Texts in Conversation
In 1 Clement, the author says sins are forgiven through love shown by living in harmony, then quotes Psalm 32 in the Greek Septuagint translation, where God forgives, so that forgiveness involves the love of God and the love the Corinthians show.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
LXX Psalms 31:1
Septuagint
1 Blessed are they whose lawless acts are forgiven and whose sins were covered up. 2 Blessed is the man whose sin the Lord will never reckon, nor is there guile in his mouth. 3 Because I was silent, my bones were worn out from my crying aloud the whole day. 4 For day and night your hand was weighed down upon me. I was turned into misery when a thorn was planted. Musical interlude 5 I made known my sin, and I did not cover up my lawlessness. I said, “I will make my sin against myself known to the Lord,” and you forgave the ungodliness of my heart. Musical interlude
Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 50:6
First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
Early Christian
3 For it is written; “Enter into the inner chamber for a very little while, until My anger and My wrath shall pass away, and I will remember a good day and will raise you from your tombs.” 4 Blessed were we, dearly beloved, if we should be doing the commandments of God in concord of love, to the end that our sins may through love be forgiven us. 5 For it is written; “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord shall impute no sin, neither is deceit in his mouth.” 6 This declaration of blessedness was pronounced upon those that have been elected by God through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen.
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Notes and References
“... the author of 1 Clement then states, “We are blessed, beloved, if we keep the commandments of God in the harmony of love, so that through love our sins may be forgiven” (50.5). But through whose love are sins forgiven? The language of keeping “the commandments of God in the harmony of love” suggests that ἀγάπη here is a human action manifested when the Corinthians reject schism, whereas the citation of LXX Ps 31:1-2 in the following sentence [...] would seem to indicate that sins are forgiven or covered through God’s love. Thus, according to the theological logic of 1 Clem. 49.1–50.6, the forgiveness and/or covering of sin involves both divine and human ἀγάπη. ...”
Downs, David J.
Alms: Charity, Reward, and Atonement in Early Christianity
(p. 183) Baylor University Press, 2016
* 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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