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Recognitions of Clement.
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Rufinus, Presbyter of Aquileia; His
Preface to Clement’s Book of Recognitions.
To Bishop Gaudentius.
To thee, indeed, O
Gaudentius, thou choice glory of our doctors, belongs such vigour of
mind, yea, such grace of the Spirit, that whatever you say even in the
course of your daily preaching, whatever you deliver in the church,
ought to be preserved in books, and handed down to posterity for their
instruction. But we, whom slenderness of wit renders less ready,
and now old age renders slow and inactive, though after many delays,
yet at length present to you the work which once the virgin Sylvia of
venerable memory enjoined upon us, that we should render Clement into
our language, and you afterwards by hereditary right demanded of us;
and thus we contribute to the use and profit of our people, no small
spoil, as I think, taken from the libraries of the Greeks, so that we
may feed with foreign nourishment those whom we cannot with our
own. For foreign things usually seem both more pleasant, and
sometimes also more profitable. In short, almost everything is
foreign that brings healing to our bodies, that opposes diseases, and
neutralizes poisons. For Judæa sends us Lacryma
balsami, Crete Coma dictamni, Arabia her flower
of spices, India reaps her crop of spikenard; which, although they
reach us in a somewhat more broken condition than when they leave their
native fields, yet retain entire the sweetness of their odour and their
healing virtue. Receive therefore, my soul,529
| 529 Var. readings:
“magnanimous one,” “my lord,” “my
friend.” | Clement returning to you; receive him now
in a Roman dress. And wonder not if haply the florid countenance
of eloquence appear less in him than usual. It matters not,
provided the sense tastes the same. Therefore we transport
foreign merchandise into our country with much labour. And I know
not with how grateful countenances my countrymen welcome me, bringing
to them the rich spoils of Greece, and unlocking hidden treasures of
wisdom with the key of our language. But may God grant your
prayers, that no unlucky eye nor any livid aspect may meet us, lest, by
an extreme kind of prodigy, while those from whom he is taken do not
envy, yet those upon whom he is bestowed should repine. Truly it
is right to point out the plan of our translation to you, who have read
these works also in Greek, lest haply in some parts you may think the
order of translation not kept. I suppose you are aware that there
are two editions in Greek of this work of Clement,—the
᾽Αναγνώσεις
, that is, Recognitions; and that there are two collections of
books, differing in some points, but in many containing the same
narrative. In short, the last part of this work, in which is the
relation concerning the transformation of Simon, is contained in one of
the collections, but is not at all in the other.530
| 530 [The reference is
probably to the transformation of the father of Clement into the
appearance of Simon Magus. This is narrated in both the
Recognitions (book x. 53, etc.) and in the Homilies (xx.
12, etc.), though the latter book closes without any statement of the
restoration. It would seem unlikely, then, that Rufinus refers to
the Homilies as the “other” collection. The
recovery of the closing portion of that work has given us its account
of the transformation.—R.] | There are also in both collections
some dissertations concerning the Unbegotten God and the Begotten, and
on some other subjects, which, to say nothing more, are beyond our
comprehension.531
| 531 [How far Rufinus
has omitted portions which occurred in Greek cannot be known. It
is quite probable that the apparent heresy of some passages, rather
than their incomprehensibility, led him to omit them. This may be
urged in favour of the priority of the Homilies, but is not
conclusive.—R.] | These,
therefore, as being beyond our powers, I have chosen to reserve for
others, rather than to produce in an imperfect state. But in the
rest, we have given our endeavour, so far as we could, not to vary
either from the sentiments or even from the language and modes of
expression; and this, although it renders the style of the narrative
less ornate, yet it makes it more faithful. The epistle in which
the same Clement, writing to James the Lord’s brother, informs
him of the death of Peter, and that he had left him his successor in
his chair and teaching, and in which also the whole subject of church
order is treated, I have not prefixed to this work, both because it is
of later date, and because I have already translated and published
it.532
| 532 [There is no
good reason for doubting that Rufinus refers to the extant epistle
prefixed to the Homilies, and forming, with “the Epistle
of Peter to James,” which precedes it, a preface and fictitious
authentication of that collection.—R.] | But I do not think it out of place to explain here
what in that letter will perhaps seem to some to be inconsistent.
For some ask, Since Linus and Cletus were bishops in the city of Rome
before this Clement, how could Clement himself, writing to James, say
that the chair of teaching was handed over to him by Peter?533
| 533 [The language
of Rufinus confirms that of Irenæus, Eusebius, and Jerome, as to
the episcopal succession at Rome (assuming that Cletus and Anacletus,
named by Irenæus, is identical with Cletus). For other
variations, see Church Histories and Encyclopædias (under
Clemens Romanus). The current opinion at Rome in the
beginning of the fifth century is evident from this passage.
Comp. Ante-Nicene Fathers, vol. i. pp. 1,
2.—R.] | Now of this we have heard this
explanation, that Linus and Cletus were indeed bishops in the city of
Rome before Clement, but during the lifetime of Peter: that is,
that they undertook the care of the episcopate, and that he fulfilled
the office of apostleship; as is found also to have been the case at
Cæsarea, where, when he himself was present, he yet had
Zacchæus, ordained by himself, as bishop. And in this way
both statements will appear to be true, both that these bishops are
reckoned before Clement, and yet that Clement received the
teacher’s seat on the death of Peter. But now let us see
how Clement, writing to James the Lord’s brother, begins his
narrative.
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