Clement of Rome

Life

Nothing is known of his birth or upbringing. In the list of leaders of the Roman church compiled by Irenaeus in the late second century, his name appears third after Peter and Paul, following Linus and Anacletus. On the basis of this list, the Catholic Church counts him as the fourth bishop of Rome after Peter, that is, the fourth pope. Eusebius, the fourth-century church historian, recorded that he led the Roman church around the end of the first century. Origen and Eusebius identified him with Clement, the fellow worker of Paul mentioned in Philippians 4:3, but there is no evidence to confirm this identification. The story that he was exiled to the Black Sea region and martyred is regarded as a much later tradition.

Ministry and Contributions

The most important document bearing his name is a letter sent by the church in Rome to the church in Corinth. It is generally dated to the end of the first century (around the mid-90s). The text of the letter names its sender only as "the church of Rome," but from the time of Dionysius, bishop of Corinth in the second century, it was attributed to Clement. It addresses a dispute in the Corinthian church in which some members had removed duly appointed presbyters, and it urges order, harmony, and humility.

The letter states that the apostles appointed bishops and deacons and made provision for those who would succeed them. This passage is frequently cited in later discussions of apostolic succession (the idea that apostolic authority is transmitted through succession in office). The letter is also an early witness to the martyrdoms of Peter and Paul, and because it draws extensively on New Testament writings such as Hebrews, it is used in research on the formation of the canon. It is reported to have been read in worship in some churches during the early period. Today, 2 Clement and the so-called Pseudo-Clementine literature (writings circulated under his name) are generally regarded as not his work.

Influence on the Korean Church

In the Korean church, Clement is presented in seminary church history courses and in studies of the early church as a leading representative of the Apostolic Fathers (church leaders of the generation following the apostles). The letter's passages on church office are read differently by different denominations.

• The Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church venerate him as a saint, and the Catholic Church regards the letter as early evidence of the authority of the Roman church and of episcopal succession.
• The Anglican Church of Korea cites the letter as one of the grounds for its emphasis on a historic episcopate continuous with the apostolic age.
• Presbyterian scholars point out that the letter uses "bishop" and "presbyter" almost interchangeably, and they argue that rule by a single bishop had not yet become established in the early church and that leadership was exercised collectively by presbyters. This argument is often cited in discussions of church polity.

Assessment

Clement's letter is highly regarded as one of the earliest surviving Christian writings outside the New Testament. Scholars disagree, however, over whether he was in fact the sole bishop of the Roman church and whether he wrote the letter alone. Protestant critics contend that the later lists of popes cannot simply be applied to the situation of the first century, while Catholics emphasize the continuity of tradition.