Clement
Clement
Info
- #coworker
- Home:: Philippi
- Other Locales:: None recorded
- References:: Philippians 4#4:3
Notes
- Named alongside Euodia and Syntyche as a fellow worker whose "name is in the book of life"
- Sometimes identified with Clement of Rome, though this is uncertain
Summary
Clement is mentioned once in Philippians 4#4:3, where Paul refers to Euodia, Syntyche, "Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life." The context places Clement among those who labored with Paul in the gospel at Philippi as active coworkers, not merely members of the congregation.
The phrase "whose names are in the book of life" assures their salvation, a motif drawn from the Old Testament (Exodus 32#32:32, Daniel 12#12:1) and developed in Revelation (Revelation 3#3:5). Paul applies it to the entire group of Philippian coworkers, including Clement.
Early church tradition, beginning with Origen (3rd century), identified this Clement with Clement of Rome, the author of 1 Clement (c. 96 AD), one of the earliest extra-biblical Christian documents, written from the Roman church to the Corinthian church. If this identification is correct, Clement would have been a younger coworker in Philippi who later became a prominent leader in Rome. The name Clement (Clēmēs) was common in the Roman world, so the identification remains uncertain and the chronology, though plausible, is not provable.