Shepherd of Hermas: Mandates 10

1“Remove from you,” says he, “grief; for she is the sister of doubt and anger.” “How, sir,” say I, “is she the sister of these? for anger, doubt, and grief seem to be quite different from each other.” “You are senseless, O man. Do you not perceive that grief is more wicked than all the spirits, and most terrible to the servants of God, and more than all other spirits destroys man and crushes out the Holy Spirit, and yet, on the other hand, she saves him?” “I am senseless, sir,” say I, “and do not understand these parables. For how she can crush out, and on the other hand save, I do not perceive.” “Listen,” says he. “Those who have never searched for the truth, nor investigated the nature of the Divinity, but have simply believed, when they devote themselves to and become mixed up with business, and wealth, and heathen friendships, and many other actions of this world, do not perceive the parables of Divinity; for their minds are darkened by these actions, and they are corrupted and become dried up. Even as beautiful vines, when they are neglected, are withered up by thorns and divers plants, so men who have believed, and have afterwards fallen away into many of those actions above mentioned, go astray in their minds, and lose all understanding in regard to righteousness; for if they hear of righteousness, their minds are occupied with their business, and they give no heed at all. Those, on the other hand, who have the fear of God, and search after Godhead and truth, and have their hearts turned to the Lord, quickly perceive and understand what is said to them, because they have the fear of the Lord in them. For where the Lord dwells, there is much understanding. Cleave, then, to the Lord, and you will understand and perceive all things.”

Ἐντολὴ «ε΄. *Apoy ἀπὸ σεαυτοῦ, φησί, τὴν λύπην καὶ γὰρ αὕτη ἀδελφή ἐστε τῆς διψυχίας καὶ τῆς ὀξυχολίας. Ids, φημί, κυριε, ἀδελφή ἐστι τούτων; ἄλλο yap pos δοκεῖ εἶναι ὀξνχολία, καὶ ἄλλο διψυχία, καὶ ἄλλο λύπη. ᾿Ασύνετος εἰ ἄνθρωπος, φησί, [καὶ] οὐ νοεῖς ὅτε ἡ λύπη πάντων τῶν πνευμάτων πονηροτέρα ἐστί, καὶ δεινοτάτη τοῖς δούλοις τοῦ Θεοῦ, καὶ παρὰ πάντα τὰ πνεύματα καταφθείρει τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ἐκτρίβει τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ wadsy σώζει. "Exes, φημί, κύριε, ἀσύνετός εἶμε καὶ οὐ συνίω τὰς παρα- βολὼς ταύτας. πῶς γὰρ δύναταε ἐκτρίβειν καὶ πάλιν σώζειν, οὐ νοῶ. “Axove, φησίν᾽ οἱ μηδέποτε ἐρευνήσαντες περὶ τῆς ἀληθείας μηδὲ ἐπιζητήσαντες περὶ τῆς θεότητος, πιστεύσαντες δὲ μόνον, ἐμπεφυρμένοι δὲ πραγματείαις καὶ πλούτῳ καὶ φιλίαις ἐθνικαῖς καὶ ἄλλαις πολλαῖς πραγ- ματείαις τοῦ αὐῶνος τούτον ὅσοι οὖν τούτοις πρόσκεινται, οὐ νοοῦσι τὰς παραβολὰς τῆς θεότητος" ἐπισκοτοῦνται γὰρ ὑπὸ τούτων τῶν πράξεων καὶ καταφθείρονται καὶ γίνονται κεχερ- σωμένοι. καθὼς οἱ ἀμπελῶνες οἱ καλοί, ὅταν ἀμελείας τύχωσι, χερσοῦνται ἀπὸ τῶν ἀκανθῶν καὶ βοτανῶν ποικίλων, οὕτως οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ πιστεύσαντες καὶ εἰς ταύτας τὰς πράξεις τὰς πολλὰς ἐμπίπτοντες τὰς προειρημένας ἀπο- πλανῶνται ἀπὸ τῆς διανοίας αὐτῶν καὶ οὐδὲν ὅλως νοοῦσι περὶ τῆς δικαιοσύνης καὶ γὰρ ὅταν ἀκούσωσι περὶ θεότητος καὶ ἀληθείας, ὁ νοῦς αὐτῶν περὶ τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτῶν κατα- yiverat, καὶ οὐδὲν ὅλως νοοῦσιν. οἱ δὲ φόβον ἔχοντες Θεοῦ καὶ ἐρευνῶντες περὶ θεότητος καὶ ἀληθείας, καὶ τὴν καρδίαν ἔχοντες πρὸς τὸν Κύριον, πάντα τὰ λεγόμενα αὑτοῖς τάχιον νοοῦσι καὶ συνίουσιν, ὅτε ἔχουσι τὸν φόβον τοῦ Κυρίου ἐν ἑαυτοῖς" ὅπου γὰρ ὁ Κύριος κατοικεῖ, ἐκεῖ καὶ σύνεσις πολλή. κολλήθητι οὖν τῷ Κυρίῳ, καὶ πάντα συνή- σεις καὶ νοήσεις.

