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| Chapter XVII.—Passages from Clement’s Epistle to the Corinthians on Martyrdom.
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Chapter XVII.—Passages from Clement’s Epistle to the Corinthians on Martyrdom.
Moreover, in the Epistle to the Corinthians,
the Apostle2833
| 2833
[The use of this title is noticeable here, on many accounts,
as historic.] | Clement also, drawing a picture of the
Gnostic, says:2834
| 2834 [See
vol. i. p. 5–11, et seqq. S.] | “For who that
has sojourned among you has not proved your perfect and firm faith? and
has not admired your sound and gentle piety? and has not celebrated
the munificent style of your hospitality? and has not felicitated your
complete and sure knowledge? For ye did all things impartially, and
walked in the ordinances of God;” and so forth.
Then more clearly: “Let us fix our eyes on
those who have yielded perfect service to His magnificent glory. Let
us take Enoch, who, being by his obedience found righteous, was
translated; and Noah, who, having believed, was saved; and Abraham,
who for his faith and hospitality was called the friend of God, and
was the father of Isaac.” “For hospitality and piety,
Lot was saved from Sodom.” “For faith and hospitality,
Rahab the harlot was saved.” “From patience and faith they
walked about in goat-skins, and sheep-skins, and folds of camels’
hair, proclaiming the kingdom of Christ. We name His prophets Elias,
and Eliseus, and Ezekiel, and John.”
“For Abraham, who for his free faith
was called ‘the friend of God,’ was not elated by
glory, but modestly said, ‘I am dust and ashes.’2835
And of Job it is thus written: ‘Job was just and blameless,
true and pious, abstaining from all evil.’”2836
He it
was who overcame the tempter by patience, and at once testified and was
testified to by God; who keeps hold of humility, and says, “No
one is pure from defilement, not even if his life were but for one
day.”2837
“Moses, ‘the servant who was faithful
in all his house,’ said to Him who uttered the oracles from the
bush, ‘Who am I, that Thou sendest me? I am slow of speech, and
of a stammering tongue,’ to minister the voice of God in human
speech. And again: ‘I am smoke from a pot.’” “For
God resisteth the proud, but
giveth grace to the humble.”2838
“David too, of whom the Lord,
testifying, says, ‘I found a man after my own heart, David
the son of Jesse. With my holy oil I anointed him.’2839
But he also says to God, ‘Pity me, O God, according to Thy mercy;
and according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies, blot out my
transgression. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me
from my sin. For I know my transgression, and my sin is ever before
me.’”2840
Then, alluding to sin which is not subject
to the law, in the exercise of the moderation of true knowledge,
he adds, “Against Thee only have I sinned, and done evil in
Thy sight.”2841
For the Scripture somewhere says, “The Spirit
of the Lord is a lamp, searching the recesses of the belly.”2842
And the more of a Gnostic a man becomes by doing right, the nearer is
the illuminating Spirit to him. “Thus the Lord draws near to the
righteous, and none of the thoughts and reasonings of which we are the
authors escape Him—I mean the Lord Jesus,” the scrutinizer by
His omnipotent will of our heart, “whose blood was consecrated2843
| 2843 ἡγιάσθη.
Clemens Romanus has ἐδόθη.
[Vol. i. p. 11, this series.] | for us. Let us therefore respect
those who are over us, and reverence the elders; let us honour the young,
and let us teach the discipline of God.” For blessed is he who
shall do and teach the Lord’s commands worthily; and he is of
a magnanimous mind, and of a mind contemplative of truth. “Let
us direct our wives to what is good; let them exhibit,” says he,
“the lovable disposition of chastity; let them show the guileless
will of their meekness; let them manifest the gentleness of their tongue
by silence; let them give their love not according to their inclinations,
but equal love in sanctity to all that fear God. Let our children share
in the discipline that is in Christ; let them learn what humility avails
before God; what is the power of holy love before God, how lovely and
great is the fear of the Lord, saving all that walk in it holily; with
a pure heart: for He is the Searcher of the thoughts and sentiments,
whose breath is in us, and when He wills He will take it away.”
“Now all those things are confirmed
by the faith that is in Christ.‘Come, ye children,’
says the Lord, ‘hearken to me, and I will teach you the fear
of the Lord. Who is the man that desireth life, that loveth to see
good days? ’2844
Then He subjoins the gnostic mystery of
the numbers seven and eight.‘Stop thy tongue from evil, and thy
lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good. Seek peace,
and pursue it.’2845
For in these words He alludes to knowledge
(gnosis), with abstinence from evil and the doing of what is good,
teaching that it is to be perfected by word and deed. ‘The eyes
of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are to their prayer. But
the face of God is against those that do evil, to root out their memory
from the earth. The righteous cried, and the Lord heard, and delivered
him out of all his distresses.’2846
‘Many are the
stripes of sinners; but those who hope in the Lord, mercy shall compass
about.’”2847
“A multitude of mercy,” he nobly
says, “surrounds him that trusts in the Lord.”
For it is written in the Epistle to the Corinthians,
“Through Jesus Christ our foolish and darkened mind springs up to
the light. By Him the Sovereign Lord wished us to taste the knowledge
that is immortal.” And, showing more expressly the peculiar nature
of knowledge, he added: “These things, then, being clear to us,
looking into the depths of divine knowledge, we ought to do all things in
order which the Sovereign Lord commanded us to perform at the appointed
seasons. Let the wise man, then, show his wisdom not in words only, but in
good deeds. Let the humble not testify to himself, but allow testimony to
be borne to him by another. Let not him who is pure in the flesh boast,
knowing that it is another who furnishes him with continence. Ye see,
brethren, that the more we are subjected to peril, the more knowledge
are we counted worthy of.” E.C.F. INDEX & SEARCH
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