An Angel In The Form Of A Shepherd Appears To Hermas
1:1
When I had prayed at home, and was sitting on the bed, a certain man come in to
me with a reverent look, in the habit of a shepherd, clothed with a white cloak,
having his bag upon his back, and his staff in his hand, and saluted me.
2
I returned his salutation, and immediately he sat down by me and said to me, I
am sent by that venerable messenger to dwell with you all the remaining days of
your life.
The Angel's Shape Changes
1:4
While he was yet speaking, his shape was changed, and when I knew that it was he
to whom I was committed, I was ashamed and a sudden fear came upon me, and I was
utterly overcome with sadness because I had spoken so foolishly to him.
Commands 6
The Two Angels That Are With Man
6:7
And now, he said, understand first of all what belongs to faith. There are two
angels with man: one of righteousness, the other of iniquity.
8
And I said to him, Sir, how shall I know that there are two such angels with
man? Hear, he said, and understand.
9
The angel of righteousness is mild and gentle, and quiet. Therefore, when he
gets into your heart, immediately he talks with you of righteousness, of
modesty, of chastity, of bountifulness, of forgiveness, or charity, and piety.
10
When all these things come into your heart, know then that the angel of
righteousness is with you. Therefore pay attention to this angel and to his
works.
11
Learn also the works of the angel of iniquity. He is first of all bitter, and
angry, and foolish; his works are pernicious, and overthrow the servants of God.
When therefore these things come into your heart, you will know by his works
that this is the angel of iniquity.
The Evil And The Good Angels
6:14
When therefore these things arise in your heart, know that the angel of iniquity
is with you. Seeing therefore you know his works, depart from them all and give
no credit to him, because his works are evil and inappropriate for the servants
of God.
15
Here therefore you have the works of both these angels. Understand now and
believe the angel of righteousness, because his instruction is good.
Command 12
The Angel Changes His Appearance
12:16.But
now I say to you, if you will not observe these commands, but will neglect them,
you will not be saved, nor your children, nor your house, because you have
judged that these commands cannot be kept by man.
17
These things he spoke very angrily to me, to the extent that he greatly
frightened me. For he changed his countenance, so that a man could not bear his
anger.
The Third Book Of Hermas (The Similitudes)
An Angel Appears To Hermas
2:1
As I was walking into the field and considered the elm and the vine, and thought
with myself of their fruits, an angel appeared and said to me, What is it that
you think upon so long within yourself?
2
And I said to him, Sir, I think of this vine and this elm because their fruits
are fair. And he said to me, These two trees are set for a pattern to the
servants of God.
The Shepherd Appears Beside Hermas
5:1
As I was fasting in a certain mountain and giving thanks to God for all he
things that he had done to me, behold I saw the shepherd, who was accustomed to
converse with me, sitting by me and saying to me: What has brought you here so
early in the morning? I answered, Sir, today I keep a station.
The Angel Again Appears To Hermas
6:1
As
I was sitting at home praising God for all the things which I had seen, and
thinking concerning the commands, that they were exceedingly good, and great,
and honest, and pleasant, and such as were able to bring a man to salvation, I
said thus within myself, I shall be happy if I shall walk according to these
commands, and whoever will walk in them will live to God.
2
While I was speaking like this within myself, I saw him whom I had before been
accustomed to see, sitting by me, and he spoke thus to me:
The Angel Show Hermas The Different Shepherds
6:10
Then the angel said to me, Do you see this shepherd? I answered, Sir, I see him.
He said to me, This in the angel of delight and pleasure. He therefore corrupts
the minds of the servants of God, and turns them from the truth by delighting
them with many pleasures, and they perish.
6:16
Again we went a little farther forward, and he showed me a great shepherd who
had as it were a rustic figure, clad with a white goat's skin, having his bag
upon his shoulder, and in his hand a stick full of knots and very hard, and a
whip in his other hand, and his countenance was stern and sour; his look was
enough to frighten a man.
6:20
And I said to the shepherd that was with me, Sir, who is this cruel and
implacable shepherd, who is moved with no compassion towards these sheep? He
answered, This shepherd is indeed one of the righteous angels, but he is
appointed for the punishment of sinners.
Hermas Sees The Shepherd Angel Again
7:1
After a few days in the same field where I had seen those shepherds, I saw the
same person who before talked with me. And he said to me, What do you seek?
2
Sir, I said, I came to entreat you that you would command the shepherd, who is
the minister of punishment, to depart out of my house, because he greatly
afflicts me.
3
And he answered, It is necessary for you to endure inconveniences and vexations,
because that good angel has commanded it concerning you in order to test you.
4
Sir, I said, what great offence have I committed, that I should be delivered to
this angel? Pay attention, he said. You are indeed guilty of many sins, yet not
so many that you should be delivered to this angel.
A
Lofty Angel Of The Lord
8:1
Again he showed me a willow which covered the fields and the mountains, under
whose shadow came all such as were called by the name of the Lord.
2
And by that willow stood an angel of the Lord very excellent and lofty, who cut
down boughs from that willow with a great hook and reached out little rods, as
it were about a foot long, to the people who were under the shadow of that
willow.
An
Angel Examines The Rods
8:4
Then that shepherd said to me, Forbear to wonder that the tree continues whole,
notwithstanding so many boughs have been cut off from it, but wait a little, for
now it will be shown you what that angel means, who gave those rods to the
people.
5
So he again demanded the rods from them, and in the same order that every one
had received them, he was called to him to restore his rod. When he had received
them, he examined them.
The Angel Was Michael
8:25
The great and venerable angel whom you saw was Michael, who has the power over
his people and governs them. For he has planted the law in the hearts of those
who have believed, and therefore he visits them to whom he has given the law, to
see if they have kept it.
