2 Clement's "harmony"

The Phoenix Seminary got into the latest papyrus a few days ago. Without getting into details, this claim stuck out: This is the first known occurrence of the weaving together of material similar to Luke and Matthew, on the one hand, and material similar to — and otherwise known only from — the Gospel of Thomas, on the other.

I was like - wait, what, don't we have Thomas-leaning stuff from gospel-harmonies; and what about "2 Clement". The former is Problematic in academe so let's leave that aside. "2 Clement" although relaying Thomas lore ("Gospel of the Egyptians" lore, to Clement Alexandrine) doesn't quite "weave" that lore into other sayings. What POxy-5575 shows, be the possibility that 2 Clement's source might have woven it.

As with Justin's source. Albeit, Justin went without Thomas, and, being a haeresiologist, may have avoided this "gospel" deliberately.

Let's return to the second-most-famous departure of 2 Clement from Synoptic orthodoxy, here chapter 5's parallel between Matthew 10:16 then 28. This homily had cited 10:32 before that, in chapter 3.

The Matthean evangelist is recalling a long speech, not to the people around the new Sinai this time, but to the future Apostles. Matthew 10 likewise as 6 reads like a collection of earlier material. Luke will be relating much the same material but in different orders and contexts; hence the "Q" hypothesis, presumed common to both.

2 Clement 5 boldly asserts a narrative here. As in Matthew, 2 Clement has Jesus compare His entourage - presumably without His protection thus (also) Apostles - to sheep among wolves. This time Peter challenges Him. It is in that respect that Jesus points out that once the sheep are dead, they are done with earthly suffering; thus, for the sons of the "Father" (he is not "heavenly" in 2 Clement) the afterlife, wherever that be, is of more concern. In 2 Clement this flows naturally. More so than in Matthew, anyway.

I find no overlap between 2 Clement and POxy-5575. POxy-5575 only has Jesus' homily, with no dialogue nor narrative content. In particular: POxy-5575 / Matthew 6 commands μὴ μεριμνᾶτε where 2 Clement / Matthew 10 alludes μὴ φοβεῖσθε.

2 Clement elsewhere cites a saying as "the Gospel" as parallels Luke 16:10-12. Luke here owns no canonical synopsis; but follows this with the two-masters comment, which is Matthew 6:24. Koester assumed 2 Clement was using a Matthew / Luke harmony.

But 2 Clement's Peter dialogue looks more like the homilist is using something else entirely. If not POxy-5575, and not Egerton - then what?