Early Church Father: Clement

In the letters of the early church father Clement (35-99 AD) to the churches, Michal W. Holmes in his book "The Apostolic Fathers" (3rd Edition, 2007) provides the following remarks about "slanderers" and "backbiters".

Greek: «έργοις δικαιούμενοι και μη λόγοις» (p. 84)
English: "justified by works and not by words" (p. 85)

The "justified" in the Greek is a verb for what might be called "righteous-fied" in English. The modern Greek word "δίκαιος" (THEE-keh-os) ≈ "observant of custom, righteous, balanced".

How about being righteous from thoughts alone, as in "study"?

In the first paragraph of First Clement, the word "ὑπάρχω" ≈ "begin, take the initiative, act first" appears to have been translated as "persons".

English: ... especially the detestable and unholy schism, so alien and strange to those chosen by God, which a few reckless and arrogant persons have kindled to such a pitch of insanity that your good name, once so renowned and loved by all, has been greatly reviled. (Holmes, 2007, p. 14)

Greek: … τῆς τε ἀλλοτρίας καὶ ξένης τοῖς ἐκλεκτοῖς τοῦ θεοῦ, μιαρᾶς καὶ ἀνοσίου στάσεως ἣν ὀλίγα πρόσωπα προπετῆ καὶ αὐθάδη ὑπάρχοντα εἰς τοσοῦτον ἀπονοίας ἐξέκαυσαν, ὥστε τὸ σεμνὸν καὶ περιβόητον καὶ πᾶσιν ἀνθρώποις ἀξιαγάπητον ὄνομα ὑμῶν μεγάλως βλασφημηθῆναι. First Clement [1]

More: Word: Existence of essential attributes

Clement, an early church father, in Clement 1, part 23.5 has the following (underline added) in a section explaining why the things described have not yet happened. Here is the translation by Holmes (underline added).

English: Truly his purpose will be accomplished quickly and suddenly, just as the scripture also testifies. "He will come quickly and not delay; and the Lord will come suddenly into his temple, even the Holy One whom you expect."

Greek: επ αληθειας ταχυ και εξαιφνης τελειωθησεται το βουλημα αυτου, συνεπιμαρτυρουσης και της γραφης οτι ταχυ ηξει και ου χρονιει, και εξαιφνης ηξει ο κυριος εις τον ναον αυτου, και ο αγιος ον υμεις προσδοκατε.

Holmes, M. (2007). The Apostolic Fathers. 3rd Ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, p. 79.

More: Come quickly: sooner or later

More: Book: Apostolic Fathers

Talking about false teachers, early church father Ignatius writes the following to the Trallians (part 6.2, underlining added).

The Greek for "unsuspecting" is "ignorant". One needs to study the truth to not be "ignorant".

English: ... these people, while pretending to be trustworthy, mix Jesus Christ with themselves - like those who administer a deadly drug with honeyed wine, which the unsuspecting victim accepts without fear and so with final pleasure drinks down death. Holmes, M. (2007). The Apostolic Fathers. 3rd Ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, p. 219.

What is the functional difference between the following?

Someone who says "I am Christ. Do this." (false Christ).
Someone who says "I represent Christ. Christ says to do this.".

More: The taste of false teaching

More: Book: Apostolic Fathers

Late in the first century, church father Clement wrote from Rome to Corinth in what is known as the First Epistle of Clement . In the second section, Clement says the following.

English: You mourned for the transgressions of your neighbors: you considered their shortcomings to be your own. (Holmes, 2007, p. 47)

Greek: ἐπὶ τοῖς παραπτώματα αὐτῶν ἴδια πλησίον ἐπενθεῖτε· τὰ ὑστερήματα αὐτῶν ἴδια ἐκρίνετε. [1 Clement 2.6]

Paraphrase (using the above definition analogy to unify both thoughts): You grieved for the stupid things done by your neighbors. You considered their shortcomings to be your own.

The ancient Greek word "πένθος" ≈ "grief, mourning, misery".
The ancient Greek word "ὑστέρημα" ≈ "shortcoming, deficiency".

More: Matthew 6:12-15: Forget about the debts, sins and trespasses

English: for when we desire to acquire these things, we fall away from the path of righteousness. [5.7]

Greek: ἐν γὰρ τῷ ἐπιθυμεῖν ἡμᾶς κτήσασθαι ταῦτα ἀποπίπτομεν τῆς ὁδοῦ τῆς δικαίας. [5.7]

Clement uses the word for "acquire" in 2 Clement 5.7.

Note: 2 Clement is not accepted as authentic by many.

More: Matthew 10:5-10 Possessing acquired purchases

Clement, in his first letter, gives many examples where he uses the Greek words for "zeal" (as eager rivalry) and "covet".

Details are left as a future topic.

More: Seeking damages from zealous jealousy

Clement was an early church father of the second century.

