A short thread on the divinity of Jesus in the First Epistle of Clement:
It is often claimed by Muslims and Unitarians that the deity of Christ is a late invention, after New Testament times. However the Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians, written c. AD 60-100 from Rome, challenges this idea in one particular passage.
It is true that for St Clement, "God" is predominantly the Father and "Lord" refers to Jesus. Other titles for Jesus include Christ, Son and Child/Servant.
In chapter 2 however Clement refers to the suffering of God, which is interesting:
In chapter 2 however Clement refers to the suffering of God, which is interesting:
"Content with the provision which God had made for you, and carefully attending to His words, you were inwardly filled with His doctrine, and His SUFFERINGS were before your eyes. "
The referent here is unlikely to be Jesus since all of the preceding context refers to God.
The referent here is unlikely to be Jesus since all of the preceding context refers to God.
It is true that chapter 54 addresses the Father as "God alone", but even there Jesus is referred to as His Son/Child. Chapter 23 also refers Malachi 3:1, a text about God, to Christ.
Sorry, *chapter 59
The grammar of chapter 59 is also vague, ;
Let all the nations know that You are God alone and Jesus Christ Your Son, and we are Your people and the sheep of Your pasture.
One could possibly argue that "God alone" includes in some way Jesus since He is called God earlier.
Let all the nations know that You are God alone and Jesus Christ Your Son, and we are Your people and the sheep of Your pasture.
One could possibly argue that "God alone" includes in some way Jesus since He is called God earlier.
It's also possible to read this passage in later Creedal sense, where the Father is "the one God", unbegotten, while the Son is begotten of Him.
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