On Whether the Rich Can Be Saved: Clement of Alexandria and Gnostic Conceptions of Wealth
Łukasz Koszałka
Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw , Polandhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-9051-3165
Abstract
The article examines the problem of wealth in second-century Christianity and asks whether the possession of material goods constitutes a decisive category for salvation. It offers a comparative study of Clement of Alexandria’s treatment of wealth in Quis dives salvetur and the function of wealth-related vocabulary in texts from the Nag Hammadi Library, particularly within the Sethian and Valentinian traditions and in the Gospel of Thomas. On this basis, it advances the thesis of a “structural convergence” between otherwise divergent theological frameworks. The method employed is a philological and semantic analysis of ancient sources within the perspective of soteriological architecture.
The study shows that both Clement and the Nag Hammadi writings relocate the axis of salvation beyond the visible distinction between rich and poor. Clement shifts the focus from external possession to inner disposition and the governance of the passions, while the gnostic texts ground salvation in knowledge, origin, and spiritual constitution. The primary sources include Quis dives salvetur, the Apocryphon of John, the Tractatus Tripartitus, the Gospel of Thomas, and Irenaeus’ account. The article contributes to early Christian studies by identifying a formal analogy in the reconfiguration of salvific criteria while preserving doctrinal differences.
Keywords:
Clement of Alexandria, Quis dives salvetur, Nag Hammadi Library, wealth and salvation, wealth in early Christianity, GnosticismReferences
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Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University in Warsaw https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9051-3165
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