What does 1st Clement say about Future Judgment?
Clement of Rome’s letter to the Corinthians is one of the longer writings in the Apostolic Fathers collection. As previously discussed, one of the purposes of Clement’s letter was to urge the Corinthian Christians to repent and turn back to Christ before it was too late. With this theme in mind, we should expect Clement’s letter to have a lot to say about judgment and divine punishment.
Clement’s warning to avoid destruction
What’s interesting about 1st Clement is that he does warn of God’s punishment multiple times, but never-ending torture in the fire isn’t mentioned. Clement’s most common illustration of God’s wrath is looking back at Old Testament examples of God destroying unrepentance sinners.
“The first thing we will notice in Clement is his silence on certain points. He very often speaks of future punishment. It is a theme upon which no Christian teacher can with fidelity be silent. Yet Clement never speaks of the immortality of the soul which is so indissolubly bound up with the theory of punishment as taught by Tertullian and Augustine.”
In other words, while later early Christians taught that the soul of all humans still exist after Christ’s final condemnation, Clement does not seem to share this view. He certainly believes Christians will live on in immortality, but doesn’t say the same for the condemned. Clement draws on Old Testament examples all over his letter to illustrate his points on multiple subjects, and one of them is God’s wrath. The wrath Clement addresses results in perishing.
“Again and again Clement uses the terms ‘perish’ and ‘destruction’ as the equivalent of ‘punished with death’ for the fate of the wicked. He frequently quotes from the Old Testament… citing how ‘transgressors’ are to be ‘destroyed from off the face of’ the earth; how God will ‘destroy them’, literally they are to be ‘wiped out’, and God will ‘blot out’ even ‘their name from under heaven’. That was Clement’s belief.”
Here are a few examples of Clement comparing Old Testament destruction to his current situation:
1st Clement 7.5-8.2a: Let us turn to every age that has passed, and learn that, from generation to generation, the Lord has granted a place of repentance to all such as would be converted unto Him. Noah preached repentance, and as many as listened to him were saved. Jonah proclaimed destruction to the Ninevites; but they, repenting of their sins, propitiated God by prayer, and obtained salvation, although they were aliens [to the covenant] of God.
The ministers of the grace of God have, by the Holy Spirit, spoken of repentance; and the Lord of all things has himself declared with an oath regarding it, “As I live, says the Lord, I desire not the death of the sinner, but rather his repentance.”
1st Clement 9: Wherefore, let us yield obedience to His excellent and glorious will; and imploring His mercy and loving-kindness, while we forsake all fruitless labors and strife, and envy, which leads to death, let us turn and have recourse to His compassion. Let us steadfastly contemplate those who have perfectly ministered to his excellent glory. Let us take Enoch, who, being found righteous in obedience, was translated (Brannan translates it as “changed”; Brannan, 2017, Pg. 18), and death was never known to happen to him. Noah, being found faithful, preached regeneration to the world through his ministry; and the Lord saved by him the animals which, with one accord, entered into the ark.
1st Clement 11: On account of his hospitality and godliness, Lot was saved out of Sodom when all the country round was punished by means of fire and brimstone, the Lord thus making it manifest that He does not forsake those that hope in Him, but gives up such as depart from Him to punishment and torture. For Lot’s wife, who went forth with him, being of a different mind from himself, and not continuing in agreement with him [as to the command which had been given to them], was made an example of, so as to be a pillar of salt unto this day. This was done that all might know that those who are of a double mind, and who distrust the power of God, bring down judgment on themselves and become a sign to all succeeding generations.
In this passage, we see punishment of fire referenced, but in the context of Sodom’s destruction. Clement also warns of punishment and torture for those who fall away from God. From the Traditionalist standpoint, this could refer to eternal torture in hell.
From the Conditionalist standpoint, this could mean a torturous death for the condemned after final judgment. Clement’s reference to torture isn’t detailed enough to go one exclusive way, although with it sandwiched between the examples he makes of Sodom and Lot’s wife, I would say the Conditionalist view is more consistent with this passage.
