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The Shepherd of Hermas

The shepherd is one of the meanings that was probably attached to some figurines of the as well as a symbol for Christ, or a traditional pagan kriophoros.

1 Contents

The book consists of five visions granted to Hermas, a former slave. This is followed by twelve mandates or commandments, and ten similitudes, or . It com- mences abruptly in the first person: “He who brought me up sold me to a certain Rhoda, who was at . After many years I met her again, and began to love her as a sister.” As Hermas was on the road to Cumae, he had a vision of Rhoda. She told him that she was his accuser in heaven, on account of an unchaste thought the (mar- ried) narrator had once had concerning her, though only in passing. He was to pray for forgiveness for himself and all his house. He is consoled by a vision of the Church in the form of an aged woman, weak and helpless from the sins of the faithful, who tells him to do penance and to correct the sins of his children. Subsequently he sees her made younger through penance, yet wrinkled and with white hair; then again, as quite young but still with white hair; and lastly, she shows herself as glorious as a Bride. The Shepherd of Hermas, or the Good Shepherd, 3rd century, This allegorical language continues through the other Catacombs of Rome. parts of the work. In the second vision she gives Her- mas a book, which she afterwards takes back in order to The Shepherd of Hermas (Greek: Ποιμὴν τοῦ Ἑρμᾶ; add to it. The fifth vision, which is represented as tak- sometimes just called The Shepherd) is a Christian ing place 20 days after the fourth, introduces “the Angel literary work of the 2nd century, considered a valu- of repentance” in the guise of a shepherd, from whom the able book by many Christians, and considered canonical whole work takes its name. He delivers to Hermas a series scripture by some of the early Church fathers such as [1][2] of precepts (mandata, entolai), which form an interesting . The Shepherd was very popular amongst development of early Christian ethics. One point which Christians in the 2nd and 3rd centuries.[3] It was bound [1][4] deserves special mention is the assertion of a husband’s as part of the in the , obligation to take back an adulterous wife on her repen- and it was listed between the and tance. The eleventh mandate, on humility, is concerned the in the stichometrical list of the Codex with false who desire to occupy the first seats Claromontanus. (that is to say, among the ). Some have seen The work comprises five visions, twelve mandates, and here a reference to Marcion, who came to Rome c. 140 ten parables. It relies on allegory and pays special atten- and desired to be admitted among the priests (or possibly tion to the Church, calling the faithful to repent of the sins even to become bishop of Rome). that have harmed it. After the mandates come ten similitudes (parabolai) in The book was originally written in Rome,[5] in the Greek the form of visions, which are explained by the angel. The language, but a first translation, the Vulgata,[6] was longest of these (Similitude 9) is an elaboration of the made very shortly afterwards. A second Latin translation, of the building of a tower, which had formed the the Palatina, was made at the beginning of the fifth cen- matter of the third vision. The tower is the Church, and tury. Only the Latin version has been preserved in full. the stones of which it is built are the faithful. But in the Of the Greek version the last fifth or so is missing. third vision it looked as though only the holy are a part of

