Second Clement is the oldest extant Christian sermon outside the New Testament. It is not a letter nor was it written by Clement but is a transcription of a sermon by an anonymous presbyter based on Isaiah 54:1. In all the extant manuscripts Second Clement always follows First Clement, indicating that the sermon may have been preached in Corinth, or sent to Corinth for some reason. The text has been dated anywhere from A.D. 100 to 120.
Outline Summary by Chapters:
1. Praise for God’s salvation, calling us out of idolatry in order to serve him through Jesus Christ.
2. He quotes Isaiah 54:1 and interprets in a way that applies to the hearers’ present circumstances: The barren woman without children was the church who now has children through Christ’s work on the cross. The call for the woman who has no labor pains to rejoice is a call to the church to praise God for salvation. The phrase concerning the deserted woman having more children than the one having a husband refers to the fact that the church now has more believers than the Jews.
3. The preacher quotes Jesus’ words about men acknowledging him and the need to do it from the heart and not merely from the lips (Matthew 10:32 and 12:30) , indicating that we will be rewarded if we truly acknowledge Christ and not be like the people predicted by Isaiah 29:13 (quoted by Jesus in Matthew 15:8) who merely honor God with their lips and not their hearts.
4. It is not enough to merely call him “Lord” but we must show it in our actions by loving each other (quoting Matthew 7:21).
5. The preacher admonishes his hearers to not hold onto this world but live for the world to come. He quotes Jesus telling his disciples that they will be like lambs among wolves (Luke 10:13; Matthew 10:16, 28; Luke 12:4-5). He then quotes from the Gospel of the Egyptians where Peter asks, “What if the wolves tear the lambs to pieces?” To which Jesus replies that we should not fear those who can destroy the body but not the soul; rather we should fear God who can destroy both in hell.
6. He then quotes Jesus’ saying that we cannot serve two masters (Matthew 16:26; Mark 8:36; Luke 9:25), so believers should not be friends with the world.
7. He then uses the analogy of a earthly race or contest and the need to compete by the rules, lest one should be punished. He doesn't quote Paul but it appears he was familiar with several of Paul’s uses of the race metaphor.
8. There is a call to repent because once you die you will no longer have a chance to repent. He quotes from the Gospel of the Egyptians and possibly Luke 16:10-12. There is also an allusion to the potter and the clay of Isaiah 45:9.
9. The preacher emphasizes the fact that we are flesh and will be resurrected again in the flesh to face judgment. Jesus himself was a spirit who became flesh (wn men to prwton pneuma, egeneto sarx), so we too must repent now in the flesh so we may enter the kingdom of God.
10. The preacher calls his hearers to forsake sin and ungodliness: “let us abandon that evil mindset, the forerunner of our sins, and flee ungodliness lest evil things overtake us.” If we do good, we will have peace; if we do evil we will never find peace.
11. He quotes several passages from an unknown source to challenge his readers to remain true to the faith and not be double-minded.
12. He urges his hearers to wait patiently for the kingdom of God since we don’t know the day of God’s appearing (epeidh ouk oidamen thn hmeran thß epifaneisaß tou qeou). He then quotes from the Gospel of the Egyptians or the Gospel of Thomas but completely misinterprets it.
13. He gives another call to repentance because their sinful lifestyle is causing God’s name to be blasphemed (Isaiah 52:5). Instead, we should live lives of extraordinary goodness so people will marvel and praise God (Luke 6:32, 35).
14. We must take care not to defile the church, which is the flesh while Christ is the spirit. The church has existed from the beginning and was spiritual and was revealed in the flesh of Christ (efanerwqh en th sarki Cristou). Therefore, whoever abuses the church abuses Christ.
15. Those who repent will be rewarded as will the one who calls them to repentance. God is eager to answer our prayer (Isaiah 58:9).
16. Repent while you have a chance for the day of judgment is coming like a blazing furnace (Malachi 4:1) and this world will be destroyed (Isaiah 34:4). This seems to echo 2 Peter 3:10-12. Repentance, fasting, prayer, and charitable giving should be practiced in order to secure God’s blessing.