1st Clement 51.3-5: For it is better that a man should acknowledge his transgressions than that he should harden his heart, as the hearts of those were hardened who stirred up sedition against Moses the servant of God, and whose condemnation was made manifest [unto all]. For they went down alive into Hades, and death swallowed them up. Pharaoh with his army and all the princes of Egypt, and the chariots with their riders, were sunk in the depths of the Red Sea, and perished, for no other reason than that their foolish hearts were hardened, after so many signs and wonders had been wrought in the land of Egypt by Moses the servant of God.
Clement’s reference to descending into Hades comes from the LXX translation of Psalm 48:15 and the mutiny against Moses in Numbers 16. The rebels were punished when God opened the ground and they fell to their death. Hades is the LXX translation for Sheol, which often refers to the grave or realm of the dead. (Longman and Enns, 2008, Pg. 6, 53-54)
Let’s take a quick look at the passages in Numbers 16 and Psalm 48 in the LXX.
Numbers 16:28-33 (LXX):
“And Moses said, ‘By this you will know that the Lord has sent me to do all these deeds, that they are not of myself. If in the manner of the death of all people these will die, and if according to the visitation of all people their visitation will be, the Lord has not sent me. But if by a sign the Lord shows it clearly, and, after opening up its mouth, the earth swallows them and their households and their tents and everything that belongs to them, so that they descend while still alive in Hades, then you will know that these people have provoked the Lord.’
And when he ceased speaking all these words, the earth split under them. And the earth opened and swallowed them and their livestock. And they themselves and whatever was their went down alive in Hades, and the earth enveloped them, and they perished out of the midst of the congregation.”
Psalm 48:11b-16 (LXX):
“Together the senseless and the foolish one will perish and leave behind to strangers their wealth. And their graves are their houses for eternity, their quarters for generation and generation. They called out their lands by their own names. And a person, although being with honor, does not understand. He is like the senseless livestock and is made like them. This way of theirs is a trap to them, and after these things with their mouth they bless.
Like sheep they were placed in Hades. Death rules them, and the upright ones have dominion over them in the morning. Their help will be worn out from their glory in Hades. But God will redeem my soul from the hand of Hades when he receives me.”
Regarding how Hades is mentioned in Numbers, my conclusion is its usage refers to Hades being the grave, below the earth, where all humans eventually end up in. God’s punishment to the rebels was to not only destroy them, but have the grave itself literally swallow them whole to set an example to the rest of Israel not to rebel against God’s prophet.
The reference to Hades in Psalm 48 is a little more in line with the ancient understanding of Sheol/Hades being a living realm for the dead. But whether the Psalmist actually believes this or is purely using poetic language, both Traditionalists and Conditionalists can line up with Hades being a living realm. Both views can see Hades as a temporary holding place for the righteous and unrighteous awaiting final judgment. As Edward Fudge comments, “Sheol is the common fate of all mortals. It is not a place of punishment.” (Fudge, 2011, Pg. 49)
Other Old Testament examples found in 1st Clement are 14.4 and chapters 28 and 39. In summary, Clement’s extensive use of Old Testament punishment and warning of future punishment are heavily linked to death and perishing.
“As for future punishment of the wicked, Clement uses such terms as teleutao (to ‘finish’, ‘accomplish’, ‘end’), and thus ‘to die’, as the end or loss of human existence.”
What does Jesus save us from?
Another note to make when reading 1st Clement that is helpful for our study is noticing Clement’s description of what the Gospel saves us from. When addressing the fallen nature of some of the Corinthians, Clement states:
“For this reason righteousness and peace are now far departed from you, inasmuch as every one abandons the fear of God, and has become blind in His faith, neither walks in the ordinances of His appointment, nor acts a part of becoming a Christian, but walks after his own wicked lusts, resuming the practice of an unrighteous and ungodly envy, by which death itself entered into the world.”
Here are a few examples of Clement’s emphasis on life being found in Jesus:
1st Clement 35.1-2a: How blessed and wonderful, beloved, are the gifts of God! Life in immortality, splendor in righteousness, truth in perfect confidence, faith in assurance, self-control in holiness!
1st Clement 48.1-3: Let us therefore, with all haste, put an end to this [state of things]; and let us fall down before the Lord, and beseech Him with tears, that He would mercifully be reconciled to us, and restore us to our former seemly and holy practice of brotherly love. For [such conduct] is the gate of righteousness, which is set open for the attainment of life, as it is written, “Open to me the gates of righteousness; I will go in by them, and will praise the Lord: this is the gate of the Lord: the righteous shall enter in by it.”
