Study on the First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians

Anyone interested in posting comments and thoughts on the First Epistle of Clement to the Corinthians? I will be reading chapters 1-3 this week. I will post some comments soon if others are interested.

Count me in!

 

 

 

In the very first chapter, the book refers to a 'sudden and successive calamitous events' (second paragraph) that made it difficult for them to respond. Do any of you know what events they were referring to? Are they events mentioned in Biblical texts as well? I know that Phillipians refers to Clement as a fellow apostle with Paul. Maybe it is assiciated to the surround circumstances mentioned in Phillipians?

In the Charismatic Movement (also in Evangelical churches), it is a common practice to raise hands during worship and prayer. I don't see this often in the Orthodox Church. I just read a sentence in this book that implies the use of hands reaching towards heaven as an act of worship ("Full of holy designs, you did, with true earnestness of mind and a godly confidence, stretch forth your hands to God Almighty, beseeching Him to be merciful into you, if ye had been guilty of any involuntary transgression" -Chapter 2). Have any of you seem this in practice in your parish, or is this expressed in a different way? Is it considered to be acceptable to raise hands towards God during worship (I not overly distracting)?

I think it depends on which culture the parish derives from.  Some do during certain prayers, I think. 

The raising of hands is an ancient Christian act of worship which and, as Gregory pointed out, can be seen among certain Orthodox cultures. During the evening psalm of vespers (Psalm 140) , we chant about the "lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice." In most Orthodox Churches, you'll find an icon of theTheotokos with raised hands directly above the altar. The priest certainly raises his hands at various points during the liturgy, e.g. at "let us lift up our hearts..." during the Anaphora (the most ancient part of the liturgy) which ,by the way, is when the people are supposed to as well.

It seems to me that this act of praise and worship has been confined to private prayer and no longer practiced publicly among most Eastern Orthodox. Some may even be scandalized when they see it done in an Orthodox Church and may dismiss it to being "Protestant." That's unfortunate and should be remedied. We are to worship with our entire body during the Liturgy, e.g. making the cross, prostrations, raising of the hands, exchanging the kiss of peace and singing. 

The fact is that the early Christians really preferred praying with "outstretched hands." The Holy Apostle Paul mentions it in 1 Tim. 2:8. The book Earthen Vessels by (now Orthodox) Fr. Gabriel Bunge covers the topic of methods of prayer really well. 

 

 

 

It's also important to keep in mind that the style of how the arms are raised in the icons that Ninos talks about are different than contemporary worship that we're used to seeing (arms fully outstrecthed, as if literally trying to touch something above you). Ironically, the modern posture was condemned by Tertullian as a form the pagans used (or so I've heard).

From Tertullian "On the Prayer":

17 Moreover we shall the rather commend our prayers to God
by worshipping with restraint and humility, not even lifting the
hands too high but raising them temperately and meetly, not even
holding up our eyes in presumption. For that Publican, who
prayed with humility and dejection not of prayer only but of
countenance, went away justified rather than the insolent
Pharisee.