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Clement of Rome, The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
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The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians.
Chapter I.—The Salutation. Praise of the Corinthians Before the Breaking Forth of Schism Among Them.
Chapter II.—Praise of the Corinthians Continued.
Chapter IV.—Many Evils Have Already Flowed from This Source in Ancient Times.
Chapter VI.—Continuation. Several Other Martyrs.
Chapter VII.—An Exhortation to Repentance.
Chapter VIII.—Continuation Respecting Repentance.
Chapter IX.—Examples of the Saints.
Chapter X.—Continuation of the Above.
Chapter XI.—Continuation. Lot.
Chapter XII.—The Rewards of Faith and Hospitality. Rahab.
Chapter XIII.—An Exhortation to Humility.
Chapter XIV.—We Should Obey God Rather Than the Authors of Sedition.
Chapter XV.—We Must Adhere to Those Who Cultivate Peace, Not to Those Who Merely Pretend to Do So.
Chapter XVI.—Christ as an Example of Humility.
Chapter XVII.—The Saints as Examples of Humility.
Chapter XVIII.—David as an Example of Humility.
Chapter XIX.—Imitating These Examples, Let Us Seek After Peace.
Chapter XX.—The Peace and Harmony of the Universe.
Chapter XXI.—Let Us Obey God, and Not the Authors of Sedition.
Chapter XXIII.—Be Humble, and Believe that Christ Will Come Again.
Chapter XXIV.—God Continually Shows Us in Nature that There Will Be a Resurrection.
Chapter XXV.—The Phœnix an Emblem of Our Resurrection.
Chapter XXVI.—We Shall Rise Again, Then, as the Scripture Also Testifies.
Chapter XXVII.—In the Hope of the Resurrection, Let Us Cleave to the Omnipotent and Omniscient God.
Chapter XXVIII.—God Sees All Things: Therefore Let Us Avoid Transgression.
Chapter XXIX.—Let Us Also Draw Near to God in Purity of Heart.
Chapter XXXI.—Let Us See by What Means We May Obtain the Divine Blessing.
Chapter XXXII.—We are Justified Not by Our Own Works, But by Faith.
Chapter XXXV.—Immense is This Reward. How Shall We Obtain It?
Chapter XXXVI.—All Blessings are Given to Us Through Christ.
Chapter XXXVII.—Christ is Our Leader, and We His Soldiers.
Chapter XXXIX.—There is No Reason for Self-Conceit.
Chapter XL.—Let Us Preserve in the Church the Order Appointed by God.
Chapter XLI.—Continuation of the Same Subject.
Chapter XLII.—The Order of Ministers in the Church.
Chapter XLIII.—Moses of Old Stilled the Contention Which Arose Concerning the Priestly Dignity.
Chapter XLV.—It is the Part of the Wicked to Vex the Righteous.
Chapter XLVI.—Let Us Cleave to the Righteous: Your Strife is Pernicious.
Chapter XLVII.—Your Recent Discord is Worse Than the Former Which Took Place in the Times of Paul.
Chapter XLVIII.—Let Us Return to the Practice of Brotherly Love.
Chapter XLIX—The Praise of Love.
Chapter L.—Let Us Pray to Be Thought Worthy of Love.
Chapter LI.—Let the Partakers in Strife Acknowledge Their Sins.
Chapter LII.—Such a Confession is Pleasing to God.
Chapter LIII.—The Love of Moses Towards His People.
Chapter LIV.—He Who is Full of Love Will Incur Every Loss, that Peace May Be Restored to the Church.
Chapter LV.—Examples of Such Love.
Chapter LVI.—Let Us Admonish and Correct One Another.
Chapter LVII.—Let the Authors of Sedition Submit Themselves.
Chapter LVIII.—Submission the Precursor of Salvation.
Chapter LIX.—Warning Against Disobedience. Prayer.
Chapter LXI.—Prayer Continued—For Rulers and Governors. Conclusion.
