1Clem prologue:1
The Church of God which sojourneth in Rome to the Church of God which
sojourneth in Corinth, to them which are called and sanctified by the
will of God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Grace to you and peace
from Almighty God through Jesus Christ be multiplied.
1Clem 1:1
By reason of the sudden and repeated calamities and reverses which
are befalling us, brethren, we consider that we have been somewhat
tardy in giving heed to the matters of dispute that have arisen among
you, dearly beloved, and to the detestable and unholy sedition, so
alien and strange to the elect of God, which a few headstrong and
self-willed persons have kindled to such a pitch of madness that your
name, once revered and renowned and lovely in the sight of all men,
hath been greatly reviled.
1Clem 1:2
For who that had sojourned among you did not approve your most
virtuous and steadfast faith? Who did not admire your sober and
forbearing piety in Christ? Who did not publish abroad your
magnificent disposition of hospitality? Who did not congratulate you
on your perfect and sound knowledge?
1Clem 1:3
For ye did all things without respect of persons, and ye walked after
the ordinances of God, submitting yourselves to your rulers and
rendering to the older men among you the honor which is their due.
On the young too ye enjoined modest and seemly thoughts: and the
women ye charged to perform all their duties in a blameless and
seemly and pure conscience, cherishing their own husbands, as is
meet; and ye taught them to keep in the rule of obedience, and to
manage the affairs of their household in seemliness, with all
discretion.
1Clem 2:1
And ye were all lowly in mind and free from arrogance, yielding
rather than claiming submission, more glad to give than to
receive, and content with the provisions which God supplieth. And
giving heed unto His words, ye laid them up diligently in your
hearts, and His sufferings were before your eyes.
1Clem 2:2
Thus a profound and rich peace was given to all, and an insatiable
desire of doing good. An abundant outpouring also of the Holy Spirit
fell upon all;
1Clem 2:3
and, being full of holy counsel, in excellent zeal and with a pious
confidence ye stretched out your hands to Almighty God, supplicating
Him to be propitious, if unwillingly ye had committed any sin.
1Clem 2:4
Ye had conflict day and night for all the brotherhood, that the
number of His elect might be saved with fearfulness and intentness of
mind.
1Clem 2:5
Ye were sincere and simple and free from malice one towards another.
1Clem 2:6
Every sedition and every schism was abominable to you. Ye mourned
over the transgressions of your neighbors: ye judged their
shortcomings to be your own.
1Clem 2:7
Ye repented not of any well-doing, but were ready unto every good
work.
1Clem 2:8
Being adorned with a most virtuous and honorable life, ye performed
all your duties in the fear of Him. The commandments and the
ordinances of the Lord were written on the tablets of your hearts.
1Clem 3:1
All glory and enlargement was given unto you, and that was fulfilled
which is written My beloved ate and drank and was enlarged and
waxed fat and kicked.
1Clem 3:2
Hence come jealousy and envy, strife and sedition, persecution and
tumult, war and captivity.
1Clem 3:3
So men were stirred up, the mean against the honorable, the ill
reputed against the highly reputed, the foolish against the wise, the
young against the elder.
1Clem 3:4
For this cause righteousness and peace stand aloof, while each
man hath forsaken the fear of the Lord and become purblind in the
faith of Him, neither walketh in the ordinances of His commandments
nor liveth according to that which becometh Christ, but each goeth
after the lusts of his evil heart, seeing that they have conceived an
unrighteous and ungodly jealousy, through which also death entered
into the world.
1Clem 4:1
For so it is written, And it came to pass after certain days that
Cain brought of the fruits of the earth a sacrifice unto God, and
Abel he also brought of the firstlings of the sheep and of their
fatness.
1Clem 4:2
And God looked upon Abel and upon his gifts, but unto Cain and unto
his sacrifices He gave no heed.
1Clem 4:3
And Cain sorrowed exceedingly, and his countenance fell.
1Clem 4:4
And God said unto Cain, Wherefore art thou very sorrowful and
wherefore did thy countenance fall? If thou hast offered aright and
hast not divided aright, didst thou not sin? Hold thy peace.
1Clem 4:5
Unto thee shall he turn, and thou shalt rule over him. {This last
phrase has also been translated: Be at peace: thine offering
returns to thyself, and thou shalt again possess it.}
1Clem 4:6
And Cain said unto Abel his brother, Let us go over unto the plain.
And it came to pass, while they Were in the plain, that Cain rose up
against Abel his brother and slew him.
1Clem 4:7
Ye see, brethren, jealousy and envy wrought a brother's murder.
1Clem 4:8
By reason of jealousy our father Jacob ran away from the face of Esau
his brother.
1Clem 4:9
Jealousy caused Joseph to be persecuted even unto death, and to come
even unto bondage.
1Clem 4:10
Jealousy compelled Moses to flee from the face of Pharaoh king of
Egypt while it was said to him by his own countryman, Who made thee
a judge or a decider over us, Wouldest thou slay me, even as
yesterday thou slewest the Egyptian?
1Clem 4:11
By reason of jealousy Aaron and Miriam were lodged outside the camp.
1Clem 4:12
Jealousy brought Dathan and Abiram down alive to hades, because they
made sedition against Moses the servant of God.
1Clem 4:13
By reason of jealousy David was envied not only by the Philistines,
but was persecuted also by Saul [king of Israel].
1Clem 5:1
But, to pass from the examples of ancient days, let us come to those
champions who lived nearest to our time. Let us set before us the
noble examples which belong to our generation.
1Clem 5:2
By reason of jealousy and envy the greatest and most righteous
pillars of the Church were persecuted, and contended even unto death.
1Clem 5:3
Let us set before our eyes the good Apostles.
1Clem 5:4
There was Peter who by reason of unrighteous jealousy endured not one
not one but many labors, and thus having borne his testimony went to
his appointed place of glory.
1Clem 5:5
By reason of jealousy and strife Paul by his example pointed out the
prize of patient endurance. After that he had been seven times in
bonds, had been driven into exile, had been stoned, had preached in
the East and in the West, he won the noble renown which was the
reward of his faith,
1Clem 5:6
having taught righteousness unto the whole world and having reached
the farthest bounds of the West; and when he had borne his testimony
before the rulers, so he departed from the world and went unto the
holy place, having been found a notable pattern of patient endurance.
1Clem 6:1
Unto these men of holy lives was gathered a vast multitude of the
elect, who through many indignities and tortures, being the victims
of jealousy, set a brave example among ourselves.
1Clem 6:2
By reason of jealousy women being persecuted, after that they had
suffered cruel and unholy insults as Danaids and Dircae, safely
reached the goal in the race of faith, and received a noble reward,
feeble though they were in body.
1Clem 6:3
Jealousy hath estranged wives from their husbands and changed the
saying of our father Adam, This now is bone of my bones and flesh
of my flesh.
1Clem 6:4
Jealousy and strife have overthrown great cities and uprooted great
nations.
1Clem 7:1