but, like Clement, holds that there is only one, part of
which is already in a state of perfection and part still on earth. But
it is worthy of note that the ideas of the heavenly hierarchy