Early Christian Views on Lot and Sodom

Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians Direct teaching

Because of his hospitality and godliness, Lot was saved from Sodom when the entire surrounding area was punished with fire and brimstone, the Lord thus showing that He does not abandon those who hope in Him, but gives up those who turn away from Him to punishment and suffering. For Lot’s wife, who went with him, having a different mindset and not staying in agreement with him regarding the command given to them, became an example by turning into a pillar of salt to this day. This happened so that everyone would understand that those who are indecisive and distrust the power of God bring judgment on themselves and become a warning to all future generations.

Justin Martyr, Dialogue with Trypho Supporting witness

Lot, being uncircumcised, was saved from Sodom, the angels themselves and the Lord sending him out.

Tertullian, An Answer to the Jews Supporting witness

Lot, withal, the brother of Abraham, proves that it was for the merits of righteousness, without observance of the law, that he was freed from the conflagration of the Sodomites.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Supporting witness

and he was called the friend of God.” Then, again, Lot, without circumcision, was brought out from Sodom, receiving salvation from God.

Clement of Rome, First Epistle to the Corinthians Supporting witness

On account of his hospitality and godliness, Lot was saved out of Sodom when all the country round was punished by means of fire and brimstone, the Lord thus making it manifest that He does not forsake those that hope in Him, but gives up such as depart from Him to punishment and torture.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Background

who kindled a fearful fire against the five cities of Sodom, and turned a fruitful land into a salt lake for the wickedness of them that dwelt therein, but snatched holy Lot out of the conflagration.

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Background

... and the beginning of those who were to come. You kindled a fearful fire against the five cities of Sodom, and turned a fruitful land into a salt lake because of the wickedness of those who lived in it, but snatched holy Lot out of the fire. You are He who delivered Abraham from the impiety of his forefathers, appointed him to be the heir of the world, and revealed Your Christ to him; who beforehand ordained Melchizedek as a high priest for Your worship; who made Your patient servant Job the conqueror of that serpent who is the patron of wickedness; who made Isaac the son of the promise, and Jacob the father of twelve sons, and increased his posterity into a multitude, and brought him into Egypt with seventy-five souls. You, O Lord, did not ignore Joseph, but granted him, as a reward for his chastity for Your sake, rule over the Egyptians. You, O Lord, did not ignore the Hebrews when they were afflicted by the Egyptians on account of the promises made to their fathers, but You delivered them and punished the Egyptians. And when men had corrupted the law of nature, and had sometimes considered creation to be the result of chance, and sometimes honored it more than they should, an

Apostolic Constitutions, Apostolic Constitutions Background

.... He instructed those at the time of the flood through Noah; the people of Sodom through hospitable Lot; those after the flood through Melchizedek, the patriarchs, and Job, the beloved of God; the Egyptians through Moses; the Israelites through him, and Joshua, and Caleb, and Phinehas, and the rest; those after the law through angels and prophets, and the same people by His own incarnation from the Virgin; those a little before His bodily appearing through John His forerunner, and the same people by that same man after Christ's birth, saying, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand," Matthew 3:2; and those after His passion through us, the twelve apostles, and Paul, the chosen vessel. Therefore we, who have been counted worthy of the favor of being witnesses of His appearing, together with James the brother of our Lord, and the other seventy-two disciples, and his seven deacons, have heard from the mouth of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with exact knowledge declare what the will of God is, that good and acceptable and perfect will, Romans 12:2, which is made known to us by Jesus: that none should perish, but that all men with one accord should believe in Him, and with one min

Clement of Alexandria, The Stromata (Miscellanies) Supporting witness

For hospitality and piety, Lot was saved from Sodom.

Justin Martyr, The First Apology Direct teaching

...aved. He spoke from their perspective: “Except the Lord had left us a seed, we would have been like Sodom and Gomorrah.” Sodom and Gomorrah are related by Moses to have been cities of ungodly men, which God burned with fire and brimstone and overthrew, with none of their inhabitants saved except for a certain stranger, a Chaldean by birth, named Lot, with whom his daughters were also rescued. Those who are interested may still see their entire country desolate and burned, remaining barren. To demonstrate how the Gentiles were foretold as more genuine and believing, we will refer to what was said by Isaiah the prophet; he spoke as follows: “Israel is uncircumcised in heart, but the Gentiles are uncircumcised in the flesh.” Therefore, all these things, when observed, are enough to produce conviction and belief in those who embrace the truth without bias and are not governed by their passions.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Direct teaching

