For nearly three hundred years, “The Shepherd of Hermas” gave instruction to the members and catechumens of the early Church. It taught them the Christian virtues and called for repentance. After being left out of the cannon of the New Testament, however, Hermas faded in popularity and use.

So when “the Lord of the flocks comes, He may rejoice concerning you. And He will rejoice, if He find all things sound, and none of you shall perish. But if He find any one of these sheep strayed, woe to the shepherds! And if the shepherds themselves have strayed, what answer will they give Him for their flocks? Will they perchance say that they were harassed by their flocks?”[1]

The Shepherd of Hermas is an inspiring combination of instructions for living the Christian life and an apocalyptic vision of the saved and the damned. At the most basic level, it is “an uncomplicated guide for repentance and moral living that will lead mankind to justification in the sight of God.”[2] Using parables and allegories, the author instructs the early Church so that its members may lead lives pleasing to God.

This work had great authority in the early Church. According to Carolyn Osiek, “No other noncanonical writing was as popular before the fourth century as the Shepherd of Hermas. It is the most frequently attested postcanonical text in the surviving Christian manuscripts of Egypt well into the fifth century.”[3] It was greatly admired by several of the early Church fathers. “Eusebius tells us that it was publicly read in the churches, and that while some denied it to be canonical, others ‘considered it most necessary’. Saint Athanasius speaks of it, together with the Didache, in connection with the deuterocanonical books of the Old Testament, as uncanonical yet recommended by the ancients for the reading of catechumens.”[4] Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, about A.D. 185 “proclaimed the book was inspired by divine intercession.”[5] This text was cited, either as scripture or as inspired, by Irenaeus, Tertullian, Clement and Origen.[6] Still, it was not included in the canon due to its lack of apostolic origin.

Scholars disagree as to the exact date of writing and the identity of the author of the Shepherd of Hermas. The consensus is that it appears to have been written between A.D. 96 and 140.[7] In terms of authorship there are three primary theories: 1) the author is the same Hermas greeted by St. Paul in Romans, chapter 16, verse 4; or 2) he is Hermas, the brother of pope Pius I or 3) he is an unknown Hermas writing between A.D. 90-100.[8] While there is interesting scholarly debate on dates and authorship of the text it is “less significant than being inspired by a virtuous and appealing man in search of God’s grace.…”[9]

The book is divided into five visions, twelve mandates (commandments) and ten similitudes (parables). In the First Vision, Hermas is shown his sinfulness. He is distraught and laments his future. Then he is told by an old woman to repent and follow the commandments of the Lord, for, “Lo, the God of powers, who by His invisible strong power and great wisdom has created the world, and by His glorious counsel has surrounded His creation with beauty, and by His strong word has fixed the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth upon the waters, and by His own wisdom and providence has created His holy Church, which He has blessed, lo! He removes the heavens and the mountains, the hills and the seas, and all things become plain to His elect, that He may bestow on them the blessing which He has promised them, with much glory and joy, if only they shall keep the commandments of God which they have received in great faith.”[10] Joy is to come to those who keep the Lord’s commandments.

In the Second Vision Hermas again meets the old woman. This time she is walking and reading a book. She asks Hermas to tell the people that they have sinned against God and that they must repent and follow His commandments. “You will tell, therefore, those who preside over the Church, to direct their ways in righteousness, that they may receive in full the promises with great glory.”[11] Who is this old woman? Hermas is told by an angel that, “It is the Church…. Why then is she an old woman? Because, said he, she was created first of all. On this account is she old. And for her sake was the world made.”[12] Hermas has been given the first indication that the Church is God’s instrument for salvation.

