Texts in Conversation
In 1 Clement, the author quotes the call of Abraham from the Greek Septuagint translation of Genesis 12 almost exactly, but first describes the land, family and home Abraham left as small and weak, details Genesis lacks, to make him a model of humility.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
LXX Genesis 12:1
Septuagint
1 And the Lord said to Abram, “Go forth from your country and from your kindred and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, and you shall be one blessed. 3 And I will bless those who bless you, and those who curse you I will curse, and in you all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed.” 4 And Abram went, as the Lord had told him to, and Lot left with him. Now Abram was seventy-five years of age when he departed from Charran.
Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 10:3
First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
Early Christian
1 Abraham, who was called the ‘friend,’ was found faithful because he obeyed the words of God. 2 Through obedience, he left his land, his kindred, and his father’s house, so that by leaving a small land, a weak kindred, and a humble home, he might inherit the promises of God. 3 For He said to him, ‘Go forth from your land, from your kindred, and from your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you and magnify your name, and you shall be blessed. I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse those who curse you, and through you, all the tribes of the earth shall be blessed.’
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Notes and References
“... The bulk of Abraham material in 1 Clement 10 is presented as direct, essentially verbatim quotations of LXX Gen. 12:1-3 (1 Clem. 10.3), Gen. 13:14-16 (1 Clem. 10.4–5), and Gen. 15:5-6 (1 Clem. 10.6). The quotations function as proof of 1 Clement’s claims from 10.1–2 that Abraham obeyed God. But here, 1 Clement sets up the theme of Abraham’s obedience in a paradoxical way. [...] Abraham departs from ‘a small country’ (γῆν ὀλίγην), ‘a weak people’ (συγγένειαν ἀσθενῆ), and ‘an insignificant house’ (οἶκον μικρόν). These adjectival modifiers are not part of the source text from Gen. 12:1 [...] These added descriptions in 1 Clem. 10.2 downplay the significance of Abraham’s obedience. The purpose, it seems, is not to diminish Abraham’s commitment to God but to align with the author’s emphasis on ‘humility’ (e.g., ταπεινοφρονέω in 2.1 and esp. 31.4) and to help create space for another theme: hospitality. ...”
Ehorn, Seth M.
"Abraham in the Apostolic Fathers" in Adams, Sean A.; Domoney-Lyttle, Zanne (ed.) Abraham in Jewish and Early Christian Literature
(p. 150) 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.
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