1 Clement & the Gospel of Matthew?

[rgprice]

The "big two" in 1 Clement are both Qish (M = Matthew; K = Mark; L = Luke; X = Unknown):

Well, 1C46.8 reference isn't Q by definition given that it exists in Mark. Which means that only 1 out of the 8 is.

[Ben C. Smith]

The "big two" in 1 Clement are both Qish (M = Matthew; K = Mark; L = Luke; X = Unknown):

Well, 1C46.8 reference isn't Q by definition given that it exists in Mark. Which means that only 1 out of the 8 is.

It is a doublet: one of the so called Mark-Q overlaps. I said it was Qish becauce the Critical Edition of Q literally includes it as part of Q. Also, I said Qish because I have not yet checked thoroughly enough to tell whether it agrees with Mark in some respect against Matthew and Luke.

However, it doesn't seem to me that the writer(s) of 1 Clem knew of any Gospel. While a few of the quotes share similarity with some sayings of Jesus in Mark/Matthew, so much is left out that it hardly seems believable that the writer(s) knew the "story of Jesus". Like the epistle of James, this letter provides many lessons and teachings that draw from scriptural examples. Many of these lessons seem particularly well suited for using the Gospel Jesus as a teaching example, but in no cases are the adventures of Jesus referenced. Instead figures from the OT and various apostles are used as the teaching examples.

So, I'm quite confident that the writer(s) didn't know the Gospels.

The closest thing to a "story" we get in 1 Clement is probably 1 Clement 42.1-5, which says that, after the resurrection, Jesus sent out apostles, who "went forth proclaiming that the kingdom of God was at hand" (which sounds a bit like a gospel detail, as in Matthew 10.7 = Luke 10.9, but in a setting after the resurrection rather than before it; I myself tend to think that quite a few postresurrectional details were moved into a preresurrectional setting in the gospels).

This implies some unidentified "common source" (oh boy, here I go) that could have been used by the writer(s) of 1 Clement and Mark/Matthew.

Even the fact that the other quotes are ultimately from the OT, the fact that those passages are used by 1 Clem and also Mark/Matthew still implies some common understanding of the material. Given that much has been lot and much exists outside of the OT, it's a fair guess that these "quotes" come from some other scriptural source, but I don't know what that source may be. I've also checked the common apocrypha, at least in English translations.

But even still, I think this does give credence to the notion of some list of sayings associated with the Lord Jesus at the time 1 Clem was written. That list itself may have been derived from Gospels, that's possible, but it seems unlikely to me that a church in Rome would be working from such a list without also knowing the Gospels.

It is possible that at least one early collection of "words of the Lord [Jesus]" circulated. The brackets around the name "Jesus" are there because I am not so sure that this collection of sayings, if it existed, was attributed to Jesus right from the start. But references specifically to the words of the Lord, sayings which are now found either in our gospels or not at all (that is, they are not from the Hebrew scriptures), seem to abound in the early literature:

1 Corinthians 7.10-13: 10 But to the married I give instructions, not I, but the Lord [οὐκ ἐγὼ ἀλλ᾽ ὁ κύριος], that the wife should not leave her husband 11 (but if she does leave, she must remain unmarried, or else be reconciled to her husband), and that the husband should not divorce his wife. 12 But to the rest I say, not the Lord [λέγω ἐγὼ οὐχ ὁ κύριος], that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he must not divorce her. 13 And a woman who has an unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, she must not send her husband away.

1 Corinthians 9.14: 14 So also the Lord [ὁ κύριος] directed those who proclaim the gospel to get their living from the gospel.

1 Corinthians 11.23-28: 23 For I received from the Lord [τοῦ κυρίου] that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus [ὁ κύριος Ἰησοῦς] on the night on which He was betrayed took bread; 24 and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, "This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me." 25 In the same way He took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me." 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes. 27 Whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord unworthily, therefore, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord. 28 But a man must examine himself, and in so doing he is to eat of the bread and drink of the cup. [I have argued that much of this passage constitutes an interpolation.]

1 Thessalonians 4.15-17: 15 For this we say to you, by a word of the Lord [ἐν λόγῳ κυρίου], that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.

