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Clement of Rome

1 Clement

First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians

About this book

The Peace and Harmony of the Universe

Chapter 20

1 The heavens are moved by His direction and obey Him in peace.⁠ 2 Day and night accomplish the course assigned to them by Him, without hindering each other. 3 The sun and the moon and the dancing stars circle as He has appointed in harmony within the bounds assigned to them, without swerving at all. 4 The earth, bearing fruit in fulfillment of His will at its proper seasons, produces abundant food for people and animals and all living things on it, without dissent and without altering anything He has decreed. 5 Moreover, the inscrutable depths of the abysses and the inexpressible statutes of the lower regions are constrained by the same ordinances. 6 The basin of the boundless sea, gathered together by His workmanship into its reservoirs, does not pass the barriers that surround it, but does just as He ordered it. 7 For He said, “So far will you come, and your waves shall be broken within you.”⁠ 8 The ocean which is impassable for men, and the worlds beyond it, are directed by the same ordinances of the Master. 9 The seasons of spring and summer and autumn and winter give way to one another in turn, in peace. 10 The winds in their various quarters fulfill their service at the proper season without disturbance; and the ever-flowing springs, created for enjoyment and health, without fail offer their breasts, which sustain human life. Yes, the smallest of living things come together in harmony and peace. 11 All these things the great Creator and Master of the universe ordered to be in peace and harmony, doing good to all things, but far beyond the rest to us who have taken refuge in His compassionate mercies through our Lord Jesus Christ. 12 to whom be the glory and the majesty forever and ever. Amen.

Texts in conversation

Compare 1 Enoch 2:1 and Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 20:1

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses · Early Christian

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Summary

1 Clement echoes the argumentation of 1 Enoch, pointing the divided Corinthian church to the sun, moon, stars, and seas as creatures that obey God without swerving from their courses.

Passages

1 Enoch 2:1

Pseudepigrapha, Apocalypses
1 Observe everything that occurs in the heaven, how the celestial bodies do not alter their paths, and the lights in the sky, how they all rise and set orderly, each in its own season, without deviating from their assigned courses. 2 Look at the earth, and pay attention to the things that unfold from beginning to end, how consistent they are, how nothing on earth changes, how all of God’s works appear to you. 3 Observe the summer and winter, how the entire earth is filled with water, and how clouds, dew, and rain cover it.
300 BCE – 100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in 1 Enoch

Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 20:1

Early Christian · First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
1 The heavens are moved by His direction and obey Him in peace. 2 Day and night accomplish the course assigned to them by Him, without hindering each other. 3 The sun and the moon and the dancing stars circle as He has appointed in harmony within the bounds assigned to them, without swerving at all.
90–100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Clement of Rome, 1 Clement

References

... 6.3.2.1. 1 Clement 19-20 As part of his moral instruction, Clement of Rome (ca. 100 C.E.) cites the example of the obedience of the inanimate creation. The passage closely parallels 1 Enoch 2-5 and 101 and seems to reflect knowledge of either 1 Enoch or a Jewish instructional tradition on which 1 Enoch also drew. These six texts should be added to a text of undisputedly Christian provenance, viz. 1 Clement 19-20. As part of his admonition for peace, Clement appeals to the Corinthians to look to the Creator and to the obedient creation, which follows the divine decrees and commands and does not alter them. Cited as examples are: the heavens, day and night, which do not hinder each other; the sun, moon, and stars, which do not swerve from their courses; the earth and its seasons and agriculture; the abyss and the seas, which do not pass their barriers; and the stations of the winds. The similarity to Sipre Deuteronomy 32:1 is notable, including the use of language similar to Jeremiah 5:22. Along with most of the other texts, may attest a common Jewish instructional tradition. ...
George W. E. Nickelsburg, A Commentary on the Book of 1 Enoch Chapters 1-36, 81-108 (Minneapolis: Fortress, 2001), 87, 154.

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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1 Enoch 2:1 and Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 20:1

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