This last phase must have occurred before Irenaeus ca. A preferred date would be On the basis of this internal analysis multiple authorship seems necessary Giet , though the work could have been composed by one person over a long period of time Joly The Shepherd of Hermas, a strange allegory written sometime in the second century, had a great vogue in orthodox circles and was even included in some copies of the New Testament it is found in the Sinaitic Codex.
The theology of the Church must have been very elastic at a time when such a book could enjoy popularity and implicit, if not explicit, ecclesiastical sanction, for its Christology does not seem to square with any of the Christologies of the New Testament, or with those of contemporary theologians whose occasional documents have reached us. For to this end also was I appointed by the glorious angel to dwell in thy house, that thou mightest see all things mightily, in nothing terrified, even as before.
The eighth mountain was full of springs, and every kind of creature of the Lord did drink of the springs on that mountain.
The tenth mountain had very large trees and was umbrageous throughout, and beneath the shade lay sheep resting and feeding. The twelfth mountain was altogether white and its aspect was cheerful; and the mountain was most beauteous in itself. The rock was loftier than the mountains, being four-square, so that it could contain the whole world.
And the gate glistened beyond the brightness of the sun, so that I marvelled at the brightness of the gate. The four then that stood at the corners seemed to me to be more glorious than the rest ; but the others likewise were glorious; and they stood at the four quarters of the gate, and virgins stood in pairs between them.
Thus were they prepared, for they were very cheerful and eager. For whatsoever things thou canst not comprehend, attempt them not, if thou art prudent; but entreat the Lord, that thou mayest receive understanding to comprehend them.
The things therefore which thou canst not see, let alone, and trouble not thyself about them; but the things which thou seest, these master, and be not over curious about the rest; but I will explain unto thee all things whatsoever I shall show thee. Have an eye therefore to what remaineth.
And the others also which came were tall men and handsome and powerful. And the six men ordered them to build a tower above the gate. And there arose a great noise from those men who had come to build the tower, as they ran hither and thither round the gate. Now the virgins had spread out their hands, as if they would take something from the men.
And there went up ten stones square and polished, [not] hewn from a quarry. And so they carried all the stones. And they carried them right through the gate, as they were ordered, and handed them to the men for the tower; and these took the stones and builded.
Those ten stones then were joined together, and they covered the whole rock. And these formed a foundation for the building of the tower. And [the rock and] the gate supported the whole tower. And after these thirty-five stones came up. And these likewise were fitted into the tower. And after these came up other forty stones. So four rows were made in the foundations of the tower. And again the six men ordered the multitude of the people to bring in stones from the mountains for the building of the tower.
And when the various stones were placed in the building, they became all alike and white, and they lost their various colors. These stones then were unsightly in the building of the tower. For if," [say they,] they be not carried in through the gate by the hands of these virgins, they cannot change their colors.
Labor not therefore," [say they,] "in vain. And the six men ordered the builders to retire for a short time [all of them], and to rest; but the virgins they ordered not to retire from the tower.
And methought the virgins were left to guard the tower. For after a few days we shall come here, and thou shalt see the sequel that overtaketh this tower and shalt understand all the parables accurately. And they said that he would be there directly to inspect the building. And the virgins that watched the tower ran up and kissed him, and they began to walk by his side round the tower.
And he would not have them brought from the mountains, but ordered them to be brought from a certain plain that was nigh at hand. And all the stones which there were anywhere in that plain were brought every one of them, and were carried through the gate by the virgins.
So they were placed by the side of the tower, as though they were intended to be shaped and placed in the building; for they were very bright. And the virgins stood round the tower watching it. And the shepherd ordered them to be removed from the tower and to be put on one side. And the virgins took them up and placed them in the building of the tower in a middle position.
But the rest he ordered to be placed with the black ones; for these also were found black. And they were placed towards the outside, because they were found to be sounder. But the rest could not be shaped owing to the number of the cracks.
For this reason therefore they were cast aside from the building of the tower. But those of them which remained he cleaned and shaped, and ordered to be placed in the building So the virgins took them up, and fitted them into the middle of the building of the tower; for they were somewhat weak.
