[.ca] The Epistles of St. Clement of Rome (ISBN 080910038X)

clear and catholic:
If you ever wanted documentary PROOF whether or not the earliest christians were Catholic (90 A.D.-107 A.D.), read this book. Apostolic Succession, obedience to the deacons, priests and bishops, real presence of Christ's body and blood in the Eucharist, the primacy of the Bishop of Rome, the worldwide unity and Oneness of the Church, salvation that works through love, and NOT by faith alone. Not a SHRED of sola fide or sola scriptura anywhere. St. Ignatius of Antioch actually knew St. John the Beloved Disciple and the Blessed Virgin Mary and he is the first guy we have to record the term 'catholic church'. Clement wrote while St. John was still alive. It's a short book, the translation is modern, easy and fun to read, with enough notes to keep a layman happy. Jimmy Swaggert is always challenging Catholics to read the Church Fathers. I repeat that challenge to anybody. These are the two earliest saints we have, and it's obvious Swaggert never read either of these guys, or he would have seen on every page that they're both Catholic bishops. He makes that challenge because he knows it's an empty threat; nobody in his congregation is ever gonna bother to read the real sources. Especially you guys who don't like this review, I challenge YOU to read this book in it's entirety, and see if I speak the truth. And in the light of these, the first christian witnesses we have, go back and read the letters to Timothy, Titus, John 6, Ephesians, Colossians, James, Matthew, and you will see the bible teaches these doctrines exactly the same way these saints do... and the way the Church has always taught them, from the first century to the twenty-first century.

These are very early Christian writings:
These are very good books to read as they give an insight into the teachings of the early church. They are in every respect akin to Gospels. Don't be put off by 'Catholic' reviewers, who have in fact ignored that the Orthodox Church is descendant from these thinkers as well (hence it also is 'Catholic' - which just means universal). Thus when Clement urgres obey bishops he means ALL the bishops of the Christian community, not just the Bishop of Rome!

Must Read:
Along with volume 4 of the Ancient Christian Writers Series (Didache, Epistle of Barnabas...) these writings are second only to Scripture itself in early Church authority. In fact before the creation of the New Testament canon, the 1st epistle of Clement was widely regarded as Scripture. This is a must-read for Catholics, Eastern Orthodox, and anyone who wants to know anything about the early Church.

Early Church was Catholic:
In these two Epistles, one by Pope St. Clement of Rome and the other by Bishop St. Ignatius of Polycarp, we see clear proof that the early Church was Catholic from the very beginning. Clement, whom was traditionally held to have been ordained by Peter, gives us the first sign of the primacy of the Bishop of Rome. The entire epistle is one long charitable diatribe against a few people at the Church in Corinth who were causing division by disobediance to the church leaders. At the very end saying, "...should ay disobey what has been said by Him through us, let them understand that they will entangle themselves...in no small danger." St. Ignatius, on the other hand, is even more explicit about adherence to Church leadership. To Ignatius, as continues to be so in the Catholic Church, the Bishops held the keys what the apostles had given to them, and to the Church, which Christ promised would not be defeated by the gates of Hell. Also interesting is the fact that Ignatius gives testimony that the early Church held the Eucharist to be the body and blood of Christ. Lastly he alludes to Marriage as a sacrament, instructing that it must be "sanctified by the bishop" so that both sexes do not "fall into lust". I challenge Catholics to read these letters--they essential to the faith. I also challenge other Christians to truly recognize what the early Church was like, and to end that which divided us 500 years ago.