The Oldest Written Sermon: 2nd Clement
It is the middle of the second century, and the Christian Church is going through an overwhelming transition. The Gospel continues to spread, but persecution is still happening on and off. The Gospels and the epistles of the Apostles are documented and being shared, but the Apostles themselves have all passed on. There is still a value of oral traditions of Jesus’ teachings that is shared in the Church, but there are also groups dissenting and creating their own brand of “Christianity”. In the midst of it all, everyday Christians are struggling to know how to practically live their life in a pagan culture that rejects them.
And it is with this setting in mind that we look to the oldest surviving sermon we have in Church history, entitled 2nd Clement. It’s a fascinating yet quite mysterious document. It is titled as a sequel to an epistle believed to have been written by Clement, bishop of Rome (1st Clement). We will look into 1st Clement in a later discussion, as it is a very important writing in the Apostolic Fathers. But despite the title, 2nd Clement is misleading for two reasons. It isn’t an epistle like 1st Clement, but a sermon. It also is believed by almost all scholars that it wasn’t written by Clement, and the author of 2nd Clement is anonymous. (Jefford, 2012, p. 125)
At the same time, the sermon clearly had an impact on the early Church. It was documented and shared. Of the three known surviving copies of 2nd Clement, the oldest is part of the Codex Alexandrinus, which is one of the earliest complete Bibles we still have (5th century). So while we can’t say much with total certainty about the origins of this sermon, we can at least say it convicted a lot of Christians.
So what is the sermon about?
The primary themes of 2nd Clement are a call to repentance and giving complete surrender to Jesus Christ. As we will see in a moment, the preacher clearly wants the entirety of the Gospel to be believed and lived out. 2nd Clement stresses that we are loved and saved by Christ alone, but to not take His salvation and mercy for granted.
The author cites numerous Old Testament books such as Isaiah. 2nd Clement also recites multiple quotes from Jesus, which have a Synoptic tradition (Matthew, Mark, and Luke), although the majority of quotes aren’t word for word from the written Gospels. While the author’s citing of New Testament epistles are somewhat speculative, they do seem to be fairly well versed in Pauline tradition.
Summary of 2nd Clement
1. Taking Jesus Seriously (1-4)
The sermon opens calling the congregation to see Jesus as both God and Judge. Jesus should not be minimized nor taken lightly. There is both a tone of recognizing the authority Christ has while also humbling the congregation to realize they are in Christ’s hands by His grace alone:
“For He (Jesus) had compassion on us, and mercifully saved us, observing the many errors in which we were entangled, as well as the destruction to which we were exposed, and that we had no hope of salvation except it came to us from Him. For He called us when we were not, and willed that out of nothing we should attain a real existence.”
Throughout the sermon, the preacher calls for the congregation to repent multiple times, but it is with this opening chapter that we see how the preacher wants them to understand repentance. The preacher wants the Christians to be humbled to repentance by understanding that Christ died for them, and the grace of salvation is a gift. This is not to say that the sermon shies away from warning the eternal consequences of rejecting Christ (4.5, 6.7, etc.). But the methodology of calling for repentance (especially in the first few chapters) is about being compelled by the love and sacrifice of Jesus while still acknowledging His authority over us.
The preacher ties love and obedience to God’s commands strongly. Just as Jesus said that if we love Him we will keep His commands (John 14:15), 2nd Clement makes the same point multiple times:
“Let us, then, not only call Him Lord, for that will not save us. For He says, ‘Not everyone that says to me, Lord, Lord, shall be saved, but he that works righteousness.’ Wherefore, brethren, let us confess Him by our works, by loving one another, by not committing adultery, or speaking evil of one another, or cherishing envy; but by being continent, compassionate, and good. We ought also to sympathize with one another, and not be avaricious.”