In the Third Vision the old woman shows Hermas a tower being built of stone by six young men (who are revealed later to be archangels). “The tower which you see building is myself, the Church, who have appeared to you now.…”[13] This tower is built on water, “Hear then why the tower is built upon the waters. It is because your life has been, and will be, saved through water. For the tower was founded on the word of the almighty and glorious Name and it is kept together by the invisible power of the Lord.”[14] The old lady reveals to Hermas that the building stones are the members of the Church. Those living stones fit best that have most greatly served God and kept his commandments. “Those square white stones which fitted exactly into each other, are apostles, bishops, teachers, and deacons, who have lived in godly purity, and have acted as bishops and teachers and deacons chastely and reverently to the elect of God. Some of them have fallen asleep, and some still remain alive. And they have always agreed with each other, and been at peace among themselves, and listened to each other. On account of this, they join exactly into the building of the tower.”[15] This Vision continues the themes of acknowledging sins, repentance and then a renewed commitment to following the laws of God. Hermas asks the old lady about the stones that were cast away, “Who then are those whom they rejected and cast away…These are they who have sinned, and wish to repent. On this account they have not been thrown far from the tower, because they will yet be useful in the building, if they repent. Those then who are to repent, if they do repent, will be strong in faith, if they now repent while the tower is building.”[16]

The Third Vision, the longest of the five visions, makes clear that Hermas is being given a guide to Christian virtue and repentance. The tower is to be built with stones (people) who have either lived a righteous life or have repented and are now following the laws of God. The necessary virtues are represented by the seven women who support the tower. They are faith, the mother of the others, self-restraint, simplicity, guilelessness, chastity, intelligence, and love.[17] It is revealed to Hermas that each of these virtues brings a related ability for those who practice these virtues. “For from Faith arises Self-restraint; from Self-restraint, Simplicity; from Simplicity, Guilelessness; from Guilelessness, Chastity; from Chastity, Intelligence; and from Intelligence, Love. The deeds, then, of these are pure, and chaste, and divine. Whoever devotes himself to these, and is able to hold fast by their works, shall have his dwelling in the tower with the saints of God.”[18]

What about the Church? What is the effect on the Church when Christians repent and practice virtue? Hermas says, “I asked her to reveal to me the meaning of the three forms in which she appeared to me…. For she had appeared to me, brethren, in the first vision the previous year under the form of an exceedingly old woman…. In the second vision her face was youthful, but her skin and hair betokened age,… She was also more joyful than on the first occasion. But in the third vision she was entirely youthful and exquisitely beautiful, except only that she had the hair of an old woman; but her face beamed with joy,… Now, in the third vision, you saw her still younger, and she was noble and joyful, and her shape was beautiful.”[19] One interpretation of this image of the Church growing more youthful is that it “symbolizes the renewal of hope that joy in the Lord brings to mankind… the effects of rejuvenation from repentance.”[20] Another view is that the Church grows in strength as the members grow in faith and obedience.

In the Fourth Vision Hermas meets an apocalyptic beast that is the symbol of the times of tribulation yet to come. This suggests to some scholars that the author wrote before the persecutions in the second half of the first century.[21] Hermas says, “Now that beast came on with such noise and force, that it could itself have destroyed a city. I came near it, and the monstrous beast stretched itself out on the ground, and showed nothing but its tongue, and did not stir at all until I had passed by it.”[22] Hermas declares he was protected from harm when he remembered the words, “Doubt not, O Hermas. Clothed, therefore, my brethren, with faith in the Lord and remembering the great things which He had taught me, I boldly faced the beast.”[23] The old lady (the Church) congratulates Hermas for defeating the beast with faith saying, “You have escaped from great tribulation on account of your faith, and because you did not doubt in the presence of such a beast. Go, therefore, and tell the elect of the Lord His mighty deeds, and say to them that this beast is a type of the great tribulation that is coming. If then ye prepare yourselves, and repent with all your heart, and turn to the Lord, it will be possible for you to escape it, if your heart be pure and spotless, and ye spend the rest of the days of your life in serving the Lord blamelessly.”[24] Hermas has learned that faith and repentance can carry us through times of tribulation.

In the Fifth Vision Hermas is introduced to “a man of glorious aspect, dressed like a shepherd”[25] who tells him to write down the mandates and similitudes that are to come so that they may be shared with the multitudes. “Do you not know me…. I am that shepherd to whom you have been entrusted…. Do not be confounded, but receive strength from the commandments which I am going to give you.”[26] Most scholars believe that the Shepherd represents Jesus.[27] This Fifth Vision is to prepare Hermas for the mandates he is about to receive and the Shepherd, who is to be his guide, says, “If then, when you have heard these, ye keep them and walk in them, and practise them with pure minds, you will receive from the Lord all that He has promised to you… if, after you have heard them, ye do not repent, but continue to add to your sins, then shall ye receive from the Lord the opposite things. All these words did the shepherd, even the angel of repentance, command me to write.”[28] It is significant that the Shepherd, called the “angel of repentance,” is to be Hermas’ guide for the rest of the book.

