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The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians is a religious text written by Clement, a bishop of Rome, in the late first century. The book is a letter addressed to the church in Corinth, offering guidance and encouragement to the Christian community. The letter covers a range of topics, including the importance of unity and harmony within the church, the role of leaders and ministers, and the need for humility and self-discipline. Clement also addresses issues of morality and ethics, urging the Corinthians to live virtuous lives and avoid sinful behavior. The book is considered an important early Christian text, providing insight into the beliefs and practices of the early church. It is also notable for its use of Old Testament references and its emphasis on the importance of tradition and apostolic authority. The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians is a valuable resource for scholars of early Christianity and anyone interested in the history of the church.To these men who spent their lives in the practice of holiness, there is to be added a great multitude of the elect, who, having through envy endured many indignities and tortures, furnished. us with a most excellent example. Through envy, those women, the Danaids(18) and Dircae, being persecuted, after they had suffered terrible and unspeakable torments, finished the course of their faith with stedfastness, (19) and though weak in body, received a noble reward.This scarce antiquarian book is a facsimile reprint of the old original and may contain some imperfections such as library marks and notations. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment for protecting, preserving, and promoting the world's literature in affordable, high quality, modern editions, that are true to their original work
48 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 90
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About the author
Clement of Rome
257 books40 followersPope Clement I is also known as Saint Clement of Rome, is listed as Bishop of Rome, holding office from 88 to his death in 99. He is considered to be the first Apostolic Father of the Church.
Also known as Clemens Romanus
Also known as Clemens Romanus
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 89 reviews
January 20, 2024
A beautifully constructed letter attributed to Clement (the second or 3rd Bishop) of Rome. I am reading the new English translation by Rick Brannan, which is a fantastic translation. Very readable. According to the introduction this epistle was most likely written between 81-96 ad. It is a disciplinary letter written to the church in Corinth due to their overthrowing of several presbyters in the church because of dissension and disagreements. He calls for unity, and the reinstatement of the previous leaders as well as repentance and humility from the rebellious. He emphasizes the importance of humility and unity in the body of Christ, and encourages the church to pursue Christ in holiness and truth with a heart of humility and grace.
“For those who lead their lives with fear and love, they themselves prefer to experience mistreatments rather than their neighbors”
I was moved by his words of truth, and I am amazed at the way these things never change. Truth remains the same. Man remains sinful and broken and in need of constant mercy and grace. The disunity of the church today should break our hearts. We should place our brothers and sisters before ourselves. We should be as Moses, when he was with God on the mountain top for forty days, he was told that the people of Israel had erected a golden calf and were worshiping it, when God’s anger and wrath burned hot against them, Moses said,
“Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”
Exodus 32:31-32 NIV
Please forgive THEIR sin, but if not BLOT ME OUT!
This is the spirit of Christ. A heart of humility.
The same spirit of humility exemplified in Paul when he’s says,
“that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”
Romans 9:2-3 ESV
What a spirit of humility to love others so much that you would be willing to be accursed for their sake, that you would be willing to be blotted out of the book of life for the forgiveness of their sins! This is the spirit of God! This is the heart of Christ! What drove Him to lay his life down for sinners and forgive their wretched, evil acts. His immeasurable love for mankind. His immeasurable humility and his immeasurable mercy and grace.
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2nd Corinthians 5:21 ESV
How far away we are from such love and humility.
Our hearts continually produce rebellion, and we are continuously in need of repentance. But our hope never changes, by repentance and love for God and our brothers and sisters, we look to Christ the perfecter of our faith through the inward working of the Holy Spirit to sanctify us and redeem us.
This letter from our Early church father Clement of Rome is a testament to the eternal truth of Christ that continues with the same vigor today to cut through the heart of man, not with sophisticated and pompous intellectual rhetoric, but with searing and simplistic capital “T” TRUTH that cuts straight to the heart.
“For those who lead their lives with fear and love, they themselves prefer to experience mistreatments rather than their neighbors”
I was moved by his words of truth, and I am amazed at the way these things never change. Truth remains the same. Man remains sinful and broken and in need of constant mercy and grace. The disunity of the church today should break our hearts. We should place our brothers and sisters before ourselves. We should be as Moses, when he was with God on the mountain top for forty days, he was told that the people of Israel had erected a golden calf and were worshiping it, when God’s anger and wrath burned hot against them, Moses said,
“Oh, what a great sin these people have committed! They have made themselves gods of gold. But now, please forgive their sin—but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written.”
Exodus 32:31-32 NIV
Please forgive THEIR sin, but if not BLOT ME OUT!
This is the spirit of Christ. A heart of humility.
The same spirit of humility exemplified in Paul when he’s says,
“that I have great sorrow and unceasing anguish in my heart. For I could wish that I myself were accursed and cut off from Christ for the sake of my brothers, my kinsmen according to the flesh.”
Romans 9:2-3 ESV
What a spirit of humility to love others so much that you would be willing to be accursed for their sake, that you would be willing to be blotted out of the book of life for the forgiveness of their sins! This is the spirit of God! This is the heart of Christ! What drove Him to lay his life down for sinners and forgive their wretched, evil acts. His immeasurable love for mankind. His immeasurable humility and his immeasurable mercy and grace.
“For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.” 2nd Corinthians 5:21 ESV
How far away we are from such love and humility.
Our hearts continually produce rebellion, and we are continuously in need of repentance. But our hope never changes, by repentance and love for God and our brothers and sisters, we look to Christ the perfecter of our faith through the inward working of the Holy Spirit to sanctify us and redeem us.
This letter from our Early church father Clement of Rome is a testament to the eternal truth of Christ that continues with the same vigor today to cut through the heart of man, not with sophisticated and pompous intellectual rhetoric, but with searing and simplistic capital “T” TRUTH that cuts straight to the heart.
October 15, 2018
This letter is an amazing church document. It is dated anywhere from about 70 AD to 96 AD. Even though there is no author mentioned, it is fairly certain among scholars Clement of Rome , 4th Bishop of Rome, penned the letter. It is structured very much like any Church document today.
The background is sedition at the church in Corinth, presbyters (priests) have been deposed. Two aspects of this letter shed light on the life in the early Church, which I consider remarkable.
1) The Bishop of Rome felt it necessary to intervene, so the primacy of Rome is already established. The assertive tone in which the letter is written leaves no doubt that Clement saw it as his responsibility to act.
2) By quoting Scripture and the precedence of Christ and his Apostles, he states without going into detail, that there are clear instructions pertaining to the appointing of ministers not just for the present, but also for future generations. Hence we have a reference to apostolic succession. Presbyters cannot justly be removed from office if their conduct has been blameless and honorable.
Clement makes a strong defense of the Church as one community, the Body of Christ. Under no circumstance should this Body be severed. He is very forceful as well as inspiring. His words haven’t lost their relevance. They echo down the centuries as a grave warning. Clement teaches that to preserve unity requires humility. Humility, as we all know too well, is often in very short supply.
The background is sedition at the church in Corinth, presbyters (priests) have been deposed. Two aspects of this letter shed light on the life in the early Church, which I consider remarkable.
1) The Bishop of Rome felt it necessary to intervene, so the primacy of Rome is already established. The assertive tone in which the letter is written leaves no doubt that Clement saw it as his responsibility to act.
2) By quoting Scripture and the precedence of Christ and his Apostles, he states without going into detail, that there are clear instructions pertaining to the appointing of ministers not just for the present, but also for future generations. Hence we have a reference to apostolic succession. Presbyters cannot justly be removed from office if their conduct has been blameless and honorable.
Clement makes a strong defense of the Church as one community, the Body of Christ. Under no circumstance should this Body be severed. He is very forceful as well as inspiring. His words haven’t lost their relevance. They echo down the centuries as a grave warning. Clement teaches that to preserve unity requires humility. Humility, as we all know too well, is often in very short supply.
March 2, 2017
Interesting church history document. Filled with Scripture, so it's also an interesting example of how early Christian authors made a case from Scripture.
August 11, 2019
A splendid way to start my seven-year journey through the early church fathers.
March 5, 2025
Second reading.
______
Wow. A really sublime letter! I was moved to read the letter of a man so near the apostles era, and to a church founded by one of them. So many good things was said about this letter, so I will only add some of my own appreciations.
1. Clement took much efforts to first established a high vision of God, first remedy of the pride and schisms he want to address. Throughout the letter he exalte God’s power, grace, justice, sovereignty, love and faithfulness. We have much to learn here. Evangelicals tends to be pragmatic, proposing quick fix solutions to problems, while neglecting any real efforts to establish profound theological realities.
