8. Abstract of: The Royal Road of the early fathers The fathers of the early church named the Christian spiritual way the Royal Way, or Royal Road. Clement of Alexandria wrote about it that: "While there is one royal highway, there are many other roads, some leading to a precipice, some to a rushing river or a deep sea, no one will shrink from travelling by reason of the diversity, but will make use of the safe, and royal, and frequented way." He also wrote: "Whence, 'Seek and ye shall find,' holding on by the truly royal road, and not deviating. As we might expect, then, the generative power of the seeds of the doctrines comprehended in this treatise is great in small space, as the 'universal herbage of the field.'" (Clement of Alexandria, 'Stromata', Vol. IV.) Clement distinguished the lifestyle and prayer life of one who truly knows God (i.e. a true Christian 'Gnostic',) from those more commonly known as the Gnostics, who - as he put it - ‘deny or twist the scriptures’. He also described the high level of dedication of those Christian Gnostics. |
