I wrote previously regarding one of the sayings in 2 Clement and it’s correlation to the Gospel of Thomas, but have decided to do a deep dive into all the sayings. There are quite a few quotes from Jesus in this writing that is attributed to Clement of Rome, but that attribution is questionable and most have deemed the author as “Pseudo-Clement.” Regardless, let’s take a look at this second century text and see where these Jesus quotes come from.
Our first quote comes from 2:1:
Rejoice, thou barren that barest not. Break out and cry, thou that
travailest not; for more are the children of the desolate than of
her that hath the husband.
This quote is from Galations 4:27, which states (ESV):
“Rejoice, O barren one who does not bear;
break forth and cry aloud, you who are not in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
than those of the one who has a husband.”
Which itself is a reference to Isaiah 54:1.
“Sing, O barren one, who did not bear;
break forth into singing and cry aloud,
you who have not been in labor!
For the children of the desolate one will be more
than the children of her who is married,” says the Lord.
The next quote is from 2:4:
I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.
This comes from Luke 5:32 (ESV):
I have not come to call the righteous but sinners to repentance.”
In 2 Clement 3:2 we get this quote:
Whoso confesseth Me, Him will I confess before the Father.
This comes from Matthew 10:32 (KJV):
Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.
3:5 states:
This people honoreth me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.
This comes from Matthew 15:8 (ESV):
‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;
Which itself harkens to Isaiah 29:13:
And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth
and honor me with their lips,
while their hearts are far from me,
and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men,
4:2 states:
Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, shall be saved, but he that doeth righteousness.
This is in reference to Matthew 7:21 (ESV):
“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
4:5 states:
Though ye be gathered together with Me in My bosom, and do not My commandments,
I will cast you away and will say unto you, Depart from Me, I know
you not whence ye are, ye workers of iniquity.
This comes from Luke 13:27 (ESV):
But he will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you come from. Depart from me, all you workers of evil!’
5:2 states:
Ye shall be as lambs in the midst of wolves.
This is comes from Matthew 10:16 (ESV):
“Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves.
In 5:3, it has Peter ask Jesus “What then, if the wolves should tear the lambs?”, and in 5:4 Jesus responds with:
Let not the lambs fear the wolves after they are dead;
and ye also, fear ye not them that kill you and are not
able to do anything to you; but fear Him that after ye are dead
hath power over soul and body, to cast them into the Gehenna of fire.
The first part has no known reference, but the latter half comes from Matthew 10:28 (ESV):
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.
6:1 states:
No servant can serve two masters.
This is in reference to Matthew 6:24 (ESV):
“No one can serve two masters, for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money.
6:2 states:
For what advantage is it, if a man gain the whole world and forfeit
his soul?
This is from Matthew 16:26 (ESV):
For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what shall a man give in return for his soul?
7:6 states:
Their worm shall not die, and their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be for a spectacle unto all flesh.
This is in reference to Isaiah 66:24 (ESV):
“And they shall go out and look on the dead bodies of the men who have rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, their fire shall not be quenched, and they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.”
8:5 states:
If ye kept not that which is little, who shall give unto you that which is great?
For I say unto you that he which is faithful in the least, is also faithful in much.
This comes from Luke 16:10 (ESV):
“One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much, and one who is dishonest in a very little is also dishonest in much.
9:11 states:
These are my brethren, which do the will of My Father.
Matthew 12:50 states (ESV):
For whoever does the will of my Father in heaven is my brother and sister and mother.”
12:2 states:
When the two shall be one, and the outside as the inside, and the male with the female, neither male or female.
This is in reference to the Gospel of Thomas saying 22. I did a whole write up about this and can be read at: https://culminationofwisdom.org/2023/11/14/2-clement-gospel-of-thomas-22/
13:2 has two sayings. The first one is:
Every way My Name is blasphemed among all the Gentiles
This is in reference to Romans 2:24 (ESV):
For, as it is written, “The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you.”
The second saying is:
Woe unto him by reason of whom My Name is blasphemed
This is referenced in the above reference but also in Isaiah 52:5 (NIV):
“And now what do I have here?” declares the LORD. “For my people have been taken away for nothing, and those who rule them mock,” declares the LORD. “And all day long my name is constantly blasphemed.
13:4 states:
It is no thank unto you, if ye love them that love you, but this is thank unto you, if ye love your enemies and them that hate you
Luke 6:32 – 35 is the basis of this quote (ESV):
“If you love those who love you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what benefit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you expect to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to get back the same amount. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, for he is kind to the ungrateful and the evil
14:1 states:
My house was made a den of robbers.
Matthew 21:13 (ESV):
He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you make it a den of robbers.”
15:3 states:
Whiles thou art still speaking I will say, Behold, I am here.
This is referenced in Isaiah 58:9 (ESV):
Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer; you shall cry, and he will say, ‘Here I am.’
17:4 states:
I come to gather together all the nations, tribes, and languages
This one comes from the Revelation of John 7:9 (ESV):
After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages
I believe I got all the Jesus quotes. If you would like to read this homily in full, I used this particular translation: https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/2clement-lightfoot.html
Featured artwork is a mosaic of Clement of Rome.
bP
Culmination of Wisdom 