Revelations to the Shepherd of Hermas: A Book of Spiritual Visions [Paperback]

Hermas (Author), Robert Van De Weyer (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Greek

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Liguori Publications (March 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 076480054X
• ISBN-13: 978-0764800542
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.1 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,345,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Accessible digest version of important text, May 29, 2002

By 

M. J. Smith (Seattle, WA USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Revelations to the Shepherd of Hermas: A Book of Spiritual Visions (Paperback)

The Shepherd of Hermas is an early Christian text which was a serious contender for inclusion in the canon. It was rejected not on doctrinal grounds but on grounds that the anonymous author was not in the direct apostolic line i.e. an apostle or companion / disciple of an apostle. Robert Van de Weyer has provided a very readable condensation of the book.

The book itself consists of revelations including parables, commandments, etc. from which contrition and a desire to know God's ways are enhanced. The primary characters of the revelation are women personifying the Church and/or various virtues and angels especially a "guardian angel" or shepherd. Mountains, stones and trees are frequent images in the building up of the Church or in the judgment of Christians. The recipient of the revelation is an unlettered Christian slave; this leads to an emphasis on understanding with the heart rather than intellectual knowledge.

To give a bit of the flavor of the book, the twelve commandments received by and explained to the slave are:
1. Believe that God is one
2. Be as simple and innocent as a little child
3. Love truth
4. Keep your minds free of any impure thoughts
5. Be courageous and yet prudent
6. Control your temper
7. Always keep faith
8. Fear the Lord, and keep his commandments
9. Show temperance
10. Ensure that you are not two-minded or hypocritical
11. Be joyful
12. Put away from yourself all evil desire, and put on yourself only desires which are good and holy.

This book is useful for those interested in early Christianity or as devotional reading.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shepherd of Hermas, November 9, 2006

By 

A. Lysy (Schaumburg, Illinois) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Revelations to the Shepherd of Hermas: A Book of Spiritual Visions (Paperback)

This small book is a powerful work from early Christianity that was popular in its day but excluded from the canon. It has a clarity greater than many of the Gnostic gospels that are read today. I will be giving this small but powerful book as a gift to many friends this year.