Publisher's Synopsis
The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians
The Suppressed Gospels and Epistles of the Original New Testament of Jesus the Christ
Translated from the Original Tongues, With Historical References to their authenticity, by
Archbishop Wake and other Learned Divines
The First Epistle of Clement is a letter addressed to the Christians in the city of Corinth. The letter was composed at some time between AD 80 and AD 140, and ranks with Didache as one of the earliest--if not the earliest--of extant Christian documents outside the canonical New Testament. As the name suggests, a Second Epistle of Clement is known, but this is a later work by a different author. Neither 1 nor 2 Clement are part of the canonical New Testament, but they are part of the Apostolic Fathers collection.
The letter was occasioned by a dispute in Corinth, which had led to the removal from office of several presbyters. Since none of the presbyters were charged with moral offences, 1 Clement charges that their removal was high-handed and unjustifiable. The letter was extremely lengthy--it was twice as long as the Epistle to the Hebrews--and includes many references to the Old Testament, of which he demonstrates a knowledge. Clement repeatedly refers to the Old Testament as Scripture.