1 2 2 AUTHORSHIP AND DATE

the Church; in Similitude 9 it is clearly pointed out that that may be the earliest known canon of New Tes- all the baptized are included, though they may be cast out tament writings. It identifies Hermas, the author of for grave sins, and can be readmitted only after penance. The Shepherd, as the brother of Pius I, bishop of In spite of the grave subjects, the book is written in a Rome: very optimistic and hopeful tone, like most early Chris- tian works. But Hermas wrote The Shepherd very recently, in our times, in the city of Rome, while bishop Pius, his 1.1 Christology brother, was occupying the chair of the church of the city of Rome. In parable 5, the author mentions a , as a And therefore it ought indeed to virtuous man filled with a Holy “pre-existent spirit” and be read; but it cannot be read pub- adopted as the Son.[7] In the 2nd century, licly to the people in church either (the view that Christ was at least initially, only a among the Prophets, whose number mortal man) was one of two competing doctrines about is complete,[14] or among the Apos- Jesus’ true nature, the other being that he pre-existed as a tles, for it is after their time. divine spirit (); Christ’s identity with the Logos (Jn 1:1) was affirmed in 325 at the .[8] • The Liberian Catalogue of , a record that was Bogdan G. Bucur, however, notes how widely accepted later used in the writing of the Liber Pontificalis, the Shepherd of Hermas was among “orthodox” Chris- states in a portion under the heading of 235: “Un- tians, yet was never criticized for apparently exhibiting der his [Pius’] episcopate, his brother Ermes wrote a an adoptionistic Christology. He suggests that the pas- book in which are contained the precepts which the sage in question should be understood as Jesus making angel delivered to him, coming to him in the guise his dwelling within those who submit to his spirit, so that of a Shepherd.” the “adoption” that takes place is not of Jesus but of his followers.[9] It has been pointed out that “It refers to the • A poem written against Marcion from the 3rd or 4th 'Son of God' but never uses the word 'Christ,' 'Jesus,' nor century, by a writer adopting the name and persona 'Christian'. This, at least a hundred and fifty years after of — and sometimes therefore referred to the... Christ child.”[10] as "Pseudo-Tertullian" — states “Then, after him, Pius, whose brother according to the flesh was Her- mas, the angelic shepherd, because he spoke the 2 Authorship and date words given to him.” Note that Pseudo-Tertullian quotes some details from this list which are absent from the Liberian Catalogue, which may mean that , the nature of the theology, and the au- that he is independent of it. thor’s apparent familiarity with the and other Johannine texts, are thought to set the date of The scholar John A. T. Robinson [15] makes a detailed composition in the 2nd century. However, several ancient argument that in fact Shepherd was written before AD 85. witnesses support an early dating and there is internal ev- This is because idence for the place and date of this work in the language and theology of the work. The reference to Clement of Rome suggests a date c. 90 for at least the historicised a) All the canonical New Testament books pre- setting of the first two visions. Since Paul sent greetings date the fall of Jerusalem in AD.70, according to a Hermas, a Christian of Rome (Romans 16:14), a mi- to Robinson’s detailed prior thesis in his book. nority have followed of 's opinion that b) Irenaeus quotes it as scripture in “Against he was the author of this religious allegory.[11] Heresy” (c. 180) thus undermining the testi- Three ancient witnesses, one of whom claims to be con- mony of the , which, if temporary, declare that Hermas was the brother of believed, would place it during the bishopric in Pius I, whose pontificate was not earlier than 140–155, Rome of Pius (140–155). Irenaeus would not which corresponds to the date range offered by J. B. count a 2nd-century text as scripture. Lightfoot (Lightfoot 1891). These authorities may be c) Tertullian, in De Pudicitia (c. 215) strongly citing the same source, perhaps ,[12] whose disparages Hermas, but without mentioning the lost history of the early Church provided material for late composition which would have fatally un- of Caesarea. The witnesses are the following: dermined its canonicity. d) Origen freely cites Hermas as scripture, and • The Muratorian fragment is a list written c. 170 in his Commentary on Romans attributes it to (although some scholars now question this date and the Hermas of Rom.16:14 (an identification prefer to assign the fragment to the 4th century.[13]) supported by Coleborne [16]). 3

e) The internal evidence of Vision 2.4.2 refers decades of the 3rd century. Somewhat later it is quoted to Clement, apparently before he became by the author of the pseudo-Cyprianic tract Adversus Bishop of Rome, for which Robinson cites in aleatores as “Scriptura divina”, but in 's day it was support G. Edmundson’s Bampton lectures of “almost unknown to the ”. Curiously, it went out of 1913.[17] Edmundson dates Hermas c. 90 on fashion in the East, so that the Greek manuscripts of it are the basis that Clement became Bishop of Rome but two in number; whereas in the West it became better in 92. Robinson states that there is no reason to known and was frequently copied in the . suppose that this reference is a pseudonymous fiction. f) Robinson discounts the testimony of the Mu- 5 See also ratonian fragment,[15] saying that for no other book should its unsupported evidence be taken • Hermes of Philippopolis seriously, and it is full of palpable mistakes. • Shoulder angel 3 Sources • Confession in the first two centuries

