THE SHEPHERD OF HERMAS


		Epilogue 1. After I had written out this book completely, the angel who had delivered me to the shepherd came to the house where I was, and sat on a couch, and the shepherd stood at his right hand. Then he called me, and spoke thus to me; "I delivered you," he said, "and your house to this shepherd, so you would be protected by him." "True, Sir," I said. "If therefore," he said, "you desire to be protected from all annoyance and all cruelty, and to have success in every good work and word, and all the power of righteousness, walk in his commandments, which I have given you, and you will be able to get the mastery over all wickedness. If you keep his commandments, all evil desire and the sweetness of this world shall be subject to you; moreover success shall attend you in every good undertaking. Embrace his gravity and self-restraint, and tell all men that he is held in great honour and dignity with the Lord, and is a ruler of great authority, and powerful in his office. To him alone in the whole world has authority over repentance been assigned. 2. "I speak these things to you, so you may persevere. For he has given a good account of you to me. You therefore must speak these words to others, so they too who have practised or shall practise repentance may be of the same mind as you are; and he may give a good report of them to me, and I to the Lord." "I too, Sir," I said, "declare to every man the mighty works of the Lord; for I hope that all who have sinned in the past, if they hear these things, will gladly repent and recover life." "Continue," he said, "in this mastery, and complete it to the end. Whoever fulfils his commandments shall have life; yes such a man [shall have] great honour with the Lord. But those who don't keep his commandments, fly from their life, and oppose him, and don't follow his commandments, but deliver themselves over to death; and each one becomes guilty of his own blood. But I bid you to obey these commandments, and you will have a remedy for your sins. 3. "Moreover, I have sent these virgins to you, so they may dwell with you; for I have seen that they are friendly towards you. You have them therefore as helpers, so you may be the better able to keep his commandments; for it is impossible that these commandments be kept without the help of these virgins. I see too that they are glad to be with you. But I will charge them, that they not depart at all from your house. Only purify your house; for in a clean house they will dwell gladly. For they are clean and chaste and industrious, and all have favour in the sight of the Lord. If, therefore, they shall find your house pure, they will continue with you; but if the slightest pollution arise, they will depart from your house at once. For these virgins don't love pollution in any form." I said to him, "I hope, Sir, that I shall please them, so they may gladly dwell in my house for ever; and just as he to whom you delivered me makes no complaint against me, so they likewise shall make no complaint." He said to the shepherd, "I perceive," he said, "that he wishes to live as the servant of God, and that he will keep these commandments, and will place these virgins in a clean habitation." With these words he again delivered me over to the shepherd, and called the virgins, and said to them; "Inasmuch as I see you are glad to dwell in this man's house, I commend to you him and his house, that you don't depart at all." But they heard these words gladly. 4. He said then to me, "Perform like a man in this ministry; declare to every man the mighty works of the Lord, and you will have favour in this ministry. Whoever shall walk in these commandments, shall live and be happy in his life; but whoever shall neglect them, shall not live, and shall be unhappy in his life. Charge all men who are able to do right, that they not cease to practise good works; for it is useful for them. "I say moreover that every man ought to be rescued from misfortune; for he who has need, and suffers misfortune in his daily life, is in great torment and want. Whoever therefore rescues [anyone] from a penury life of this kind, wins great joy for himself. For he who is harassed by misfortune of this sort is afflicted and tortured with equal torment as one who is in chains. For many men on account of calamities of this kind, because they can't bear them any longer, lay violent hands on themselves. He then who knows the calamity of a man of this kind and doesn't rescues him, commits great sin, and becomes guilty of the man's blood. "Therefore do good works, whoever of you has received [benefits] from the Lord, lest, while you delay to do them, the building of the tower is completed. It is on your account that the work of the building has been interrupted. Unless then you hasten todo right, the tower will be completed, and you shut out." When he had finished speaking with me, he rose from the couch and departed, taking with him the shepherd and the virgins. He said to me, however, that he would send the shepherd and the virgins back to my house again. Return to table of contents, Part III, The Parables Hermas and Didache page

Epilogue

1. After I had written out this book completely, the angel who had delivered me to the shepherd came to the house where I was, and sat on a couch, and the shepherd stood at his right hand. Then he called me, and spoke thus to me; "I delivered you," he said, "and your house to this shepherd, so you would be protected by him."

