(December 9, 2025) This early Christian letter by the first Pope after Peter never made it into the Bible because it was not apocalyptic enough. He did not argue using texts from the Old Testament, instead he argued from nature's examples and Jesus's teachings.
Clement of Rome seems to have written his letter to the Corinthian church in nearby in Greece right after Trajan became Emperor in 98 CE. Clement's purpose for writing was to calm a factional feud which had broken out within the Corinthian church based upon pride and envy, and which threatened to destroy it spiritually and socially. This was something which Jesus had sought to prevent and something which the Roman church thought it had some insights based upon its own trials. Clement was writing not as an authority (a Pope) but as a concerned brother.
Clement starts out by claiming that the recent persecutions of the Christian Church were due to pride and envy on the part of their opponents.
He then goes on to mention the martyrdom of Peter and Paul in Rome. This is the earliest and only passage we have which describes their ultimate fate. Clement also mentions that their martyrdoms occurred in his generation meaning that he likely met them or at least knew of them while he was in his 20’s before they were killed. In the following passage notice that Peter is mentioned first suggesting that he was the main source of information for their tradition. Unlike Paul, Peter knew Jesus personally.
First Clement in http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/1clement.html
(July 9, 2022) Clement urges the Corinthians to remember that Jesus died in order to open humanity's hearts towards his teachings. Following the teachings of Jesus is what will save people from the death and destruction of the end times. Not believing he rose from the dead or that he is the Messiah (Christ) who will rule the new post-apocalyptic kingdom of God.
The blood of Jesus was God's gift for inducing a spiritual awakening so people would repentant of their old self-centered ways and instead align with the will of God as taught by Jesus. This alignment is what brings salvation for the end times.
Clement's idea of salvation as a Jesus induced spiritual awakening is different from Paul’s idea about salvation. For Paul, salvation comes about from gaining the emotional confidence that Jesus arose from the dead. Only by gaining that sort of faith could a person open up to the divine powers and gain the spiritual powers which will pay for salvation. For Clement, simply becoming aware of the divine powers and aligning with them (doing the will of God) is what saved. This shows the Roman church as this time was more influenced by Peter instead of Paul.
While waiting for the apocalyptic return of Jesus, Clement counsels everyone to keep on doing the will of God (aligning with the divine powers)
December 9, 2025) Clement states that everyone needed to focus on love as the main commandment and teaching of Jesus. Only through love are people made right with God and able to achieve salvation. No dogmatic belief was required. Also notice that Clement lifts some thoughts from Paul’s 13th love chapter in his letter to the Corinthians:
Clement provides a warning to be careful about how one does emotional magic when giving thanks to God in rituals by stating that people should not connect to the Divine in ways not yet taught to them because doing so is dangerous and may even result in death. This is a statement of the Law of Attraction/Return
Clement, in his closing prayer declares the followers of Jesus to be a peculiar people and Jesus to be their high priest and protector. In that deity-like role Jesus provides people with the spiritual power of emotional strength which is needed to stay focused on the virtues of love and balance:
First Clement in http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/1clement.html
(December 9, 2025) While love was one component of the will of God Clement believed harmony was another component because harmony is an underlying principle of God's creation (nature). This is the last time nature was held up as an authority in Christianity.
Then Clement uses an appeal to nature (not to the Bible) to "prove" that resurrection of the dead will happen at the end times. For Clement, future resurrections will happen because that is what happens to the sun every morning and that is what happens with seeds. Jusus was just the harbinger of future resurrections.:
First Clement in http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/1clement.html