Clement of Alexandria · a new plain-English translation from the original language
It seems that the reason salvation appears harder for the rich than for those without possessions is not a single thing but manifold. For some, hearing at once and offhand the Lord's saying, that a camel finds it easier to squeeze through a needle's opening than a wealthy man to gain entrance to the kingdom of heaven, despair of themselves as men who cannot live that life, and, giving everything over to the world, and clinging to the life here as though it were the only one left to them, have fallen away all the more from the road that leads yonder, no longer troubling themselves to inquire either whom the Master and Teacher means by "the rich," or how what is impossible among men becomes possible. Others, on the other hand, have understood this rightly and fittingly, but, neglecting the works that bear upon salvation, have not made the preparation needed to obtain the things hoped for. Now I say this with both classes of the rich in mind — those who have perceived both the power of the Savior and his manifest salvation — while I care little for the uninitiated in the truth.
It is necessary, then, for those who love the truth and love the brethren . . .
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