( PART 11 ) DID THE EARLIEST POST-BIBLICAL CHRISTIAN WRITERS TEACH CHRISTENDOM'S OFFICIAL DOCTRINE OF THE TRI{3}NITY? = CLEMENT OF ROME – LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS – CHAPTER 3
ΚΛΗΜΕΝΤΟΣ
ΠΡΟΣ ΚΟΡΙΝΘΙΟΥΣ Α
1ST
CLEMENT TOWARD [THE] CORINTHIANS
GREEK
TEXT: “...Πᾶσα [1.] δόξα καὶ πλατυσμὸς
ἐδόθη ὑμῖν, καὶ ἐπετελέσθη τὸ
γεγραμμένον· Ἔφαγεν καὶ ἔπιεν, καὶ
ἔπλατύνθη, καὶ ἐπαχύνθη, καὶ ἀπελάκτισεν
ὁ ἠγαπημένος. [2.] ἐκ τούτου ζῆλος
καὶ φθόνος, πόλεμος καὶ αἰχμαλωσία.
[3.] οὕτως ἐπηγέρθησαν οἱ ἄτιμοι
ἐπὶ τοὺς ἐντίμους, οἱ ἄδοξοι ἐπὶ
τοὺς ἐνδόξους, οἱ ἄφρονες ἐπὶ τοὺς
φρονίμους, οἱ νέοι ἐπὶ τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους.
[4.] διὰ τοῦτο πόρρω ἄπεστιν ἡ
δικαιοσύνη καὶ εἰρήνη, ἐν τῷ ἀπολιπεῖν
ἕκαστον τὸν φόβον τοῦ θεοῦ καὶ ἐν
τῇ πίστει αὐτοῦ ἀμβλυωπῆσαι, μηδὲ
ἐν τοῖς νομίμοις τῶν προσταγμάτων
αὐτοῦ προεύεσθαι, μηδὲ πολιτεύεσθαι
κατὰ τὸ καθῆκον τῷ Χριστῷ, ἀλλὰ
ἕκαστον βαδίζειν κατὰ τὰς ἐπιθυμίας
τῆς καρδίας αὐτοῦ τῆς πονηρᾶς, ζῆλον
ἄδικον καὶ ἀσεβῆ ἀνειληφότας, δι’
οὗ καὶ θάνατος εἰσῆλθεν εἰς τὸν
κόσμον...” -
(Chapter 3, “1st
Epistle to the Corinthians,
[ΚΛΗΜΕΝΤΟΣ ΠΡΟΣ ΚΟΡΙΝΘΙΟΥΣ Α]
by Clement of Rome,”
THE APOSTOLIC FATHERS, I
CLEMENT, II CLEMENT Based on the
Krissop Lake text of the Loeb Classical Library
First published 1913.)
LATIN
TEXT: “... quia
unusquisque reliquit timorem Dei […] ambulare uoluerunt non digne
Xpisto...” -
(Chapter 3:4, Latin translation circa 2nd-3rd Century C.E., preserved
in 11th
Century C.E., MSS G.
Morin Sancti Clementis Romani ad Corinthios Epistulae version latina
antiquissima, Anecdota
Maredsolana 2 ; Maredsosus, Belgium, 1894.)
[FOOTNOTE
13]: Ltn., ( plenitudo … largior )] Gr. “pleno...effusio.”
LATIN
TEXT: “...dum
unusquisque timorem Dei deserit […] ejus ambulat, nec Christo
decenter conversatur...”
- (Chapter 3:4, AD
CORINTHIOS EPISTOLA PRIMA. SANCTI CLEMENTIS EPISCOPI ROMANI, ( EX
VERSIONE RUFINI )
Tomus Primus [Book I], Patres Apostolici, COLLECTIO SELECTA SS.
ECCLESIAE PATRUM, Complectens Exquisitissima Opera. By D. M. N. S.
Guuillon. M. DCCC. XXIX.)
ENGLISH
TRANSLATIONS:
CLEMENT
OF ROME (circa. 30-100 C.E.):
“...All [1.]
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. [2.]
Hence come jealousy and envy, strife and sedition, persecution and
tumult, war and captivity. [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. [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...”
-
(Chapter , “1st
Epistle
to the Corinthians, by Clement of Rome,” translated by J.
