4
that the name "God of David" (10:6) refers to Christ as qeov" is unlikely.
25
We find in the various prayers for Eucharistic worship a repetition of Jesus as Servant of God
(pai'").
26
In several passages Jesus is portrayed as the one through whom (diav) God mediates his saving
knowledge and gifts of grace.
27
Also, God's glory and power are "through Jesus Christ forever,"
indicating either a movement toward God in worship or a demonstration of God's power and glory
through the mediation of Christ (Did. 10:4).
Except for the baptismal formula, the Holy Spirit is rather left in the background, though he is not
proscribed to complete obscurity. The Didachist said the Holy Spirit prepares those whom God will later
call (Did. 4:10; cf. 1 Clem. 22:1; Barn. 19:7). There is also a possibility that the Spirit is in mind when
he wrote, "We give you thanks, Holy Father, for your holy name which you have caused to dwell in our
hearts" (Did. 10:2). If this is the case, all three persons of the Trinity are at work in the salvation
described here.
*Summary: In Didache, the Son as "Servant of God" is seen in a role of submission to the Father's will, at
least in the incarnation (Did. 9:2, 3; 10:2, 3). Though direct evidence of the essential equality of the Son and
the Spirit with the Father is lacking, the echoes of Matthew's baptismal formula may possibly indicate a
presupposition of such unity (7:1, 3). Nevertheless, Didache at least provides enough evidence to show that
the Son was clearly seen in a subordinate role to the Father in the incarnation.
One God, One Christ, One Spirit of Grace: 1 Clement (c. 9597)
Clement prayed, "`Let all the nations know that you are the only God,' that Jesus Christ is your
servant, and that `we are your people and the sheep of your pasture'" (1 Clem. 59:4). This statement
need not be regarded as a denial of the deity of Christ in preservation of a monadic monotheism, but
rather the addition of "Jesus Christ" to this "pastiche of Old Testament quotations and allusions"
28
appears to actually incorporate the Son into the monotheistic confession while emphasizing his role in
submission to the Father.
This role of subordination is used consistently throughout 1 Clement when expressing the
relationship between the Father and the Son. In many instances Clement ascribed the primary will to
God the Father, which is then put into action "through Jesus Christ" (diaV *Ihsou' Cristou', e.g. 1 Clem.
Pro) or "in Christ" (ejn Cristw'/, 32:4).
29
So, for example, Christians are "called and sanctified by the
will of God through our Lord Jesus Christ," and "chosen by God through Jesus Christ" (Pro, 50:7).
Language indicating the Son's submission is used consistently. Thus, quoting Hebrews 1:3-4,
Clement wrote, "Through him the Master has willed that we should taste immortal knowledge, for `he,
being the radiance of his majesty, is as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more
excellent'" (1 Clem. 36:2). Furthermore, the Father raised Christ from the dead (24:1) and also chose
him (64:1). However, with regard to his relationship to creation, the Son is far superior (36:2). His
humble state during his earthly life was not by compulsion, but by grace (16:2).
Christ is also seen as mediator of the Father's rule. He is called "the majestic scepter of God" (1
Clem. 16:2), and on a few occasions he is the "Servant" (pai'") of God,
30
a name also ascribed to him in
the New Testament,
31
from which 1 Clement itself quoted extensively (1 Clem. 16).
Actions directed toward creation or humanity are through Christ,
32
who himself is said to operate
through the Holy Spirit (1 Clem. 22:1). Actions from creation toward God--especially worship--are
25
Cf. Ben Witherington, III, The Many Faces of the Christ: The Christologies of the New Testament and Beyond, Companions
to the New Testament, (New York: Crossroad, 1998), 229. Assuming qew/' is original here (see variant readings), there is no reason
to conclude that the "God of David" refers to Christ rather than to the Father, as it does in Psalm 118:25.
26
Did. 9:2, 3; 10:2, 3; cf. 1 Clem. 59:2, 3, 4; Acts 4:27; Isa 41:8-9; 42:1; 44:1-2; 49:6; 52:13.
27
Did. 9:2, 3; 10:2, 3.
28
Cf. Holmes, 97. He suggests Clement drew from the following passages: Num 27; Deut 32; 1 Sam 2; 1 Kings 8; 2 Kings 5,
19; Job 5; Psalm 32, 79, 95, 100, 119 (LXX 31, 78, 94, 99, 118); Isa 13; 57; Ezek 36; Judith 9; Sir 16; Eph 1.
29
Cf. also 1 Clem. 36:2; 49:6.
30
1 Clem. 59:2; 59:3; 59:4; cf. Did. 9:2, 3; 10:2, 3.
31
Cf. Acts 4:27, reminiscent of the Servant Songs of Isaiah 41:8-9; 42:1; 44:1-2; 49:6; and 52:13.
32
1 Clem. Pro; 36:2; 58:2; 59:2; 59:3; 64:1.