The First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians

Clemens Romanus (Clement of Rome)

Clement of Rome. The Apostolic Fathers, Volume 1. Lake, Kirsopp, editor. London: William Heinemann Ltd.; New York: The Macmillan Company, 1912.

Frowardness and arrogance and boldness belong to those that are accursed by God, gentleness and humility and meekness are with those who are blessed by God.

Let us cleave, then, to his blessing and let us[*](The faith of the Patriarchs) consider what are the paths of blessing. Let us unfold the deeds of old.

Why was our father Abraham blessed? Was it not because he wrought righteousness and truth through faith?

Isaac in confident knowledge of the future was gladly led as a sacrifice.

Jacob departed from his country in meekness because of his brother, and went to Laban and served him, and to him was given the sceptre of the twelve tribes of Israel.

And if anyone will candidly consider this[*](The greatness of Jacob’s blessing) in detail, he will recognize the greatness of the gifts given by him.

For from him[*](The obscurity of this passage is partly due to an ambiguity in the Greek, partly to the faultiness of the chapter-divisions. The first verse of this chapter ought really to be closely connected with the last verse of Chapter XXXI; the by him in XXXII, 1 means by God, and the from him in XXXII, 2 means from Jacob.) come the priests and all the Levites, who serve the altar

of God, from him comes the Lord Jesus according to the flesh, from him come the kings and rulers and governors in the succession of Judah, and the other sceptres of his tribes are in no small renown seeing that God promised that thy seed shall be as the stars of heaven.