Visions and the Shepherd of Hermas

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GakuseiDon
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Visions and the Shepherd of Hermas

Post by GakuseiDon »

I have my own theory of Christian origins, which I call my 'magical' historical Jesus theory. (I'll note that I have no formal training in ancient studies and have no knowledge of the ancient languages). That is that Jesus was thought to have ascended to heaven, and so was considered a resource that could be invoked for magical purposes. According to my theory, the list of appearances by Jesus noted by Paul in 1 Cor 15: "appeared to Cephas, appeared to the 12, appeared to the 500" etc, were in fact invoked appearances through ritual. Paul, as an independent religious entrepreneur, had his own travelling show where he invoked Jesus, did feats of healing and inspired the audience to speaking of tongues, prophecy and visions.

The Shepherd of Hermas is part of the tradition IMHO. Throughout the text, the narrator writes how he used fasting and prayers before receiving the visions and insights provided to him:
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/t ... pherd.html

Fifteen days after, when I had fasted and prayed much to the Lord, the knowledge of the writing was revealed to me...

The vision which I saw, my brethren, was of the following nature. Having fasted frequently, and having prayed to the Lord that He would show me the revelation which He promised to show me through that old woman...

Then I see the old woman in a vision of the night saying unto me: "Every prayer should be accompanied with humility: fast, therefore, and you will obtain from the Lord what you beg." I fasted therefore for one day.

The Shepherd of Hermas seems to have been written around 140-170 CE. It was so popular that it was almost considered canon. The author is traditionally ascribed to the brother of the Pope at the time, though that is doubtful.

The text describes a series of visions by the narrator. They are very abstract, but fortunately he has guides throughout that explain the meanings. The first guide, an old woman, turns out to be the Church/Bible. The words "Jesus" or "Christ" aren't mentioned in the text, though at one point the narrator meets up with "the shepherd" who is some kind of angelic stand-in:

After I had been praying at home, and had sat down on my couch, there entered a man of glorious aspect, dressed like a shepherd, with a white goat's skin, a wallet on his shoulders, and a rod in his hand, and saluted me. I returned his salutation. And straightway he sat down beside me, and said to me, "I have been sent by a most venerable angel to dwell with you the remaining days of your life." And I thought that he had come to tempt me, and I said to him, "Who are you? For I know him to whom I have been entrusted." He said to me, "Do you not know me?" "No," said I. "I," said he, "am that shepherd to whom you have been entrusted."

The shepherd requests the narrator to make note of commandments, which range from the standard: "be simple and guileless", "love the truth", "guard your chastity", then go on to be about loving God and more metaphysical in nature. There is a lot of discussion around them.

What is interesting is that there is no talk of Jerusalem, Jews, Christians; no references to Scriptures and Gospels; no naming of "Jesus" or "Christ". The narrator does refer to "the Son of God" a few times:

"Hear," he answered: "the Son of God is not in the form of a slave, but in great power and might." "How so, sir?" I said; "I do not understand." "Because," he answered, "God planted the vineyard, that is to say, He created the people, and gave them to His Son; and the Son appointed His angels over them to keep them; and He Himself purged away their sins, having suffered many trials and undergone many labours, for no one is able to dig without labour and toil. He Himself, then, having purged away the sins of the people, showed them the paths of life by giving them the law which He received from His Father.

That this is a Christian text, though, seems beyond doubt, since it describes the work of "apostles" and hints at the use of baptism. Furthermore, the apostles apparently have always been in agreement with each other!:

Those square white stones which fitted exactly into each other, are apostles, bishops, teachers, and deacons, who have lived in godly purity, and have acted as bishops and teachers and deacons chastely and reverently to the elect of God. Some of them have fallen asleep, and some still remain alive. And they have always agreed with each other, and been at peace among themselves, and listened to each other. On account of this, they join exactly into the building of the tower."
...
... these apostles and teachers who preached the name of the Son of God, after falling asleep in the power and faith of the Son of God, preached it not only to those who were asleep, but themselves also gave them the seal of the preaching. Accordingly they descended with them into the water, and again ascended... By these, then, were they quickened and made to know the name of the Son of God.