17. Repent and call others to repent because those caught up in worldly pleasures will be judged in the fires of hell, where “their worm will not die and their fire will not be quenched, and they will be a spectacle for all flesh” (Isaiah 66:18, 24).
18. The preacher then confesses his own sinfulness and his present struggle against sin and evil as an encouragement for his hearers to pursue righteousness and escape the coming judgment.
19. The preacher reads the scriptural exhortation and encourages his hearers to take the calls to repentance seriously and continue to seek righteousness even if it results in present suffering.
20. Patience and endurance is essential since none of the righteous ever received his reward quickly. Nor should be do it simply for the reward but out of sincerity and love for God. He then ends with a benediction, invoking the name of God as “To the only God, invisible” as a quote of 1 Timothy 1:17.
This sermon gives us glimpse into the worship of the church, which appears at least in this instance, to center on the reading of scripture (here an Old Testament text), followed by a sermon filled with scriptural quotes and allusions, some from the Old Testament, some from the New Testament, and others from texts not in the canon. This sermon focused primarily upon a call to repentance and a turning from sin.
This sermon also shows that the divinity and humanity of Christ were considered fundamental truths, though the relationship of the Son to the Father is not address, nor is the relationship of the two natures of Christ. This sermon seems to be refuting Docetism, which saw Christ as a spirit who only appeared to have a body (cf. 1 John which also deals extensively with this issue).
One issue for further research would be whether this is the full text of the sermon or an abridged transcription. It has the feel of a spoken message while the ideas don’t seem to be fully developed, nor is there always a smooth transition from one idea to another.
Showing posts with label Apostolic Fathers. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Apostolic Fathers. Show all posts
Sunday, August 5, 2007
Saturday, August 4, 2007
First Clement
First Clement was written by the church in Rome to the church in Corinth and is most likely the earliest extant Christian document outside the New Testament. It was written in Rome near the end of the first century, about the same time the apostle John was writing the book of Revelation, around A.D. 95 or 96, in the last year of the emperor Domitian or the first year of emperor Nerva. The author of this letter is unknown to us, and though the letter claims to be the work of the whole church, tradition identifies the author as some named Clement, who tradition claims was the third bishop of Rome after Peter. However, historical evidence suggests that Rome still had a plurality of elders who governed the church at this time, so Clement was most likely the leading elder and not the sole leader.
The letter was written because a certain faction, composed mainly of younger men, in Corinth had ousted the duly appointed bishop of the church. When news of this reached Rome, the church wrote this letter to admonish the faction to step down and reinstate the duly appointed bishop. The church in Rome also dispatched mediators to Corinth to restore peace and proper order.
This letter was held in high regard in the early church and was quoted from frequently. Clement of Alexandria even quotes it as authoritative scripture. This letter even made it into some early copies of the New Testament, so the early church had great respect for this letter.
The first sentence in chapter 1 indicates that there was some trouble in Rome that hindered an immediate response: “Because of the sudden and repeated misfortunes and reverses which have happened to us, brothers, we acknowledge that we have been somewhat slow in giving attention to the matters in dispute among you, dear friends, especially the detestable and unholy schism, so alien and strange to those chosen by God, which a few reckless and arrogant persons have kindled to such a pitch of insanity that your good name, once so renowned and loved by all, has been greatly reviled.”
The letter goes on to challenge the usurpers to submit to the duly established leadership as is fitting and proper. The letter then refers to a few instances of rebellion in the Old Testament, such as Cain’s murder of Abel, Jacob and Esau, Moses and the rejection of his early leadership by those who knew he killed the Egyptian master, Miriam and Aaron opposing Moses, and David being persecuted by Saul. The letter then gives sever current examples, such as Peter and Paul who were martyred for their faith, and several women who were persecuted named Danaids and Dircae.
