Texts in Conversation
In 1 Clement, the author says people are made right with God through faith and then asks whether they should stop doing good, the same turn Paul makes in Romans 6, where being right with God by faith is no excuse to go on sinning.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Romans 6:1
New Testament
1 What shall we say then? Are we to remain in sin so that grace may increase? 2 Absolutely not! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that as many as were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with him through baptism into death, in order that just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too may live a new life. 5 For if we have become united with him in the likeness of his death, we will certainly also be united in the likeness of his resurrection.
Clement of Rome, 1 Clement 33:1
First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
Early Christian
1 What then must we do, brothers and sisters? Must we idly abstain from doing good, and forsake love? May the Master never allow this to befall us at least; but let us hasten with earnestness and zeal to accomplish every good work. 2 For the Creator and Master of the universe Himself rejoices in His works. 3 For by His exceedingly great might He established the heavens, and in His incomprehensible wisdom He set them in order. And the earth He separated from the water that surrounds it, and He set it firm on the sure foundation of His own will; and the living creatures which walk upon it He commanded to exist by His ordinance. Having before created the sea and the living creatures in it, He enclosed it by His own power.
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Notes and References
“... Carlyle found that there was one passage (1 Clem. 35. 5–6 // Rom. 1. 29–32, ‘a’) where it was ‘practically certain’ that Clement drew on Romans; another (1 Clem. 33. 1 // Rom. 6. 1, ‘b’) where it was ‘most probable’ that he wrote ‘under the impression of . . . Romans’ [...] As Carlyle observes, the thought but not the vocabulary of these passages is closely related. Each is placed in the context of justification by faith; each argues that justification is not an excuse for sin, but an impetus for appropriate ethical living. It seems difficult not to conclude that at this point Clement is very probably dependent on Romans. ...”
Gregory, Andrew F.
The Reception of the New Testament in the Apostolic Fathers
(pp. 149-150) Oxford University Press, 2005
* 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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