year 68; if the
latter, we must place it towards the close of the first century, or the
beginning of the second. We possess no external aid to the settlement of
this question. The lists of early Roman bishops are in hopeless
confusion, some making Clement the immediate successor of St. Peter,
others placing Linus, and others still Linus and Anacletus, between him
and the apostle. The internal evidence, again, leaves the matter
doubtful, though it has been strongly pressed on both sides. The
probability seems, on the whole, to be in favour of the Domitian period,
so that the epistle may be dated about A.D. 97" ("The Writings of the
Apostolic Fathers." Translated by Rev. Dr. Roberts, Dr. Donaldson, and
Rev. F. Crombie, pp. 3, 4. Ed. 1867). "Only a single-manuscript copy of
the work is extant, at the end of the Alexandrian manuscript of the
Scriptures. This copy is considerably mutilated. In some passages the
text is manifestly corrupt, and other passages have been suspected of
being interpolations" (Norton's "Genuineness of the Gospels," vol. i, p.
336. Ed. 1847).

The second epistle is rejected on all sides. "It is now generally
regarded as one of the many writings which have been falsely ascribed to
Clement.... The diversity of style clearly points to a different writer
from that of the first epistle" ("Apostolic Fathers," page 53). "The
second epistle ... is not mentioned at all by the earlier Fathers who
refer to the first. Eusebius, who is the first writer who mentions it,
expresses doubt regarding it, while Jerome and Photius state that it was
rejected by the ancients. It is now universally regarded as spurious"
("Supernatural Religion," pp. 220, 221). "There is a second epistle
ascribed to Clement, but we know not that this is as highly approved as
the former, and know not that it has been in use with the ancients.
There are also other writings reported to be his, verbose and of great
length. Lately, and some time ago, those were produced that contain the
dialogues of Peter and Apion, of which, however, not a syllable is
recorded by the primitive Church" (Eusebius' "Eccles. Hist." bk. iii.,
chap. 38). "The first Greek Epistle alone can be confidently pronounced
genuine" (Westcott on the "Canon of the New Testament," p. 24. Ed. 1875).
The first epistle "is the only piece of Clement that can be relied on as
genuine" ("Lardner's Credibility," pt. ii., vol. i., p. 62. Ed. 1734).
"Besides the Epistle of Clement to the