26
And he examines everyone's rod, and of those, many that are weakened; for those
rods are the law of the Lord. Then he discerns all those who have not kept the
law, knowing the place of every one of them.
Hermas Serves The Glorious Angel, Michael
8:32
After a few days we returned, and in the same place stood that glorious angel,
and I stood by him. Then he said to me, Gird yourself with a towel and serve me.
33
And I girded myself with a clean towel, which was made of coarse cloth. And when
he saw me girded and ready to minister to him, he said, Call those men whose
rods have been planted, every one in his order as he gave them.
The Angel Of Repentance Explains To Hermas That The Shepherd Was The Son Of
God
9:1
After I had written the Commands and Similitudes of the Shepherd, the Angel of
Repentance, he came to me and said, I will show you all those things that the
angel spoke with you under the figure of the Church. For that Spirit is the Son
of God.
2
And because you were weak in body, it was not declared to you by the angel until
you were strengthened by the Spirit and increased in force so you could also see
the angel.
The Angel Leads Hermas To A Mountain Top
9:5
And he led me to the ascent of a mountain in Arcadia, and we sat upon its top.
And he showed me a great plain, and about it twelve mountains in different
figures.
A Square Rock With A Bright, Shining Gate
9:13
In
the middle of the plain he showed me a huge white rock that rose out of the
plain, and the rock was higher than those mountains, and was square, so that it
seemed capable of supporting the whole world.
14.
It looked to me to be old, yet it had in it a new gate, which seemed to have
been newly hewn out in it. Now that gate was bright beyond the sun itself, so
much that I greatly admired at its light.
Hermas Sees The 12 Virgins At The Gate
9:15
Around the gate stood twelve virgins, of which four who stood at the corners of
the gate seemed to me to be the chiefest, although the rest were also of worth.
16
It added also to the grace of those virgins that they stood in pairs, clothed
with linen garments and decently attired, their right arms being at liberty as
if they were about to lift up some burden, for so they were adorned and
exceeding cheerful and ready.
17
When I saw this, I wondered with myself to see such great and noble things. And
again I admired upon the account of those virgins, that they were so handsome
and delicate, and stood with such firmness and constancy as if they would carry
the whole heaven.
Six Angels Appear, A Great Noise Is Heard
9:22
And when he had said this to me I looked up, and behold I saw six tall and
venerable men coming. Their countenances were all alike, and they called a
certain multitude of men, and they who came at their call were also tall and
stout.
23
And those six commanded them to build a certain tower over that gate. And
immediately there began to be a great noise of those men who came together to
build the tower, running here and there about the gate.
Stones Change Color When Carried By The Virgins
9:35
So
they cut out of all the mountains stones of different colors and brought them
and gave them to the virgins, who received them and carried and delivered them
into the building of the tower,
36
In which, when they were built, became white and different from what they were
like before, for now they had changed their former colors and were all alike.
But some were carried up by the men themselves, and when they came into the
building, they remained just as they were put in.
37
These neither became white nor different from what they were before, because
they were not carried by the virgins through the gate. For this reason these
stones were disagreeable in the building. When those six men perceived it, they
commanded them to be removed and put again in the place from which they were
brought.
39
Do not labor in vain, for unless they will by carried by these virgins through
this gate, they cannot change their colors.
A
Man Taller Than The Tower Comes
9:49
After a very little while I saw a great multitude of men coming, and in the
middle of them a man so tall that he surpassed the tower in greatness.
50
About him were those six who before had given commands for the building, and all
the rest of those who had built that tower, and many others of great dignity.
The virgins who guarded the tower ran to meet him, and kissed him, and began to
walk near to him.
The Tall Man Strikes The Rocks With A Rod And They Change Color
9:51
But he examined the building with so much care that he handled every stone, and
struck every one with a rod he held in his hand.
52
Some being so struck turned black as soot, others were rough, some looked as if
they had cracks in them, others seemed maimed, some were neither black nor
white, some looked sharp, and did not match with the other stones, and others
were full of blemishes.
The Shepherd Explains Who The Tall Man Is
9:118
You saw also, he said, the six men, and in the middle of them that venerable
great man who walked about the tower and rejected the stones out of the tower?
119
Sir, I said, I saw them. He answered, That tall man was the Son of God, and
those six were his angels of most eminent dignity, who stand about him on the
right hand and on the left.
The Angel Comes Into Hermas' Home
10:1.After
I had written this book, the angel who had delivered me to that shepherd, came
into the house where I was and sat upon the bed, and that shepherd stood at his
right hand.
2
Then he called me and said to me, I delivered you and your house to this
shepherd, so that you might be protected by him. I said, Yes, Lord.
3
He said, If therefore you will be protected from all vexations and from all
cruelty, and have success in every good word and work, and have all virtue and
righteousness, walk in those commands he has given you, and you will have
dominion over all sin.
The Angel Sends The Virgins To Dwell With Hermas
10:15
Moreover, I have sent these virgins to dwell with you, for I have seen that they
are very kind to you. You will therefore have them for your helpers, so that you
may the better keep the commands which he has given you; for these commands
cannot be kept without these virgins.
16
And I see how they are willing to be with you, and I will also command them that
they will not all depart from your house.
17
Only purify your house, for they will readily dwell in a clean house. For they
are clean and chaste and industrious, and all of them have grace with the Lord.
18
If therefore you will have your house pure, they will abide with you. But if it
will be ever so little polluted, they will immediately depart from your house,
for these virgins cannot endure any manner of pollution.
The Angel Departs
10:30
And after that he had thus spoken with me, he rose up from the bed and departed,
taking the shepherd and the virgins with him.
31
However, he said to me that he would send back the shepherd and virgins into my
house. Amen.
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
