Pope St Clement Letter To The Corinthians
The letter written by Pope Saint Clement to the Corinthians exemplifies the authority of the bishop of Rome over the entire Church. Saint Clement refers to a number of important issues in his appeal to the Corinthians but perhaps most notably is his insistence upon unity within the Church. He opens the letter by a plea against the “unholy breach of unity among you, which is quite incompatible with God’s chosen people,” and he then proceeds to explain the dangerous effects of such disunity, and finally concludes by encouraging the faithful to repent. At the heart of this letter is the understanding that the Corinthians have brought disgrace upon their once “venerable and illustrious name.” According to St. Clement the Corinthians once displayed
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As stated by Clement it is envy that prompts Cain to kill Abel, envy that drives Moses to flee, envy that causes Joseph’s brothers to sell Joseph into slavery, and so on. And yet the sins of the past are overcome when Clement says “Leave these instances from the past and come to some of the heroes of more recent times.” The heroes of more recent times, refer, of course, to the saints who have lived their lives by the grace of Christ and experienced his mercy in the gift of confession. What follows then is an explanation of grace and repentance. Once more he references the scriptures, but this time it is to show the Lord’s mercy. “We have only to survey the generations of the past to see that in every one of them the Lord has offered the chance of repentance to any who were willing to turn to him.” He then entreats all of the faithful in Corinth to believe the good news and conform to the will of the Father because it is the will of the Father that “repentence should be open to every one of his beloved.”
In conclusion, in his letter to the Corinthians Pope Saint Clement addresses the Corinthians in their dire state of discord and then offers them the mercy and peace that come from
As stated by Clement it is envy that prompts Cain to kill Abel, envy that drives Moses to flee, envy that causes Joseph’s brothers to sell Joseph into slavery, and so on. And yet the sins of the past are overcome when Clement says “Leave these instances from the past and come to some of the heroes of more recent times.” The heroes of more recent times, refer, of course, to the saints who have lived their lives by the grace of Christ and experienced his mercy in the gift of confession. What follows then is an explanation of grace and repentance. Once more he references the scriptures, but this time it is to show the Lord’s mercy. “We have only to survey the generations of the past to see that in every one of them the Lord has offered the chance of repentance to any who were willing to turn to him.” He then entreats all of the faithful in Corinth to believe the good news and conform to the will of the Father because it is the will of the Father that “repentence should be open to every one of his beloved.”
In conclusion, in his letter to the Corinthians Pope Saint Clement addresses the Corinthians in their dire state of discord and then offers them the mercy and peace that come from