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Eusebius mentioned it doubtfully as the second letter of Clement in his Church
History (3.38:4). Its real author may have been Soter, bishop of Rome 166-174A.D., it
being sent as a letter to the church at Corinth and acknowledged by Dionysius, bishop of
Corinth, in a letter preserved in Eusebius (Church History 4.23:11). Dionysius says that
the Corinthian church will preserve Soter's letter, and be able to draw advice from it, "as
also from the former epistle which was written to us through Clement". This would
explain how this sermon became linked with 1 Clement, both documents having been
written from Rome and sent to the church at Corinth. They are both found at the end of
the Codex Alexandrinus.
2 Clement gives us the earliest sermon of post-apostolic times and once again, we seek
to weigh up its teaching in the light of the truth of the Holy Scriptures. In doing so, we
find its theology running along the lines of the writings we have already considered, that
is, that merit, repentance and persistent good works are the main factors in salvation.
It is significant that these ideas are central in all pagan conceptions of salvation. We
must remember that the Apostolic Fathers were Greeks, their language Greek and their
background Greek modes of thought, which their knowledge of the N.T. never
completely eradicated. Max Muller is quoted in Moody's The Childhood of the Church
as writing: "I have found the one keynote of all these so-called sacred books, whether it
be the Veda of the Brahmans, the Puranas of Siva and Vishna, the Koran of the
Mohammedans, the Zend-Avesta of the Parsees, the Tripitoka of the Buddhists--the one
refrain through all--salvation by works. They all say that salvation must be purchased,
must be bought with a price; and that the sole price must be our works and deserving".
This idea, alas, runs through all the Apostolic Fathers who never really grasped the
doctrine of grace. Even when they talk about the death of Christ, faith and grace, these
are only means to help them keep the "commands of God", and only by so doing could
they hope finally to be saved and enter the kingdom of God. The second epistle of
Clement is no exception to this:
"Therefore brethren, if we do the Father's will and keep the flesh pure, and keep the
Lord's commands we shall receive eternal life" (8:2).
"For as a recompense I ask you to repent with all your hearts and give yourselves
salvation and life . . . . . let us therefore practice righteousness so that we may finally be
saved . . . . . blessed are they that obey these commands . . . . . they will gather the
immortal fruit of the resurrection" (19:1,3,4).
Even resurrection, therefore, is made to depend upon obedience, and the writer even
thinks he can choose to be a member of the church:
"So then, let us choose to be part of the church of life, in order that we may be saved"
(14:1).
Not only this, but he has completely unscriptural conception of almsgiving:
"Almsgiving is good even as repentance for sins; fasting is better than prayer, but the
giving of alms is better than both . . . . . blessed is everyone who is found full of these
things, for almsgiving lightens sin" (16:4).