The Shepherd of Hermas 26

After I had written down the commandments and parables of the shepherd, the angel of repentance, he came to me and said to me: "I want to show you all that the Holy Spirit showed you, the Spirit that spoke with you in the form of the Church; for that Spirit is the Son of God."

"For since you were weaker in the flesh, it was not made clear to you through an angel. But when you were strengthened through the Spirit and grew strong in your strength, so that you were able even to see an angel, then indeed the building of the tower was revealed to you through the Church; you beheld all things beautifully and reverently, as from a virgin. But now you see it from an angel, though through the same Spirit."

"But you must learn everything from me more accurately. For it was for this purpose that I too was given by the glorious angel to dwell in your house, so that you might see all things mightily, in no way fearful as before."

And he led me away into Arcadia, to a certain breast-shaped mountain, and seated me on the top of the mountain, and showed me a great plain, and around the plain twelve mountains, each of the mountains having a different appearance.

The first was black as soot; the second was bare, having no vegetation; the third was full of thorns and thistles;

the fourth had half-withered vegetation, the upper parts of the plants being green but the parts near the roots dry; and some of the plants, when the sun had scorched them, became dry;

the fifth mountain had green vegetation but was rugged. The sixth mountain was altogether full of cracks, some small and some large; the cracks had vegetation, but the plants were not very flourishing, but rather as if withered.

The seventh mountain had cheerful vegetation, and the whole mountain was thriving, and every kind of cattle and birds fed upon that mountain; and the more the cattle and the birds grazed, the more and more the vegetation of that mountain flourished. The eighth mountain was full of springs, and every kind of the Lord's creation drank from the springs of that mountain.

The ninth mountain had no water at all and was entirely desolate. It had in it wild beasts and deadly reptiles that destroyed people. The tenth mountain had very great trees and was entirely shady, and under the shelter of the trees sheep lay resting and chewing the cud.

The eleventh mountain was very thickly wooded, and those trees were laden with fruit, adorned with all kinds of fruit, so that anyone seeing them would desire to eat of their fruit. And the twelfth mountain was entirely white, and its appearance was cheerful; and the mountain was most beautiful in itself.

In the middle of the plain he showed me a great white rock that had risen up out of the plain. The rock was higher than the mountains, four-square, so that it could contain the whole world.

That rock was ancient, having a gate hewn out of it; but the carving of the gate seemed to me to be recent. And the gate so shone, beyond the sun, that I marveled at the brightness of the gate.

And around the gate stood twelve virgins. The four standing at the corners seemed to me to be more glorious; and the others too were glorious. They stood at the four sides of the gate, two virgins between each pair.

They were clothed in linen tunics and were becomingly girded, having their right shoulders bared as though about to carry some burden. So ready were they; for they were very cheerful and eager.

After I had seen these things, I marveled within myself, that I was beholding great and glorious things. And again I was perplexed about the virgins, that, being so delicate, they stood manfully as though about to carry the whole heaven.

And the shepherd said to me: "Why do you reason within yourself and are perplexed and draw grief upon yourself? For whatever you cannot understand, do not attempt, being a man of understanding, but ask the Lord, so that, receiving understanding, you may comprehend them."

"You cannot see what is behind you, but you do see what is before you. So leave alone what you cannot see, and do not torment yourself; but over what you do see, gain mastery, and do not busy yourself about the rest. I will explain to you everything that I shall show you. So fix your gaze on the rest."

I saw six men come, tall and glorious and alike in appearance; and they summoned a great multitude of men. And those who came were also tall men, handsome and powerful; and the six men ordered them to build a certain tower upon the rock. And there was a great commotion of those men who had come to build the tower, as they ran here and there around the gate.

And the virgins standing around the gate told the men to hasten to build the tower; and the virgins had stretched out their hands as though about to receive something from the men.

And the six men ordered stones to come up out of a certain deep and to go into the building of the tower. And there came up ten square stones, bright, unhewn.

And the six men called the virgins and ordered them to carry all the stones that were to go into the building of the tower, and to pass through the gate and to hand them to the men who were to build the tower.

And the virgins placed upon one another the first ten stones that had come up out of the deep, and they carried them together, one stone at a time.

And just as they had taken their stand together around the gate, so those who seemed to be strong carried the stones and had crept in under the corners of the stone. And the others crept in under the sides of the stone, and so they carried all the stones; and they brought them through the gate, as they were ordered, and handed them to the men for the tower; and those men, taking the stones, built.

