Διχῶς καὶ ἐναντίως. La règle des syzygies des Homélies pseudoclémentines dans son contexte intellectuel grec

Abstract

In the pseudo-clementine Homilies, the rule of syzygies sets in place a binary structure for the world, opposing ignorance to knowledge, truth to falsehood, and many others pairs. Based on an analysis of Homilies II, this article intends to shed light on how the rule of syzygies is developed throughout the novel, up to Homilies XX, and how it plays an active part in narrative and doctrinal issues. As shown by the study of συζυγία and opposite pairs in Greek thought, the tension between the Homilies and their intellectual heritage stands out clearly, on the matter of conceiving discourses on the structure of reality. Ruling out the possibility of a valentinian origin for the rules of syzygies, it could still fuel a controversy against gnostic interpretations of Gn 1-3, through its treatment of Eve as head of the false prophecy.