Chapter LXII.—Summary and Conclusory—Concerning Godliness.
Chapter LXIII.—Hortatory, Letter Sent by Special Messengers.
Chapter XXIII.—Be Humble, and Believe that Christ Will Come Again.
The all-merciful and beneficent Father has bowels [of compassion] towards those that fear Him, and kindly and lovingly bestows His favours upon those who come to Him with a simple mind. Wherefore let us not be double-minded; neither let our soul be lifted112 Or, as some render, “neither let us have any doubt of.” up on account of His exceedingly great and glorious gifts. Far from us be that which is written, “Wretched are they who are of a double mind, and of a doubting heart; who say, These things we have heard even in the times of our fathers; but, behold, we have grown old, and none of them has happened unto us;”113 Some regard these words as taken from an apocryphal book, others as derived from a fusion of James i. 8 and 2 Pet. iii. 3, 4. Ye foolish ones! compare yourselves to a tree; take [for instance] the vine. First of all, it sheds its leaves,114 I. omits. then it buds, next it puts forth leaves, and then it flowers; after that comes the sour grape, and then follows the ripened fruit. Ye perceive how in a little time the fruit of a tree comes to maturity. Of a truth, soon and suddenly shall His will be accomplished, as the Scripture also bears witness, saying, “Speedily will He come, and will not tarry;”115 Hab. ii. 3; Heb. x. 37. and, “The Lord shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Holy One, for whom ye look.”116 Mal. iii. 1.
ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ ΚΓ’. Ὁ οἰκτίρμων κατὰ πάντα καὶ εὐεργετικὸς πατὴρ ἔχει σπλάγχνα ἐπὶ τοὺς φοβουμένους αὐτόν, ἠπίως τε καὶ προσηνῶς τὰς χάριτας αὐτοῦ ἀποδιδοῖ τοῖς προσερχομένοις αὐτῷ ἁπλῇ διανοίᾳ. ∆ιὸ μὴ διψυχῶμεν, μηδὲ ἰνδαλλέσθω ἡ ψυχὴ ἡμῶν ἐπὶ ταῖς ὑπερβαλλούσαις καὶ ἐνδόξοις δωρεαῖς αὐτοῦ. Πόρρω γενέσθω ἀφ' ἡμῶν ἡ γραφὴ αὕτη, ὅπου λέγει· «Ταλαίπωροί εἰσιν οἱ δίψυχοι, οἱ διστάζοντες τῇ ψυχῇ, οἱ λέγοντες· Ταῦτα ἠκούσαμεν καὶ ἐπὶ τῶν πατέρων ἡμῶν, καὶ ἰδού, γεγηράκαμεν, καὶ οὐδὲν ἡμῖν τούτων συνβέβηκεν. ὢ ἀνόητοι, συμβάλετε ἑαυτοὺς ξύλῳ· λάβετε ἄμπελον· πρῶτον μὲν φυλλοροεῖ, εἶτα βλαστὸς γίνεται, εἶτα φύλλον, εἶτα ἄνθος, καὶ μετὰ ταῦτα ὄμφαξ, εἶτα σταφυλὴ παρεστηκυῖα.» Ὁρᾶτε, ὅτι ἐν καιρῷ ὀλίγῳ εἰς πέπειρον καταντᾷ ὁ καρπὸς τοῦ ξύλου. Ἐπ' ἀληθείας ταχὺ καὶ ἐξαίφνης τελειωθήσεται τὸ βούλημα αὐτοῦ, συνεπιμαρτυρούσης καὶ τῆς γραφῆς, ὅτι· «Ταχὺ ἥξει καὶ οὐ χρονιεῖ», καί· «Ἐξαίφνης ἥξει ὁ κύριος εἰς τὸν ναὸν αὐτοῦ, καὶ ὁ ἅγιος, ὃν ὑμεῖς προσδοκᾶτε».