BOOK 14 (from: _Apostolic Fathers,_ Lightfoot & Harmer, 1891 translation)
2 Clement (so-called)
<<ASCII file produced by Athenaeum of Christian Antiquity.>>
<<4648 East Saint Catherine Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85040-5369>>
<<Voice: (602) 438-9202 [Rod Bias] BBS: (602) 789-7040>>
CHAPTER 0
0:0 @Lightfoot's Title: An Ancient Homily by an
Unknown Author
CHAPTER 1
1:1 @Brethren, we ought so to think of Jesus Christ,
as of God, as of the Judge of quick and dead. And we
ought not to think mean things of our Salvation:
1:2 for when we think mean things of Him, we expect
also to receive mean things. And they that listen as
concerning mean things do wrong; and we ourselves do
wrong, not knowing whence and by whom and unto what
place we were called, and how many things Jesus Christ
endured to suffer for our sakes.
1:3 What recompense then shall we give unto Him? or
what fruit worthy of His own gift to us? And how many
mercies do we owe to Him!
1:4 For He bestowed the light upon us; He spake to us,
as a father to his sons; He saved us, when we were
perishing.
1:5 What praise then shall we give to Him? or what
payment of recompense for those things which we
received?
1:6 we who were maimed in our understanding, and
worshipped stocks and stones and gold and silver and
bronze, the works of men; and our whole life was nothing
else but death. While then we were thus wrapped in
darkness and oppressed with this thick mist in our
vision, we recovered our sight, putting off by His will
the cloud wherein we were wrapped.
1:7 For He had mercy on us, and in His compassion
saved us, having beheld in us much error and perdition,
even when we had no hope of salvation, save that which
came from Him.
1:8 For He called us, when we were not, and from not
being He willed us to be.
CHAPTER 2
2:1 @_Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not. Break
out and cry, thou that travailest not; for more are the
children of the desolate than of her that hath the
husband._ In that He said _Rejoice, thou barren that
bearest not,_ He spake of us: for our Church was barren,
before that children were given unto her.
2:2 And in that He said, _Cry aloud, thou that
travailest not,_ He meaneth this; Let us not, like women
in travail, grow weary of offering up our prayers with
simplicity to God.
2:3 Again, in that He said, _For the children of the
desolate are more than of her that hath the husband,_ He
so spake, because our people seemed desolate and
forsaken of God, whereas now, having believed, we have
become more than those who seemed to have God.
2:4 Again another scripture saith, _I came not to call
the righteous, but sinners._
2:5 He meaneth this; that it is right to save them
that are perishing.
2:6 For this indeed is a great and marvellous work, to
establish, not those things which stand, but those which
are falling.
2:7 So also Christ willed to save the things which
were perishing. And He saved many, coming and calling us
when we were even now perishing.
CHAPTER 3
3:1 @Seeing then that He bestowed so great mercy on
us; first of all, that we, who are living, do not
sacrifice to these dead gods, neither worship them, but
through Him have known the Father of truth. What else
is this knowledge to Himward, but not to deny Him
through whom we have known Him?
3:2 Yea, He Himself saith, _Whoso confesseth Me, Him
will I confess before the Father._
3:3 This then is our reward, if verily we shall
confess Him through whom we were saved.
3:4 But wherein do we confess Him? When we do that
which He saith and are not disobedient unto His
commandments, and not only _honour Him with our lips,_
but _with our whole heart and with our whole mind._
3:5 Now He saith also in Isaiah, _This people
honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far
from Me._
CHAPTER 4
4:1 @Let us therefore not only call Him Lord, for
this will not save us:
4:2 for He saith, _Not every one that saith unto Me,
Lord, Lord, shall be saved, but he that doeth
righteousness._
4:3 So then, brethren, let us confess Him in our
works, by loving one another, by not committing adultery
nor speaking evil one against another nor envying, but
being temperate, merciful, kindly. And we ought to have
fellow-feeling one with another and not to be covetous.
By these works let us confess Him, and not by the
contrary.
4:4 And we ought not rather to fear men but God.
4:5 For this cause, if ye do these things, the Lord
said, _Though ye be gathered together with Me in My
bosom, and do not My commandments, I will cast you away
and will say unto you, Depart from Me, I know you not
whence ye are, ye workers of iniquity._
CHAPTER 5
5:1 @Wherefore, brethren, let us forsake our sojourn
in this world and do the will of Him that called us,
and let us not be afraid to depart out of this world.
