Lost scriptures: books that did not make it into the New Testament (66 page)

gained nothing from their betrayal. Yet

said to me, “Be a man,b Hermas.”

they have added still more licentious acts

to their sins and piled on more evil; and

so their lawless acts have gone as far as

Vision
Two

they can go.

3
But make these words known to all

(II,
1)

5

your children and your wife, who is about

I was traveling to the countryside to become your sister. For she also does at the same time as the previous

not restrain her tongue, but uses it to

year, and on the way I remembered the

perpetrate evil. But when she hears these

vision from the year before. And again a

words she will control it and receive

spirit took me and bore me to the same

mercy.

place I had been then.

4
After you have made known to them

2
And so, when I came to the place I

these words that the Master has combowed my knees and began praying to manded me to reveal to you, then all the

the Lord and glorifying his name, besins they formerly committed will be forcause he considered me worthy and given them, along with those of all the

showed me my former sins.

saints who have sinned till this day, if

3
When I arose from prayer I saw

they repent from their whole heart and

across from me the elderly woman I had

remove double-mindedness from it.

seen the year before, walking and reading

5
For the Master swore by his own

a little book. And she said to me, “Can

glory to his chosen ones: ‘If there is any

you announce these things to the ones

more sinning once this day has been apchosen by God?” I said to her, “Lady, I pointed, they will not find salvation. For

cannot remember so many things. Give

there is a limit to repentance for those

me the book to make a copy.” “Take it,”

she said, “and then return it to me.”

4
I took it and went away to another

part of the field, where I copied the whole

bOr:
Be
courageous

THE SHEPHERD OF HERMAS

255

who are upright, and the days of repen

3
How fortunate are all those who do

tance for all the saints are complete. But

righteousness. They will never perish.

the outsidersc will be able to repent until

4
Say to Maximus, ‘See, affliction is

the final day.’

coming. If it seems right to you, make

6
And so, say to those who lead the

another denial.’d The Lord is near to those

church that they are to make their paths

who convert, as is written in the Book of

straight in righteousness, that they may

Eldad and Modat,e who prophesied to the

fully receive the promises with great

people in the wilderness.”

glory.

7
You who do what is righteous should

(II,
4)

stand firm and not be of two minds, that

your path may lie with the holy angels.

8 While I was sleeping, brothers, I

received a revelation from a very

How fortunate are all you who endure

beautiful young man, who said to me:

the great affliction that is coming and do

“The elderly woman from whom you renot deny your life.

ceived the little book—who do you think

8
For the Lord has sworn by his Son,

she is?” “The Sibyl,” I replied. “You are

that those who deny their Lord have lost

wrong,” he said; “it is not she.” “Who

their life—that is, those who are about to

then is it?” I asked. “The church,” he said.

deny him in the days that are coming.

I said to him, “Why then is she elderly?”

But through his great compassion, mercy

“Because,” he said, “she was created first,

has been given to those who denied the

before anything else. That is why she is

Lord previously.

elderly, and for her sake the world was

created.”

2
And afterward I saw a vision in my

(II,
3)

7

house. The elderly woman came and

“But you, Hermas, must no longer asked if I had already given the book to hold a grudge against your children

the presbyters. I said that I had not. “You

nor leave your sister to her own devices,

have done well,” she said. “For I have

that they may be cleansed from their forsome words to add. Then, when I commer sins. For they will be disciplined with plete all the words, they will be made

an upright discipline, if you bear no

known through you to all those who are

grudge against them. A grudge produces

chosen.

death. But you, Hermas, have experi

3
And so, you will write two little

enced great afflictions of your own bebooks, sending one to Clement and the cause of your family’s transgressions,

other to Grapte. Clement will send his to

since you paid no attention to them. You

the foreign cities, for that is his commisneglected them and became enmeshed in sion. But Grapte will admonish the widyour own evil deeds.

ows and orphans. And you will read

2
But you are saved by not straying

yours in this city, with the presbyters who

from the living God, and by your simlead the church.”

plicity and great self-restraint. These

things have saved you, if you continue;

and they save all those who do them and

who proceed in innocence and simplicity.

c Literally:
Gentiles;
or
nations
dThe quotation may Such people will overcome all evil and

continue to the end of the verse eThis was an apocryphal book written in the names of the two prophets persist to eternal life.

mentioned in Num. 11:26. It no longer survives.

256

NON-CANONICAL APOCALYPSES AND REVELATORY TREATISES

Vision
Three

said to her, “Lady, let the elders sit first.”

“Do what I tell you,” she said. “Sit.”

