THE "EPISTLE OF CLEMENT."
By W.
Among the writings of the so-called Christian Fathers are two epistles and several other productions attributed to Clement of Rome, but as the first epistle is the only one that is by anyone regarded as genuine, it is the only one that we need to notice. This epistle opens thus: "The church of God which sojourns at Rome, to the church of God sojourning at Corinth." This is the only signature it has; but in the catalogue of contents prefixed to the manuscript, the authorship is attributed to one Clement. All that is known of him is that he is supposed to have been the one whom the Catholics claim as the third (by some the fifth) Pope of Rome. It is therefore supposed that this epistle was written about the close of the first century of the Christian era. Following is what Mosheim has to say of this matter:— "Next after the apostles, Clement, the bishop of Rome, obtained very high reputation as one of the writers of this century. The accounts we have at this day of his life, actions, and death, are, for the most part, uncertain. There are still extant, two epistles to the Corinthians bearing his name, written in Greek; of these, it is generally supposed that the first is genuine, and that the second is falsely palmed upon the holy man by some deceiver. Yet even the first epistle seems to have been corrupted by some indiscreet person, who was sorry to see no more marks of erudition and genius in a production of so great a man. "The other works which bear the name of Clement, namely, the 'Apostolic Canons,' the 'Apostolic Constitutions,' the 'Recognitions of Clement,' and the 'Clementina,' were fraudulently ascribed to this eminent Father, by some deceiver, for the purpose of procuring them greater authority. This, all now concede. . . . The eight books of 'Apostolical Constitutions' are the work of some austere and melancholy author, who designed to reform the worship and discipline of the church, which he thought were fallen from their original purity and sanctity, and who ventured to prefix the names of the apostles to his precepts and regulations, in order to give them currency. The 'Recognitions of Clement,' which differ but little from the 'Clementina,' are ingenious and pretty fables."—Ecclesiastical History, book 1, cent. 1, part 2, chap. 3, sec. 18, 19. "After Barnabas, we come to Clement, perhaps the same whom Paul mentions (Phil. 4:3); he was at the end of the first century bishop of Rome. Under his name we have one epistle to the church of Corinth, and the fragment of another. The first was read in the first centuries aloud at divine service in many churches, even with the writings of the New Testament: it contains an exhortation to unity, interwoven with examples and general reflections, addressed to the church at Corinth, which was shaken by divisions. This letter, although, on the whole, genuine, is, nevertheless, not free from important interpolations."—P. 408. The object in making this quotation is to show how highly the epistle was regarded. There is really nothing striking in the epistle; but when men depart from the light of God's word, they are in a condition to accept of the most puerile stuff. We make only one extract from this epistle, namely, Clement's proof of the resurrection:— "Let us consider, beloved, how the Lord continually proves to us that there will be a future resurrection; of which he has rendered the Lord Jesus Christ the first-fruits by raising him from the dead. Let us contemplate, beloved, the resurrection which is at all times taking place. Day and night declare to us a resurrection. The night sinks to sleep, and the day arises; the day (again) departs, and the night comes on. Let us behold the fruits (of the earth), how the sowing of grain takes place. The sower goes forth, and casts it into the ground; and the seed being thus scattered, though dry and naked when it fell upon the earth, is gradually dissolved. Then out of its dissolution the mighty power of the providence of the Lord raises it up again, and from one seed many arise and bring forth fruit. "Let us consider that wonderful sign (of the resurrection) which takes place in eastern lands, that is, in Arabia and the countries round about. There is a certain bird which is called a phoenix. This is the only one of its kind, and lives five hundred years. And when the time of its dissolution draws near that it must die, it builds itself a nest of frankincense, and myrrh, and other spices, into which, when the time is fulfilled, it enters and dies. But as the flesh decays, a certain kind of worm is produced, which, being nourished by the juices of the dead bird, brings forth feathers. Then, when it has acquired strength, it takes up that nest in which are the bones of its parent, and bearing these it passes from the land of Arabia into Egypt, to the city called Heliopolis. And, in open day, flying in the sight of all men, it places them on the altar of the sun, and, having done this, hastens back to its former abode. The priests then inspect the registers of the dates, and find that it has returned exactly as the five hundredth year was completed. "Do we then deem it any great and wonderful thing for the Maker of all things to raise up again those that have piously served him in the assurance of a good faith, when even by a bird he shows us the mightiness of his power to fulfill his promise?"—Epistle 1, chap. 24, 25, and 26. Every Bible student knows that both the Old Testament, and also the New, abound in references to the resurrection. With the apostle Paul, especially, it is a prominent theme. Now, we ask if it is at all probable that any man who was familiar with the Bible would pass by its wealth of testimony on the subject of the resurrection, and produce as proof of it only a ridiculous fable? Whether this epistle was written by Clement, or by somebody who lived later and who forged his name, one thing is certain, and that is, that as a book of Christian doctrine it is not worth the paper on which it is written. We are totally at a loss to understand the reverence with which so many people regard this stuff. But we would especially ask the reader to form in his mind a picture of the condition of churches that took it down week after week as inspired teaching. The inevitable result of feeding upon such vapid stuff must have been mental degeneration, and an inability to distinguish real argument from fancy. W.