But all the rest were [found white, and were] taken up by the virgins; for being white they were fitted by [the virgins] them[selves] into the building. But they were placed towards the outside, because they were found sound, so that they could hold together those that were placed in the middle; for not a single one of them was too short.
But the rest of them were shaped [and taken up by the virgins] and fitted into the middle of the building of the tower; for they were somewhat weak.
Yet some of them must of necessity be placed into the building. And the master of the tower is exceedingly anxious that these stones be fitted into the building, for they are very bright. And these women, methought, had a savage look. And the shepherd ordered them to take up the stones which had been cast away from the building, and to carry them off to the same mountains from which also they had been brought;. And after all the stones had been taken up, and not a single stone still lay round the tower, the shepherd saith unto me; "Let us go round the tower, and see that there is no defect in it.
And the stone-work appeared as if hewn out of the rock; for it seemed to me to be all a single stone. And the shepherd saith to me; "Go and bring plaster and fine clay, that I may fill up the shapes of the stones that have been taken up and put into the building; for all the circuit of the tower must be made smooth. If the lord come to inspect the tower, he hath nothing for which to blame us.
He saith to me; "I am busy for a little while, and then I will explain everything to thee. Await me here till I come. The shepherd calleth them to him and saith to them; "I commend this man to you till I come," and he departed.
For some of them began to dance, [others to skip,] others to sing. But I kept silence and walked with them round the tower, and was glad with them. And I stayed the night with them, and I slept by the side of the tower. And the virgins rejoiced that I so prayed. And I stayed there with the virgins until the morning till the second hour. I say to him, "Sir, I was rejoiced to stay with them. The rock and the gate, what is it?
Therefore also He is ancient. With these then the Lord is walled around. But the gate is the Son of God; there is this one entrance only to the Lord. No one then shall enter in unto Him otherwise than through His Son. Of these glorious angels not one," saith he, "shall enter in unto God without Him; whosoever shall not receive His name, shall not enter into the kingdom of God.
For these virgins are powers of the Son of God. If [therefore] thou bear the Name, and bear not His power, thou shalt bear His Name to none effect. Whosoever beareth the Name of the Son of God, ought to bear the names of these also; for even the Son Himself beareth the names of these virgins.
So also they that have believed in the Lord through His Son and clothe themselves in these spirits, shall become one spirit and one body, and their garments all of one color. But such persons as bear the names of the virgins have their dwelling in the tower. For they passed through the gate and were placed in the building of the tower by the hands of the virgins. When then they received these spirits, they were strengthened, and were with the servants of God, and they had one spirit and one body [and one garment]; for they had the same mind, and they wrought righteousness.
When they saw them they desired them, and they clothed themselves with their power, but they stripped off from themselves the power of the virgins. But they that were not deceived by the beauty of these women remained in the house of God. So thou hast," saith he, "the interpretation of them that were cast aside.
Shall they not enter into the house of God? For this is the reason why there was also a cessation in the building, that, if these repent, they may go into the building of the tower; but if they repent not, then others will go, and these shall be cast away finally.
If then all creation is sustained by the Son [of God], what thinkest thou of those that are called by Him, and bear the name of the Son of God, and walk according to His commandments?
Even those that bear His name with their whole heart. He Himself then is become their foundation, and He sustaineth them gladly, because they are not ashamed to bear His name. He that beareth these names and the name of the Son of God shall be able to enter into the kingdom of God. Of these also four are more powerful than the rest; the first is Unbelief; the second, Intemperance; the third, Disobedience; the fourth, Deceit; and their followers are called, Sadness, Wickedness, Wantonness, Irascibility, Falsehood, Folly, Slander, Hatred.
The servant of God that beareth these names shall see the kingdom of God, but shall not enter into it. For before a man," saith he, "has borne the name of [the Son of] God, he is dead; but when he has received the seal, he layeth aside his deadness, and resumeth life.