1 Clement 13.1-2: 1 And so we should be humble-minded, brothers, laying aside all arrogance, conceit, foolishness, and forms of anger; and we should act in accordance with what is written. For the Holy Spirit says, "The one who is wise should not boast about his wisdom, nor the one who is strong about his strength, nor the one who is wealthy about his wealth; instead, the one who boasts should boast about the Lord, seeking after him and doing what is just and right," especially remembering the words the Lord Jesus spoke when teaching [μάλιστα μεμνημένοι τῶν λόγων τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ οὓς ἐλάλησεν διδάσκων] about gentleness and patience. 2 For he said: "Show mercy, that you may be shown mercy [M 5.7; L 6.36]; forgive, that it may be forgiven you [M 6.14]. As you do, so it will be done to you [M 7.12; L 6.31]; as you give, so it will be given to you [L 6.38a]; as you judge, so you will be judged [M 7.1; L 6.37a]; as you show kindness, so will kindness be shown to you [X]; with what measure you measure, by the same will it be measured to you [M 7.2b; L 6.38b]."

1 Clement 46.7b-8: 7b Remember the words of our Lord Jesus [μνήσθητε τῶν λόγων τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησου], 8 for he said, "Woe to that human! It were good for him if he had not been born [M 18.7; 26.24; K 14.21] rather than to scandalize one of my elect ones. It were better for him to have a millstone cast about his neck and be drowned in the sea than to have corrupted one of my elect ones [M 18.6; K 9.42; L 17.2]."

Acts 20.35: 35 "In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said [μνημονεύειν τε τῶν λόγων τοῦ κυρίου Ἰησοῦ ὅτι αὐτὸς εἶπεν], 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.'"

Polycarp to the Philippians 2.2-3: 2 But the one who raised him from the dead will raise us as well, if we do his will, walking in his commandments and loving the things he loved, abstaining from every kind of injustice, greed, love of money, slander, and false witness, not paying back evil for evil, or abuse for abuse, or blow for blow, or curse for curse, 3 but remembering what the Lord said when he taught [μνημονεύοντες δὲ ὧν εἶπεν ὁ κύριος διδάσκων]: "Do not judge lest you be judged [M 7.1; L 6.37a]; forgive and it will be forgiven you [M 6.14]; show mercy that you may be shown mercy [M 5.7; L 6.36]; with what measure you measure, it will be measured back to you [M 7.2b; L 6.38b]." And, "blessed are the poor and those persecuted for the sake of righteousness, because the kingdom of God belongs to them [M 5.3, 10; L 6.20]."

2 Clement 4.1-2: 1 Let us, then, not only call Him Lord [κύριον], for that will not save us. 2 For he says [λέγει], "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord' will be saved, but only the one who practices righteousness."

2 Clement 4.5: 5. For this reason, when you do these things, the Lord said [εἶπεν ὁ κύριος], "Even if you were nestled close to my breast but did not do what I have commanded, I would cast you away and say to you, 'Leave me! I do not know where you are from, you who do what is lawless.'"

2 Clement 5.2-4: 2 For the Lord says [λέγει... ὁ κύριος], "You will be like sheep in the midst of wolves." 3 But Peter replied to him, "What if the wolves rip apart the sheep?" 4 Jesus said [εἶπεν ὁ Ἰησοῦς] to Peter, "After they are dead, the sheep should fear the wolves no longer. So too you: do not fear those who kill you and then can do nothing more to you; but fear the one who, after you die, has the power to cast your body and soul into the hell of fire."

2 Clement 6.1-2: 1 But the Lord says [λέγει... ὁ κύριος], "No household servant can serve as the slave of two masters." If we wish to serve as slaves of both God and wealth, it is of no gain to us. 2 "For what is the advantage of acquiring the whole world while forfeiting your soul?"

2 Clement 8.5: 5 For the Lord says [λέγει... ὁ κύριος] in the gospel, "If you do not keep what is small, who will give you what is great? For I say to you that the one who is faithful in very little is faithful also in much."

