Texts in Conversation
In 2 Peter 3, the author describes the heavens melting and human deeds exposed at judgment. In 2 Clement, the preacher uses similar language to urge repentance; both may draw on the same lost Jewish account of the end times.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
2 Peter 3:10
New Testament
8 Now, dear friends, do not let this one thing escape your notice, that a single day is like a thousand years with the Lord and a thousand years are like a single day. 9 The Lord is not slow concerning his promise, as some regard slowness, but is being patient toward you because he does not wish for any to perish but for all to come to repentance. 10 But the day of the Lord will come like a thief; when it comes, the heavens will disappear with a horrific noise, and the celestial bodies will melt away in a blaze, and the earth and every deed done on it will be laid bare.
2 Clement 16:3
Early Christian
1 Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have found no small chance for repentance, seeing that we still have time, let us turn again to God who called us, while we still have One who will receive us. 2 For if we let go of these pleasures and subdue our soul by refusing to follow its evil desires, we shall share in the mercy of Jesus. 3 But you know that the day of judgment comes even now like a burning oven, and the powers of the heavens shall melt, and all the earth like lead melting in the fire, and then shall appear the hidden and the open works of humanity.
Date: 130-160 C.E. (based on scholarly estimates)
Search:
Notes and References
“... The similarity between these passages has been noticed before. Some have thought that 2 Clem 16:3 is dependent on 2 Pet 3:10, 12 (e.g. Salmon, Introduction, 521; Bigg, 209; James, 35), while Donfried (Second Clement, 91–92) suggests they both depend on similar traditions, but the hypothesis of a common written source seems not to have been suggested before. Yet it is fairly clear that 2 Clem 16:3 is a quotation, and more than a combined quotation of Mal 3:19; Isa 34:4 LXX [...] A likely source is the Jewish apocalypse already quoted in 2 Clem 11:2–4. The similarity with 2 Pet 3:10, 12 is greater than can be explained by common dependence on Isa 34:4 LXX, and it should be noticed that 2 Clem 16:1; 17:1, in the vicinity of the quotation, express ideas similar to 2 Pet 3:9b, which may indicate that both writers found them in the original context of the quotation. ...”
* 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.
Your Feedback:
Leave a Comment
Anonymous comments are welcome. All comments are subject to moderation.
User Comments
,