2. God over All (5-7)
Citing multiple examples from the teachings of Jesus and the Old Testament, 2nd Clement transitions the call to repentance to having a focus on the Kingdom coming. Lust, money, prosperity, and popularity cannot be a stumbling block as you live your life for Christ. Even if faced with persecution and death, we should not fear man but God alone: “Let us reckon that it is better to hate the things present, since they are trifling, and transient, and corruptible; and to love those [which are to come] as being good and incorruptible.” 6.6
3. Repentance cannot be procrastinated, and it isn’t just about you (8-17)
Now 2nd Clement turns back to repentance specifically, and spends most of the sermon on why those in the Church sinning need to repent. The first main point is in chapter 8, which argues that we don’t know when each of us will die. Because we don’t know our time on earth, we should not take God’s grace for granted and not delay from repenting wholeheartedly. The second main point is that we will be judged by both our actions and what is in our hearts (chapter 9). Therefore, like the rebuke Jesus gives to the Pharisees in Matthew 23:25-26, we should love God and neighbor by our heart and actions.
As we move to chapter 13, we see another strong reason why we need to repent as Christians:
“For the nations, hearing from our mouth the oracles of God, marvel at their excellence and worth; thereafter learning that our deeds are not worthy of the words which we speak—receiving this occasion they turn to blasphemy, saying that they are a fable and a delusion. For, whenever they hear from us that God says, ‘No thank have ye, if you love them which love you, but you have thank, if you love your enemies and them which hate you.’—whenever they hear these words, they marvel at the surpassing goodness; but when they see, that not only do we not love those who hate, but that we love not even those who love, they laugh us to scorn, and the name is blasphemed.”
In other words, when a professing Christian fails to repent, it is a poor witness to others outside the Body of Christ. How many times have you heard someone say they don’t like Christians because they’re hypocrites? Also notice the example given is the commandment Jesus gives to love our enemies, something many of us fail to do. This issue is still one relevant today in the Church! Our repentance is therefore not just for our sake, but for the lost as well.
The next chapter also focuses on how a sinful Christian also hurts their brothers and sisters. This can be seen in two ways. First, it grieves the Holy Spirit and holds back edification and growth. Second, it can influence others to sin as well. Once again, we see another issue that is still very present in the Church today.
4. Practicing what is Preached (18)
The last part of the sermon I want to highlight is a moment of honesty and humility from the author of 2nd Clement in chapter 18:
“For I myself, though a sinner every whit and not yet fleeing temptation but continuing in the midst of the tools of the devil, study to follow after righteousness, that I may make, be it only some, approach to it, fearing the judgment to come.”
It may seem at first that the multiple calls to repentance and holy living from 2nd Clement may represent too much judgment or a works-based righteousness. But this would be misreading the sermon. As seen in the beginning, 2nd Clement starts to end the sermon with honesty and humble confession of his sins, admitting his own struggles and need of mercy.
Application Points from 2nd Clement
1. Recognize the complete Gospel and who Christ is, not just parts of who He is.
2. Confess and repent from your sins. Be honest and accountable before God and your congregation. Humbly seek the Lord for yourself, your brothers and sisters, and the lost.
3. Be focused on the Kingdom that is to come, and not the temptations and worries of this world.
Conclusion
2nd Clement has a lot of mystery behind it, yet it is a sermon that preaches Gospel truths still relevant today. It focuses heavily on the words of Christ and obeying them, as well as loving others sincerely. It is a bit of a long read, but it is one that is just as convicting today as it was in the second century.
Bibliography
Schaff, P. (2016). The Complete Ante-Nicene, Nicene and Post-Nicene Collection of Early Church Fathers. Toronto, Canada.
Jefford, C. (2012). Reading the Apostolic Fathers: A Student’s Introduction. Grand Rapids, MI. Baker Academic.
For more research
Parvis, P. (2007). 2nd Clement and the Meaning of the Christian Homily. In P. Foster, The Writings of the Apostolic Fathers. London. T&T Clark.
Muddiman, J. (2005). The Church in Ephesians, 2 Clement, and the Shephard of Hermas. In A. Gregory and C. Tuckett, Trajectories Through the New Testament and the Apostolic Fathers. Oxford. Oxford University Press.
Thumbnail Image: The Codex Alexandrinus. Photo scan from The British Library: http://www.bl.uk/manuscripts/Viewer.aspx?ref=royal_ms_1_d_viii_f143r