The Homilies of Clement

The “Homilies of Clement” is an example of a pseudonymous Christian writing produced in the name of a famous person living after the apostles: Clement, thought to be the third bishop of Rome at the end of the ﬁrst century (for other examples, see 1 Clement and 2 Clement, pp. 167, 185).1 The Homilies consist of twenty legendary discourses allegedly delivered by Clement in Rome and sent to James the brother of Jesus and leader of the church in Jerusalem. In these discourses Clement narrates his family background, his search for truth, and, principally, his travels to the East, where he meets the apostle Simon Peter, whom he then accompanies, observing his words, deeds, and controversies. As the following excerpts show, the Homilies embrace a JewishChristian perspective.2 Peter is shown to be the chief apostle, bearer of Christ’s power and leader of Christ’s church; he claims ascendancy over his arch-rival, the magician Simon Magus, whom scholars often understand to be a thinly veiled cipher for the apostle Paul in this text, who is attacked for his view that salvation can come apart from the Jewish Law. Not so for this author, who stands within the Jewish-Christian tradition that saw the ongoing importance of the Law of Moses for salvation.3 The author tries to show Peter’s (Jewish-Christian) understanding of the Gospel to be superior to Paul’s in a number of ways. In one section in particular, Peter is said to have developed the notion that in the plan of God for humans, the lesser always precedes the greater. And so, Adam had two sons, the murderer Cain and the righteous Abel; two also sprang from Abraham, the outcast Ishmael and the chosen one Isaac; and from Isaac came the godless Esau and the godly Jacob. Bringing matters down to more recent times, there were two that appeared on the Gentile mission ﬁeld, Simon (⫽ Paul) and Peter, who was, of course, the greater of the two, “who

For more detail, see Ehrman, Lost Christianities, 182–85. 2See also the “Letter of Peter to James and its Reception”; this letter served as an introduction to the Homilies. 3On Jewish-Christianity, see further, Ehrman, Lost Christianities, 95–103.

Translation by Georg Strecker, in Wilhelm Schneemelcher, New Testament Apocrypha, vol. 2 (rev. ed.: Cambridge/Louisville: Lutterworth/Westminister/John Knox, 1991) 504– 40; used with permission.

195

NON-CANONICAL EPISTLES AND RELATED WRITINGS

196

appeared later than he did and came in upon him as light upon darkness, as knowledge upon ignorance, as healing upon sickness” (Homilies 2: 17). The Homilies are closely related to another surviving work of the third century attributed to Clement, the Recognitions; both were evidently based on an earlier legendary account of Clement’s travels that is now lost.

Book 1

(Peter says to Clement:) The will of God has fallen into oblivion for many sorts of reasons, 2 above all in consequence of inadequate instruction, careless upbringing, bad company, unseemly conversation and erroneous statements. 3 Thence there comes ignorance, and there come also dissoluteness, unbelief, unchastity, avarice, vanity, and innumerable vices of this kind, which have occupied the world as it were a house which, like a cloud of smoke, they have ﬁlled; they have thus made muddy the eyes of those who dwell in the house and have prevented them from looking up and recognising the Creator God from his works and inferring his will. 4 Therefore the friends of truth who are in the house must cry from the depth of their heart for help for their truthseeking souls, that if someone is outside the smoke-ﬁlled house, he may come and open the door, so that the sunlight from outside may invade the house and that the smoke within may be dissipated.

Now the man who can help here, I call the true prophet; he alone can enlighten the souls of people that with their own eyes they may be able to see the way to eternal salvation. 2 That is not possible in any other way, as indeed you yourself know; only just now you said

3 that every view has its friends and opponents and counts as true or false according to the qualiﬁcation of its advocate, and in consequence different opinions do not come to light as what they are, but receive the semblance of worth or worthlessness from their advocates. 4 Wherefore the world needs the godly efforts of the true prophet that he may describe things to us as they actually are and tell us what we have to believe regarding everything. 5 First of all then we must examine the prophet with all seriousness and arrive at the certainty that he is a true prophet, 6 and then we should believe him in all matters and ought not to quibble at the least small particular in his teaching, but should accept all his words as valid, as it may appear in faith, yet actually on the ground of the sound examination that we have made. . . .

Book 2

(Peter:) Now that he might bring people to the true knowledge of all things, God, who himself is a single person, made a clear separation by way of pairs of opposites, in that he, who from the beginning was the one and only God, made heaven and earth, day and night, life and death. 2 Among these he has gifted free-will to humans alone so that they may be just or unjust. For them he has also permuted

THE HOMILIES OF CLEMENT

the appearing of the pairs of opposites, in that he has set before their eyes ﬁrst the small and then the great, ﬁrst the world and then eternity, this world being transitory, but the one to come eternal; so also ignorance precedes knowledge. 3 In the same way he has ordered the bearers of the prophetic spirit. For since the present is womanly and like a mother gives birth to children, but the future, manly time on the other hand takes up its children in the manner of a father, 4 therefore there come ﬁrst the prophets of this world (who prophesy falsely, and) those who have the knowledge of eternal things follow them because they are sons of the coming age. 5 Had the God-fearing known this secret, then they would never have been able to go wrong, and also they would even now have known that Simon, who now confounds all, is merely a helpmate of the feeble left hand (of God, i.e., the evil one).