This is a long text, and frankly I found it a little boring since it cycles through "allegorical vision --> explanation" many times. Often the point seems to be about how the church represents the work of Christ in a time after Christ had been expected to return and end the world. But it is an interesting insight into the metaphysical development of the early church. The contents are quite different to what's found in the Church Fathers and early Christian literature generally. It makes me wonder how it was used in churches of the time. Perhaps it was written as a competitor to gnostic ideas, though not directly. There is no reference to Hebrew scriptures, ancient texts nor to Greek philosophers, the presence of which one of them is a feature in most early Christian texts.
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Leucius Charinus
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Re: Visions and the Shepherd of Hermas

Post by Leucius Charinus »

The Shepherd is an interesting text. Because it is found in the earliest Greek codices seems to me to indicate it was at one time part of the "list of books" considered to be part of some canon list. Texts don't make it into expensive editions unless they have some authority - perceived or real.
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billd89
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Re: The Shepherd of Hermas

Post by billd89 »

Then Poimandres (Egyptian: Soverignty of Mind), often translated as 'Man-Shepherd' : a competing cult's text of the same period? An older text?

Permit me to pare down the key bits, here:
GakuseiDon wrote: Fri Feb 10, 2023 4:05 pm I have my own theory of Christian origins, which I call my 'magical' historical Jesus theory. ... Paul, as an independent religious entrepreneur, had his own travelling show where he invoked Jesus, did feats of healing and inspired the audience to speaking of tongues, prophecy and visions.

The Shepherd of Hermas is part of the tradition IMHO. Throughout the text, the narrator writes how he used fasting and prayers before receiving the visions and insights provided to him:
http://www.earlychristianwritings.com/t ... pherd.html

That this is a Christian text, though, seems beyond doubt, since it describes the work of "apostles" and hints at the use of baptism. Furthermore, the apostles apparently have always been in agreement with each other! ... it is an interesting insight into the metaphysical development of the early church. The contents are quite different to what's found in the Church Fathers and early Christian literature generally. It makes me wonder how it was used in churches of the time. Perhaps it was written as a competitor to gnostic ideas, though not directly. There is no reference to Hebrew scriptures, ancient texts nor to Greek philosophers, the presence of which one of them is a feature in most early Christian texts.
Perhaps the 'Chrestiani '(and/or Melchizedekian) movement in Alexandria/Egypt had "apostles" and "baptism" c.40 AD. But chronologically -- if "The Shepherd of Hermas is part of the [Xian] tradition" -- where is your "Paul": before, after or contemporary? (I suppose AFTER.)

So I think The Shepherd of Hermas (as we see it) is radically bowdlerized, grafted upon older material like a late story about 1st C. AD Therapeuts/Jessians in Egypt. Inconsistencies in much re-worked material -- even fiction drafted out of other (older) stories -- don't bother me; what's important are indicia there was something 'Jewish' (Judeo-Egyptian) underneath, some bastardized-heretical subculture that is closely approximate to or soon after and thus folklore derived partly from Philo's Therapeutae.
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GakuseiDon
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Re: The Shepherd of Hermas

Post by GakuseiDon »

billd89 wrote: Fri Feb 24, 2023 2:15 amPerhaps the 'Chrestiani '(and/or Melchizedekian) movement in Alexandria/Egypt had "apostles" and "baptism" c.40 AD. But chronologically -- if "The Shepherd of Hermas is part of the [Xian] tradition" -- where is your "Paul": before, after or contemporary? (I suppose AFTER.)
I'm happy to stick with the consensus dates: Paul writing around 50 to 60 CE, Shepherd of Hermas written around 150 CE.
billd89 wrote: Fri Feb 24, 2023 2:15 amSo I think The Shepherd of Hermas (as we see it) is radically bowdlerized, grafted upon older material like a late story about 1st C. AD Therapeuts/Jessians in Egypt. Inconsistencies in much re-worked material -- even fiction drafted out of other (older) stories -- don't bother me; what's important are indicia there was something 'Jewish' (Judeo-Egyptian) underneath, some bastardized-heretical subculture that is closely approximate to or soon after and thus folklore derived partly from Philo's Therapeutae.
According to the notes on earlychristianwritings.com:

Despite much speculation, the author remains unknown. It was written in Rome and involves the Roman church. The document was composed over a longer period of time. Visions I-IV were composed during a threatened persecution, probably under Trajan (the Clement of 8:3 could be Clement of Rome). Vision V - Similitude VIII and Similitude X were written perhaps by the same author to describe repentance to Christians who were wavering. Similitude IX was written to unify the entire work and to threaten those who had been disloyal. This last phase must have occurred before Irenaeus (ca. 175). A preferred date would be 140. On the basis of this internal analysis multiple authorship seems necessary (Giet 1963), though the work could have been composed by one person over a long period of time (Joly 1958).

