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1 Clement

First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians

About this book
Chapter 10

1 Abraham, who was called the ‘friend,’ was found faithful because he obeyed the words of God.⁠ 2 Through obedience, he left his land, his family, and his father’s house, so that by leaving a small land, a weak family, and a humble home,⁠ he might inherit the promises of God. 3 For He said to him, ‘Go out from your land, from your family, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you and magnify your name, and you shall be blessed. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you, and through you, all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed.’ 4 And again, when he was separated from Lot, God said to him, ‘Lift up your eyes and look—from where you are—to the north, the south, the east, and the west; for all the land that you see, I will give to you and your descendants forever.’ 5 ‘And I will make your descendants as numerous as the dust of the earth. If anyone can count the dust of the earth, then your descendants shall also be counted.’ 6 And again He said, ‘God led Abraham out and said to him, Look up to the heavens and count the stars, if you are able to number them. So your descendants shall be.’ And Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness. 7 Because of his faith and hospitality, a son was given to him in his old age, and through obedience, he offered him as a sacrifice to God on one of the mountains He showed him.

Texts in conversation

Compare LXX Genesis 12:1 and Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 10:3

Septuagint · Early Christian

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Summary

In 1 Clement, the author quotes the call of Abraham from the Greek Septuagint translation of Genesis 12 almost exactly, but first describes the land, family and home Abraham left as small and weak, details Genesis lacks, to make him a model of humility.

Passages

LXX Genesis 12:1

Septuagint
1 And the Lord said to Abram, Go forth out of your land and out of your kindred, and out of the house of your father, and come into the land which I will show you. 2 And I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and magnify your name, and you shall be blessed. 3 And I will bless those that bless you, and curse those that curse you, and in you shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed. 4 And Abram went as the Lord spoke to him, and Lot departed with him, and Abram was seventy-five years old, when he went out of Haran.
300–201 BCE (scholarly estimate) Read in LXX Genesis

Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 10:3

Early Christian · First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
1 Abraham, who was called the ‘friend,’ was found faithful because he obeyed the words of God. 2 Through obedience, he left his land, his family, and his father’s house, so that by leaving a small land, a weak family, and a humble home, he might inherit the promises of God. 3 For He said to him, ‘Go out from your land, from your family, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you and magnify your name, and you shall be blessed. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you, and through you, all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed.’
90–100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Clement of Rome, 1 Clement

References

“... The bulk of Abraham material in 1 Clement 10 is presented as direct, essentially verbatim quotations of LXX Gen. 12:1-3 (1 Clem. 10.3), Gen. 13:14-16 (1 Clem. 10.4–5), and Gen. 15:5-6 (1 Clem. 10.6). The quotations function as proof of 1 Clement’s claims from 10.1–2 that Abraham obeyed God. But here, 1 Clement sets up the theme of Abraham’s obedience in a paradoxical way. [...] Abraham departs from ‘a small country’ (γῆν ὀλίγην), ‘a weak people’ (συγγένειαν ἀσθενῆ), and ‘an insignificant house’ (οἶκον μικρόν). These adjectival modifiers are not part of the source text from Gen. 12:1 [...] These added descriptions in 1 Clem. 10.2 downplay the significance of Abraham’s obedience. The purpose, it seems, is not to diminish Abraham’s commitment to God but to align with the author’s emphasis on ‘humility’ (e.g., ταπεινοφρονέω in 2.1 and esp. 31.4) and to help create space for another theme: hospitality. ...”
Seth M. Ehorn, “Abraham in the Apostolic Fathers,” in Abraham in Jewish and Early Christian Literature, ed. Sean A. Adams and Zanne Domoney-Lyttle, LSTS 93 (London: T&T Clark, 2019), 150.

References are not endorsements of their contents. Read each reference in full to understand its author's intentions in using these texts.

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LXX Genesis 12:1 and Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 10:3

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