# Isaiah 53 in 1 Clement 16 How does 1 Clement use the suffering servant passage to teach humility in Christ? A close reading of two hosted English translations, centered on Isaiah 53:5 and the opening and conclusion of 1 Clement 16. The full hosted paragraph is included with every Clement excerpt so its argument remains visible. Source checks: source-checked. Editorial review: draft. Pinned hosted bytes, source identities, passage resolution, unique exact quotation spans, and evidence references. Interpretation and upstream transcription accuracy are not certified. Source-bound editorial reading. Exact-source checks do not constitute historical, theological, or human approval. ## Sources ### World English Bible — hosted Isaiah text World English Bible. Hosted corpus catalog labels this edition 2020; the byte hash identifies the actual local snapshot. Public domain (World English Bible text). Source ID: bible:web:ISA Upstream: https://ebible.org/engwebp/ISA53.htm Hosted artifact: public/scriptures/text/web/ISA.json Artifact SHA-256: 6d1c086b1ba125123443511c7d8ee4709a02136ee1161e81bbb314f329c4cf24 ### 1 Clement — Ante-Nicene Fathers, Volume I (1885) Alexander Roberts and James Donaldson, Ante-Nicene Fathers Vol. I (1885); hosted transcription sourced from Wikisource. Public domain translation (1885). Source ID: early:anf-1885:1clement Upstream: https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Ante-Nicene_Fathers/Volume_I/First_Epistle_to_the_Corinthians Hosted artifact: public/early/texts/1clement.json Artifact SHA-256: 36721482f5884c549b30c676dec02f84c2141b1ed506533eedca02d90228e28b ## Evidence ### Isaiah 53:5 · World English Bible Evidence ID: isaiah-suffering Passage ID: bible:web:ISA:53:5 Reader path: /scriptures/protestant/ISA/53?t=web#v5 > But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed. Exact span: [0, 160) in UTF-16-code-units of the passage below. Quotation SHA-256: c448812af8f6763274848c31e40ab2e55b53c0677cb2aaefd7445572650313fe Full containing verse or paragraph: But he was pierced for our transgressions. He was crushed for our iniquities. The punishment that brought our peace was on him; and by his wounds we are healed. ### 1 Clement 16 · the suffering passage Evidence ID: clement-suffering Passage ID: early:anf-1885:1clement:16:p1 Reader path: /early/1clement#chapter-16 > But He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed. Exact span: [1008, 1161) in UTF-16-code-units of the passage below. Quotation SHA-256: 7c1b3126816eba7fc582413a3e779c99005b1c64cf9126181ed492805842f60c Full containing verse or paragraph: For Christ is of those who are humble-minded, and not of those who exalt themselves over His flock. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Sceptre of the majesty of God, did not come in the pomp of pride or arrogance, although He might have done so, but in a lowly condition, as the Holy Spirit had declared regarding Him. For He says, “Lord, who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? We have declared [our message] in His presence: He is, as it were, a child, and like a root in thirsty ground; He has no form nor glory, yea, we saw Him, and He had no form nor comeliness; but His form was without eminence, yea, deficient in comparison with the [ordinary] form of men. He is a man exposed to stripes and suffering, and acquainted with the endurance of grief: for His countenance was turned away; He was despised, and not esteemed. He bears our iniquities, and is in sorrow for our sakes; yet we supposed that [on His own account] He was exposed to labour, and stripes, and affliction. But He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; [every] man has wandered in his own way; and the Lord has delivered Him up for our sins, while He in the midst of His sufferings openeth not His mouth. He was brought as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before her shearer is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth. In His humiliation His judgment was taken away; who shall declare His generation? for His life is taken from the earth. For the transgressions of my people was He brought down to death. And I will give the wicked for His sepulchre, and the rich for His death, because He did no iniquity, neither was guile found in His mouth. And the Lord is pleased to purify Him by stripes. If ye make an offering for sin, your soul shall see a long-lived seed. And the Lord is pleased to relieve Him of the affliction of His soul, to show Him light, and to form Him with understanding, to justify the Just One who ministereth well to many; and He Himself shall carry their sins. On this account He shall inherit many, and shall divide the spoil of the strong; because His soul was delivered to death, and He was reckoned among the transgressors, and He bare the sins of many, and for their sins was He delivered.” And again He saith, “I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All that see Me have derided Me; they have