Now the building of the tower was made upon the great rock and above the gate. So those ten stones were fitted together and filled the whole rock; and they became the foundation of the building of the tower; and the rock and the gate were supporting the whole tower.

And after the ten stones, others came up out of the deep, twenty stones; and these were fitted into the building of the tower, being carried by the virgins as also the former ones were. And after these came up thirty-five, and these likewise were fitted into the tower. And after these forty more stones came up, and all these were put into the building of the tower; so there came to be four rows in the foundations of the tower.

And the stones ceased coming up out of the deep; and the builders too ceased for a little while. And again the six men commanded the multitude of the crowd to bring stones from the mountains into the building of the tower.

So they were brought in from all the mountains, hewn into various colors by the men, and handed to the virgins; and the virgins carried them through the gate and gave them up for the building of the tower. And when the variously colored stones were set into the building, they all became white alike and changed their varied colors.

But some stones were handed in by the men for the building and did not turn bright; rather, just as they were set in, such they were found to be, for they had not been handed over by the virgins nor carried through the gate. These stones, therefore, were unseemly in the building of the tower.

When the six men saw the unseemly stones in the building, they ordered them to be taken up and carried down to their own place, from which they had been brought.

And they said to the men who were bringing in the stones: "Do not by any means hand any stones into the building yourselves; rather, lay them beside the tower, so that the virgins may carry them through the gate and hand them up for the building. For," they said, "unless they are carried through the gate by the hands of these virgins, their colors cannot be changed. Do not labor, then," they said, "in vain."

And the building was carried on that day, but the tower was not finished, for it was to be built up again; and there came a pause in the building. The six men ordered all the builders to withdraw a little and to rest; but they commanded the virgins not to withdraw from the tower. It seemed to me that the virgins were left behind to guard the tower.

After all had withdrawn and rested, I said to the shepherd: "Why is it, sir," I said, "that the building of the tower was not completed?" "The tower cannot yet be finished," he said, "unless its lord comes and inspects this building, so that, if any stones be found rotten, he may change them; for the tower is built according to his will."

"I should like, sir," I said, "to know concerning this tower what this building is, and about the rock and the gate and the mountains and the virgins and the stones that came up out of the deep and were not hewn, but went just as they were into the building;

and why first stones were laid in the foundations, then twenty, then thirty-five, then forty; and about the stones that had gone into the building and were again taken up and laid aside in their own place. Concerning all these things give rest to my soul, sir, and make them known to me."

"If," he said, "you are not found to be one given to idle curiosity, you shall know all things; for after a few days we shall come here, and you will see the rest of what is to befall this tower, and you will know all the parables accurately."

And after a few days we came to the place where we had sat, and he said to me: "Let us go to the tower; for the master of the tower is coming to examine it." And we came to the tower; and there was no one at all by it except the virgins alone.

And the shepherd asked the virgins whether the lord of the tower had perhaps already arrived. And they said that he was about to come to examine the building.

And behold, after a little while I saw an array of many men coming; and in the midst of them a man so lofty in stature that he overtopped the tower.

And the six men who had charge of the building walked with him on his right and on his left, and all who had labored in the building were with him, and many other glorious ones round about him. And the virgins who were guarding the tower ran up and kissed him, and began to walk near him around the tower.

And that man examined the building carefully, so that he felt each single stone; and holding a rod in his hand, he struck each one of the stones that had been built in.

And when he struck them, some of them became black as soot, some scabby, some cracked, some stunted, some neither white nor black, some rough and not matching the other stones, and some with many spots: these were the varieties of the stones found rotten in the building.

He therefore ordered all these to be removed from the tower and to be laid beside the tower, and other stones to be brought and put in their place.

And the builders asked him from which mountain he wished stones to be brought and put in their place. And he did not order them to be brought from the mountains, but from a certain plain that was near by he ordered them to be brought.

And the plain was dug up, and bright square stones were found, and some round ones too. And as many stones as there were in that plain, all were brought, and were carried through the gate by the virgins.

And the square stones were hewn and laid in the place of those that had been removed; but the round ones were not laid in the building, because they were hard to hew and the work went slowly. They were laid beside the tower, as though they were to be hewn and set into the building; for they were exceedingly bright.

When the glorious man, the lord of the whole tower, had finished these things, he summoned the shepherd and handed over to him all the stones lying beside the tower, those that had been cast out of the building, and said to him:

"Carefully clean these stones and set into the building of the tower those that are able to fit with the rest; but those that do not fit, throw far away from the tower."