5:2 For the Lord saith, _Ye shall be as lambs in the
midst of wolves._
5:3 But Peter answered and said unto Him, _What then,
if the wolves should tear the lambs?_
5:4 Jesus said unto Peter, _Let not the lambs fear the
wolves after they are dead; and ye also, fear ye not
them that kill you and are not able to do anything to
you; but fear Him that after ye are dead hath power over
soul and body, to cast them into the gehenna of fire._
5:5 And ye know, brethren, that the sojourn of this
flesh in this world is mean and for a short time, but
the promise of Christ is great and marvellous, even the
rest of the kingdom that shall be and of life eternal.
5:6 What then can we do to obtain them, but walk in
holiness and righteousness, and consider these worldly
things as alien to us, and not desire them?
5:7 For when we desire to obtain these things we fall
away from the righteous path.
CHAPTER 6
6:1 @But the Lord saith, _No servant can serve two
masters._ If we desire to serve both God and mammon, it
is unprofitable for us:
6:2 _For what advantage is it, if a man gain the whole
world and forfeit his soul?_
6:3 Now this age and the future are two enemies.
6:4 The one speaketh of adultery and defilement and
avarice and deceit, but the other biddeth farewell to
these.
6:5 We cannot therefore be friends of the two, but
must bid farewell to the one and hold companionship with
the other.
6:6 Let us consider that it is better to hate the
things which are here, because they are mean and for a
short time and perishable, and to love the things which
are there, for they are good and imperishable.
6:7 For, if we do the will of Christ, we shall find
rest; but if otherwise, then nothing shall deliver us
from eternal punishment, if we should disobey His
commandments.
6:8 And the scripture also saith in Ezekiel, _Though
Noah and Job and Daniel should rise up, they shall not
deliver their children_ in the captivity.
6:9 But if even such righteous men as these cannot by
their righteous deeds deliver their children, with what
confidence shall we, if we keep not our baptism pure and
undefiled, enter into the kingdom of God? Or who shall
be our advocate, unless we be found having holy and
righteous works?
CHAPTER 7
7:1 @So then, my brethren, let us contend, knowing
that the contest is nigh at hand, and that, while many
resort to the corruptible contests, yet not all are
crowned, but only they that have toiled hard and
contended bravely.
7:2 Let us then contend that we all may be crowned.
7:3 Wherefore let us run in the straight course, the
incorruptible contest. And let us resort to it in
throngs and contend, that we may also be crowned. And if
we cannot all be crowned, let us at least come near to
the crown.
7:4 We ought to know that he which contendeth in the
corruptible contest, if he be found dealing corruptly
with it, is first flogged, and then removed and driven
out of the race-course.
7:5 What think ye? What shall be done to him that hath
dealt corruptly with the contest of incorruption?
7:6 For as concerning them that have not kept the
seal, He saith, _Their worm shall not die, and their
fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be for a
spectacle unto all flesh._
CHAPTER 8
8:1 @While we are on earth then, let us repent:
8:2 for we are clay under the craftsman's hand. For in
like manner as the potter, if he be making a vessel, and
it get twisted or crushed in his hands, reshapeth it
again; but if he have once put it into the fiery oven,
he shall no longer mend it: so also let us, while we are
in this world, repent with our whole heart of the evil
things which we have done in the flesh, that we may be
saved by the Lord, while we have yet time for
repentance.
8:3 For after that we have departed out of the world,
we can no more make confession there, or repent any
more.
8:4 Wherefore, brethren, if we shall have done the
will of the Father and kept the flesh pure and guarded
the commandments of the Lord, we shall receive life
eternal.
8:5 For the Lord saith in the Gospel, _If ye kept not
that which is little, who shall give unto you that which
is great? For I say unto you that he which is faithful
in the least, is faithful also in much._
8:6 So then He meaneth this, Keep the flesh pure and
the seal unstained, to the end that we may receive life.
CHAPTER 9
9:1 @And let not any one of you say that this flesh
is not judged neither riseth again.
9:2 Understand ye. In what were ye saved? In what did
ye recover your sight? if ye were not in this flesh.
