'The Apostles were sent to us with the Gospel from the Lord Jesus Christ, Jesus the Christ was sent forth from God. Christ then is from God and the Apostles from Christ; it took place in both cases in due order by the will of God. They then having received commandments, and having been fully assured through the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and confirmed in the word of God, with full assurance of the Holy Spirit went forth preaching the Gospel that the kingdom of God was about to come. Preaching then in country and town they appointed their firstfruits, when they had tested them in the Spirit, for bishops and deacons of those who were about to become believers. And this was no new thing, for of old it had been written about bishops and deacons. For thus says the Scripture: 'I will appoint their bishops in righteousness and their deacons in faith' (Is. lx. 17).1 And what wonder is it if those who were entrusted in Christ from God with so great a work appointed these aforesaid officers? Since even the blessed Moses, the "faithful servant in all the house," indicated all that was enjoined upon him in the sacred books.'

Here follows a description of Moses' conduct (Numb. xvii.) when 'envy arose as to the priesthood and the tribes made revolt because they were ambitious of that glorious title.' Moses knew beforehand, he says, that Aaron's rod would bud. But he acted as he did to prevent disorder in Israel, and for Gods' glory. So in the same way, he

continues:

'Our Apostles also knew through our Lord Jesus Christ that there would be contention about the title of the episcopate. Therefore on this account, having received perfect fore-knowledge, they appointed the aforesaid [bishops and deacons], and subsequently gave an

1 c. 42 : Οἱ ἀπόστολοι ἡμῖν εὐηγγελίσθησαν ἀπὸ τοῦ κυρίου ̓Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ, Ι. ὁ Χ. ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ ἐξεπέμφθη. ὁ Χριστὸς οὖν ἀπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι ἀπὸ τοῦ Χριστοῦ· ἐγένοντο οὖν ἀμφότερα εὐτάκτως ἐκ θελήματος θεοῦ. παραγγελίας οὖν λαβόντες καὶ πληροφορηθέντες διὰ τῆς ἀναστάσεως τοῦ κ. Ι. Χ. καὶ πιστωθέντες ἐν τῷ λόγῳ τοῦ θεοῦ, μετὰ πληροφορίας πνεύματος ἐξῆλθον εὐαγγελιζόμενοι τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ θεοῦ μέλλειν ἔρχεσθαι. κατὰ χώρας οὖν καὶ πόλεις κηρύσσοντες καθίστανον τὰς ἀπαρχὰς αὐτῶν, δοκιμάσαντες τῷ πνεύματι, εἰς ἐπισκόπους καὶ διακόνους τῶν μελλόντων πιστεύειν. καὶ τοῦτο οὐ καινῶς κ.τ.λ.

2 c. 43 : ζήλου ἐμπεσόντος περὶ τῆς ἱερωσύνης καὶ στασιαζουσῶν τῶν φυλῶν ὁποία αὐτῶν εἴη τῷ ἐνδόξῳ ὀνόματι κεκοσμημένη κ.τ.λ. Moses is afterwards said to lay the rods ἐπὶ τὴν τράπεζαν τοῦ θεοῦ, and then to explain that the rod of whichever tribe should bud, ταύτην ἐκλέλεκται ὁ θεὸς εἰς τὸ ἱερατεύειν καὶ λειτουργεῖν αὐτῷ. But Moses foreknew (πрoŋde‹) the result.

additional injunction in order that, if they fell asleep, other approved men might succeed to their ministry. They, then, who were appointed by those [Apostles] or subsequently by other distinguished men with the consent of the whole Church, and who have exercised their ministry blamelessly to the flock of Christ with humility, quietly and without display, and have had good witness borne them by all again and again, these we do not think to be justly cast out of their ministry. For it will be no small sin to us if we cast out of the episcopate those who have blamelessly and holily offered the oblations. Blessed are those presbyters who passed on their journey before, for they made their departure with good fruit and completeness; for they have no cause for fear lest any one remove them from their determined place. For we perceive that you have removed some, though their conversation was honourable, out of the ministry which had been observed by them without reproach.'1

