Shepherd of Hermas : A Commentary

Extremely popular in its time, The Shepherd of Hermas is a second-century work often used for instruction of catechumens, and in fact widely regarded as scripture. In it Hermas, a rich freed slave whose wealth was not always lawfully obtained, undergoes and relates several visions (including one from an angel disguised as a shepherd), repents, and offers counsel on Christian teaching and behavior. Comprehensive and careful, Carolyn Osiek's is the only full-length commentary on "The Shepherd" in English. Hermas's revelations afford us glimpses of the religious imagination, social world, and moral ideals among early second-century Roman Christians.

Foreword to Hermeneia

xi

(10)

Reference Codes

xiii

(8)

1. Sources and General Abbreviations

xiii

(3)

2. Short Titles of Frequently Cited Literature

xvi

(5)

Editor's Note

xxi

Introduction

1

(40)

1. Literary Character

1

(17)

1.1 History of the Text

1

(7)

1.1.1 Manuscript History

1

(4)

1.1.2 Integrity of the Text

3

(1)

1.1.3 Reception and Canonicity

4

(3)

1.1.4 Representation in Early Christian Art

7

(1)

1.2 Literary Unity

8

(2)

1.2.1 Theories of Multiple Authorship

9

(1)

1.2.2 Return to Single Authorship

10

(1)

1.3 Genre and Structure

10

(6)

1.3.1 Is Hermas an Apocalypse?

10

(2)

1.3.2 Structure

12

(4)

1.4 The Characters

16

(2)

1.4.1 The Woman Church

16

(1)

1.4.2 The Shepherd

16

(1)

1.4.3 Other Characters

16

(2)

2. Historical Character

18

(10)

2.1 Place and Date

18

(2)

2.2 Social Context and Biographical Information

20

(5)

2.3 Historical Reliability

23

(1)

2.4 Sources and Influences

24

(4)

3. Theological Character

28

(9)

3.1 Metanoia

28

(2)

3.2 Dipsychia

30

(1)

3.3 Pneumatology/Angelology and the Two Ways

31

(3)

3.4 Christology

34

(2)

3.5 Ecclesiology

36

(1)

4. Conclusion

37

(4)

Visions

41

(62)

1.1 [1] Vision of Rhoda

41

(5)

1.2 [2] First Vision of the Woman Church

46

(2)

1.3-4 [3-4] Family Problems and a Message of Judgment and Consolation

48

(4)

2.1 [5] Second Vision of the Woman Church; The Message Delivered in Writing

52

(1)

2.2-3 [6-7] The Written Message Understood

53

(5)

2.4 [8] Identity of the Woman Church Revealed

58

(2)

3.1-2 [9-12] Building of the Tower

60

(5)

3.3-7 [11-15] Explanation of the Tower

65

(11)

Excursus: The Explanation of the Stones in Vision 3

69

(7)

3.8 [16] The Seven Women Who Support the Tower

76

(4)

3.9 [17] A Wisdom Paraenesis

80

(3)

3.10-13 [18-21] Transformation of the Woman Church

83

(6)

4.1-3 [22-24] Vision of the Beast

89

(9)

Excursus: The "Great Tribulation to Come"

94

(4)

5 [25] Introduction to the Shepherd, the Mandates, and the Similitudes

98

(5)

Mandates

103

(54)

1 [26] Faith in God

103

(2)

2 [27] Simplicity

105

(2)

3 [28] Truth

107

(2)

4.1 [29] Chastity and Adultery

109

(4)

4.2-3 [30-31] Reminder about Conversion

113

(3)

4.4 [32] Widowhood and Remarriage

116

(1)

5.1-2 [33-34] Two Ways of Being

117

(5)

6.1-2 [35-36] Discernment of Spirits

122

(4)

7 [37] Fear of the Lord

126

(2)

8 [38] Restraint

128

(3)

9 [39] Doublemindedness

131

(4)

10.1-3 [40-42] Sadness

135

(4)

11 [43] Discernment of Prophecy

139

(9)

12.1-2 [44-45] Discernment of Desires

148

(2)

12.3-6 [46-49] Concluding Instructions on the Commandments

150

(7)

Similitudes

157

(108)

1 [50] A Tale of Two Cities

157

(4)

2 [51] Elm and Vine

161

(4)

3 [52] Winter Trees

165

(1)

4 [53] Summer Trees

166

(2)

5.1 [54] True Fasting

168

(2)

5.2 [55] Parable of the Son, Slave, and Vineyard

170

(3)

5.3 [56] More on True Fasting

173

(2)

5.4-6 [57-59] Explanations of the Parable

175

(7)

5.7 [60] Purity of the Flesh

182

(2)

6.1-5 [61-65] Shepherds of Luxury and Punishment

184

(7)

7 [66] Necessity of Penance for True Conversion

191

(3)

8.1-11 [67-77] Cosmic Willow Tree

194

(17)

9.1 [78] The Twelve Mountains of Arcadia

211

(4)

9.2-9 [79-86] The Tower Revisited

215

(11)

9.10-11 [87-88] Hermas and the Young Women

226

(4)

9.12-16 [89-93] Explanation of the Tower and Young Women

230

(9)

9.17-29 [94-106] Explanation of the Twelve Mountains

239

(14)

9.30-31 [107-108] Explanation of the Stones from the Plain

253

(3)

9.32-33 [109-110] Final Exhortations

256

(2)

10.1-4 [111-114] Conclusion

258

(7)

Bibliography

265

(4)

1. Critical Editions, Commentaries, and Translations

265

(1)

2. Select Monographs and Articles

265

(4)

Indices

269

1. Passages

269

(18)

2. Names

287

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Shepherd of Hermas : A Commentary

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