The Shepherd of Hermas 26 part 2/3

"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."

After he had finished the parables of the mountains, I said to him: "Sir, now explain to me concerning the stones that were taken from the plain and placed in the building in place of the stones taken from the tower, and concerning the round stones that were placed in the building, and those that are still round."

"Hear," he said, "concerning all these too. The stones taken from the plain and placed in the building of the tower in place of those that were rejected are the roots of the white mountain."

"Since, then, the believers from the white mountain were all found innocent, the lord of the tower commanded these to be taken from the roots of this mountain and put into the building of the tower; for he knew that if these stones went into the building of the tower, they would remain bright and none of them would turn black."

But if he had added stones from the other mountains, he would have had to visit that tower again and to purify it. Now all these were found white, both those who have believed and those who are yet to believe; for they are of the same kind. Blessed is this kind, because it is innocent.

"Hear now also concerning the round and bright stones. These too are all from the white mountain. But hear why they were found round. Their riches darkened and somewhat obscured them from the truth; yet they never departed from God, nor did any evil word proceed from their mouth, but all fairness and the virtue of truth."

"When, therefore, the Lord saw their mind, that they could be obedient to the truth and also remain good, he commanded their wealth to be cut down—yet not to be taken away from them entirely, so that they might do some good with what was left to them, and they shall live unto God, since they are of a good kind. For this reason, then, they were trimmed a little and placed in the structure of this tower."

"But the rest, who still remained round and were not fitted into that structure because they had not yet received the seal, were put back in their own place; for they were found very round."

"This world, then, must be cut away from them, together with the vanities of their riches, and then they will be fitted into the kingdom of God. For they must enter into the kingdom of God; for this innocent kind the Lord blesses. Out of this kind, then, none shall perish. For even if one of them, tempted by the most wicked devil, commits some offence, he will quickly return to his Lord."

"I judge you all blessed, I the angel of repentance—whoever of you are innocent like infants, since your part is good and honoured before God."

"And I say to all of you, whoever have received this seal: keep simplicity and do not be mindful of offences, nor remain in your malice or in the memory of the bitterness of offences. Become of one spirit, and heal and remove from yourselves these evil fissures, so that the lord of the flocks may rejoice over them."

"And he will rejoice if all are found whole, and none of them have fallen away. But if any of them are found to have fallen away, woe shall be to the shepherds."

"And if even the shepherds themselves are found to have fallen away, what will they say to the master of the flock? That they fell away because of the sheep? They will not be believed; for it is an incredible thing that a shepherd should suffer anything at the hands of the sheep. Rather, they shall be punished for their lie. And I am a shepherd, and I am most strongly bound to give an account concerning you."

"Heal yourselves, therefore, while the tower is still being built."

"The Lord dwells in men who love peace; for indeed peace is dear to him; but from the quarrelsome and those given over to malice he is far away. Render back to him, therefore, the spirit whole, just as you received it."

"For if you give a fuller a new, whole garment, and wish to receive it back whole again, but the fuller gives it back to you torn, will you accept it? Will you not at once flare up and pursue him with reproach, saying: 'I gave you a whole garment; why have you torn it and rendered it useless? And because of the tear that you made in it, it cannot be used.' Will you not say all these words to the fuller, then, even concerning the tear that he made in your garment?"

"If, then, you thus grieve over your garment and complain that you did not receive it back whole, what do you think the Lord will do to you, who gave you the spirit whole, and you have rendered it wholly useless, so that it can be of no use to its Lord? For its usefulness has begun to be useless, since it was corrupted by you. Will not the Lord, then, of that spirit punish you with death because of this deed of yours?"

"Assuredly," I said, "all those whom he finds persisting in the memory of offences he will punish." "Do not," he said, "trample upon his clemency, but rather honour him, because he is so patient toward your transgressions and is not like you. Practise, then, the repentance that is profitable to you."

"All these things which are written above, I the shepherd, the angel of repentance, have shown and spoken to the servants of God. If, then, you believe and hear my words and walk in them and amend your ways, you shall be able to live. But if you persist in malice and in the memory of offences, none of this sort shall live unto God. All these things that were to be spoken by me have been spoken to you."