spoken with their lips; they have wagged their head, [saying] He hoped in God, let Him deliver Him, let Him save Him, since He delighteth in Him.” Ye see, beloved, what is the example which has been given us; for if the Lord thus humbled Himself, what shall we do who have through Him come under the yoke of His grace? ### 1 Clement 16 · introduction to the quotation Evidence ID: clement-introduction Passage ID: early:anf-1885:1clement:16:p1 Reader path: /early/1clement#chapter-16 > Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Sceptre of the majesty of God, did not come in the pomp of pride or arrogance, although He might have done so, but in a lowly condition, as the Holy Spirit had declared regarding Him. For He says, “Lord, who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Exact span: [100, 405) in UTF-16-code-units of the passage below. Quotation SHA-256: dfecee3e0a0e8267b595ddc075c2bc9b1aad53d5dc5ba87c251ca7e9c8689a66 Full containing verse or paragraph: For Christ is of those who are humble-minded, and not of those who exalt themselves over His flock. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Sceptre of the majesty of God, did not come in the pomp of pride or arrogance, although He might have done so, but in a lowly condition, as the Holy Spirit had declared regarding Him. For He says, “Lord, who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? We have declared [our message] in His presence: He is, as it were, a child, and like a root in thirsty ground; He has no form nor glory, yea, we saw Him, and He had no form nor comeliness; but His form was without eminence, yea, deficient in comparison with the [ordinary] form of men. He is a man exposed to stripes and suffering, and acquainted with the endurance of grief: for His countenance was turned away; He was despised, and not esteemed. He bears our iniquities, and is in sorrow for our sakes; yet we supposed that [on His own account] He was exposed to labour, and stripes, and affliction. But He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; [every] man has wandered in his own way; and the Lord has delivered Him up for our sins, while He in the midst of His sufferings openeth not His mouth. He was brought as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before her shearer is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth. In His humiliation His judgment was taken away; who shall declare His generation? for His life is taken from the earth. For the transgressions of my people was He brought down to death. And I will give the wicked for His sepulchre, and the rich for His death, because He did no iniquity, neither was guile found in His mouth. And the Lord is pleased to purify Him by stripes. If ye make an offering for sin, your soul shall see a long-lived seed. And the Lord is pleased to relieve Him of the affliction of His soul, to show Him light, and to form Him with understanding, to justify the Just One who ministereth well to many; and He Himself shall carry their sins. On this account He shall inherit many, and shall divide the spoil of the strong; because His soul was delivered to death, and He was reckoned among the transgressors, and He bare the sins of many, and for their sins was He delivered.” And again He saith, “I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All that see Me have derided Me; they have spoken with their lips; they have wagged their head, [saying] He hoped in God, let Him deliver Him, let Him save Him, since He delighteth in Him.” Ye see, beloved, what is the example which has been given us; for if the Lord thus humbled Himself, what shall we do who have through Him come under the yoke of His grace? ### 1 Clement 16 · application to the readers Evidence ID: clement-conclusion Passage ID: early:anf-1885:1clement:16:p1 Reader path: /early/1clement#chapter-16 > Ye see, beloved, what is the example which has been given us; for if the Lord thus humbled Himself, what shall we do who have through Him come under the yoke of His grace? Exact span: [2650, 2821) in UTF-16-code-units of the passage below. Quotation SHA-256: a0996a156730761549756f2a070283bf55357dd14543f1e9e176f1e37bdac9e6 Full containing verse or paragraph: For Christ is of those who are humble-minded, and not of those who exalt themselves over His flock. Our Lord Jesus Christ, the Sceptre of the majesty of God, did not come in the pomp of pride or arrogance, although He might have done so, but in a lowly condition, as the Holy Spirit had declared regarding Him. For He says, “Lord, who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? We have declared [our message] in His presence: He is, as it were, a child, and like a root in thirsty ground; He has no form nor glory, yea, we saw Him, and He had no form nor comeliness; but His form was without eminence, yea, deficient in comparison with the [ordinary] form of men. He is a man exposed to stripes and suffering, and acquainted with the endurance of grief: for