Having given these orders to the shepherd, he departed from the tower with all those with whom he had come; but the virgins stood round about the tower, guarding it.

I said to the shepherd: "How can these stones, having been rejected, go into the building of the tower?" He answered me, saying: "Do you see these stones?" "I see them, sir," I said. "I," he said, "will hew the greater part of these stones and put them into the building, and they will fit with the rest of the stones."

"How, sir," I said, "when they have been cut down, can they fill the same space?" He answered me: "Those that are found to be small will be put into the middle of the building, but those that are larger will be set on the outside and will hold them together."

Having said these things to me, he said: "Let us go, and after two days let us come and clean these stones and put them into the building; for all the area around the tower must be cleansed, lest the master come suddenly and find the surroundings of the tower foul and be displeased, and so these stones not go into the building of the tower, and I be thought negligent in the master's sight."

And after two days we came to the tower, and he said to me: "Let us examine all the stones and see which are able to go into the building." I said to him: "Sir, let us examine them."

And beginning first, we examined the black stones. And just as they had been removed from the building, such they were found to be. And the shepherd ordered them to be carried away from the tower and set apart.

Then he examined the scabby ones, and taking many of them he hewed them, and ordered the virgins to lift them and put them into the building. And the virgins lifted them and set them into the building of the tower, in the middle. The rest he ordered to be laid with the black ones; for these too were found to be black.

Then he examined those that had cracks; and of these too he hewed many and ordered them to be carried by the virgins into the building; and they were set on the outside, because they were found to be sounder. But the rest, because of the multitude of their cracks, could not be hewn; for this reason, therefore, they were cast out of the building of the tower.

Then he examined the stunted ones, and many among them were found to be black, and some had developed large cracks; and he ordered these too to be laid with the rejected ones. But those of them that were left over, after he had cleaned and hewn them, he ordered to be set into the building. And the virgins lifted them and fitted them into the middle of the building of the tower; for they were rather weak.

Then he examined those that were half white and half black, and many of them were found to be black. He ordered these too to be taken up with the rejected ones. But all the rest were lifted up by the virgins; for being white they were fitted by the virgins themselves into the building, and were set on the outside, because they were found to be sound, so as to be able to hold together those set in the middle; for in no way was any part of them stunted.

Then he examined the rough and hard ones, and few of them were cast out because they could not be hewn; for they were found to be exceedingly hard. But the rest of them were hewn and lifted up by the virgins and fitted into the middle of the building of the tower; for they were rather weak.

Then he examined those that had spots, and of these a very few had turned black and were cast out with the rest. But those that remained were found to be bright and sound; and these were fitted by the virgins into the building, and were set on the outside because of their strength.

Then he came to examine the white, round stones, and said to me: "What shall we do about these stones?" "How should I know, sir?" I said. "Do you have no idea, then, about them?"

"I, sir," I said, "do not have this craft, nor am I a stonecutter, nor can I understand it." "Do you not see," he said, "that they are very round? And if I wish to make them square, much must be cut away from them; yet some of them must of necessity be set into the building."

"If, then, sir," I said, "it is necessary, why do you torment yourself, and not choose for the building those you wish and fit them into it?" He chose out of them the larger and brighter ones and hewed them; and the virgins lifted them and fitted them into the outer parts of the building.

But the rest that were left over were taken up and laid back in the plain from which they had been brought; yet they were not cast away. "Because," he said, "the tower still lacks a little to be built; and the master of the tower wishes all these stones to be fitted into the building, for they are exceedingly bright."

Then twelve women were summoned, most beautiful in form, clothed in black, girded and with their shoulders bare, and with their hair loose; these women seemed to me to be wild. And the shepherd ordered them to lift the stones that had been cast out of the building and to carry them away to the mountains from which they had also been brought.

And they cheerfully lifted and carried away all the stones and laid them where they had been taken from. And after all the stones had been removed and no stone any longer lay around the tower, the shepherd said to me: "Let us go around the tower and see whether there is any defect in it." And I went around it with him.

And when the shepherd saw that the tower was beautiful in its building, he was exceedingly glad; for the tower was so built that, when I saw it, I longed for its construction. For it was built as if of a single stone, without having a single joint in itself. And the stone appeared as though hewn out of the rock; for it seemed to me to be a single stone.

And I, walking with him, was glad to see such good things. And the shepherd said to me: "Go and bring lime and fine potsherd, that I may fill in the impressions of the stones that have been removed and put into the building; for all the area around the tower must be made smooth."