As regards the disposition of the prophetic mission the case is as follows. As God, who is one person, in the beginning made ﬁrst the heaven and then the earth, as it were on the right hand and on the left, he has also in the course of time established all the pairs of opposites. But with humans it is no longer so—rather does he invert the pairs. 2 For as with him the ﬁrst is the stronger and the second the weaker, so with humans we ﬁnd the opposite, ﬁrst the weaker and then the stronger. 3 Thus directly from Adam, who was made in the image of God, there issued as the ﬁrst son the unrighteous Cain and as the second the righteous Abel. 4 And in the same way from the man who amongst you is called Deucalion two symbols of the Spirit, the unclean and the clean, were sent out, the black raven and after it the white dove.

197

5 And also from Abraham, the progenitor of our people, there issued two sons, the older Ishmael and then Isaac, who was blessed by God. 6 Again from this same Isaac there sprang two sons, the godless Esau and the godly Jacob. 7 Likewise there came ﬁrst, as ﬁrstborn into the world, the high priest (Aaron) and then the law-giver (Moses).

The syzygy associated with Elijah, which ought to have come, willingly held off to another time, being resolved to take its place when the occasion arises. 2 Then in the same way there came ﬁrst he who was among them that are born of women and only after that did he who belongs to the sons of men appear as the second. 3 Following up this disposition it would be possible to recognise where Simon belongs, who as ﬁrst and before me went to the Gentiles, and where I belong, I who came after him and followed him as the light follows darkness, knowledge ignorance, and healing sickness. 4 Thus then, as the true prophet has said, a false gospel must ﬁrst come from an impostor and only then, after the destruction of the holy place, can a true gospel be sent forth for the correction of the sects that are to come. 5 And thereafter in the end Antichrist must ﬁrst come again and only afterwards must Jesus, our actual Christ, appear and then, with the rising of eternal light, everything that belongs to darkness must disappear.

Since now, as has been said, many do not know this conformity of the syzygies with law, they do not know who this Simon, my forerunner, is. For were it known, no one would believe him. But now, as he remains

NON-CANONICAL EPISTLES AND RELATED WRITINGS

198

unknown, conﬁdence is wrongly placed in him. 2 Thus he who does what haters do ﬁnds love; the enemy is received as a friend; people long for him who is death as a bringer of salvation; although he is ﬁre, he is regarded as light; although he is a cheat, he obtains a hearing as a proclaimer of truth. . . .

Book 7

In Tyre not a few people from the neighbourhood and numerous inhabitants of the city came to Peter and cried to him: “May God have mercy upon us through you, and may he through you bring us healing!” And Peter, having mounted a high rock that he might be seen of all, greeted them in a godly way and began as follows:

“God, who has made heaven and the universe, is not wanting in power to save those who desire to be saved. . . .

“And what is pleasing to God is this, that we pray to him and ask from him as the one who dispenses everything according to a righteous law, that we keep away from the table of devils, that we do not eat dead ﬂesh, that we do not touch blood, that we wash ourselves clean from all deﬁlement. 3 “Let the rest be said to you also in one word, as the God-fearing Jews heard it, while you show yourselves, many as you are, of one mind: ‘What good a person wishes for himself, let him confer the same also on his neighbor!’ . . .”

After they had thus been instructed for some days by Peter and had been healed, they were baptized. At the time of his other miraculous deeds the

rest sat beside one another in the middle of the market-place in sackcloth and ashes and did penance for their former sins. 2 When the Sidonians heard this, they did likewise; and because they themselves were not able on account of their diseases to come to Peter, they sent a petition to him. 3 After he had stayed for some days in Tyre and had instructed all the inhabitants and freed them from numerous sufferings, Peter founded a church and appointed a bishop for them from the number of the elders who were accompanying him; then he set out for Sidon.

When Peter entered Sidon, the people brought many sick folk in beds and set them down before him. 2 And he said to them: “Do not on any account believe that I, a mortal man, myself subject to many sufferings, can do anything to heal you! But I greatly desire to tell you in what way you can be delivered. . . .

“For I mention to you two ways, showing you in the ﬁrst place in what way people fall into misfortune and in the second place in what way under God’s guidance they are delivered. 2 “The way of those who perish is broad and very easy, but it leads straight away to misfortune; the way of those who are delivered is narrow and rough, but in the end it leads to salvation those who have taken its burdens upon themselves. Before these two ways there stand belief and unbelief. . . .”