2 Clement 9.11: 11 For the Lord also said [εἶπεν ὁ κύριος], "My brothers are these who do the will of my Father."

2 Clement 12.2: 2 For when the Lord himself [αὐτὸς ὁ κύριος] was asked by someone when his kingdom would come, he said, "When the two are one, and the outside like the inside, and the male with the female is neither male nor female."

Didache 1.2-5: 2 This then is the path of life. First, love the God who made you, and second, your neighbor as yourself [Deuteronomy 6.5; Leviticus 19.18; M 22.37-39; K 12.29-31; L 10.27]. And whatever you do not want to happen to you, do not do to another [M 7.12; L 6.31]. 3 And the teaching of these words is this [τούτων δέ τῶν λόγων ἡ διδαχή ἐστιν αὕτη]: Bless those who curse you, pray for your enemies, and fast for those who persecute you [M 5.44; L 6.27-28]. For why is it so great to love those who love you? Do the Gentiles not do this as well [M 5.46-47; L 6.32-34]? But you should love those who hate you — then you will have no enemy. 4 Abstain from fleshly passions [1 Peter 2.11]. If anyone slaps your right cheek, turn the other to him as well [M 5.39b; L 6.29a], and you will be perfect [M 5.48; L 6.36]. If anyone compels you to go one mile, go with him two [M 5.41]. If anyone takes your cloak, give him your shirt as well [M 5.40; L 6.29b]. If anyone seizes what is yours, do not ask for it back, for you will not be able to get it. 5 Give to everyone who asks, and do not ask for anything back [L 6.30]. For the Father wants everyone to be given something from the gracious gifts he himself provides [M 5.45; L 6.35b]. How fortunate is the one who gives according to the commandment, for he is without fault. Woe to the one who receives [Acts 20.35]. For if anyone receives because he is in need, he is without fault. But the one who receives without a need will have to testify why he received what he did, and for what purpose. And he will be thrown in prison and interrogated about what he did; and he will not get out until he pays back every last cent [M 5.26; L 12.59]. 6 For it has also been said concerning this: "Let your gift to charity sweat in your hands until you know to whom to give it [X]."

Barnabas 1.6: 6 There are three firm teachings of the Lord of life [δόγματα έστιν κυρίον ζωής]: hope, which is the beginning and end of our faith; righteousness, which is the beginning and end of judgment; and love, which is a testament to our joy and gladness in upright deeds.

Barnabas 6.13: 13 Again I will show you how he speaks to us. He made yet a second human form in the final days. And the Lord says [λέγει δέ κύριος], "See! I am making the final things like the first" (= ?). This is why the prophet proclaimed, "Enter into a land flowing with milk and honey, and rule over it" (= Exodus 33.3).

1 Corinthians 7.10-13 is especially interesting insofar as Paul seems to distinguish between his own opinion and some authoritative mandate from "the Lord." Did Paul already know a gospel text like Matthew? If so, then odds are, so did Clement. If not, however, then maybe he knew a sayings source, a collection of "words of the Lord."

Such a collection may also have been what inspired the gospel authors to create longish sermons for Jesus: entire banks of pure sayings, one after another with little or no intervening narrative, just as one might find in a sayings source (like Thomas). The wording used for those sermons reflects the focus on words, as well:

Matthew 7.24-27: 24 "Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine [μου τοὺς λόγους τούτους] and does them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell, and great was its fall."

Luke 6.47-49: 47 "Everyone who comes to Me and hears My words [μου τῶν λόγων] and does them, I will show you whom he is like: 48 he is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid a foundation on the rock; and when a flood occurred, the torrent burst against that house and could not shake it, because it had been well built. 49 But the one who has heard and has not done them, is like a man who built a house on the ground without any foundation; and the torrent burst against it and immediately it collapsed, and the ruin of that house was great."

Matthew 7.28-29: 28 And it happened that, when Jesus had finished these words [τοὺς λόγους τούτους], the crowds were amazed at His teaching, 29 for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes.

Matthew 11.1: 1 When Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities.