But these went down alive [and again came up alive]; whereas the others that had fallen asleep before them went down dead and came up alive. For this cause also they came up with them, and were fitted with them into the building of the tower and were builded with them, without being shaped; for they fell asleep in righteousness and in great purity.
Only they had not this seal. Thou hast then the interpretation of these things also. Wherefore are their forms diverse the one from the other, and various? To these tribes then the Son of God was preached by the Apostles. As various, then, as thou sawest these mountains to be, such also are the varieties in the mind of these nations, and such their understanding.
And I will show unto thee the conduct of each. So having received the seal, they had one understanding and one mind, and one faith became theirs and [one] love, and they bore the spirits of the virgins along with the Name; therefore the building of the tower became of one color, even bright as the sun. Therefore they that have not known God, and commit wickedness, are condemned to death; but they that have known God and seen His mighty works, and yet commit wickedness, shall receive a double punishment, and shall die eternally.
In this way therefore shall the Church of God be purified. Thus shall it be with the Church of God also, after she hath been purified, and the wicked and hypocrites and blasphemers and double-minded and they that commit various kinds of wickedness have been cast out. And then the Son of God shall rejoice and be glad in them, for that He hath received back His people pure.
For these there is no repentance, but there is death. For this cause also they are black; for their race is lawless. And these then are like the former in not having the fruit of righteousness.
For, even as their mountain is unfruitful, so likewise such men as these have a name indeed, but they are void of the faith, and there is no fruit of truth in them. For these then repentance is offered, if they repent quickly; but if they delay, they will have their death with the former. For their doings are almost the same. But they shall pay a certain penalty; yet repentance is ordained for them, because they are not become blasphemers or betrayers. The briars are the wealthy, and the thorns are they that are mixed up in various business affairs.
Such men therefore shall hardly enter into the kingdom of God. If then they shall repent and do some good, they shall live unto God; but if they continue in their doings, they shall be delivered over to those women, the which shall put them to death. Such men are neither alive nor dead.
They are, therefore, like unto the double-minded; for the double-minded are neither green nor withered; for they are neither alive nor dead. Yet these also, if they repent quickly, shall be able to live; but if they repent not, they are delivered over already to the women who deprive them of their life. Of these then many were cast away, but some repented and believed, and submitted themselves to those that had understanding, having learnt their own senselessness.
If these then shall repent, they shall live unto God; but if they repent not, they shall have their abode with the women who work evil against them. These then were thrown right away from the tower and rejected from its building.
Such persons therefore shall with difficulty live. For the Lord hath put you to the proof, and enrolled you among our number, and your whole seed shall dwell with the Son of God; for of His Spirit did ye receive.
Such therefore shall have their entrance with the angels. If then they abide in the same evil desire, they are dead and there is no hope of life for them; but if they turn again and fulfill their ministrations in purity, it shall be possible for them to live. If a man therefore will repent, let him do so speedily before the tower is completed; but if not, he shall be destroyed by the women and put to death. For as wild beasts with their venom poison and kill a man, so also do the words of such men poison and kill a man.
They therefore that have done these things are glorious in the sight of God, and their place is even now with the angels, if they shall continue unto the end serving the Lord. Now here why their fruits are various, and some surpassing others. But as many as become cowards, and were lost in uncertainty, and considered in their hearts whether they should deny or confess, and yet suffered, their fruits are less, because this design entered into their heart; for this design is evil, that a servant should deny his own lord.
But ye that suffer for the Name's sake ought to glorify God, because God deemed you worthy that ye should bear this name, and that all your sins should be healed.
The Lord bestoweth life upon you, and ye percieved it not; for your sins weighed you down, and if ye had not suffered for the Name [of the Lord], ye had died unto God by reason of your sins.
Confess that ye have the Lord, lest denying Him ye be delivered into prison. Away with these designs from your hearts, that ye may live forever unto God. Blessed then are ye, as many as have put away wickedness from you, and have clothed yourselves in guilelessness: ye shall live unto God cheifest of all.
The stones which were taken from the plain and placed in the building of the tower in the room of those that were rejected, are the roots of this white mountain. For He knew that if these stones should go into the building [of the tower], they would remain bright and not one of them would turn black. Now all these have been found white, who have believed and who shall believe; for they are of the same kind.
