Grace in Second Clement: Priority, incongruity, superabundance, and reciprocity

Abstract

This article explores the concept of grace in the so-called Second Letter of Clement. Using John Barclay’s taxonomy as a heuristic, the article aims to challenge the notion originally advanced by T.F. Torrance that the discourse lacks any discernible and appropriate understanding of grace. Instead, the analysis reveals that the often-overlooked Apostolic Father evidences grace in at least four ways regarding the gift of salvation: Priority, incongruity, superabundance, and most prominently, reciprocity (circularity). These ‘perfections’ or emphases establish a hierarchy of grace within the overall message, reflecting the communicative goal to evoke a just behavioural response to the gift of salvation. As a corollary, then, the discourse is further situated within a patronage framework that highlights the reciprocal facet of grace prevalent in early Christianity.
Contribution: The article outlines a hierarchy of grace in a document that was previously doubted to lack it, thereby strengthening Second Clement’s position within a patronage framework and promoting the reciprocal facet of grace in early Christianity.