Clement of Alexandria’s Homily Quis dives salvetur? as a Source of Legenda aurea

It is well known that the Medieval collection of hagiographies Legenda aurea contains (as part of the hagiography De sancto Iohanne apostolo et evangelista) the story about the apostle John and the second repentance of a young robber which was originally part of Clement‘s homily Quis dives salvetur?. The article reflects possible transmitting of texts between the QDS and Legenda aurea (above all Historia ecclesiastica by Eusebius and ps.­‑Abdias' text Virtutes Iohannis), looking for additional shared motifs between these two works, and concludes that the author of Legenda aurea was inspired by Clement in the case of at least two other stories. From Clement‘s homily, he assumes not only the stories, but also his theological argumentation related to richness and its uses. Finally, the article reflects the reasons why Clement’s less well-known (marginal) work found its "second life" in the Middle Ages. Part of the article is the Appendix – a synopsis of relevant texts (QDS, Le­genda aurea and Virtutes Iohannis).

Keywords: Clement of Alexandria; Quis dives salvetur?; Jacobus de Varagine; Legenda aurea; Ps.­‑Abdias; Virtutes Iohannis; Eusebius, Historia ecclesiastica; The Story about the Apostle John and a Young Robber; "Wirkungsgeschichte" of Mk 10:17–31 par.; Non­‑canonical Traditions; Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles