Lost scriptures: books that did not make it into the New Testament (48 page)

quickly.

to conduct themselves in a pious and

upright way.

2
For we have touched on every aspect

And finally, may the God who

64

of faith, repentance, genuine love, self-

observes all things, the Master

restraint, moderation, and endurance, reof spirits and Lord of all flesh, who chose minding you that you must be pleasing,

both the Lord Jesus Christ and us through

in a holy way, both to the all-powerful

him to be his special people—may he

God—by acting in righteousness, truth,

grant to every soul that is called by his

and patience, living in harmony, holding

magnificent and holy name faith, reverno grudges, living in love and peace with ential awe, peace, endurance and pafervent gentleness, just as our ancestors, tience, self-restraint, purity, and moderwhom we mentioned before, were pleasation, that they may be found pleasing to ing to God by being humble-minded tohis name through our high priest and ward the Father, who is both God and

benefactor, Jesus Christ. Through whom

Creator—and to all people.

to him be glory and greatness, power

3
And we were all the more happy to

bring these things to mind, since we

knew full well that we were writing to

faithful and highly respectable men, who

uOr:
the
sayings
of
God
that
bring
discipline
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NON-CANONICAL EPISTLES AND RELATED WRITINGS

and honor, both now and forevermore.

prayed and desired for you. Then we

Amen.

will rejoice more quickly in your

stability.

But send back to us quickly

2
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ

65 our envoys Claudius Ephebus be with you and with all those everyand Valerius Bito, along with Fortuna-

where who are called by God through

tus, in peace and with joy, that they

him. Through whom be to him all glory,

may inform us without delay about

honor, power, greatness, and the eternal

the peace and harmony that we have

throne, forever and ever. Amen.

The Letter of 2 Clement

In parts of early Christianity, down to at least the fifth century, the book known as 2 Clement was regarded as Scripture. It is included, along with 1

Clement, as one of the books of the New Testament in the fifth-century codex Alexandrinus.

The traditional title of the book (“The Second Letter of Clement”) is a misnomer: the book was not produced by the author of 1 Clement (as is evident on stylistic grounds) and is not a letter but a sermon (see 19:1). It appears to have been delivered to an actual congregation; as such, it is the oldest freestanding homily to survive from early Christianity.1

The audience, and probably the author, were former pagans who had converted to Christianity (see 2:6). Based initially on an interpretation of Isaiah 54:1, the homily largely consists of exhortations backed up by sayings of Jesus, passages from the Old Testament, and writings of the apostles.

One of the author’s sources appears to have been a Gnostic Gospel, possibly the Gospel of Thomas (12:2). Other sources that he quotes are no longer available to us, including one that contains an intriguing interchange between Peter and Jesus (5:2–4). The author uses these sacred texts to urge his audience to repent and return to upright moral behavior in light of the coming day of judgment. In the course of his exhortation he stresses the reality of the future resurrection of the flesh and attacks those who deny it (8:1). His overarching points are that followers of Christ should recognize the enormous debt they owe to God for the salvation he has wrought. In response, they should repent of their sins, recognize that their new lives cannot be tied to this sinful world in which they temporarily reside as aliens, and commit themselves to good works and self-control in light of the judgment of God that is sure to come.

It is difficult to say when, exactly, this sermon was written, but scholars usually date it to the mid-second century, and locate its anonymous author possibly in Corinth or Alexandria.

1Outside, that is, of the New Testament, where several sermons can be found in the books of Acts (e.g., chaps. 2 and 13), and which includes the book of Hebrews, thought by some scholars to be an early Christian homily.

Translation by Bart D. Ehrman, in
The
Apostolic
Fathers
, vol. 1 (Loeb Classical Library; Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press, 2003); used with permission.

185

186

NON-CANONICAL EPISTLES AND RELATED WRITINGS

Brothers, we must think about Je1

children than the one who has a hus-

sus Christ as we think about God,

band.”3 Now when it says, “Be jubilant,

as about the judge of the living and the

you who are infertile and who do not

dead.2 And we must not give little

bear children,” it is referring to us. For

thought to our salvation.

our church was infertile before children

2
For when we think little about him,

were given to it.

we also hope to receive but little. And

2
And when it says, “Cry out, you who

we who listen as if these were little things

experience no pains of labor,” it means

sin, not realizing where we have been

this: we should raise our prayers up to

called from, by whom, and to what place,

God sincerely and not grow weary like

nor how many sufferings Jesus Christ

women in labor.

endured for us.

3
And when it says, “For the one who

3
What then shall we give to him in

has been deserted has more children than

exchange? How can we produce anything

the one who has a husband,” it is because

comparable to what he has given us? And

our people appeared to be deserted by

how many holy deeds do we owe him?

God, but now that we believe we have

4
For he graciously bestowed light

become more numerous than those who

upon us. Like a father, he called us chilappear to have God.

dren; while we were perishing, he saved

4
And also another Scripture says, “I

us.

did not come to call the upright, but

5
What praise, then, shall we give him,

sinners.”4

or what can we pay in exchange for what

5
This means that he was to savea those

we have received?

who were perishing.