And I did as he ordered, and brought them to him. "Help me," he said, "and the work will soon be finished." So he filled in the impressions of the stones that had gone into the building, and ordered the area around the tower to be swept and made clean.

And the virgins took brooms and swept, and removed all the rubbish from the tower and sprinkled water; and the place became cheerful and most beautiful for the tower.

The shepherd said to me: "All has now been cleansed," he said; "if the lord comes to visit the tower, he will have nothing to blame in us." Having said this, he wished to go away.

But I laid hold of his bag and began to adjure him by the Lord that he would explain to me what he had shown me. He said to me: "I have a little time to spare, and I will explain everything to you; wait for me here until I come."

I said to him: "Sir, being here alone, what shall I do?" "You are not alone," he said; "for these virgins are with you." "Hand me over, then," I said, "to them." The shepherd called them and said to them: "I entrust this man to you until I come"; and he went away.

And I was alone with the virgins; and they were quite cheerful and kindly disposed toward me, especially the four who were the more glorious among them.

The virgins said to me: "The shepherd is not coming here today." "What, then," I said, "shall I do?" "Wait for him until evening," they said; "and if he comes, he will speak with you, but if he does not come, you shall remain here with us until he comes."

I said to them: "I will wait for him until evening; but if he does not come, I will go away to my house and return early in the morning." But they answered and said to me: "You were handed over to us; you cannot withdraw from us."

"Where, then," I said, "shall I stay?" "With us," they said, "you shall sleep as a brother, and not as a husband; for you are our brother, and from now on we are to dwell with you, for we love you very much." But I was ashamed to stay with them.

And she who seemed to be the first among them began to kiss me and to embrace me; and the others, seeing her embracing me, also began to kiss me and to lead me around the tower and to play with me.

And I became as it were younger, and I myself also began to play with them: for some were dancing, some were leaping, some were singing; while I, keeping silence, walked with them around the tower and was glad with them.

And when evening came, I wished to go away to my house; but they would not let me, and held me back. So I remained with them through the night and slept beside the tower.

For the virgins spread their linen tunics on the ground and laid me down in the midst of them, and they did nothing at all except pray; and I prayed unceasingly with them, and no less than they. And the virgins rejoiced that I prayed thus. And I remained there with the virgins until the next day, until the second hour.

Then the shepherd came, and said to the virgins: "Have you done him any wrong?" "Ask him," they said. I said to him: "Sir, I was glad to have stayed with them." "What," he said, "did you have for supper?" "I supped, sir," I said, "on the words of the Lord all night long." "Did they treat you well?" he said. "Yes, sir," I said.

"Now," he said, "what do you wish to hear first?" "As you showed me from the beginning, sir," I said; "I ask you, sir, that just as I question you, so you may also explain to me." "As you wish," he said, "so I will also expound to you, and will hide nothing at all from you."

"First of all, sir," I said, "make this clear to me: who is the rock and the gate?" "This rock," he said, "and the gate are the Son of God." "How, sir," I said, "is the rock old, but the gate new?" "Listen," he said, "and understand, you without understanding."

"The Son of God is older than all his creation, so that he was the Father's counselor in his creation; for this reason also the rock is old." "But why is the gate new, sir?" I said.

"Because," he said, "he was manifested in the last days of the consummation; for this reason the gate became new, so that those who are to be saved might enter through it into the kingdom of God."

"Did you see," he said, "the stones that came in through the gate and were put into the building of the tower, but those that did not come in were cast out again into their own place?" "I saw them, sir," I said. "Thus," he said, "no one shall enter into the kingdom of God unless he receives his holy name."

For if you wish to enter a certain city, and that city is walled all around and has but one gate, can you possibly enter that city except through the gate it has? "How could it be otherwise, sir?" I said. "If, then, you cannot enter the city except through the gate it has, so too," he said, "a man cannot enter the kingdom of God in any other way than through the name of his beloved Son."

"Did you see," he said, "the crowd building the tower?" "I saw it, sir," I said. "Those," he said, "are all glorious angels; by these the Lord is walled about. And the gate is the Son of God; this is the one entrance to the Lord. No one, therefore, shall come in to him in any other way than through his Son."

"Did you see," he said, "the six men, and in their midst the glorious and great man who walked about the tower and rejected the stones from the building?" "I saw them, sir," I said.

"The glorious man," he said, "is the Son of God, and those six glorious ones are the angels who support him on the right and the left. None of these glorious angels," he said, "comes in to God apart from him; whoever does not receive his name shall not enter the kingdom of God."

"And the tower," I said, "what is it?" "This tower," he said, "is the church."