One interesting note is that Paul is said to have “reached the farthest limits of the West” and “when he had given his testimony before the rulers, he thus departed from the world and wen tot he holy place.…” This implies that Paul reached his goal of bringing the gospel to Spain after his imprisonment in Rome. It also implies that he was able to present his defense to Caesar, most likely explaining the gospel to all who were present, and that he was found not guilty and set free.
The letter goes on to warn the Corinthians that such rebellion and factiousness has always been punished. Therefore, the letters calls for the rebels to repent and restore the original leaders. Several examples from the Old Testament of faithful people, who were saved because of their hospitality and generosity, are held up as models for them to imitate, such as Abraham, Lot, Rahab. The letter calls for the church in Corinth to humble itself, repent, and be obedient to God and not follow the arrogant rebels. Christ is then held up as an example of humility and submission to God to follow. Elijah, Elisha, Ezekiel, Job, Moses, and David are also held up as examples to follow. Then the fact that even creation obeys God and follows his decrees is given as a reason to submit to God in this matter. The letter goes on for many more chapters giving exhortations and reasons to repent and submit to God’s order for the church.
One important passage (chapter 44) indicates that the apostles had appointed leaders in the churches and that these leaders were to be honored and obeyed: “Our apostles likewise knew, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that there would be strife over the bishop’s office. For this reason, therefore, having received complete foreknowledge, they appointed the officials mentioned earlier and afterwards they gave the offices a permanent character, that is, if they should die, other approved men should succeed to their ministry. Those, therefore, who were appointed by them or, later on, by other reputable men with the consent of the whole church, and who have ministered to the flock of Christ blamelessly, humbly, peaceably, and unselfishly, and for a long time have been well spoken of by all—these men we consider to be unjustly removed from their ministry.”
This passage indicates that by the end of the first century, only sixty to seventy years after Christ’s death and resurrection, there was a clear understanding that leadership was, first of all, appointed by the apostles, and second, that those men would have the authority to choose successors, and third, the whole church had to agree on those choices. Therefore, an established leadership was already taking shape immediately after the apostolic period.
The young men in the church of Corinth had clearly gone against this tradition. They had no authority to depose the current leadership, nor did they have the authority to appoint themselves. The church should have resisted such attempts, but it failed to follow the pattern given by the apostles, resulting in schisms and confusion.
In Chapter 47, the letter refers to the apostle Paul’s teaching, calling for them to submit to his authority. In chapter 48 the letter calls for them to quickly root out this offense and pray for forgiveness, so God may be merciful and restore them. The following chapters focus on the need for love and calls the church to show love and not be divided. The letter ends with several chapters of appeal to the rebellious to repent and restore the leadership and seek God’s forgiveness.
This letter also shows us the beginning of the church of Rome’s slow climb to supremacy and dominance over the other churches. The church in Rome saw it fitting to exert its influence over another church in a different region. While it would take centuries before the church in Rome became the leading church and its bishop the leading bishop, it seems that the seeds for that domination began early on as is evident in this letter. This letter also clearly sets up the idea of apostolic succession, with the first bishops being established by the apostles, and the succeeding bishops being established by those bishops, on down through a line of unbroken apostolic succession. While it is evident that this is how it happened historically, it doesn’t mean that Christ or the apostles intended for the bishop of Rome to have dominance over all the other churches. It would seem that the plan was to insure local autonomy not hegemony by one church.
The letter was written because a certain faction, composed mainly of younger men, in Corinth had ousted the duly appointed bishop of the church. When news of this reached Rome, the church wrote this letter to admonish the faction to step down and reinstate the duly appointed bishop. The church in Rome also dispatched mediators to Corinth to restore peace and proper order.
This letter was held in high regard in the early church and was quoted from frequently. Clement of Alexandria even quotes it as authoritative scripture. This letter even made it into some early copies of the New Testament, so the early church had great respect for this letter.
The first sentence in chapter 1 indicates that there was some trouble in Rome that hindered an immediate response: “Because of the sudden and repeated misfortunes and reverses which have happened to us, brothers, we acknowledge that we have been somewhat slow in giving attention to the matters in dispute among you, dear friends, especially the detestable and unholy schism, so alien and strange to those chosen by God, which a few reckless and arrogant persons have kindled to such a pitch of insanity that your good name, once so renowned and loved by all, has been greatly reviled.”