English: For it says somewhere The Spirit of the Lord is a lamp searching the depths of the heart. Let us realize how near he is, and that nothing escapes him, either of our thoughts or of the plans that we make. (Holmes, 2007, p. 65)

Greek: λέγει γάρ που· Πνεῦμα κυρίου λύχνος ἐρευνῶν τὰ ταμιεῖα τῆς γαστρός· ἴδωμεν, πῶς ἐγγύς ἐστιν, καὶ ὅτι οὐδὲν λέληθεν αὐτὸν τῶν ἐννοιῶν ἡμῶν οὐδὲ τῶν διαλογισμῶν ὧν ποιούμεθα· First Clement [2.2, 2.3]

Holmes translates as "depths" of the "heart" what in the Greek is, literally, "chambers" of the "stomach" which, from Proverbs 20:27 in the LXX (Septuagint) is "inward parts" of the "belly".

The ancient Greek word "γαστήρ" ≈ "belly, womb" and is the source, through Latin, of the English word "gastric".

More: Expanding on the belly and the womb

The ancient Greek word "ἐγγύς" ≈ "near" and is, literally, "in the hand".

More: Matthew 6:6 A storehouse of secret chambers: praying in the closet

English: Let us observe the remarkable sign that is seen in the regions of the east, that is, in the vicinity of Arabia. (Holmes 2007, p. 79,81)

Greek: Ἴδωμεν τὸ παράδοξον σημεῖον τὸ γινόμενον ἐν τοῖς ἀνατολικοῖς τόποις, τουτέστιν τοῖς περὶ τὴν Ἀραβίαν. [25.1]

The mythical Phoenix bird symbolizes immortality, resurrection and renewal. Early Church Father Clement mentions this bird.

English: There is a bird that is named the phoenix. This bird, the only one of its species, lives for five hundred years. When the time of its dissolution and death arrives, it makes for itself a coffin-like nest of frankincense and myrrh and the other spices, into which, its time being completed, it enters and dies. (Holmes 2007, p. 79,81)

Greek: ὄρνεον γάρ ἐστιν, ὃ προσονομάζεται φοῖνιξ· τοῦτο μονογενὲς ὑπάρχον ζῇ ἔτη πεντακόσια, γενόμενόν τε ἤδη πρὸς ἀπόλυσιν τοῦ ἀποθανεῖν αὐτό, σηκὸν ἑαυτῷ ποιεῖ ἐκ λιβάνου καὶ σμύρνης καὶ τῶν λοιπῶν ἀρωμάτων, εἰς ὃν πληρωθέντος τοῦ χρόνου εἰσέρχεται καὶ τελευτᾷ. [25.2]

English: But as the flesh decays, a certain worm is born, which is nourished by the juices of the dead bird and eventually grows wings. Then, when it has grown strong, it takes up that coffin-like nest containing the bones of its parent, and carrying them away, it makes its way from the country of Arabia to Egypt, to the city called Heliopolis. (Holmes 2007, p. 79,81)

Greek: σηπομένης δὲ τῆς σαρκὸς σκώληξ τις γεννᾶται, ὃς ἐκ τῆς ἰκμάδος τοῦ τετελευτηκότος ζώου ἀνατρεφόμενος πτεροφυεῖ· εἶτα γενναῖος γενόμενος αἴρει τὸν σηκὸν ἐκεῖνον, ὅπου τὰ ὀστᾶ τοῦ προγεγονότος ἐστίν, καὶ ταῦτα βαστάζων διανύει ἀπὸ τῆς Ἀραβικῆς χώρας ἕως τῆς Αἰγύπτου εἰς τὴν λεγομένην Ἡλιούπολιν, [25.3]

English: There, in broad daylight, in the sight of all, it flies to the alter of the sun and deposits them there, and then it sets out on its return. (Holmes 2007, p. 79,81)

Greek: καὶ ἡμέρας, βλεπόντων πάντων, ἐπιπτὰς ἐπί τὸν τοῦ ἡλίου βωμὸν τίθησιν αὐτὰ καὶ οὕτως εἰς τοὐπίσω ἀφορμᾷ. [25.4]

English: The priests then examine the public records of the times, and they find that it has come at the end of the five hundredth year. (Holmes 2007, p. 79,81)

Greek: οἱ οὖν ἱερεῖς ἐπισκέπτονται τὰς ἀναγραφὰς τῶν χρόνων καὶ εὑρίσκουσιν αὐτὸν πεντακοσιοστοῦ ἔτους πεπληρωμένου ἐληλυθέναι. [25.5]

Psalms 92:12 The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. [kjv]

δικαιος ως φοινιξ ανθησει ωσει κεδρος η εν τω λιβανω πληθυνθησεται [lxx]

The Greek word used for the "phoenix" bird is the Greek word for "palm tree".

Psalms 92:12

All

KJV: The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Hebrew: צדיק כתמר יפרח כארז בלבנון ישגה׃

Greek: δικαιος ως φοινιξ ανθησει ωσει κεδρος η εν τω λιβανω πληθυνθησεται