9:3 We ought therefore to guard the flesh as a temple
of God:
9:4 for in like manner as ye were called in the flesh,
ye shall come also in the flesh.
9:5 If Christ the Lord who saved us, being first
spirit, then became flesh, and so called us, in like
manner also shall we in this flesh receive our reward.
9:6 Let us therefore love one another, that we all may
come unto the kingdom of God.
9:7 While we have time to be healed, let us place
ourselves in the hands of God the physician, giving Him
a recompense.
9:8 What recompense? Repentance from a sincere heart.
9:9 For He discerneth all things beforehand and
knoweth what is in our heart.
9:10 Let us therefore give unto Him eternal praise,
not from our lips only, but also from our heart, that He
may receive us as sons.
9:11 For the Lord also said, _These are My brethren,
which do the will of My Father._
CHAPTER 10
10:1 @Wherefore, my brethren, let us do the will of
the Father which called us, that we may live; and let
us the rather pursue virtue, but forsake vice as the
forerunner of our sins, and let us flee from
ungodliness, lest evils overtake us.
10:2 For if we be diligent in doing good, peace will
pursue us.
10:3 For for this cause is a man unable to +attain
happiness+, seeing that they call in the fears of men,
preferring rather the enjoyment which is here than the
promise which is to come.
10:4 For they know not how great torment the enjoyment
which is here bringeth, and what delight the promise
which is to come bringeth.
10:5 And if verily they were doing these things by
themselves alone, it had been tolerable: but now they
continue teaching evil to innocent souls, not knowing
that they shall have their condemnation doubled, both
themselves and their hearers.
CHAPTER 11
11:1 @Let us therefore serve God in a pure heart, and
we shall be righteous; but if we serve Him not, because
we believe not the promise of God, we shall be wretched.
11:2 For the word of prophecy also saith: _Wretched
are the double-minded, that doubt in their heart and
say, These things we heard of old in the days of our
fathers also, yet we have waited day after day and have
seen none of them._
11:3 _Ye fools! compare yourselves unto a tree; take
a vine. First it sheddeth its leaves, then a shoot
cometh, after this a sour berry, then a full ripe
grape._
11:4 _So likewise My people had tumults and
afflictions: but afterward they shall receive good
things._
11:5 Wherefore, my brethren, let us not be
double-minded but endure patiently in hope, that we may
also obtain our reward.
11:6 _For faithful is He that promised_ to pay to each
man the recompense of his works.
11:7 If therefore we shall have wrought righteousness
in the sight of God, we shall enter into His kingdom and
shall receive the promises which _ear hath not heard nor
eye seen, neither hath it entered into the heart of
man._
CHAPTER 12
12:1 @Let us therefore await the kingdom of God
betimes in love and righteousness, since we know not
the day of God's appearing.
12:2 For the Lord Himself, being asked by a certain
person when His kingdom would come, said, _When the two
shall be one, and the outside as the inside, and the
male with the female, neither male nor female._
12:3 Now _the two_ are _one,_ when we speak truth
among ourselves, and in two bodies there shall be one
soul without dissimulation.
12:4 And by _the outside as the inside_ He meaneth
this: by the inside He meaneth the soul and by the
outside the body. Therefore in like manner as thy body
appeareth, so also let thy soul be manifest in its good
works.
12:5 And by _the male with the female, neither male
nor female,_ He meaneth this; that a brother seeing a
sister should have no thought of her as of a female, and
that a sister seeing a brother should not have any
thought of him as of a male.
12:6 These things if ye do, saith He, the kingdom of
my Father shall come.
CHAPTER 13
13:1 @Therefore, brethren, let us repent forthwith.
Let us be sober unto that which is good: for we are
full of much folly and wickedness. Let us wipe away
from us our former sins, and let us repent with our
whole soul and be saved. And let us not be found
men-pleasers. Neither let us desire to please one
another only, but also those men that are without, by
our righteousness, that the Name be not blasphemed by
reason of us.
13:2 For the Lord saith, _Every way My Name is
blasphemed among all the Gentiles;_ and again, _Woe unto
him by reason of whom My Name is blasphemed._ Wherein is
it blasphemed? In that ye do not the things which I
desire.