1 c. 44 : Καὶ οἱ ἀπόστολοι ἡμῶν ἔγνωσαν διὰ τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Ἰ. Χ. ὅτι ἔρις ἔσται ἐπὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς. διὰ ταύτην οὖν τὴν αἰτίαν πρόγνωσιν εἰληφότες τελείαν κατέστησαν τοὺς προειρημένους, καὶ μεταξὺ ἐπινομὴν ἔδωκαν ὅπως, ἐὰν κοιμηθῶσιν, διαδέξωνται ἕτεροι δεδοκιμασμένοι ἄνδρες τὴν λειτουργίαν αὐτῶν. τοὺς οὖν κατασταθέντας ὑπ' ἐκείνων ἢ μεταξὺ ὑφ' ἑτέρων ἐλλογίμων ἀνδρῶν συνευδοκησάσης τῆς ἐκκλησίας πάσης, καὶ λειτουργήσαντας ἀμέμπτως τῷ ποιμνίῳ τοῦ Χ. μετὰ ταπεινοφροσύνης, ἡσυχῶς καὶ ἀβαναύσως, μεμαρτυρημένους τε πολλοῖς χρόνοις ὑπὸ πάντων, τούτους οὐ δικαίως νομίζομεν ἀποβάλλεσθαι τῆς λειτουργίας. ἁμαρτία γὰρ οὐ μικρὰ ἡμῖν ἔσται ἐὰν τοὺς ἀμέμπτως καὶ ὁσίως προσενεγκόντας τὰ δῶρα τῆς ἐπισκοπῆς ἀποβάλωμεν. μακάριοι οἱ προδοιπορήσαντες πρεσβύτεροι, οἵτινες ἔγκαρπον και τελείαν ἔσχον τὴν ἀνάλυσιν· οὐ γὰρ εὐλαβοῦνται μή τις αὐτοὺς μεταστήσῃ ἀπὸ τοῦ ἱδρυμένου αὐτοῖς τόπου. ὁρῶμεν γὰρ ὅτι ἐνίους ὑμεῖς μετηγάγετε καλῶς πολιτευσαμένους ἐκ τῆς ἀμέμπτως αὐτοῖς τετιμημένης λειτουργίας.

(α) In spite of variations in Mss, and versions, the word given above, ἐπινομήν, has been accepted as right since the discovery by Dom Morin of a primitive Latin version which reads legem dederunt. Legem would render ἐπινομήν, ignoring the preposition, as 'sciebat renders προήδει just before, cc. xliii. 6. (See Anecdota Maredsolana ii. Parker's Oxford.) We may assume then that this word means 'an additional injunction, that the reference in τὴν λειτουργίαν αὐτῶν is to the ministry of the bishops (cf. the constant use of λειτουργία and λειτουργείν in this chapter), and that the words ἐὰν κοιμηθώσιν refer also to them and not to the apostles. Thus the meaning of the passage is plain enough. The Apostles made some arrangement to secure an unquestionable succession to the office of the presbyter-bishops, if its first holders should pass away (before the end, and the Apostles also were no longer at hand to appoint new ones). The result of this arrangement had been that, in the interval since the appointment of the first presbyters by the Apostles, other presbyters had been duly appointed by certain 'distinguished men' in the Church. It seems to me certain that these ἐλλόγιμοι ἄνδρες, who in accordance with the apostolic arrangement had since their death appointed 'approved men,' are not the same as the approved men,' but different. The apostolic arrangement must have consisted in providing that there should be after their death this body of 'distinguished men' in the Church to appoint presbyters and deacons. See Kühl Gemeindeordnung, p. 135-8. [But I am still tempted to wonder whether ἐπινομὴν ἔδωκαν may not mean 'they instituted a jurisdiction' or 'supervision'? Cf. the schol. on Pindar Pyth. xi. 7 (quoted in Stephanus Thesaurus Ling. Graec. s.v. ἐπίνομος) ἐπίνομον τὸν

'It is shameful, dearly beloved, yes utterly shameful and unworthy of the life in Christ, that it should be reported that the very steadfast and ancient Church of the Corinthians, for the sake of one or two persons, is making sedition against its presbyters.' 1

'Who therefore [with reference to Moses' conduct, Exod. xxxii. 30 f.] is noble among you? Who is compassionate? Who is fulfilled with love? Let him say: "If by reason of me there be faction and strife and schisms, I retire, I depart, whither ye will, and I do that which is ordered by the people: only let the flock of Christ be at peace with its duly-appointed presbyters."'2

'Ye therefore that laid the foundation of the sedition, submit yourselves unto the presbyters and receive chastisement unto repentance, bending the knees of your heart.'3

'It is right for us to give heed to so great and so many examples and to submit the neck and, occupying the place of obedience, to take our side with them that are the leaders of our souls.'

σύννομον ταῖς Θήβαις τὸν ἐπὶ τοῦ αὐτοῦ νομοῦ καὶ τῆς αὐτῆς ἐπινομῆς. Otherwise émivoμý is used (1) very frequently by Galen de Fasciis to mean the revolutions or additional applications of a bandage. He describes first the original direction in which it is to be applied (érivéμnois), and then directs that it should be rolled on in the same direction-αἱ δὲ ἐπινομαὶ κατὰ τῶν αὐτῶν. See Kühn Medici Graeci, vol. xviii. pp. 787. 16, 791. 11, 791. 1, 793. 11, 795. 1, 12, etc. (2) By Plutarch for the advance of a fire, 'depastio ignis.' But whether or no emɩvoμý can mean jurisdiction or supervision, it does seem to me that the meaning of the apostolic arrange. ment is made manifest by its result, namely, that there had existed since the Apostles a body of 'distinguished men' to appoint to the local church offices, with the consent of the whole Church].

(3) οὐ δικαίως νομίζομεν ἀποβάλλεσθαι κ.τ.λ. St. Clement uses somewhat minimizing language of the highest goods and the worst evils, cf. c. 19, where he speaks of the character of the saints having 'improved us.' In this moderation of tone he contrasts with Ignatius.

