How 1 Clement Uses Scripture: A Dissertation-Level Textual Analysis

This presentation examines how 1 Clement engages and employs Scripture through a close, text-critical analysis grounded in Stephen Boyce's 2021 doctoral dissertation. Rather than treating 1 Clement as a collection of loose biblical allusions, this study evaluates its scriptural usage against the critical editions of the Greek Old Testament (LXX) and the Greek New Testament, paying close attention to citation technique, verbal agreement, and patterns of adaptation. Special attention is given to whether 1 Clement reflects direct literary dependence, shared liturgical tradition, or mediated scriptural memory, and how these factors inform questions of authority, transmission, and early Christian interpretive practice. The analysis is data-driven, chart-based, and focused on demonstrable textual relationships rather than later theological assumptions. This session is intended for those interested in early Christian literature, canon formation, and the mechanics of scriptural use in the late first century. Here is a link to the data analysis: https://www.academia.edu/150283075/The_Use_of_Scripture_in_Early_Christian_Writings_A_Textual_Analysis_of_1_Clement_Polycarp_the_Didache_and_Ignatius