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The Shepherd of Hermas (Ancient Greek:Ποιμὴν τοῦ Ἑρμᾶ,romanized: Poimēn tou Herma;Latin:Pastor Hermae), sometimes just calledThe Shepherd, is aChristianliterary work of the late first half of the second century, considered a valuable book by many Christians, but not consideredcanonical scripture by the earlyChurch Fathers such asIrenaeus.[1]The Shepherd was popular among Christians in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th centuries.[2] It is found in theCodex Sinaiticus.[3][4] TheMuratorian fragment identifies the author ofThe Shepherd asHermas, the brother ofPope Pius I.[5] The Muratorian Fragment also explicitly states that The Shepherd of Hermas is useful for private reading but not to be read publicly in the church because it is not apostolic.
The book was originally written inRome inKoine Greek.[6] A first Latin translation, theVulgata[7] (meaning "common language", with no connection to Jerome'sVulgate), was made very shortly afterwards. A second Latin translation, thePalatina (part of the collection of theBibliotheca Palatina), was made at the beginning of the fifth century. Of the Greek version, the last fifth or so ismissing. TheVulgata is therefore the earliest translation and the most complete witness.
TheShepherd was also translated at least twice into theCoptic (Egyptian) language and fragments of translations in both the Sahidic and Akhmimic dialects survive. Three translations intoGe'ez (Ethiopic) were also made, but none survives complete. The sole survivingGeorgian translation seems to have been made from anArabic version, but no Arabic translation has been preserved. There does not appear to have been aSyriac translation and no Syriac author shows any awareness of theShepherd.[8] It was always more popular in theWestern Roman Empire and inAlexandria than in the rest of the east. There was aMiddle Persian translation made for aManichaean readership, which survives in a single fragmentary manuscript found atTurfan in what is now China.[9]
The book consists of five visions granted toHermas, a former slave. This is followed by twelve mandates or commandments, and ten similitudes (that is,parables). It commences abruptly in the first person: "He who brought me up sold me to a certainRhode, who was at Rome. After many years I met her again, and began to love her as a sister." As Hermas is on the road toCumae, he has a vision of Rhoda. She tells him that she is now his accuser in heaven, on account of unchaste and impure thoughts the (now) married narrator once had regarding her. He is to repent and pray for forgiveness, for himself and all his house. He is consoled by a vision of the Church in the form of an aged woman, weak and helpless from the sins of her unfaithful children, who tells him to bear fruits of repentance and to correct the sins of his children. Subsequently, after his repentance he sees her made younger, yet still wrinkled and with white hair; then again, later she appears as quite young but still with white hair; and lastly, she shows herself as a glorious Bride.
Thisallegorical language continues through the other parts of the work. In the second vision she gives Hermas a book, which she later takes back in order to add to it. The fifth vision, which is represented as taking place 20 days after the fourth, introduces "the Angel (Messenger) of repentance" in the guise of a shepherd, from whom the whole work takes its name. He delivers to Hermas a series of precepts (Latin:mandata; Greek: ἐντολαί,entolai), which form an interesting development of earlyChristian ethics. One point which deserves special mention is the instruction of a Christian husband's obligation to forgive and take back anadulterous wife upon her repentance.[3] The eleventh mandate, onhumility, is concerned with false prophets who desire to occupy the primary, or best seats (that is to say, among thepresbyters). Some have seen here a reference toMarcion, who came to Romec. 140 and desired to be admitted among the priests (or possibly even to becomebishop of Rome).[10]
After the mandates come ten similitudes (Latin:similitudines; Greek: παραβολαί,parabolai) in the form of visions (Latin:visiones; Greek: ὁράσεις,horaseis) which are explained by the angel. The longest of these (Similitude 9) is an elaboration of the parable of the building of a tower, which had formed the matter of the third vision. The tower is the Church, and the stones of which it is built are the faithful. In the third vision it looks as though only the holy are a part of the true Church; in Similitude 9 it is clearly pointed out that all thebaptized are included, though they may be cast out for grave sins, and can be readmitted only afterrepentance.[3]
Textual criticism, the nature of the theology, and the author's apparent familiarity with theBook of Revelation and other Johannine texts are thought to set the date of composition in the 2nd century. However, several ancient witnesses support an early dating and there is internal evidence for the place and date of this work in the language and theology of the work. The reference to an unknown Clement is presumed by some to beClement of Rome; if this is that Clement, it would suggest a date c. 90 for at least the historicised setting of the first two visions. SincePaul sent greetings to a Hermas, a Christian of Rome (Romans 16:14), a minority have followedOrigen of Alexandria's opinion that he was the author of this religiousallegory.[11]
Three ancient witnesses claim to identify the author of this writing. These authorities may be citing the same source, perhapsHegesippus,[12] whose lost history of the early Church provided material forEusebius of Caesarea. The witnesses are theMuratorian fragment, theLiberian Catalogue of Popes (a record that was later used in the writing of theLiber Pontificalis) and a poem written by "Pseudo-Tertullian" in the 3rd or 4th century AD.