13:3 For the Gentiles, when they hear from our mouth
the oracles of God, marvel at them for their beauty and
greatness; then, when they discover that our works are
not worthy of the words which we speak, forthwith they
betake themselves to blasphemy, saying that it is an
idle story and a delusion.
13:4 For when they hear from us that God saith, _It is
no thank unto you, if ye love them that love you, but
this is thank unto you, if ye love your enemies and them
that hate you;_ when they hear these things, I say, they
marvel at their exceeding goodness; but when they see
that we not only do not love them that hate us, but not
even them that love us, they laugh us to scorn, and the
Name is blasphemed.
CHAPTER 14
14:1 @Wherefore, brethren, if we do the will of God
our Father, we shall be of the first Church, which is
spiritual, which was created before the sun and moon;
but if we do not the will of the Lord, we shall be of
the scripture that saith, _My house was made a den of
robbers._ So therefore let us choose rather to be of the
Church of life, that we may be saved.
14:2 And I do not suppose ye are ignorant that the
living Church is _the body of Christ:_ for the scripture
saith, _God made man, male and female._ The male is
Christ and the female is the Church. And the Books and
the Apostles plainly declare that the Church existeth
not now for the first time, but hath been from the
beginning: for she was spiritual, as our Jesus also was
spiritual, but was manifested in the last days that He
might save us.
14:3 Now the Church, being spiritual, was manifested
in the flesh of Christ, thereby showing us that, if any
of us guard her in the flesh and defile her not, he
shall receive her again in the Holy Spirit: for this
flesh is the counterpart and copy of the spirit. No man
therefore, when he hath defiled the copy, shall receive
the original for his portion. This therefore is what He
meaneth, brethren; Guard ye the flesh, that ye may
partake of the spirit.
14:4 But if we say that the flesh is the Church and
the spirit is Christ, then he that hath dealt wantonly
with the flesh hath dealt wantonly with the Church. Such
an one therefore shall not partake of the spirit, which
is Christ.
14:5 So excellent is the life and immortality which
this flesh can receive as its portion, if the Holy
Spirit be joined to it. No man can declare or tell
_those things which the Lord hath prepared_ for His
elect.
CHAPTER 15
15:1 @Now I do not think that I have given any mean
counsel respecting continence, and whosoever performeth
it shall not repent thereof, but shall save both himself
and me his counsellor. For it is no mean reward to
convert a wandering and perishing soul, that it may be
saved.
15:2 For this is the recompense which we are able to
pay to God who created us, if he that speaketh and
heareth both speak and hear with faith and love.
15:3 Let us therefore abide in the things which we
believed, in righteousness and holiness, that we may
with boldness ask of God who saith, _Whiles thou art
still speaking I will say, Behold, I am here._
15:4 For this word is the token of a great promise:
for the Lord saith of Himself that He is more ready to
give than he that asketh to ask.
15:5 Seeing then that we are partakers of so great
kindness, let us not grudge ourselves the obtaining of
so many good things. For in proportion as the pleasure
is great which these words bring to them that have
performed them, so also is the condemnation great which
they bring to them that have been disobedient.
CHAPTER 16
16:1 @Therefore, brethren, since we have found no
small opportunity for repentance, seeing that we have
time, let us turn again unto God that called us, while
we have still One that receiveth us.
16:2 For if we bid farewell to these enjoyments and
conquer our soul in refusing to fulfil its evil lusts,
we shall be partakers of the mercy of Jesus.
16:3 But ye know that the day of judgment cometh even
now _as a burning oven, and the powers of the heavens
shall melt,_ and all the earth as lead melting on the
fire, and then shall appear the secret and open works of
men.
16:4 Almsgiving therefore is a good thing, even as
repentance from sin. Fasting is better than prayer, but
almsgiving than both. And _love covereth a multitude of
sins,_ but prayer out of a good conscience delivereth
from death. Blessed is every man that is found full of
these. For almsgiving lifteth off the burden of sin.
CHAPTER 17
17:1 @Let us therefore repent with our whole heart,
lest any of us perish by the way. For if we have
received commands, that we should make this also our
business, to tear men away from idols and to instruct
them, how much more is it wrong that a soul which
knoweth God already should perish!
17:2 Therefore let us assist one another, that we may
also lead the weak upward as touching that which is
good, to the end that we all may be saved: and let us
convert and admonish one another.
