Life and significance
A shepherd of peace in the apostolic age
St Clement of Rome lived near the end of the first century, when the memory and teaching of the apostles were still very close. St Irenaeus places him among the earliest bishops of Rome and says that Clement had known the apostles and still remembered their preaching. Orthodox tradition also remembers him as a disciple of St Peter and as a faithful shepherd of the Church in Rome.
The letter known as First Clement has long been received by the Church under his name. The letter itself speaks in the name of the Church of Rome rather than naming one writer, but the ancient Christian tradition closely connected it with Clement. It was sent to the Church in Corinth during a serious division and calls Christians back to repentance, humility, peace, and obedience to God. Its teaching shows the Church’s deep roots in Scripture and its concern for ordered ministry and unity.
The Orthodox Church honors St Clement as a martyr. Church tradition relates that he was exiled and finally put to death by drowning with an anchor. The earliest surviving writings do not preserve every detail of his final years, but his martyrdom has long been part of the Church’s memory of him. He remains a witness to apostolic faith, peace in the Church, and steadfast service to Christ.