The Shepherd of Hermas

But, Sir, said I, what are the stones which were fitted into the building from[*](The stones of the foundation) the deep? The first, said he, the ten which were placed in the foundation, are the first generation; and the twenty-five are the second generation of righteous men; and the thirty-five are the prophets of God and his servants, and the forty[*](It must be noted that the numbers given here do not quite agree with those in Sim. ix. 4 and no satisfactory hypothesis has ever been suggested as to any hidden meaning which the numbers may conceal.) are prophets and teachers of the preaching of the Son of God.

Why, then, Sir, said I, did the maidens give these stones also for the building of the tower, and brought them through the gate?

Because, said he, these first bore these spirits, and they did not depart from one another at all; neither the spirits from the men nor the men from the spirits, but the spirits remained with them until they fell asleep. And if they had not had these spirits with them they would not have been useful for the building of this tower.

Explain to me. Sir, said I, still more. What, said he, are you asking further? Why[*](The stones from the deep) Sir, said I, did the stones come up from the deep and were put into the building of the tower, after they had borne these spirits?

They had need, said he, to come up through the water that they might be made alive, for they could not,

So these also who had fallen asleep received the seal of the Son of God and entered into the kingdom of God. For before, said he, a man bears the name of the Son of God, he is dead. But when he receives the seal he puts away mortality and receives life.

The seal, then, is the water. They go down then into the water dead, and come up alive. This seal, then, was preached to them also, and they made use of it to enter into the kingdom of God.

Why, Sir, said I, did the forty stones also come up with them from the deep, although they had received the seal already? Because, said he, these apostles and teachers, who preached the name of the Son of God, having fallen asleep in the power and faith of the Son of God, preached also to those who had fallen asleep before them,[*](Cf. 1 Pet. 3, 19, Gospel of Peter ix. and the Descensus ad inferos in the Acta Pilati. The idea that hearing the gospel and baptism is necessary for the salvation of the righteous dead of pre-Christian times is common, but it is more usually the Christ himself who descends to Hades for the purpose.) and themselves gave to them the seal of the preaching.

They went down therefore with them into the water and came up again, but the latter went down alive and came up alive, while the former, who had fallen asleep before, went down dead but came up alive.