Apocrypha
2 Clement
Ancient Sermon
20 chapters · read and listen
Reading note
An apocryphal or pseudepigraphal text — outside the canon of the Western churches, yet widely circulated among ancient Jews and Christians. Published here from a public-domain translation, edited for continuous reading.
Chapters
Dossier
It is not a letter and it is not by Clement: it is the oldest surviving Christian sermon — an actual homily, preached to a congregation, with the preacher addressing the people in the room.
Where this text comes from
Greek, mid-2nd century AD. It was transmitted alongside 1 Clement and inherited the name, but the difference in style and genre is recognised today by nearly all scholars.
Why it is not in the Bible
Outside the canon. It circulated because it accompanied 1 Clement in the manuscripts, not on any authority of its own.
What you will find
- The preacher quotes sayings of Jesus found in no canonical gospel.
- It speaks of repentance with the urgency of someone expecting the end at any moment.
- It closes by apologising for the length of the sermon — a detail that humanises the whole document.
Frequently asked questions
- Did Clement of Rome write 2 Clement?
- No. It is anonymous, later than 1 Clement, and of a different genre: a sermon rather than a letter. The name came from being copied together with the first.