Texts in Conversation
Isaiah 41:8 calls Abraham God’s friend. 1 Clement echoes this language and presents Abraham as a model of humility, comparing it to his confession that he is only dust and ashes.
Share:
2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Isaiah 41:8
Hebrew Bible
7 The craftsman encourages the metalsmith, the one who wields the hammer encourages the one who pounds on the anvil. He says of the welding, ‘It is good’18, and nails it down so it won’t fall over. 8 “You, my servant Israel, Jacob, whom I have chosen, offspring of Abraham my friend, 9 you whom I am bringing back from the earth’s extremities and have summoned from the remote regions—I told you, ‘You are my servant.’I have chosen you and not rejected you.
1 Clement 17:2
First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
Early Christian
1 Let us be imitators also of those which went about in goatskins and sheepskins, preaching the coming of Christ. We mean Elijah and Elisha and likewise Ezekiel, the prophets, and besides them those men also that obtained a good report. 2 Abraham obtained an exceeding good report and was called the friend of God; and looking steadfastly on the glory of God, he says in lowliness of mind, “But I am dust and ashes.” 3 Moreover concerning Job also it is thus written; “And Job was righteous and unblamable, one that was true and honored God and abstained from all evil.”
Tags:
Search:
Notes and References
... In 1 Clement 17.2 Abraham is presented as one (of many) example(s) of humility. The author refers to Abraham as “friend of God” (compare 1 Clement 10.1), and sets this in parallel with Abraham’s claim that “I am only dust and ashes” (Ἐγὼ δέ εἰμι γῆ καὶ σποδός, 17.2). The title “friend” (φίλος) ultimately derives from two passages in the Hebrew Bible that refer to Abraham as אהב (Isaiah 41:8; 2 Chronicles 20:7). But, in light of numismatic evidence, the claim to be “friend” in the Greek tradition, including 1 Clement, may well include not simply a personal nuance of “friendship”, but also the dimension of allegiance. ...
Ehorn, Seth M.
"Abraham in the Apostolic Fathers" in Adams, Sean A.; Domoney-Lyttle, Zanne (ed.) Abraham in Jewish and Early Christian Literature
(pp. 151-152) T&T Clark, 2019
* 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.