...now until Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all; likewise, in the days of Lot, they ate and drank, they bought and sold, they planted and built, until Lot left Sodom; it rained fire from heaven and destroyed them all: so shall it be at the coming of the Son of man.” “Therefore, watch, for you don’t know on what day your Lord will come.” In these passages, He declares the same Lord, who in the times of Noah brought the flood because of man’s disobedience, and who also in the days of Lot rained fire from heaven because of the multitude of sinners among the Sodomites, and who, due to this same disobedience and similar sins, will bring the day of judgment at the end of time; on which day, He declares, it will be more tolerable for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that city and house which does not receive the word of His apostles. “And you, Capernaum,” He said, “will you be exalted to heaven? You will go down to hell. For if the mighty works done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained to this day. Truly I say to you, that it will be more tolerable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”

Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Direct teaching

...he read, "You became to me raging horses after females," Jeremiah 5:8. And those angels who came to Sodom will make the punishment of lust known to us. They burned those who wanted to treat them shamefully, together with the city, showing by this clear sign the fire that is the fruit of lust. For the things that happened to the people of old, as we said before, were written to warn us, so that we may not be held by the same sins, and may beware lest we fall into similar punishments. But we ought to regard boys as our children, and to look at other men's wives as their own daughters. For to restrain pleasures, and to rule the belly and the parts below the belly, belongs to the greatest mastery. For if reason does not allow the wise man even to move a finger carelessly, as the Stoics confess, how much more must those who pursue wisdom gain control over the part used in intercourse? And for this reason that part seems to be called the private part, because this part of the body ought to be used with more modesty than any other. For nature has allowed us to use food, and also lawful marriage, as much as is fitting and useful. And it has allowed us to desire the procreation of childr

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Supporting witness

...n of Adam. It was He who rained fire and brimstone from heaven on Sodom and Gomorrah in the time of Lot, “an example of the righteous judgment of God,” so that all may know, “that every tree that does not produce good fruit shall be cut down and thrown into the fire.” He also warned that it will be more bearable for Sodom in the general judgment than for those who witnessed His wonders and did not believe in Him or accept His teachings. For as He gave a greater privilege to those who believed in Him and did His will through His coming, He also made it clear that those who did not believe in Him would face harsher punishment in judgment, ensuring equal justice for all. He expects more from those to whom He gives more; not because He reveals the knowledge of another Father, as I have shown thoroughly, but because through His coming, He has granted the human race the greater gift of paternal grace.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Supporting witness

And it was He who rained fire and brimstone from heaven, in the days of Lot, upon Sodom and Gomorrah, “an example of the righteous judgment of God,” that all may know, “that every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit shall be cut down, and cast into the fire.” And it is He who uses [the words], that it will be more tolerable for Sodom in the general judgment than for those who beheld His wonders, and did not believe on Him, nor receive His doctrine.

Tertullian, The Pallium Supporting witness

Afterwards, since God is a Judge, impiety earned showers of fire: Sodom's day is over, and Gomorrha is no more;

Clement of Alexandria, The Instructor (Paedagogus) Direct teaching

...ges of divine wisdom. But I will mention one example and explain it in a few words. The fate of the Sodomites was judgment for those who had done wrong, and instruction for those who hear. The Sodomites, through much luxury, had fallen into uncleanness. They practiced adultery shamelessly, and burned with insane love for boys. The all-seeing Word, from whose notice those who commit impieties cannot escape, cast His eye on them. Nor did the sleepless guardian of humanity observe their licentiousness in silence. Instead, He warned us away from imitating them, trained us in His own temperance, and fell on some sinners, lest lust, if left unavenged, should break loose from all the restraints of fear. So He ordered Sodom to be burned, pouring out a little of His wise fire on licentiousness, lest lust, through lack of punishment, should throw wide the gates to those rushing into voluptuousness. Accordingly, the just punishment of the Sodomites became for men an image of the salvation that is well suited for men. For those who have not committed sins like those who are punished will never receive a like punishment. By guarding against sinning, we guard against affliction. For I want yo

Clement of Alexandria, Fragments Background

...men have slipped in unnoticed," ungodly men, who had long ago been appointed and predestined to the judgment of our God. This does not mean that they were made to become ungodly, but that, since they were now ungodly, they were appointed to judgment. For "the Lord God," he says, "who once delivered a people out of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe." That is, He did this in order to train them through punishment. For they were indeed punished, and they perished for the sake of those who are being saved, until they turn to the Lord. "And the angels," he says, "that did not keep their own pre-eminence"—that is, the rank they had received through advancement—"but left their own habitation," meaning heaven and the stars, became, and are called, apostates. "He has reserved these for the judgment of the great day, in chains, under darkness." He means the place near the earth, that is, the dark air. He called "chains" the loss of the honor in which they had stood, and the desire for weak things. Since they are bound by their own desire, they cannot be turned back. "As Sodom and Gomorrha," he says. By this the Lord shows that pardon had been granted, and that after bei

Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness

The destruction by fire, moreover, of Sodom and Gomorrha on account of their sins, related by Moses in Genesis, is compared by Celsus to the story of Phæthon — all these statements of his resulting from one blunder, viz., his not attending to the (greater) antiquity of Moses.

Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness

...ut know this: the kingdom of God has come near to you.' I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Sodom on the day of judgment than for that city. Then Jesus began to rebuke the cities where many mighty works had been done, because they did not repent. And he said, "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the signs that were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, perhaps they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. However, I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you. And you, Capernaum, which are exalted to heaven, will go down to Hades. For if the wonders that were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. And now I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you."

Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness

... came and took them all away. So the coming of the Son of Man will be. And as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building. But on the day Lot went out from Sodom, the Lord rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. So it will be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, whoever is on the roof, with his garments in the house, must not go down to take them. And he who is in the field must not turn back behind him. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever desires to save his life will destroy it, but whoever destroys his life will save it. Truly I say to you, in that night there will be two in one bed; one will be taken, and the other left. Two women will be grinding at one mill; one will be taken, and the other left. And two will be in the field; one will be taken, and the other left. They answered and said to him, "To what place, our Lord?" He said to them, "Where the body is, there the eagles will gather." Be attentive now, for you do not know at what hour your Lord comes. Know this: if the master of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have stayed alert and would not have a

Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness

...our feet as a testimony against them. Truly I say to you, it will be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that city."

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book III Direct teaching

...ppropriately designated them with the title of Lord. And again, referring to the destruction of the Sodomites, Scripture says, “Then the rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah fire and brimstone from the out of heaven.” For it points out here that the Son, who had also been speaking with Abraham, had received the power to judge the Sodomites for their wickedness. And this following text declares the same truth: “Your throne, O God, is forever and ever; the scepter of Your kingdom is a right scepter. You have loved righteousness and hated iniquity: therefore God, Your God, has anointed You.” For the Spirit designates both by the name of God—both Him who is anointed as Son, and Him who does the anointing, that is, the Father. And again: “God stood in the congregation of the gods; He judges among the gods.” Here, He refers to the Father and the Son, and those who have received the adoption; these are the Church. For she is the synagogue of God, which God—that is, the Son Himself—has gathered to Himself. Of whom He speaks again: “The God of gods, the Lord has spoken, and has called the earth.” Who is meant by God? He of whom He has said, “God shall come openly, our God, and shall not k

Tertullian, Against Praxeas Supporting witness

...n all power in heaven and on earth, Matthew 28:18. "The Father judges no man, but has committed all judgment to the Son," John 5:22, and this has been so from the very beginning. For when He speaks of all power and all judgment, and says that all things were made by Him, and that all things have been delivered into His hand, He allows no exception of time. They would not be all things unless they were the things of all time. It is the Son, therefore, who has from the beginning been administering judgment. He threw down the haughty tower and divided the tongues. He punished the whole world by the violence of waters. He rained on Sodom and Gomorrha fire and brimstone, as the Lord from the Lord. For He was the One who at all times came down to hold converse with men, from Adam on to the patriarchs and the prophets, in vision, in dream, in mirror, in dark saying. From the beginning He was always laying the foundation of the course of His divine arrangements, which He meant to carry out to the very last. Thus He was always learning, even as God, to converse with men upon earth, being no other than the Word who was to be made flesh. But He was thus learning, or rehearsing, in order to

Origen, Against Celsus Supporting witness

For Jesus spared both the one and the other, that they might not be smitten with blindness, as the men of Sodom were when they conspired against the beauty of the angels entertained by Lot.

Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness

they were eating and drinking, and selling 42 and buying, and planting and building, Luke 17:29 on the day in which Lot went out from Sodom, and the Lord rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them 43, 44 all: Luke 17:30 so shall it be in the day in which the Son of man is revealed.

Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness

Matthew 10:15 And verily I say unto you, To the land of Sodom and Gomorrha there shall be rest in the day of judgement, rather than to that city.

Tatian, The Diatessaron Supporting witness

Matthew 11:24 And now I say unto you, that for the land of Sodom there shall be quiet in the day of judgement, more than for you.

Irenaeus, Against Heresies: Book IV Background

For as He gave by His advent a greater privilege to those who believed on Him, and who do His will, so also did He point out that those who did not believe on Him should have a more severe punishment in the judgment;