{
  "id": "dict_001011",
  "term": "Clement (Philippians)",
  "slug": "clement-philippians",
  "letter": "C",
  "entry_type": "biblical_person",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "A Christian coworker mentioned by Paul in Philippians 4:3. Scripture gives no further certain identification of him.",
  "simple_one_line": "A believer named Clement, mentioned once by Paul as a fellow worker in Philippians 4:3.",
  "tooltip_text": "Clement (Philippians) is a Christian coworker named once in Philippians 4:3; his identity beyond that verse is uncertain.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Paul",
    "Philippians",
    "Book of Life"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Clement of Rome",
    "Fellowship",
    "Fellow Worker"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Clement is a Christian coworker mentioned by Paul in Philippians 4:3. The New Testament gives no reliable details about his background, ministry, or later life, so interpretation should stay close to the brief biblical reference.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "A named believer in Paul’s Philippian correspondence; otherwise unknown in Scripture.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Mentioned only in Philippians 4:3",
    "Called a coworker in the gospel context",
    "Not securely identifiable with Clement of Rome",
    "Best treated as a real but otherwise unnamed Bible person."
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Clement appears in Philippians 4:3 as one of Paul’s fellow workers whose name is in the book of life. Beyond that brief reference, the Bible does not provide reliable details about his background or ministry. Later identifications are possible but not certain.",
  "description_academic_full": "Clement is named once in the New Testament, in Philippians 4:3, where Paul includes him among his fellow workers and associates him with those whose names are in the book of life. This identifies Clement as a genuine Christian laborer known to Paul and to the Philippian church, but Scripture does not give his family background, office, hometown, or later service. Because the biblical data are so limited, careful readers should resist confident identification with Clement of Rome or with any other later figure. The safest conclusion is simply that Clement was a faithful believer recognized by Paul as part of the gospel work.",
  "background_biblical_context": "Philippians 4:3 is the only explicit biblical reference to Clement. The verse places him in the circle of Paul’s fellow workers and in the company of believers whose names are in the book of life.",
  "background_historical_context": "Later Christian tradition sometimes associated this Clement with Clement of Rome, but the identification cannot be demonstrated from Scripture and should be stated cautiously if mentioned at all.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "The name Clement was a common Greco-Roman personal name in the first century. The text itself does not indicate Jewish or Gentile background, social status, or place of origin.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Philippians 4:3"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "None beyond the single explicit New Testament reference",
    "any comparison with later traditions should remain secondary and tentative."
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Greek Κλήμης (Klēmēs), a personal name used in the Greco-Roman world.",
  "theological_significance": "Clement illustrates that God knows and records the names of ordinary gospel workers, even when Scripture preserves only a brief mention of them. The verse also reflects Paul’s confidence in the reality of the book of life.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "The entry is limited by the text itself: identity should not be expanded beyond what is explicitly revealed. Responsible interpretation distinguishes between what Scripture states, what can be inferred, and what later tradition proposes.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not treat Clement of Philippians as certainly identical with Clement of Rome. Do not build doctrine, chronology, or biography on this single verse. Keep the entry bounded by Philippians 4:3.",
  "major_views_note": "Most interpreters agree that Clement is a real Christian coworker named by Paul, but they differ on whether he can be identified with any later church figure. The identification remains uncertain.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "This entry should not be used to assert apostolic office, martyrdom, authorship, or any other detail not found in Scripture. The only firm claims are that he was a named coworker and is included by Paul among those in the book of life.",
  "practical_significance": "Clement’s brief mention encourages humility: many faithful servants of Christ are known to God even if history preserves little about them. It also reminds readers that ordinary believers can be significant in the spread of the gospel.",
  "meta_description": "Clement in Philippians 4:3: a Christian coworker mentioned once by Paul, with no certain further identification.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/clement-philippians/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/clement-philippians.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}