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

I saw six men who came, tall and glorious,[*](The six men) and alike in appearance, and they summoned a multitude of men, and they too who came were tall men and beautiful and strong, and the six men commanded them to build a certain tower above the rock. And there was a great throng of those men who had come to build the tower,

running here and there round the tower.

And the maidens stood round the tower, and told the men to make speed with building the tower. And the maidens held out their hands as if they were going to take something from the men.

And the six men commanded stones to come up from a certain deep place, and to go into the building of the tower. And there came up ten square stones,[*](The ten stones) beautiful and not hewn.

And the six men called the maidens and commanded them to take all the stones which were to come for the building of the tower, and to go through the gate, and give them to the men who were going to build the tower.

And the maidens put the ten stones, which first came out of the deep place, on one another, and they carried them together like a single stone.