Clement of Alexandria (c. 150 A.D. – c. 215 A.D.) has often been portrayed as a Christian teacher who ministered apart from the ἐκκλησία. Hans Von Campenhausen’s view represents this opinion of Clement: “Clement himself and his own teachers are outside the rank of the professional clergy” and “in his spiritual instructions he hardly ever finds occasion to speak of the ‘shepherds’ belonging to his church” (1969). However, recent scholarship of the last twenty years has given rise to a different Clement who is concerned about the spirituality of Christians within the context of the local assembly. Piotr Ashwin-Siejkowski admits that Clement’s model for spirituality appears at times “to address a kind of spiritual and intellectual loner,” but he quickly adds that “this perception is misleading” (2008). Ashwin-Siejkowski contends that, according to Clement, “the natural habitat” for Clement’s spiritual Christian is the ἐκκλησία.
While recent scholarship has demonstrated that Clement held a robust theology of the Church, there has not yet been a reexamination of Clement’s views on church music in light of this new perspective. The early portrayals of Clement as being apart from the Church are reflected in scholarly opinions of Clement’s music. For instance, Thielko Wolbergs, who provides a major poetical analysis of Clement’s 66-line hymn, suggests that Clement’s hymn was not likely a song used for congregational singing (1971). This is unfortunate since Clement’s hymn exudes a musical ecclesiology, even using pastoral imagery that Campenhausen claims he lacks. He calls the Church the “all-holy flock” and the “the sheep of the Word.” He also calls the people of God to join their voices as a choir: “As the choir of peace, a Christ-born chaste people, let us psalm together the God of peace.” In this paper, I will reexamine Clement’s views on church music, focusing on the liturgical context of the Hymn to Christ. In doing so, I will argue that Clement’s perspectives on music demonstrate not only his commitment to the catholicity of the Church but also his devotion to the local church in Alexandria. To conclude, I will highlight ways this early Christian view of church music is essential for congregations today.