Stromata Editions · The Shepherd of Hermas
Similitude II
Sim. 2.1–2.10
Complete audiobook →Greek source
Περιπατοῦντός μου εἰς τὸν ἀγρὸν καὶ κατανοοῦντος πτελέαν καὶ ἄμπελον, καὶ διακρίνοντος περὶ αὐτῶν καὶ τῶν καρπῶν αὐτῶν, φανεροῦταί μοι ὁ ποιμὴν καὶ λέγει· Τί σὺ ἐν ἑαυτῷ ζητεῖς περὶ τῆς πτελέας καὶ τῆς ἀμπέλου; Συζητῶ, φημί, κύριε, ὅτι εὐπρεπέσταταί εἰσιν ἀλλήλαις.
Translation
As I was walking in the field, looking closely at an elm and a vine and considering them and their fruit, the shepherd appeared to me. He said, “What are you pondering about the elm and the vine?” “I am considering,” I said, “sir, how beautifully they suit one another.”
Greek source
Ταῦτα τὰ δύο δένδρα, φησίν, εἰς τύπον κεῖνται τοῖς δούλοις τοῦ θεοῦ. Ἤθελον, φημί, γνῶναι τὸν τύπον τῶν δένδρων τούτων ὧν λέγεις. Βλέπεις, φησί, τὴν πτελέαν καὶ τὴν ἄμπελον; Βλέπω, φημί, κύριε.
Translation
“These two trees,” he said, “stand as a pattern for God's servants.” “I would like to know,” I said, “the pattern you speak of in these trees.” “Do you see the elm and the vine?” he asked. “I do, sir,” I said.
Greek source
Ἡ ἄμπελος, φησίν, αὕτη καρπὸν φέρει, ἡ δὲ πτελέα ξύλον ἄκαρπόν ἐστιν· ἀλλ’ ἡ ἄμπελος αὕτη ἐὰν μὴ ἀναβῇ ἐπὶ τὴν πτελέαν, οὐ δύναται καρποφορῆσαι πολὺ ἐρριμμένη χαμαί, καὶ ὃν φέρει καρπόν, σεσηπότα φέρει μὴ κρεμαμένη ἐπὶ τῆς πτελέας. ὅταν οὖν ἐπιρριφῇ ἡ ἄμπελος ἐπὶ τὴν πτελέαν, καὶ παρ’ ἑαυτῆς φέρει καρπὸν καὶ παρὰ τῆς πτελέας.
Translation
“This vine,” he said, “bears fruit, but the elm is a tree that bears none. Yet unless this vine climbs the elm, it cannot bear much fruit when it lies on the ground. And the fruit it does bear is rotten, because it is not hanging on the elm. When the vine is draped over the elm, it bears fruit both from itself and from the elm.
Greek source
βλέπεις οὖν, ὅτι καὶ ἡ πτελέα πολὺν καρπὸν δίδωσιν, οὐκ ἐλάσσονα τῆς ἀμπέλου, μᾶλλον δὲ καὶ πλείονα. Πῶς, φημί, κύριε, πλείονα; Ὅτι, φησίν, ἡ ἄμπελος κρεμαμένη ἐπὶ τὴν πτελέαν τὸν καρπὸν πολὺν καὶ καλὸν δίδωσιν, ἐρριμμένη δὲ χαμαὶ ὀλίγον καὶ σαπρὸν φέρει. αὕτη οὖν ἡ παραβολὴ εἰς τοὺς δούλους τοῦ θεοῦ κεῖται, εἰς πτωχὸν καὶ πλούσιον.
Translation
“So you see that the elm too yields much fruit, no less than the vine—in fact, even more.” “How does it yield more, sir?” I asked. “Because,” he said, “when the vine hangs on the elm, it yields plenty of good fruit. When it lies on the ground, it bears little fruit, and that is rotten. This parable applies to God's servants, to the poor person and the rich person.”
Greek source
Πῶς, φημί, κύριε, γνώρισόν μοι. Ἄκουε, φησίν· ὁ μὲν πλούσιος ἔχει χρήματα, τὰ δὲ πρὸς τὸν κύριον πτωχεύει, περισπώμενος περὶ τὸν πλοῦτον ἑαυτοῦ, καὶ λίαν μικρὰν ἔχει τὴν ἔντευξιν καὶ τὴν ἐξομολόγησιν πρὸς τὸν κύριον, καὶ ἣν ἔχει, βληχρὰν καὶ μικρὰν καὶ ἄλλην μὴ ἔχουσαν δύναμιν. ὅταν οὖν ἐπαναπαῇ ἐπὶ τὸν πένητα ὁ πλούσιος καὶ χορηγῇ αὐτῷ τὰ δέοντα, πιστεύει ὅτι ἐὰν ἐργάσηται εἰς τὸν πένητα δυνήσεται τὸν μισθὸν εὑρεῖν παρὰ τῷ θεῷ· ὅτι ὁ πένης πλούσιός ἐστιν ἐν τῇ ἐντεύξει αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν τῇ ἐξομολογήσει, καὶ δύναμιν μεγάλην ἔχει παρὰ τῷ θεῷ ἡ ἔντευξις αὐτοῦ. ἐπιχορηγεῖ οὖν ὁ πλούσιος τῷ πένητι πάντα ἀδιστάκτως·
Translation
“Explain how, sir,” I said. “Listen,” he said. “The rich person has money, but is poor in relation to the Lord, distracted by their own wealth. Their petition and confession to the Lord are very meagre, and what they offer is feeble, slight, and has no other power. When the rich person relies on the poor person and provides what they need, they believe that by doing something for the poor person they can find a reward with God. For the poor person is rich in petition and confession, and their petition has great power with God. So the rich person supplies the poor person with everything without hesitation.
