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Clement of Rome

1 Clement

First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians

About this book

Every Blessing Comes Through Christ

Chapter 36

1 This is the way, dear friends, in which we found our salvation: Jesus Christ, the High priest of our offerings, the Guardian and Helper of our weakness. 2 Through Him let us fix our gaze on the heights of the heavens; through Him we see as in a mirror His faultless and most excellent face; through Him the eyes of our hearts were opened; through Him our foolish and darkened mind springs up to the light; through Him the Master willed that we should taste immortal knowledge; Who, being the brightness of His majesty, is as much greater than angels as the name He has inherited is more excellent.⁠ 3 For it is written, “Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.” 4 but of His Son the Master said this: “You are My Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of Me, and I will give You the Gentiles for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.” 5 And again He says to Him “Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.” 6 Who then are these enemies? Those who are wicked and resist His will.

Texts in conversation

Compare Hebrews 1:3 and Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 36:2

New Testament · Early Christian

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Summary

Hebrews opens by calling the Son the radiance of God's glory, then provides quotations from the psalms about angels as flames of fire and the Son seated at God's right hand. 1 Clement follows this, reproducing the chain of citations in the same order.

Passages

Hebrews 1:3

New Testament
3 The Son is the radiance of his glory and the representation of his essence, and he sustains all things by his powerful word, and so when he had accomplished cleansing for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. 4 Thus he became so far better than the angels as he has inherited a name superior to theirs. 5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, “You are my son! Today I have fathered you”? And in another place he says, “I will be his father and he will be my son.” 6 But when he again brings his firstborn into the world, he says, “Let all the angels of God worship him!” 7 And he says of the angels, “He makes his angels winds and his ministers a flame of fire,” 8 but of the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever, and a righteous scepter is the scepter of your kingdom. 9 You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness. So God, your God, has anointed you over your companions with the oil of rejoicing.” 10 And, “You founded the earth in the beginning, Lord, and the heavens are the works of your hands. 11 They will perish, but you continue. And they will all grow old like a garment, 12 and like a robe you will fold them upand like a garment they will be changed, but you are the same and your years will never run out.” 13 But to which of the angels has he ever said, “Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet”?
80–90 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Hebrews

Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 36:2

Early Christian · First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
2 Through Him let us fix our gaze on the heights of the heavens; through Him we see as in a mirror His faultless and most excellent face; through Him the eyes of our hearts were opened; through Him our foolish and darkened mind springs up to the light; through Him the Master willed that we should taste immortal knowledge; Who, being the brightness of His majesty, is as much greater than angels as the name He has inherited is more excellent. 3 For it is written, “Who makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire.” 4 but of His Son the Master said this: “You are My Son; today I have begotten you. Ask of Me, and I will give You the Gentiles for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for Your possession.” 5 And again He says to Him “Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.”
90–100 CE (scholarly estimate) Read in Clement of Rome, 1 Clement

References

“... The extent of Clement's knowledge of Hebrews is reflected particularly in 1 Clem 36:1-6. This is the way, beloved, in which we found our salvation, Jesus Christ, the high priest of our offerings, the defender and helper of our weaknesses . . . "who being the radiance of his Majesty is so much greater than the angels as he had inherited a more excellent name." For it is written, "who makes his angels spirits, and his ministers a flame of fire." But of the Son the Master said, "You are my son. Today I have become your father. Ask me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession." And again he says to him, "Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a stool for your feet." The designation of Jesus as "high priest" and as "defender of our weaknesses" (cf. Heb 2:17-18; 4:15-16) occurs in a paragraph that has the appearance of a patchwork of phrases culled from Heb 1:3-13. The descriptive clause, "who being the radiance of his Majesty is so much greater than the angels as he has inherited a more excellent name" is virtually a quotation, conflating Heb 1:3-4. Moreover, when Clement quotes Ps 110:1 as a direct word of address by God to the Son, as in Heb 1:13, he betrays his literary dependence upon the formula of introduction employed by the writer in Heb 1:13. ...”
William L. Lane, Word Biblical Commentary: Hebrews 1-8 (Dallas: Word, 1991), 298.

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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Hebrews 1:3 and Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 36:2

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