Ante-Nicene Fathers/Volume VIII/Pseudo-Clementine Literature/The Clementine Homilies/Homily XII/Chapter 7

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Ante-Nicene Fathers Vol. VIII, Pseudo-Clementine Literature, The Clementine Homilies, Homily XII
Anonymous, translated by Thomas Smith
Chapter 7
160513Ante-Nicene Fathers Vol. VIII, Pseudo-Clementine Literature, The Clementine Homilies, Homily XII — Chapter 7Thomas Smith (1817-1906)Anonymous

Chapter VII.—“Not to Be Ministered Unto, But to Minister.”

But I, when I heard this, fell a-trembling and weeping, that such a word should be spoken by a man to whom all the men of this generation are inferior in point of knowledge and piety.  But he, seeing me weeping, asked the cause of my tears.  Then I said, “In what have I sinned so that you have spoken to me such a word?”  Then Peter answered, “If it were wrong of me to speak of being your servant, you were first in fault in asking to be mine.”  Then I said, “The cases are not parallel; for to do this indeed becomes me well; but it is terrible for you, the herald of God, and who savest our souls, to do this to me.”  Then Peter answered, “I should agree with you, but that[1] our Lord, who came for the salvation of all the world, being alone noble above all, submitted to the condition of a servant, that He might persuade us not to be ashamed to perform the ministrations of servants to our brethren, however well-born we may be.”  Then I said, “If I think to overcome you in argument, I am foolish.  However, I thank the providence of God, that I have been thought worthy to have you instead of parents.”


Footnotes

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  1. A negative particle seems to be dropped from the text.