Blessed is this kind, for it is innocent! All these are from the white mountain. Now here wherefore they have been found round. Their riches have darkened and obscured them a little from the truth. So therefore they have been cut away a little, and placed in the building of this tower". For it is necessary that they should enter into the kingdom of God; because the Lord hath blessed this innocent kind. Of this kind then not one shall perish.
Yea, even though any one of them being tempted by the most wicked devil have committed any fault, he shall return speedily unto his Lord. But if he find any part of the flock scattered, woe unto the shepherds. Will they say that they were harassed by the flock? No credence will be given them. For it is an incredible thing that a shepherd should be injured by his flock; and he will be punished the more because of his falsehood. And I am the shepherd, and it behoveth me most strongly to render an account for you.
Restore therefore to Him your spirit whole as ye received it. Wilt thou not at once blaze out and attack him with reproaches, saying; "The garment which I gave thee was whole; wherefore hast thou rent it and made it useless? See, by reason of the rent, which thou hast made in it, it cannot be of use. For its use began to be useless, when it was corrupted by thee.
Will not therefore the Lord of this spirit for this thy deed punish [thee with death]? Practice then repentance which is expedient for you. The Shepherd of Hermas is treated together with the rest of the writings constituting the corpus of Apostolic Fathers through a series of chapters dedicated to overarching themes such as uses of Scripture, structures of leadership, and theological ideas.
Joly, Robert. Part 2. Edited by Wolfgang Haase and Hildegard Temporini, — Berlin: De Gruyter, Quasten, Johannes. This is the starting point for research. Originally published Verheyden, Joseph. Edited by Paul Foster, 63— This provides both a basic overview of the Shepherd and a valuable critical engagement with recent research.
Wilson, Christian J. Wilson identifies and discusses differing points of view and presents his own position on each of the topics named in the title and the main proponents of representative views. This is an excellent orientation to basic issues in Shepherd scholarship. Users without a subscription are not able to see the full content on this page.
The book opens with Hermas' first person account of a vision. He was on the road to Cumae when he had a vision of Rhoda who had already died, whom "he loved like a sister". She informed him that she was his accuser in heaven because he had once had an impure thought about her. For this reason, he was directed to pray for forgiveness, not only for himself, but also for his whole household.
Obviously, this was very upsetting to him because he was an upright and just man — he was also married with children. He believed the sin would cost him salvation and there was virtually nothing he could do about it. While he agonized over this new information, an old woman appeared to him. She asked why he looked so sad, and he told her about his previous vision. She acknowledged, "…. Nonetheless, she told him God was still angry with him, not for this sin but because he indulged not only his children but also his entire household.
His lack of oversight allowed them to commit sins with impunity. That had to stop. She, then, began to read to him about the glories of God.
The images were both frightening and amazing. The second vision occurred a year later, again, while on the road to Cumae. Troubled by the memory of the first vision, he began to pray when the old woman appeared again, reading from a book.
She gave it to him to write down what it said, but he could not read it until weeks later, when its contents were revealed to him. He was, once again, admonished for the sins of his family, especially his wife. He was to instruct them, forgive them, and be reconciled to them in love. He was also instructed to read this to the elders of the church.
In the third vision, Hermas met the woman in a field. She was accompanied by six men angels who soon left to build a tower of stones upon the water. New stones were added to the tower seamlessly so that it looked as though it was one stone.
Thousands of men brought additional stones. Some were rough and tossed aside; some came from the water; some were put in the fire. In her explanation of the parable, the stones represented various Christian lives — the smooth ones were the faithful; the stones from the water represented those who had suffered; the rough ones were those who had fallen away; the ones tossed aside were still close to the tower and could repent; those in the fire were doomed.
Around the tower were seven women representing qualities of Faith, Self-restraint, Simplicity, Knowledge, Innocence, Reverence, and Love. Since the tower was a work-in-progress, people had time to embody the qualities and have a place in the tower.
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