2. Salvation by grace through faith is expressed everywhere clearly. No trace of moralism at all. Instead, I would say it’s undiluted apostolic teachings. Concerning this, read those straightforward quotes :
« And we also, having been called through His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified by ourselves, or by our own wisdom or understanding or piety or the works we have done in holiness of heart, but through the faith, by which the Almighty God has justified all men from the beginning; to whom be glory for all ages. Amen. » (32.4)
« Let us strive, therefore, to be found in the number of those who wait for Him, that we may share in the promised gifts. But how shall this be, beloved? If our mind be fixed by means of faith on God; if we seek what is pleasing and acceptable to Him; if we perform what is proper to His faultless will and follow the path of truth, casting from us all injustice and wickedness, covetousness, strife, malice and deceit, gossiping and evil speaking, hatred of God, arrogance and boasting, vainglory and inhospitality. » (35.4-6)
This is the way, beloved, by which we found our Saviour, Jesus Christ, the high priest of our offerings, the protector and the helper of our weakness. Through Him let us strain our eyes toward the heights of heaven; through Him we see mirrored His spotless and glorious countenance. Through Him the eyes of our heart have been opened; through Him our foolish and darkened understanding shoots up into the light; through Him the Lord willed that we should taste immortal knowledge, ‘Who, being the brightness of his majesty is so much greater than the angels as he hath inherited a more excellent name.’ »(36.1-2)
« All the generations from Adam to this day have passed away; but those who were made perfect in charity by the grace of God live among the saints; and they shall be made manifest at the judgment of the Kingdom of Christ. » (50.3)
« Brothers, the Lord of the universe has need of nothing; He requires nothing of anyone, except that confession be made to Him. » (52.21)
3. Each of his reproofs and exhortations are founded on and nourished by either Old Testament promises, warnings and exemples, or by Christ’s teachings and his apostles´. In other words, it is a Bible-saturated exhortation.
4. The pastorale care and grace that Clement manifested throughout the letter is amazing. Even though he sometimes authoritatively call to repentance, he never forget to share the assurance of forgiveness and restauration for those who humbly confess, repent and trust.
What a read !
______
Wow. A really sublime letter! I was moved to read the letter of a man so near the apostles era, and to a church founded by one of them. So many good things was said about this letter, so I will only add some of my own appreciations.
1. Clement took much efforts to first established a high vision of God, first remedy of the pride and schisms he want to address. Throughout the letter he exalte God’s power, grace, justice, sovereignty, love and faithfulness. We have much to learn here. Evangelicals tends to be pragmatic, proposing quick fix solutions to problems, while neglecting any real efforts to establish profound theological realities.
2. Salvation by grace through faith is expressed everywhere clearly. No trace of moralism at all. Instead, I would say it’s undiluted apostolic teachings. Concerning this, read those straightforward quotes :
« And we also, having been called through His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified by ourselves, or by our own wisdom or understanding or piety or the works we have done in holiness of heart, but through the faith, by which the Almighty God has justified all men from the beginning; to whom be glory for all ages. Amen. » (32.4)
« Let us strive, therefore, to be found in the number of those who wait for Him, that we may share in the promised gifts. But how shall this be, beloved? If our mind be fixed by means of faith on God; if we seek what is pleasing and acceptable to Him; if we perform what is proper to His faultless will and follow the path of truth, casting from us all injustice and wickedness, covetousness, strife, malice and deceit, gossiping and evil speaking, hatred of God, arrogance and boasting, vainglory and inhospitality. » (35.4-6)
This is the way, beloved, by which we found our Saviour, Jesus Christ, the high priest of our offerings, the protector and the helper of our weakness. Through Him let us strain our eyes toward the heights of heaven; through Him we see mirrored His spotless and glorious countenance. Through Him the eyes of our heart have been opened; through Him our foolish and darkened understanding shoots up into the light; through Him the Lord willed that we should taste immortal knowledge, ‘Who, being the brightness of his majesty is so much greater than the angels as he hath inherited a more excellent name.’ »(36.1-2)
« All the generations from Adam to this day have passed away; but those who were made perfect in charity by the grace of God live among the saints; and they shall be made manifest at the judgment of the Kingdom of Christ. » (50.3)
« Brothers, the Lord of the universe has need of nothing; He requires nothing of anyone, except that confession be made to Him. » (52.21)
3. Each of his reproofs and exhortations are founded on and nourished by either Old Testament promises, warnings and exemples, or by Christ’s teachings and his apostles´. In other words, it is a Bible-saturated exhortation.
4. The pastorale care and grace that Clement manifested throughout the letter is amazing. Even though he sometimes authoritatively call to repentance, he never forget to share the assurance of forgiveness and restauration for those who humbly confess, repent and trust.
What a read !
October 12, 2018
Fascinating. It reads like a modern day Papal encyclical, and yet it was written in 96 AD. I probably have more questions than answers. Was this epistle meant only for the Corinthian church or was it intended to be circulated? Are modern encyclicals based on this letter or are the similarities coincidental, or is this just the natural way Popes write? What exactly was the reason the church at Corinth rebelled against the presbyters? The letter doesn't seem to explain. Was Clement justified in defending these priests? Of course we'll never know, but he certainly makes a solid appeal. It's well worth the read and it shows you how unchanged the Church has remained in two thousand years.
Another thing that impressed me was how well read Clement was. You would think that in a world where books are actually rare to have that many people, even the Pope, would not have detailed knowledge of extant writings. He quotes Old and New Testaments flawlessly, and given what would become the New Testament writings were scattered about, uncollected, and not identified as a canon for another few hundred years, it's really impressive. Apparently the Bishop of Rome had to be well read then as well as now. And his rhetorical skill reveals a very learned man. It's well worth the read.
Another thing that impressed me was how well read Clement was. You would think that in a world where books are actually rare to have that many people, even the Pope, would not have detailed knowledge of extant writings. He quotes Old and New Testaments flawlessly, and given what would become the New Testament writings were scattered about, uncollected, and not identified as a canon for another few hundred years, it's really impressive. Apparently the Bishop of Rome had to be well read then as well as now. And his rhetorical skill reveals a very learned man. It's well worth the read.
September 21, 2024
Absolutely intriguing. Clement’s homily calls the Corinthian’s to return to Paul’s letters of unity and love, to submit to their bishop and stop dissenting from ecclesial authority.
March 8, 2022
Clement's epistle is obviously ancient yet such a breath of fresh air and so applicable to modern times. While not a part of Biblical canon, it reads much like a Pauline epistle. So much so that I felt like I had just met a friend I had somehow known my whole life.
Here are some excerpts I loved:
"So the worthless rose up against the honoured, those of no reputation against such as were renowned, the foolish against the wise, the young against those advanced in years."
"These things, beloved, we write unto you, not merely to admonish you of your duty, but also to remind ourselves. For we are struggling on the same arena, and the same conflict is assigned to both of us."
"Ye see, beloved, what is the example which has been given us; for if the Lord thus humbled Himself, what shall we do who have through Him come under the yoke of His grace?"
"Let us reflect how near He is, and that none of the thoughts or reasonings in which we engage are hid from Him. It is right, therefore, that we should not leave the post which His will has assigned us. Let us rather offend those men who are foolish, and inconsiderate, and lifted up, and who glory in the pride of their speech, than [offend] God."
"His breath is in us; and when He pleases, He will take it away."
"Boldness, and arrogance, and audacity belong to those that are accursed of God; but moderation, humility, and meekness to such as are blessed by Him."
"The good servant receives the bread of his labour with confidence; the lazy and slothful cannot look his employer in the face. It is requisite, therefore, that we be prompt in the practice of well-doing; for of Him are all things."
"This is the way, beloved, in which we find our Saviour, even Jesus Christ, the High Priest of all our offerings, the defender and helper of our infirmity. By Him we look up to the heights of heaven. By Him we behold, as in a glass, His immaculate and most excellent visage. By Him are the eyes of our hearts opened. By Him our foolish and darkened understanding blossoms up anew towards His marvellous light. By Him the Lord has willed that we should taste of immortal knowledge"
"The great cannot subsist without the small, nor the small without the great. There is a kind of mixture in all things, and thence arises mutual advantage."
"Ye are fond of contention, brethren, and full of zeal about things which do not pertain to salvation."
"There you will not find that the righteous were cast off by men who themselves were holy. The righteous were indeed persecuted, but only by the wicked. They were cast into prison, but only by the unholy; they were stoned, but only by transgressors; they were slain, but only by the accursed, and such as had conceived an unrighteous envy against them."
"Your schism has subverted [the faith of] many, has discouraged many, has given rise to doubt in many, and has caused grief to us all. And still your sedition continueth."
"On account of the Love he bore us, Jesus Christ our Lord gave His blood for us by the will of God; His flesh for our flesh, and His soul for our souls."
"For such as live in fear and love would rather that they themselves than their neighbours should be involved in suffering."
"The Lord, brethren, stands in need of nothing; and He desires nothing of any one, except that confession be made to Him."
"Let us then also pray for those who have fallen into any sin, that meekness and humility may be given to them, so that they may submit, not unto us, but to the will of God."