There are twelve commandments given to Hermas by the Shepherd. These commandments can be viewed as a continuation of the moral instruction Hermas received in the Five Visions. The twelve commandments can be summarized as follows: 1) God is One 2) Speak no Evil 3) Speak only Truth 4) Avoid lustful desire and Adultery 5) Be patient and avoid anger 6) Through Faith be of good spirit 7) Fear God, not the Devil 8) Shun evil, do that which is good 9) Pray unceasingly with unwavering faith 10) Avoid grieving the Spirit through grief 11) You will know them by their works-avoid false prophecy 12) The commandments of God can be kept. Hermas is concerned that it will be difficult, or impossible, to follow these commandments. Hermas says, “I do not know if these commandments can be kept by man, because they are exceeding hard…said he, If you lay it down as certain that they can be kept, then you will easily keep them, and they will not be hard…. Now I say to you, If you do not keep them, but neglect them, you will not be saved, nor your children, nor your house, since you have already determined for yourself that these commandments cannot be kept by man… do you not perceive how great is the glory of God, and how strong and marvelous, in that He created the world for the sake of man, and subjected all creation to him, and gave him power to rule over everything under heaven? If, then, man is lord of the creatures of God, and rules over all, is he not able to be lord also of these commandments?…But to those who have the Lord only on their lips, but their hearts hardened, and who are far from the Lord, the commandments are hard and difficult. Put, therefore, ye who are empty and fickle in your faith, the Lord in your heart, and ye will know that there is nothing easier or sweeter, or more manageable, than these commandments…. You will keep them… if our heart be pure towards the Lord; and all will keep them who cleanse their hearts from the vain desires of this world, and they will live to God.”[29] God’s commandments are to be kept and God has given us the power to keep them.

The final section of The Shepherd of Hermas is the Ten Similitudes. These are extended parables, which are symbolic in meaning. The Ten Similitudes can be summarized as follows: 1) Seek the City of God, not this world 2) Give to the poor and their prayers will assist you 3) who is just and unjust will be known on the day of judgment, not in this world 4) those who serve the Lord will bear fruit and have happiness in the world to come 5) Fasting from evil thoughts and acts is true fasting 6) types of sin, punishment lasts much longer than sin 7) repentance requires total conversion and must bear fruit 8) all will be rewarded according to their penance and good works 9) Living Stones-the building of the Church through penance 10) Repent now for time is short, and do good works.

The Ninth Similitude is the longest of the similitudes. In it, the author gives a more elaborate description of the building of the tower, the Church, which is described in the Third Vision. In this similitude, the Lord of the tower examines the stones that will be used to build the tower.  All of the stones are built on one rock and must come to the tower through the gate. Hermas asks that the rock and the gate be explained, “This rock… and this gate are the Son of God…. How, sir… the rock is old, and the gate is new…. Listen… and understand, O ignorant man. The Son of God is older than all His creatures, so that He was a fellow-councillor with the Father in His work of creation: for this reason is He old…. And why is the gate new, sir?… Because… He became manifest in the last days of the dispensation: for this reason the gate was made new, that they who are to be saved by it might enter into the kingdom of God. You saw…that those stones which came in through the gate were used for the building of the tower, and that those which did not come, were again thrown back to their own place?…In like manner…no one shall enter into the kingdom of God unless he receive His holy name.”[30]

The Shepherd of Hermas is an instruction book of Christian virtue. It seeks to instruct the faithful at two levels. First, at the individual level of faith, it teaches repentance and good works. Secondly, it makes clear to the leadership of the Church that they bear a great responsibility for the faithful and should lead them in faith and true teaching.  As the angel says in the Ninth Similitude, “But if He find any one of these sheep strayed, woe to the shepherds! And if the shepherds themselves have strayed, what answer will they give Him for their flocks? Will they perchance say that they were harassed by their flocks? They will not be believed, for the thing is incredible that a shepherd could suffer from his flock; rather will he be punished on account of his falsehood. And I myself am a shepherd, and I am under a most stringent necessity of rendering an account of you.”[31] The Shepherd of Hermas is also a call to repentance. The angel says, “I, the Shepherd, the messenger of repentance, have showed and spoken to the servants of God. If therefore ye believe, and listen to my words, and walk in them, and amend your ways, you shall have it in your power to live: but if you remain in wickedness, and in the recollection of offences, no sinner of that class will live unto God.”[32]

