top 1 Clement ch 46

Chapter 46

The division in Corinth

1 Τοιούτοις οὖν ὑποδείγμασιν κολληθῆναι καὶ ἡμᾶς δεῖ, ἀδελφοί. Therefore, brothers, we should follow these examples.
2 γέγραπται γάρ· Κολλᾶσθε τοῖς ἁγίοις, ὅτι οἱ κολλώμενοι αὐτοῖς ἁγιασθήσονται. For it is written, "Follow the saints for those who follow them will be sanctified" (unknown source).
3 καὶ πάλιν ἐν ἑτέρῳ τόπῳ λέγει· Μετὰ ἀνδρὸς ἀθῴου ἀθῷος ἔσῃ καὶ μετὰ ἐκλεκτοῦ ἐκλεκτὸς ἔσῃ, καὶ μετὰ στρεβλοῦ διαστρέψεις. And again in another place it says, "You will be innocent with the innocent man; you will be elect with the elect; you will deal crookedly with the crooked" (Ps. 18:25-26).
4 κολληθῶμεν οὖν τοῖς ἀθῴοις καὶ δικαίοις· εἰσὶν δὲ οὗτοι ἐκλεκτοὶ τοῦ θεοῦ. Let's therefore join with the innocent and righteous, for these are the elect of God.
5 ἱνατί ἔρεις καὶ θυμοὶ καὶ διχοστασίαι καὶ σχίσματα πόλεμός τε ἐν ὑμῖν; Why is there strife and passionate anger and dissension and schism and conflict among you?
6 ἢ οὐχὶ ἕνα θεὸν ἔχομεν καὶ ἕνα Χριστὸν καὶ ἓν πνεῦμα τῆς χάριτος τὸ ἐκχυθὲν ἐφ᾿ ἡμᾶς; καὶ μία κλῆσις ἐν Χριστῷ; Don't we have one God and one Christ and one Spirit of grace that was poured upon us? And isn't there one calling in Christ?
7 ἱνατί διέλκομεν καὶ διασπῶμεν τὰ μέλη τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ στασιάζομεν πρὸς τὸ σῶμα τὸ ἴδιον, καὶ εἰς τοσαύτην ἀπόνοιαν ἐρχόμεθα, ὥστε ἐπιλαθέσθαι ἡμᾶς, ὅτι μέλη ἐσμὲν ἀλλήλων; μνήσθητε τῶν λόγων Ἰησοῦ. τοῦ κυρίου ἡμῶν Why do we tear and rip apart the members of Christ, and stir up rebellions against our own body, and reach such a pitch of insanity as to forget that we are members of one another? Remember the words of our Lord Jesus,
8 εἶπεν γάρ· Οὐαὶ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἐκείνῳ· καλὸν ἦν αὐτῷ, εἰ οὐκ ἐγεννήθη, ἢ ἕνα τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν μου σκανδαλίσαι· κρεῖττον ἦν αὐτῷ περιτεθῆναι μύλον καὶ καταποντισθῆναι εἰς τὴν θάλασσαν, ἢ ἕνα τῶν ἐκλεκτῶν μου διαστρέψαι. For He said, “Woe to that man! It would have been good for him if he had not been born than that he should offend one of My elect. It would be better for him if a millstone were hanged about him and he were cast into the sea, than that he should mislead one of My elect” (Matt. 26:24; Luke 17:1-2).
9 τὸ σχίσμα ὑμῶν πολλοὺς διέστρεψεν, πολλούς εἰς ἀθυμίαν ἔβαλεν, πολλοὺς εἰς δισταγμόν, τοὺς πάντας ἡμᾶς εἰς λύπην· καὶ ἐπίμονος ὑμῶν ἐστιν ἡ στάσις. Your schism has mislead many; it has brought many to despair, many to doubting, all of us to grief, and still your rebellion continues.