Home/The Way/Apostolic Fathers/Hermas
Hermas
A former slave whose vision of the Shepherd became one of the most popular Christian books of the early centuries.
Hermas was a Roman freedperson who flourished in the first half of the second century. He introduces himself in his writing as a former slave who gained his freedom, as a husband and father, and as a sinner — his sins we're lustful desires and a doubtful faith in the providential mission of the Lord.
His master was a Christian woman named Rhoda, who set him free. According to the Muratorian Fragment, the Shepherd of Hermas was written during the time of Pius, bishop of Rome (c. AD 140–155). The work is also known to have been used by Irenaeus and Tertullian.
The Shepherd of Hermas
The Shepherd of Hermas is a long, allegorical work consisting of five Visions, twelve Mandates, and ten Similitudes. It records a series of visions and revelations given to Hermas by an angel of repentance who appears in the form of a shepherd — hence the title.
The work's central theme is repentance. Hermas is told that post-baptismal sin is forgivable if it is confessed and repented of. This was a controversial position in a church that was still working out how to handle sin among its members, and it explains why the Shepherd was so widely read.
Why It Matters
The Shepherd of Hermas is the most popular Christian book of the second century after the Gospels. It was read in churches across the Mediterranean, and it was seriously considered for inclusion in the New Testament canon. The Muratorian Fragment says it “should be read,” though not in the same category as the apostolic writings.
For the historian, the Shepherd is valuable because it shows us how a Christian community at Rome in the early second century understood repentance, forgiveness, and the ethics of everyday life. It is a window into the pastoral concerns of the sub-apostolic church.
“ The Lord is near to those who turn to him, as it is written in the book of the Eldad and Medad, who prophesied to the people in the wilderness.”
Hermas, Vision 2.3.4Sources
- The Shepherd of Hermas, trans. Michael W. Holmes, in The Apostolic Fathers, 3rd ed. (Baker Academic, 2007).
- Muratorian Fragment.
- Irenaeus, Against Heresies 4.20.2.
- Carolyn Osiek, The Shepherd of Hermas (Fortress, 1999).