I have researched [various translations](https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/1clement.html) of 1 Clement 30:5 and would be thankful if anyone could expound what is meant by: > *Blessed is the offspring of a woman that liveth but a short time. Be not thou abundant in words.* -- [J.B. Lightfoot translation](https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/1clement-lightfoot.html) Alternate translation: > -- doth he that is born of woman and liveth but for a short time think himself to be blessed? Be not abundant in speech. -- [Charles Hoole translation](https://www.earlychristianwritings.com/text/1clement-hoole.html)

I was about to add a glib comment in answer to another post in a act totally unbecoming of a stackexchange moderator, when I noticed that the effect would have been completely lost on the OP owing to https://www.vatican.va/content/vatican/it.html ending with Cletus, what happened to "Linus, Cletus, Clement"1. I could have sworn I saw Peter and Linus in this list at some point, but it might have been another page on the vatican website. What possible reason could there be for having a non-standard list of pontifs here? Do people dispute St. Linus's papacy? The notion that St. Peter was the first pope isn't a contraversial topic among vatican web developers is it? Did they run out of numbers? is the vatican website still running on a 16-bit MIPS processor? 1. I love saying "Linus Cletus Clement"

1 Clement is the only extant uncontested writing of Pope Clement I. It is generally dated to the 1st Century. Along with the Didache and Old Roman Creed, it is an early Christian 'dog that didn't bark ' in that there is no mention of Jesus being God. 1 Clement not only does not mention that Jesus is God, it clearly and consistently distinguishes between God and Jesus. Perhaps the strongest instance of this is 1 Clement 59:4 . > "Let all the Gentiles know that Thou art the God alone, and Jesus > Christ is Thy Son." This sounds quite similar to John 17:3, which is > "Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, > and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent." which in turn is often referred to by Biblical Unitarians as evidence that John was not making an argument that Jesus is God. How would Trinitarians (or others who hold that Jesus is God) paraphrase 1 Clement 59:4 such as to make sense with Trinitarian (or other positions that hold Jesus is God) thought? How would 'thou', 'God', 'thy', and so on be spelled out in Trinitarian terms so as to make the sentence make sense?

On [Catholic Answers' website on sola scriptura](https://www.catholic.com/magazine/print-edition/not-by-scripture-alone-0) , they include a quote from Pope Clement I saying > "Then the reverence of the law is chanted, and the grace of the prophets is known, and the faith of the Gospels is established, and the Tradition of the apostles is preserved, and the grace of the Church exults" from his [Letter to the Corinthians](https://www.newadvent.org/fathers/1010.htm) . I am unable to find that quote in his letter. Is it in a different work of his or not a quote of him?

In his second letter to the Corinthians (16:3), the anonymous church father, believed to be Clement of Rome, wrote: > "Fasting is better than prayer, and charity than both". **What did he mean by that?** ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The line in question is from the below passage, which in turn comes from this link > So, brothers, since we have been given no small opportunity to repent, let us take the occasion to turn to God who has called us, while we still have One to accept us. For if we renounce these pleasures and master our souls by avoiding their evil lusts, we shall share in Jesus’ mercy. Understand that "the day" of judgment is already "on its way like a furnace ablaze," and "the powers of heaven will dissolve" and the whole earth will be like lead melting in fire. Then men's secret and overt actions will be made clear. Charity, then, like repentance from sin, is a good thing. But **fasting is better than prayer, and charity than both.** “Love covers a multitude of sins," and prayer, arising from a good conscience, "rescues from death." Blessed is everyone who abounds in these things, for charity lightens sin.

The First Epistle of Clement is an early Christian document that was commonly circulated in the early church before being rejected as part of the New Testament canon. There is a passage in it that addresses faith and works that sounds rather reminiscent of Martin Luther's theology 1500 years later (emphasis mine): > All these, therefore, were highly honoured, and made great, not for their own sake, or for their own works, or for the righteousness which they wrought, but through the operation of His will. And we, too, being called by His will in Christ Jesus, **are not justified by ourselves**, nor by our own wisdom, or understanding, or godliness, **or works which we have wrought in holiness of heart; but by that faith** through which, from the beginning, Almighty God has justified all men; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen. It then goes on to talk about the value of works, but doesn't say that there is justification from it. Is Martin Luther known to have read the First Epistle of Clement? And if so, did he comment on what he thought about it?

Why is it so that none of the Apostolic fathers' writings was included in the last canon accepted during the time of the Seven Ecumenical Councils? By the "last canon" I mean the one that we have until today. From the wikipedia article on the Development of the New Testament Canon I learned that Irenaeus of Lyons considered the letter to the Corinthians, known now as 1st Clement, and the Polycarp's Epistle to be of great worth. Clement of Alexandria had a similar attitude to the 1st Clement. And in the book "The Apostolic Constitutions", in the chapter named "The Canons of the Apostles", both of Clement's epistles are listed among the "sacred books of the New Testament" as it says there, and the list of books is attributed to the Twelve Apostles themselves: > 85. Let the following books be esteemed venerable and holy by you, both of > the clergy and laity. Of the Old Covenant: the five books of > Moses—Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy; one of > Joshua the son of Nun, one of the Judges, one of Ruth, four of the > Kings, two of the Chronicles, two of Ezra, one of Esther, one of > Judith, three of the Maccabees, one of Job, one hundred and fifty > psalms; three books of Solomon—Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and the Song of > Songs; sixteen prophets. And besides these, take care that your young > persons learn the Wisdom of the very learned Sirach. But our sacred > books, that is, those of the New Covenant, are these: the four Gospels > of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; the fourteen Epistles of Paul; two > Epistles of Peter, three of John, one of James, one of Jude; **two > Epistles of Clement**; and the Constitutions dedicated to you the > bishops by me Clement, in eight books; which it is not fit to publish > before all, because of the mysteries contained in them; and the Acts > of us the Apostles