Works Clement of Rome (35-99) Epistula altera ad Corinthios

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The Second Epistle of Clement

Chapter III.--The Duty of Confessing Christ.

Since, then, He has displayed so great mercy towards us, and especially in this respect, that we who are living should not offer sacrifices to gods that are dead, or pay them worship, 1 but should attain through Him to the knowledge of the true Father, 2 whereby shall we show that we do indeed know Him, 3 but by not denying Him through whom this knowledge has been attained? For He himself declares, "Whosoever shall confess me before men, him will I confess before my Father." 4 This, then, is our reward if we shall confess Him by whom we have been saved. But in what way shall we confess Him? By doing what He says, and not transgressing His commandments, and by honouring Him not with our lips only, but with all our heart and all our mind. 5 For He says in Isaiah, "This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me." 6

  1. I. omits. ↩

  2. I. tes aletheias (of truth). ↩

  3. Literally, "what is the knowledge which is towards Him." ↩

  4. Matt. x. 32. ↩

  5. Comp. Matt. xxii. 37. ↩

  6. Isa. xxix. 13. ↩

Translation Hide
An ancient Homily, commonly styled the second epistle of Clement

Chap. iii.--the duty of confessing christ.

Since, then, He has displayed so great mercy towards us, and especially in this respect, that we who are living should not offer sacrifices to gods that are dead, or pay them worship, but should attain through Him to the knowledge of the true Father, 1 whereby shall we show that we do indeed know Him, 2 but by not denying Him through whom this knowledge has been attained? For He Himself declares, 3 "Whosoever shall confess Me before men, him will I confess before My Father." 4 This, then, is our reward if we shall confess Him by whom we have been saved. But in what way shall we confess Him? By doing what He says, and not transgressing His commandments, and by honouring Him not with our lips only, but with all our heart and all our mind. 5 For he says 6 in Isaiah, "This people honoureth Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me." 7

  1. [Literally, "the Father of the truth." The best editions have a period here.--R.] ↩

  2. Literally, "what is the knowledge which is towards Him." [C, with Bryennios. Hilgenfeld reads tes alethei'as, "what is the knowledge of the truth," instead of he pro`s auto'n, A, S, Lightfoot, and earlier editors.--R.] ↩

  3. [le'gei dekai auto's, "Yea, He Himself saith," Lightfoot.--R.] ↩

  4. Matt. x. 32. ↩

  5. Comp. Matt. xxii. 37. ↩

  6. ["Now He saith also."--R.] ↩

  7. Isa. xxix. 13. ↩

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Second Epistle to the Corinthians (Loeb) Compare
Translations of this Work
An ancient Homily, commonly styled the second epistle of Clement
The Second Epistle of Clement
Zweiter Brief des Klemens an die Korinther (BKV) Compare
Commentaries for this Work
Einleitung zum sogenannten zweite Brief des Klemens an die Korinther
Introductory Notice - The Epistles of Clement
Introductory Notice to the Homily Known as the Second Epistle of Clement

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