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Epistula ii ad Corinthios

Of the holy Clement, bishop of the Romans

Epistle to the Corinthians II.

CHAPTER I. Brethren, thus we ought to think of Jesus Christ, as of God, as of

judge of the living and the dead; and we ought not to think little of our salvation. For in thinking little of him, we also hope to receive little; and those who hear as of small things sin, and we also sin, not knowing from where we were called, and by whom, and to what place, and how many things Jesus Christ endured to suffer for our sake. What recompense, then, shall we give to him, or what fruit worthy of that which he has given us? How many holy things do we owe him? For he gave us the light; as a father he called us sons; he saved us when we were perishing. What praise, then, shall we give to him, or what reward in return for what we have received? Being maimed in our understanding, worshiping stones and wood and gold and silver and bronze, the works of men; and our whole life was nothing else but death. Being therefore enveloped in darkness and our vision being full of such a mist, we recovered our sight, laying aside by his will that cloud which enveloped us. For he had mercy on us and in his compassion saved us, seeing in us much error and perdition, and that we had no hope of salvation, except that which is from him. For he called us when we were not, and willed us to be from not being. CHAPTER II.

Rejoice, O barren one that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for more are the children of the desolate than of her that hath a husband. What he said, 'Rejoice, O barren one that bearest not,' he said of us; for our church was barren before children were given to her.

And what he said, 'Cry, thou that travailest not,' this means: to offer up our prayers with simplicity to God, that we may not, like those in labor, grow weary. And what he said, 'For more are the children of the desolate than of her that hath a husband;' because our people seemed to be desolate from God, but now having believed, we have become more numerous than those who seemed to have God. And another scripture also says, that I came not to call the righteous, but sinners. This means, that it is necessary to save those who are perishing. For this is a great and wonderful thing, not to establish things that are standing, but things that are falling. So also Christ willed to save the things that were perishing, and he saved many, having come and called us when we were already perishing.

CHAPTER III. Since, then, he has shown so great mercy toward us, first, that we who

are living do not sacrifice to dead gods nor worship them, but have known through

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Epistula ii ad Corinthios

Τοῦ ἁγίου Κλήμεντος τῶν Ῥωμαίων ἐπισκόπου

Ἐπιστολὴ πρὸς Κορινθίους Β'.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Α'. Ἀδελφοί, οὕτως δεῖ ἡμᾶς φρονεῖν περὶ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, ὡς περὶ θεοῦ, ὡς περὶ

κριτοῦ ζώντων καὶ νεκρῶν· καὶ οὐ δεῖ ἡμᾶς μικρὰ φρονεῖν περὶ τῆς σωτηρίας ἡμῶν. ἐν τῷ γὰρ φρονεῖν ἡμᾶς μικρὰ περὶ αὐτοῦ μικρὰ καὶ ἐλπίζομεν λαβεῖν· καὶ οἱ ἀκούοντες ὡς περὶ μικρῶν ἁμαρτάνουσιν, καὶ ἡμεῖς ἁμαρτάνομεν οὐκ εἰδότες, πόθεν ἐκλήθημεν καὶ ὑπὸ τίνος καὶ εἰς ὃν τόπον, καὶ ὅσα ὑπέμεινεν Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς παθεῖν ἕνεκα ἡμῶν. τίνα οὖν ἡμεῖς αὐτῷ δώσομεν ἀντμισθίαν, ἢ τίνα καρπὸν ἄξιον οὗ ἡμῖν αὐτὸς ἔδωκεν; πόσα δὲ αὐτῷ ὀφείλομεν ὅσια; τὸ φῶς γὰρ ἡμῖν ἐχαρίσατο, ὡς πατὴρ υἱοὺς ἡμᾶς προσηγόρευσεν, ἀπολλυμένους ἡμᾶς ἔσωσεν. ποῖον οὖν αἶνον αὐτῷ δώσομεν ἢ μισθὸν ἀντιμισθίας ὧν ἐλάβομεν; πηροὶ ὄντες τῇ διανοίᾳ, προσκυνοῦντες λίθους καὶ ξύλα καὶ χρυσὸν καὶ ἄργυρον καὶ χαλκόν, ἔργα ἀνθρώπων· καὶ ὁ βίος ἡμῶν ὅλος ἄλλο οὐδὲν ἦν εἰ μὴ θάνατος. ἀμαύρωσιν οὖν περικείμενοι καὶ τοιαύτης ἀχλύος γέμοντες ἐν τῇ ὁράσει ἀνεβλέψαμεν ἀποθέμενοι ἐκεῖνο ὃ περικείμεθα νέφος τῇ αὐτοῦ θελήσει. ἠλέησεν γὰρ ἡμᾶς καὶ σπλαγχνισθεὶς ἔσωσεν, θεασάμενος ἐν ἡμῖν πολλὴν πλάνην καὶ ἀπώλειαν, καὶ μηδεμίαν ἐλπίδα ἔχοντας σωτηρίας, εἰ μὴ τὴν παρ' αὐτοῦ. ἐκάλεσεν γὰρ ἡμᾶς οὐκ ὄντας καὶ ἠθέλησεν ἐκ μὴ ὄντος εἶναι ἡμᾶς. ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Β'.