Matthew 19.1-2: 1 When Jesus had finished these words [τοὺς λόγους τούτους], He departed from Galilee and came into the region of Judea beyond the Jordan; 2 and large crowds followed Him, and He healed them there.

Matthew 26.1-2: 1 When Jesus had finished all these words [πάντας τοὺς λόγους τούτους], He said to His disciples, 2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be handed over for crucifixion.”

Luke 7.1: 1 When He had completed all His discourse [πάντα τὰ ῥήματα αὐτοῦ] in the hearing of the people, He went to Capernaum.

The most explicit Matthean reference in the epistle of Barnabas is interesting:

Barnabas 4.14: 14 And all the more attend to this, my brethren, when ye reflect and behold, that after so great signs and wonders were wrought in Israel, they were thus abandoned. Let us beware lest we be found, as it is written, "Many called, but few chosen" (= Matthew 22.14). / 14 ἔτι δὲ κἀκεῖνο, ἀδελφοί μου, νοεῖτε· ὅταν βλέπετε ματὰ τηλικαῦτα σημεῖα καὶ τέρατα γεγονότα ἐν τῷ Ἰσραήλ, καὶ οὕτως ἐγκαταλελεῖφθαι αὐτούς· προσέχωμεν, μήποτε, ὡς γέγραπται, πολλοὶ κλητοί, ολίγοι δὲ ἐκλεκτοὶ εὑρεθῶμεν.

Did Barnabas know Matthew itself, as a gospel, or did Barnabas know a written collection of sayings which was rapidly gaining status similar to that of the Hebrew scriptures?

[Paul the Uncertain]

The chance of having read one Gospel is higher than having read two. If everything can be accounted for via one, that seems the cleaner explanation.

However, that's not the problem that motivated my question. The things in 1 Clement you found similar to Matthew material seem no less similar than to some Mark material. If indeed, at most one gospel was used, why is Matthew a stronger candidate for being that gospel rather than Mark, in your view?

And the follow-up question would be what difference would it make, which one were used, if one and only one?

However, it doesn't seem to me that the writer(s) of 1 Clem knew of any Gospel. While a few of the quotes share similarity with some sayings of Jesus in Mark/Matthew, so much is left out that it hardly seems believable that the writer(s) knew the "story of Jesus". Like the epistle of James, this letter provides many lessons and teachings that draw from scriptural examples. Many of these lessons seem particularly well suited for using the Gospel Jesus as a teaching example, but in no cases are the adventures of Jesus referenced. Instead figures from the OT and various apostles are used as the teaching examples.

Alternatively, the authors are writing to persuade their readers, and so the authors choose literary allusions that relate to whatever the issues at hand are, in ways favorable to the argument being made, and found in authoritative sources, to the readers' satisfaction as well as to the writers' satisfaction.

Maybe these gospels weren't seen that way at the time, or the Romans couldn't count on the Corinthians seeing them that way. How much did Jesus have to say about the issues in Corinth, anyway? What quotes ought we, as Monday Morning Quarterbacks, have urged the Roman Church to use instead of what they did use?

So, I'm quite confident that the writer(s) didn't know the Gospels.

That leaves the question then of explaining the overlap of the quotations. Most of the "quotes" are actually quotes from the OT that are also quoted in other NT sources, such as Paul, Hebrews and Mark/Matthew, but at least 2 of the quotes don't have an OT source that I can identify.

This implies some unidentified "common source" (oh boy, here I go) that could have been used by the writer(s) of 1 Clement and Mark/Matthew.

If what you're confident of is granted, then I'm not sure whether we'd have a discussable disagreement.

Even the fact that the other quotes are ultimately from the OT, the fact that those passages are used by 1 Clem and also Mark/Matthew still implies some common understanding of the material. Given that much has been lot and much exists outside of the OT, it's a fair guess that these "quotes" come from some other scriptural source, but I don't know what that source may be. I've also checked the common apocrypha, at least in English translations.

The tied-to-a-millstone thing is a surface image of an unpleasant death. I have no problem with the idea that Mark thought of it without any specific scriptural source, or any recollection of an actual practice. Elsewhere, another kind of baddie will prefer that he'd never been born (Mark 14:21).

