Clement of Alexandria · a new plain-English translation from the original language
We ourselves must abstain entirely from foul speech, and we must silence those who indulge in it, whether by a sharper glance, or by turning away the face, or by the so-called snort of contempt, and often too by a rougher word. For "the things that go out of the mouth," it says, "defile a man," showing him to be common and heathenish and uneducated and licentious, rather than a man of his own, decent and self-controlled. Against the hearing of shameful things and the sight of things of like character, the divine Instructor acts just as with boys who wrestle: so that their ears may not be shattered, he wraps sober words around them like ear-guards, so that fornication's blow cannot reach in and shatter the soul; and toward noble sights he turns the eyes, teaching that stumbling on one's feet is preferable to a fall caused by the eyes. Repelling this foul speech, the apostle says, "let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but only what is good"; and again: "as befits saints, let there not even be named among you shamefulness or foolish talk or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather thanksgiving." And if the one who calls his brother a fool is liable to judgment, what shall we pronounce concerning the one who talks foolishness? Concerning this too it is written: "for every idle word spoken, a man must give account before the Lord when judgment comes." And again it says, "by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned." What then are the saving ear-guards? And what is the instruction for slippery eyes? Association with the righteous, which forestalls and stops up beforehand the ears against those who wish to lead one away from the truth. "Evil company corrupts good character," says the poet. But more nobly the apostle says, "become those who abhor what is evil, cleaving to what is good"; for the one who keeps company with the holy will be made holy. In every way, then, one must abstain from shameful things heard and spoken and seen, and much more must one keep pure from shameful deeds — this in the showing off and baring of certain parts of the body which ought not to be bared, and that in the gazing upon the more hidden parts. For the self-controlled son could not bear to look upon the nakedness of the righteous man, shameful as it was; rather self-control covered over what drunkenness had bared, the conspicuous fall of ignorance. And one must keep pure no less in the utterances of the voice, sounds that ought never to reach the ears of any who have put their faith in Christ. In this way it seems to me the Instructor does not allow us even to utter anything of unseemliness, warding us off from licentiousness while it is still far away. For he is ever skillful at cutting out the roots of sins, as with "you shall not commit adultery" by means of "you shall not desire"; for adultery is the fruit of desire, the evil root. So likewise here the Instructor has condemned the fearless use of names, cutting out the fearless mingling with licentiousness. For disorder in names creates the practice of disorder in deeds as well, while self-control concerning the voice is training in endurance of lust. We have determined, in a more thorough discussion, that neither in the names nor indeed in the parts used for intercourse, nor in the union that belongs to marriage — concerning which the names not worn smooth by common usage are applied — is the designation of what is truly shameful assigned. For neither are the knee and the shin shameful as bodily parts, nor indeed shameful are the words given to them or the deeds performed by their means (and the private parts of a human being too are members, deemed worthy of modesty, not shame); rather what is shameful is their unlawful activity, worthy for this reason of disgrace and reproach and punishment; for in truth only vice, and the things done in accordance with it, are shameful. In keeping with this, foul speech would rightly be called the making of speeches about the works of vice — such as discoursing about adultery or pederasty and the like. Indeed, one must also silence idle chattering. "For by much talking," it says, "you will not escape sin"; so the wagging tongue will pay a penalty: "for the one who is silent is found to be wise, and one is hated for much talking." Already the chatterer becomes wearisome even to himself: "for the one who multiplies words abhors his own soul."
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