2“Hear, then,” says he, “foolish man, how grief crushes out the Holy Spirit, and on the other hand saves. When the doubting man attempts any deed, and fails in it on account of his doubt, this grief enters into the man, and grieves the Holy Spirit, and crushes him out. Then, on the other hand, when anger attaches itself to a man in regard to any matter, and he is embittered, then grief enters into the heart of the man who was irritated, and he is grieved at the deed which he did, and repents that he has wrought a wicked deed. This grief, then, appears to be accompanied by salvation, because the man, after having done a wicked deed, repented. Both actions grieve the Spirit: doubt, because it did not accomplish its object; and anger grieves the Spirit, because it did what was wicked. Both these are grievous to the Holy Spirit—doubt and anger. Wherefore remove grief from you, and crush not the Holy Spirit which dwells in you, lest he entreat God against you, and he withdraw from you. For the Spirit of God which has been granted to us to dwell in this body does not endure grief nor straitness. Wherefore put on cheerfulness, which always is agreeable and acceptable to God, and rejoice in it. For every cheerful man does what is good, and minds what is good, and despises grief; but the sorrowful man always acts wickedly. First, he acts wickedly because he grieves the Holy Spirit, which was given to man a cheerful Spirit. Secondly, Grieving the Holy Spirit, he works iniquity, neither entreating the Lord nor confessing to Him. For the entreaty of the sorrowful man has no power to ascend to the altar of God.” “Why,” say I, “does not the entreaty of the grieved man ascend to the altar?” “Because,” says he, “grief sits in his heart. Grief, then, mingled with his entreaty, does not permit the entreaty to ascend pure to the altar of God. For as vinegar and wine, when mixed in the same vessel, do not give the same pleasure [as wine alone gives], so grief mixed with the Holy Spirit does not produce the same entreaty [as would be produced by the Holy Spirit alone]. Cleanse yourself from this wicked grief, and you will live to God; and all will live to God who drive away grief from them, and put on all cheerfulness.”

ἴΑκονε νῦν, φησίν, ἀνόητε, πῶς ἡ λύπη ἐκτρίβει τὸ οὖν A; ergo nunc L,. πνεῦμα τὸ ἄγιον καὶ πάλιν σώζει. ὅταν ὁ δίψυχος érs- βάληται πρᾶξίν τινα, καὶ ταύτης ἀποτύχῃ διὰ τὴν δεψυχίαν αὐτοῦ, ἡ λύπη αὕτη εἰσπορεύεται εἷς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ λυπεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον καὶ ἐκτρίβει αὐτό. εἶτα πάλιν ἡ ὀξυχολία ὅταν κολληθῇ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ περὶ πράγματός τινος, καὶ λίαν πικρανθῇ, πάλεν ἡ λύπη εἰσπορεύεται εἰς τὴν 99 πράξει αὐτοῦ § ἔπραξε, καὶ μετανοεῖ ὅτε πονηρὸν εἰργά- σατο. αὕτη οὖν ἡ λύπη δοκεῖ σωτηρίαν ἔχειν, ὅτε τὸ πονηρὸν πράξας μετενόησεν. ἀμφότεραι οὖν αἱ πράξεις λυποῦσι τὸ πνεῦμα' ἡ μὲν διψυχία, ὅτε οὐκ ἐπέτυχε τῆς πράξεως αὐτῆς, ἡ δὲ ὀξυχολία λυπεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα, ὅτι ἔπραξε τὸ πονηρὸν. ἀμφότερα οὖν λυπηρά ἐστε τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ, ἢ διψυχία καὶ ἡ ὀξυχολία. §. ἄρον οὖν ἀπὸ σεαντοῦ τὴν λύπην καὶ μὴ θλῖβε τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τὸ ἐν σοὶ κατοικοῦν, μήποτε ἐντεύξηταε [κατὰ σοῦ] τῷ Θεῷ καὶ ἀποστῇ ἀπὸ σοῦ. τὸ γὰρ πνεῦμα τοῦ Θεοῦ τὸ δοθὲν ele τὴν σάρκα ταύτην λύπην οὐχ ὑποφέρει οὐδὲ στενοχωρίαν. - Ill. Ἔνδυσαι οὖν τὴν ἰλαρότητα τὴν πάντοτε ἔχουσαν χάριν παρὰ τῷ Θεῷ καὶ εὐπρόσδεκτον οὖσαν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἀτρύφα ἐν αὐτῇ, πᾶν γὰρ ἱλαρὸς ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὰ ἐργάζεται, καὶ ἀγαθὰ φρονεῖ, καὶ καταφρονεῖ τῆς λύπης ὁ δὲ λυπηρὸς ἀνὴρ πάντοτε πονηρεύεται' πρῶτον μὲν πονηρεύεταιε, ὅτε λυπεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τὸ δοθὲν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἑλαρόν' δεύτερον δὲ λυπῶν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἀνομίαν ἐργάξεταε, μὴ ἐντυγχάνων μηδὲ ἐξομολογούμενος τῷ Θεῷ. πάντοτε γὰρ Avwnpod ἀνδρὸς ἡ ἔντευξις οὐκ ἔχει δύναμιν τοῦ ἀναβῆναι ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τοῦ Θεοῦ. Διατί, φημί, οὐκ ἀναβαί- yes ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον ἡ ἔντευξις τοῦ λυπουμένου; Ὅτι, φησίν, ἡ λύπη ἐγκάθηται εἰς τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ μεμυγμένη οὖν ἡ λύπη μετὰ τῆς ἐντεύξεως οὐκ ἀφίησι τὴν ἔντευξιν ἀναβῆναι καθαρὰν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον. ὥσπερ yap ὅξος οἴνῳ μεμειγμένον ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ τὴν αὐτὴν ἡδονὴν οὐκ ἔχει, οὕτω καὶ ἡ λύπη μεμιγμένη μετὰ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος τὴν αὐτὴν ἔντευξιν οὐκ ἔχει. καθάρισον οὖν σεαυτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς λύπης τῆς πονηρᾶς ταύτης, καὶ ζήσῃ τῷ Beg καὶ πάντες ζήσονται τῷ Θεῷ ὅσοι ἂν ἀτοβάλωσιν ἀφ᾽ ἑαυτῶν τὴν λύπην καὶ ἐνδύσωνται πᾶσαν ἱλαρότητα.