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Hermas

The Shepherd

apocalyptic

The Shepherd of Hermas is a lengthy apocalyptic text, probably composed in Rome over several decades in the first half of the second century. Divided into five Visions, twelve Mandates, and ten Similitudes, it recounts the revelations given to Hermas by an elderly woman (representing the Church) and by a shepherd angel. The work is primarily concerned with the possibility of repentance after baptism — a pressing question for the early Church. It was enormously popular in the ancient world: Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria quoted it as Scripture, and it appears in the Codex Sinaiticus alongside the canonical books. This edition follows the text of Kirsopp Lake (Loeb Classical Library, 1913).

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Books

  • Vision I

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    20 lines
  • Vision II

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    19 lines
  • Vision III

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    86 lines
  • Vision IV

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    23 lines
  • Vision V

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    7 lines
  • Mandate I

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    2 lines
  • Mandate II

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    7 lines
  • Mandate III

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    5 lines
  • Mandate IV

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    26 lines
  • Mandate V

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    15 lines
  • Mandate VI

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    15 lines
  • Mandate VII

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    5 lines
  • Mandate VIII

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    12 lines
  • Mandate IX

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    12 lines
  • Mandate X

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    16 lines
  • Mandate XI

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    21 lines
  • Mandate XII

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    30 lines
  • Similitude I

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    11 lines
  • Similitude II

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    10 lines
  • Similitude III

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    3 lines
  • Similitude IV

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    8 lines
  • Similitude V

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    47 lines
  • Similitude VI

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    30 lines
  • Similitude VII

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    7 lines
  • Similitude VIII

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    77 lines
  • Similitude IX

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    196 lines
  • Similitude X

    A section of the Shepherd of Hermas — visions, mandates, or parables revealing the nature of repentance, virtue, and the Christian life in the early Church.

    17 lines
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