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 Little is
known of this apostolic father beyond a few facts. He was a disciple of S.
Peter, and perhaps of S. Paul. It is thought that the Clement whom S. Paul
praises as a faithful fellow- worker, whose name is written in the Book of
Life [Philippians 4:3], was Clement, afterwards bishop of Rome. But there is
great difficulty in admitting this supposition. It is certain that Clement,
the idol of the Petrine party in the Primitive Church, about whom their
myths and traditions circled lovingly, was quite removed in feeling from the
Pauline party.
According to Tertullian, Clement succeeded S. Peter immediately in the
episcopal government of the Church at Rome. But in the list of bishops given
us by Irenaeus and Eusebius he occupies the third place after the apostle,
that is, after Linus and Cletus (Anacletus). It is, however, probable that
the Church at Rome had at first two successions, one Petrine, the other
Pauline, but that they speedily merged into one; and this will account for
the confusion in the lists of the first bishops of Rome. Clement probably
was Petrine, and Cletus Pauline bishop, the former ruling the converted
Jews, the latter the Gentile converts. We know nothing of the events of his
pontificate, except that there was a schism at Corinth, which drew forth a
letter from him which is preserved. S. Jerome and S. Irenaeus do not say
that he died a martyr's death, but Rufinus and Zosimus give him the title of
martyr; but this title by no means implies that he had died for the faith;
it had anciently more extended signification than at present, and included
all who had witnessed a good confession, and suffered in any way for their
faith.
This is all that we know of S. Clement. But imagination has spun a web of
romance about his person.
The Clementine Recognitions and Homilies are an early romance representing
the disputation of S. Peter and Simon Magus; they have a story running
through them to hold the long disquisitions together, of which S. Clement is
the hero. It is, however, pure romance, with, perhaps, only this basis of
truth in it, that Clement is represented as the devoted adherent and
disciple of S. Peter. The Clementines are thoroughly anti-Pauline, as are
also the Apostolic Constitutions, in which again S. Clement appears
prominently.
The legend of the martyrdom of S. Clement relates that, in the reign of
Trajan, when Mamertinus was prefect of the city, and Toractianus count of
the offices, a sedition arose among the rabble of Rome against the
Christians, and especially against Clement, bishop of Rome. Mamertinus
interfered to put down the riot, and having arrested Clement, sent him to
the emperor, who ordered his banishment to Pontus, where he was condemned to
work in the marble quarries. He found many Christians among his
fellow-convicts, and comforted and encouraged them. The only spring of
drinking water was six miles off, and it was a great hardship to the
convicts to have to fetch it all from such a distance. One day Clement saw a
lamb scraping at the soil with one of its forefeet. He took it as a sign
that water was there; dug, and found a spring.
As Clement succeeded in converting many pagans, he was sent to Aufidianus,
the prefect, who ordered him to be drowned in the sea with an old anchor
attached to his neck. His body was recovered by his disciple Phoebus. The
relics of S. Clement were translated to Constantinople (860) by S. Cyril on
his return from his mission to the Chazars, whilst engaged in the Chersonese
on his Sclavonic translation of the Gospels. Some of the relics found their
way to Rome, and were deposited in the church of San Clemente, where they
are still reverently preserved. These consist of bones, some reddened earth,
a broken vase containing some red matter, a little bottle similarly filled,
and an inscription stating that these are the relics of the Holy Forty
Martyrs of Scilita, and also of Flavius Clement.
In art S. Clement of Rome is represented as a Pope with an anchor at his
side. [His death is placed at about 100 A.D.]
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