Apocrypha
1 Clement
Letter to the Corinthians
65 chapters · read and listen
Reading note
A letter from the church of Rome to the church of Corinth around the year 96, trying to reverse the deposition of presbyters. The oldest Christian document outside the New Testament.
Chapters
Dossier
The letter the church of Rome wrote to the church of Corinth because the Corinthians had deposed their presbyters — and which, nearly two thousand years later, is still the oldest datable Christian document outside the New Testament.
Where this text comes from
Written around AD 96 in Greek, traditionally attributed to Clement, bishop of Rome, though the text presents itself as a letter from the community rather than an individual. It survives in Greek, Latin, Syriac and Coptic, and is copied into Codex Alexandrinus after Revelation.
Why it is not in the Bible
It was read publicly in churches for centuries and appears in biblical manuscripts. It stayed out because it is not apostolic and because it is an occasional letter addressed to one specific conflict.
What you will find
- It describes an ordered succession of ministers already in the first century, which makes it central to every discussion of early church order.
- It cites the phoenix as a natural example of resurrection, in complete earnest.
- It mentions the martyrdoms of Peter and Paul as recent, well-known events — one of the oldest external witnesses to them.
- The tone is not command but appeal: Rome asks, argues and quotes Scripture rather than ordering.
Frequently asked questions
- Is 1 Clement the oldest Christian letter outside the Bible?
- It is the oldest datable Christian document outside the New Testament to survive complete, written around AD 96.
- Was 1 Clement ever in the Bible?
- Not in the final canon, but it was read in churches for centuries and appears copied in Codex Alexandrinus, just after the New Testament.