Chapter 26
The application of the resurrection examples
| 1 Μέγα καὶ θαυμαστὸν οὖν νομίζομεν εἶναι, εἰ ὁ δημιουργὸς τῶν ἁπάντων ἀνάστασιν ποιήσεται τῶν ὁσίως αὐτῷ δουλευσάντων ἐν πεποιθήσει πίστεως ἀγαθῆς, ὅπου καὶ δι' ὀρνέου δείκνυσιν ἡμῖν τὸ μεγαλεῖον τῆς ἐπαγγελίας αὐτοῦ; | Do we suppose that it is a great and wonderful thing if the Creator of the universe brings about the resurrection of those who have served Him with holiness in the assurance of good faith, since He shows to us, even by a bird, the magnificence of His promise? |
| 2 λέγει γάρ που· Καὶ ἐξαναστήσεις με, καὶ ἐξομολογήσομαί σοι, καὶ· Ἐκοιμήθην καὶ ὕπνωσα, ἐξηγέρθην, ὅτι σὺ μετ' ἐμοῦ εἶ. |
For He says somewhere, "And You will raise me up, and I will praise You" {Ps.
28:7}. Also, "I laid down and slept; then I was awakened, because You are with me" {Ps. 3:5; 23:4}. |
| 3 καὶ πάλιν Ἰὼβ λέγει· Καὶ ἀναστήσεις τὴν σάρκα μου ταύτην τὴν ἀναντλήσασαν ταῦτα πάντα. | Job also says, "You will raise up this flesh of mine which has suffered all these things" {Job 19:26}. |
Summary
In Chapter 26, Clement delivers the logical conclusion (a minori ad maius—from the lesser to the greater) of his argument for the future resurrection. Having marshaled natural cycles (Chapter 24) and the marvel of the phoenix (Chapter 25), he now asks the Corinthians why they should find it difficult to believe that the almighty Creator of all things (ὁ δημιουργὸς τῶν ἁπάντων) will raise His faithful human servants, when He already displays the power of renewal in a bird.To seal his argument, Clement grounds his rhetorical question in Old Testament scriptural proof-texts (citing variations of Psalm 28:7 / Psalm 3:5 LXX and Job 19:26 LXX):
The Psalms: He frames sleep and awakening (ἐκοιμήθην... ἐξηγέρθην) as a direct type of death and resurrection under divine protection.
Job: He explicitly cites Job’s confession to affirm the bodily aspect of resurrection—that God will raise "this flesh of mine" (τὴν σάρκα μου ταύτην) that has endured temporal suffering (ἀναντλήσασαν).
Significant Greek Expressions
ὁ δημιουργὸς τῶν ἁπάντων (The Creator / Artificer of all things): Reappears from 1 Clement 20.11 (dēmiourgos). Clement highlights God’s role as the supreme Architect to emphasize that the One who originally fashioned the physical body out of nothing possesses more than enough power to reconstitute it from death.
ἐν πεποιθήσει πίστεως ἀγαθῆς (In the assurance of a good faith): Combines pepoithēsis (trustful confidence, reliance, boldness) with pistis agathē. True service to God is characterized by firm, unwavering confidence in His covenant promises, as opposed to the double-minded doubt (dipsychia) Clement condemned in Chapter 23.
τὸ μεγαλεῖον τῆς ἐπαγγελίας αὐτοῦ (The greatness / majesty of His promise): Uses megaleion (majesty, grand deed, greatness; cf. Luke 1:49) alongside epangelia (divine promise). The resurrection is presented as the ultimate manifestation of God’s covenant reliability.
ἐκοιμήθην... ἐξηγέρθην (I laid down to sleep... I awoke): Quoting Psalm 3:5 LXX. Uses the classical Christian euphemistic pairing for physical death (koimaō, to fall asleep) and resurrection (egeirō, to be raised up / awakened).
τὴν σάρκα μου ταύτην τὴν ἀναντλήσασαν (This flesh of mine which has endured): Cites Job 19:26 LXX. The verb anantleō literally means to drain out water (like baling water out of a ship), figuratively meaning to endure, suffer through, or exhaust trials. Clement stresses that the exact same flesh (sarx) that endured hardship will be vindicated in the resurrection.