"Let us receive correction, beloved, on account of which no one should feel displeased. Those exhortations by which we admonish one another are both good [in themselves] and highly profitable, for they tend to unite us to the will of God."
"For it is better for you that ye should occupy a humble but honourable place in the flock of Christ, than that, being highly exalted, ye should be cast out from the hope of His people.
Here are some excerpts I loved:
"So the worthless rose up against the honoured, those of no reputation against such as were renowned, the foolish against the wise, the young against those advanced in years."
"These things, beloved, we write unto you, not merely to admonish you of your duty, but also to remind ourselves. For we are struggling on the same arena, and the same conflict is assigned to both of us."
"Ye see, beloved, what is the example which has been given us; for if the Lord thus humbled Himself, what shall we do who have through Him come under the yoke of His grace?"
"Let us reflect how near He is, and that none of the thoughts or reasonings in which we engage are hid from Him. It is right, therefore, that we should not leave the post which His will has assigned us. Let us rather offend those men who are foolish, and inconsiderate, and lifted up, and who glory in the pride of their speech, than [offend] God."
"His breath is in us; and when He pleases, He will take it away."
"Boldness, and arrogance, and audacity belong to those that are accursed of God; but moderation, humility, and meekness to such as are blessed by Him."
"The good servant receives the bread of his labour with confidence; the lazy and slothful cannot look his employer in the face. It is requisite, therefore, that we be prompt in the practice of well-doing; for of Him are all things."
"This is the way, beloved, in which we find our Saviour, even Jesus Christ, the High Priest of all our offerings, the defender and helper of our infirmity. By Him we look up to the heights of heaven. By Him we behold, as in a glass, His immaculate and most excellent visage. By Him are the eyes of our hearts opened. By Him our foolish and darkened understanding blossoms up anew towards His marvellous light. By Him the Lord has willed that we should taste of immortal knowledge"
"The great cannot subsist without the small, nor the small without the great. There is a kind of mixture in all things, and thence arises mutual advantage."
"Ye are fond of contention, brethren, and full of zeal about things which do not pertain to salvation."
"There you will not find that the righteous were cast off by men who themselves were holy. The righteous were indeed persecuted, but only by the wicked. They were cast into prison, but only by the unholy; they were stoned, but only by transgressors; they were slain, but only by the accursed, and such as had conceived an unrighteous envy against them."
"Your schism has subverted [the faith of] many, has discouraged many, has given rise to doubt in many, and has caused grief to us all. And still your sedition continueth."
"On account of the Love he bore us, Jesus Christ our Lord gave His blood for us by the will of God; His flesh for our flesh, and His soul for our souls."
"For such as live in fear and love would rather that they themselves than their neighbours should be involved in suffering."
"The Lord, brethren, stands in need of nothing; and He desires nothing of any one, except that confession be made to Him."
"Let us then also pray for those who have fallen into any sin, that meekness and humility may be given to them, so that they may submit, not unto us, but to the will of God."
"Let us receive correction, beloved, on account of which no one should feel displeased. Those exhortations by which we admonish one another are both good [in themselves] and highly profitable, for they tend to unite us to the will of God."
"For it is better for you that ye should occupy a humble but honourable place in the flock of Christ, than that, being highly exalted, ye should be cast out from the hope of His people.
January 19, 2021
In this early church document, the author (traditionally Clement) writes to the church at Corinth on behalf of the church at Rome. He addresses the schism in Corinth in 57:1 when he writes, "You, therefore, who laid the foundation of the revolt must submit to the presbyters and accept discipline leading to repentance, bending the knees of your heart." Humility flows throughout the epistle as a prevailing need in the church during a time of the schism and is filled with Scriptural quotations, mostly from the Old Testament.
First read in English for my study through the apostolic fathers before coming back slowly in Greek.
First read in English for my study through the apostolic fathers before coming back slowly in Greek.
February 13, 2021
Ett brev till en församling som förlorat sitt fokus på vad som är viktigt i enhetlighet, och vad som är grälande för grälandets skull. Boken går igenom varför det senare inte bara är irreligiöst som attityd utan rent hycklande. Den är inte speciellt tung, och har man en tillräcklig bibelkunskap så sägs egentligen inte något nytt.
Boken är bara relevant för troende och de som studerar troende. Dess budskap fungerar som allegori för diverse politiska diskussioner, men dess argument vilar genomgående på spirituella snarare än organisatoriska eller samhällsorienterade målbeskrivningar. Å andra sidan är den rätt obskyr - har du hittat den är den därför förmodligen relevant för dig.
Boken är bara relevant för troende och de som studerar troende. Dess budskap fungerar som allegori för diverse politiska diskussioner, men dess argument vilar genomgående på spirituella snarare än organisatoriska eller samhällsorienterade målbeskrivningar. Å andra sidan är den rätt obskyr - har du hittat den är den därför förmodligen relevant för dig.
February 15, 2020
Read this for literature. It was interesting. It reads a lot like the Bible, but at the same time there were things that I was not so sure about. I appreciated the many mentions of necessity of humility; the highlights of love and God's glory.
May 27, 2025
Sacred tradition, sacred scriptures…a beautiful epistle!
July 13, 2017
This letter had very little that was original or gave much insight into the early church. I found it tedious and repetitive. The author borrowed heavily from OldTestament scriptures and gave a paraphrased retelling of most of the famous stories of the Bible. The main message of the letter did not come till the latter half, and then it could be boiled down to "get right church." I found it interesting that, even though it was supposedly written by an early church father, the author believed in oracles and legends. Of particular interest was the chapter on the phoenix as proof that with god nothing was impossible, including resurrection.
February 29, 2024
I couldn't tell if I was reading a letter from 2024 or AD 70.
Just awesome stuff.
Just awesome stuff.
January 1, 2015
Clement's letter is perhaps the earliest piece of Christian literature outside of the New Testament. It's flow of thought is easy to follow, and Clement is clear in what he is seeking to say. There was sedition in Corinth, stirred up by some ambitious members of the congregation against the elders, and Clement calls the troublemakers to repentance. The entire letter is an exhortation to humility, peace and unity. Many examples from the Old Testament are pointed to by Clement to encourage the Christians to repentance.
As I analyse this letter, my opinion is that the soteriology of the letter is confusing. Any person reading the letter would not arrive at a clear understanding of the work of Christ and the way of eternal salvation. There is one passage in the letter that seems to agree very well with the New Testament teaching of justification through faith. It is this:
"And we, too, being called by His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified by ourselves, nor by our own wisdom, or understanding, or godliness, or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart; but by that faith through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified all men; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." (Ch. XXXII)
This is very good indeed. But a little leaven leavens the whole lump, and throughout the majority of the letter we find warnings and exhortations that seem to contradict this statement of justification through faith. Clement repeatedly warns his readers that obedience to God's commands and righteous behavior is the way to eternal blessing, and that for those who spurn obedience to God's commands destruction is what they will receive. Thus, if a reader was to find hope in the passage quoted above, it is immediately smothered by the consideration of God rewarding him with good or evil based upon his personal behavior.
Other things of note in the letter are Clement's high view of Scripture--that the writings of the prophets and apostles are inspired of the Holy Spirit and without error. Also, he appears to have a strong view of human depravity, that people are born in sin and cannot fully live without sin. He has a strong sense of the nothingness of human beings and their dependence upon God, who both gives and takes away at His will. Clement also makes several statements concerning divine election, but his view on election is not developed enough to know what he believed about it.
An interesting letter, but no substitute nor supplement for the New Testament. I couldn't find one original doctrinal insight made by Clement that couldn't be found in the New Testament. The most interesting parts of the letter are the historical insights Clement provides us about Paul, the apostles, and the early churches. All things considered, I do not believe that this letter is vital for Christians.
As I analyse this letter, my opinion is that the soteriology of the letter is confusing. Any person reading the letter would not arrive at a clear understanding of the work of Christ and the way of eternal salvation. There is one passage in the letter that seems to agree very well with the New Testament teaching of justification through faith. It is this:
"And we, too, being called by His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified by ourselves, nor by our own wisdom, or understanding, or godliness, or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart; but by that faith through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified all men; to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." (Ch. XXXII)
This is very good indeed. But a little leaven leavens the whole lump, and throughout the majority of the letter we find warnings and exhortations that seem to contradict this statement of justification through faith. Clement repeatedly warns his readers that obedience to God's commands and righteous behavior is the way to eternal blessing, and that for those who spurn obedience to God's commands destruction is what they will receive. Thus, if a reader was to find hope in the passage quoted above, it is immediately smothered by the consideration of God rewarding him with good or evil based upon his personal behavior.