(III,
1)

9
But then, when I wanted to sit on the

9 What I saw, brothers, was this.

right side, she did not let me, but signaled

2
After I fasted a great deal and

with her hand for me to sit on the left.

asked the Lord to show me the revelation

As I was mulling this over and becoming

that he promised to reveal through the

upset that she did not allow me to sit on

elderly woman, that same night the elthe right, she said to me, “Are you upset, derly woman appeared and said to me,

Hermas? The place on the right is for

“Since you are so needy and eager to

others, who have already pleased God

know everything, come to the field where

and suffered on behalf of the name. Many

you farm, and around eleven in the mornthings must happen to you before you ing I will be revealed to you and show

can sit with them. But continue in your

you what you must see.”

simplicity, as you are doing, and you will

3
I asked her, “Lady, in what part of

sit with them, as will everyone who does

the field?” “Wherever you wish,” she

what they have done and endures what

said. I chose a beautiful spot that was

they have endured.”

secluded. But before I could speak with

her to tell her the place, she said to me,

(III,
2)

“I will come there, wherever you wish.”

10

4
And so, brothers, I went into the field

“What have they endured?” I

asked. “Listen,” she said: “flogand counted the hours. I arrived at the gings, imprisonments, great afflictions,

place that I had directed her to come, and

crucifixions, and wild beasts—for the

I saw an ivory couch set up. On the couch

sake of the name. For this reason, the

was placed a linen pillow, with a piece

right side of holiness belongs to them,

of fine linen cloth on top.

and to anyone who suffers on account of

5
When I saw these things laid out with

the name. The left side is for the others.

no one there, I was astounded and seized

The same gifts and promises belong to

with trembling, and my hair stood on

both—those seated on the right and those

end—terrified, because I was alone. Then

on the left. But they alone sit on the right

when I came to myself, I remembered

and have a certain glory.

the glory of God and took courage. I

2
You want to sit on the right side with

bowed my knees and confessed my sins

them, but you have many shortcomings.

again to the Lord, as I had done before.

But you will be cleansed of your short

6
And she came with six young men,

comings. And all those who are not of

whom I had seen before, and she stood

two minds will be cleansed from all the

beside me and listened closely while I

sins they have committed up to this day.

prayed and confessed my sins to the

3
After she said these things she

Lord. She touched me and said, “Hermas,

wanted to leave. But I fell before her feet

stop asking exclusively about your sins;

and pled with her by the Lord to show

ask also about righteousness, that you

me the vision she had promised.

may receive some of it in your house.”

4
Again she took my hand, raised me

7
She raised me by the hand and led

up, and seated me on the couch on the

me to the couch; and she said to the

left side. She herself sat on the right. And

young men, “Go and build.”

raising up a bright rod she said to me,

8
After the young men left and we

“Do you see a great thing?” I said to her,

were alone, she said to me, “Sit here.” I

“Lady, I see nothing.” She said to me,

THE SHEPHERD OF HERMAS

257

“Look, do you not see a great tower being

it to the brothers that they can become

built upon the water across from you,

more cheerful; for when they hear these

with bright, squared stones?”

things they will know the Lord in great

5
The tower was being built in a square

glory.”

by the six young men who had come with

2
She said, “Many will indeed hear;

her. And thousands of other men were

and some of those who hear will rejoice,

bringing stones, some of them from the

but some will weep. But even these latter,

depths of the sea and some from the land,

if they hear and repent, will rejoice as

and they were handing them over to the

well. Hear therefore the parables of the

six young men, who were taking them

tower. For I will reveal everything to you.

and building.

Then trouble me no further about the

6
Thus they placed all the stones drawn

revelation. For these revelations are comfrom the depths in the building; for they pleted and fulfilled. But you will not stop

fit together and were straight at their

asking about revelations, because you are

joints with the other stones. And they

shameless.

were placed together so that their joints

3
The tower, which you see being built,

were invisible. The building of the tower

is I, the church, who has appeared to you

seemed to have been made out of a single

both now and previously. And so, ask

stone.

whatever you wish about the tower and I

7
But they tossed aside some of the

will reveal it to you, that you may rejoice

other stones that were brought from the

with the saints.”

dry land, while others they placed in

4
I said to her, “Lady, since you have

the building. Others they broke up and

on this one occasion considered me worcast far from the tower.

thy to reveal all things to me: reveal

8
Many other stones were lying around

them.” She said to me, “Whatever can be

the tower, and they did not use them in

revealed to you, will be revealed. Only

the building. For some of them had a

let your heart be set on God, and do not

rough surface, others had cracks, others

be of two minds, whatever you see.”

were broken off, and others were white

5
I asked her, “Why, Lady, is the tower

and round, and did not fit in the building.