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

The Lord dwells among men who[*](The final exhortation of the shepherd) love peace, for of a truth peace is dear to him, but he is far away from the contentious and those who are destroyed by malice. Give back then to him your spirit whole as you received it.

For if you give to the dyer a new garment whole, and wish to receive it back from him whole, but the dyer gives it you back torn, will you accept it? Will you not at once grow hot[*](Scandesco is probably a dialectic form of candesco, which is found in some MSS of L1.) and pursue him with abuse, saying I gave you a whole garment, why have you torn it and given it me back useless? And because of the tear which you have made in it it cannot be used. Will you not say all these things to the dyer about the rent which he has made in your garment?

If then you are grieved with your garment, and complain that you did not receive it back whole, what do you think the Lord will do to you, who gave you the spirit whole, and you have returned it altogether useless, so that it can be of no use to its Lord, for its use began to be useless when it had been corrupted by you. Will not therefore the Lord of that spirit punish you with death, because of this deed of yours?

Certainly, said I, He will punish

all those whom he finds keeping the memory of offences. Do not then, said he, trample on his mercy, but rather honour him that he is so patient to your offences and is not as you are. Repent therefore with the repentance that avails you.

All these things which have been written above I, the shepherd, the angel of repentance, have declared and spoken to the servants of God. If then you shall believe and shall listen to my words and shall walk in them, and shall correct your ways, you shall be able to live. But if you shall remain in malice and in the memory of offences, none of such kind shall live to God. All these things that I must tell have been told to you.

The shepherd himself said to me, Have you asked me about everything? And I said: Yes, Sir, Why then did you not ask me about the marks of the stones which were placed in the building, why we filled up the marks? And I said: I forgot. Sir.

Listen now, said he, about them. These are those who heard my commandments, and repented with all their hearts. And when the Lord saw that their repentance was good and pure, and that they could remain in it, he commanded their former sins to be blotted out. For these marks were their sins, and they were made level that they should not appear.

After I had written this book the angel who[*](The final vision of the Angel) had handed me over to the shepherd came to the house in which I was, and sat on the couch, and the shepherd stood on his right hand. Then he called me and said to me: