Chapter 8
Further appeal to repentance
| 1 Οἱ λειτουργοὶ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ διὰ πνεύματος ἁγίου περὶ μετανοίας ἐλάλησαν, | The ministers of the grace of God through the Holy Spirit spoke concerning repentance. |
| 2 καὶ αὐτὸς δὲ ὁ δεσπότης τῶν ἁπάντων περὶ μετανοίας ἐλάλησεν μετὰ ὅρκου· Ζῶ γὰρ ἐγώ, λέγει κύριος, οὐ βούλομαι τὸν θάνατον τοῦ ἁμαρτωλοῦ ὡς τὴν μετάνοιαν, προστιθεὶς καὶ γνώμην ἀγαθήν· | Yes and the Master of the universe Himself spoke concerning repentance with an oath: “For, as I live says the Lord, I don’t desire the death of the sinner, so much as his repentance,” and He added also good advice: |
| 3 Μετανοήσατε, οἶκος Ἰσραήλ, ἀπό τῆς ἀνομίας ὑμῶν· εἶπον τοῖς υἱοῖς τοῦ λαοῦ μου. Ἐὰν ὦσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ἕως τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ ἐὰν ὦσιν πυρρότεραι κόκκου καὶ μελανώτεραι σάκκου, καὶ ἐπιστραφῆτε πρός με ἐξ ὅλης τῆς καρδίας καὶ εἴπητε· Πάτερ· ἐπακούσομαι ὑμῶν ὡς λαοῦ ἁγίου. | “Repent, Oh house of Israel, of your iniquity; say unto the sons of My people, ‘Though your sins reach from the earth even to the sky, and though they be redder than scarlet and blacker than sackcloth, yet you turn to Me with your whole heart and say, “Father,” I will hear you as a holy people.’ ” |
| 4 καὶ ἐν ἑτέρῳ τόπῳ λέγει οὕτως· Λούσασθε καὶ καθαροὶ γένεσθε, ἀφέλεσθε τὰς πονηρίας ἀπὸ τῶν ψυχῶν ὑμῶν ἀπέναντι τῶν ὀφθαλμῶν μου· παύσασθε ἀπὸ τῶν πονηριῶν ὑμῶν, μάθετε καλὸν ποιεῖν, ἐκζητήσατε κρίσιν, ῥύσασθε ἀδικούμενον, κρίνατε ὀρφανῷ καὶ δικαιώσατε χήρᾳ· καὶ δεῦτε καὶ διελεγχθῶμεν, λέγει κύριος· καὶ ἐὰν ὦσιν αἱ ἁμαρτίαι ὑμῶν ὡς φοινικοῦν, ὡς χιόνα λευκανῶ· ἐὰν δὲ ὦσιν ὡς κόκκινον, ὡς ἔριον λευκανῶ· καὶ ἐὰν θέλητε καὶ εἰσακούσητέ μου, τὰ ἀγαθὰ τῆς γῆς φάγεσθε· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ θέλητε μηδὲ εἰσακούσητέ μου, μάχαιρα ὑμᾶς κατέδεται· τὸ γὰρ στόμα κυρίου ἐλάλησεν ταῦτα. |
And in another place He says this,
“Wash, be clean. Remove the iniquities from your souls out of My sight. Cease from your iniquities; learn to do good; seek out justice; defend him who is wronged; give judgment for the orphan, and give justice for the widow; and come and let us reason together, says the Lord; and though your sins be as crimson, I will make them white as snow; and though they be as scarlet, I will make them white as wool. And if you are willing and listen to Me, you will eat the good things of the earth; but if you are not willing, and don’t listen to Me, a sword will devour you; for the mouth of the Lord has spoken these things.” |
| 5 πάντας οὖν τοὺς ἀγαπητοὺς αὐτοῦ βουλόμενος μετανοίας μετασχεῖν ἐστήριξεν τῷ παντοκρατορικῷ βουλήματι αὐτοῦ. | Therefore, since He wants all His beloved to share in repentance, He confirmed it by an act of His almighty will. |
Summary
In Chapter 8, Clement continues his exhortation to repentance (μετάνοια) by grounding it in divine authority. He demonstrates that the call to repent is not an innovation of the Roman church, but a continuous message delivered through Old Testament prophets—whom he calls "ministers of the grace of God" (οἱ λειτουργοὶ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ) inspired by the Holy Spirit—and confirmed directly by God Himself under a divine oath.
Drawing upon composite citations from Ezekiel 18, 33, and Isaiah 1 (LXX), Clement emphasizes the boundless mercy of God (ὁ δεσπότης τῶν ἁπάντων). No sin is too deep or dark to be cleansed if believers turn back with their whole heart and address God as "Father." Clement concludes by asserting that repentance is anchored in God’s supreme sovereign purpose: by His "almighty will" (τῷ παντοκρατορικῷ βουλήματι), God has fixed a way for all His beloved to share in salvation.
Significant Greek Expressions
Οἱ λειτουργοὶ τῆς χάριτος τοῦ θεοῦ (The ministers of the grace of God): Uses leitourgos (a public servant or sacred minister), applying it to Old Testament prophets (such as Ezekiel and Isaiah). Clement presents OT prophecy as an administration of gospel "grace" (charis) driven by the Holy Spirit.
μετὰ ὅρκου (With an oath): Highlights the solemnity of God’s promise in Ezekiel 33:11. God seals His merciful disposition toward sinners with a divine oath (Ζῶ γὰρ ἐγώ / "As I live"), assuring the church that judgment is never God’s primary desire.
γνώμην ἀγαθήν (A gracious declaration / benevolent judgment): Gnōmē denotes a mind, purpose, or official decree. Clement describes God’s offer of pardon as an act of favorable divine disposition toward human frailty.
πυρρότεραι κόκκου καὶ μελανώτεραι σάκκου (Redder than scarlet and blacker than sackcloth): An expanded patristic paraphrase combining Isaiah 1:18 with traditional figures of deep stain (pyrroteros, fiery red; melanōteros, blackened like mourning sackcloth), underscoring that no moral stain exceeds the cleansing power of true repentance.
ἐπιστραφῆτε... καὶ εἴπητε· Πάτερ (Turn... and say: Father!): Combines the Hebrew concept of covenantal return (epistrephō / teshuvah) with the filial privilege of calling God "Father" (Patēr), echoing both Jesus’s teaching on prayer (Matthew 6:9) and the parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:18).
τῷ παντοκρατορικῷ βουλήματι αὐτοῦ (By His almighty / sovereign will): Combines pantokratorikos (all-powerful/omnipotent) with boulēma (counsel, decree, or sovereign intent). Clement emphasizes that repentance is not a human afterthought, but an unshakable cosmic ordinance established by the Sovereign of the universe.