The Shepherd of Hermas

Hermas

Hermas. The Apostolic Fathers with an English translation by Kirsopp Lake. In Two Volumes. Vol. II. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann Ltd. 1913

After I had written the commandments and[*](Introduction) parables of the shepherd, the angel of repentance, he came to me and said to me: I wish to show you what the Holy Spirit which spoke with you in the form of the Church showed you, for that Spirit is the Son of God.

For since you were too weak in the flesh, it was not shown you by an angel. But when you were strengthened by the spirit, and made strong in your strength, so that you could also see an angel, then the building of the tower was shown to you by the Church. You saw all things well and holily as if from a virgin.[*](The point is that the form of the vision was accommodated to Hermas’ powers. It was at first sent in the form of a human being (the emphasis is on the humanity, not on the Virginity) and afterwards when he was stronger spiritually in the form of an angel.) But now you see them from an angel, yet through the same Spirit.

But

you must learn everything more accurately from me. For, for this reason too, I was given by the glorious angel, to live in your house, that you might see all things with power and fear nothing, as you did formerly.

And he took me away to Arcadia,[*](Arcadia is found in all the authorities; but it plays no further part in the story. Zahn emends to Aricia; but Aricia is a village, and Monte Cavo, which might be intended, is nut specially near to it.) to a breast-shaped mountain, and set me on top of the[*](The vision of the Mountains) mountain, and showed me a great plain and round the plain twelve mountains, and each mountain had a different appearance.

The first was black as pitch, the second was bare without herbs, and the third was full of thorns and thistles.