author
Pope Clement I
An early Christian leader remembered for guiding the church in Rome near the end of the 1st century, he is one of the most important voices from Christianity’s first generations. A letter traditionally linked to him, sent to the church in Corinth, became one of the key surviving texts from that era.
1 Audiobook
The writings of the Apostolic Fathers
by Pope Clement I, active 2nd century Hermas, Bishop of Antioch Saint Ignatius, Bishop of Hierapolis Saint Papias, Bishop of Smyrna Saint Polycarp
About the author
Little is known for certain about his life, but reliable reference works describe Clement of Rome, also known as Pope Clement I, as an early bishop of Rome who likely led the Roman church in the late 1st century. He is traditionally counted as the fourth pope and is also honored as a saint and martyr.
His lasting importance comes mainly from First Clement, a letter sent from the church of Rome to the Christians at Corinth around the end of the 1st century. The work is one of the earliest and most valuable Christian writings outside the New Testament, and it shows how seriously he and the Roman church took questions of unity, order, and reconciliation.
Clement is often grouped with the Apostolic Fathers, the early Christian writers whose works help bridge the world of the apostles and the growing church that followed. For listeners interested in the roots of Christian thought, he stands out less for dramatic biographical detail than for the calm, steady voice of one of the faith’s earliest surviving teachers.