Clement of Alexandria

Clement of Alexandria was a learned convert who became head of the great catechetical school of Alexandria around A.D. 190, where the young Origen may have been among his pupils. More than any Christian before him, he embraced the philosophy and literature of the Greeks, arguing that philosophy had been for the Greeks what the Law was for the Jews — a tutor leading them toward Christ. His trilogy — the Protrepticus, the Paedagogus, and the Stromata — set out to lead a cultured pagan step by step into the faith. He was venerated as a saint for centuries, though his name was later dropped from the calendar.