First Clement to the Corinthians (c. 96 AD): Apostolic Succession, The Phoenix Legend, and the Canon Debate

The Context of First Clement: Crisis in Corinth (c. 96 AD)

Among all surviving Christian literature outside the New Testament, First Clement (Κλήμεντος πρὸς Κορινθίους Αʹ) is universally recognized as the oldest post-apostolic document, written around 95–96 AD during the final months of the tyrannical reign of Roman Emperor Domitian.

The epistle was sent from the Church of Rome to the Church of Corinth:

• While the letter is anonymous, ancient patristic tradition—led by Dionysius of Corinth (c. 170 AD), Irenaeus of Lyons (Against Heresies 3.3.3), and Clement of Alexandria—unanimously identifies the author as Clement of Rome, the third bishop of Rome after Linus and Anacletus.
• Early scholars identified Clement with the co-worker of Paul mentioned in Philippians 4:3: "with Clement also, and with other my fellow-labourers, whose names are in the book of life."

The Scandal in Corinth:

Forty years after Paul wrote his two canonical Corinthian epistles to correct factionalism, the church at Corinth had erupted into an even more severe crisis: a group of rebellious young leaders had orchestrated a coup, illegally deposing and expelling their faithful presbyters (elders) who had been appointed by the apostles!

The Roman church intervened with urgent pastoral authority to restore order, unity, and covenant love.

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The Earliest Historical Record of the Martyrdom of Peter and Paul

Chapter 5 of First Clement provides an irreplaceable, priceless historical record: the earliest extra-biblical confirmation of the martyrdoms of the apostles Peter and Paul:

[THE MARTYRDOM OF PETER AND PAUL (FIRST CLEMENT 5:4–7)]
"Let us set before our eyes the noble apostles:
 PETER, WHO BY REASON OF UNRIGHTEOUS JEALOUSY endured not one or two,
 but many labors, and thus having borne his testimony, went to his appointed place of glory.
 By reason of jealousy and strife,
 PAUL BY HIS EXAMPLE POINTED OUT THE PRIZE OF PATIENT ENDURANCE.
 After that he had been seven times in bonds, had been driven into exile,
 had been stoned, had preached in the East and in the West,
 he won the noble renown which was the penalty of his faith,
 HAVING TAUGHT RIGHTEOUSNESS UNTO THE WHOLE WORLD
 AND HAVING REACHED THE FARTHEST BOUNDS OF THE WEST;
 and when he had borne his testimony before the rulers,
 so he departed out of the world and went unto the holy place,
 having been found a notable pattern of patient endurance."

Historical Significance:

1. Peter’s Martyrdom: Written in Rome within thirty years of Peter’s execution under Nero (c. 64–67 AD), Clement confirms that Peter suffered multiple persecutions and died bearing public witness (martyresas).
2. Paul’s Journey to Spain: Clement states that Paul reached "the farthest bounds of the West" (to terma tes dyseos)—a standard Roman geographical idiom meaning Hispania (Spain), confirming that Paul fulfilled his stated desire in Romans 15:24 to preach in Spain following his release from his first Roman imprisonment!

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Apostolic Succession and the Corinthian Coup

In chapters 42 and 44, Clement formulates the earliest explicit doctrine of apostolic ministry order:

[THE CHAIN OF APPOSTOLIC COMMISSION (CHAPTER 42:1–4)]
1. God sent forth Jesus Christ.
2. Jesus Christ sent forth the Apostles.
3. The Apostles, preaching through districts and cities, appointed their firstfruits,
   testing them by the Spirit, to be BISHOPS (OVERSEERS) AND DEACONS of those that should believe.

In chapter 44:1–3, Clement explains that the apostles foresaw that strife would arise over the office of overseer:

"For this reason therefore, having received complete foreknowledge, they appointed the aforesaid persons, and afterward provided a codicil, that if they should fall asleep, OTHER APPROVED MEN SHOULD SUCCEED TO THEIR MINISTRATION."

Therefore, Clement concluded, it was an outrageous sin for the Corinthians to remove men of blameless character who had been appointed by the apostles or by other eminent men with the consent of the whole church.

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The Phoenix Legend: Natural Metaphor for the Resurrection

In chapter 25, Clement uses a curious classical illustration to defend the bodily resurrection of the dead: the myth of the Phoenix bird of Arabia:

• The Phoenix lives for 500 years. When it approaches death, it builds a nest of frankincense and myrrh and dies.
• As its flesh rots, a worm is bred from the moisture, which grows feathers, becomes a bird, carries its parent's bones to Heliopolis in Egypt, and places them upon the altar of the Sun.

While modern readers find this pagan biological myth bizarre, classical Greco-Roman writers like Herodotus, Pliny the Elder (Natural History 10.2), and Tacitus (Annals 6.28) all accepted the Phoenix as a real zoological creature. Clement used it not as inspired scripture, but as a widely accepted secular analogy to shame pagan skeptics who doubted God's power to resurrect human bodies!

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Why First Clement Was Excluded from the New Testament Canon

In the second and third centuries, First Clement was so revered that it was read aloud in Christian assemblies alongside the Epistles of Paul:

• Dionysius of Corinth (c. 170 AD): Wrote to Rome: "Today we kept the Lord's holy day, in which we read your letter, which we shall ever read for our admonition, even as we do the earlier letter written to us by Paul."
• Codex Alexandrinus (5th century AD): Bounds First Clement and Second Clement at the very end of the New Testament codex, right after Revelation.

Yet the universal Church firmly excluded First Clement from the New Testament canon:

[CANONICAL AUDIT: FIRST CLEMENT]
1. Post-Apostolic Date: Composed around 96 AD by a second-generation church leader,
   not by an apostle of Jesus Christ.
2. Administrative and Pastoral Character: Written as an advisory letter of fraternal counsel
   from the Roman congregation, not as a divinely inspired apostolic oracle.
3. Decisive Conciliar Consensus:
   * Excluded from the Muratorian Fragment (c. 180 AD).
   * Classified by Eusebius (Church History 3.16) as an "acknowledged" (homologoumena)
     edifying ancient letter, but placed outside the canonical New Testament.
   * Excluded by the 39th Festal Letter of Athanasius and the Council of Carthage (397 AD).

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Three-Tier Evidentiary Evaluation: First Clement Historiography

Evidentiary Tier	Scientific & Historical Data	Hermeneutical Value
Tier 1: Manuscript Tradition	Codex Alexandrinus (5th c.) and Codex Hierosolymitanus (1056 AD discovered by Bryennios).	Preserves the complete, pristine Greek text of the earliest post-apostolic epistle.
Tier 2: Eyewitness Apostolic History	Chapter 5 eyewitness testimony confirming the martyrdoms of Peter and Paul in Rome.	Foundational primary source establishing the historical fate of the two premier apostles.
Tier 3: Early Church Governance	Chapters 42 and 44 documenting apostolic succession and appointment of presbyters.	Demonstrates the historical structure of first-century church leadership and canonical discernment.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Who was Clement of Rome?

Clement was a prominent leader and bishop of the Church of Rome in the late 1st century (c. 88–99 AD), widely identified by ancient Church Fathers as the companion of Paul mentioned in Philippians 4:3.

Does First Clement confirm that Paul traveled to Spain?

Yes. Chapter 5:7 states that Paul reached "the farthest bounds of the West" (a standard Roman idiom for Spain), confirming he fulfilled his desire recorded in Romans 15:24.

Why is First Clement not in the New Testament?

Although highly respected and included in Codex Alexandrinus, it was written by a second-generation leader after the apostles died, functioning as an administrative pastoral letter rather than inspired apostolic scripture.