Clement of Alexandria, Saint, original name Titus Flavius Clemens ?150-?215
A.D. Greek Christian theologian; head of the catechetical school at Alexandria;
teacher of Origen. Feast day: Dec 5.
extract from A Vegetarian Sourcebook, 1989, by Keith Akers:
Clement wrote, "It is far better to be happy than to have your bodies act
as graveyards for animals. Accordingly, the apostle Matthew partook of seeds,
nuts and vegetables, without flesh". One of the earliest Christian documents
is the `Clementine Homiles', a second-century work purportedly based on the
teachings of St. Peter. Homily XII states, "The unnatural eating of flesh
meats is as polluting as the heathen worship of devils, with its sacrifices
and its impure feasts, through participation in it a man becomes a fellow eater
with devils".