I'm reading Albert A. Bell, Jr.'s Exploring the New Testament World in preparation for a class on Roman Hellenism starting next week. I found a comment on Clement of Alexandria to be humorous. On the mystery cults prevalent in the Greco-Roman world, Bell notes that "we know much less about these mystery cults than we would like...One Christian writer, Clement of Alexandria (ca. 200), threatened to 'tell the mysteries openly and not be afraid to speak about what you are not ashamed to worship.'" He goes on to note, however, that all Clement reveals is the following recitation formula:
"I fasted; I drank the draught; I took from the chest; having done my task, I placed in the basket, and from the basket into the chest" (Exhort. 2.18).
Bell responds, "That doesn't clear things up quite as much as Clement might have thought." (p. 135) :)
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