So, Mark can spin better-for-him imprecations without having had experience of the comparison state in real life. They may not be original with him, but they needn't be of scriptural origin either. Also, although I am a great admirer of Mark's creativity, neither better-for-him curse is so startlingly shimmering as to exclude independent invention or reinvention. (Of course, I have no problem with the Romans simply having found the millstone in Mark, Matthew, or both.)

But even still, I think this does give credence to the notion of some list of sayings associated with the Lord Jesus at the time 1 Clem was written. That list itself may have been derived from Gospels, that's possible, but it seems unlikely to me that a church in Rome would be working from such a list without also knowing the Gospels.

Maybe so.

[rgprice]

The more I look at 1C46.8, the more it looks like a saying from the Lord of the OT, thus perhaps coming from some non-canonical Jewish scripture.

"Woe to that human! It were good for him if he had not been born rather than to scandalize one of my elect ones. It were better for him to have a millstone cast about his neck and be drowned in the sea than to have corrupted one of my elect ones."

This is pretty harsh. This looks a lot like many "thus says the Lord" statements from the prophets.

I could be wrong, but I just have a hard time seeing this as an isolated "saying of Jesus". It seems like something unlikely to attribute to him independently. For example, this doesn't fit with Paul's teachings or Hebrews, but there are hundreds of statements like this from "the Lord" in the OT (though obviously not this exact one). So to me this looks more like a statement attributed to the OT Lord somewhere that later got attributed to the Lord Jesus in much the same way the other OT quotes did.

[rgprice]

However, that's not the problem that motivated my question. The things in 1 Clement you found similar to Matthew material seem no less similar than to some Mark material. If indeed, at most one gospel was used, why is Matthew a stronger candidate for being that gospel rather than Mark, in your view?

And the follow-up question would be what difference would it make, which one were used, if one and only one?

Because a few of the passages are only from Matthew. So its like:

1: Mark & Matthew
2: Mark & Matthew
3: Mark & Matthew
4: Mark & Matthew
5: Matthew
6: Matthew

This would lead me to think that, Matthew is the more likely source.

Alternatively, the authors are writing to persuade their readers, and so the authors choose literary allusions that relate to whatever the issues at hand are, in ways favorable to the argument being made, and found in authoritative sources, to the readers' satisfaction as well as to the writers' satisfaction.

Maybe these gospels weren't seen that way at the time, or the Romans couldn't count on the Corinthians seeing them that way. How much did Jesus have to say about the issues in Corinth, anyway? What quotes ought we, as Monday Morning Quarterbacks, have urged the Roman Church to use instead of what they did use?

Well, when one is talking about persecution and suffering and one brings up a bunch of OT prophets and Peter and Paul and fails to mention the persecution & suffering of Jesus, that seems like a pretty big red flag to me...

The tied-to-a-millstone thing is a surface image of an unpleasant death. I have no problem with the idea that Mark thought of it without any specific scriptural source, or any recollection of an actual practice. Elsewhere, another kind of baddie will prefer that he'd never been born (Mark 14:21).

So, Mark can spin better-for-him imprecations without having had experience of the comparison state in real life. They may not be original with him, but they needn't be of scriptural origin either. Also, although I am a great admirer of Mark's creativity, neither better-for-him curse is so startlingly shimmering as to exclude independent invention or reinvention. (Of course, I have no problem with the Romans simply having found the millstone in Mark, Matthew, or both.)

Yeah, I could see Mark inventing it as well, but the point is that, IMO, 1 Clement doesn't appear to be aware of the Markan narrative. So if the writer(s) of 1 Clem didn't get it from a Gospel (my supposition), then where did it come from? That's my question.

Maybe I'm wrong that the writer of 1 Clem didn't know a Gospel. I'd like to be convinced that he did know a Gospel or more...

[neilgodfrey]

This is from Massaux, Edouard. 1991. The Influence of the Gospel of Saint Matthew on Christian Literature Before Saint Irenaeus: Book 1, The First Ecclesiastical Writers. Mercer University Press. pp. 21-24

Excuse some copying errors in the Greek script.

