Clement on Envy

Chapters four to six then try to set the sin of envy present in the church in a wider context. Envy is seen at the heart of many of the stories in the OT, starting with Cain and Abel, Jacob and Esau, Moses and ending with Saul's hatred of David.

Envy is also seen at the heart of the persecution of Christians. A real eulogy follows for Peter and Paul, especially the latter, showing the high regard with which they were held, and other martyrs are also remembered.

It would be interesting to reflect on how envy is so often a motivator on our own behaviour. Often hidden or spiritualised, but nonetheless an ugly presence.

Clement of Rome: First Epistle to the Corinthians

In the first three chapters of the epistle, the author, actually anonymous, condemns the sedition present in the church, which he attributes to a few selfish men. This criticism is strengthened as the author remembers how in the past his readers had been a model of Christian faith, their fall being attributed to pride.

Already in the first three chapters the writer's mastery of the Old Testament stands out, especially in the way that the OT flows into his natural style. Included is also a reference to the apocryphal Wisdom of Solomon [which would have been part of the Greek OT that he read.]