Guides Along the Way: The Letter of St. Clement to the Corinthians

Our first study of one of the Apostolic Fathers brings us to the Letter of St. Clement of Rome. Only his first letter is generally accepted as genuine, and so for the purposes of our studies, we will focus on this alone: the Letter of St. Clement to the Corinthians.

St. Clement is the third successor of St. Peter (making him the fourth pope) and his letter to the Corinthians is especially well known in apologetic circles. St. John, an apostle who knew Christ first-hand and was apparently close enough to Him that Jesus appointed John to care for the Blessed Virgin, was still alive. Despite the fact that one of the original twelve apostles was alive, the Church at Corinth wrote to St. Clement asking for counsel. This is generally held as evidence of papal primacy; even a man several stages removed from Christ outranks an apostle in authority if he is the successor of Peter.

The ancients were considerably better letter-writers than we are today. They knew how to court their readers, how to appeal to them with praise before getting to the heart of the matter and otherwise how to write a strongly worded letter. This is very clear upon reading the Letter of St. Clement, who spends two considerable paragraphs honoring the Corinthians.

1. The letter opens "The church of God which sojourns at Rome, to the church of God sojourning at Corinth, to them that are called and sanctified by the will of God, through our Lord Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, from Almighty God through Jesus Christ, be multiplied." St. Clement opens on a common theme in the early Church, stating that the Churches are sojourning at their respective places, a word emphasizing the pilgrim nature of the Church and the expectation of moving on soon at the coming of Christ. He goes on to praise the Corinthians in many ways, extolling their virtues. It is clear from the wording that Clement's letter is a response to a request of the Corinthians, which is a support of papal primacy.
2. St. Clement continues to praise the Corinthians.
3. St. Clement speaks of a schism within the Church at Corinth in terms that seem better suited for the description of an uprising. Pride played an important role.
4. In chapter 4, Clement makes it clear that he is speaking of envy, which is a form of pride, calling to mind various Biblical examples of the harm done by pride.
5. Clement speaks of the damage of envy in more recent times, particularly indicating envy's place in the deaths of Sts. Peter and Paul.
6. Envy has been responsible for serious persecutions and destroyed families and even whole societies.
7. Chapter seven has an eloquence well worth reading. It is interesting to read the humility of St. Clement, who recognizes and admits that the problem facing the Corinthians is also facing the Church of Rome. In light of this, he makes a call for the conversion not only of the Corinthians, but of his own people as well.
8. Clement speaks in chapter 8 about the need for repentance God has already proclaimed as a sign of His provident mercy.
9. In chapter 9, St. Clement writes, "Wherefore, let us yield obedience to His excellent and glorious will; imploring His mercy and loving-kindness, while we forsake all fruitless labours and strife, and envy, which leads to death, let us turn and have recourse to His compassions." How many fruitless labors do we find ourselves engaged in during our times? How much strife do we see? How much envy? What shall we do? In this section, Clement speaks of Enoch. There are several people by the name Enoch mentioned in the genealogies of Genesis. His story is apocryphal to the Scriptures, but St. Clement tells us that he was a righteous man who never knew death. Other sources say that he was assumed, although Christians would have to say that his destination was the Bosom of Abraham (limbo patrium), not heaven.
10. St. Clement goes on to expound on the obedience to God by pointing out in narrative style what the obedience of Abraham accomplished.
11. His discourse continues with a note on the salvation God showed to Lot because of his hospitality, as well as the punishment given to Lot's wife because of her duplicity in following God.
12. He continued by pointing out how the hospitality and faith of Rahab saved her from the destruction of Jericho. He also calls the red cord hung from her window a foreshadowing of the Blood of Christ that would once for all save those who hope in God.
13. He continues with an exhortation to humility and to glory not in oneself, but in God.
14. Those who obey God remain on the earth, while those who sin are destroyed from it.
15. Christians must be peaceful and follow those who maintain peace, not those who are pretenders.
16. Citing the entirety of Isaiah 53, Clement goes on to profess the great humility of Christ, which we must imitate.
17. Clement provides examples of humility from the lives of the saints of the Old Testament.
18. Clement then provides King David and Psalm 51 as examples of humility.
19. The saint exhorts his readers to seek peace after the examples he has given.
20. God upholds the universe in harmony, the implication being that we should submit ourselves peacefully in obedience to God's will, so that we may also dwell in harmony.
21. The pope provides a list of examples of the virtues of those who follow the Lord and practice peace within their own souls and within the community.
22. St. Clement quotes Psalm 34.
23. St. Clement chastises those impatient ones who grow weary and abandon their Christian vocation by reminding the reader that the work of God is gradual and takes time, but that Christ will return. Those who have fallen away are in danger of being caught unprepared. Faithful believe in the Second Coming provides both the continued discipline of hope and the righteous fear of judgment that encourages virtue.
