Hermas

HERMAS: The name assigned by tradition to the author of a book highly regarded in the early Church and frequently included in the New

"The Testament, commonly known as" The Shepherd." Shepherd," no doubt from the appear-

Manu- ance and title assumed by the angel scripts and who communicates a part of the rev-

Versions. elations contained in it. According to the received division, the work includes five " Visions,'' twelve " Mandates," and ten " Simil= itudes." The complete work is not now extant in the original Greek, but the manuscript material has been notably increased in recent years. There are three defective manuscripts of the Greek: the "Shepherd" stood originally at the end of the Codex Sinaitieus (see Bible Text, II., 1, § 2), where all beyond Mand. IV., iii. 6 has been lost; of the Codex Athova-Lipsiensis a Greek, Constantine Simonides, stole three leaves (5, 6, 9) from Mount Athos and sold them in Leipsic with a forged copy of the rest in 1855, and leaves 1-4, 7, 9 were afterward found at Athos extending only to Sim. ix. 30; a papyrus from the Fay yiam, now in Berlin, contains two small and much mutilated sections, Sim. ii. 7-9 and iv. 2-5. Of translations, the Latin Vulgata exists in numerous manuscripts (first published by Faber Stapulensis, Paris, 1513). Another, Latin one, the Palatina, is found in one manuscript. There is also an Ethiopic version discovered by D'Abbadie and published in 1860, based on a text akin to the Sinaiticus. The older editions, relying wholly on the Vulgata, are worthless. Hilgenfeld was the first to publish a really critical edition.

The book is a series of visions, with their interpretation, all intended to call Hermas, and through him the Church, to repentance. The time for this is limited, and will end with the completion of the building of "the Tower" (the Church). God has caused the work to cease for a time, that men may come to repentance; but the pause will not last

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long-new severe persecutions and the end of the world are near. Logically the book falls into two

parts, the first including Vis. i.-iv., Contents of two visions calling to repentance and the Book. two giving reasons for its necessity.

Via. v. is an introduction to the second part, which contains the twelve "Mandates" or commandments revealed to Hermas. They cover (1) faith in the one God; (2) simplicity and love of one's neighbor; (3) truth; (4) chastity; (5) patience and mercy; (6) good and evil angels; (7) the fear of God; (8) self-restraint; (9) trust in God; (10) sadness and joy; (11) false prophets; (12) combat with evil desires. The first eight "Similitudes" are also visions, proclaiming the approaching completion of the Church and the call to repentance. Sim. ix. is a sort of recapitulation, with some modifications, and Sim. x. is an epilogue to the whole work.

There is no agreement as to the identity of the author or the date of composition. On the one

hand, the Muratorian fragment asserts Author explicitly that the work was written and Date. in the time of Pius I. (i.e., about 140)

by his brother; on the other, the book contains indications of an earlier date, such as the mention of Clement in Via., II., iv. 3, which would throw it back into the first century. There are difficulties in the acceptance of either of these theories. There is much in the book which does not fit the end of the first century. The Church has already lost its first fervor; traitors, hypocrites, and seekers of pleasure have crept in; and the beginnings of Gnosticism are already visible.

If, however, the view of the majority (Ewald, Ritschl, Dorner, Heyne, Hilgenfeld, Harnack, etc.) be adopted and a date near the middle of the second century be assigned, other difficulties arise. The author knows nothing of a monarchical episcopate in Rome; the heads of the Gnostic party do not come in; there is no trace even of Marcion, who came to Rome in 138 or 139. The mention of Clement has not been satisfactorily explained away. And it is difficult to see how the book could have attained such universal prominence in the Church if it was so late a product. Irenæus cites it as Scripture, and so does the Pseudo-Cyprian (Adv. aleatares). -Clement of Alexandria makes considerable use of it, and Origen holds it to be inspired.

Under these circumstances increasing regard has naturally been paid to the theory that it was not all composed at one time. The first attempts to divide the authorship-those of Thierech (1858), De Champagny, (1863) and Gueranger (1874)-were not very successful. A more adequate hypothesis was offered by Hilgenfeld in 1881, assuming three authors, the Hermes postoralis who produced the

nucleus (Via. v.-,Sim. vii.); the HerWs Theories dpocalypticus who wrote Via. i.-iv.;

of and the Hermes Secuus, who reComposite cast the whole into its present form. Authorship. This view did not find many followers.

