Who was the first Pope Clement?

Answer 1

Few details are known about Pope Clement's life. According to Tertullian, Clement was consecrated by Saint Peter, and he is known to have been a leading member of the church in Rome in the late 1st century. The order of the first popes is a bit confused. Early church lists place him as the second or third bishop of Rome after Saint Peter. He died about the year 99 and some say he was a martyr but there is no confirmation of this. His Letter to the Corinthians is one of the few non canonical documents that survives from the first century.

Answer 2

Catholic tradition says that Clement I was pope approximately 92-97 CE, although historically there was no Pope Clement I. Francis A. Sullivan SJ (From Apostles to Bishops) says that it is the consensus of scholars that the church of Rome was led by a college of presbyters, rather than a single bishop, for at least several decades of the second century. There may have been an early Roman presbyter named Clement, but without a monoepiscopal leadership role within the Roman church. The tradition that Clement was bishop of Rome during nineties of the first century arose because Eusebius mentions his name two hundred years later. A fanciful legend from the fourth century describes Clement's martyrdom. He is recognised as a saint.

For more information on the early popes, please visit:

http://christianity.answers.com/catholicism/a-brief-history-of-the-early-popes