Saint Clement I

Pope and Martyr
(died c. 99)

Saint Clement I was the third or fourth successor of Saint Peter as Bishop of Rome, and his pontificate is traditionally dated from about 88 to 99. He is one of the most important figures in the apostolic age, a man who may have known the Apostles personally and whose extant letter to the Corinthians is the earliest surviving document of the Roman Church after the New Testament itself. Some ancient writers identified him with the Clement mentioned by Saint Paul in the Letter to the Philippians as a fellow worker whose name is in the book of life.

His letter to the Church of Corinth, written around 96, was occasioned by a serious conflict in that community in which some younger members had deposed the legitimate leaders. Clement wrote in the name of the Church of Rome to call for the restoration of order, and his letter reveals a remarkable sense of the authority of the Roman Church to intervene in the affairs of distant communities. The letter also contains a clear statement of the principle of apostolic succession, the idea that the authority of the Apostles was transmitted to the bishops they appointed and through them to their successors.

The letter was so highly regarded that for several centuries some communities read it in their liturgical assemblies alongside the New Testament writings. Its influence on the development of early Christian theology of church order and authority has been immense. It is one of the most important documents for understanding how the early Church understood its own institutional structure.

Clement is honoured as a martyr, though the exact circumstances of his death are unknown. A later tradition says he was thrown into the sea with an anchor tied to him, and for this reason he is often depicted with an anchor. His feast is celebrated on November 23rd.