Stromata Editions · The Shepherd of Hermas
Mandate X
Man. 10.1.1–10.3.4
Complete audiobook →Chapter 1
Greek source
Ἆρον ἀπὸ σεαυτοῦ, φησί, τὴν λύπην· καὶ γὰρ αὕτη ἀδελφή ἐστι τῆς διψυχίας καὶ τῆς ὀξυχολίας.
Translation
“Remove grief from yourself,” he said, “for it too is a sister of wavering and a quick temper.”
Greek source
Πῶς, φημί, κύριε, ἀδελφή ἐστι τούτων; ἄλλο γάρ μοι δοκεῖ εἶναι ὀξυχολία, καὶ ἄλλο διψυχία, καὶ ἄλλο λύπη. Ἀσύνετος εἶ, ἄνθρωπε, φησίν· οὐ νοεῖς ὅτι ἡ λύπη πάντων τῶν πνευμάτων πονηροτέρα ἐστὶ καὶ δεινοτάτη τοῖς δούλοις τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ παρὰ πάντα τὰ πνεύματα καταφθείρει τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ ἐκτρίβει τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον, καὶ πάλιν σώζει;
Translation
“How, sir,” I said, “is it their sister? To me, a quick temper seems to be one thing, wavering another, and grief another.” “You are without understanding, man,” he said. “Do you not understand that grief is more wicked than all the spirits and most terrible for God's servants? More than any other spirit it destroys a person, wears away the holy spirit, and yet also saves.”
Greek source
Ἐγώ, φημί, κύριε, ἀσύνετός εἰμι, καὶ οὐ συνίω τὰς παραβολὰς ταύτας· πῶς γὰρ δύναται ἐκτρίβειν καὶ πάλιν σώζειν, οὐ νοῶ.
Translation
“Sir,” I said, “I am without understanding, and I do not understand these images. I cannot grasp how it can wear away and yet save.”
Greek source
Ἄκουε, φησίν· οἱ μηδέποτε ἐρευνήσαντες περὶ τῆς ἀληθείας μηδὲ ἐπιζητήσαντες περὶ τῆς θεότητος, πιστεύσαντες δὲ μόνον, ἐμπεφυρμένοι δὲ πραγματείαις καὶ πλούτῳ καὶ φιλίαις ἐθνικαῖς καὶ ἄλλαις πολλαῖς πραγματείαις τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου· ὅσοι οὖν τούτοις πρόσκεινται, οὐ νοοῦσι τὰς παραβολὰς τῆς θεότητος· ἐπισκοτοῦνται γὰρ ὑπὸ τούτων τῶν πράξεων καὶ καταφθείρονται καὶ γίνονται κεχερσωμένοι.
Translation
“Listen,” he said. “There are people who have never investigated truth or sought to know about the divine, but have merely believed. They are entangled in business dealings, wealth, friendships with the nations, and many other affairs of this age. Those devoted to these things do not understand the images concerning the divine. These dealings darken and corrupt them, and they become barren.
Greek source
καθὼς οἱ ἀμπελῶνες οἱ καλοί, ὅταν ἀμελείας τύχωσι, χερσοῦνται ἀπὸ τῶν ἀκανθῶν καὶ βοτανῶν ποικίλων, οὕτως οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ πιστεύσαντες καὶ εἰς ταύτας τὰς πράξεις τὰς πολλὰς ἐμπίπτοντες τὰς προειρημένας, ἀποπλανῶνται ἀπὸ τῆς διανοίας αὐτῶν καὶ οὐδὲν ὅλως νοοῦσι περὶ δικαιοσύνης, ἀλλὰ καὶ ὅταν ἀκούσωσι περὶ θεότητος καὶ ἀληθείας, ὁ νοῦς αὐτῶν περὶ τὴν πρᾶξιν αὐτῶν καταγίνεται, καὶ οὐδὲν ὅλως νοοῦσιν.
Translation
“Just as fine vineyards, when neglected, become overgrown with thorns and all kinds of weeds, so people who have believed and become caught up in the many dealings just mentioned are led astray from understanding. They grasp nothing at all about righteousness. Even when they hear about the divine and truth, their minds are occupied with their own dealings, and they understand nothing at all.
Greek source
οἱ δὲ φόβον ἔχοντες θεοῦ καὶ ἐρευνῶντες περὶ θεότητος καὶ ἀληθείας, καὶ τὴν καρδίαν ἔχοντες πρὸς τὸν κύριον, πάντα τὰ λεγόμενα αὐτοῖς τάχιον νοοῦσι καὶ συνίουσιν, ὅτι ἔχουσι τὸν φόβον τοῦ κυρίου ἐν ἑαυτοῖς. ὅπου γὰρ ὁ κύριος κατοικεῖ, ἐκεῖ καὶ σύνεσις πολλή. κολλήθητι οὖν τῷ κυρίῳ, καὶ πάντα συνήσεις καὶ νοήσεις.
