THE LIFE

OF

ST. CLEMENT,

BISHOP OF ROME.

IT adds not a little to the honour of this venerable Apostolic man, that he was a fellow-labourer with St. Paul, and one of those whose names were written in the Book of life. He was born at Rome, upon Mount Cælius, as besides others, the a Pontifical under the a Vid. Clename of Demascus informs us. His father's name was ment CounFaustinus, but who he was, and what his profession col. 74. and course of life is not recorded.

2. It is evident both from bIrenæus and us, as also before them Caius an ancient

e

cil. Tom. L

Epiphani- › Adv. Hærwriter, and es. 1.3. c. 3.

p. 232.

C

res. xxvii. p. Dissert. v. c.

d Cal. adv.

e Dionys.

apud Euseb.

68.

from Dionysius Bishop of Corinth, that Peter and Paul Epiph. Iljointly laid the foundations of the Church of Rome, and 51. vid.Ham. therefore equally styled Bishops of it, the one as Apostle i. p. 256. to the Gentiles, taking care of the Gentile Christians, pro cul. while the other as the Apostle of the Circumcision, ap- Ep. ad Rom. plied himself to the Jewish converts at Rome. For we 1.2. c. 25. p. cannot imagine, that there being such chronical and inveterate prejudices between the Jews and Gentiles, especially in matters of religion, they should be so suddenly laid aside and both enter common in one publick society. We know that in the Church of Jerusalem, till the destruction of the Temple, none were admitted but Jewish Converts and so it might be at first at Rome, where

23, 24, 25, 28,

31, 39.

infinite numbers of Jews then resided, they might keep themselves for some time in distinct assemblies, the one under St. Paul, the other under St. Peter. And there seems to be some foundation for such a conjecture, even in the Apostolic History, where St. Luke tells us that St. Paul at his first coming to Rome being rejected by the Acts.xxviii. f Jews turned to the Gentiles, declaring to them the salvation of God, who gladly heard and entertained it, and that he continued thus preaching the kingdon of God and receiving all that came in unto him for two years together. This I look upon as the first settled foundation of a Gentile Church at Rome, the further care and presidency whereof St. Paul might devolve upon Linus, as St. Peter having established a church of Jewish converts might commit it to the care of St. Clement, of De Pre- whom & Tertullian expressly says, that Peter ordained c. 32. p. 213. him Bishop of Rome. Accordingly the compiler of the * Lib. 7.c. h Apostolic Constitutions makes Linus to have been ordained Bishop of Rome by St. Paul and Clement by St. Peter.

script Hæret.

47. col. 451.

3. By a firm, patient and prudent care, he weathered out the stormy and troublesome times of Domitian, and the short but peaceable reign of Nerva. When alas the clouds returned after rain, and began to thicken into a blacker storm in the time of Trajan.

4. Simeon the Metaphrast in the account of his martyrdom, sets down the beginning of his troubles to this effect. St. Clement having converted Theodora a noble Lady, and afterwards her husband Sisinnius, a kinsman and favorite of the late Emperor Nerva, the gaining so great a man quickly drew on others of note and quality to embrace the faith. So prevalent is the example of religious greatness to sway men to piety and virtue. But envy naturally maligns the good of others or hates the instrument that procures it. This good success Tb. Ibid. p. derived upon him the particular odium of Torcutianus, a man of great power and authority at that time in

832.

Rome, who by the inferior magistrates of the city, excited the people to a mutiny against the Holy Man, charging him with magic, and Sorcery, and for being an enemy and blasphemer of the gods, crying out, either that he should do sacrifice to them, or expiate his impiety with his blood. Mamertinus, Prefect of the city, a moderate and prudent man, being willing to appease the uproar, sent for St. Clement and mildly persuaded him to comply. But finding his resolution inflexible he sent to acquaint the Emperor with the case, who returned this short rescript, that he should either sacrifice to the gods, or be banished to Cherson, a disconsolate city beyond the pontific sea. Mamertinus having received the imperial mandate unwillingly complied with it, and gave order that all things should be made ready for the voyage, and accordingly he was transported thither, to dig in the Marble Quarries, and labour in the Mines.

5. Arriving at the place of his uncomfortable exile, he found vast numbers of christians condemned to the same miserable fate, whose minds were not a little erected under all their pressures at the sight of so good a man, by whose constant preaching, and the frequent miracles that he wrought, their enemies were converted into a better opinion of them and their religion, the inhabitants of those countries daily flocking over to the faith, so that in a little time Christianity had beaten Paganism out of the field, and all monuments of Idolatry in those parts were defaced and overturned. The fame whereof was quickly carried to the Emperor, who dispatched Ausidianus the President to put a stop to this growing sect, which by methods of terror and cruelty he commenced putting great numbers of them to death. But finding how readily and resolutely they pressed up to execution, and that this day's martyrs did but prepare others for to-morrow's torments, he gave over contending with the multitude, and resolved to single out one of note above the rest, whose exemplary punishment might

strike dread and terror to the rest. For this purpose St. Clement is pitched upon, and all temptations being in vain tried upon him, the executioners are commanded to carry him abroad, and throw him into the bottom of the Sea, where the Christians might despair of finding him. His martyrdom happened on the twenty-fourth of November, according to Baronius and the ordinary Roman computation, but on the ninth of that month, j Loc. supr. says the little Martyrology published by i Bucherious, and which unquestionably was one of the true and genuine Calenders of the ancient Church. He was honoured at Rome by a church erected to his memory, standDescript. in ing as late as the time of k St. Hierom.

cit. p. 269.

Clement.

col. 305.

6. The writings which at this day bear the name of this Apostolic man, are of two sorts, genuine or supposititious. In the first class is that famous Epistle to the Corinthians, so much magnified by the ancients. The Cod. 126. style of it, as Photius truly observes, is very plain and simple, imitating an Ecclesiastical and unaffected way of writing, and which breathes the true genius and spirit of the Apostolic age. It was written upon the occasion of a great schism and sedition in the church of Corinth, begun by two or three factious persons against the governors of the Church, who envying either the gifts, or the authority and esteem of their guides and teachers, had attempted to depose them and had drawn the greatest part of the Church into the conspiracy; whom therefore he endeavoured by soft words and hard arguments to reconcile to peace and unity.

7. As for those writings that are undoubtedly spurious and supposititious (disowned as Eusebius says because they did not retain the true stamp and character of the orthodox Apostolic doctrine,) there are four extant at this day that are entitled to him, the Apostolic Canons and the Constitution (said to be penned by him, though dictated by the Apostles) the Recognitions and the Epistle to St. James.