Link (1888) and Baumg&rtner (1889) firmly opposed any division of authorship, and may be considered to have proved their point. The latest view of Harnack assigns the whole work V.-16

ENCYCLOPEDIA Hermsnn Hermenentios

to the same author, but regards it as having been a gradual growth, through successive revisions and additions, from a small beginning not later than 110 to about 140. External evidence is wholly lacking for such a purpose; but it solves some of the most difficult internal troubles.

The doctrinal standpoint of the book is not Judeo-Christian; to the author, Christianity is the one absolute and universal religion. Doctrinal Nor is he Pauline in his views. He

Standpoint. is much more representative of the popular Roman Christianity of his epoch, still lacking sharp dogmatic precision. The conception of pardoning grace as a thing which dominates the whole life has retired into the background; sin is forgiven at baptism, but the baptized are bound to sin no more, and, if they do sin, forgiveness is to be hoped for only under exceptional circumstances. It is hard to define the christology of the book; Harnack considers it adoptioniat, but his view that it identifies the Son with the Holy Ghost (hardly possible in view of the baptismal formula) is probably based on a misinterpretation of the phrase "Spirit of God" applied to Christ, in the sense of a holy spiritual being. The whole teaching on this point is vague, but not really different from that of the New Testament. It is noticeable that the religious element is already secondary to the ethical; and that the doctrine of works of supererogation makes its appearance.

(G. Uhlhorn†.)

Bibliography: Rich Gate of literature are to be found in ANF, Bibliography, pp. 30-33; in O. Gebhardt and A. Harnack, Patrum apostolicorum opera, iii., pp. al. sqq.; and in Krüger, History, pp. 38-40. Modern editions of the Greek text are: R. Anger and G. Dindorf, Leipsic, 1856; A.Y. C. Tischendorf, ib. 1856; A. R. M. Dread, ib. 1857, 1863; Gebhardt and Harnack, ib. 1877; A. Hilgenfeld, ib. 1881, 1887; F. %. Funk, Tübingen, 1887. Of the Latin text: A. Hilgenfeld, Leipsic, 1873 Gebhardt and Hamack, ut cup. Of the Ethiopic: A. d'Abbadie, in Abhandlungen der deutwhen morpenIkndiechen Gesellschaft, ii. 1, Leipsic, 1860. Eng. tranels. are: W. Hone, in his Apocryphal New Testament, London, 1820; C. K. J. Bunsen, in his Hippolytus, i. 185-208 ib. 1854; C. H. Hoole, ib. 1870; in ANF, ii. 1-58; and C. Taylor, ib. 1901; K. Lake, Facsimiles of the Adoa Frapmente of the Shepherd, New York, 1907.

Prolegomens and discussions of high value are to be found generally in the editions given above. Consult: J. Donaldson, Hist. of Christian Literature, i. 254-311, London, 1864; idem, Aywstolical Fathers, pp. 318-392; E. Gaab, Der Hirt den Herman, Basel, 1866; T. Zahn, Der Hirt den Hermaa untersucht, Gotha, 1868. G. Heyne, Quo temPore Herman Pastor scriptus.;sit, K&nfgsberg, 1872; H. M. T. Behnr, Ueber den Ver/asser der Schrift melcAe den Titel ^ Hirt ' fiArt, Rostock, 1876; J. Nirechl Der Hirt den He-, Passau, 1879; M. du Colombier, Le Pasteur d'Herraas, aris, 1880; A. Brfill Der Hirt den Herman, Freiburg, 1882; J Haussleiter, De vereionibus pastoris Herma; Latinie Erlangen, 1884; S. P. Lambros, A Collation of the Athoa Codes of the Shepherd of Herman, transl. and ed. by J. A. Robinson. London, 1888; A. Link, Die Bin W den Pastor Hermm, Marburg, 1888; P. Baumghrtner, Dis Einheit den Hernias-Buchea Freiburg, 1889 E. Hfieketfidt Der Lehrbeprif den Hirtm, Erlangen, 1889; Spitta, Zur Geschichte und Litteratur den Urchristentums, ii. 241437, Göttingen, 1896; Schaff, Christian Church, ii. 678-692; Harnack Geschichte, i. 49-58 et passim, ii. 1, pp. 257 sqq., 437-438, ii. 2 passim; DCB, ii . 912-921; KL. Y. 1839 14.