Clement of Rome, The Second Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians, ed. Kirsopp Lake, 13

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[1] Ἀδελφοὶ οὖν, ἤδη ποτὲ μετανοήσωμεν, νήψωμεν ἐπὶ τὸ ἀγαθόν: μεστοὶ γάρ ἐσμεν πολλῆς ἀνοίας καὶ πονηρίας. ἐξαλείψωμεν ἀφ̓ ἡμῶν τὰ πρότερα ἁμαρτήματα καὶ μετανοήσαντες ἐκ ψυχῆς σωθῶμεν, καὶ μὴ γινώμεθα ἀνθρωπάρεσκοι μηδὲ θέλωμεν μόνον ἑαυτοῖς ἀρέσκειν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῖς ἔξω ἀνθρώποις ἐπὶ τῇ δικαιοσύνῃ, ἵνα τὸ ὄνομα δἰ ἡμᾶς μὴ βλασφημῆται.

[2] λέγει γὰρ ὁ κύριος: ¹ Διὰ παντὸς τὸ ὄνομά μου βλασφημεῖται ἐν πᾶσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν, καὶ πάλιν: Οὐαὶ δἰ ὃν βλασφημεῖται τὸ ὄνομά μου. ἐν τίνι βλασφημεῖται; ἐν τῷ μὴ ποιεῖν ὑμᾶς ἃ βούλομαι.

[3] τὰ ἔθνη γὰρ ἀκούοντα ἐκ τοῦ στόματος ἡμῶν τὰ λόγια τοῦ θεοῦ ὡς καλὰ καὶ μεγάλα θαυμάζει: ἔπειτα καταμαθόντα τὰ ἔργα ἡμῶν ὅτι οὐκ ἔστιν ἄξια τῶν ῥημάτων ὧν λέγομεν, ἔνθεν εἰς βλασφημίαν τρέπονται, λέγοντες εἶναι μῦθόν τινα καὶ πλάνην.

[4] ὅταν ² γὰρ ἀκούσωσιν παῤ ἡμῶν, ὅτι λέγει ὁ θεός: Οὐ χάρις ὑμῖν, εἰ ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας ὑμᾶς, ἀλλὰ χάρις ὑμῖν, εἰ ἀγαπᾶτε τοὺς ἐχθροὺς καὶ τοὺς μισοῦντας ὑμᾶς: ταῦτα ὅταν ἀκούσωσιν, θαυμάζουσιν τὴν ὑπερβολὴν τῆς ἀγαθότητος: ὅταν δὲ ἴδωσιν, ὅτι οὐ μόνον τοὺς μισοῦντας οὐκ ἀγαπῶμεν, ἀλλ̓ ὅτι οὐδὲ τοὺς ἀγαπῶντας, καταγελῶσιν ἡμῶν, καὶ βλασφημεῖται τὸ ὄνομα.

The Second Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians. Clement of Rome. ed. Kirsopp Lake. London. 1912.

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Current edition First1KGreek

Epistula II ad Corinthios (Greek) (Clement of Rome. The Apostolic Fathers, Volume 1. Lake, Kirsopp, editor. London: William Heinemann Ltd.; New York: The Macmillan Company, 1912.)

Translations (1)

The Second Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians Perseus (Clement of Rome. The Apostolic Fathers, Volume 1. Lake, Kirsopp, editor. London: William Heinemann Ltd.; New York: The Macmillan Company, 1912.) — 13 focus

[1] Therefore, brethren, let us at last repent¹ forthwith, and be sober for our good, for we are full of much folly and wickedness; let us wipe off from² ourselves our former sins, and let us gain salvation by repenting with all our souls. Let us not be men-pleasers, and let us wish to please by our righteousness not ourselves alone, but also those who are without, that the name be not blasphemed on our account.

[2] For the Lord says, Every way is my name blasphemed among all the heathen, and again, Woe unto him on whose account my name is blasphemed.³ Wherein is it blasphemed?

[3] In that you do not do what I desire. For when the heathen hear from our mouth the oracles of God, they wonder at their beauty and greatness; afterwards, when they find out that our deeds are unworthy of the words which we speak, they turn from their wonder to blasphemy, saying that it is a myth and delusion.

[4] For when they hear from us that God says: It is no credit to you, if ye love them that love you, but it is a credit to you, if ye love your enemies, and those that hate you;— when they hear this they wonder at this extraordinary goodness; but when they see that we not only do not love those that hate us, but not even those who love us, they laugh us to scorn, and the name is blasphemed.

Notes on the current edition

The Second Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians

1. Is. 32, 6

2. Luke 6, 32. 35

Clement of Rome The Second Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians 13

ed. Kirsopp Lake

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