Shepherd of Hermas: Visions 5

1CONCERNING THE COMMANDMENTS. After I had been praying at home, and had sat down on my couch, there entered a man of glorious aspect, dressed like a shepherd, with a white goat’s skin, a wallet on his shoulders, and a rod in his hand, and saluted me. I returned his salutation. And straightway he sat down beside me, and said to me, “I have been sent by a most venerable angel to dwell with you the remaining days of your life.” And I thought that he had come to tempt me, and I said to him, “Who are you? For I know him to whom I have been entrusted.” He said to me, “Do you not know me?” “No,” said I. “I,” said he, “am that shepherd to whom you have been entrusted.” And while he yet spake, his figure was changed; and then I knew that it was he to whom I had been entrusted. And straightway I became confused, and fear took hold of me, and I was overpowered with deep sorrow that I had answered him so wickedly and foolishly. But he answered, and said to me, “Do not be confounded, but receive strength from the commandments which I am going to give you. For I have been sent,” said he, “to show you again all the things which you saw before, especially those of them which are useful to you. First of all, then, write down my commandments and similitudes, and you will write the other things as I shall show you. For this purpose,” said he, “I command you to write down the commandments and similitudes first, that you may read them easily, and be able to keep them.” Accordingly I wrote down the commandments and similitudes, exactly as he had ordered me. If then, when you have heard these, ye keep them and walk in them, and practise them with pure minds, you will receive from the Lord all that He has promised to you. But if, after you have heard them, ye do not repent, but continue to add to your sins, then shall ye receive from the Lord the opposite things. All these words did the shepherd, even the angel of repentance, command me to write.

᾿Αποκάλυψις ε΄. Προσευξαμένου μου ἐν τῷ οἴκῳ καὶ καθίσαντος εἰς τὴν κλίνην εἰσῆλθεν ἀνήρ τις ἔνδοξος τῇ ὄψει, σχήματι ποιμενικῷ, περικείμενος δέρμα λευκόν, καὶ πήραν ἔχων ἐπὶ τῶν ὥμων καὶ ῥάβδον eis τὴν χεῖρα. καὶ ἡσπάσατό με, κἀγὼ ἀντησπα- σάμην αὐτόν. καὶ εὐθὺς παρεκαθισέν μοι καὶ λέγει μοι’ ᾿Απεστάλην ὑπὸ τοῦ σεμνοτάτου ὠὡγγέλου, ἵνα μετὰ σοῦ οἰκήσω τὰς λοιπὰς ἡμέρας τῆς ζωῆς σου. ofa ἐγὼ ὅτι πάρεστιν ἐκπειράζων με, καὶ λέγω αὐτῷ" Σὺ γὰρ τίς εἶ; ἐγὼ γάρ, φημί, γινώσκω ᾧ παρεδόθην. λέγει μοι Οὐκ, tre γινώσκεις με; Οὔ, φημί. ᾿Ἐγώ, φησίν, εἰμὶ ὁ ποιμὴν ᾧ παρεδόθης. ἔτι λαλοῦντος αὐτοῦ ἠλλοιώθη ἡ ἰδέα αὐτοῦ, καὶ ἀπόγνων αὐτόν, ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ἦν ᾧ' παρεδόθην, καὶ εὐθὺς συμαχύθην, καὶ φόβος με ἔλαβεν, καὶ ὅλος συνεκότην ἀπὸ τῆς λύπης, ὅτε οὕτως αὐτῷ ἀπεκρίθην πονηρῶς καὶ ἀφρόνως. ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεῖς μοι λόγει" Μὴ συνχύννου, ἀλλὰ ἰσχυρο- ποιοῦ ἂν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς μου, αἷς σοι μέλλω ἐντέλλεσθκει.. ἀπεστάλην γάρ, φησίν, ἵνα ἃ εἶδες 'τρότερον τάντα σοι πάλιν δείξω, αὐτὰ τὰ κεφάλαια τὰ ὄντα ὑμῖν σύμφορα. πρῶτον “πάντων τὰς ἐντολάς μον γράψον καὶ τὸς παραβολάς" τὰ δὲ ἕτερα, καθώς σοι δείξω, οὕτως γράψεις" διὰ τοῦτο, φησίν, ἐντέλλομαί σοι πρῶτον γράψαι τὰς ἐντολὰς καὶ παραβολάς, ἵνα ὑπὸ χεῖρα ἀναγινώσκῃς αὐτὰς καὶ δυνηθῇς φυλάξαε αὐτάς. ἔγραψα οὖν τὰς ἐντολὰς καὶ παραβολάς, καθὼς ἐνετείλατό μοι. ἐὰν οὖν ἀκούσαντες αὐτὰς φυλάξητε καὶ ἐν αὐταῖς πορευθῆτε καὶ ἐργάσησθε αὐτὰς ἐν καθαρᾷ καρδίᾳ ἀπο- λήμψεσθε ἀπὸ τοῦ Κυρίου ὅσα ἐπηγγείλατο ὑμῖν" ἐὰν δὲ ἀκούσαντες μὴ μετανοήσητε, ἀλλ᾽ ὅτι προσθῆτε ταῖς ἁμαρ- τίαες ὑμῶν, ἀπολημγάσθε παρὰ τοῦ Κυρίον τὰ ἐναντία. ταῦτά μοι πάντα οὕτως γράψαι ὁ ποιμὴν ἐνετείλατο, ὁ ἄγγε- λος τῆς μετανοίας. |