Early Church Writings — historically valuable Christian documents, presented as noncanonical writings rather than Scripture.

First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians

Clement of Rome

Chapter XXIX.—Let us also draw near to God in purity of heart

Let us then draw near to Him with holiness of spirit, lifting up pure and undefiled hands unto Him, loving our gracious and merciful Father, who has made us partakers in the blessings of His elect. 117 For thus it is written, "When the Most High divided the nations, when He scattered 118 the sons of Adam, He fixed the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God. His people Jacob became the portion of the Lord, and Israel the lot of His inheritance." 119 And in another place [the Scripture] saith, "Behold, the Lord taketh unto Himself a nation out of the midst of the nations, as a man takes the first-fruits of his threshing-floor; and from that nation shall come forth the Most Holy." 120

Notes

  1. Literally "has made us to Himself a part of election." ↩
  2. Literally, "sowed abroad." ↩
  3. Deut. xxxii. 8, 9. ↩
  4. Formed apparently from Num. xviii. 27 and 2 Chron. xxxi. 14. Literally, the closing words are, "the holy of holies." ↩

Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume I, edited by Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson; revised by A. Cleveland Coxe. Public domain. Electronic text courtesy of CCEL.