Translation
“But those who fear God, investigate the divine and truth, and turn their hearts toward the Lord quickly grasp and understand everything said to them, because they have the fear of the Lord within them. Where the Lord dwells, there is also great understanding. So stay close to the Lord, and you will understand and grasp everything.
Chapter 2
Greek source
Ἄκουε οὖν, φησίν, ἀνόητε, πῶς ἡ λύπη ἐκτρίβει τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον καὶ πάλιν σώζει.
Translation
“Listen, then, you who do not understand,” he said, “to how grief wears away the holy spirit and yet also saves.
Greek source
ὅταν ὁ δίψυχος ἐπιβάληται πρᾶξίν τινα, καὶ ταύτης ἀποτύχῃ διὰ τὴν διψυχίαν αὐτοῦ, ἡ λύπη αὕτη εἰσπορεύεται εἰς τὸν ἄνθρωπον, καὶ λυπεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον καὶ ἐκτρίβει αὐτό.
Translation
“When a wavering person undertakes something and fails because of that wavering, this grief enters the person, grieves the holy spirit, and wears it away.
Greek source
εἶτα πάλιν ἡ ὀξυχολία ὅταν κολληθῇ τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ περὶ πράγματός τινος, καὶ λίαν πικρανθῇ, πάλιν ἡ λύπη εἰσπορεύεται εἰς τὴν καρδίαν τοῦ ἀνθρώπου τοῦ ὀξυχολήσαντος, καὶ λυπεῖται ἐπὶ τῇ πράξει αὐτοῦ ᾗ ἔπραξε, καὶ μετανοεῖ ὅτι πονηρὸν εἰργάσατο.
Translation
“Then again, when a quick temper fastens upon someone over some matter and they become very bitter, grief enters the heart of the person who lost their temper. They grieve over what they did and repent because they have done evil.
Greek source
αὕτη οὖν ἡ λύπη δοκεῖ σωτηρίαν ἔχειν, ὅτι τὸ πονηρὸν πράξας μετενόησεν. ἀμφότεραι οὖν αἱ πράξεις λυποῦσι τὸ πνεῦμα· ἡ μὲν διψυχία, ὅτι οὐκ ἐπέτυχε τῆς πράξεως αὐτῆς, ἡ δὲ ὀξυχολία λυπεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα, ὅτι ἔπραξε τὸ πονηρόν. ἀμφότερα οὖν λυπηρά ἐστι τῷ πνεύματι τῷ ἁγίῳ, ἡ διψυχία καὶ ἡ ὀχυξολία.
Translation
“This grief, then, seems to bring salvation, because the one who did evil repented. Both actions therefore grieve the spirit: wavering because it failed in its undertaking, and a quick temper because it did evil. Both wavering and a quick temper are thus grievous to the holy spirit.
Greek source
ἆρον οὖν ἀπὸ σεαυτοῦ τὴν λύπην καὶ μὴ θλῖβε τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τὸ ἐν σοὶ κατοικοῦν, μήποτε ἐντεύξηται κατὰ σοῦ τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἀποστῇ ἀπὸ σοῦ.
Translation
“So remove grief from yourself. Do not distress the holy spirit dwelling in you, lest it appeal to God against you and leave you.
Greek source
τὸ γὰρ πνεῦμα τοῦ θεοῦ τὸ δοθὲν εἰς τὴν σάρκα ταύτην λύπην οὐχ ὑποφέρει οὐδὲ στενοχωρίαν.
Translation
“For the spirit of God given to this flesh does not endure grief or confinement.
Chapter 3
Greek source
Ἔνδυσαι οὖν τὴν ἱλαρότητα τὴν πάντοτε ἔχουσαν χάριν παρὰ τῷ θεῷ καὶ εὐπρόσδεκτον οὖσαν αὐτῷ, καὶ ἐντρύφα ἐν αὐτῇ. πᾶς γὰρ ἱλαρὸς ἀνὴρ ἀγαθὰ ἐργάζεται καὶ ἀγαθὰ φρονεῖ, καὶ καταφρονεῖ τῆς λύπης.
Translation
“So put on cheerfulness, which always finds favour with God and is acceptable to him, and take delight in it. Every cheerful person does good, thinks good things, and despises grief.