"And these virgins, who are they?" "These," he said, "are holy spirits; and in no other way can a man be found in the kingdom of God unless they clothe him with their garment. For if you receive only the name, but do not receive the garment from them, it profits you nothing; for these virgins are the powers of the Son of God. If you bear the name but do not bear his power, you will be bearing his name in vain."

"And the stones," he said, "which you saw cast away—these bore the name, but did not put on the clothing of the virgins." "What is their clothing, sir?" I said. "The very names," he said, "are their clothing. Whoever bears the name of the Son of God ought also to bear the names of these virgins; for the Son himself bears the names of these virgins."

"As many stones as you saw entering into the building of the tower, handed in through their hands and remaining in the building—these are clothed with the power of these virgins."

"For this reason you see the tower has become of a single stone with the rock. So also those who have believed in the Lord through his Son and are clothed with these spirits will become one spirit, one body, and the colour of their garments will be one. And the dwelling of such, who bear the names of the virgins, is in the tower."

"Then, sir," I said, "why were the rejected stones cast away? For they too passed through the gate, and were placed in the building of the tower by the hands of the virgins." "Since everything matters to you," he said, "and you inquire so carefully, hear concerning the rejected stones."

"These all," he said, "received the name of the Son of God, and received also the power of these virgins. Having therefore received these spirits, they were strengthened and were with the servants of God, and they had one spirit and one body and one garment; for they were of one mind and worked righteousness."

"But after some time they were seduced by the women whom you saw clothed in black garments, with their shoulders bare and their hair loose, and beautiful. Seeing these, they desired them and put on their power, and stripped off the garment and the power of the virgins."

"These, then, were cast out from the house of God and handed over to those women; but those who were not deceived by the beauty of these women remained in the house of God. You have," he said, "the explanation of the rejected ones."

"What then, sir," I said, "if these men, being such as they are, repent and cast off the desires of these women, and turn back to the virgins, and walk in their power and in their works—shall they not enter into the house of God?"

"They shall enter," he said, "if they cast off the works of these women and take up again the power of the virgins and walk in their works. For this is the very reason there was a delay in the building: that, if these repent, they may go into the building of the tower. But if they do not repent, then others shall enter, and these shall be cast out for good."

For all these things I gave thanks to the Lord, because he had compassion on all who call upon his name, and sent the angel of repentance to us who have sinned against him, and renewed our spirit; and when we were already corrupted and had no hope of living, he restored our life.

"Now, sir," I said, "show me why the tower was not built on the ground, but upon the rock and upon the gate." "Are you still," he said, "foolish and without understanding?" "I am obliged, sir," I said, "to ask you everything, because I am utterly unable to understand anything; for all these things are great and glorious and hard for men to comprehend."

"Listen," he said: "the name of the Son of God is great and boundless, and it upholds the whole world. If, then, all creation is upheld by the Son of God, what do you think of those who are called by him and bear the name of the Son of God and walk in his commandments?"

"You see, then, what manner of men he upholds—those who bear his name with their whole heart. He himself, then, became their foundation, and he gladly upholds them, because they are not ashamed to bear his name."

"Show me, sir," I said, "the names of the virgins and of the women clothed in the black garments." "Hear," he said, "the names of the stronger virgins, those who stood at the corners."

"The first is Faith, the second Self-control, the third Power, the fourth Patience. And the others, who stood between these, have these names: Simplicity, Innocence, Purity, Cheerfulness, Truth, Understanding, Concord, Love. Whoever bears these names and the name of the Son of God will be able to enter into the kingdom of God."

"Hear," he said, "also the names of the women who wore the black garments. Of these too four are more powerful. The first is Unbelief, the second Intemperance, the third Disobedience, the fourth Deceit. And their followers are called: Grief, Wickedness, Licentiousness, Irascibility, Falsehood, Folly, Slander, Hatred. The servant of God who bears these names will indeed see the kingdom of God, but will not enter into it."

"And the stones, sir," I said, "which were fitted into the building from the deep, who are they?" "The first," he said, "the ten that were laid in the foundations, are the first generation; the twenty-five are the second generation of righteous men; the thirty-five are the prophets of God and his ministers; the forty are the apostles and teachers of the preaching of the Son of God."

"Why then, sir," I said, "did the virgins hand in these stones too into the building of the tower, carrying them through the gate?"

"Because these," he said, "were the first to bear these spirits, and they never at all departed from one another—neither the spirits from the men nor the men from the spirits—but the spirits remained with them until their falling asleep. And had these spirits not been with them, they would not have proved useful for the building of this tower."