Other things of note in the letter are Clement's high view of Scripture--that the writings of the prophets and apostles are inspired of the Holy Spirit and without error. Also, he appears to have a strong view of human depravity, that people are born in sin and cannot fully live without sin. He has a strong sense of the nothingness of human beings and their dependence upon God, who both gives and takes away at His will. Clement also makes several statements concerning divine election, but his view on election is not developed enough to know what he believed about it.
An interesting letter, but no substitute nor supplement for the New Testament. I couldn't find one original doctrinal insight made by Clement that couldn't be found in the New Testament. The most interesting parts of the letter are the historical insights Clement provides us about Paul, the apostles, and the early churches. All things considered, I do not believe that this letter is vital for Christians.
October 14, 2017
Very good! This is the earliest piece of Christian writing we have outside the New Testament, and it would have been written at a similar time to 2 John and Revelation. It is a letter from the church in Rome to the church in Corinth, with the occasion being the usurpation of the church leadership there by a group of young men. The purpose of this letter, then, is to encourage order in the church through a variety of strategies, moral exhortations, Scriptural expositions and rhetorical devices.
The author, whom tradition holds to be Clement the "bishop" of Rome (controversial if he was or wasn't a bishop), has an excellent grasp of the Old Testament, of which there must be hundreds of references in this letter. A similarly striking features of the letter is the very high view of Scripture contained in it. See 45.2-3, for example, where the author states, "You have searched the holy scriptures, which are true, which were given by the Holy Spirit; 3 you know that nothing unrighteous or counterfeit is written in them."
A second important element of this letter is its various allusions and quotations to New Testament documents. Regarding this, even the impassioned critic of Christianity, Bart Ehrman, has stated, "we can see here the very beginnings of the process in which Christian authorities (Jesus and his apostles) are assigned authority comparable to that of the Jewish Scriptures, the beginnings, in other words, of the formation of the Christian canon." From p26 of his book 'The Apostolic Fathers'.
Two final things that struck me were the huge emphases on i) hospitality and ii) humility. With regard to the former, "Clement" puts hospitality basically on a par with faith. No wonder a brand new book has come out entitled 'Salvation by hospitality and faith' by Joshua Jipp. The second striking emphasis on humility which comes up almost endlessly. This would have been in stark contrast to the Greco-Roman view of character of the time, and would have had particular relevance to the men in the church in Corinth who proudly snatched at power for themselves.
The author, whom tradition holds to be Clement the "bishop" of Rome (controversial if he was or wasn't a bishop), has an excellent grasp of the Old Testament, of which there must be hundreds of references in this letter. A similarly striking features of the letter is the very high view of Scripture contained in it. See 45.2-3, for example, where the author states, "You have searched the holy scriptures, which are true, which were given by the Holy Spirit; 3 you know that nothing unrighteous or counterfeit is written in them."
A second important element of this letter is its various allusions and quotations to New Testament documents. Regarding this, even the impassioned critic of Christianity, Bart Ehrman, has stated, "we can see here the very beginnings of the process in which Christian authorities (Jesus and his apostles) are assigned authority comparable to that of the Jewish Scriptures, the beginnings, in other words, of the formation of the Christian canon." From p26 of his book 'The Apostolic Fathers'.
Two final things that struck me were the huge emphases on i) hospitality and ii) humility. With regard to the former, "Clement" puts hospitality basically on a par with faith. No wonder a brand new book has come out entitled 'Salvation by hospitality and faith' by Joshua Jipp. The second striking emphasis on humility which comes up almost endlessly. This would have been in stark contrast to the Greco-Roman view of character of the time, and would have had particular relevance to the men in the church in Corinth who proudly snatched at power for themselves.
October 14, 2020
Recent reading has sparked my interest in mining the Patristics. Clement of Rome lived and wrote late 1st century into the early 2nd century. This epistle to the Corinthian church was a polemic against schism within the church and is a pastoral appeal to stamp out sedition by confession of vainglory and living the Christian life in love. A few things struck me about this epistle:
1. There is significant use of Old Testament and New Testament scriptural reference (almost the whole 2nd chapter of James is quoted at one point). The secular scholarly notion that the NT wasn't authoritative or thought of as scripture for early Christianity is obviously refuted in this epistle.
2. There is clear expression of faith as the basis of our justification. I'm sure my Roman Catholic friends would say I am reading Clement anachronistically, imputing my protestant sensitivities into the text. However, Clement is quite clear, our justification is declared and secured by the blood of Christ and demonstrated by our works. Clement agrees with Paul and James.
3. The pastoral pleas of Clement for church unity (specifically referencing Pauls 1st epistle to the Corinthians, 3rd chapter) is germane to our current COVID crisis. COVID has ripped churches apart, bringing to the fore division and disunity. We have never-maskers and mask-only factions within the church that are akin to Corinthian devotion to Apollos vs Peter vs Paul. Clement's loving admonitions for unification of the church despite the divisive actions of some is a clarion call to the current church. May we in our 21st century context heed the words of this great Saint and seek peace and purity in our churches, laying down our own mask/no-mask loyalties at the feed of Christ and fulfilling the law in love.
1. There is significant use of Old Testament and New Testament scriptural reference (almost the whole 2nd chapter of James is quoted at one point). The secular scholarly notion that the NT wasn't authoritative or thought of as scripture for early Christianity is obviously refuted in this epistle.
2. There is clear expression of faith as the basis of our justification. I'm sure my Roman Catholic friends would say I am reading Clement anachronistically, imputing my protestant sensitivities into the text. However, Clement is quite clear, our justification is declared and secured by the blood of Christ and demonstrated by our works. Clement agrees with Paul and James.
3. The pastoral pleas of Clement for church unity (specifically referencing Pauls 1st epistle to the Corinthians, 3rd chapter) is germane to our current COVID crisis. COVID has ripped churches apart, bringing to the fore division and disunity. We have never-maskers and mask-only factions within the church that are akin to Corinthian devotion to Apollos vs Peter vs Paul. Clement's loving admonitions for unification of the church despite the divisive actions of some is a clarion call to the current church. May we in our 21st century context heed the words of this great Saint and seek peace and purity in our churches, laying down our own mask/no-mask loyalties at the feed of Christ and fulfilling the law in love.
September 20, 2023
Clement's letter provides interesting insights into the Christianity of the first and early second centuries.
Of particular interest is the testimony his letter gives to the office of elder or presbyter in the early church, which was not inferior to the bishop, and his language concerning justification.
On justification he says, "Therefore, they all were glorified and magnified, not through themselves, or their works, or their righteous deeds which they did, but through his will. And therefore, we, having been called through his will in Christ Jesus, are not justified through them, nor through our wisdom, or understanding, or godliness, or the works which we have performed in sanctity of heart; but through faith, through which almighty God has always justified all who have been justified. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen"
He also had a view of worship similar to what we now call the regulative principle. He says,
"Let every one of you, brethren, give thanks to God in his own order, living in all good conscience, with becoming gravity, and *not going beyond the rule of the ministry prescribed to him.* Not in every place, brethren, are the daily sacrifices offered, or the peace-offerings, or the sin-offerings and the trespass-offerings, but in Jerusalem only. And even there they are not offered in any place, but only at the altar before the temple, that which is offered being first carefully examined by the high priest and the ministers already mentioned. Those, therefore, who do anything beyond that which is agreeable to His will, are punished with death. You see, brethren, that the greater the knowledge that has been vouchsafed to us, the greater also is the danger to which we are exposed."
Of particular interest is the testimony his letter gives to the office of elder or presbyter in the early church, which was not inferior to the bishop, and his language concerning justification.
On justification he says, "Therefore, they all were glorified and magnified, not through themselves, or their works, or their righteous deeds which they did, but through his will. And therefore, we, having been called through his will in Christ Jesus, are not justified through them, nor through our wisdom, or understanding, or godliness, or the works which we have performed in sanctity of heart; but through faith, through which almighty God has always justified all who have been justified. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen"
He also had a view of worship similar to what we now call the regulative principle. He says,
"Let every one of you, brethren, give thanks to God in his own order, living in all good conscience, with becoming gravity, and *not going beyond the rule of the ministry prescribed to him.* Not in every place, brethren, are the daily sacrifices offered, or the peace-offerings, or the sin-offerings and the trespass-offerings, but in Jerusalem only. And even there they are not offered in any place, but only at the altar before the temple, that which is offered being first carefully examined by the high priest and the ministers already mentioned. Those, therefore, who do anything beyond that which is agreeable to His will, are punished with death. You see, brethren, that the greater the knowledge that has been vouchsafed to us, the greater also is the danger to which we are exposed."
May 17, 2021
1 Clement is the only definitively attributable writing of St. Clement, the first bishop of Rome after Peter and Paul were martyred by Nero, and, according to some, the first Pope. The letter itself starts off in a hurt but hopeful tone, remembering Paul and Peter and proclaiming the Gospel. Not only does this work show so clearly and obviously that there was no dissension between the teachings of those two (thus disproving Reza Aslan's absurd conspiracy theory that Paul invented a new religion at odds with historic Christianity), but it also holds utterly and steadfastly against any gnostic notions of the Old Testament being inferior, or the God of the Old Testament being in any way different from the selfsame God Clement (as well as Paul and Peter) preached.