The Shepherd makes many allusions to the Old Testa- ment. According to Henry Barclay Swete, Hermas never 6 References cites the Septuagint, but he uses a translation of Daniel akin to the one made by Theodotion. He shows acquain- [1] Newadvent.org tance with one or another of the Synoptic Gospels, and, since he also uses the Gospel of John, he probably knew all [2] Davidson & Leaney, Biblical Criticism: p230 four. He appears to employ Ephesians and other , [3] “The Pastor of Hermas was one of the most popular including perhaps 1 Peter and Hebrews. But the books books, if not the most popular book, in the Christian he most certainly and most often uses are the of Church during the 2nd, 3rd and 4th centuries. It occu- James and the Book of Revelation. pied a position analogous in some respects to Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress in modern times.” (F. Crombie, trans- lator of Schaff, op. cit.). 4 Place in Christian literature [4] Aland, Kurt; Barbara Aland (1995). The Text of the New Testament: An Introduction to the Critical Editions Remarks of Tertullian and give and to the Theory and Practice of Modern Textual Crit- a sense of resistance to the Shepherd among its hearers, icism, trans. Erroll F. Rhodes. Grand Rapids, Michi- and of a sense of controversy about it. Tertullian im- gan: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company. p. 107. plies that Pope Callixtus I had quoted it as an authority ISBN 978-0-8028-4098-1. (though evidently not as one of the books of the Bible), for he replies: “I would admit your argument, if the writ- [5] J.B. Lightfoot, The , Macmillan & Co., 1891, p. 160; Reprint ISBN 0-8010-5514-8 ing of the Shepherd had deserved to be included in the Divine Instrument, and if it were not judged by every [6] Christian Tornau – Paolo Cecconi (Eda.), The Shepherd council of the Churches, even of your own Churches, of Hermas in Latin. Critical Edition of the Oldest Trans- among the apocryphal and false.” And again, he says lation Vulgata, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/Boston 2014 that the is “more received among the Churches than that apocryphal Shepherd” (De pu- [7] “The Holy Pre-existent Spirit. Which created the whole dicitia, 10 and 20). Though Clement of Alexandria con- creation, God made to dwell in flesh that He desired. This stantly quotes with reverence a work that seems to him flesh, therefore, in which the dwelt, was sub- ject unto the Spirit, walking honorably in holiness and pu- to be very useful, and inspired; yet he repeatedly apol- rity, without in any way defiling the Spirit. When then it ogizes, when he has occasion to quote it, on the ground had lived honorably in chastity, and had labored with the that “many people despise it”. Two controversies divided Spirit, and had cooperated with it in everything, behav- the mid-century Roman Christian communities. One was ing itself boldly and bravely, He chose it as a partner with , the ecstatic inspired outpourings of continu- the Holy Spirit; for the career of this flesh pleased [the ing pentecostal revelations, such as the visions recorded in Lord], seeing that, as possessing the Holy Spirit, it was not the Shepherd may have appeared to encourage. The other defiled upon the earth. He therefore took the son as ad- was that taught that the Christ had existed since viser and the glorious angels also, that this flesh too, hav- the beginning and the corporeal reality of Jesus the man ing served the Spirit unblamably, might have some place was simply an apparition. of sojourn, and might not seem to have lost the reward for its service; for all flesh, which is found undefiled and makes no reference to this work, so it would unspotted, wherein the Holy Spirit dwelt, shall receive a seem to have gone out of use in Africa during the early reward.” Earlychristianwritings.com 4 8 FURTHER READING

[8] “Jesus was either regarded as the man whom God hath • Cruttwell, Literary History of Early , vol- chosen, in whom the Deity or the Spirit of God dwelt, ume ii (London, 1893). and who, after being tested, was adopted by God and in- vested with dominion, (Adoptian Christology); or Jesus • Krüger, History of Early Christian Literature (New was regarded as a heavenly spiritual being (the highest af- York, 1897). ter God) who took flesh, and again returned to heaven after the completion of his work on earth (pneumatic Christol- • Harnack, Chronologie der altchristlichen Literatur, ogy).” Adolf von Harnack, History of Dogma, CCEL.org volume i (Leipzig, 1897).

