St. Clement I

St. Clement I (born, Rome?—died 1st century ce, Rome; feast day November 23) was the fourth pope, the leader of the Roman Catholic Church, from 88 to 97 or from 92 to 101, making him the supposed third successor of St. Peter the Apostle. (In Catholic tradition, Peter was the first pope, and his ministry was passed on to his successors as bishops of Rome.) Clement was also the first Apostolic Father, a title given to early Greek Christian writers whose works, dating primarily from the late 1st and early 2nd centuries, are the principal source for information about Christianity during the two or three generations following the Apostles.

According to the early Christian writer Tertullian, Clement was consecrated by St. Peter, and St. Irenaeus lists him as a contemporary of the Apostles and a witness of their preaching. Eusebius of Caesarea dates his pontificate from 92 to 101, following that of St. Anacletus. Clement was succeeded by St. Evaristus. His martyrdom is legendary, and he has been hypothetically identified with the Clement mentioned in the Letter of St. Paul to the Philippians (4:3). His attribute is an anchor, to which he was tied and cast into the sea, according to spurious tales.

Authorship of the Letter to the Church of Corinth (or First Letter of Clement, I Clement), perhaps the most important 1st-century Christian document other than the New Testament, has been traditionally ascribed to him. Still extant, it was written to settle a controversy among the Corinthians against their church leaders and reveals that Clement considered himself empowered to intervene (the first such action known) in another community’s affairs. His Letter achieved almost canonical status and was regarded as Scripture by many 3rd- and 4th-century Christians.

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Numerous Clementine writings—those that at various times were added to the first Letter—show the high regard for Clement in the early church. Most scholars believe that the Second Letter of Clement, as well as several other works of so-called Clementine literature, were not penned by Clement I himself. Similarly, he has been credited with transmitting to the church the Ordinances of the Holy Apostles Through Clement (Apostolic Constitutions), which, reputedly drafted by the Apostles, is the largest collection of early Christian ecclesiastical law. The constitutions are now believed, however, to have been written in Syria about 380.