The writing style of this letter was very plain and often highly reliant upon quotation and reference, but was still very heartening and wholesome. It is essentially a letter of Christlike chastisement towards the Corinthians. The letter begins with praise of the formerly Christlike way of the Corinthians, but then explains that they've gotten haughty and divisive, especially concerning authority in the church. This is largely the same issue Christians are having in our postmodern age, where hierarchies themselves are being questioned and we instead "do what’s right in our own eyes", as the dire words in Judges say.
Clement, the entire time he is writing, is extremely loving. What he lacks in artifice and style, he makes up for in droves by being utterly loving. Chastisement is never fun to receive. But he very simply and convincingly points out how that's really one of the most loving things a Christian can do. In his humility, he points out that he doesn't even exempt himself from this criticism:
“These things, beloved, we write unto you, not merely to admonish you of your duty, but also to remind ourselves. For we are struggling on the same arena, and the same conflict is assigned to both of us”
But when he preaches law, the gospel is never far away:
“Let us look stedfastly to the blood of Christ, and see how precious that blood is to God”
“Let us turn to every age that has passed, and learn that, from generation to generation, the Lord has granted a place of repentance to all such as would be converted unto Him”
And he even quotes that wonderful section in Ezekiel which gave me so much hope and which should be proclaimed from the rooftops:
“As I live, saith the Lord, I desire not the death of the sinner, but rather his repentance”
As he makes explicit at the end of the letter:
"The Lord, brethren, stands in need of nothing; and He desires nothing of any one, except that confession be made to Him."
God has such exceptionally low standards for us, but we still too often think of him as an evil taskmaster. Instead, Clement revels in God's mercy
“…let us look stedfastly to the Father and Creator of the universe, and cleave to His mighty and surpassingly great gifts and benefactions of peace. Let us contemplate Him with our understanding, and look with the eyes of our soul to His long-suffering will. Let us reflect how free from wrath He is towards all His creation.”
Clement at one point seems to make a brief statement about “being justified by our works, and not our words” but then goes on to clarify:
“And we, too, being called by His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified by ourselves, nor by our own wisdom, or understanding, or godliness, or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart; but by that faith through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified all men; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
The best part of this is that Clement is not only quoting so much NT scripture as well as OT scripture (and claiming both are inspired by the Holy Spirit), but he also, when discussing Abraham, mentioned both James and Romans, showing that there’s no contradiction between the two. And of course, after this sola gratia, he wraps it up with Pauline anti-antinomianism, exhorting good works as fruits of faith.
Later clement makes a fairly obvious but direly-needed argument for the usefulness of hierarchy:
“but each one in his own rank performs the things commanded by the king and the generals. The great cannot subsist without the small, nor the small without the great. There is a kind of mixture in all things, and thence arises mutual advantage. Let us take our body for an example. The head is nothing without the feet, and the feet are nothing without the head; yea, the very smallest members of our body are necessary and useful to the whole body. But all work harmoniously together, and are under one common rule for the preservation of the whole body.”
He guards against the abuse of hierarchy with the selfless christian injunction to be willing to take the sufferings of others upon themselves, if at all possible, that we should err on the side of ourselves suffering rather than letting others suffer, or to err on the side of suffering instead of giving into the world (an argument I’ve made for a long time but hadn't heard explicitly stated):
“For such as live in fear and love would rather that they themselves than their neighbors should be involved in suffering.”
This expands and improves upon the earlier mention to this topic which clement gave: “to seek the common good of all, and not merely his own advantage.”
For scriptural support of the above, Clement mentions Moses and his pleas with God: "But Moses said, 'Far be it from Thee, Lord: pardon the sin of this people; else blot me also out of the book of the living.'"
In this hyper-critical world, we often forget how simple and clear the truth can be. Clement doesn't have any incredible literary flourishes. He frankly doesn't have much in the way of originality either. But that's the thing: originality is a modern golden calf. God doesn't ask for originality, he asks for honesty and truth from us. "If we say we are without sin, the truth is not in us." Literally all God is asking is for us to tell the truth. But when we have the luxury of doubting the very existence of truth, we get so muddled and solipsistic that our thoughts become self-destructive and worthless. It's only by looking outward with love, both toward our neighbors and toward God, that we can live. We don't need the obliteration of the ego, we need the christian chastisement of the ego, until the ego is so christlike it's just a ball of selflessness and bloody forgiveness. Thanks for the sermon Clement :)
The writing style of this letter was very plain and often highly reliant upon quotation and reference, but was still very heartening and wholesome. It is essentially a letter of Christlike chastisement towards the Corinthians. The letter begins with praise of the formerly Christlike way of the Corinthians, but then explains that they've gotten haughty and divisive, especially concerning authority in the church. This is largely the same issue Christians are having in our postmodern age, where hierarchies themselves are being questioned and we instead "do what’s right in our own eyes", as the dire words in Judges say.
Clement, the entire time he is writing, is extremely loving. What he lacks in artifice and style, he makes up for in droves by being utterly loving. Chastisement is never fun to receive. But he very simply and convincingly points out how that's really one of the most loving things a Christian can do. In his humility, he points out that he doesn't even exempt himself from this criticism:
“These things, beloved, we write unto you, not merely to admonish you of your duty, but also to remind ourselves. For we are struggling on the same arena, and the same conflict is assigned to both of us”
But when he preaches law, the gospel is never far away:
“Let us look stedfastly to the blood of Christ, and see how precious that blood is to God”
“Let us turn to every age that has passed, and learn that, from generation to generation, the Lord has granted a place of repentance to all such as would be converted unto Him”
And he even quotes that wonderful section in Ezekiel which gave me so much hope and which should be proclaimed from the rooftops:
“As I live, saith the Lord, I desire not the death of the sinner, but rather his repentance”
As he makes explicit at the end of the letter:
"The Lord, brethren, stands in need of nothing; and He desires nothing of any one, except that confession be made to Him."
God has such exceptionally low standards for us, but we still too often think of him as an evil taskmaster. Instead, Clement revels in God's mercy
“…let us look stedfastly to the Father and Creator of the universe, and cleave to His mighty and surpassingly great gifts and benefactions of peace. Let us contemplate Him with our understanding, and look with the eyes of our soul to His long-suffering will. Let us reflect how free from wrath He is towards all His creation.”
Clement at one point seems to make a brief statement about “being justified by our works, and not our words” but then goes on to clarify:
“And we, too, being called by His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified by ourselves, nor by our own wisdom, or understanding, or godliness, or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart; but by that faith through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified all men; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”
The best part of this is that Clement is not only quoting so much NT scripture as well as OT scripture (and claiming both are inspired by the Holy Spirit), but he also, when discussing Abraham, mentioned both James and Romans, showing that there’s no contradiction between the two. And of course, after this sola gratia, he wraps it up with Pauline anti-antinomianism, exhorting good works as fruits of faith.
Later clement makes a fairly obvious but direly-needed argument for the usefulness of hierarchy:
“but each one in his own rank performs the things commanded by the king and the generals. The great cannot subsist without the small, nor the small without the great. There is a kind of mixture in all things, and thence arises mutual advantage. Let us take our body for an example. The head is nothing without the feet, and the feet are nothing without the head; yea, the very smallest members of our body are necessary and useful to the whole body. But all work harmoniously together, and are under one common rule for the preservation of the whole body.”
He guards against the abuse of hierarchy with the selfless christian injunction to be willing to take the sufferings of others upon themselves, if at all possible, that we should err on the side of ourselves suffering rather than letting others suffer, or to err on the side of suffering instead of giving into the world (an argument I’ve made for a long time but hadn't heard explicitly stated):
“For such as live in fear and love would rather that they themselves than their neighbors should be involved in suffering.”
This expands and improves upon the earlier mention to this topic which clement gave: “to seek the common good of all, and not merely his own advantage.”
For scriptural support of the above, Clement mentions Moses and his pleas with God: "But Moses said, 'Far be it from Thee, Lord: pardon the sin of this people; else blot me also out of the book of the living.'"
In this hyper-critical world, we often forget how simple and clear the truth can be. Clement doesn't have any incredible literary flourishes. He frankly doesn't have much in the way of originality either. But that's the thing: originality is a modern golden calf. God doesn't ask for originality, he asks for honesty and truth from us. "If we say we are without sin, the truth is not in us." Literally all God is asking is for us to tell the truth. But when we have the luxury of doubting the very existence of truth, we get so muddled and solipsistic that our thoughts become self-destructive and worthless. It's only by looking outward with love, both toward our neighbors and toward God, that we can live. We don't need the obliteration of the ego, we need the christian chastisement of the ego, until the ego is so christlike it's just a ball of selflessness and bloody forgiveness. Thanks for the sermon Clement :)
October 23, 2020
A fascinating read by one of the apostolic fathers. Clement writes to the church in Corinth and criticizes them for their removal of some church leaders. Their removal is seen by Clement to be excessive and unjustifiable. This book is interesting because it begins to define the leadership succession from the apostles to the elders and overseers installed by the apostles. Clement argues that their authority should not be questioned without serious evidence.