24. The Resurrection is foreshadowed in nature by various types of Resurrection: night and day, sowing and readping.
25. The legend of the Phoenix is used as a sign of Resurrection, even though modern scientific observation tells us it is fictional. Despite this, it remains that the Phoenix is used as a symbol of Christ, who died and rose again. Note that Clement mentions frankincense and myrrh.
26. Scripture also states that we will rise again.
27. God, who is all-powerful, is ever-faithful, and so we ought to be as well.
28. We must not sin, since God sees all.
29. As God has allowed us to share in the blessings on His people, we must remain faithful to Him.
30. Because we belong to God, who is holy, let us practice holiness in humility.
31. God has been faithful in His blessings to those who were faithful to Him.
32. The great things God has done have been accomplished through His will; our salvation also is His will and has not from our own merit.
33. Although our salvation is God's work, this does not mean we should grow lax. God made us to be fruitful as He is. It befits us to work out our righteousness.
34. The Lord has declared that he will reward man according to his works and the Scriptures declare that He will be worshiped by myriads of servants. Therefore, let us be His servants.
35. The gift of God is wonderful, and we must work hard to receive it.
36. Christ is the mediator of salvation and of the gifts of God. The passage speaks not only of Christ as mediating a covenant, but as the Revelation of the Father.
37. As Christ leads us in His will, we carry out His work as His soldiers, under His generals and commanders. The place of each Christian is necessary and important, as those higher up rely on those below them and those lower men require the leadership of those above them.
38. All the members of the Church should work together in harmony, not glorifying themselves, but glorifying God.
39. God destroys those who exalt themselves.
40. Worship and service ought to be performed according to God's designs.
41. God's designs for divine worship are strict.
42. Just as God appointed Christ to reveal Him, Christ appointed the Apostles.
43. Precedent has been set under Moses with regard to certain people being called to the priesthood.
44. St. Clement states that the office of bishop should not be withheld from those deserving it according to their priestly devotion and holiness.
45. The righteous are persecuted not by other righteous men, but my sinners. Therefore, those righteous men who have been dishonored are persecuted by sinners, who should not be followed.
46. The act of refusing the righteous and opposing them spreads division and schism, violating the unity God bestowed on His Church and causing scandal.
47. St. Clement declares that the divisions the Corinthians have caused now are worse than the divisions St. Paul mentioned in his own letter to the Corinthians, since it is worse to be divided between a righteous man and an unrighteous man than it is to be divided between two righteous men.
48. Repentance and brotherly love are the gate of righteousness through which the Corinthians must go.
49. St. Clement repeats to the Corinthians what they have already heard from St. Paul about love (cf. 1 Cor 13), adding his own style but delivering the same message.
50. God's love is beyond description, merciful, and forgiving.
51. Clement exhorts those involved in the scandal at Corinth to repent of their sins and not practice harness of heart.
52. A humble confession is more pleasing to God than sacrifice.
53. The self-sacrificing love of Moses for his people is given as an example.
54. If Moses can stand in the way of God to save his people and offer himself in their place, so a man who has done evil also ought to offer up himself in place of those he has led astray, so that they may be with Christ. The humility of public repentance is required.
55. Pagan and Scriptural examples of self-sacrificing love for one's followers.
56. Admonition, from other Christians or from God, should be received with gratitude, since it works toward our perfection and for our benefit.
57. It is better to submit to God humbly and be a simple member of His Church than to be an exalted heretic. The exhortation to repentance continues, with the note that God leaves the arrogant to their own devices, which destroy them.
58. He who stays true to the Gospel and does not "repent" (turn back) toward evil will be saved.
59. St. Clement says that those who refuse to repent face Almighty God and begins a prayer to the Lord.
60. The prayer continues with appeals to God's mercy.
61. The prayer ends with an invocation of God's help for temporal and spiritual leaders.
62. St. Clement recaps all that he has said.
63. Clement notes that he has sent his letter with messengers who are witnesses to the Gospel.
64. The closing blessing of the letter: "May God, who sees all things, and who is the Ruler of all spirits and the Lord of all flesh— who chose our Lord Jesus Christ and us through Him to be a peculiar people— grant to every soul that calls upon His glorious and holy name, faith, fear, peace, patience, long-suffering, self-control, purity, and sobriety, to the well-pleasing of His name, through our High Priest and Protector, Jesus Christ, by whom be to Him glory, and majesty, and power, and honour, both now and for evermore. Amen."
65. St. Clement appeals for a quick reply, so that he may rejoice all the more in the Corinthians.

I think after reading the Letter of St. Clement to the Corinthians that he demonstrates for us especially a proper understanding of the relationship between humility and the Christian life, as well as the goodness that exists in Christian discipline and admonition.

May we all strive to be as holy as St. Clement describes the Christian vocation.

His Servant and Yours,

Micah