Greek source
ὁ πένης οὖν ἐπιχορηγούμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ πλουσίου ἐντυγχάνει τῷ θεῷ εὐχαριστῶν αὐτῷ, ὑπὲρ τοῦ διδόντος αὐτῷ· κἀκεῖνος ἔτι καὶ ἔτι σπουδάζει περὶ τοῦ πένητος, ἵνα ἀδιάλειπτος γένηται ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ· οἶδε γάρ, ὅτι ἡ τοῦ πένητος ἔντευξις προσδεκτή ἐστιν καὶ πλουσία πρὸς κύριον.
Translation
“The poor person, supported by the rich person, petitions God on behalf of the giver and thanks him. The rich person takes ever greater care of the poor person, so that his life may continue without interruption. For he knows that the poor person's petition is welcome and rich before the Lord.
Greek source
ἀμφότεροι οὖν τὸ ἔργον τελοῦσιν· ὁ μὲν πένης ἐργάζεται τῇ ἐντεύξει, ἐν ᾗ πλουτεῖ, ἣν ἔλαβεν παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου· ταύτην ἀποδίδωσι τῷ κυρίῳ τῷ ἐπιχορηγοῦντι αὐτῷ. καὶ ὁ πλούσιος ὡσαύτως τὸ πλοῦτος, ὃ ἔλαβεν παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου, ἀδιστάκτως παρέχεται τῷ πένητι. καὶ τοῦτο ἔργον μέγα ἐστὶν καὶ δεκτὸν παρὰ τῷ θεῷ, ὅτι συνῆκεν ἐπὶ τῷ πλούτῳ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἠργάσατο εἰς τὸν πένητα ἐκ τῶν δωρημάτων τοῦ κυρίου καὶ ἐτέλεσεν τὴν διακονίαν ὀρθῶς.
Translation
“So both accomplish the work. The poor person works through petition, in which they are rich, having received it from the Lord. They return it to the Lord who provides for them. The rich person likewise gives the poor person, without hesitation, the wealth received from the Lord. This too is a great work, acceptable to God, because the rich person has understood their wealth, used the Lord's gifts for the poor person, and fulfilled the service rightly.
Greek source
παρὰ τοῖς οὖν ἀνθρώποις ἡ πτελέα δοκεῖ καρπὸν μὴ φέρειν, καὶ οὐκ οἴδασιν οὐδὲ νοοῦσιν ὅτι, ὅταν ἀβροχία γένηται, ἡ πτελέα ἔχουσα ὕδωρ τρέφει τὴν ἄμπελον, καὶ ἡ ἄμπελος ἀδιάλειπτον ἔχουσα τὸ ὕδωρ διπλοῦν τὸν καρπὸν ἀποδίδωσιν, καὶ ὑπὲρ ἑαυτῆς καὶ ὑπὲρ τῆς πτελέας. οὕτως καὶ οἱ πένητες ὑπὲρ τῶν πλουσίων ἐντυγχάνοντες πρὸς τὸν κύριον πληροφοροῦσι τὸ πλοῦτος αὐτῶν, καὶ πάλιν οἱ πλούσιοι χορηγοῦντες τοῖς πένησι τὰ δέοντα πληροφοροῦσι τὰς ψυχὰς αὐτῶν.
Translation
“People think the elm bears no fruit. They do not know or understand that when there is a drought, the elm, which has water, nourishes the vine. With an uninterrupted supply of water, the vine yields twice the fruit, both for itself and for the elm. In the same way, the poor, by petitioning the Lord on behalf of the rich, bring their wealth to fulfilment. And the rich, by providing the poor with what they need, bring their souls to fulfilment.
Greek source
γίνονται οὖν ἀμφότεροι κοινωνοὶ τοῦ ἔργου τοῦ δικαίου. ταῦτα οὖν ὁ ποιῶν οὐκ ἐνκαταλειφθήσεται ὑπὸ τοῦ θεοῦ, ἀλλὰ ἔσται γεγραμμένος εἰς τὰς βίβλους τῶν ζώντων.
Translation
“So both become partners in the righteous work. Anyone who does these things will not be abandoned by God, but will be inscribed in the books of the living.
Greek source
μακάριοι οἱ ἔχοντες καὶ συνιέντες, ὅτι παρὰ τοῦ κυρίου πλουτίζονται· ὁ γὰρ συνίων τοῦτο δυνήσεται καὶ διακονῆσαί τι ἀγαθόν.
Translation
“Blessed are those who have possessions and understand that the Lord makes them rich. For anyone who understands this will also be able to perform some good service.”
Reader’s notes
1. 2.3–4, 2.8
The elm's supporting and nourishing the vine is the author's agricultural image. The elm's figurative share in the fruit has not been replaced by an assertion that it produces grapes by itself.
2. 2.5–8
Petition, confession, material provision, and reward are distinct parts of the relationship. The rich person's reliance on the poor person remains explicit. “Bring to fulfilment” renders πληροφοροῦσι in 2.8: the poor fulfil the rich people's wealth, and the rich fulfil the poor people's souls. The image is not reduced to financial security on one side and emotional reassurance on the other.
3. 2.6 — open question
“So that his life may continue without interruption” retains the difficult ἵνα ἀδιάλειπτος γένηται ἐν τῇ ζωῇ αὐτοῦ. The pronoun's reference and the kind of continuity intended are not fully explicit. Continued provision for the poor person and the rich person's life sustained through the poor person's petition are contextual possibilities. An explicit reference to uninterrupted prayer would add words the selected Greek does not contain. A more definite rendering would require resolving that ambiguity.
4. 2.1, 2.4
The supplied address and the supplied question remain marked. The question is Hermas's, not part of the shepherd's explanation.
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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