Likely written in the first century, either before 70 AD ( there is a reference to the sacrificial system in Jerusalem that seems to be ongoing) or around 96 AD (where most scholars place the book because of references to trials and persecution assumed to be at the end of Domitian's rule), 1 Clements gives insight into how quickly the early church developed their polity and practice and the biblical grounds they give for such a practice.
Likely written in the first century, either before 70 AD ( there is a reference to the sacrificial system in Jerusalem that seems to be ongoing) or around 96 AD (where most scholars place the book because of references to trials and persecution assumed to be at the end of Domitian's rule), 1 Clements gives insight into how quickly the early church developed their polity and practice and the biblical grounds they give for such a practice.
February 16, 2021
It’s fascinating to read this letter from Clement that was most likely sent before AD 100 to the Corinthians. It is rich with references to scripture both explicit and implied. One notable place is chapter XXXV when he refers to Paul’s epistle to the Romans as “scripture.” For everyone that tries to contend that the canon was established in the 300 or 400s, it would seem they haven’t read the second generation of church fathers that are already referring to books in the New Testament as Scripture on par with the psalms, genesis, exodus, etc.
Clement’s letter is like a summary of applied Christian doctrine - ie because of Gods grace and saving work throughout covenant history, this is how you should live in unity and fellowship. Happy to share highlights if anyone is interested.
Clement’s letter is like a summary of applied Christian doctrine - ie because of Gods grace and saving work throughout covenant history, this is how you should live in unity and fellowship. Happy to share highlights if anyone is interested.
May 21, 2023
A classic early church text that reminds us how quick we are to return to our own vomit and how necessary it is to keep our eyes on Christ.
Read
January 16, 2025A great read full of solid theology (and a mysterious phoenix analogy (?) for Christ)
November 17, 2023
A beautiful and encouraging text, as well as a powerful lesson against envy which is an all too common problem our consumerist culture encourages. See what they have, envy it and work hard so you can have it too. A powerful call to live against this cultural mindset.
Read
December 21, 2022There are very good reasons that 1 Clement, along with Didache, could only be consensually dated roughly between 60-160 AD, a whopping 100 year span! For the arguments of 60s in the 1st century, check Alvar Ellegard (1999, pp.36ff), and for the middle 2nd century compoistion, go find Laurence Welborn's article in The Anchor Bible Dictionary (v.1, p. 1059ff).
Specifically, the historicity of Clement of Rome being the bishop of the Roman mono-episcopate is extremely thin and is based on nothing but unreliable late inventions. Internally, the epistle is not signed, either.
The "sudden and repeated mishaps and hindrances that delayed the sending (1:1)" is more an apolegtic literary trope given the fact the the troubles of its addressees, the Corinthian believers, have already been there brewing for some time. Externally, the evidence for a persecution under Domitian in the 90s is weak as he targeted Jewish proselytizing activities (Ellegard, 1999, p.40).
Ellegård favors a 65 AD composition of 1 Clement with one apparent reason: it uses the [supposedly defunct] Jeruselem temple priesthood (41:2) as basis for the very "Essenic" threefold clierical hierachy (42:5), as if 70 AD Roman shattering of temple cult bears no significance for the author. This, coupling with the self designation of "God's assembly sojourning in Rome" vis-a-vis their counterpart in Corinth (1:1), and the very heavy use of Hebrew Scriptural tradition in the middle section, would give us the impression that the author finds his hope in a Jewish Israel as the center, albeit through Jesus the Messiah as the cohesive force.
However, none of the "early dating" arguments are conclusive when taken as a whole, and once inspected deeper, other internal evidence in 1 Clement compel to be seen as only contemporary to the "3rd-4th" gen seeds of the Jesus movement.
Consider these:
1) The martyrdom of apostles Peter and Paul was spoken of in an hagiographic and idealizing manner (5:1-6, 47:1), stripped off any detail that could help us anchor the author onto a historical ground in the 1st century AD.
Despite the reference to these two "greatest and most righteous pillars of the Church" (5:3) were as "champions who lived nearest to our time" and "noble examples which belong to our generation" (5:1), the temporal contrast is agianst fabled ancients such as Moses (4:11) and David (4:13).
2) While it is very right to suggest that the main theological inspiration of 1 Clement derives from an "Essenic Jewish messianism" as opposed to from body of teachings of the Palestinian "Jesus the Nazarene/Nazarite", much like the canonical Hebrews in tone, the same canonical Hebrews also holds an ideal regard toward the Jerusalem temple priesthood for its Christology. What the Roman army did in 66-73 AD in Judah seems to have little bearing on the validity of the temple analogy employed by either epistle, contrary to Ellegård's bold suggestion.
3) The auhor betrays knowledge and literary dependence on "the epistle of the blessed Paul the Apostle" to the Corinthians previously (47 :1-3 vs. 1 Cor 1:12, 3:22), all the while addressing "the very steadfast and ancient Church of the Corinthians" (47:6) for the advise to guard its (pan-Mediterranean?) reputation for the said subject matter on authority. On top, the emissaries from Rome are said to have lived "blamelessly" as Christians "from youth to old age" (63:3).
Namely, 1 Clement has in mind of apostolic succession as this: Christ-Apostles-Bishops-New Bishops, each of them were in service for a lifetime. He writes on the vantage point of this church history already taking place.
4) It reckons Pauline epistles as authoritative, paralleling 2 Peter 3:15-16, and it uses a langauge very close to 2 Timothy 4:13 on the inspiration of the scriptures (45:2). 2 Pet and 2 Tim are very obvious Christian pseudepigrapha, making their way to the NT scripture only by the early 3rd century AD. 1 Clement exhibits a theological scope very similar to that 1 Peter. Broadly speaking these were moving around one largely connected circle of ideas, generations or degrees away from the historical Paul and Peter.
5) 2 Tim and Rom 16 (a detectable later interpolation) both leaves behind Latin vocab marks, suggestive of 2nd century Roman ecclesial origin, wheras the Asiatic literary style of 1 Peter and allusions to the letter in 2 Peter 3:1, Polycarp's Philippians (1:3, 2:1-2, 5:3, 7:2, 8:1-2, 10:2) and Papias (his Logia preserved in Eusibius HE), all point to an unnamed Asia Minor intellectual wrtier posing as the apostle Peter from Rome.
1 Peter bears rich hints that leads the majorty scholary opinions to fall for a 73-92 AD composition date. Babylon as a codename for Rome (5:13) arised in Minor Asia circles after the destruction of the second Temple that drew these two imperial powers together by the same analogical reference. The introduction addressing the four Asia Minor provinces's assemblies of God as sojounred reflects a post-Vespasian (r. 72-81 AD) division map.
6) It is thus fair to postulate: if 1 Peter, 2 Peter (90-125 AD), 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy (90-130 AD) all were pseudonymously written in a time when it is still possible to "fake" the aforementioned apostles' "testament" (ethical warnings to be followed after the death of the writer and revelations of the future), then the way 1 Clement remembers Peter and Paul must reasonably point to an even later composition.
The earliest reference to a Pauline collection is probably found in Ignatius of Antioch 108 AD. 1 Clement is like a work written during the latter years of Trajan's reign (98-117 AD). The Asian churches in this time were in the challenge of proving themselves towards local policing authorities, while Marcionism (c. 130-140) was yet to hold sway in this area, severing the ties of Hebrew/Jewish legacies (abundant in 1 Clement) in favor of a cosmic/Gnostic Christological reading of Paul and deployment of Papias'/Luke's Jesus tradition void of close Jewish ties.
7) Some other notable features to make note in 1 Clement though:
Both 1 Clement and 2 Peter were written in an era when "delayed parousia" (1 Clem 23:3) became an issue for the early Christian assemblies- which, per the popularized Essene interpretation of Daniel, is to set in 70 AD. But the mention of "day-night" shift (1 Clem 24) and the phoenix's regeneration (1 Clem 25) as supporting proofs for validity of body resurrection seems quite out of [Jewish] character, and one may say, outrageous pagan in character.
The coincidence shouldn't escape attentive eyes: the pheonix tale were revived only in 1st century AD Rome by Lucan (3-65 AD), Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD), and Gaius Manlius Valens (6-96 AD, to whom Pliny attritute his knowledge about pheonix), when Mythraism was also gaining its initial revival momentum at the same place and time.