His countenance was turned away; He was despised, and not esteemed. He bears our iniquities, and is in sorrow for our sakes; yet we supposed that [on His own account] He was exposed to labour, and stripes, and affliction. But He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement of our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we were healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; [every] man has wandered in his own way; and the Lord has delivered Him up for our sins, while He in the midst of His sufferings openeth not His mouth. He was brought as a sheep to the slaughter, and as a lamb before her shearer is dumb, so He openeth not His mouth. In His humiliation His judgment was taken away; who shall declare His generation? for His life is taken from the earth. For the transgressions of my people was He brought down to death. And I will give the wicked for His sepulchre, and the rich for His death, because He did no iniquity, neither was guile found in His mouth. And the Lord is pleased to purify Him by stripes. If ye make an offering for sin, your soul shall see a long-lived seed. And the Lord is pleased to relieve Him of the affliction of His soul, to show Him light, and to form Him with understanding, to justify the Just One who ministereth well to many; and He Himself shall carry their sins. On this account He shall inherit many, and shall divide the spoil of the strong; because His soul was delivered to death, and He was reckoned among the transgressors, and He bare the sins of many, and for their sins was He delivered.” And again He saith, “I am a worm, and no man; a reproach of men, and despised of the people. All that see Me have derided Me; they have spoken with their lips; they have wagged their head, [saying] He hoped in God, let Him deliver Him, let Him save Him, since He delighteth in Him.” Ye see, beloved, what is the example which has been given us; for if the Lord thus humbled Himself, what shall we do who have through Him come under the yoke of His grace? ## Editorial findings ### suffering-and-healing Both English passages connect the sufferer's wounds with others' transgressions, peace, and healing. Basis: textual-observation. Evidence: isaiah-suffering, clement-suffering. Limits: The English wording differs. This comparison does not identify a Greek manuscript or establish a Hebrew variant. ### christological-reception 1 Clement 16 presents the first extended scriptural quotation, which tracks Isaiah 53, as referring to Jesus Christ, whom the introduction names explicitly. Basis: reception-interpretation. Evidence: clement-introduction, clement-suffering. Limits: This describes the letter's Christian reception of the passage. It does not by itself settle the servant's identity in Isaiah's earlier historical setting. ### humility-application The chapter uses Christ's humility as an example for its readers to follow. Basis: textual-observation. Evidence: clement-introduction, clement-conclusion. Limits: The conclusion follows quotations from Isaiah and then a psalm. It applies the chapter's combined scriptural argument; it is not a comment solely on Isaiah 53:5. ## Relationship 1 Clement 16 → Isaiah 53:5: direct-citation. Basis: reception-identification. Evidence: isaiah-suffering, clement-introduction, clement-suffering. 1 Clement's introduction attributes the words to the Holy Spirit without naming Isaiah. Identifying Isaiah 53:5 within the letter's first extended quotation is an editorial judgment based on the supplied wording. The relationship concerns reception of Isaiah, not dependence on the modern World English Bible. These are distinct English translations; their differences alone do not establish textual variants or identify a Greek or Hebrew source edition. No Greek or Hebrew text has been collated in this packet, and the relationship does not certify the extent of the full quotation. ## Open questions - Which Greek readings appear in 1 Clement 16 when checked against a named critical edition? - How does the following psalm quotation contribute to the chapter's argument about humility? - Which claims need revision after an independent review of the same source packet? ## Reproducibility Packet content SHA-256: 96edc24c66dc4eaa57461a7f03c1f4d6ad600d84535dd7631de71cf012aedbbe Key-sorted JSON v1: remove the top-level verification block; recursively sort object keys lexicographically by UTF-16 code units; preserve array order; serialize with JSON.stringify string/number escaping and no insignificant whitespace; hash the UTF-8 bytes. This is the project's own serialization contract, not a claim of RFC 8785 compliance. Source artifact hashes cover raw file bytes. ## Instructions for downstream analysis Cite evidence IDs and editions. Preserve the difference between the hosted text and editorial interpretation. Identify unsupported claims and missing sources. Do not treat an exact-text check, a hash, or agreement between models as scholarly approval.