What is interesting is the complete lack of mention of "Jesus", "Christ", "Christian"/"Christians", named apostles, Jerusalem, Jews, Galilee, Scriptures (Old and New), quotes from Scriptures, references to Greek philosophy and philosophers. It is straight up visions and interpretations of visions. And yet the work was apparently very popular amongst early Christians. So evidently it filled a need.
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Re: The Shepherd of Hermas

Post by billd89 »

GakuseiDon wrote: Fri Feb 24, 2023 3:06 am I'm happy to stick with the consensus dates: Paul writing around 50 to 60 CE, Shepherd of Hermas written around 150 CE.
Right, though if SoH is folkloric Xian and of the Chrestiani apocalyptic tradition, Roman provenance does not exclude Egyptian origins for source-material or the tradition/genre. To me, the absence of Jesus, the putative Jerusalem Church, Gospels, etc. suggests smthg older, not newer.

Something older, bowdlerized.
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DCHindley
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Re: Visions and the Shepherd of Hermas

Post by DCHindley »

There are unmistakable allusions to many NT books in the Shepherd, and while you don't see Jesus or Christ, you do see a lot of "Son of God."

The following link is to a post where I cited them all.
viewtopic.php?p=69668#p69668

DCH
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GakuseiDon
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Re: Visions and the Shepherd of Hermas

Post by GakuseiDon »

DCHindley wrote: Fri Feb 24, 2023 5:13 pm There are unmistakable allusions to many NT books in the Shepherd, and while you don't see Jesus or Christ, you do see a lot of "Son of God."

The following link is to a post where I cited them all.
viewtopic.php?p=69668#p69668
I like your comment about how "[t]here is a sort of 'mystery cult' quality to the allusions". It seems to be part of similar types of literature where visions caused by angels are used to explain certain parts of the religious background, e.g. Book of Enoch, 2 Enoch, Vision of Isaiah.

Also Ben's comment on the thread you linked to (my highlight below):

Ben C Smith wrote:It is my abiding suspicion that a lot of early Christianity remains hidden from us to no small extent. A lot of texts, including the Shepherd of Hermas, do not fit very neatly into the framework we tend to work with. A lot of iconography (from the catacombs, for example) resembles stories from the gospels, but with interesting, persistent twists (most often seven figures seated at a eucharistic feast, not twelve plus Jesus). The inscription of Abercius is full of symbolism similar to what we find in the New Testament (the shepherd imagery), yet also quite different (fish caught by a spotless virgin). I think there is a lot of Christianity not fully represented by the stream of church fathers we find fighting off heresies, from Justin through Irenaeus and Tertullian to Eusebius and Epiphanius and the like.

Some of us here argued long and hard with Doherty over the Shepherd of Hermas. Doherty wrote in his "Jesus: Neither God Nor Man" (my highlighting):

For all its length, the names of Jesus and Christ are never used... Hermas is dealing with philosophical concepts here, not an historical figure who was God's incarnation. Had he possessed any idea of the Son as a human personality who had walked the earth in recent memory, suffered and died and resurrected outside Jerusalem to redeem humanity, he could never have buried him in this densely obscure heavenly construct and allowed the entire picture 'recorded' in the Gospels to evaporate into the mystical wind.

Well, Doherty is either right or wrong. The author of the Shepherd of Hermas either couldn't have buried the idea of a historical Christ in a densely obsure heavenly construct or he/she could have. Either has implications.

If Doherty is right, then there were a group running around at the same time as Christians who believed things about a Son of God that was very much like Christianity.

If Doherty is wrong, then there was a type of literature that was fine with burying the historical figure of Jesus into a "densely obscure heavenly construct and allowed the entire picture 'recorded' in the Gospels to evaporate into the mystical wind". That agrees with Ben's statement above. Tatian's "Address to the Greeks" is a similar work. I'd argue Tertullian's "Ad nationes" is another. Also Athenagoras of Athens and the three books of Theophilus of Antioch.