Consider this [now outdated] scholarly quote from Gerald Berry's Religions of the World (1947) and then we have a mystery to solve about 1 Clement:
“Both Mithras and Christ were described variously as ‘the Way,’ ‘the Truth,’ ‘the Light,’ ‘the Life,’ ‘the Word,’ ‘the Son of God,’ ‘the Good Shepherd.’ The Christian litany to Jesus could easily be an allegorical litany to the sun-god. Mithras is often represented as carrying a lamb on his shoulders, just as Jesus is. Midnight services were found in both religions. The virgin mother…was easily merged with the virgin mother Mary. Petra, the sacred rock of Mithraism, became Peter, the foundation of the Christian Church.”
And also Swami Prajnanananda's Christ the Saviour and Christ Myth (2006):
“It is said that Mithra or [the] Sun took birth in the Cave on December 25th. It is also the belief of the Christian world that Mithra or the Sun-God was born of [a] Virgin. He travelled far and wide. He has twelve satellites, which are taken as the Sun’s disciples…. [The Sun’s] great festivals are observed in the Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox—Christmas and Easter. His symbol is the Lamb….”
A comparison shows that 1 Clement's version about the phoenix depends on no other than Pliny the Elder's Natural History (c. 77 AD, 10.2) and differs in crucial aspects from ancient greek authors' accounts. The justaposition of Sun and Phoenix motifs is once again reflective of Roman Mithraic influence on 1 Clement.
"Do we then think it to be a great and marvelous thing, if the Creator of the universe shall bring about the resurrection of them that have served Him with holiness in the assurance of a good faith,
seeing that He showeth to us even by a bird the magnificence of His promise?" (1 Clem 26:1)
Indeed, 1 Clement may contain weapons against Marcionite Gnosticism, but not so much so against Mithraism. The fact that 1 Clement acquired quasi-canonical status in Lusitania/Spain (5:6 may be a contributing factor) and in Egypt (25:3 may be a contributing factor), survived in a 4th century Coptic payprus B6 together with canonical gospel of John, and was included in the 5th century Codex Alexandrinus, should be viewed dynamically with Mithraism's contemporary popularity (https://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/mi...). This link is an underdevelopped theme as far as I am aware of.
Specifically, the historicity of Clement of Rome being the bishop of the Roman mono-episcopate is extremely thin and is based on nothing but unreliable late inventions. Internally, the epistle is not signed, either.
The "sudden and repeated mishaps and hindrances that delayed the sending (1:1)" is more an apolegtic literary trope given the fact the the troubles of its addressees, the Corinthian believers, have already been there brewing for some time. Externally, the evidence for a persecution under Domitian in the 90s is weak as he targeted Jewish proselytizing activities (Ellegard, 1999, p.40).
Ellegård favors a 65 AD composition of 1 Clement with one apparent reason: it uses the [supposedly defunct] Jeruselem temple priesthood (41:2) as basis for the very "Essenic" threefold clierical hierachy (42:5), as if 70 AD Roman shattering of temple cult bears no significance for the author. This, coupling with the self designation of "God's assembly sojourning in Rome" vis-a-vis their counterpart in Corinth (1:1), and the very heavy use of Hebrew Scriptural tradition in the middle section, would give us the impression that the author finds his hope in a Jewish Israel as the center, albeit through Jesus the Messiah as the cohesive force.
However, none of the "early dating" arguments are conclusive when taken as a whole, and once inspected deeper, other internal evidence in 1 Clement compel to be seen as only contemporary to the "3rd-4th" gen seeds of the Jesus movement.
Consider these:
1) The martyrdom of apostles Peter and Paul was spoken of in an hagiographic and idealizing manner (5:1-6, 47:1), stripped off any detail that could help us anchor the author onto a historical ground in the 1st century AD.
Despite the reference to these two "greatest and most righteous pillars of the Church" (5:3) were as "champions who lived nearest to our time" and "noble examples which belong to our generation" (5:1), the temporal contrast is agianst fabled ancients such as Moses (4:11) and David (4:13).
2) While it is very right to suggest that the main theological inspiration of 1 Clement derives from an "Essenic Jewish messianism" as opposed to from body of teachings of the Palestinian "Jesus the Nazarene/Nazarite", much like the canonical Hebrews in tone, the same canonical Hebrews also holds an ideal regard toward the Jerusalem temple priesthood for its Christology. What the Roman army did in 66-73 AD in Judah seems to have little bearing on the validity of the temple analogy employed by either epistle, contrary to Ellegård's bold suggestion.
3) The auhor betrays knowledge and literary dependence on "the epistle of the blessed Paul the Apostle" to the Corinthians previously (47 :1-3 vs. 1 Cor 1:12, 3:22), all the while addressing "the very steadfast and ancient Church of the Corinthians" (47:6) for the advise to guard its (pan-Mediterranean?) reputation for the said subject matter on authority. On top, the emissaries from Rome are said to have lived "blamelessly" as Christians "from youth to old age" (63:3).
Namely, 1 Clement has in mind of apostolic succession as this: Christ-Apostles-Bishops-New Bishops, each of them were in service for a lifetime. He writes on the vantage point of this church history already taking place.
4) It reckons Pauline epistles as authoritative, paralleling 2 Peter 3:15-16, and it uses a langauge very close to 2 Timothy 4:13 on the inspiration of the scriptures (45:2). 2 Pet and 2 Tim are very obvious Christian pseudepigrapha, making their way to the NT scripture only by the early 3rd century AD. 1 Clement exhibits a theological scope very similar to that 1 Peter. Broadly speaking these were moving around one largely connected circle of ideas, generations or degrees away from the historical Paul and Peter.
5) 2 Tim and Rom 16 (a detectable later interpolation) both leaves behind Latin vocab marks, suggestive of 2nd century Roman ecclesial origin, wheras the Asiatic literary style of 1 Peter and allusions to the letter in 2 Peter 3:1, Polycarp's Philippians (1:3, 2:1-2, 5:3, 7:2, 8:1-2, 10:2) and Papias (his Logia preserved in Eusibius HE), all point to an unnamed Asia Minor intellectual wrtier posing as the apostle Peter from Rome.
1 Peter bears rich hints that leads the majorty scholary opinions to fall for a 73-92 AD composition date. Babylon as a codename for Rome (5:13) arised in Minor Asia circles after the destruction of the second Temple that drew these two imperial powers together by the same analogical reference. The introduction addressing the four Asia Minor provinces's assemblies of God as sojounred reflects a post-Vespasian (r. 72-81 AD) division map.
6) It is thus fair to postulate: if 1 Peter, 2 Peter (90-125 AD), 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy (90-130 AD) all were pseudonymously written in a time when it is still possible to "fake" the aforementioned apostles' "testament" (ethical warnings to be followed after the death of the writer and revelations of the future), then the way 1 Clement remembers Peter and Paul must reasonably point to an even later composition.
The earliest reference to a Pauline collection is probably found in Ignatius of Antioch 108 AD. 1 Clement is like a work written during the latter years of Trajan's reign (98-117 AD). The Asian churches in this time were in the challenge of proving themselves towards local policing authorities, while Marcionism (c. 130-140) was yet to hold sway in this area, severing the ties of Hebrew/Jewish legacies (abundant in 1 Clement) in favor of a cosmic/Gnostic Christological reading of Paul and deployment of Papias'/Luke's Jesus tradition void of close Jewish ties.
7) Some other notable features to make note in 1 Clement though:
Both 1 Clement and 2 Peter were written in an era when "delayed parousia" (1 Clem 23:3) became an issue for the early Christian assemblies- which, per the popularized Essene interpretation of Daniel, is to set in 70 AD. But the mention of "day-night" shift (1 Clem 24) and the phoenix's regeneration (1 Clem 25) as supporting proofs for validity of body resurrection seems quite out of [Jewish] character, and one may say, outrageous pagan in character.
The coincidence shouldn't escape attentive eyes: the pheonix tale were revived only in 1st century AD Rome by Lucan (3-65 AD), Pliny the Elder (23-79 AD), and Gaius Manlius Valens (6-96 AD, to whom Pliny attritute his knowledge about pheonix), when Mythraism was also gaining its initial revival momentum at the same place and time.
Consider this [now outdated] scholarly quote from Gerald Berry's Religions of the World (1947) and then we have a mystery to solve about 1 Clement:
“Both Mithras and Christ were described variously as ‘the Way,’ ‘the Truth,’ ‘the Light,’ ‘the Life,’ ‘the Word,’ ‘the Son of God,’ ‘the Good Shepherd.’ The Christian litany to Jesus could easily be an allegorical litany to the sun-god. Mithras is often represented as carrying a lamb on his shoulders, just as Jesus is. Midnight services were found in both religions. The virgin mother…was easily merged with the virgin mother Mary. Petra, the sacred rock of Mithraism, became Peter, the foundation of the Christian Church.”
