Clement of Rome led a church in turmoil. Its people were deeply divided. The secular culture was hostile to the faith. Across the ocean from the Eternal City the laity were rising up in rebellion against the clergy. And it was only 67 A.D. St. Peter was hardly cold in his grave on Vatican Hill. How should his successor lead in such a crisis? Clement healed the Church in the way of the Apostles: by writing a winsome, reasonable, gentle letter — which is the subject of Episode 3 of “The Way of the Fathers” with Mike Aquilina.
Clement’s Epistle to the Corinthians is, says Johannes Quasten, “the earliest piece of literature outside the New Testament for which the name, position, and date of the author are historically attested.” It provides us a snapshot of Church life as the first Christian generation turned over to the second. And it reveals the origins of so many doctrines: apostolic succession, Roman primacy, the papal office, and the unity of the Old Testament and the New.
Christians today don’t fully understand the achievement of the Apostles unless they understand the work of their immediate disciples. Clement knew both Peter and Paul and carried their mission forward according to their model and instructions. His words are useful for our own time of crisis.
Links
Buy Kenneth Howell’s new edition and translation of Clement of Rome’s Epistle. https://www.amazon.com/Clement-Didache-Early-Christian-Fathers/dp/0983082979/
Read Clement in the context of the other Apostolic Fathers. https://www.amazon.com/Early-Christian-Writings-Apostolic-Fathers/dp/0140444750/
Compare Clement’s letter in Greek and English. https://www.amazon.com/1-Clement-Readers-Theodore-Bergren/dp/0813232368/
Read a recent study of Clement’s Letter, by a respected scholar and official of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. https://www.amazon.com/Clement-Early-Church-Rome-Corinthians-ebook/dp/B004OEIWGC/
Clement’s First Epistle to the Corinthians online https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/view.cfm?recnum=1608
More Works by the Fathers https://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/fathers/
Mike Aquilina’s Website https://fathersofthechurch.com
Donate today! https://www.catholicculture.org/donate/audio
Theme music: Gaudeamus (Introit for the Feast of All Saints), sung by Jeff Ostrowski. Courtesy of http://www.ccwatershed.org.
55—Isidore of Seville: Last of the Red-Hot Latin Fathers
54—Maximus the Confessor: Where East and West Meet
53—Gregory and His Greatness
52—Benedict of Nursia: The Elusive Man Behind the Rule
51—St. Patrick: Paternal and Patristic
50—Peter Chrysologus: The Doctor of (Short) Sermons
49—Romanus the Melodist: Through Hymns, with Hymns, in Hymns
48—Leo the Great: Who Roared with the Voice of Peter
47—Vincent of Lerins: Believed Everywhere, Always, by All
46—Cyril of Alexandria: The Fifth-Century Man from Uncle
45—John Cassian, Monk on the Move, Solitary in the City
BONUS: Interview with Mike Aquilina
44—Prudentius, Poet Laureate of the Western Fathers
43—The Pastoral Poems of Paulinus of Nola
42—Chrysostom (Part 2): Triumph, Tragedy & Glory
41—Chrysostom (Part 1): Golden Mouth & Golden Mysteries
40—Augustine (Part 3): Last Days and the End of an Age
39—Augustine (Part 2): A Mob-Made Bishop Makes His Mark
38—Augustine (Part 1): Youth and Conversion
37—Jerome, the Choleric Commentator
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