"He is the congenial companion of our drinking"

Clement of Alexandria: A Christian Gnostic?

“The special field which Clement cultivated led him to insist on the difference between the faith of the ordinary Christian and the science of the perfect, and his teaching on this point is most characteristic of him. The perfect Christian has an insight into ‘the great mysteries’ of man, of nature, of virtue — which the ordinary Christian accepts without clear insight. Clement has seemed to some to exaggerate the moral worth of religious knowledge; it must however be remembered that he praises not mere sterile knowledge, but knowledge which turns to love. It is Christian perfection that he extols. The perfect Christian — the true Gnostic whom Clement loves to describe — leads a life of unalterable calm. And here Clement’s teaching is undoubtedly colored by Stoicism. He is really describing not so much the Christian with his sensitive feelings and desires under due control, but the ideal Stoic who has deadened his feelings altogether. The perfect Christian leads a life of utter devotion the love in his heart prompts him to live always in closest union with God by prayer, to labour for the conversion of souls, to love his enemies, and even to endure martyrdom itself.” The Catholic Encyclopedia

their drinking ["the wild celebrations of the holdiday seasons] vs. our drinking ["the feasts of reason" "the sociability arising from our drinking" "this Eucharistic feast of ours is completely innocent."