In chapter 57, Clement quotes from Proverbs 1:22-23, which warns of destruction and death to those who ignore Wisdom. Following this, Clement states in chapter 58: Let us, therefore, obey his most holy and glorious name, thereby escaping the threats spoken by Wisdom long ago against those who disobey, so that we may dwell safely, trusting in his most holy and majestic name.
1st Clement 58.2: Receive our counsel, and shall be without repentance. For, as God lives, and as the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost live—both the faith and hope of the elect, he who in lowliness of mind, with instant gentleness, and without repentance has observed the ordinances and appointments given by God—the same shall obtain a place and name in the number of those who are being saved through Jesus Christ, through whom is glory to Him for ever and ever. Amen.
Clement’s reference to Judith
There is one point Traditionalists could potentially make to defend Eternal Conscious Torment in 1st Clement, and that is a particular individual Clement references.
“Many women also, being strengthened by the grace of God, have performed numerous manly exploits. The blessed Judith, when her city was besieged, asked of the elders permission to go forth into the camp of the strangers; and, exposing herself to danger, she went out for the love which she bare to her country and people then besieged; and the Lord delivered Holofernes into the hands of a woman.”
Judith is from the book of the same name found in the Apocrypha. While many Protestant traditions do not see the Book of Judith as Scripture, several other denominations do. Clement extensively quotes Scripture from the LXX, which includes Judith in its canon. He also references Esther immediately after referencing Judith, a book most Christian traditions agree is Scripture. Therefore, it is not a stretch to assume Clement believes Judith belongs in the canon of Scripture.
So why does any of this matter? Towards the end of the book, Judith proclaims in 16:17: “Woe to the nations that rise up against my people! The Lord Almighty will take vengeance on them in the day of judgment; he will send fire and worms into their flesh; they shall weep in pain for ever.” (NRSV)
The Lexham English Septuagint translates the verse as this: “…he will send fire and worms for their flesh, and they will weep in full knowledge until eternity.”
It is commonly believed this wording from Judith is taken from Isaiah 66, which we’ve previously discussed. However, unlike Isaiah, Judith slightly changes the wording and implies never ending torture to the wicked. Edward Fudge has noted this verse to be the only time in the Apocrypha that pretty blatantly endorses Eternal Conscious Torment. (Fudge, 2011, Pg. 89)
When discussing Clement’s view of future punishment, his reference to Judith, while seemingly unimportant, should still be noted. At the same time, Clement’s specific reference is not Judith 16:17, so we do not know how Clement and his audience would interpret such a verse. Considering Clement’s heavy emphasis on death and destruction, it would still be a bit of stretch to safely assume Clement believed in ECT due to his endorsement of Judith.
Conclusion
In my opinion, 1st Clement ultimately leans more toward the doctrine of Conditional Immortality. His references to God’s wrath being death and destruction is a long list, and his promises of immortality being found in Christ is notable. However, there are still little bits Traditionalists could connect together to at least imply eternal living for the saved and condemned.
With this in mind, 1st Clement is not an undisputed winner for Conditional Immortality, as nothing Clement says would necessarily debunk Eternal Conscious Torment. Both views can work in this writing.
Bibliography
Schaff, P. (2016). The Complete Ante-Nicene, Nicene and Post-Nicene Collection of Early Church Fathers. Toronto, Canada.
Constable, H. (1875). The Duration and Nature of Future Punishment. London. Kellaway & Company.
Brannan, R. (2017). The Apostolic Fathers: A New Translation. Bellingham, WA. Lexham Press.
Froom. L.E. (2014). Conditionalism in the Early Church. In C.M. Date, Rethinking Hell: Readings in Evangelical Conditionalism. Eugene, OR. Wipf and Stock Publishers.
Enns, P. and Longman, T. (2008) Dictionary of the Old Testament: Wisdom, Poetry, & Writings. Downers Grove, IL. InterVarsity Press.
Penner, K. (2019). The Lexham English Septuagint. Bellingham, WA. Lexham Press.
Fudge, E. (2011). The Fire that Consumes: A Biblical and Historical Study of the Doctrine of Final Punishment (3rd ed.). Eugene, OR. Wipf & Stock Publishers.
New Revised Standard Version, 1999, Judith 16:17.