JbAC 6465 (2021/2022) Seiten: 16-51

This study gathers and interprets the many references to India in the works of Clement of Alexandria. The interpretations start from recent conclusions reached by A. van den Hoek and other scholars concerning Clement’s use of literary sources. We then apply the relevant principles of literary production to the Indic material. Clement assumes that his readers have a basic knowledge of cultures and lands of India, as one would expect in the social environment of second-century Alexandria, but he also depends heavily on previous scholarly authorities. These general attitudes and practices concerning India are applied to the famous reference to the Buddha at Stromateis 1,15,71,6. This reference fits both of Clement’s principles of composition. The name is presented as something Clement and other Alexandrians might have encountered in their daily lives, but the larger context is filled with citations from numerous authorities.