Second Book of Hermas

*The audio book start at 53:03 minutes, seconds.

The Shepherd of Hermas is a document attributed to Hermas, a Roman freedperson, who flourished during the first half of the 2nd century CE. Hermas as author as well as authorship by one or more writers have been topics of debate. The Muratorian Canon (44) states the Shepherd was written when Hermas’s brother, Pius (traditionally dated c. 140—c. 154 CE), was the bishop of Rome. The writing identifies a Clement who has the responsibility of sending writings on behalf of a Roman church to believers in other cities (Vis. 2.4.3), a reference many regard as a direct allusion to the author of the 1st-century letter, 1 Clement. From the writing we learn that Hermas is the former slave of his master, Rhoda (Vis. 1.1.1), and that he has suffered some setbacks in his business ventures due in part to the sins of his family (Vis. 1.3.1–2; 2.3.1–2). The shepherd of the title refers to an angelic figure, “the angel of repentance,” who appears part way through the work to reveal divine teachings. The 15th-century Codex Athous presents it in three parts: five “visions,” twelve “commandments,” and ten “parables.” These are not strict demarcations, however: the fifth vision is an introduction to the commandments that follow and several of the parables are expansions of the content of the visions. The writing centers largely on ethical teachings and instruction concerning communal values. These focus on the need of Roman Christ followers to renew and increase their commitment to religious ideals, especially to an ecclesial identity that will distinguish it from the society around it. Hermas learns from his heavenly messengers that because believers have sinned following their baptism God is offering them an opportunity before a coming judgment for a “second repentance.” In some parts of the early church the Shepherd was treated as canonical: the Greek Codex Sinaiticus (4th century) and the Greek-Latin Codex Claromantanus (6th century) include it as part of the New Testament; Irenaeus and Clement of Alexandria quote it as Scripture. The Shepherdwas one of the most widely read writings in the early church; numerous authors (for example, Tertullian, Origen, Augustine, Jerome, Athanasius, to name only a few) cited it even if they did not regard it as canonical. Its popularity is also attested by numerous depictions of scenes in Christian iconography.