Texts in Conversation
In the Greek version of Isaiah 66, God describes punishment with an undying worm and unquenched fire. In 2 Clement, the preacher quotes this directly in a warning to Christians who break their commitments.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
LXX Isaiah 66:24
Septuagint
21 And I will take for myself some of them as priests and as Leuites, said the Lord. 22 For as the new heaven and the new earth, which I am making, remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your offspring and your name stand. 23 And it shall be that month after month and sabbath after sabbath all flesh shall come before me to do obeisance in Ierousalem, said the Lord. 24 And they shall go forth and see the limbs of the people who have transgressed against me; for their worm shall not die and their fire shall not be quenched and they shall become a spectacle to all flesh.
2 Clement 7:6
Early Christian
3 Therefore let us run in the straight course, the incorruptible contest. Let us gather there in great numbers and fight, that we may also be crowned. And if we cannot all be crowned, let us at least come near the crown. 4 We should realize that whoever competes in a corruptible contest, if found cheating, is first flogged and then removed and driven out of the racecourse. 5 What do you think then? What shall be done to the one who has cheated in the contest of incorruption? 6 For concerning those who have not kept the seal, He says, “Their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be a spectacle to all flesh.”
Date: 130-160 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
“... 2 Clem. 7. 6 introduces a citation of Isa. 66. 24 (with a fairly general ‘he says’ [...]), a verse which is also strongly echoed in Mark 9. 48. There is no evidence at all, however, that the text of 2 Clement has been influenced by the gospel text: the version here agrees almost verbatim with that of the LXX of Isa. 66. 24. There is no warrant, therefore, for concluding that ‘Clement’ is doing anything other than citing Isa. 66. 24 alone. ...”
Gregory, Andrew F.
The Reception of the New Testament in the Apostolic Fathers
(p. 274) Oxford University Press, 2005
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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