And also Swami Prajnanananda's Christ the Saviour and Christ Myth (2006):
“It is said that Mithra or [the] Sun took birth in the Cave on December 25th. It is also the belief of the Christian world that Mithra or the Sun-God was born of [a] Virgin. He travelled far and wide. He has twelve satellites, which are taken as the Sun’s disciples…. [The Sun’s] great festivals are observed in the Winter Solstice and the Vernal Equinox—Christmas and Easter. His symbol is the Lamb….”
A comparison shows that 1 Clement's version about the phoenix depends on no other than Pliny the Elder's Natural History (c. 77 AD, 10.2) and differs in crucial aspects from ancient greek authors' accounts. The justaposition of Sun and Phoenix motifs is once again reflective of Roman Mithraic influence on 1 Clement.
"Do we then think it to be a great and marvelous thing, if the Creator of the universe shall bring about the resurrection of them that have served Him with holiness in the assurance of a good faith,
seeing that He showeth to us even by a bird the magnificence of His promise?" (1 Clem 26:1)
Indeed, 1 Clement may contain weapons against Marcionite Gnosticism, but not so much so against Mithraism. The fact that 1 Clement acquired quasi-canonical status in Lusitania/Spain (5:6 may be a contributing factor) and in Egypt (25:3 may be a contributing factor), survived in a 4th century Coptic payprus B6 together with canonical gospel of John, and was included in the 5th century Codex Alexandrinus, should be viewed dynamically with Mithraism's contemporary popularity (https://www.tertullian.org/rpearse/mi...). This link is an underdevelopped theme as far as I am aware of.
March 28, 2012
Clement’s epistle to the church at Corinth will be fascinating reading to anyone interested in Christian history. It dates from before the closing of the biblical canon--probably about the time Revelation was composed, though ambitious scholars have sometimes tried to place it in the late 60s A.D. (chapter 41 may imply it was written before the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem). However, the letter also obviously lacks the proofs of inspiration. Major topics are humility, schism, and church governance and discipline. Chapter 5 mentions the martyrdom of the apostles Peter and Paul.
-=-=-=-
Below are some passages of personal interests in which Clement comes close to particular Reformation concerns.
Chapter XVII - http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01...
Clement seems to affirm a notion of original sin in which a man is “defiled” from his first moments of life. Regarding the attitude of humility a follower of Christ ought to strive for, Clement writes:
‘Moreover, it is thus written of Job, “Job was a righteous man, and blameless, truthful, God-fearing, and one that kept himself from all evil.” But bringing an accusation against himself, he said, “No man is free from defilement, even if his life be but of one day.” ’
Chapter XXII - http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01...
Clement makes a statement very like sola fide:
‘And we, too, being called by His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified by ourselves, nor by our own wisdom, or understanding, or godliness, or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart; but by that faith through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified all men; to whom be glory for ever and ever.’
Chapter XXXVIII - http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01...
The following can easily be taken as support for the Reformation understanding of depravity and human nature:
‘Let us consider, then, brethren, of what matter we were made--who and what manner of beings we came into the world, as it were out of a sepulchre, and from utter darkness.’
Chapter XVL - http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01...
Regarding the centrality of salvation as the Church’s message:
‘Ye are fond of contention, brethren, and full of zeal about things which do not pertain to salvation. Look carefully into the Scriptures, which are the true utterances of the Holy Spirit.’
-=-=-=-
Finally, the passage below is worth noting for its simple elegance:
Chapter XLIX - http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01...
‘Who can describe the blessed bond of the love of God? What man is able to tell the excellence of its beauty, as it ought to be told? The height to which love exalts is unspeakable.’
-=-=-=-
Below are some passages of personal interests in which Clement comes close to particular Reformation concerns.
Chapter XVII - http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01...
Clement seems to affirm a notion of original sin in which a man is “defiled” from his first moments of life. Regarding the attitude of humility a follower of Christ ought to strive for, Clement writes:
‘Moreover, it is thus written of Job, “Job was a righteous man, and blameless, truthful, God-fearing, and one that kept himself from all evil.” But bringing an accusation against himself, he said, “No man is free from defilement, even if his life be but of one day.” ’
Chapter XXII - http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01...
Clement makes a statement very like sola fide:
‘And we, too, being called by His will in Christ Jesus, are not justified by ourselves, nor by our own wisdom, or understanding, or godliness, or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart; but by that faith through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified all men; to whom be glory for ever and ever.’
Chapter XXXVIII - http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01...
The following can easily be taken as support for the Reformation understanding of depravity and human nature:
‘Let us consider, then, brethren, of what matter we were made--who and what manner of beings we came into the world, as it were out of a sepulchre, and from utter darkness.’
Chapter XVL - http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01...
Regarding the centrality of salvation as the Church’s message:
‘Ye are fond of contention, brethren, and full of zeal about things which do not pertain to salvation. Look carefully into the Scriptures, which are the true utterances of the Holy Spirit.’
-=-=-=-
Finally, the passage below is worth noting for its simple elegance:
Chapter XLIX - http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/anf01...
‘Who can describe the blessed bond of the love of God? What man is able to tell the excellence of its beauty, as it ought to be told? The height to which love exalts is unspeakable.’
January 6, 2019
After the rightful persons who were in charge of the church in Corinth were disposed for ungodly reasons Clement wrote this epistle to correct the wrong.
I like how he begins the epistle speaking of envy. Envy was at the base of every evil act in the OT. Then he proceeds to repentance, then humility. All the while showing them examples from the OT.
When he speaks of us as members of the army of Christ things start to come together. All members of the army have a job whether it is great or small. All are important and one should not go beyond your station lest you do so out of envy and create strife.
Afterwards he gives them the knowledge of apolostic succession and how only those who are pure are to lead the flock . It is only after all of this we get into the crux of the matter, the envious men who deposed the holy men of God from their position and took upon themselves what was not truly theirs.
He chastises them and asks them to give themselves up to God and do what is right.
Overall a pretty powerful message, especially when he claims that this transgression was greater than what Paul wrote to them about earlier.
I like how he begins the epistle speaking of envy. Envy was at the base of every evil act in the OT. Then he proceeds to repentance, then humility. All the while showing them examples from the OT.
When he speaks of us as members of the army of Christ things start to come together. All members of the army have a job whether it is great or small. All are important and one should not go beyond your station lest you do so out of envy and create strife.
Afterwards he gives them the knowledge of apolostic succession and how only those who are pure are to lead the flock . It is only after all of this we get into the crux of the matter, the envious men who deposed the holy men of God from their position and took upon themselves what was not truly theirs.
He chastises them and asks them to give themselves up to God and do what is right.
Overall a pretty powerful message, especially when he claims that this transgression was greater than what Paul wrote to them about earlier.
July 30, 2017
Looks like Clement was dealing with some sedition and dissension in Corinth. So he used a lot of examples from the OT to demonstrate humility, obedience, righteousness and faith. He encourages everybody by reminding them of their blessings and the promise of the forthcoming resurrection. Then he throws a phoenix into his epistle which is pretty cool. He concludes by telling them to knock it off and embrace each other in brotherly love. I liked the book for the most part. It seemed a bit stale to me as the scripture examples are so familiar. My son reminded me that having books was rare in the day and there was no Amazon where they could order a complete Bible. That was a good point so I figure it's okay for Clement to go heavy on the quotes. He seems like a decent guy so I give him four stars.
December 1, 2013
A great piece of very early Anti-Nicene Father work, one in which Clement wrote to the Corinthians probably near the close of his life. This epistle is quite fascinating given the extremely early nature of the letter (1st century). However, it's also very interesting to note how un-apostolic the letter is in compared with the writings of St. Paul, who was writing canonical scripture that was God-breathed.
The epistle is an exhortation to unity, as Clement urges the Corinthians to pursue brotherly love, holiness, and a return back to the principles and teachings that the apostles laid down. Clement makes great use of Scripture, as he quotes heatedly from the Old Testament, and makes many references to the New Testament. Overall, a great read.
Brent McCulley
The epistle is an exhortation to unity, as Clement urges the Corinthians to pursue brotherly love, holiness, and a return back to the principles and teachings that the apostles laid down. Clement makes great use of Scripture, as he quotes heatedly from the Old Testament, and makes many references to the New Testament. Overall, a great read.
Brent McCulley
June 21, 2016
Fascinating in isolation. But when you take into consideration the likelihood that this was written within a few decades after Paul's epistle's and Clement (the presumed writer of this epistle) treat's Paul's writings (and some of the Synoptic Gospels' quotes of Christ) as Scripture, it is magnificent. To see that God's Word was established not by man, but by God. The Church received & bore witness to the New Testament, it didn't "decide" the New Testament.
Again, on its own there are some wonderful moments, quotes and wisdom. The history of it is fascinating as well!
Again, on its own there are some wonderful moments, quotes and wisdom. The history of it is fascinating as well!
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