"Still," I said, "explain to me, sir." "What do you seek?" he said. "Why, sir," I said, "did the stones come up from the deep and were placed into the building of the tower, after they had borne these spirits?"

"They had to come up through water," he said, "so that they might be made alive; for they could not otherwise enter into the kingdom of God, unless they laid aside the deadness of their former life."

"So these too who had fallen asleep received the seal of the Son of God and entered into the kingdom of God. For before a man bears the name of the Son of God," he said, "he is dead; but when he receives the seal, he lays aside the deadness and takes up life."

"The seal, then, is the water; into the water, then, they go down dead and come up alive. To those, then, this seal was preached, and they made use of it, so that they might enter into the kingdom of God."

"Why, sir," I said, "did the forty stones also come up with them from the deep, when they already had the seal?" "Because," he said, "these apostles and teachers who preached the name of the Son of God, having fallen asleep in the power and faith of the Son of God, preached also to those who had fallen asleep before them, and they themselves gave them the seal of the preaching."

"They went down, then, with them into the water and came up again; but these went down alive and came up alive, while those who had fallen asleep before them went down dead but came up alive."

"Through these, then, they were made alive and came to know the name of the Son of God. For this reason too they came up together with them, and were fitted together into the building of the tower, and were built in unhewn; for they had fallen asleep in righteousness and in great purity—only they had not had this seal. You have, then, the explanation of these too." "I have it, sir," I said.

"Now then, sir, explain to me concerning the mountains: why are their forms different and varied?" "Hear," he said: "these twelve mountains are the twelve tribes that inhabit the whole world. The Son of God, then, was preached to these through the apostles."

"But why are the mountains varied, each of a different form? Explain to me, sir." "Hear," he said: "these twelve tribes that inhabit the whole world are twelve nations; and they are varied in mind and understanding. As, then, you saw the mountains varied, such also are the variations of mind and understanding of these nations. And I will explain to you the conduct of each one."

"First, sir," I said, "explain this to me: why, when the mountains were so varied, did their stones, when they were placed in the building, become bright of one colour, just like the stones that had come up from the deep?"

"Because," he said, "all the nations that dwell under heaven, when they heard and believed, were called by the name of the Son of God. Having therefore received the seal, they had one understanding and one mind, and their faith became one and their love one, and they bore the spirits of the virgins together with the name. For this reason the building of the tower became bright of one colour like the sun."

"But after they had come together and become one body, some of them defiled themselves and were cast out from the race of the righteous, and again became such as they were before, or rather even worse."

"How, sir," I said, "did they become worse, having come to know God?" "He who does not know God," he said, "and does evil, has a certain punishment for his wickedness; but he who has come to know God ought no longer to do evil, but to do good."

"If, then, he who ought to do good does evil, does he not seem to commit greater wickedness than the one who does not know God? Therefore those who do not know God and do evil are condemned to death; but those who have come to know God and have seen his mighty works and yet do evil shall be doubly punished and shall die for ever. In this way, then, the church of God shall be cleansed."

"And as you saw the stones removed from the tower and handed over to the evil spirits and cast out from there—'and there shall be one body of those who have been cleansed, just as the tower became as though made of a single stone after it was cleansed'—so too shall the church of God be after it has been cleansed and the wicked, the hypocrites, the blasphemers, the double-minded, and those who do evil with various wickednesses have been cast out.

"After these have been cast out, the church of God shall be one body, one understanding, one mind, one faith, one love; and then the Son of God shall rejoice and be glad among them, having received back his people pure." "Greatly, sir," I said, "and gloriously is everything ordered."

"Still, sir," I said, "explain to me the meaning and the conduct of each one of the mountains, so that every soul that trusts in the Lord, when it hears, may glorify his great and wonderful and glorious name." "Hear," he said, "the variety of the mountains and of the twelve nations."

"From the first mountain, the black one, are those believers who are such as these: apostates and blasphemers against the Lord and betrayers of the servants of God. For these there is no repentance, but death; and for this reason they too are black, for their kind is lawless."

"From the second mountain, the bare one, are those believers who are such as these: hypocrites and teachers of wickedness. These too, then, are like the former, having no fruit of righteousness. For as their mountain is barren, so too such men have indeed a name, but are empty of faith, and there is in them no fruit of truth. For these, then, there is repentance, if they repent quickly; but if they delay, their death will be with the former ones."