(c) προσφέρειν τὰ δῶρα. Cf. Apost. Const. viii. 12: οἱ διάκονοι προσαγέτωσαν τὰ δῶρα τῷ ἐπισκόπῳ. Knowing as we do that Irenaeus and Justin Martyr alike regarded the 'sacrifice' of the Eucharist as centering round the oblations of the bread and wine, and having in view the fact that Clement is here speaking of the Church's 'liturgy' as the spiritual counterpart of the sacrificial 'liturgy' of the old covenant, it seems to me impossible to doubt that the words dŵpa #poσpépeiv here refer to the offering of the eucharistic gifts. Cf. Harnack Texte u. Untersuch. Bandii, Heft 5, p. 144, note 73: 'Beyond a doubt the wрoσpéρeiv dŵpa T e, in the sense of offering sacrifices (Opferdarbringung), appears as the most important function of the episcopus.'

(α) For τοῦ ἱδρυμένου αὐτοῖς τόπου cf. c. 40 τοῖς ἱερεῦσιν ἴδιος ὁ τόπος.

1 c. 47.

2 c. 54 μετὰ τῶν καθεσταμένων πρεσβυτέρων.

3 c. 57.

4 c. 63: τὸν τῆς ὑπακοῆς τόπον ἀναπληρώσαντας, προσκλιθῆναι τοῖς ὑπάρχουσιν ἀρχηγοῖς τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν. For Tómоs see cc. 40, 44, and Lightfoot in loc. The layman too has his Tóños (c. 40 and cf. 1 Cor. xiv. 16).

T

Results:

(1) The ministry has

in govern

ment;

function in

It remains for us to sum up the evidence of Clement's Epistle so far as it affects the ministry. (1) St. Clement speaks of the ministry in the (a) authority Church from two points of view. It represents the authority of government, and so claims obedience; (6) a distinct but it also has its special function in relation to the liturgy.' worship. The 'liturgy' of the Christian Church is the perpetuation in principle of the 'liturgy' of the Jews, and, like the Church of the old covenant, she approaches God as one body, differentiated in function, with grades of privilege and dignity by the appointment of God. Thus it is the special function of the bishops to 'offer the gifts.' It is often said that Clement regards the distinction of offices in the Church as only matter of 'order,' not of exclusive power. He does however speak of each member of the Church as qualified for his special function by a special charisma; 2 and, though he speaks of mutual subordination as the principle of 'utility,' yet he illustrates it not only by the distinction of grades in the Roman army, but by the differentiation of limbs in the human body, and by the divinely-ordained hierarchy of the Jewish Church. There is no reason whatever to believe that the 'charisma' of any 'member of the body' who was not a presbyterbishop would have qualified him to offer the gifts.

(2) It is derived by succession from the Apostles.

(2) Clement expresses very plainly the fundamental principle of the apostolic succession. The Church's officers are appointed from above. The body of the Church indeed has the privilege of assent or dissent

1 It corresponds to the high value which Clement clearly sets upon the Church's worship that he should give us, as apparently he does, the eucharistic intercession, with which he was accustomed to lead the worship of his Church (cc. 59-61). His language seems in parts to have influenced the Liturgy of St. Mark; see Lightfoot's

notes.

2 c. 38 : καθὼς καὶ ἐτέθη ἐν τῷ χαρίσματι αὐτοῦ.

in their appointment,' and Clement may be held to imply that under circumstances of misconduct it could legitimately depose them, but he clearly never conceives that it could appoint them. The ministers of the Church must derive their authority from that one mission by which Christ came forth from God and the Apostles from Christ: in virtue of which these same Apostles appointed bishops and deacons in the Churches which they first founded, and afterwards took measures to secure the perpetuation of their office in due succession. Clement then gives us the two principles which involve the 'doctrine of the apostolic succession': the principle that the Church is a differentiated body in which different individuals exercise different and clearly defined functions, and the principle that the right to exercise these functions, so far as they are ministerial, is derived by succession from the Apostles.

Church.

3

an order

(3) It is generally supposed that in Clement's (3) There is Epistle we have only two orders of ministers, viz. superior to presbyter-bishops and deacons, recognised in the presbyters But this supposition-though there need be no objection to it on the ground of principle -does not seem to account for all the phenomena which the Epistle presents. It is quite true that presbyters are also called bishops, and that there is no local authority in the Church at Corinth above the presbyters. Clement's language about submission to them postulates this. It may also be acknowledged

1 c. 44.

2 This is probably implied in the rebuke for having deposed blameless presbyters (C. 44); cf. also 54: ποιῶ τὰ προστασσόμενα ὑπὸ τοῦ πλήθους, though here the supposed speaker is not necessarily a presbyter. But it would probably be the case that the Church could depose the presbyters only by an appeal to a higher authority, cf. 1 Tim. v. 19, 20.

3 As by Dr. Lightfoot Dissert. pp. 216, 218; and Dr. Langen Gesch. der röm. Kirche i. p. 82.