Saturday, January 06, 2007

Further exhortations

In chapters 21 and 22 Clement develops further his exhortation for his readers to resist those who are promoting sedition. These come accompanied with "traditional" recommendation concerning respect for one's elders, training of the youth and orderly behaviour by women and children.

I found the opening of chapter 21 quite enigmatic: "Take heed, beloved, lest His many kindnesses lead to the condemnation of us all."This juxtaposition of kindness and condemnation seems counter intuitive. This statement is only really explained in Chapter 23 when Clement points out that God has so much kindness towards us that there is a danger that we become double-minded and proud as a result. In consequence we may be caught out when Christ returns.

It is also interesting to see the trinitarian thrust of Clement's understanding of scripture in chapter 22 when he affirms that Christ speaks through the Holy Spirit in an Old Testament passage.

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