TheMuratorian fragment, generally considered to have been written c. 170 AD (although a few scholars disagree with this dating),[13][14] may be the earliest knowncanon of New Testament writings. It identifiesHermas, the author ofThe Shepherd, as the brother ofPius I, bishop of Rome:
But Hermas wroteThe Shepherd very recently, in our times, in the city of Rome, while bishop Pius, his brother, was occupying the chair of the church of the city of Rome. And therefore it ought indeed to be read; but it cannot be read publicly to the people in church either among the Prophets, whose number is complete, or among the Apostles, for it is after their time.
In parable 5, the author mentions aSon of God, as a virtuous man filled with a holy "pre-existent spirit" and adopted as the Son.[15] In the 2nd century,adoptionism (the view thatJesus Christ was, at least initially, only a mortal man) was one of two competing doctrines about Jesus's true nature, the other being that he pre-existed as the Word (Logos) or only-begotten Son of God and is to be identified as such from his conception; Christ's identity as the Logos (John 1:1), in which the Logos is further understood to be uncreated and coessentially divine withGod (that is, the Father), was affirmed in 325 AD at theFirst Council of Nicaea.[16] Bogdan G. Bucur says the document was widely accepted among orthodox Christians, yet was not criticized for apparently exhibiting an adoptionistic Christology. He says that the passage in question should be understood as Jesus making his dwelling within those who submit to his spirit, so that the adoption that takes place is not of Jesus, but of his followers.[17]
Some believe that Hermas has abinitarian understanding of God, as it calls the Holy Spirit the Son of God. Not all, however agree that Hermas has binitarianism.[18][19] Kelly calls the Christology of Hermas "an amalgam of binitarianism and adoptionism".[20]
Hermas has asynergist understanding ofsoteriology, where both works and faith are needed to be saved.[21] For Hermas baptism is necessary to be saved and warns those who undergo baptism by the danger of postbaptismal sins.[22]The Shepherd of Hermas possibly supports delaying baptism for practical reasons which is because of the fear of post-baptismal sins.[23] According to Hermas, those who fall into sin after baptism, have only one chance ofpenance.[24]
The book has a high emphasis on morals and the work is an indication ofJewish Christianity — still keeping theLaw of Moses.[25]
Hermas has some similarities toMontanism, such as a support of a belief inprophetic gifts and disciplinarian rigorism, however a direct connection does not exist.[26]
The principles whichNovatian formulated have their origin in the Shepherd of Hermas.[27]
Some have argued that Hermas is the first example ofpre-tribulational rapture. Though Hermas does not mention a rapture, he writes of believers that "have escaped from great tribulation on account of [their] faith" and that others could also escape "the great tribulation that is coming".[28]
Tertullian implies thatPope Callixtus I had quoted it as an authority (though evidently not as one of thebooks of the Bible), for he replies: "I would admit your argument, if the writing ofThe Shepherd had deserved to be included in the Divine Instrument, and if it were not judged by every council of the Churches, even of your own Churches, among the apocryphal."[29] And again, he says that the "Epistle of Barnabas", which is Tertullian's name for the New TestamentEpistle to the Hebrews, is "more received among the Churches than the apocryphal epistle of the Shepherd".[30][3]
The Greek text is edited byGebhardt andHarnack (Leipzig, 1877), byFunk (Tübingen, 1901), and, with itsEnglish translation, byLightfoot,Apostolic Fathers, edited by Harmon (London, 1893); theCodex Sinaiticus of Hermas was edited byLake (Oxford, 1911). The English translation byWilliam Wake (Archbishop of Canterbury 1716–1737) is given in W. Hone & J. Jones'sApocryphal New Testament (London, 1820). An English translation is also in Volume II of the American edition ofAnte-Nicene Fathers, edited by Roberts & Donaldson (Buffalo, NY, 1886). Other English translations are by Kirsopp Lake,The Apostolic Fathers (Harvard Univ. Press, Loeb Classical Library, 1913), andEdgar J. Goodspeed,The Apostolic Fathers (New York, Harper & Bros., 1950). In general, consult:
Kelly calls Hermas's christology an "amalgam of binitarianism and adoptionism"
This article incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Hermas".Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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