Saturday, November 23, 2013

St. Jerome: On St. Clement

"CLEMENT, fourth bishop of Rome after Peter, if indeed the second was Linus and the third Anacletus, although most of the Latins think that Clement was second after the apostle. He wrote, on the part of the church of Rome, an especially valuable "Letter to the church of the Corinthians," which in some places is publicly read, and which seems to me to agree in style with the epistle to the Hebrews which passes under the name of Paul but it differs from this same epistle, not only in many of its ideas, but also in respect of the order of words, and its likeness in either respect is not very great. There is also a second Epistle under his name which is rejected by earlier writers, and a "Disputation between Peter and Appion" written out at length, which Eusebius in the third book of his Church history rejects. He died in the third year of Trajan and a church built at Rome preserves the memory of his name unto this day."

~St. Jerome: De Viris Illustribus (On Illustrious Men) Chap. 15.

● On Pope St. Clement I, Catholic Ency.
● St. Clement: Letter to the Corinthians