• Home
  • Works
  • Introduction Guide Collaboration Sponsors / Collaborators Copyrights Contact Imprint
Bibliothek der Kirchenväter
Search
DE EN FR
Works Clement of Rome (35-99) Epistula altera ad Corinthios

Translation Hide
The Second Epistle of Clement

Chapter IV.--True Confession of Christ.

Let us, then, not only call Him Lord, for that will not save us. For He saith, "Not every one that saith to me, Lord, Lord, shall be saved, but he that worketh righteousness." 1 Wherefore, brethren, let us confess Him by our works, by loving one another, by not committing adultery, or speaking evil of one another, or cherishing envy; but by being continent, compassionate, and good. We ought also to sympathize with one another, and not be avaricious. By such works let us confess Him, 2 and not by those that are of an opposite kind. And it is not fitting that we should fear men, but rather God. For this reason, if we should do such [wicked] things, the Lord hath said, "Even though ye were gathered together to 3 me in my very bosom, yet if ye were not to keep my commandments, I would cast you off, and say unto you, Depart from me; I know you not whence ye are, ye workers of iniquity." 4


  1. Matt. vii. 21, loosely quoted. ↩

  2. Some read, "God." ↩

  3. Or, "with me." ↩

  4. The first part of this sentence is not found in Scripture; for the second comp., Matt. vii. 23; Luke xiii. 27. ↩

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

Chap. iv.--true confession of christ.

Let us, then, not only call Him Lord, for that will not save us. For He saith, "Not every one that saith to Me, Lord, Lord, shall be saved, but he that worketh righteousness." 1 Wherefore, brethren, let us confess Him by 2 our works, by loving one another, by not committing adultery, or speaking evil of one another, or cherishing envy; but being continent, compassionate, and good. We ought also to sympathize with one another, and not be avaricious. By such 3 works let us confess Him, 4 and not by those that are of an opposite kind. And it is not fitting that we should fear men, but rather God. For this reason, if we should do such wicked things, the Lord hath said, "Even though ye were gathered together to Me 5 in My very bosom, yet if ye were not to keep My commandments, I would cast you off, and say unto you, Depart from Me; I know you not whence ye are, ye workers of iniquity." 6

emou.--R.]


  1. Matt. vii. 21, loosely quoted. ↩

  2. [Literally, "in."--R.] ↩

  3. [A defect in A was thus supplied, but "these" is now accepted; so C, S.--R.] ↩

  4. Some read "God." ["Him" is correct.--R.] ↩

  5. Or, "with Me." [This is the more exact rendering of met' ↩

  6. The first part of this sentence is not found in Scripture; for the second, comp. Matt. vii. 23, Luke xiii. 27. [The first part is not even identified as a citation from an apocryphal book.--R.] ↩

  Print   Report an error
  • Show the text
  • Bibliographic Reference
  • Scans for this version
Editions of this Work
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

Contents

Faculty of Theology, Patristics and History of the Early Church
Miséricorde, Av. Europe 20, CH 1700 Fribourg

© 2023 Gregor Emmenegger
Imprint
Privacy policy