"Why, sir," I said, "is there repentance for these, but not for the first? For their deeds are almost the same." "For this reason," he said, "there is repentance laid up for these: because they did not blaspheme their Lord nor become betrayers of the servants of God; but out of desire for gain they played the hypocrite, and each taught according to the desires of sinful men. Yet they shall pay some penalty; but repentance is laid up for them, because they did not become blasphemers or betrayers."

"From the third mountain, the one that had thorns and briers, are those believers who are such as these. Some of them are rich, others entangled in many business affairs. The briers are the rich, and the thorns are those entangled in their various business affairs."

"These, then, who are entangled in many and various business affairs, do not cleave to the servants of God, but go astray, being choked by their affairs. And the rich cleave to the servants of God with difficulty, fearing lest something be asked of them by them; such, then, will enter the kingdom of God only with difficulty."

"For just as it is hard to walk among briers with bare feet, so too it is hard for such men to enter into the kingdom of God."

"But for all these there is repentance, yet it must be swift, so that what they failed to accomplish in former times they may now make up for in these days and do some good. If, then, they repent and do some good, they shall live unto God; but if they persist in their affairs, they shall be handed over to those women, who will put them to death."

"From the fourth mountain, the one that had much vegetation—the upper parts of the plants green, but the parts near the roots withered, and some also withered by the sun—are those believers who are such as these: some are double-minded, and some have the Lord on their lips but not in their heart."

"For this reason their foundations are dry and have no power, and only their words live, while their works are dead. Such men neither live nor are dead. They are, then, like the double-minded; for the double-minded are neither green nor withered: they neither live nor are dead."

"For just as these plants withered when they saw the sun, so too the double-minded, when they hear of tribulation, through their cowardice fall into idolatry and are ashamed of the name of their Lord."

"Such men, then, neither live nor are dead. But these too, if they repent quickly, will be able to live; but if they do not repent, they are already handed over to the women who take away their life."

"From the fifth mountain, the one that had green vegetation and was rugged, are those believers who are such as these: they are faithful, but slow to learn, and self-willed, and pleasing to themselves, wishing to know everything, yet knowing nothing at all."

"Because of this self-will of theirs, understanding departed from them, and foolish senselessness entered into them. They praise themselves as having understanding and wish to be self-appointed teachers, although they are foolish."

"Because of this haughtiness, then, many have been brought to nothing by exalting themselves; for self-will and empty presumption are a great demon. Out of these, then, many were cast away; but some repented and believed and submitted themselves to those who have understanding, recognizing their own folly."

"And for the rest of such men there is repentance laid up; for they did not become wicked, but rather foolish and without understanding. These, then, if they repent, shall live unto God; but if they do not repent, they shall dwell with the women who work evil against them."

"And those from the sixth mountain, the one having great and small fissures, and in the fissures withered vegetation—the believers are such as these:"

"Those who have the small fissures are those who hold grudges against one another, and through their slanderings of one another have become withered in the faith; but many of these have repented. And the rest will also repent when they hear my commandments; for their slanderings are small, and they will repent quickly."

"But those who have the great fissures are those who persist in their slanderings and become vindictive, harbouring wrath against one another. These, then, were thrown off from the tower and rejected from its building. Such men, then, will hardly live."

"If God and our Lord, who rules over all and has authority over all his creation, does not hold a grudge against those who confess their sins, but is merciful, shall a man who is corruptible and full of sins hold a grudge against another man, as though he were able to destroy or to save him?"

"I say to you, I, the angel of repentance: as many of you as have this disposition, lay it aside and repent, and the Lord will heal your former sins, if you cleanse yourselves from this demon; but if not, you shall be handed over to him unto death."

"And from the seventh mountain, on which were green and joyful plants, and the whole mountain flourishing, and every kind of cattle and the birds of heaven fed on the plants in this mountain, and the plants on which they fed grew all the more luxuriant—the believers are such as these:"

"They were always simple and innocent and blessed, holding nothing against one another, but always rejoicing over the servants of God and clothed with the Holy Spirit of these virgins, and always having compassion on every man; and out of their labours they gave to every man without reproach and without hesitation."

"The Lord, then, seeing their simplicity and all their childlike innocence, multiplied them in the labours of their hands and granted them favour in all their conduct."

"And I say to you who are such, I the angel of repentance: remain such as you are, and your seed shall not be blotted out for ever; for the Lord has tested you and enrolled you in our number, and all your seed shall dwell with the Son of God; for you have received of his Spirit."

