Chapter 58
Obey God to avoid His threats
| 1 Ὑπακούσωμεν οὖν τῷ παναγίῳ καὶ ἐνδόξῳ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ φυγόντες τὰς προειρημένας διὰ τῆς σοφίας τοῖς ἀπειθοῦσιν ἀπειλάς, ἵνα κατασκηνώσωμεν πεποιθότες ἐπὶ τὸ ὁσιώτατον τῆς μεγαλωσύνης αὐτοῦ ὄνομα. |
Therefore, let’s obey His most holy and glorious name. In this way they escape the threats spoken by Wisdom long ago to the disobedient, so that we may dwell safely, trusting on His most pious majestic name. |
| 2 δέξασθε τὴν συμβουλὴν ἡμῶν, καὶ ἔσται ἀμεταμέλητα ὑμῖν. ζῇ γὰρ ὁ θεὸς καὶ ζῇ ὁ κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, ἥ τε πίστις καὶ ἡ ἐλπὶς τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν, ὅτι ὁ ποιήσας ἐν ταπεινοφροσύνῃ μετ' ἐκτενοῦς ἐπιεικείας ἀμεταμελήτως τὰ ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ δεδομένα δικαιώματα δικαιώματα καὶ προστάγματα, οὗτος ἐντεταγμένος καὶ ἐλλόγιμος ἔσται εἰς τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν σωζομένων διὰ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, δι' οὗ ἐστὶν αὐτῷ ἡ δόξα εἰς τοὺς αἰῶνας τῶν αἰώνων. ἀμήν. |
Accept our advice and you will have no regrets. For as God lives, and the Lord Jesus Christ lives and the Holy Spirit (who is the faith and hope of the elect), so surely will the one with humility and constant gentleness has without regret performed the ordinances and commandments given by God will be enrolled and included among the number of those who are saved through Jesus Christ, through whom is the glory unto Him for ever and ever. Amen. |
Summary
In Chapter 58, Clement brings his direct appeal to the Corinthian rebels to a solemn, authoritative climax. Building on the terrifying warnings of Wisdom from Proverbs 1 cited in Chapter 57, he exhorts the entire assembly to obey God’s all-holy and glorious name (τῷ παναγίῳ καὶ ἐνδόξῳ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ) in order to escape those divine threats and dwell securely under the majesty of God.
Clement then issues an explicit apostolic admonition: "Receive our counsel, and it will be no cause of regret to you" (δέξασθε τὴν συμβουλὴν ἡμῶν). To underscore the absolute authority and divine backing of his pastoral plea, he invokes a trinitarian oath formula that is among the most explicit in the Apostolic Fathers:
He swears by the living God, the living Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit—who together constitute the faith and hope of God’s elect.
He guarantees that whoever carries out God’s statutes and commandments with humility (ταπεινοφροσύνη) and eager gentleness/forbearance (μετ̓ ἐκτενοῦς ἐπιεικείας) will be permanently enrolled and numbered among those saved through Jesus Christ.
The chapter concludes with a doxology offering eternal glory to God through Jesus Christ.
Significant Greek Expressions
τῷ παναγίῳ... ὀνόματι (To His all-holy name): Compound adjective panagios (from pan "all" + hagios "holy"). A rare and exalted title for God emphasizing absolute, unapproachable purity. Submission to ecclesial order is framed as direct obedience to God’s holy name.
ἀμεταμέλητα (Without regret / unregretted): Neuter plural adjective/adverbial form of ametamelētos (cf. 1 Clement 54.4, 2 Corinthians 7:10). Reassures the Corinthians that yielding to Rome’s counsel and restoring the presbyters will lead only to lasting peace, never remorse.
ζῇ γὰρ ὁ θεὸς καὶ ζῇ ὁ κύριος Ἰησοῦς Χριστὸς καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον (For as God lives, and as the Lord Jesus Christ lives, and the Holy Spirit): An explicit early Christian oath formula adapting the Old Testament solemn oath ("As the LORD lives..."; cf. 1 Samuel 14:39, Jeremiah 4:2). Unites the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in a single living invocation, demonstrating a fully developed trinitarian consciousness in the late 1st century.
ἥ τε πίστις καὶ ἡ ἐλπὶς τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν (The faith and the hope of the elect): Appositional phrase defining the Trinity. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are not abstract theological concepts, but the very object and foundation of the Church’s faith and eschatological hope.
μετ̓ ἐκτενοῦς ἐπιεικείας (With earnest / fervent gentleness):
Ektenēs: intense, fervent, eager, stretched out (cf. 1 Peter 1:22, 4:8).
Epieikeia: gentleness, forbearance, reasonableness.
Demands that compliance with divine order be accompanied by an eager, wholeheartedly gentle spirit rather than grudging submission.
ἐντεταγμένος καὶ ἐλλόγιμος (Enrolled and accounted / reckoned):
Entassō: to place in order, enroll, register in a official list (e.g., civic or military registers).
Ellogimos: approved, esteemed, counted among (cf. 1 Clement 44.3, 57.2).
Those who submit in humility are formally registered in the divine heavenly census among "the number of those being saved" (εἰς τὸν ἀριθμὸν τῶν σωζομένων; cf. Acts 2:47).