# 1 Clement 39.4

- Author: [Clement of Rome](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/authors/clement-of-rome/)
- Work: [1 Clement](https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/1-clement/) (*Epistula I ad Corinthios*)
- Date: ca. 95–97 (range ca. 70–100) (disputed)
- Source: Lake, LCL 24:74; Kirsopp Lake, ed. and trans., The Apostolic Fathers, vol. 1, LCL 24 (London: Heinemann; New York: Macmillan, 1912), 8–121 (Greek text: K. Lake, The Apostolic Fathers (LCL, 1912-1913), digitized by the First Thousand Years of Greek project (Open Greek and Latin), CC BY-SA 4.0)
- Translation: Claude (claude-opus-5-5), 2026-09-26
- Canonical URL: https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/1-clement/39/4/

Summary: No mortal is pure before God.

## Greek text

Τί γάρ; μὴ καθαρὸς ἔσται βροτὸς ἔναντι κυρίου; ἢ ἀπὸ τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ ἄμεμπτος ἀνήρ, εἰ κατὰ παίδων αὐτοῦ οὐ πιστεύει, κατὰ δὲ ἀγγέλων αὐτοῦ σκολιόν τι ἐπενόησεν;

## English translation (Claude)

What then? Shall a mortal be pure before the Lord? Or a man blameless in his works, when he does not trust his servants and has found something crooked in his angels?

## Scripture references

- Job 4:17: quotation, high confidence
- Job 4:18: quotation, high confidence

## Citation (SBL)

1 Clem. 39.4 (trans. Sophia Scriptura, https://sophiascriptura.com/fathers/1-clement/39/4/).