Clearly Clement of Rome was a well known and famous person, but in spite of this, little is known about his life. The name Clement was fairly common. It is highly unlikely that Pope Clement I is the same ‘Clement’ who is mentioned by the Apostle Paul in Philippians 4:3. There is also no proof he is the same person mentioned in another early document called the Shepherd of Hermas. In the first century there was also a famous member of the Imperial Flavian family named Titus Flavius Clemens who was accused of impiety in 95 a.d. by the Emperor Domitian. The charge of impiety or literally ‘atheism’ was commonly leveled against Christians. While this is an intriguing possibility, most scholars think that St. Clement was not Titus Flavius himself but was a slave or freedman from the Flavian family who took the name of Clemens.

Clement’s letter seems to refer to the persecutions under Nero as past events, placing the document after 75-80 A.D. Later he speaks of older bishops (episcopoi) who were appointed by the Apostles themselves and who were still alive at the time of the letter. Traditionally scholars have dated the letter near the end of the reign of Domitian (95 or 96 A.D.)

Recent studies of the literary form of Clement’s letter show parallels to a type of letter written in a political context where the orator appeals for concord against factions which have arisen in a region outside of Rome. It would be rash to speculate, as some modern scholars have, that this demonstrates the early church incorporated a Roman imperial model of leadership and to hold that this Roman model is in contrast to some vague idea of a more primitive Christianity. By mid-second century, the pattern of a single bishop in each town claiming full apostolic ministry and assisted by a council of presbyters emerged. St. Clement (c. 96 A.D.) notes,

“Our apostles also knew, through our Lord Jesus Christ, that there would be strife on account of the office of the episcopate. For this reason, therefore, inasmuch as they had obtained a perfect fore-knowledge of this, they appointed those [ministers] already mentioned, and afterwards gave instructions, that when these should fall asleep, other approved men should succeed them in their ministry. We are of opinion, therefore, that those appointed by them, or afterwards by other eminent men, with the consent of the whole Church, and who have blamelessly served the flock of Christ in a humble, peaceable, and disinterested spirit, and have for a long time possessed the good opinion of all, cannot be justly dismissed from the ministry.” (1 Clement 44)

The fact that Clement uses a particular rhetorical style does not mean he adopts the full philosophy or mindset of a particular school of thought. One must also deal with the irony of scholars who on the one hand wish for a weak and disorganized church structure in Rome during this period, but on the other hand claim Clement is marketing an imperial model power in his letter almost as though he were a patriarch!

The letter Clement writes to the Corinthians exhorts them to heal the schism or faction that a certain group of younger leaders have created by deposing some bishops (episcopoi) who were appointed by the Apostles ( 1 Clement 42:1-5; 44:1-6).

Some scholars have highlighted the central theme of the letter as ‘order’ which may represent a parallel to the philosophy of Stoicism common during this period. This theory supposes that Clement is influenced by Greek thinking. Another group of scholars have emphasized the theme of ‘restoring peace’ by following a Jewish-Christian theology which upholds the authority of Sacred Scripture and urges obedience to the will of God as expressed by the Old Testament prophets. These themes are clearly not exclusive but the second theme does not require the author to be heavily indebted to a philosophical system. Clement may well be interested in both order and peace. Echoing the theology of the Apostle Paul in Philippians 2:6-11 and 2 Corinthians 8:9, Clement highlights the supreme dignity of Christ under the title “The scepter of God’s majesty” (1 Clement 16:2). Related to the previous theme, Christ is the sign of order and a model of humility. Clement writes,

“The apostles received the gospel for us from the Lord Jesus Christ; Jesus the Christ was sent forth from God. So then Christ is from God, and the apostles are from Christ. Both, therefore, came of the will of God in good order. Having therefore received their orders and being fully assured by the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and full of faith in the Word of God, they went forth with the firm assurance that the Holy Spirit gives, preaching the good news that the kingdom of God was about to come” (1 Clement 42:1-3).

We can see a descending order of authority. God gave lordship to Christ, who in turn gave authority to the apostles. The apostles gave authority to the bishops who are empowered by the Spirit to preach the Gospel. This divine order is established by God for the good of the Church.

Scott McKellar is Director of the Bishop Helmsing Institute.

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