My LORD’s BibleShepherd of Hermas: Similitudes 1
1_As in this world we have no abiding city, we ought to seek one to come._ He says to me, “You know that you who are the servants of God dwell in a strange land; for your city is far away from this one. If, then,” he continues, “you know your city in which you are to dwell, why do ye here provide lands, and make expensive preparations, and accumulate dwellings and useless buildings? He who makes such preparations for this city cannot return again to his own. Oh foolish, and unstable, and miserable man! Dost thou not understand that all these things belong to another, and are under the power of another? for the lord of this city will say, ‘I do not wish thee to dwell in my city; but depart from this city, because thou obeyest not my laws.’ Thou, therefore, although having fields and houses, and many other things, when cast out by him, what wilt thou do with thy land, and house, and other possessions which thou hast gathered to thyself? For the lord of this country justly says to thee, ‘Either obey my laws or depart from my dominion.’ What, then, dost thou intend to do, having a law in thine own city, on account of thy lands, and the rest of thy possessions? Thou shalt altogether deny thy law, and walk according to the law of this city. See lest it be to thy hurt to deny thy law; for if thou shalt desire to return to thy city, thou wilt not be received, because thou hast denied the law of thy city, but wilt be excluded from it. Have a care, therefore: as one living in a foreign land, make no further preparations for thyself than such merely as may be sufficient; and be ready, when the master of this city shall come to cast thee out for disobeying his law, to leave his city, and to depart to thine own, and to obey thine own law without being exposed to annoyance, but in great joy. Have a care, then, ye who serve the Lord, and have Him in your heart, that ye work the works of God, remembering His commandments and promises which He promised, and believe that He will bring them to pass if His commandments be observed. Instead of lands, therefore, buy afflicted souls, according as each one is able, and visit widows and orphans, and do not overlook them; and spend your wealth and all your preparations, which ye received from the Lord, upon such lands and houses. For to this end did the Master make you rich, that you might perform these services unto Him; and it is much better to purchase such lands, and possessions, and houses, as you will find in your own city, when you come to reside in it. This is a noble and sacred expenditure, attended neither with sorrow nor fear, but with joy. Do not practise the expenditure of the heathen, for it is injurious to you who are the servants of God; but practise an expenditure of your own, in which ye can rejoice; and do not corrupt nor touch what is another’s, nor covet it, for it is an evil thing to covet the goods of other men; but work thine own work, and thou wilt be saved.”