17:3 And let us not think to give heed and believe now
only, while we are admonished by the presbyters; but
likewise when we have departed home, let us remember the
commandments of the Lord, and not suffer ourselves to be
dragged off the other way by our worldly lusts; but
coming hither more frequently, let us strive to go
forward in the commands of the Lord, that we all having
the same mind may be gathered together unto life.
17:4 For the Lord said, _I come to gather together all
the nations, tribes, and languages._ Herein He speaketh
of the day of His appearing, when He shall come and
redeem us, each man according to his works.
17:5 _And_ the unbelievers _shall see His glory_ and
His might: and they shall be amazed when they see the
kingdom of the world given to Jesus, saying, Woe unto
us, for Thou wast, and we knew it not, and believed not;
and we obeyed not the presbyters when they told us of
our salvation. And _Their worm shall not die, and their
fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be for a
spectacle unto all flesh._
17:6 He speaketh of that day of judgment, when men
shall see those among us that lived ungodly lives and
dealt falsely with the commandments of Jesus Christ.
17:7 But the righteous, having done good and endured
torments and hated the pleasures of the soul, when they
shall behold them that have done amiss and denied Jesus
by their words or by their deeds, how that they are
punished with grievous torments in unquenchable fire,
shall give glory to God, saying, There will be hope for
him that hath served God with his whole heart.
CHAPTER 18
18:1 @Therefore let us also be found among those that
give thanks, among those that have served God, and not
among the ungodly that are judged.
18:2 For I myself too, being an utter sinner and not
yet escaped from temptation, but being still amidst the
engines of the devil, do my diligence to follow after
righteousness, that I may prevail so far at least as to
come near unto it, while I fear the judgment to come.
CHAPTER 19
19:1 @Therefore, brothers and sisters, after the God
of truth hath been heard, I read to you an exhortation
to the end that ye may give heed to the things which
are written, so that ye may save both yourselves and
him that readeth in the midst of you. For I ask of you
as a reward that ye repent with your whole heart, and
give salvation and life to yourselves. For doing this
we shall set a goal for all the young who desire to
toil in the study of piety and of the goodness of God.
19:2 And let us not be displeased and vexed, fools
that we are, whensoever any one admonisheth us and
turneth us aside from unrighteousness unto
righteousness. For sometimes while we do evil things, we
perceive it not by reason of the double-mindedness and
unbelief which is in our breasts, and _we are darkened
in our understanding_ by our vain lusts.
19:3 Let us therefore practise righteousness that we
may be saved unto the end. Blessed are they that obey
these ordinances. Though they may endure affliction for
a short time in the world, they will gather the immortal
fruit of the resurrection.
19:4 Therefore let not the godly be grieved, if he be
miserable in the times that now are: a blessed time
awaiteth him. He shall live again in heaven with the
fathers, and shall have rejoicing throughout a
sorrowless eternity.
CHAPTER 20
20:1 @Neither suffer ye this again to trouble your
mind, that we see the unrighteous possessing wealth, and
the servants of God straitened.
20:2 Let us then have faith, brothers and sisters. We
are contending in the lists of a living God; and we are
trained by the present life, that we may be crowned with
the future.
20:3 No righteous man hath reaped fruit quickly, but
waiteth for it.
20:4 For if God had paid the recompense of the
righteous speedily, then straightway we should have been
training ourselves in merchandise, and not in godliness;
for we should seem to be righteous, though we were
pursuing not that which is godly, but that which is
gainful. And for this cause Divine judgment overtaketh
a spirit that is not just, and loadeth it with chains.
20:5 @To the only God invisible, the Father of truth,
who sent forth unto us the Saviour and Prince of
immortality, through whom also He made manifest unto us
the truth and the heavenly life, to Him be the glory for
ever and ever. Amen.
<<filename: 2CLM_L_H.TXT -- filedate: 30 May 1994>> eof
Provided courtesy of:
The Catholic Resource Network
Trinity Communications
PO Box 3610
Manassas, VA 22110
Voice: 703-791-2576
Fax: 703-791-4250
Data: 703-791-4336
The Catholic Resource Network is a Catholic online information and
service system. To browse CRNET or join, set your modem to 8 data
bits, 1 stop bit and no parity, and call 1-703-791-4336.
-------------------------------------------------------------------