Continence and Marriage: the Concept of Enkrateia in Clement of Alexandria1

Abstract

In this article, I attempt to define the role that the concept of enkrateia – continence, self-control – plays in the thinking of Clement of Alexandria, particularly with regard to marriage and sexuality. Did Clement in fact reject human sexuality and prefer celibacy to marriage, as is sometimes maintained? What were his visions for an ideal marriage? Through analysis of his various pronouncements on these issues, a more nuanced picture emerges of his continuing engagement with a problematic area of Early Christian doctrine and life.