Texts in Conversation
In 1 Clement, the author prays to do what is good and pleasing before God in language taken almost exactly from the Greek Septuagint translation of Deuteronomy 13, then adds a mention of rulers, so that pleasing rulers stands beside pleasing God.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
LXX Deuteronomy 13:18
Septuagint
16 And all its spoils you shall gather together into its streets, and set the city on fire with fire, and all its spoils completely before the Lord your God, and it will be uninhabitable forever, not to be rebuilt again. 17 And nothing from the anathema shall be stuck in your hand, so that the Lord may turn back from the wrath of his anger and give you compassion and show mercy to you; and he will multiply you the way he swore to your fathers, 18 if you hear the voice of the Lord your God to keep his commands that I am commanding you today to do what is pleasing and good before the Lord your God.
Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 60:2
First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
Early Christian
1 “You through Your operations made manifest the everlasting fabric of the world. You, Lord, created the earth. You that are faithful throughout all generations, righteous in Your judgments, marvelous in strength and excellence, You that are wise in creating and prudent in establishing that which You have made, that are good in the things which are seen and faithful with those that trust in You, merciful and compassionate, forgive us our iniquities and our unrighteousnesses and our transgressions and shortcomings.” 2 “Lay not to our account every sin of Your servants and Your handmaids, but cleanse us with the cleansing of Your truth, and guide our steps to walk in holiness and righteousness and singleness of heart, and to do such things as are good and well pleasing in Your sight and in the sight of our rulers.”
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Notes and References
“... The prayer focuses throughout on God, emphasising at the opening not only the dependence of everything upon God, but particularly God's action in raising up the humble and weak and humbling the proud (59.3f; cf. 1 Cor 1.26ff). All who join in the prayer then pray, in words taken almost exactly from Deut 13.19 (LXX), for God's guidance in order that they may do τὰ καλὰ καὶ εὐάρεστα ἐνώπιόν σου - 'what is good and pleasing before you [God]' - though Clement significantly adds καὶ ἐνώπιον τῶν ἀρχόντων ἡμῶν, 'and before our rulers'; a phrase not found in Deut 13.19 (1 Clem 60.2; cf. 61.2). Thus, in Clement's prayer here, 'what is well-pleasing to rulers runs parallel to what is well-pleasing to God'. ...”
Horrell, David G.
The Social Ethos of the Corinthian Correspondence: Interests and Ideology from 1 Corinthians to 1 Clement
(pp. 272-273) T&T Clark, 1996
* 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.
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