Texts in Conversation
In Hebrews 10, the author urges hope because God keeps his promises. In 2 Clement, the preacher uses the same Greek language to encourage patience, though this common claim does not establish that he draws directly from Hebrews.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Hebrews 10:23
New Testament
19 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the sanctuary by the blood of Jesus, 20 by the fresh and living way that he inaugurated for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, 21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in the assurance that faith brings, because we have had our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water. 23 And let us hold unwaveringly to the hope that we confess, for the one who made the promise is trustworthy. 24 And let us take thought of how to spur one another on to love and good works, 25 not abandoning our own meetings, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and even more so because you see the day drawing near.
2 Clement 11:6
Early Christian
3 You fools! Compare yourselves to a tree; take a vine. First it sheds its leaves, then a shoot appears, after this a sour berry, then a fully ripe grape. 4 So likewise My people had turmoil and afflictions, but afterward they shall receive good things. 5 Therefore, my brothers and sisters, let us not be double-minded but patiently endure in hope, so that we may also obtain our reward. 6 For He who promised is faithful to pay each person the due reward of their works. 7 If therefore we have done what is right in the sight of God, we shall enter His kingdom and shall receive the promises that no ear has heard nor eye seen, nor has it entered into any person’s heart.
Date: 130-160 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
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Notes and References
“... The committee claims that the ‘context of the two passages is similar, referring to the need of hope in the presence of grounds for doubt’. This is correct, although the doubt addressed explicitly at 2 Clem. 11. 1–5 is addressed more implicitly in Hebrews. [...] Yet even the similarity of context between these passages and the verbal identity that they display are not compelling evidence for literary dependence. The claim that God is faithful is a general one that might be made in a wide range of contexts and for a wide range of reasons (cf. 1 Clem. 1. 27), so it seems better to consider this parallel only as a possible rather than as a probable instance of direct dependence on Hebrews. ...”
Gregory, Andrew F.
The Reception of the New Testament in the Apostolic Fathers
(p. 290) 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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