More about 1 Clement

Clement dispatched three elders, a beit din from the community in Rome, to serve his epistle to the assembly of disciples in Corinth. Turns out we have met one of them before in Paul's epistles to Corinth. With a few closing remarks, a blessing, and two more doxologies, we conclude the epistle of 1 Clement and discuss its reception among the churches in the second and third centuries. Download the PDF below for the original handout.

A Sacrifice of Peace

Sometimes the sacrifice of peace is self-sacrifice. In 1 Clement 53-58, Clement urges the upstarts in Corinth to follow the examples of godly heroes of the past who did not hesitate to risk themselves and sacrifice their positions for the good of the community.

The Love Chapters

We have a commandment to love God and a commandment to love others. In his epistle to the Corinthians, Clement appeals to the authority of Yeshua's mandates about love to pose an argument against the ursurpers in Corinth. Listen in on this Green Room Class from 2013 on 1 Clement 47-52. Download a pdf of the original handout below.

Authority in the Assembly of Messiah

Clement, the disciple of Peter, lays out the hierarchy of authority in the assembly of Messiah and lodges his complaint against those subverting that authority in Corinth. This fascinating time capsule takes a look at the inner workings of the early church and the apostolic tradition that undergirded its offices. Includes apostolic midrash on parashat Korach and a lost saying of Yeshua. Download the original handout from the 2013 class below.

Distinction and Boundaries

Is unstructured worship more spiritual than formal types of worship? Many Christian teachers eschew formalism, protocol, and distinction in favor of universalism and homogenization which eliminates distinction, diversity, and protocol in the service of God. In this lesson from 1 Clement, Peter's number-one disciple weighs in on the discussion with an argument for maintaining boundaries within the body of Messiah. Here's where Clement stands on the debtate between One Law Theology and Distinction Theology.

The LORD's Portion

More deep thoughts, mystical ideas, quotations from no-longer extant sources, and beautiful Jewish exegesis from Clement of Rome. Lesson 6 in our study of The Holy Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians takes us from 1 Clement 28-34.

Flourishing as the Phoenix

Clement makes an appeal to nature and the natural order of creation to argue for the resurrection of the dead and the order of authoirty in the assembly of Messiah. Listen in on this class on 1 Clement 20-27.

Steam from a Pot

Beginning with a lost saying of the Master, the Epistle of 1 Clement launches into a discourse on humility with examples from the lives of the great men of God. Hear Moses say, "I am only steam from a pot." Download a pdf of the original handout below.

Enoch, Abraham, Lot, and Rahab

The Epistle of Clement preserves otherwise lost, authentic, apostolic teachings about the Torah rooted in forgotten teachings of Yeshua. As Irenaeus, the second-century Bishop of Lyons puts it, "Clement had seen the blessed apostles and conversed with them, their teaching was still ringing in his ears." This lesson looks at how the apostles taught the stories of Enoch, Abraham, Lot, and Rahab.

The Martyrs of Rome

Clement of Rome briefly recaps the stories of the persecutions and trials endured by Peter and Paul and the disciples in the Neronic persecution and Circus Neronis. This lesson covers 1 Clement 5-8 and includes important Apostolic Era tradition, teachings on repentance, and the efficacious nature of the suffering of the Messiah for salvation in all generations.