6
We were maimed in our understand

6
For it is a great and astonishing feat

ing, worshiping stones and pieces of

to fix in place something that is toppling

wood and gold and silver and copper—

over, not something that is standing.

all of them made by humans. And our

7
Thus also Christ wished to save what

entire life was nothing other than death.

was perishing. And he did save many;

Then when we were beset by darkening

for he came and called us while we were

gloom, our vision blurred by such mist,

on the brink of destruction.

we regained our sight through his will by

setting aside the cloud that enveloped us.

He has shown us such mercy since,

3

7
For he showed mercy on us and

to begin with, we who are living

through his compassion saved us. For he

do not sacrifice to dead gods or worship

saw that a great error and destruction was

them; instead, through him we know the

in us, and that we had not the slightest

Father of truth. What then is the knowlhope of being saved, unless it came edge that is directed toward to him? Is it

through him.

not refusing to deny the one through

8
For he called us while we did not

whom we have come to know him?

exist, and he wished us to come into

2
For even he himself says, “I will acbeing from non-being.

knowledge before my Father the one who

acknowledges me before others.”5

“Be jubilant, you who are infertile

2 and who do not bear children! Let aOr:
that
one
must
save
your voice burst forth and cry out, you

who experience no pains of labor! For

2Acts 10:42; 1 Pet 4:5. 3Isa 54:1; Gal 4:27. 4Matt 9:

the one who has been deserted has more

13; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:32. 5Matt 10:32; Luke 12:8.

THE LETTER OF 2 CLEMENT

187

3
This then is our reward, if we ac

3
But Peter replied to him, “What if

knowledge the one through whom we

the wolves rip apart the sheep?”

were saved.

4
Jesus said to Peter, “After they are

4
But how do we acknowledge him?

dead, the sheep should fear the wolves

By doing the things he says, not disobeyno longer. So too you: do not fear those ing his commandments, and not honoring

who kill you and then can do nothing

him only with our lips but from our whole

more to you; but fear the one who, after

heart and our whole understanding.6

you die, has the power to cast your body

5
For he also says in Isaiah, “This peoand soul into the hell of fire.”11

ple honors me with their lips, but their

5
You should realize, brothers, that our

heart is far removed from me.”7

visit in this realm of the flesh is brief and

short-lived, but the promise of Christ is

great and astounding—namely, a rest in

For this reason we should not

4

the coming kingdom and eternal life.

merely call him Lord; for this will

6
What then must we do to obtain these

not save us.

things, except conduct ourselves in a holy

2
For he says, “Not everyone who says

and upright way and consider these

to me, ‘Lord, Lord’ will be saved, but

worldly affairs foreign to us, and not

only the one who does righteousness.”8

yearn after them?

3
So then, brothers, we should ac

7
For when we yearn to obtain these

knowledge him by what we do, by loving

things we fall away from the right path.

one another, by not committing adultery

or slandering one another or showing

envy. We should be restrained, charitable,

6

and good. We should be sympathetic with

But the Lord says, “No household

servant can serve as the slave of

one another and not be attached to

two masters.”12 If we wish to serve as

money. By doing such deeds we acslaves of both God and wealth, it is of no knowledge him, not by doing their

use to us.

opposites.

2
“For what is the advantage of ac

4
And we must not fear people, but

quiring the whole world while forfeiting

God.

your life?”13

5
For this reason, when you do these

3
But this age and the age to come are

things, the Lord has said, “Even if you

two enemies.

were cuddled up with me next to my

4
This one preaches adultery, depravbreast but did not do what I have comity, avarice, and deceit, but that one remanded, I would cast you away and say nounces these things.

to you, ‘Leave me! I do not know where

5
We cannot, therefore, be friends of

you are from, you who do what is

both. We must renounce this world to

lawless.’ ”9

obtain that one.

6
We think it better to despise the

things that are here, since they are brief,

Therefore, brothers, having aban5 doned our temporary residence in this world, we should do the will of the

one who called us and not fear departing

6Mark 12:30. 7Isa 29:13; cf. Matt 15:8; Mark 7:6; 1

from this world.

Clem 15:2. 8Matt 7:21. 9Source unknown. 10Cf.

2
For the Lord said, “You will be like

Matt 10:16; Luke 10:3. 11Source unknown. Cf. Matt

10:28; Luke 12:4–5. 12Luke 16:13; Matt 6:24.

sheep in the midst of wolves.”10

13Matt 16:26; Mark 8:36; Luke 9:25.

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NON-CANONICAL EPISTLES AND RELATED WRITINGS

short-lived, and perishable, and to love

8

those other things, which are good and

And so we should repent while we

are still on earth.

imperishable.

2
For we are clay in the hand of the

7
For by doing the will of Christ we

artisan. As in the case of a potter: if he

will find a place of rest; on the other

is making a vessel that becomes twisted

hand, nothing will deliver us from eteror crushed in his hands, he then remolds al punishment if we disobey his