Second Clement

An Introductory Commentary

William Varner

• Publisher: Cascade Books
• Year: 2020
• ISBN:
  9781532661488
• Topic: Théologie et religion
• Subtopic: Théologie chrétienne

The document called Second Clement was not a letter, nor was it written by Clement. It originated as an address to a congregation and is preserved among the group of writings known as the Apostolic Fathers. Unlike First Clement, it is one of the least known of these writings, yet preserves a fascinating window into the life of early believers. Its overall message is that Christians should render a payback to God for his grace shown to them in Christ. Second Clement offers a fascinating window into the life of the early church.

1

Introduction to 2 Clement

In 1627 a gift from the Patriarch of Constantinople, Cyril Lucaris, for the monarch, James I, arrived in England. The gift was a codex copied in the fifth century CE that contained the entire Old and New Testaments with the texts of 1 Clement and 2 Clement at the end of the New Testament books. The manuscript without explanation broke off at 2 Clem. 12.5, the rest of the contents being lost. Subsequently these two books appeared in what was the first collection of books that went by the name Apostolic Fathers, published by the French scholar J. B. Cotelier in 1672. Included in his collection were the recently rediscovered writings attributed to such early Christian figures as Barnabas, Hermas, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna, and the above two works attributed to Clement of Rome. The lengthy Latin title was S.S. Patrum qui temporibus apostolicis floruerunt: Barnabae, Clementis, Hermae, Ignatii, Polycarpi. Opera edita et inedita, vera et suppositicia. Una cum Clementis, Ignatiis, Polycarpi, Acts atque Martyriis.1 Subsequent editions of these so-called Apostolic Fathers continued to include the above two works attributed to Clement of Rome.2 The role of 2 Clement in that corpus of writings was greatly strengthened by its inclusion in a codex of early church writings discovered by Philotheus Bryennios in Constantinople around 1873.3 To the delight of scholars, this codex included the eight chapters of 2 Clement that were missing in Codex A. A common opening sentence in many popular and academic treatments of the “Second Letter of Clement” goes something as follows, “This work is neither written by Clement, nor is it a letter.”4 Such a comment is often followed by a statement that the work is in fact the earliest Christian sermon outside the New Testament.5 Each of these very important issues will be addressed at its proper location in the commentary. Another remark about 2 Clement by Bart Ehrman expresses an opinion shared also by the current author after years of research on the book. “Second Clement is probably the most overlooked and least appreciated of the writings of the Apostolic Fathers.”6 Overshadowed by its “Big Sister” (1 Clement) in many discussions, this shorter document appears in all editions of the Apostolic Fathers. Yet, many writers rarely cite or give attention to 2 Clement, when compared to the much greater attention given to other works in the Apostolic Fathers corpus.

While it has not received the degree of attention given to many other works among the Apostolic Fathers, scholars have not totally neglected 2 Clement. German scholarship has produced some excellent commentaries, in addition to briefer treatments.7 The two commentaries by Lindemann and Pratscher reflect a model of scholarship, and references to Lindemann’s commentary will often show up in my own comments.8 English-language commentaries as part of a series include the magisterial work of J. B. Lightfoot in his multivolume set on the Apostolic Fathers.9 Holt Graham, in a series edited by Robert Grant, has offered a brief but still helpful commentary.10 To this writer’s knowledge, the only one-volume commentary in English is by Christopher Tuckett in the Oxford Apostolic Fathers series.11 The published dissertation by Karl Paul Donfried is an excellent monograph on 2 Clement that offers many comments on the text.12 Students of 2 Clement await the major commentary in the Hermeneia series by James A. Kelhoffer. Kelhoffer’s recent articles are noted in many footnotes and the bibliography, since he offers some fresh ideas on issues surrounding th...