"True, Sir," I said.

"If therefore," he said, "you desire to be protected from all annoyance and all cruelty, and to have success in every good work and word, and all the power of righteousness, walk in his commandments, which I have given you, and you will be able to get the mastery over all wickedness. If you keep his commandments, all evil desire and the sweetness of this world shall be subject to you; moreover success shall attend you in every good undertaking. Embrace his gravity and self-restraint, and tell all men that he is held in great honour and dignity with the Lord, and is a ruler of great authority, and powerful in his office. To him alone in the whole world has authority over repentance been assigned.

2. "I speak these things to you, so you may persevere. For he has given a good account of you to me. You therefore must speak these words to others, so they too who have practised or shall practise repentance may be of the same mind as you are; and he may give a good report of them to me, and I to the Lord."

"I too, Sir," I said, "declare to every man the mighty works of the Lord; for I hope that all who have sinned in the past, if they hear these things, will gladly repent and recover life."

"Continue," he said, "in this mastery, and complete it to the end. Whoever fulfils his commandments shall have life; yes such a man [shall have] great honour with the Lord. But those who don't keep his commandments, fly from their life, and oppose him, and don't follow his commandments, but deliver themselves over to death; and each one becomes guilty of his own blood. But I bid you to obey these commandments, and you will have a remedy for your sins.

3. "Moreover, I have sent these virgins to you, so they may dwell with you; for I have seen that they are friendly towards you. You have them therefore as helpers, so you may be the better able to keep his commandments; for it is impossible that these commandments be kept without the help of these virgins. I see too that they are glad to be with you. But I will charge them, that they not depart at all from your house. Only purify your house; for in a clean house they will dwell gladly. For they are clean and chaste and industrious, and all have favour in the sight of the Lord. If, therefore, they shall find your house pure, they will continue with you; but if the slightest pollution arise, they will depart from your house at once. For these virgins don't love pollution in any form."

I said to him, "I hope, Sir, that I shall please them, so they may gladly dwell in my house for ever; and just as he to whom you delivered me makes no complaint against me, so they likewise shall make no complaint."

He said to the shepherd, "I perceive," he said, "that he wishes to live as the servant of God, and that he will keep these commandments, and will place these virgins in a clean habitation."

With these words he again delivered me over to the shepherd, and called the virgins, and said to them; "Inasmuch as I see you are glad to dwell in this man's house, I commend to you him and his house, that you don't depart at all."

But they heard these words gladly.

4. He said then to me, "Perform like a man in this ministry; declare to every man the mighty works of the Lord, and you will have favour in this ministry. Whoever shall walk in these commandments, shall live and be happy in his life; but whoever shall neglect them, shall not live, and shall be unhappy in his life. Charge all men who are able to do right, that they not cease to practise good works; for it is useful for them.

"I say moreover that every man ought to be rescued from misfortune; for he who has need, and suffers misfortune in his daily life, is in great torment and want. Whoever therefore rescues [anyone] from a penury life of this kind, wins great joy for himself. For he who is harassed by misfortune of this sort is afflicted and tortured with equal torment as one who is in chains. For many men on account of calamities of this kind, because they can't bear them any longer, lay violent hands on themselves. He then who knows the calamity of a man of this kind and doesn't rescues him, commits great sin, and becomes guilty of the man's blood.

"Therefore do good works, whoever of you has received [benefits] from the Lord, lest, while you delay to do them, the building of the tower is completed. It is on your account that the work of the building has been interrupted. Unless then you hasten todo right, the tower will be completed, and you shut out."

When he had finished speaking with me, he rose from the couch and departed, taking with him the shepherd and the virgins. He said to me, however, that he would send the shepherd and the virgins back to my house again.
Return to table of contents, Part III, The Parables
Hermas and Didache page