Clement of Rome, P.M.
“Out of love the Lord took us to himself; because he loved us and it was God's will, our Lord Jesus Christ gave his life's blood for us -- he gave his body for our body, his soul for our soul.”
So wrote Clement, accounted the fourth bishop of Rome, in a letter to the Corinthians. I’d like to think that if I’d been comprehensively harangued by St. Paul, I’d keep on my best behaviour for a bit, but the church in Corinth had still failed to learn its lesson. On this occasion, they seem to have lost their bishop, deposed their presbyters and collapsed into bickering groups. The bishop of Rome was obliged to write on behalf of his church to try and sort the problems out. Clement’s letter is rich in references to scripture (including Paul’s earlier epistles) and the doctrines of the Trinity and Christ’s priesthood.
As with many early Christians, where Clement came from and what became of Clement in the end is unclear, although he may have been a freed slave. Some say he died a natural death around 100 AD, but widespread tradition claims that he was tied to an anchor and drowned, but that the sea receded over the following centuries, revealing his relics still tied to their anchor. His disciples bore these back to Rome for burial in the Basilica of San Clemente. As he had so conspicuously withstood tide and current, he was taken as a patron of mariners, and British churches dedicated to him were often founded by Vikings, who came to hold him in great regard after their (eventual) conversion.
Appropriate hymns for St. Clement’s day include the Methodist fave ‘Will your anchor hold?’ and ‘The day though gavest’ which is set to a tune called ‘St. Clement despite having nothing to do with him – the fact that the composer was one Clement Scholefield may, however, be significant.
So wrote Clement, accounted the fourth bishop of Rome, in a letter to the Corinthians. I’d like to think that if I’d been comprehensively harangued by St. Paul, I’d keep on my best behaviour for a bit, but the church in Corinth had still failed to learn its lesson. On this occasion, they seem to have lost their bishop, deposed their presbyters and collapsed into bickering groups. The bishop of Rome was obliged to write on behalf of his church to try and sort the problems out. Clement’s letter is rich in references to scripture (including Paul’s earlier epistles) and the doctrines of the Trinity and Christ’s priesthood.
As with many early Christians, where Clement came from and what became of Clement in the end is unclear, although he may have been a freed slave. Some say he died a natural death around 100 AD, but widespread tradition claims that he was tied to an anchor and drowned, but that the sea receded over the following centuries, revealing his relics still tied to their anchor. His disciples bore these back to Rome for burial in the Basilica of San Clemente. As he had so conspicuously withstood tide and current, he was taken as a patron of mariners, and British churches dedicated to him were often founded by Vikings, who came to hold him in great regard after their (eventual) conversion.
Appropriate hymns for St. Clement’s day include the Methodist fave ‘Will your anchor hold?’ and ‘The day though gavest’ which is set to a tune called ‘St. Clement despite having nothing to do with him – the fact that the composer was one Clement Scholefield may, however, be significant.
posted by dj_ordinaire at 11:52 am
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