Esoteric Teaching in the Stromateis of Clement of Alexandria

The Stromateis of Clement of Alexandria (c.150-215 CE) has received much scholarly debate over whether it can be accorded the role of the third and highest phase of his pedagogy. This was a treatise that promised an account of the true philosophy of Christ set down for Christians seeking higher knowledge of doctrine. This book takes a new approach to deciphering the nature and purpose of these enigmatic books concentrating on the close relationship between method and doctrine, and the number and sequence of the texts as they have come down to us. The outcome is a concise summary of current scholarship on Clement’s method and a fresh picture of how he applies it to the transmission of esoteric doctrines.

Andrew C. Itter, Ph.D (2004) in Philosophy of Religion, La Trobe University, Bendigo is the Head of Religious Education at Girton Grammar School. He has published work on the theology and mysticism of Clement of Alexandria and Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite.

"...a sparkling appreciation of the most controversial and bewildering of Clement's substantially extrant works, the Stromateis. [...] The questions that Itter addresses are fundamental to the interpretation of the Stromateis as a whole, and his sharp observations [...] render his work a source of enjoyment and benefit alike for the beginner and for the stablished Clement scholar." – Jane Heath, Durham University, in: The Expository Times 124/9 (June 2013)
"Andrew Itter has offered students of Clement an enjoyable and useful book. He provides both a survey to recent scholarship and an original approach to interpreting highly complex texts. [...] he highlights the esoteric aspects of Clement's teachings, [...] and explains how this enigmatic early Christian writer can be viewed as a forerunner of later mystical traditions." – Annewies van den Hoek, in: Vig Chr 64 (2010)