This is from the Shepherd of Hermas:

Those square white stones which fitted exactly into each other, are apostles, bishops, teachers, and deacons, who have lived in godly purity, and have acted as bishops and teachers and deacons chastely and reverently to the elect of God. Some of them have fallen asleep, and some still remain alive. And they have always agreed with each other, and been at peace among themselves, and listened to each other...
...
"Why, sir," I asked, "did the forty stones also ascend with them out of the pit, having already received the seal?" "Because," he said, "these apostles and teachers who preached the name of the Son of God, after falling asleep in the power and faith of the Son of God, preached it not only to those who were asleep, but themselves also gave them the seal of the preaching. Accordingly they descended with them into the water, and again ascended.
...
"Listen," he said: "these mountains are the twelve tribes, which inhabit the whole world. The Son of God, accordingly, was preached unto them by the apostles."
...
"Hear," he answered: "the Son of God is not in the form of a slave, but in great power and might." "How so, sir?" I said; "I do not understand." "Because," he answered, "God planted the vineyard, that is to say, He created the people, and gave them to His Son; and the Son appointed His angels over them to keep them; and He Himself purged away their sins, having suffered many trials and undergone many labours, for no one is able to dig without labour and toil. He Himself, then, having purged away the sins of the people, showed them the paths of life by giving them the law which He received from His Father. [You see," he said, "that He is the Lord of the people, having received all authority from His Father. ] And why the Lord took His Son as councillor, and the glorious angels, regarding the heirship of the slave, listen. The holy, pre-existent Spirit, that created every creature, God made to dwell in flesh, which He chose. This flesh, accordingly, in which the Holy Spirit dwelt, was nobly subject to that Spirit, walking religiously and chastely, in no respect defiling the Spirit; and accordingly, after living excellently and purely, and after labouring and co-operating with the Spirit, and having in everything acted vigorously and courageously along with the Holy Spirit, He assumed it as a partner with it. For this conduct of the flesh pleased Him, because it was not defiled on the earth while having the Holy Spirit. He took, therefore, as fellow-councillors His Son and the glorious angels, in order that this flesh, which had been subject to the body without a fault, might have some place of tabernacle, and that it might not appear that the reward [of its servitude had been lost ], for the flesh that has been found without spot or defilement, in which the Holy Spirit dwelt

The idea of a Son of God who was exalted because of his conduct while in the flesh is one that can be seen throughout early Christian literature. There are apostles and teachers who preached the name of the Son of God, though the name isn't given. We can't know for certain, but surely the obvious candidate is Jesus? Perhaps not the same Jesus as the proto-orthodox, but given that the work was so well regarded by early Christians, they seemed to have no problems believing that it was a Jesus consistent with proto-orthodox beliefs.

Doherty states that had the author of the Shepherd of Hermas "possessed any idea of the Son as a human personality who had walked the earth in recent memory, suffered and died and resurrected outside Jerusalem to redeem humanity, he could never have buried him in this densely obscure heavenly construct". But as I've complained many times here (and no doubt some here may be sick of hearing it from me!), Doherty is enamoured with the idea of the "newspaper reporter's Jesus", where, if Jesus was a historical figure, he must have been like the Gospels, with a life that would have been so noticeable that he would have been written about even if he hadn't been crucified. But in fact if we look through Paul's letters and other early works, we continually see the words "humble", "obedient", "without blemish".
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Re: Visions and the Shepherd of Hermas

Post by DCHindley »

Great post, GakuseiDon.

I was reminded of the "Gospel of Peter" where the two tall angels escort a third between them, who was even taller. A voice from heaven asks "Have you preached to those who sleep?" and the tallest one replies "Yes." An obsession over the fate of "those that sleep" (those who had died).

The saga of the Son of God described in the Visions does fit pretty closely with Jesus as presented in the canonical Gospels. Off the top of my head, however, I don't recall there being any glaring differences.

Maybe this can be contrasted with the construct of "the Christ of God" we start to find in Origen and is repeated by Eusebius.

In other words, there may have once been several movements with exalted figures in the earliest stage of the development of proto-orthodoxy.

IIRC, Hermas is a slave in a wealthy household. My guess his place in the household was to supervise some masonry work being done, and be available to act as an escort for his mistress. His fascination with stones of various qualities that the mason retainers seemed to select effortlessly from the quarried stock may mean he was in awe of this process.

It gelled with his own efforts to come to terms with his affection for his mistress, which were, well, "unprofessional" for a slave to even consider. It was possible, alas, only in fantasy land.

DCH
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