The Shepherd of Hermas – Visions, Virtue, and Forgiveness

Discover The Shepherd of Hermas (Greek: Poimēn tou Herma), a Christian literary work of immense popularity in the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th centuries, which almost earned a permanent place in the New Testament canon. Compiled in the mid-fourth century, the Codex Sinaiticus includes it alongside the familiar 27 books.

This long and complex text, consisting of 114 chapters (about as many lines as Paul’s letters and Hebrews combined), is a key source for understanding early Christian ethical life. It is organized into three parts: five Visions, twelve Mandates (commandments), and ten Similitudes (parables).

The narrative begins with Hermas, a formerly enslaved man in Rome. His initial visions feat ...