Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Second Epistle of Clement
Second Epistle of Clement
Second Epistle of Clement
HE SECOND EPISTLE
OF CLEMENT
X) THE CORINTHIANS
T. W. CRAFER, D.D.
EDITED BY
T. W. CRAFER, D.D.
WARDEN OF THE COLLEGE OF GREYLADIES J PROFESSOR OF
THEOLOGY AT QUEEN*S COLLEGE, LONDON
LONDON
SOCIETY FOR PROMOTING
CHRISTIAN KNOWLEDGE
NEW YORK: THE MACMIJ.LAN COMPANY
KJ21
THE SECOND EPISTLE OF CLEMENT
TO THE CORINTHIANS
1. THE AUTHOR.
THOUGH this treatise has been traditionally ascribed to
Clement of Rome, its real authorship remains unknown.
Most theories are based on the supposition that it must
have been written by a Clement. Three of that name
have been suggested by various scholars, but their guesses
are unconvincing.
(1) first
* See
Chap. XII., and Clem. Alex., Strom, iii. 13, where the source
of the quotation is stated. Recent discoveries suggest that such a
saying was current elsewhere (Grenfell and Hunt, Oxyrhynclms
Papyri, vol. iv., pp, 22 ff.).
VI INTRODUCTION
3. PLACE OF WRITING.
If it be not a letter from a distance, but a homily
addressed to the Corinthian Church, it must have been
written at Corinth itself. This is borne out by internal
evidence. For in VII. the arrival of those who came to
the Isthmian games is described from
standpoint the
of those already at the place where the games were held
*
Kirsopp Lake would see in this a reference to a definite order
r
triers in the Church (The Apostolic Fathers, vol. i., p. l. >9).
Vlll INTRODUCTION
4. DATE.
The homily certainly belongs to the second century,
but there are no sure indications of its date. However,
it seems
probable that it belonged to the first half of
that century, as the following considerations
suggest:
(1) Had it been later, the author would scarcely have
used an apocryphal Gospel as if it had the authority
of one of the four evangelists.
Although he quotes
(2)
G-ospel language as Scripture, he draws a distinction
between "the books" and "the Apostles" (see XIV.),
which would scarcely have been drawn in the latter part
of the second century. (3) His attack on Gnosticism
is not directed against the particular tenets of later
Gnostics, such as Valentinus and Marcion. Lightfoot
(St. Clement of Rome, Appendix, p. 312) suggests that he
would not have spoken of the 'heavenly Church (XIV.)
in language so like that of Valentinus about the seon
5. CONTENTS.
The homily cannot be pronounced anything but feeble.
As a literary work, Lightfoot judges it to be "almost
worthless." It is a lengthy exhortation to a better life,
6. SOURCES.
1. Greek MSS. :
(/>)
Codex Constantinopolitanus (C), dated A.D. 1056.
Found in the library of the Holy Sepulchre
at Constantinople published by Bryennios
;
2. Versions :
ye/xoi/res ei/
rr; opdVet, ave^Ae^a/xev dvro^e/xei'ot eKetvo 6
7TptKt'/ze$a v^>o riy avTov 0.\t](T.L. 7. 7yX7yo~V yap
Kat o-7rA.ayxvicr$ts eo-wo-i/, Oeaardpevo ;
1
tv
ptas, et
/XT) T^I/ Trap* a^rov. 8 iKaAco-ei/ yap 17/x.as
?;/xas 'etVev (TTtipa yap 7yv rj eKKATyo-ta r}/xwv TT/OO TOV SoOvjvai
avrrj TeKva. 2. o Se e?7rev POT]O-OV TJ
OVK a>8ivovo-a, TOVTO
Aeyet Tas 7T/ooo~ev)(as vy/xtov aTrAws ava(/)e/)etv Trpbs TOV 0ebv
/x?y, cos
at toStvoi'O~ai,
eyKaKwtxev. 3. o Se etVev oVi TroXXd rd
>}
et
^ TO oo-t'ws /cat
7. v yap T
VI. Aeyet 8e 6 Kv/oto? OvSels olKCTT]s SvvaTat 8vo-l Kvpiois St. Matt. vi.
d(rvfj.(f>opov fjfuv CO-TIV. 2. T -yap TO 6<|>Xos, 4dv TIS TOV xvi. 13.