[9] Bogdan G. Bucur, The Son of God and the Angelomor- • Taylor, The Shepherd of Hermas (New York, 1901). phic Holy Spirit: A Rereading of the Shepherd’s Christol- ogy,

[10] Paulkovich, Michael (2012). No Meek Messiah (First ed.). 8 Further reading Spillix. p. 49. ISBN 0988216116. • Carolyn Osiek, “Wealth and Poverty in the Shepherd [11] Philip Schaff wrote hopefully, “It would not be a very of Hermas,” , Vol 17, Pt 2, 1982, bold conjecture, that Hermas and his brother were el- 725–730. derly grandchildren of the original Hermas, the friend of St. Paul. The Shepherd, then, might be based upon per- • Carolyn Osiek, “The Genre and Function of the sonal recollections, and upon the traditions of a family Shepherd of Hermas,” Semeia, 36, 1986, 113–121. which the spirit of had reproved, and who were monuments of its power.” (Schaff, Fathers of the Second • U. Neymeyr, Die christliche Lehrer im zweiten Century: Hermas, Tatian, Athenagoras, Theophilus, and Jahrhundert. Ihre Lehrtätigkeit, ihr Selbsverständnis Clement of Alexandria, introduction to “the Pastor of Her- und ihre Geschichte (Leiden, 1989) (Vigiliae Chris- mas”). tianae. Supplements, 4), 9–15. [12] A suggestion made by Bunsen, Hippolyrus and His Age, • Carolyn Osiek, “The Second Century through the vol. I p 315. Eyes of Hermas: Continuity and Change,” Biblical [13] G. M. Hahneman, The Mutatorian Fragment and the Ori- Theology Bulletin, 20, 1990, 116–122. gins of the New Testament Canon in “The Canon Debate” • (ed. L. M. McDonald and J. A. Sanders): pp. 405–415, D. P. O'Brien, “The Cumaean Sibyl as the 2002, Massachusetts: Hendrickson Revelation-bearer in the Shepherd of Hermas,” Journal of Early Christian Studies, 5, 1997, № 4. [14] This is a specific refutation of the continuing revelations (charismata) expressed by the Montanists. • Carolyn Osiek, “The Shepherd of Hermas in Con- text,” Acta Patristica et Byzantina, 8, 1997, 115– [15] J.A.T.Robinson, Redating the New Testament, 1976, Lon- 134. don: SCM • Carolyn Osiek, “The Oral World of Early Chris- [16] W.Coleborn, A linguistic approach to the problem of tianity in Rome: The Case of Hermas.,” in Karl P. structure and composition of The Shepherd of Hermas, Donfried and Peter Richardson (eds), Judaism and Colloquium (The Australian and New Zealand Theolog- Christianity in First-Century Rome (Grand Rapids, ical Review) 3, 1969, 133–142 1998), 151–172. [17] G. Edmundson, The Church in Rome in the First Century, • Carolyn Osiek, Shepherd of Hermas: A Commentary 1913 (Minneapolis, 1999).

• Jörg Rüpke, “Apokalyptische Salzberge: Zum 7 Publications sozialen Ort und zur literarischen Strategie des 'Hirten des Hermas’,” Archiv für Religions- The Greek text is edited by Gebhardt and Harnack geschichte, 1, 1999, 148–160. (Leipzig, 1877), by Funk (Tübingen, 1901), and, with • Jörg Rüpke, “Der Hirte des Hermas: its English translation, by Lightfoot, Apostolic Fathers, Plausibilisierungs- und Legitimierungs strate- edited by Harmon (London, 1893); the Codex Sinaiticus gien im Übergang von Antike und Christentum,” of Hermas was edited by Lake (Oxford, 1911). The En- Zeitschrift für antikes Christentum, 7, 2003, glish translation by William Wake (Archbishop of Can- 362–384. terbury 1716-1737) is given in W. Hone and J. Jones’s Apocryphal New Testament (London, 1820). An English • Marco Frenschkowski, “Vision als Imagination. translation is also in volume i of the American edition of Beobachtungen zum differenzierten Wirklichkeit- Ante-Nicene Fathers, edited by Roberts and Donaldson sanspruch fruehchristlicher Visionsliteratur,” in (Buffalo, 1886). In general, consult: Nicola Hoemke, Manuel Baumbach (hrsg), Fremde 5

Wirklichkeiten: Literarische Phantastik und antike Literatur (Heidelberg, 2006) (Studien zur griechis- chen und lateinischen Poesie, 6), 339–366.