Greek source
ὁ δὲ λυπηρὸς ἀνὴρ πάντοτε πονηρεύεται· πρῶτον μὲν πονηρεύεται, ὅτι λυπεῖ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον τὸ δοθὲν τῷ ἀνθρώπῳ ἱλαρόν· δεύτερον δὲ λυπῶν τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ ἅγιον ἀνομίαν ἐργάζεται, μὴ ἐντυγχάνων μηδὲ ἐξομολογούμενος τῷ κυρίῳ. πάντοτε γὰρ λυπηροῦ ἀνδρὸς ἡ ἔντευξις οὐκ ἔχει δύναμιν τοῦ ἀναβῆναι ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον τοῦ θεοῦ.
Translation
“But a grieving person always does evil. First, they do evil by grieving the cheerful holy spirit given to the person. Second, in grieving the holy spirit they act lawlessly, neither petitioning the Lord nor confessing to him. For a grieving person's petition never has the power to rise to God's altar.”
Greek source
Διατί, φημί, οὐκ ἀναβαίνει ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον ἡ ἔντευξις τοῦ λυπουμένου; Ὅτι, φησίν, ἡ λύπη ἐγκάθηται εἰς τὴν καρδίαν αὐτοῦ· μεμιγμένη οὖν ἡ λύπη μετὰ τῆς ἐντεύξεως οὐκ ἀφίησι τὴν ἔντευξιν ἀναβῆναι καθαρὰν ἐπὶ τὸ θυσιαστήριον. ὥσπερ γὰρ ὄξος καὶ οἶνος μεμιγμένα ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ τὴν αὐτὴν ἡδονὴν οὐκ ἔχουσιν, οὕτω καὶ ἡ λύπη μεμιγμένη μετὰ τοῦ ἁγίου πνεύματος τὴν αὐτὴν ἔντευξιν οὐκ ἔχει.
Translation
“Why,” I asked, “does the petition of someone who grieves not rise to the altar?” “Because,” he said, “grief has settled in their heart. Mixed with the petition, grief does not let it rise pure to the altar. Just as vinegar and wine mixed together do not give the same pleasure, so grief mixed with the holy spirit does not yield the same petition.
Greek source
καθάρισον οὖν σεαυτὸν ἀπὸ τῆς λύπης τῆς πονηρᾶς ταύτης, καὶ ζήσῃ τῷ θεῷ· καὶ πάντες ζήσονται τῷ θεῷ ὅσοι ἂν ἀποβάλωσιν ἀφ’ ἑαυτῶν τὴν λύπην καὶ ἐνδύσωνται πᾶσαν ἱλαρότητα.
Translation
“So cleanse yourself of this wicked grief, and you will live for God. All who cast grief away from themselves and put on every cheerfulness will live for God.”
Reader’s notes
1. 10.1.2; 10.2.4
Grief is both condemned and said to save in particular circumstances. “Seems” in 10.2.4 preserves δοκεῖ; the apparent tension is not eliminated. “Grief” covers sorrow in this moral argument, not a defined modern clinical condition.
2. 10.2.4
The master prints ὀχυξολία at this point. The English follows the context's repeated term for quick temper; the anomalous spelling is reported here, not silently corrected in the source file.
3. 10.2.5; 10.3.2–3
The spirit's appeal is against the person, not an intercession for that person. In 10.3.2 “cheerful” describes the holy spirit, not the person to whom it was given. The blocked petition and the wine-and-vinegar image at the altar are retained.
About this edition
English translation v02. Greek source v01: Molly Whittaker, second revised edition, 1967; Patristic Text Archive (2018), Annette von Stockhausen — conversion to CTS-compliant PTA TEI and markup of places and persons. Technical derivative: Stromata Editions, 2026-09-29. Fixed version ef861ab3.
Dotted underlining marks editorial supplied spans in the selected source and the corresponding translation, including partial spans. The sign alone does not establish the intervention’s nature or necessarily indicate a conjecture. Original square brackets are preserved.
Latin ending: the ancient Vulgata edited by Adolphus Hilgenfeld, Hermae Pastor (Leipzig, 1873), pp. 155–164; project source HER-ENDING-SOURCE-v01. Hilgenfeld took the insertion in Sim. 10.2.4 from the Palatina and added habet himself. The Greek digital source’s license does not automatically cover the Latin edition or the translations.
The translation is a reviewed working version following an AI editorial pass; human philological review is not claimed.
The reproduced Greek source and its technical derivative: CC BY-SA 4.0. Whitespace adapted for reading; words and diacritics preserved. Attribution does not imply endorsement of Stromata by PTA contributors.
Vulgata · Hilgenfeld 1873 · StromataPTA · ef861ab3CC BY-SA 4.0
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