dvoLTravcriv d Se ftrjye,
ovSey T^/ACIS pvcrtra
X1V
'I^/ct^A 6Vt 'Eav avaorf] Nw
' '
8. Aeye6 6e Kat T) ypo.^ tv r^>
Kal 'Ip Kal AaviTJX, ov pva-ovrai TO. r^Kva avrwv i/
T]J at)(/xa-
9. i 8e Kat ot TOIOIJTOI SIKOLIOI ov Svvavrai rais
StKatoervvats pv<ra<rdai ra, re/cva avrwv T}JU,IS,
eav
ju,-^ Tr)prj<rto)fji.cv
TO /^a7TTto~/xa dyi/oi/ xai a^uai/Toi/, Trotct
TT)V 686v TT)I> v^tav, aywva TOV a<^^a/3TOv, Kat TroAAot ets
o-Tpa</>?; 7] (rvvTf)i/3fj,
TraAtv airro aVaTrAcuro-et lai> <5e ?rpo-
<f>Bdo-r) et's
T?)V /ca/xti/oi/
TOTJ irvpos avro /3aAetv, OVKCTL
avrw OVTW? /cat r}/xeis, 0>s rytxei>
Iv TOVTO) ra
a eVpa^a/zev Trovrjpa /xTai/o>/(rw/xev
T>; orapK.1 ^
6'Ar/s TT^S KapSta?, tva (rw^co/ii/ UTTO TOV Kv/36ov, ews
dvej3Xe\I/aTe t i
/xr)
i/
TT/ crapKi ravry 6Wes 3. Set ovv ;
1 jj.tcr06v. 6. d
ovv dAAryAovs, OTTWS e'A$a>/xev vrai'Tes ets Tr)v
6eov. 7. ws >(o/xi/ Kaipov TOI
7
iaOfjvai,
TO) 0pa77vovTt 0ew } dvTifJLicrOiav avTO) SiSoyTes 8. TTOLOLV ',
T^ eTrayyeAta
TOV Geov, TaAaiVojpot lo-Q
? Eldad and 2. Aeyci yap Kat 6 Trpo^Tt/cos Aoyos TaXaiTrwpot euriv ot
i Cor. ii.
9. avTOv Kai Xrj^/6fj,0a ra<s iTrayyeAias as ofis OVK -{JKOVCTCV ov8
aCTleta, 17TV
vptOS TIVOS, ?/et
Gos P el
"Gray ^o-rai ra 8vo *v, Kal TO ^w a>s TO ?(ra>,
Kal TO dpo-V
TTJS 0T)\(as, ov> dpcrev OVTC 0i]Xv. 3. T<X 8vo 8e v l(TTiv, orav Egyptians.
/cat kv Svcrl (rto//ao-iv avv7TOK/)iT(os
AaAw/^ev eavroi? aA^eiai/,
i'^ youa ^v\r]. 4. Kat TO ^w cos TO ^arto, TOVTO Aeyet TIJV
'
XIII .
/cat TrdAtv Oval 81' 8v pXao-^-qjJLeiTat TO 8vop.d jiov f TtVt Is. lii. 5.
c> Beog t
Ov X^P IS ^^ v a-yairaTe TOVS aYairwvTas vp.ds, dXXa St. Luke
^
vi.
t,
cav Tts ryjacoy Trjpia-yj ai'Tryi' ev T?y (rapi< Ka /XT
JVa jLtera irapprja- tas atrw//,ev rbv 0eov TOI> Aeyovra "En Is. Iviii. 9.
oVt 2pxrai TyS^ i] ^(Aepa TTJ5 Kpio-eo)? cos K\fpavos Mai. iv. i.
s> X:
Kal TttK^o-ovrai al 8wd|iis TWV ovpavwv, /cat Tracra
Ty/xwi/ TrapaTToAryTat. et
yap ej/ToAds ^ofj.V, tva /cat TOVTO
Trpdaxrwptv, d?ro TWI/ etSwAwv d7roo"7T(7j/ /cat
/caTTy^etv, Trocrw
TOIS /cav Iv
irpo<rTa.y[Jiacnv oAtyov x/o t/ i'
/ca/coTra^o'wa'tv
T^> Kocrfjuo, TOV aOdvaTov TTJS ai/ao"Tao-ws KapTrov Tpvyrj-
<TOVO~IV. 4. /X^ OVV Av7TtO-^0> 6 CVCTe^TJS OLV 7Tt TOIS VW
Xpofots TaXanruprj /zaKa/otos avTov aj/a/xevet ^povos' e/cetvos
yap eti/ai
StKatot, ov TO evo-e/?es aAAa TO KCp8aAov Stw
22 EPISTLE OF CLEMENT TO THE CORINTHIANS [XX
/cat Sia. TOVTO $eia /cptVts /3A,a^i> Trvtvpa pr] ov St/catov, /cat
cfidpvvev
5. Tw
(rreiXavTi o)/xtv TOV crwTrjpa KOL
3
Si ov /cat
aiJTO>
II
3
17174
TEXTS FOR STUDENT
1. SELECT PASSAGES from Josephus, Tacitus, Suetonius, 11
C. A. J. SkeeL 9d.net. f
s p.c.K.