Background
St. Clement I was born in 100.
St. Clement I was born in 100.
The earliest extant Christian document not included in the New Testament is a letter which begins, "The church of God which sojourns at Rome to the church of God which sojourns at Corinth." Scholars agree that this letter was written by St. Clement, one of the earliest bishops of Rome. From it, we learn something of the organization, the discipline, and the worship of the first Christians, for during his time there arose a terrible feud among the Christians of Corinth some six hundred miles away across the seas.
The Corinthian Christians were known to be strong in the faith, devout, and hospitable. These virtues, however, were spoiled by the arrogance of a few headstrong men, so that the essential virtue of charity, by which Christ had said his disciples would be recognized (John xiii:35), was lacking. Not only the Christians but even the heathens in Rome had heard of these feuds and were laughing at the name of the Lord. For the Church in Corinth was again splitting into factions as it had done half a century before (I Cor. 1:11-13). Therefore Clement wrote in the name of his church to bring the Corinthians to a better frame of mind. He prayed for them and warned them that if they continued in strife "they [would] entangle themselves in transgression and no small danger." He asked, "Why do we tear apart the members of Christ and revolt against our own body?"
From this letter, we learn that the apostles, from among their earliest converts, appointed men to be bishops and deacons for the future believers and made a rule that when these died other reliable men should succeed them. It was the duty of the bishops "to offer the gifts" of the faithful at the Lord's table. According to tradition, Clement was martyred at Rome. His feast day is November 23.