Book 2

While I was going to Cumae, at about the same time as the year before, as I walked along I remembered the vision of the previous year, and the spirit again seized me and took me away to the same place, where I had been the previous year.

So when I came to the place, I knelt down and began to pray to the Lord and to glorify his name, because he had thought me worthy, and had made known to me my former sins.

But after I rose from prayer I saw before me the ancient lady, whom I had seen the year before, walking and reading out from a little book. And she said to me: Can you take this message to God’s elect ones? I said to her: Lady, I cannot remember so much; but give me the little book to copy. Take it, she said, and give it me back.

I took it and went away to a certain place in the country, and copied it all, letter by letter, for I could not distinguish the syllables. So when I had finished the letters of the little book it was suddenly taken out of my hand; but I did not see by whom.

But after fifteen days, when I had fasted and prayed greatly to the Lord, the knowledge of the writing was revealed to me. And these things were written:

Your seed, Hermas, have set God at naught, and have blasphemed the Lord, and have betrayed their parents in great wickedness, and they are called the betrayers of parents, and their betrayal has not profited them, but they have added to their sins wanton deeds and piled up wickedness, and so their crimes have been made complete.

But make these words known to all your children and to your wife, who shall in future be to you as a sister. For she also does not refrain her tongue, with which she sins; but when she has heard these words she will refrain it, and will obtain mercy.

After you have made known these words to them, which the Master commanded me to reveal to you, all the sins which they have formerly committed shall be forgiven them, and they shall be forgiven to all the saints who have sinned up to this day, if they repent with their whole heart, and put aside double-mindedness from their heart.

For the Master has sworn to his elect by his glory that if there be still sin after this day has been fixed, they shall find no salvation; for repentance for the just has an end; the days of repentance have been fulfilled for all the saints, but for the heathen repentance is open until the last day.

You shall say, then, to the leaders of the Church, that they reform their ways in righteousness, to receive in full the promises with great glory.

You, therefore, who work righteousness, must remain steadfast and be not double-minded, that your passing may be with the holy angels. Blessed are you, as many as endure the great persecution which is coming, and as many as shall not deny their life.

For the Lord has sworn by his Son that those who have denied their Christ have been rejected from their life, that is, those who shall now deny him in the days to come. But those who denied him formerly have obtained forgiveness through his great mercy.

But, Hermas, no longer bear a grudge against your children, nor neglect your sister, that they may be cleansed from their former sins. For they will be corrected with righteous correction, if you bear no grudge against them. The bearing of grudges works death. But you, Hermas, had great troubles of your own because of the transgressions of your family, because you did not pay attention to them. But you neglected them and became entangled in their evil deeds.

But you are saved by not having broken away from the living God, and by your simplicity and great temperance. These things have saved you, if you remain in them, and they save all whose deeds are such, and who walk in innocence and simplicity. These shall overcome all wickedness and remain steadfast to eternal life.

Blessed, are all they who do righteousness; they shall not perish for ever.

But you shall say to Maximus: Behold, persecution is coming, if it seems good to you deny the faith again, The Lord is near those that turn to him, as it is written in the Book of Eldad and Modat, who prophesied to the people in the wilderness.

And a revelation was made to me, brethren. while I slept, by a very beautiful young man who said to me, Who do you think that the ancient lady was from whom you received the little book? I said, The Sibyl. You are wrong, he said, she is not. Who is she, then? I said. The Church, he said. I said to him, Why then is she old? Because, he said, she was created the first of all things. For this reason is she old; and for her sake was the world established.

And afterwards I saw a vision in my house. The ancient lady came and asked me if I had already given the book to the elders. I said that I had not given it. You have done well, she said, for I have words to add. When, therefore, I have finished all the words they shall be made known by you to all the elect.

You shall therefore write two little books and send one to Clement and one to Grapte. Clement then shall send it to the cities abroad, for that is his duty; and Grapte shall exhort the widows and orphans; but in this city you shall read it yourself with the elders who are in charge of the church.