Massaux is convinced the passage in 1 Clement is from the Gospel of Matthew.

3. 1 Clem. 46:7(end)-8

. . . μνήσθητε τών λόγων ’Ιησού τού κυρίου ημών. ΕΙπεν γάρ' Ούαί τω άνθρώπψ έκείνω' καλόν ήν αύτψ εΐ ούκ έγεννηθη, ή ενα τών έκλεκτών μου σκανδαλίσαι' κρεΐττον ήν αύτω περιτεθήναι μύλον και καταπον- τισθήναι είς την θάλασσαν, ή ενα τών έκλεκτών μου διαστρέψαι.

Remember the words of the Lord Jesus: For He said: “ Woe to that man! It were better for him if he had not been born rather than scandalize one of My elect. It were better for him that a millstone were tied to him, and that he be cast into the sea, than that he should pervert one of My Chosen ones.”

It is said that this text is the result of the combination of two passages of the New Testament: Mt. 26:24 and Lk. 17:2. It must be noted first of all that the texts cited from Mt. and Lk. have parallels: to Mt. 26:24 correspond Mk. 14:21 and Lk. 22:22; Mt. 18:6 and Mk. 9:42 correspond to Lk. 17:2. Secondly, it must be observed that the reading τών έκλεκτών μου δίαστέψαι of Clement, usually preserved by critical editions, and sustained by the three versions: Coptic (C), Latin (L), and Syriac (S), and by Clement of Alexandria (Strom. 3.18.107), has against it the two original manuscripts A (codex Alexandrinus) and H (codex Hierosolymitanus) that read μικρών μου σκανδαλίσαι.44

To make it easier for my study, I divide Clement’s verse 8 into two parts, each responding to a different text in our synoptics, and I present the texts in synopsis.

(a) First part of verse 8

1 Clem. 46:8a	Matt. 26:24	Mark 14:21	Luke 22:22
Ούαί τώ άνθρώπψ έκείνψ' καλόν ήν αύτψ εΐ ούκ έγεννήθη, ή ένα τών έκλεκτών μου σκανδαλίσαι.	ούαί δέ τψ άνθρώπψ έκείνψ δι’ ού ό υιός τοϋ άνθρώπου παραδίδοται. καλόν ήν αύτφ εΐ ούκ έγεννήθη ό άνθρωπος έκεΐνος.	ούαί δέ τψ άνθρώπψ έκείνψ δι’ ού ό υιός τοϋ άνθρώπου παραδίδοται. καλόν αύτφ εΐ ούκ έγεννήθη ό άνθρωπος έκεΐνος.	πλήν ούαί τψ άνθρώπψ έκείνψ δι ού παραδίδοται.

The concrete comparison of the texts allows the exclusion of the influence of Lk.; indeed, he does not have the entire citation, and he seems to have abridged the text of the other synoptics.

Furthermore, in the second part of the passage, only Mt. has the verb ήν after κάλον; the flavor of Clement’s text is identical. It can accordingly be assumed that if Clement depends on one of the synoptics, there is a better chance that it depends on Mt. rather than on the other two.

Let it be noticed that, in addition to Mt. and Mk., Clement uses the words ή ένα τών έκλεκτών μου σκανδαλίσαι that may come from Mt. 18:6, which has influenced, as we shall see, the second part of verse 8.

(b) Second part of verse 8

1 Clem. 46:8b	Matt. 18:6	Mark 9:42	Luke 17:1ff.
κρεΐττον ήν αύτώ περιτεθήναι μύλον καί καταποντισθήναι είς τήν θάλασσαν, ή ένα τών έκλεκτών μου διαστρέψαι. [τών μικρών μου σκανδαλίσαι].45	δς δ’ αν σκανδαλίση ένα τών μικρών τούτων τών πιστευόντων εις έμέ, συμφέρει αύτώ ϊνα κρεμασθή μύλος όνικός περί τόν τράχηλον αύτοϋ καί καταποντισθή έν τώ πελάγει τής θαλάσσης.	Καί δς αν σκανδαλίση ένα τών μικρών τούτων τών πιστευόντων, καλόν έστιν αύτω μάλλον εί περίκειται μύλος όνικός περί τόν τράχηλον αύτοϋ καί βέβληται εις τήν θάλασσαν.	άνένδεκτόν έστιν τοϋ τά σκάνδαλα μή έλθείν, ούαί δέ δι’ ού έρχεται' λυσιτελεί αύτψ εί λίθος μυλικός περίκειται περί τόν τράχηλον αύτού καί έρριπται εις τήν θάλασσαν, ή ϊνα σκανδαλίση τών μικρών τούτων ενα.

Five of Mt.’s terms are found in Clement: αύτφ (Mt. and Clement); μύλος (Mt.)— μύλον (Clement); καί καταποντισθή (Mt.)— καταποντισθήναι (Clement); θάλασσης (Mt.)— θάλασσαν (Clement); ένα (Mt. and Clement). If one adopts for Clement the reading τών μικρών μου σκανδαλίσαι, we possess another link with Mt. where one reads δς δ’ &v σκανδαλίση ένα τών μικρών τούτων. By using the expression είς τήν θάλασσαν instead of έν τψ πελάγει τής θαλάσσης of M t., Clement has simply taken a shorter route.

Mk. and Clement have four similar terms: αύτφ (Mk. and Clement); μύλος (Mk.)—μύλον (Clement); ένα (Mk. and Clement); εις την θάλασσαν (Mk. and Clement); a parallel must be added if the variant reading of Clement is accepted.

Three terms of Lk. appear in Clement: αύτφ, εις τήν θάλασσαν, ένα; a similar expression must be added if the variant of Clement is retained.

With this purely concrete examination of the texts, Mt. emerges even stronger, although the second part of Clement’s verse 8 is not a literal citation. 1insist especially on the presence, with Clement, of the verb καταποντίζω, a rare and characteristic term, peculiar to Mt. in the entire New Testament (Mt. 14:30; 18:6), while Mk. uses another verb (βάλλω) and Lk. yet another (ρίπτω). I can only con- elude a literary dependence on Mt.

I can, therefore, say that in the whole of 46:8, Clement seems to consider the Matthean text in preference to that of the two other synoptics, and that he was subject to its literary influence.

A similar conclusion obliges me to believe that Clement has combined two passages of Mt., the one concerning the traitor Judas, the other referring to the little children proposed as an example to the disciples. The author of Supernatural Religion refuses to admit finding in Clement a combination of different texts.46 As for me, I easily admit it.

A close reading of the whole letter shows, in fact, that this is a common phenomenon with Clement. Thus Ps. 89 (88):21 and 1 Sam. 12:14 are combined in 1 Clem. 18:1; in 26:2 we have a mixed text of Ps. 3:6 and Ps. 23 (22):4. Deut. 4:34, Num. 18:27, 2 Chron. 31:14, Ezek. 48:2; and Deut. 14:2 are brought together in 29:3.

Now, in the passages mentioned as being the fusion of different texts, the citations are not literal but diverge from the texts to which they refer, while leaving no doubt as to the sources of inspiration. Why would it not be the same in 1 Clem. 46:8, and why should we not find underlying and combined two passages from Mt. showing a literary dependence on that gospel? It is possible that Clement found this practice of combining Old Testament texts current at the time. The insertion of ή ένα τών έκλεκτών μου διαστρέψαι does not constitute a more profound change than that which can be found in many citations of the Old Testament. The distortion of the text of Is. 9:17, at the end of 1 Clem. 42, is a proof furnished by Clement himself.47

Let me add finally that I can explain the substitution in Clement of ένα τών
έκλεκτών μου διαατρέψαι for ένα τών μικρών σκανδαλίοη of Mt. by the context and usual style of the author. In the context, indeed, verse 4 mentions the έκ- λεκτοί τού θεού; influenced by this expression, Clement may have replaced ol μικροί of Mt. with οί έκλεκτοί. As for the verb διαατρέψαι, it prepares the following verse: τό οκίσμα υμών πολλούς διέστρεψεν. Clement usually proceeds in this manner: he ends a citation with a word after which he immediately comments; thus, in 14:5, he ends with άνθρώπιρ είρηνικψ, followed immediately in 15:1 with τοίνυν κιλλυθώμεν τοΐς μετ’ εύσεβείας είρηνεύουσιν; in 27:7 ών ούχί άκοΰονται αί φωναί αύτών is followed in 28:1 with πάντων οΰν βλεπομένων καί άκουομένων.48 Adhering to his usual method of proceeding, Clement is thus able to replace σκανδαλίση with διαατρέψαι; he slightly modifies his text foreseeing the development which will follow.

Clement, thererefore, refers to the passages mentioned in Mt., and his text shows signs of a literary dependence.

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44 Cf. C. Th. Schaefer, S. Clementis Romani epistula ad Corinthios quae vocaturprima, 52; K. Bihlmeyer, Die apostolichen Voter, SAQ 1 (Tubingen, 1924) 60; H. Hemmer and P. Lejay, Clement de Rome, Epitre aux Corinthiens, 97; R. Knopf, Die Lehre der zwolf Apostel, Die zwei Clemensbriefe, 122; J. B. Lightfoot, The Apostolic Fathers, pt. 1, S. Clement o f Rome, 2:142; F. X. Funk, Opera Patrum Apostalicorum, vol. 1 (Tiibingen,
1887) 120; all these authors have the text that we have transcribed against O. de Gebhardt and A. Hamack, Clementis Romani ad Corinthios quae dicuntur epistulae, 76.

45 According to the codices A and H.

46 Cf. Supernatural Religion: An Inquiry into the Reality of Divine Revelation, vol. 1 (London, 1879) 229.

47 The text of Isaiah is distorted by the unnatural introduction of the word διακόνους. The text of the LXX has δώσω τούς άρχοντας σοι έν ειρήνη καί τούς έπισκόπους σου έν δικαιοσύνη; the Hebrew reads: “ and I shall give you as governors, peace; as magistrates, justice.”

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[neilgodfrey]

Don't forget we also have millstones being thrown into the sea in Revelation 18:21

Then a mighty angel took up a stone like a great millstone and threw it into the sea, saying, “Thus with violence the great city Babylon shall be thrown down, and shall not be found anymore.

[neilgodfrey]

There are many apparent references to or influences of the Gospel of Matthew in the early patristic literature, all without any indication that the authors were knowingly citing the gospel. This has led some to wonder if the author of the Gospel of Matthew gathered from a wide pool of common sayings -- the "in the air" floating seeds -- in the early "church" and incorporated them into the gospel. It may be that the Gospel of Matthew is a subsequent reflection of the thought and language common among the likes of the author of 1 Clement.

[Secret Alias]

I think the fact that 2 Clement shows signs of contact with the Gospel of the Hebrews or a gospel like it makes it likely the core material of 1 Clement (it has been clearly interpolated) goes back to a pre-canonical gospel.

[John2]

It's only my opinion, but I think 1 Clement is genuine (i.e., written by Flavius Clemens, who I also think is the Clement Paul mentions in Php. 4:3), and this Clement is said to have died during Domitian's persecution of Christians c. 95 CE, which is when many suppose 1 Clement was written in any event.

And I also suspect (for various reasons I've mentioned elsewhere) that Luke/Acts was written by Josephus' patron Epaphroditus, and that he is the same Epaphroditus Paul mentions in Php. 2:25, 29 and 4:18, and that he is the same Epaphroditus who is said to have been killed during Domitian's persecution of Christians c. 95 CE.

Thus I'm thinking Luke/Acts was written no later than c. 95 CE, and since in my view it uses Josephus' Antiquities, which was published c. 90 CE, I would place Luke/Acts somewhere between these dates, which seems too late for it to have circulated and been known to the author of 1 Clement if he was writing c. 95 CE, and thus I would suppose that the gospel citations in 1 Clement come from Matthew, which in any event I think was earlier than and used by the author of Luke/Acts (as per the Farrer Hypothesis).

Just my opinion, but it is (in its roundabout way) in keeping with the idea that 1 Clement is citing Matthew (or stuff that ended up in Matthew).