Second Clement. William Varner
WesTJ Wesleyan Theological Journal
WTJ Westminster Theological Journal
WUNT Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament
ZNW Zeitschrift für die neutestamentliche Wissenschaft
Translation of 2 Clement
Chapter 1
1.Brothers,32 we must think of Jesus Christ as of God, as of “the Judge of the living and the dead.” And we ought not to undervalue our salvation,
2.for when we undervalue him, we also hope to receive little. And those who listen as if it is a little matter are sinning, and we also are sinning if we do not recognize from where and by whom and to what place we were called, and what great suffering Jesus Christ endured for our sake.
3.What repayment, then, should we give to him, or what fruit should we offer that is worthy of what he has given us? And what holy deeds do we owe him?
4.For he gave us the light, as a Father he called us “sons,” he saved us when we were perishing.
5.What praise, then, will we give him, or what repayment for what we received?
6.We were maimed in our understanding, worshiping stones and wooden objects and gold and silver and copper, the products of men, and our whole life was nothing else than death. We were thus covered with darkness, and our sight was filled with mist, but we have received our sight, and by his will we have cast off the cloud that covered us.
7.For he had pity on us and saved us by his mercy, even though he had seen in us great error and destruction, when we had no hope of salvation except what comes from him.
8.For he called us when we did not exist, and out of nothing he willed us into existence.
Chapter 2
1.“Rejoice, O barren woman, who bears no children. Break forth and cry, you who have no labor pains, because the deserted woman has more children than the one who has a husband.”33 In saying, “Rejoice, O barren woman, who bears no children,” he spoke about us, for our church was barren before children were given to her.
2.And when he said, “cry, you who have no labor pains,” he means this: that we should offer our prayers sincerely to God, and not grow weary like women who are giving birth.
3.And when he said, “the deserted woman has more children than the one who has a husband,” he meant that our people seemed to be deserted by God, but now we who have believed have become more than those who seem to have God.
4.And another scripture also says, “I came not to call righteous ones, but sinners.”34
5.He means that those who are perishing must be saved,
6.for that is a great and marvelous thing, namely, to support not those things that are standing but those that are falling.
7.So Christ also desired to save the perishing, and he saved many by coming and calling us who were already perishing.
Chapter 3
1.Seeing, then, because he has shown mercy towards us—first that we who are living do not sacrifice to the dead gods and do not worship them, but through him we have come to know the Father of Truth—what is the true knowledge about him if it is not refusing to deny him through whom we have come to know him?
2.And he himself also says, “Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will acknowledge him before my Father.”35
3.This, therefore, is our reward, if we acknowledge him through whom we were saved.
4.But how do we acknowledge him? By doing what he says, and not disobeying his commandments, and honoring him not only with our lips, but “from all our heart and all our mind.”36
5.And he also says in Isaiah, “This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far away from me.”37
Chapter 4
1.Let us, therefore, not just call him “Lord,” for this will not save us.
2.For he says, “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will be saved, but only the one who does righteousness.”38
3.So then, brothers, let us acknowledge him in our deeds by loving one another, by not committing adultery nor slandering one another nor being jealous, but by being self-controlled, compassionate, and good. And we ought to sympathize with one another, and not love money. By these actions we should acknowledge him and not by their opposites.
4.And we must not fear men but rather God.
5.Because of this, you who do these things, the Lord said, “If you have gathered with me in my breast but do not obey my commandments, I will throw you out, and I will say to you: ‘Depart from me; I do not know where you are from, you who commit iniquity.’”39
Chapter 5
1.For which reason, brothers, let us turn away from our temporary sojourn in this world, and do the will of him who called us, and let us not fear to depart from this world.
2.For the Lord says, “You will be like lambs among wolves.”40
3.But Peter answered and said to him, “What if the wolves tear apart the lambs?”
4.Jesus said to Peter, “Let the lambs have no fear of the wolves after their death, and have no fear of those who kill you and can do nothing more to you, but fear him who after your death has power to cast body and soul into the flames of hell.”41
5.And be assured, brothers, that our temporary stay in this world of the flesh is a little thing and lasts a short time, but the promise of Christ is great and wonderful, and brings us rest in the coming kingdom and eternal life.
6.What then will we do to secure these things except to live a holy and righteous life, and to regard these worldly things as not our own, and not desire them?
7.For when we desire to acquire these things, we fall away from the right way.
Chapter 6
1.Now the Lord says: “No servant can serve two masters.”42 If we desire to serve both God and Mammon, it is harmful to us.
2.“For what is the advantage if someone gains the whole world but loses his soul?”43
3.Now this age and the coming one are two enemies.
4.This age speaks of adultery and corruption and love of money and deceit, but that age renounces these things.
5.Therefore, we cannot be the friends of both, but we must renounce this age in order to make the most of that one.
6.We think that it is better to hate the things that are here, because they are insignificant and short-lived and corruptible, but to love those things that are good and incorruptible.
7.For if we do the will of Christ, we will find rest; on the other hand nothing will rescue us from eternal punishment if we disobey his commandments.
8.And the scripture also says in Ezekiel, “Even if Noah and Job and Daniel arise, they will not rescue their children in the captivity.”44
9.Now if even such righteous men as these are not able to save their children by their own righteous deeds, with what confidence will we enter the kingdom of God if we do not keep our baptism pure and undefiled? Or who will be our advocate if we are not found to have holy and righteous deeds?
Chapter 7
1.So then, my brothers, let us compete, knowing that the competition is at hand, and that many are arriving by boat for corruptible prizes, but not all are crowned, except those who have trained hard and competed well.
2.Let us therefore compete that we may all be crowned.
3.Let us run the straight course, the