Forgiveness was a controversial issue within the early Church. Many believed that there was no forgiveness after baptism. Herbrews (Chp. VI, v. 4-6) says: ⁴ “For it is impossible to restore again to repentance those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have become partakers of the Holy Spirit,⁵ and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come,⁶ if they then commit apostasy, since they crucify the Son of God on their own account and hold him up to contempt.”[33] In the Second Vision Hermas says that the Lord grants repentance only once after baptism.[34] Both of these would seem to contradict Jesus, when in Luke 17:4 he suggests repeated opportunities for repentance and forgiveness. In the Fourth Mandate (commandment) Hermas gives a more liberal interpretation of the opportunity for repentance after baptism. Clearly, the early Church controversy over repentance after baptism is reflected in The Shepherd of Hermas.

What, in the end, is Hermas told to do? “Make known to every one the great things of God, and you will have favour in this ministry. Whoever, therefore, shall walk in these commandments, shall have life, and will be happy in his life; but whosoever shall neglect them shall not have life, and will be unhappy in this life.”[35] This, according to The Shepherd of Hermas is the call of every Christian, and especially the leaders of the Church. We should not hesitate to repent and follow the commandments of God. As the angel said to Hermas, “Do good works, therefore, ye who have received good from the Lord; lest, while ye delay to do them, the building of the tower be finished, and you be rejected from the edifice: there is now no other tower a-building. For on your account was the work of building suspended. Unless, then, you make haste to do rightly, the tower will be completed, and you will be excluded.”[36]

For nearly three hundred years, The Shepherd of Hermas gave instruction to the members and catechumens of the early Church. It taught them the Christian virtues and called for repentance. After being left out of the cannon of the New Testament, however, Hermas faded in popularity and use.[37] Today, the book provides a view into moral teaching in the early Church and continues to inspire those who read it to repent and follow the laws of God.

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Notes:

[1] Ninth Similitude-Chapter XXXI: all Hermas text quotes from the electronic version of Hermas found at www.newadvent.org/fathers/0201.htm

[2] Jardine, William. Shepherd of Hermas: The Gentle Apocalypse. (Proteus Publishing: Redwood City, California, 1992) 23.

[3] Osiek, Carolyn. Shepherd of Hermas. (Fortress Press: Minneapolis, Minnesota, 1999) 1.

[4] Chapman, John. Hermas. The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume VII. (Online Edition, 2003) 1.

[5] Jardine, 4.

[6] Lightfoot, J.B. The Apostolic Fathers. (Baker Book House: Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1956) 161.

[7] Snyder, Graydon. The Apostolic Fathers: Vol. VI, Hermas. (Thomas Nelson & Sons: Camden, New Jersey, 1968) 24.

[8] Lightfoot, 161.

[9] Jardine, 7.

[10] First Vision-Chapter III

[11] Second Vision-Chapter II

[12] Second Vision-Chapter IV

[13] Third Vision-Chapter III

[14] Ibid.

[15] Third Vision-Chapter V

[16] Ibid.

[17] Third Vision-Chapter VIII

[18] Ibid.

[19] Third Vision-Chapter X

[20] Jardine, 127.

[21] Jardine, 128

[22] Fourth Vision-Chapter I

[23] Ibid.

[24] Fourth Vision-Chapter II

[25] Fifth Vision

[26] Ibid.

[27] This is discussed in Jardine, 129; Snyder, 60-61; and Osiek 100-101.

[28] Fifth Vision

[29] Twelfth Commandment-Chapter VI

[30] Ninth Similitude-Chapter XII

[31] Ninth Similitude-Chapter XXXI

[32] Ninth Similitude-Chapter XXXIII

[33] Revised Standard Version, www.bibleontheweb.com/Bible.asp

[34] Vision II-Chapter II

[35] Tenth Similitude-Chapter IV

[36] Ibid.

[37] Jardine, 17-19

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