B. Lightfoot.)
CLEMENT OF ROME (circa. 30-100 C.E.): “...Every [1.] kind of honour and happiness was bestowed upon you, and then was fulfilled that which is written, "My beloved ate and drink, and was enlarged and became fat, and kicked." [2.] Hence flowed emulation and envy, strife and sedition, persecution and disorder, war and captivity. [3.] So the worthless rose up against the honoured, those of no reputation against such as were renowned, the foolish against the wise, the young against those advanced in years. [4.] For this reason righteousness and peace are now far departed from you, inasmuch as every one abandons the fear of God, and is become blind in His faith, neither walks in the ordinances of His appointment, nor acts a part becoming a Christian, but walks after his own wicked lusts, resuming the practice of an unrighteous and ungodly envy, by which death itself entered into the world...” - (Chapter 3, “1st Epistle to the Corinthians, by Clement of Rome,” The Anti-Nicene Fathers Volume One; Edited by A. Roberts and J. Donaldson.)
DOCTRINAL
EXAMINATION
LAKE
Gk., ( τὸν φόβον τοῦ θεοῦ ) lit., “...the fear
of the God...” or “...the fear of God...”
MORIN
Ltn., ( timorem Dei ) “...the fear of God...”
RUFINUS
Ltn., ( timorem Dei ) “...the fear of God...”
LAKE
Gk., ( μηδὲ πολιτεύεσθαι κατὰ τὸ καθῆκον
τῷ Χριστῷ ) “...but neither are [these] continuing as conducting
[themselves] according what is appropriate to the Christ...”
Gk.,
( πολιτεύεσθαι ) = verb pres inf mp
Gk.,
( καθῆκον ) = verb 3rd pl imperf ind act
MORIN
Ltn., ( non digne Xpisto ) “...not worthily of the Christ...”
RUFINUS
Ltn., ( nec Christo decenter ) “...not in a fitting fashion of
the Christ...”
COMPARE:
ΠΡΟΣ
ΦΙΛΙΠΠΗΣΙΟΥΣ 1:27 GREEK NT: WESTCOTT/HORT WITH
DIACRITICS
“...Μόνον ἀξίως τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ πολιτεύεσθε, ἵνα εἴτε ἐλθὼν καὶ ἰδὼν ὑμᾶς εἴτε ἀπὼν ἀκούω τὰ περὶ ὑμῶν, ὅτι στήκετε ἐν ἑνὶ πνεύματι, μιᾷ ψυχῇ συναθλοῦντες τῇ πίστει τοῦ εὐαγγελίου...”
“...Μόνον ἀξίως τοῦ εὐαγγελίου τοῦ Χριστοῦ πολιτεύεσθε, ἵνα εἴτε ἐλθὼν καὶ ἰδὼν ὑμᾶς εἴτε ἀπὼν ἀκούω τὰ περὶ ὑμῶν, ὅτι στήκετε ἐν ἑνὶ πνεύματι, μιᾷ ψυχῇ συναθλοῦντες τῇ πίστει τοῦ εὐαγγελίου...”
(PHILIPPIANS
1:27 ALT): “...Only be conducting
yourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel of Christ, so
that, whether having come and having seen you or being absent, I
shall hear the [things] concerning you [fig., your affairs], that
your are standing firm in one spirit, with one soul, striving
together for the faith of the Gospel...”
(PHILIPPIANS
1:27 ISV): “...The only thing that
matters is that you continue to live as good citizens in a manner
worthy of the gospel of Christ. Then, whether I come to see
you or whether I stay away, I may hear all about you-that you are
standing firm in one spirit, struggling with one mind for the faith
of the gospel...”
NOTE:
Interesting to see how Gk., (
τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους ) is translated.
LIGHTFOOT
Gk., ( τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους ) “...the
elder...”
ROBERTS
& DONALDSON Gk., ( τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους
) “...those advanced in years...”
In conclusion, similar to the last post, there is nothing really substantial here to help us
with our test on whether Clement actually taught a
Tri{3}nity doctrine, or not, the same as it is understood and taught in the Churches of
Christendom today.{*}
But,
in order to be thorough, we must cover every mention of God, Lord,
Christ, Father, Son, holy spirit etc. Which is tedious and time
consuming, perhaps, - even boring, but in saying that, it is absolutely
necessary.
Let
us move on.
[FOOTNOTE *]:
For a ( full ) qualification or definition of what is meant when I say,
“...a Tri{3}nity
doctrine, or not, the
same as it is understood and taught in the Churches of Christendom
today...” see this
link:
