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Stake Your Clem

Today is the feast of St. Clement of Rome, whose Letter to the Corinthians is among the oldest Christian writings we have, outside the Bible. His letter is stunning, and it held a semi-canonical status in some ancient churches. It was bound in with other New Testament books, and it was even read in the liturgy. Clement was widely loved and revered for his sacrifice. In his honor, read Pope Benedict’s address on Clement’s life and work; it was the first in his series on the Fathers.

Here’s Kevin’s translation of Clement’s letter. In this post and in the comments, we discuss the dating of Clement. Several scholars believe the letter was written before 70 A.D.