Clement of Rome
c. 35 – c. 99 · Bishop of Rome
Also known as Pope Clement I
Feast: 23 November (Catholic) · 25 November (Orthodox)
Bishop of Rome late in the 1st century. Author of 1 Clement to the Corinthian church c. AD 96 — the earliest surviving Christian document outside the New Testament.
Highlights
- Main contribution
- 1 Clement is the oldest surviving Christian writing outside the New Testament, and it is not abstract theology.
- Best first read
- 1 Clement (Letter to the Corinthians)
- Primary source
- 1 Clement (entire)
1 Clement is the oldest surviving Christian writing outside the New Testament, and it is not abstract theology. Around AD 96, the church in Rome wrote to Corinth because the Corinthians had deposed their elders and fractured the community. That makes the letter invaluable: it shows second-generation Christians already caring about order, humility, succession, scripture, and peace before later debates had formal names. Some churches valued it so highly that they read it alongside the New Testament for centuries.
Notable works
- ·1 Clement (Letter to the Corinthians) · 96
Primary sources
- ·1 Clement (entire)
- ·Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. 3.3.3
- ·Eusebius, Hist. Eccl. 3.4, 3.15-16
Book of the day
The Apostolic Fathers
Clement of RomeA reading pick tied to today's figure, quote, era, or event. Best first collection for Clement, Ignatius, Polycarp, the Didache, Barnabas, Hermas, and Papias in one place.
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