Training the Soul: Clement’s Radical Vision for Christian Life and Character

What should a Christian life actually look like? Clement of Alexandria's Paedagogus offers one of the earliest and most thoughtful answers.

• Presents Clement’s second major work, addressing Christian ethics and daily conduct

• Offers practical instruction for believers living in a non-Christian society

• Bridges Greco-Roman philosophy and biblical teaching on virtue, self-control, and holiness

• Includes complete English translation with updated, accessible language

• Draws on Scripture, Stoicism, and ancient medical theory to shape Christian discipline

In Paedagogus (“The Instructor”), Clement of Alexandria outlines a spiritual formation manual for new believers, focusing on how Christians should live once they’ve come to faith. Unlike abstract theology, this work is deeply concerned with daily life—food, clothing, speech, sex, money, and manners—all seen through the lens of holiness and imitation of Christ. Clement casts Christ as the ultimate teacher who trains believers into mature sons and daughters of God.

This volume offers a full English translation of Clement’s influential work, making it accessible to modern readers while preserving its rhetorical force and cultural context. Clement’s call for modesty, restraint, and virtue is as relevant today as it was in the second century.

This edition benefits from AI-assisted translation, enhancing clarity while remaining grounded in the original Greek. Ideal for students of early Christianity, patristics, or moral theology.