- Key People:
- Philotheos Bryennios
- Related Topics:
- patristic literature
Clementine literature
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What is Clementine literature?
Clementine literature is a collection of writings attributed to St. Clement I, a late 1st-century bishop of Rome and an Apostolic Father. These include the Second Letter of Clement, a sermon from about 140 CE, and two letters on virginity, possibly by St. Athanasius.
The Homilies and Recognitions writings share common material and aim to elevate the Eastern churches relative to Rome. They draw from an earlier work, the Circuits of Peter. The Homilies offer insights into early Jewish-Christian heresy, while the Recognitions provide edifying entertainment and inspired the medieval Faust story.
Clementine writings highlight St. Clement's significance in the early Church. The Apostolic Constitutions, a compilation of early Christian ecclesiastical law, were also linked to him.
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Who was Clement in early Christian writings?
In early Christian writings, Clement most commonly refers to St. Clement I, the fourth pope who led the Roman Catholic Church from 88 to 97 or from 92 to 101 CE. He is also considered the first Apostolic Father, a title for early Greek Christian writers whose works provide insight into Christianity in the generations following the Apostles.
Clement is traditionally credited with authoring the First Letter of Clement to the Church of Corinth, a significant 1st-century Christian document that holds almost canonical status. Numerous other writings, known as Clementine literature, were attributed to him at various times, though scholars generally believe that many, such as the Second Letter of Clement, were not written by Clement himself.
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What is the 'Clementine Recognitions'?
The Clementine literature is a collection of writings once attributed to St. Clement I. These writings include the Second Letter of Clement, two letters on virginity, the Homilies and Recognitions, the Apostolic Constitutions, and five letters that are part of the False Decretals. The Homilies and the Recognitions share considerable content and aimed to elevate the status of Eastern churches relative to Rome. The Recognitions demonstrates how such literature could offer both entertainment and edification in an expurgated form. The medieval story of Faust was based on the portrait of Simon Magus in the Recognitions.
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How does Clementine literature fit into patristic literature?
Patristic literature includes Christian writings before the 8th century, and the Clementine literature is a collection of apocryphal works attributed to St. Clement I. The writings include Second Letter of Clement, letters on virginity, Homilies and Recognitions, Apostolic Constitutions, and five letters that are part of the False Decretals.
The Second Letter of Clement emphasizes Christ's high doctrine and maintaining baptism through purity. The Homilies and Recognitions tried to elevate the Oriental churches' position relative to Rome and were based on the earlier Circuits of Peter. The Homilies offer information on Jewish-Christian heresy, while the Recognitions demonstrate how such literature could provide entertainment and edification.
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What themes are common in Clementine and other patristic writings?
Clementine and other patristic writings frequently address Christianity's relationship to its Jewish roots and the interpretation of the Old Testament. They also share the common themes of the creation of a ministerial hierarchy and an accepted structure of ecclesiastical authority.
Many patristic scholars grappled with contemporary philosophical movements such as Gnosticism, which influenced their theology and ethics. The writings of St. Clement of Alexandria mediated between heretical Gnostics and legalistic orthodox Christians by reinterpreting Gnosticism to meet the needs of the Christian church.
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Why do scholars study Clementine literature today?
Scholars study Clementine literature today for several reasons. The Homilies are important because they provide information on Jewish-Christian heresy in the early centuries of the church. The Recognitions show how such literature could provide entertainment along with edification. The medieval story of Faust was based on the portrait of Simon Magus in the Recognitions. These writings, attributed to St. Clement I, include the Second Letter of Clement, two letters on virginity, the Homilies and Recognitions, the Apostolic Constitutions, and five letters that are part of the False Decretals.
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Clementine literature, diversified group of apocryphal writings that at various times were attributed to St. Clement I, bishop of Rome near the end of the 1st century. The writings include: (1) the so-called Second Letter of Clement (II Clement), which is not a letter but a sermon and was probably written in Rome about 140; (2) two letters on virginity, perhaps the work of St. Athanasius (died c. 373), bishop of Alexandria; (3) the Homilies and Recognitions, along with an introductory letter supposed to have been written by St. Clement to St. James “the Lord’s brother”; (4) the Apostolic Constitutions, a collection of early Christian ecclesiastical law; and (5) five letters that are part of the False Decretals, a 9th-century collection of partially forged documents.
Now generally considered the work of an unknown Apostolic Father, the Second Letter of Clement was accepted as a work of St. Clement by some and was regarded as canonical in the Codex Alexandrinus (a 5th-century manuscript of the Greek Bible) and by the later Syrian church. Thought to have been written circa 125–140, it emphasized a high doctrine of Christ and the importance of preserving the seal of baptism by maintaining the purity of the flesh for the resurrection. The genuine First Letter of Clement, which was also treated as Scripture by some early Christians, was frequently transmitted in manuscripts together with the Second Letter of Clement.
The two letters (actually treatises) on virginity are preserved in a Syriac manuscript from 1470. Originally written in Greek, they also survive in extracts from the original in the sermons of a Palestinian monk, Antiochus (c. 620), and in Coptic fragments, in which they are attributed to St. Athanasius. They were first mentioned (c. 375) by St. Epiphanius, bishop of Constantia (now Salamis, Cyprus), and were used in Egypt in the 4th and 5th centuries. They denounced violations of asceticism.
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The Homilies (preserved in the Greek original) and the Recognitions (translated into Latin and into Syriac, both about 400 ce) contain a great deal of common material. They attempted to exalt the position of the Oriental churches in relation to Rome and were based on an earlier work, the Circuits of Peter, attested by St. Epiphanius and probably mentioned by the ecclesiastical historian Eusebius of Caesarea and by Origen, the theologian of the Greek church (early 3rd century). The Homilies are important for the information they give on Jewish-Christian heresy in the early centuries of the church, while the Recognitions show how, in an expurgated form, such literature could provide entertainment along with edification. In later times, the medieval story of Faust was based on the portrait of Simon Magus in the Recognitions.