• Joseph Verheyden, “The Shepherd of Hermas,” in Paul Foster (ed), Writings of the Apostolic Fathers (London, 2007) (T & T Clark Biblical Studies). • Christian Tornau - Paolo Cecconi (Eds.), The Shep- herd of Hermas in Latin. Critical Edition of the Oldest Translation Vulgata, Walter de Gruyter, Berlin/Boston 2014.

9 External links

• Greek text of The Shepherd of Hermas • Archbishop Wake’s English Translation of The Shepherd of Hermas • The Shepherd of Hermas (English Translation) Early Christian Writings • Shepherd of Hermas Critical Translation + Audio Dramatization Biblicalaudio • J.B. Lightfoot, introduction to The Shepherd of Her- mas • “Hermas” article from the Catholic Encyclopedia

• Hermas’ Shepherd on earlychurch.org.uk Bibliogra- phy and links to on-line articles.

• Fragments of Hermas in Amherst Papyri 6 10 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

10 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

10.1 Text

• The Shepherd of Hermas Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Shepherd_of_Hermas?oldid=678574866 Contributors: Agkozak, Paul Barlow, Llywrch, Djnjwd, Vargenau, Emperorbma, Charles Matthews, Topbanana, AnonMoos, Wetman, GreatWhiteNortherner, Marcika, Quadell, DNewhall, Gary D, MakeRocketGoNow, Rich Farmbrough, Nard the Bard, Wareh, Bobo192, Deacon of Pndapetzim, Garzo, Sesmith, Lawrence King, Koavf, Tijuana Brass, YurikBot, Superslum, Wolfling, Tomisti, Johnmarkh, SmackBot, Mangoe, Eskim- bot, Hmains, B00P, Mladifilozof, Kingdon, LoveMonkey, Andrew c, C.jeynes, Glynhughes, Robibrad, Metre01, Rwflammang, Cydebot, Jonathan Tweet, Treybien, Anupam, A.J.Chesswas, Zigzig20s, JAnDbot, Sitethief, Frankie816, Alastair Haines, Cynwolfe, Nyttend, Tony- faull, Gwern, Pere prlpz, Ans-mo, Johnbod, Katharineamy, Spaceflower, Student7, Twilight Aruseus, MishaPan, Dampinograaf, Kakoui, Egaida, Gekritzl, Psyche825, McM.bot, UnitedStatesian, Fimbrithel, AlleborgoBot, StAnselm, Platinumbuddha, PbBot, Vanished user ew- fisn2348tui2f8n2fio2utjfeoi210r39jf, Eebahgum, Suradnik13, Leadwind, SchreiberBike, El bot de la dieta, Addbot, LatitudeBot, Leszek Jańczuk, Lavivier, Lightbot, Yobot, Beeswaxcandle, KamikazeBot, AnomieBOT, Unara, Omnipaedista, Headhitter, Nikil44, Surv1v4l1st, Deleteduser2015, William.p.payne, Lotje, Olivianus, Mzilikazi1939, HiMyNameIsFrancesca, Kevjonesin, Jbribeiro1, MerlIwBot, Om- phalosborn, BG19bot, Ectweb, Koosg, MPSchneiderLC, WholeWheatIgnatius, Khazar2, Mogism, Exasperation115, JudeccaXIII, Kaspar- Bot and Anonymous: 49

10.2 Images

• File:Good_shepherd_02b_close.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/ce/Good_shepherd_02b_close.jpg Li- cense: Public domain Contributors: ? Original artist: ? • File:P_christianity.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/79/P_christianity.svg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Con- tributors: ? Original artist: ? • File:Wikiquote-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg License: Public domain Contributors: ? Original artist: ? • File:Wikisource-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Rei-artur Original artist: Nicholas Moreau

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