TITAPABOAAI AX EAAAHZE MET’ ἘΜΟΥ͂. Λέγει por’ Οἴδατε ὅτι ἐπὶ ξένης κατοικεῖτε ὑμεῖς of δοῦ- [ον -,. ε Ἁ , e¢ -n 2 ® δι hot τοῦ Θεοῦ" ἢ yap πόλις ὑμῶν μακράν ἐστιν ἀπὸ τῆς πόλεως ταύτης" εἰ οὖν οἴδατε τὴν πόλιν ὑμῶν ἐν F μέλλετε κατοικεῖν, τί ὧδε ὑμεῖς ἑτοιμάζετε ἀγροὺς καὶ παρατάξεις “ Ἁ ‘ a > Ρ ’ aA πολυτελεῖς καὶ οἰκοδομὰς καὶ οἰκήματα μάταια ; ταῦτα φ ee Uy Ῥ é 4 0 b ] ” 4 οὖν ὁ ἑτοιμάζων εἰς ταύτην τὴν πόλιν οὐ διανοεῖται ἐπανα- κάμψαι εἰς τὴν ἰδίαν πόλεν. ἄφρον καὶ δίψνχε καὶ radai- πωρε ἄνθρωπε, οὐ νοεῖς ὅτι ταῦτα πάντα ἀλλότριά ἐστι, καὶ ὑπ᾽ ἐξουσίαν érépou εἰσίν ; ἐρεῖ γὰρ ὁ κύριος τῆς πόλεως ταύτης" Οὐ θέλω σε κατοικεῖν εἰς τὴν πόλεν μου, ἀλλ᾽ ἔξελθε ἐκ τῆς πόλεως ταύτης, ὅτε τοῖς νόμοις μου οὐ χρᾶσαι. σὺ οὖν ἔχων ἀγροὺς καὶ οἰκήσεις καὶ ἑτέρας ὑπάρξεις πολλάς, ἐκβαλλόμενος ὑπ᾽ αὐτοῦ τί ποιήσεις cov τὸν ὠὡγρὸν καὶ τὴν οἰκίαν καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ ὅσα ἡτοίμασας σεαυτῷ; λέγει γάρ σοὶ δικαίως ὁ κύριος τῆς χώρας ταύτης" "Ἢ τοῖς νόμοις μου χρῶ, 9 ἐκχώρει ἐκ τῆς χώρας μον. σὺ οὖν τί μέλλεις ποιεῖν, ἔχων νόμον ἐν τῇ σῇ πόλει; ἕνεκεν τῶν ἀγρῶν σου καὶ τῆς λοιπῆς ὑπάρξεως τὸν νόμον σον πάντως ἀπαρνήσῃ καὶ πο- ρεύσῃ τῷ νόμῳ τῆς πόλεως ταύτης; βλέπε μὴ ἀσύμφορόν ἐστιν ἁπαρνῆσαι τὸν νόμον σον" ἐὰν γὰρ ἐπανακάμψαι θελή- σῃς εἰς τὴν πόλιν σου, οὐ μὴ παραδεχθήσῃ, [ὅτε ἀπηρνήσω τὸν νόμον τῆς πόλεώς σου,] καὶ ἐκκλεισθήσῃ ἀπ᾽ αὐτῆς. βλέπε οὖν σύ" ὡς ἐπὶ ξένης κατοικῶν μηδὲν πλέον ἑτοί- μαζε σεαυτῷ εἰ μὴ τὴν αὐτάρκειαν τὴν ἀρκετήν σοι, καὶ ὅτοιμος γίνου, ἵνα ὅταν θέλῃ ὁ δεσπότης τῆς πόλεως ταύτης ἐκβαλεῖν σε ἀντιταξάμενον τῷ νόμῳ αὐτοῦ, ἐξέλθῃς ἐκ τῆς πόλεως αὐτοῦ καὶ ἀπέλθῃς εἰς THY πόλεν σου, καὶ τῷ σῷ νόμῳ χρήσῃ ἀνυβρίστως ἀγαλλεώμενος. βλέπετε οὖν ὑμεῖς οἱ δουλεύοντες τῷ Θεῷ καὶ ἔχοντες αὐτὸν εἰς τὴν καρδίαν" ἐργά- ξεσθε τὰ ἔργα τοῦ Θεοῦ μνημονεύοντες τῶν ἐντολῶν αὐτοῦ καὶ τῶν ἐπαγγελιῶν ὧν ἐπηγγείλατο, καὶ πιστεύσατε αὐτῷ ὅτι ποιήσει αὐτάς, ἐὰν at ἐντολαὶ αὐτοῦ φυλαχθῶσιν. ἀντὶ ἀγρῶν οὖν ἀγοράξετε ψυχὰς θλιβομένας, καθά τις δυνατός ἐστι, καὶ χήρας καὶ ὀρφανοὺς ἐπισκέπτεσθε, καὶ μὴ παραβλέ- πετε αὐτούς, καὶ τὸν πλοῦτον ὑμῶν καὶ τὰς παρατάξεις πάσας εἷς τοιούτους ἀγροὺς καὶ οἰκίας δαπανᾶτε, ἃς ἐλάβετε παρὰ S 4] THE SHEPHERD ΟΕ HERMAS. 343 τοῦ Θεοῦ. εἰς τοῦτο yap ἐπλούτισεν ὑμᾶς ὁ δεσπότης, ἵνα ταύτας τὰς διακονίας τελέσητε αὐτῷ πολὺ βέλτιόν ἐστι τοιούτους ἀγροὺς ἀγοράζειν [καὶ κτήματα] καὶ οἴκους, obs εὑρήσεις dy τῇ πόλει σου, ὅταν ἐπιδημήσῃς εἰς αὐτήν. αὕτη ἡ πολυτέλεια καλὴ καὶ idapd, λύπην μὴ ἔχουσα μηδὲ φόβον, ἔχουσα δὲ χαράν. τὴν οὖν πολυτέλειαν τῶν ἐθνῶν μὴ πράσσετε' ἀσύμφορον γάρ ἐστιν ὑμῖν τοῖς δούλοις τοῦ Θεοῦ" τὴν δὲ ἰδίαν πολυτέλειαν πράσσετε, ἐν § δύνασθε χαρῆ- vas’ καὶ μὴ παραχαράσσετε, μηδὲ τοῦ ἀλλοτρίου ἅψησθε μηδὲ ἐπιθυμεῖτε αὐτοῦ" πονηρὸν γάρ ἐστιν ἀλλοτρίων ἐπιθυ- μεῖν. τὸ δὲ σὸν ἔργον ἐργάζου, καὶ σωθήσῃ.