"And from the eighth mountain, where the many springs were, and all the creation of the Lord was watered from the springs, the believers are such as these:"

"They are apostles and teachers who preached to the whole world and taught the word of the Lord reverently and purely, and embezzled nothing at all for evil desire, but always walked in righteousness and truth, even as they also received the Holy Spirit. The passage of such, then, is with the angels."

"And from the ninth mountain, the desert one, which had in it the reptiles and wild beasts that destroy men, the believers are such as these:"

"Those who have the spots are deacons who served badly and plundered the livelihood of widows and orphans, and made gain for themselves out of the ministry they had received to perform. If, then, they persist in the same desire, they have died and there is no hope of life for them; but if they turn and complete their ministry purely, they shall be able to live."

"And those who are scabby are those who denied and did not turn to their own Lord, but became barren and waste; not cleaving to the servants of God, but living solitary, they destroy their own souls."

"For just as a vine left in some hedge, meeting with neglect, is destroyed and laid waste by the weeds and in time becomes wild, and is no longer useful to its own master, so too such men have given themselves up to despair and become useless to their own Lord, having grown wild."

"For these, then, there is repentance, provided they are not found to have denied from the heart; but if anyone is found to have denied from the heart, I do not know whether he can live."

"And this I say not for these present days, that anyone who denies may obtain repentance; for it is impossible for one who is now about to deny his own Lord to be saved. But to those who denied long ago repentance seems to be laid up. If, then, anyone is about to repent, let him be quick, before the tower is completed; otherwise he shall be destroyed by the women unto death."

"And the maimed ones, these are the deceitful and the slanderers; and the wild beasts which you saw on the mountain, these are they. For just as the wild beasts destroy a man with their venom and kill him, so too the words of such men destroy a man and kill him."

"These, then, are maimed in their faith because of the conduct they have in themselves; but some of them repented and were saved. And the rest who are such can be saved, if they repent; but if they do not repent, they shall die at the hands of those women whose power they possess."

"And from the tenth mountain, where there were trees sheltering certain sheep, the believers are such as these:"

"Bishops and hospitable men, who gladly received the servants of God into their houses at all times, without hypocrisy. And the bishops at all times sheltered the destitute and the widows by their ministry unceasingly, and always conducted themselves purely."

"These all, then, shall be sheltered by the Lord continually. Those, then, who have done these things are glorious before God, and their place is already with the angels, if they continue to the end serving the Lord."

"And from the eleventh mountain, where there were trees full of fruit, adorned with various kinds of fruit, the believers are such as these:"

"Those who suffered for the name of the Son of God, who also suffered willingly with their whole heart, and gave up their lives."

"Why then, sir," I said, "do all the trees have fruit, but some of their fruits are fairer than others?" "Hear," he said: "all who ever suffered for the name are glorious before God, and the sins of all of them were taken away, because they suffered for the name of the Son of God. But why their fruits are varied, and some superior, hear."

"As many," he said, "as were brought before the authorities and examined and did not deny, but suffered willingly—these are the more glorious before the Lord; theirs is the superior fruit. But as many as became cowardly and fell into doubt, and reasoned in their hearts whether they would deny or confess, and yet suffered—their fruits are less, because this counsel arose in their hearts; for this counsel is evil, that a servant should deny his own lord."

"See to it, then, you who entertain such counsels, lest this counsel remain in your hearts and you die unto God. And you who suffer for the name's sake ought to glorify God, because God deemed you worthy to bear this name and to have all your sins healed."

"Therefore count yourselves blessed; rather, think that you have done a great work if any of you suffers for God's sake. The Lord grants you life, and you do not perceive it; for your sins weighed you down, and had you not suffered for the name of the Lord, you would have died unto God because of your sins."

"These things I say to you who are in doubt about denial or confession: confess that you have a Lord, lest by denying you be handed over to prison."

"If the nations punish their slaves when one denies his own lord, what do you think the Lord will do to you, who has authority over all? Take these counsels away from your hearts, that you may live unto God for ever."

"And from the twelfth mountain, the white one, the believers are such as these: they are like little infants, in whose heart no wickedness arises, nor have they known what evil is, but they have always remained in childlike innocence."

"Such, then, shall dwell without doubt in the kingdom of God, because in no matter did they defile the commandments of God, but remained in childlike innocence all the days of their life in the same mind."

"As many of you, then," he said, "as remain and become like infants, having no wickedness, shall be more glorious than all those mentioned before; for all infants are glorious before God and are first with him. Blessed, then, are you, as many as put away wickedness from yourselves and put on innocence: you shall live unto God first of all."