The letter goes on to challenge the usurpers to submit to the duly established leadership as is fitting and proper. The letter then refers to a few instances of rebellion in the Old Testament, such as Cain’s murder of Abel, Jacob and Esau, Moses and the rejection of his early leadership by those who knew he killed the Egyptian master, Miriam and Aaron opposing Moses, and David being persecuted by Saul. The letter then gives sever current examples, such as Peter and Paul who were martyred for their faith, and several women who were persecuted named Danaids and Dircae.
One interesting note is that Paul is said to have “reached the farthest limits of the West” and “when he had given his testimony before the rulers, he thus departed from the world and wen tot he holy place.…” This implies that Paul reached his goal of bringing the gospel to Spain after his imprisonment in Rome. It also implies that he was able to present his defense to Caesar, most likely explaining the gospel to all who were present, and that he was found not guilty and set free.
The letter goes on to warn the Corinthians that such rebellion and factiousness has always been punished. Therefore, the letters calls for the rebels to repent and restore the original leaders. Several examples from the Old Testament of faithful people, who were saved because of their hospitality and generosity, are held up as models for them to imitate, such as Abraham, Lot, Rahab. The letter calls for the church in Corinth to humble itself, repent, and be obedient to God and not follow the arrogant rebels. Christ is then held up as an example of humility and submission to God to follow. Elijah, Elisha, Ezekiel, Job, Moses, and David are also held up as examples to follow. Then the fact that even creation obeys God and follows his decrees is given as a reason to submit to God in this matter. The letter goes on for many more chapters giving exhortations and reasons to repent and submit to God’s order for the church.
One important passage (chapter 44) indicates that the apostles had appointed leaders in the churches and that these leaders were to be honored and obeyed: “Our apostles likewise knew, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that there would be strife over the bishop’s office. For this reason, therefore, having received complete foreknowledge, they appointed the officials mentioned earlier and afterwards they gave the offices a permanent character, that is, if they should die, other approved men should succeed to their ministry. Those, therefore, who were appointed by them or, later on, by other reputable men with the consent of the whole church, and who have ministered to the flock of Christ blamelessly, humbly, peaceably, and unselfishly, and for a long time have been well spoken of by all—these men we consider to be unjustly removed from their ministry.”
This passage indicates that by the end of the first century, only sixty to seventy years after Christ’s death and resurrection, there was a clear understanding that leadership was, first of all, appointed by the apostles, and second, that those men would have the authority to choose successors, and third, the whole church had to agree on those choices. Therefore, an established leadership was already taking shape immediately after the apostolic period.
The young men in the church of Corinth had clearly gone against this tradition. They had no authority to depose the current leadership, nor did they have the authority to appoint themselves. The church should have resisted such attempts, but it failed to follow the pattern given by the apostles, resulting in schisms and confusion.
In Chapter 47, the letter refers to the apostle Paul’s teaching, calling for them to submit to his authority. In chapter 48 the letter calls for them to quickly root out this offense and pray for forgiveness, so God may be merciful and restore them. The following chapters focus on the need for love and calls the church to show love and not be divided. The letter ends with several chapters of appeal to the rebellious to repent and restore the leadership and seek God’s forgiveness.
This letter also shows us the beginning of the church of Rome’s slow climb to supremacy and dominance over the other churches. The church in Rome saw it fitting to exert its influence over another church in a different region. While it would take centuries before the church in Rome became the leading church and its bishop the leading bishop, it seems that the seeds for that domination began early on as is evident in this letter. This letter also clearly sets up the idea of apostolic succession, with the first bishops being established by the apostles, and the succeeding bishops being established by those bishops, on down through a line of unbroken apostolic succession. While it is evident that this is how it happened historically, it doesn’t mean that Christ or the apostles intended for the bishop of Rome to have dominance over all the other churches. It would seem that the plan was to insure local autonomy not hegemony by one church.
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