The Shepherd of Hermas

But the sheep which you see not skipping, but feeding in one place, these are they who have given themselves up to luxury and deceit, but have uttered no blasphemy against the Lord. These then have been corrupted from the truth; in them there is hope of repentance, in which they can live. Corruption, then, has hope of some renewing, but death has eternal destruction.

Again I went on a little, and he showed me a great shepherd, as it were savage in appearance,[*](The Shepherd of Punishment) clothed in a white goat-skin, and he had a bag on his shoulders, with a great staff, very hard and with knots, and a great whip. And he looked very bitter so that 1 was afraid of him, such a look had he.

This shepherd then was receiving the sheep from the young shepherd; that is to say, those who were frisky and well-fed but not skipping, and put them in a certain place precipitous and thorny and full of thistles, so that the sheep could not disentangle themselves from the thorns and thistles, but were

These then were being pastured all entangled in the thorns and thistles, and they were very wretched, being beaten by him, and lie was driving them about here and there, and gave them no rest, and those sheep had no happy time at all.

When therefore I saw them thus beaten and miserable I grieved for them that they were being so tormented, and had no rest at all.

I said to the shepherd who was speaking with me: Sir, who is this shepherd who is so pitiless and bitter, and has no compassion at all on these sheep? This, said he, is the angel of punishment. He is one of the righteous angels, but is set over punishment.

Therefore he receives those who have wandered away from God, and walked in the lusts and deceits of this world, and punishes them, as they deserve, with various terrible punishments.