Hermas was the brother of Pius, Bishop of Rome. The books he has written are
called The Shepherd of Hermas because the principal being, an angel, appears to
Hermas as a Shepherd. The Shepherd of Hermas was considered divinely inspired by
Irenaeus. Eusebius, Jerome, and Athanasius all confirm that the early church
leaders read it for direction and confirmation of the faith. Although Pope
Gelasius I (A.D. 492-496) ranked it among the apocryphal books, it is found
attached to some of the most ancient manuscripts of the New Testament.
Archbishop Wake believed The Shepherd of Hermas to be the genuine work of an
Apostolic Father. The ancient manuscript is located in the Lambeth Library. The
visions in The Shepherd of Hermas were given to Hermas as a guide on how to live
a godly, faithful Christian life. It is also given as a warning to the so-called
church leaders (See Similitude 9:218-220) and to those who are less than honest
and forthright in their dealings with others. The many supernatural aspects of
The Shepherd of Hermas are listed below.
The First Book Of Hermas (His Visions)
Vision 1
Hermas Is Caught Away
1:3
And when I had walked a little, I fell asleep. And the spirit caught me away and
carried me toward the right-hand through a certain place through which no man
could pass. It was a place among rocks, very steep, and impassable even for
water.
4
When I was beyond this place, I came to a plain. Falling down upon my knees
there, I began to pray to the Lord, and to confess my sins.
The Heavens Open Up And A Lady Appears
1:5
And as I was praying, the heaven was opened, and I saw the woman whom I had
coveted, saluting me from heaven and saying, Hermas, hail! And I looking upon
her, answered, Lady, what are you doing here? She answered, I have been brought
up here to accuse you of sin before the Lord.
6
Lady, I said, will you accuse me? No, she said, but hear the words I am about to
speak to you. God who dwells in heaven, and has made all things out of nothing,
and has multiplied them for his Holy Church's sake, is angry with you because
you have sinned against me.
The Heavens Are Shut
1:13
But pray to the Lord, and he will heal your sins, and the sins of your whole
house, and of all his saints.
14
As soon as she had spoken these words the heavens were shut, and I remained
utterly swallowed up with sadness and fear. I said to myself, If this be laid
against me for sin, how can I be saved?
A Chair Like White, Bright Wool Appears
1:16
As I was thinking over these things, and meditating in myself upon them, behold
a chair was set over opposite me of the whitest wool, as bright as snow.
An
Old Woman In A Bright Garment Appears
1:17
And here came an old woman in a bright garment, having a book in her hand, and
sat alone, and saluted me, saying, Hermas, hail! And I, being full of sorrow and
weeping, answered, Hail, Lady!
The Lord Has Invisible Powers
1:27
Nevertheless I committed her last words to my remembrance, for they were but
few, and of great use to us.
28
Behold the mighty Lord, who by his invisible power and with his excellent wisdom
made the world, and by his glorious counsel beautified his creature, and with
the word of his strength fixed the heaven and founded the earth upon the waters,
and by this powerful virtue established his Holy Church, which he has blessed.
The Lord Will Remove The Heavens
1:29
Behold he will remove the heavens, and the mountains, the hills, and the seas;
and all things will be made level for his elect so that he may present to them
the promise which he has promised, with much honor and joy; if so be that they
will keep the commandments of God they have received with great faith.
Four Young Men (Angels) Appear And Carry The Chair To The East
1:30
And when she had made an end of reading, she rose out of the chair; and behold
four young men came and carried the chair to the east.
Two Men (Angels) Appear And Take The Lady Away To The East
1:33
And as she was talking with me, two men appeared and took her upon their
shoulders and went to the east where the chair was.
34
And she went cheerfully
away. As she was going, she said to me, Hermas, be of good cheer.
Vision 2
A Spirit Carries Hermas Away
2:1
As
I was on the way to Cuma, about the same time that I went the year before, I
began to call to mind the vision I formerly had. And again the spirit carried me
away and brought me into the same place where I had been the year before.
2
And when I was come into the place, I fell down upon my knees and began to pray
to the Lord, and to glorify his name that he had esteemed me worthy and had
revealed to me my former sins.
Hermas Transcribes The Book, The Book Is Taken From Him By An Invisible Hand
2:3
And when I arose from prayer, behold I saw opposite me the old woman I had seen
the last year, walking and reading in a certain book.
4
And she said to me, Can you tell these things to the elect of God? I answered
and said to her, Lady I cannot retain so many things in my memory, but give me
the book, and I will write them down.
5
Take it, she said, and see that you return it to me.
6
As soon as I had received it, I went aside into a certain place of the field,
and transcribed every letter, for I found no syllables.
7
And as soon as I had finished what was written in the book, the book was
suddenly caught out of my hand, but I did not see by whom.
A Godly Young Man (An Angel) Reveals The Identy Of The Old Woman
2:31
Moreover, brethren, it was revealed to me, as I was sleeping, by a very
considerate young man, saying to me, What did you think of that old woman from
whom you received the book; who is she? I answered, A Sybil.
32
You are mistaken, he said, she is not. I replied, Who is she then, sir? He
answered me, It is the Church of God.
33
And I said to him, Why then does she appear old? He said, She is therefore an
old woman, because she was the first of all the creation, and the world was made
for her.
The Old Woman Appears To Hermas In His Home
2:34
After this I saw a vision in my own house: the old woman whom I had seen before
came to me and asked me whether I had yet delivered her book to the elders of
the church. I answered that I had not yet.
35
She replied, You have done well, for I have certain words more to tell you. But
when I shall have finished all the words, they will be clearly understood by the
elect.
Anomalies In
The Lost Books
The Lost Books of the Bible contain the
same aerial anomalies, beings and people flying up into the sky,
and enigmatic
events as the King James Bible.
Anomalies In
The Lost Books
The
Categories