Eὐφράνθητι, στεῖρα ἡ οὐ τίκτουσα, ·ῆξον καὶ βόησον ἡ οὐκ ὠδίνουσα, ὅτι πολλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐρήμου μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς ἐχούσης τὸν ἄνδρα. ὃ εἶπεν· Eὐφράνθητι, στεῖρα ἡ οὐ τίκτουσα, ἡμᾶς εἶπεν· στεῖρα γὰρ ἦν ἡ ἐκκλησία ἡμῶν πρὸ τοῦ δοθῆναι αὐτῇ τέκνα.

ὃ δὲ εἶπεν· Βόησον, ἡ οὐκ ὠδίνουσα, τοῦτο λέγει· τὰς προσευχὰς ἡμῶν ἁπλῶς ἀναφέρειν πρὸς τὸν θεόν, μὴ ὡς αἱ ὠδίνουσαι ἐγκακῶμεν. ὃ δὲ εἶπεν· Ὅτι πολλὰ τὰ τέκνα τῆς ἐρήμου μᾶλλον ἢ τῆς ἐχούσης τὸν ἄνδρα· ἐπεὶ ἔρημος ἐδόκει εἶναι ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ὁ λαὸς ἡμῶν, νυνὶ δὲ πιστεύσαντες πλείονες ἐγενόμεθα τῶν δοκούντων ἔχειν θεόν. καὶ ἑτέρα δὲ γραφὴ λέγει, ὅτι οὐκ ἦλθον καλέσαι δικαίους, ἀλλὰ ἁμαρ- τωλούς. τοῦτο λέγει, ὅτι δεῖ τοὺς ἀπολλυμένους σώζειν. ἐκεῖνο γάρ ἐστιν μέγα καὶ θαυμαστόν, οὐ τὰ ἑστῶτα στηρίζειν, ἀλλὰ τὰ πίπτοντα. οὕτως καὶ ὁ Χριστὸς ἠθέλησεν σῶσαι τὰ ἀπολλύμενα, καὶ ἔσωσεν πολλούς, ἐλθὼν καὶ καλέσας ἡμᾶς ἤδη ἀπολλυμένους.

ΚΕΦΑΛΑΙΟΝ Γ'. Τοσοῦτον οὖν ἔλεος ποιήσαντος αὐτοῦ εἰς ἡμᾶς, πρῶτον μέν, ὅτι ἡμεῖς οἱ

ζῶντες τοῖς νεκροῖς θεοῖς οὐ θύομεν καὶ οὐ προσκυνοῦμεν αὐτοῖς, ἀλλὰ ἔγνωμεν δι'