Studies on First Clement

Book excerpt: Inspired by the advice of his former teacher and mentor, Adolf von Harnack, William Wrede committed himself to the task of writing a dissertation on 1 Clement, which was originally published under the title Untersuchungen zum 1. Clemensbrief and has now been published here in English translation for the first time under the title Studies on 1 Clement. In this volume, Wrede investigates the ecclesiastical structure of the early church as well as the significance and function of the Old Testament in 1 Clement. Though overshadowed by his later work, The Messianic Secret, Wrede’s work on 1 Clement served as a tempered and solid basis for later investigations of the letter, even when those investigations part ways with Wrede’s conclusions.