A third possible quotation might also be added,
but it is not as secure or obvious as the previous references. In 1 Clement
59:4 the author may have borrowed from Judith 9:11. In this passage Clement
petitioned God to help many groups of people. Clement's list is somewhat
similar to the passage in Judith which lists some of the qualities of God.
Since both passages have topical agreement, it seems possible (if not probable)
that Clement had the Judith passage— along with other passages— in mind in this
paraphrastic recitation. As with the other quotations Clement used no
introductory phrase with this passage.
In addition to the quotations, Judith and
Esther were specifically mentioned as examples of those who received blessings
from God. First Clement 55:4f. mentions the "blessed Judith" and that
Holofernes was killed "by the hand of a woman." This clearly reflects
Judith 13:15b and 16:5(6). As no direct quotation was intended, no introduction
of a quotation was given. There can be no doubt, however, that the intended
reference was to the apocryphal story of Judith.
The following reference in 1 Clement 55:6 gave
Esther as an example of one who received blessings from God. Although Esther is
part of the Old Testament canon, the reference in 1 Clement tends to imply that
the author of Clement knew of Esther from the expanded (apocryphal) version.
The canonical (Protestant) version of Esther is not an overtly religious book;
neither God nor religious practices are mentioned. The additions to Esther, on
the other hand, "make frequent reference to God, emphasize his choice of
Abraham and Israel, and give prominence to prayer."' Since Clement knew of
Esther as "perfect in faith," one who "fasted," and sought
"the all-Seeing Master of the Ages," it seems likely that he knew
Esther in the apocryphal form.
Esther and Judith seem to have been appealed to
as examples of women of the faith. They were mentioned as authorities, and
there is no indication that their authority was any less than other great
heroes of the Old Testament. (Ralph J. Brabban II, “The Use of the Apocrypha
and Pseudepigrapha in the Writings of the Apostolic Fathers” [PhD Dissertation;
Baylor University, August 1984], 349-51)
