“1:2 For has anyone ever visited you who did not approve your most excellent and steadfast faith? Who did not admire your sober and magnanimous piety in Christ? Who did not proclaim the magnificent character of your hospitality? Who did not congratulate you on your complete and sound knowledge? 3 For you did everything without partiality, and you lived in accordance with the laws of God, submitting yourselves to your leaders and giving to the older men among you the honor due them. You instructed the young people to think temperate and proper thoughts; you charged the women to perform all their duties with a blameless, reverent, and pure conscience, cherishing their own husbands, as is right; and you taught them to abide by the rule of obedience, and to manage the affairs of their household with dignity and all discretion. 2:1 Moreover, you were all humble and free from arrogance, submitting rather than demanding submission, more glad to give than to receive, and content with the provisions that God supplies. And giving heed to his words, you stored them up diligently in your hearts, and kept his sufferings before your eyes. 2 Thus a profound and rich peace was given to all, together with an insatiable desire to do good, and an abundant outpouring of the Holy Spirit fell upon everyone as well. 3 Being full of holy counsel, with excellent zeal and a devout confidence you stretched out your hands to almighty God, imploring him to be merciful if you had inadvertently committed any sin. 4 You struggled day and night on behalf of all the family of believers, that through fear and conscientiousness the number of his elect might be saved. 5 You were sincere and innocent and free from malice one toward another. 6 Every faction and every schism was abominable to you. You mourned for the transgressions of your neighbors: you considered their shortcomings to be your own. 7 You never once regretted doing good, but were ready for every good work. 8 Being adorned with a virtuous and honorable manner of life, you 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.”2 (1 Clement 1:2-2:8)

“1 All glory and growth were given to you, and then that which is written was fulfilled: “My beloved ate and drank and was enlarged and grew fat and kicked.” 2 From this came jealousy and envy, strife and sedition, persecution and anarchy, war and captivity. 3 So people were stirred up: those without honor against the honored, those of no repute against the highly reputed, the foolish against the wise, the young against the old.” (1 Clement 3.1-3)

“44:6 For we see that you have removed certain people, their good conduct notwithstanding, from the ministry that had been held in honor by them blamelessly. …46:5 Why is there strife and angry outbursts and dissension and schisms and conflict among you? 6 Do we not have one God and one Christ and one spirit of grace that was poured out upon us? And is there not one calling in Christ? 7 Why do we tear and rip apart the members of Christ, and rebel against our own body, and reach such a level of insanity that we forget that we are members of one another? Remember the words of Jesus our Lord, 8 for he said: “Woe to that person! Rather than cause one of my elect to sin, it would have been good for that one not to have been born. It would have been better for that person to have been tied to a millstone and cast into the sea, rather than pervert one of my elect.” 9 Your schism has perverted many; it has brought many to despair, plunged many into doubt, and caused all of us to sorrow. And yet your rebellion still continues!” (1 Clement 44:6; 46:5-9)

“The church of God that sojourns in Rome to the church of God that sojourns in Corinth, to those who are called and sanctified by the will of God through our Lord Jesus Christ: May grace and peace from almighty God through Jesus Christ be yours in abundance. 1 Because of the sudden and repeated misfortunes and reverses that have happened to us, brothers, we acknowledge that we have been somewhat slow in giving attention to the matters in dispute among you, dear friends, especially the detestable and unholy schism, so alien and strange to those chosen by God, which a few reckless and arrogant persons have kindled to such a pitch of insanity that your good name, once so renowned and loved by all, has been greatly reviled.” (1 Clement 1.1)

“1 You see, dear friends, how great and wonderful love is; its perfection is beyond description. 2 Who is worthy to be found in it, except those whom God considers worthy? Let us therefore ask and petition his mercy, so that we may be found blameless in love, standing apart from any human factiousness.” (1 Clement 50:1-2)

“1 You, therefore, who laid the foundation of the revolt must submit to the presbyters and accept discipline leading to repentance, bending the knees of your heart. 2 Learn how to subordinate yourselves, laying aside the arrogant and proud stubbornness of your tongue. For it is better for you to be found small but included in the flock of Christ than to have a preeminent reputation and yet be excluded from his hope.” (1 Clement 57:1-2)

Bibliography

1. For this chronology I’m indebted to Jerome Murphy-O’Connor, St. Paul’s Corinth: Texts and Archeology, 3rd ed. (Collegeville, MN: The Liturgical Press, 2002), 173-74.
2. The Apostolic Fathers: Greek Texts and English Translations, ed. Michael W. Holmes (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson, 2003).
3. Jerome, “On the Lives of Illustrious Men,” in Theodoret, Jerome, Gennadius & Rufinus: Historical Writings, ed. Philip Schaff and Henry Wace, vol. 203, Nicene and Post-Nicene Fathers, Second Series (New York, NY: Christian Literature Publishing, 1890).
4. Eusebius, The History of the Church, trans. Jeremy M. Schott (Oakland, CA: University of California Press, 2019), 210.

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