Clemens

Clemens is the name of several early Christians:

1. Flavius, son of Dabinuis, brother of the emperor Vespasian, and therefore first cousin of Domitian, whose niece, Flaia Domitilla, was his wife. Flavius Clemens held the consulate in A.D. 95, and had just resigned the office when he and his wife were arrested and convicted on the charge of atheism, undoubtedly referring to Christianity. They were accused, according to Dio Cassius, of "Judaizing" from which, in the popular mind, Christianity was hardly distinguishable. Clemens suffered death, and, his wife, Domitilla, was banished to one of the islands off the west coast of Italy (Sueton. Domit. § 15; Dio Cassius, Hist. lxvii, 14; Merivale, Romans Under the Empire, vii, 383; Lightfoot, Philippians, p, 22). SEE DOMITILLA.

2. Bishop of Ancyra, and martyr under, Diocletian and Maximian, A.D. 296; commemorated Jan. 23; He is said to have been the son of a heathen father and a Christian mother, Euphrosyne, who prophesied his martyrdom. The narrative relating to him is very doubtful (Tillemont, Memoires, v, 162).

3. A Greek historian and chronologer. His date is very uncertain but probably he lived in the 5th century.

4. One of the Irish missionaries. who opposed St. Boniface while enforcing submission to the papal authority. Germany, as part of the Christian law. Clement, and Addelbert, a Frankish bishop, were condemned and excommunicated at a Roman synod held in 745 or 748 by pope Zachary at the instigation of Boniface Clement probably died in prison (Neander, Christ. v, 77 sq.; Bonifacius, Opp. ii,.pass.; Mosheim, Eccl. Hist.; per. i, cent. viii, c.5; Wright, Biog. Brit. Lit. p. 326, 327).

5. A Hibernian or Scot, who went over to Gaul about the beginning of Charlemagne's reign (A.D. 772), and was well received by that monarch. St. Clemens was intrusted with the education of boys of all classes, and was made responsible to the king for their progress. But little is known of him except that the fame of his name attracted scholars even from Germany. The chief authority upon his life is the anonymous monk of St. Gall, in his two books, De. Gestis Caroli Mag. in Canisius, Antiq. Lect. ii, pt. iii, 57. He is commemorated March 20.