Such were the addresses that Peter gave in Sidon. There also within a few days many were converted and believed and were healed. So Peter founded a church there and enthroned as bishop

THE HOMILIES OF CLEMENT

one of the elders who were accompanying him. He then left Sidon.

Immediately after the arrival of Peter in Berytus an earthquake took place; and people came to Peter saying: “Help, for we greatly fear that we shall all together perish!” 2 Then Simon dared, along with Appion, Annubion, Athenodorous and his other comrades, to turn against Peter in the presence of all the people: “Flee, people from this man; 3 “for he is a magician—you may believe me—and has himself occasioned this earthquake and has caused these diseases to frighten you, as if he himself was a god!” 4 And many other false charges of this sort did Simon and his followers bring against Peter, suggesting that he possessed superhuman power. 5 As soon as the multitude gave him a hearing, Peter with a smile and an impressive directness spoke the words: “Oh people, I admit that, God willing, I am capable of doing what these men here say and in addition am ready, if you will not hear my words, to turn your whole city upside down.”

Now when the multitude took alarm and readily promised to carry out his commands, Peter said: “Let no one of you associate with these magicians or in any way have intercourse with them.” 2 Scarcely had the people heard this summons when without delay they laid hold of cudgels and pursued these fellows till they had driven them completely out of the city. . . .

199

baptized them, Peter enthroned as bishop one of the elders who were accompanying him and then journeyed to Byblus. 3 On coming there he learned that Simon had not waited for him even for a single day, but had started at once for Tripolis. Accordingly Peter remained a few days with the people of Byblus, effected not a few healings, and gave instruction in the Holy Scriptures. He then journeyed in the track of Simon to Tripolis, being resolved to pursue him rather than to make room for him.

Book 8

Along with Peter there entered into Tripolis people from Tyre, Sidon, Berytus, Byblus and neighboring places, who were eager to learn, and in numbers that were not smaller, people from the city itself crowded about him desiring to get to know him. . . .

Astonished at this eagerness of the multitudes, Peter answered: “You see, beloved brethren, how the words of our Lord are manifestly fulﬁlled. For I remember how he said: ‘Many will come from east and west, from north and south, and repose in the bosom of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.’4 Nevertheless ‘many are called, but few are chosen.’5 2 “In their coming in response to the call so much is fulﬁlled. 3 “But since it rests not with them but with God who has called them and permitted them to come, on this account alone they have no reward. . . . 4 “But if after being called they do what is good, and that rests with them

After he had stayed for several days with the inhabitants of Berytus, had made many conversant with the worship of the one God, and had

Matt 8:11.

Matt 22:14.

200

NON-CANONICAL EPISTLES AND RELATED WRITINGS

themselves, for that they will receive their reward.

“For even the Hebrews who believe in Moses . . . are not saved unless they abide by what has been said to them. 2 “For their believing in Moses lies not with a decision of their own will but with God, who said to Moses. ‘Behold, I come to you in a pillar of cloud that the people may hear me speaking to you and believe forever!’6 Since then it is granted to the Hebrews and to them that are called from the Gentiles to believe the teachers of truth, while it is left to the personal decision of each individual whether he will perform good deeds, the reward rightly falls to those who do well. 4 “For neither Moses nor Jesus would have needed to come if of themselves people had been willing to perceive the way of discretion. And there is no salvation in believing in teachers and calling them lords.

“Therefore is Jesus concealed from the Hebrews who have received Moses as their teacher, and Moses hidden from those who believe Jesus. 2 “For since through both one and the same teaching becomes known, God accepts those who believe in one of them. 3 “But belief in a teacher has as its aim the doing of what God has ordered. 4 “That this is the case our Lord himself declares, saying: ‘I confess to you, Father of heaven and earth, that you have

hidden this from the wise and elder, but have revealed it to simpletons and infants.’7 Thus has God himself hidden the teacher from some since they know beforehand what they ought to do, and has revealed him to others since they know not what they have to do.

“Thus the Hebrews are not condemned because they did not know Jesus . . . provided only they act according to the instructions of Moses and do not injure him whom they did not know. 2 “And again the offspring of the Gentiles are not judged, who . . . have not known Moses, provided only they act according to the words of Jesus and thus do not injure him whom they did not know. 3 “Also it proﬁts nothing if many describe their teachers as their lords, but do not do what it beﬁts servants to do. 4 “Therefore our Lord Jesus said to one who again and again called him Lord, but at the same time did not abide by any of his commands. ‘Why call me Lord and not do what I say?’8 For it is not speaking that can proﬁt any one, but doing. 5 “In all circumstances goods works are needed; but if a person has been considered worthy to know both teachers as heralds of a single doctrine, then that one is counted rich in God. . . .”

Exod 19:9. Luke 6:46.

Matt 11:25; Luke 10:21.

Matt 7:21;