Stromata Editions · The Shepherd of Hermas
Similitude VII
Sim. 7.1–7.7
Complete audiobook →Greek source
Μετὰ ἡμέρας ὀλίγας εἶδον αὐτὸν εἰς τὸ πεδίον τὸ αὐτό, ὅπου καὶ τοὺς ποιμένας ἑωράκειν, καὶ λέγει μοι· Τί ἐπιζητεῖς; Πάρειμι, φημί, κύριε, ἐρωτῆσαί σε ἵνα τὸν ἄγγελον τὸν τιμωρητὴν κελεύσῃς ἐκ τοῦ οἴκου μου ἐξελθεῖν, ὅτι λίαν με θλίβει. Δεῖ σε, φησίν, θλιβῆναι· οὕτω γὰρ προσέταξεν ὁ ἔνδοξος ἄγγελος τὰ περὶ σοῦ· θέλει γάρ σε καὶ πειρασθῆναι. Τί γάρ, φημί, κύριε, ἐποίησα οὕτω πονηρόν, ἵνα τούτῳ τῷ ἀγγέλῳ παραδοθῶ;
Translation
A few days later I saw him on the same plain where I had seen the shepherds. He said to me, “What are you seeking?” “I have come, sir,” I said, “to ask you to order the punishing angel to leave my household, because he is afflicting me terribly.” “You must be afflicted,” he said. “That is what the glorious angel has commanded concerning you, for he wants you to be tested too.” “What have I done that is so wicked, sir,” I asked, “that I should be handed over to this angel?”
Greek source
Ἄκουε, φησίν· αἱ μὲν ἁμαρτίαι σου πολλαί, ἀλλ’ οὐ τοσαῦται ὥστε σε τῷ ἀγγέλῳ τούτῳ παραδοθῆναι· ἀλλ’ ὁ οἶκός σου μεγάλας ἁμαρτίας καὶ ἀνομίας ἠργάσατο, καὶ παρεπικράνθη ὁ ἔνδοξος ἄγγελος ἐπὶ τοῖς ἔργοις αὐτῶν καὶ διὰ τοῦτο ἐκέλευσέ σε χρόνον τινὰ θλιβῆναι, ἵνα κἀκεῖνοι μετανοήσωσι καὶ καθαρίσωσι ἑαυτοὺς ἀπὸ πάσης ἐπιθυμίας τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου. ὅταν οὖν μετανοήσωσιν καὶ καθαρισθῶσιν, τότε ἀποστήσεται ὁ ἄγγελος τῆς τιμωρίας.
Translation
“Listen,” he said. “Your sins are many, but not so great that you should be handed over to this angel. Yet your household has committed great sins and lawless deeds. The glorious angel was embittered by their deeds, and for that reason he ordered you to be afflicted for a time, so that they too might repent and cleanse themselves of every desire of this age. When they repent and are cleansed, the angel of punishment will depart.”
Greek source
λέγω αὐτῷ· Κύριε, εἰ ἐκεῖνοι τοιαῦτα ἠργάσαντο, ἵνα παραπικρανθῇ ὁ ἄγγελος ὁ ἔνδοξος, τί ἐγὼ ἐποίησα; Ἄλλως, φησίν, ἐκεῖνοι οὐ δύνανται θλιβῆναι, ἐὰν μὴ σὺ ἡ κεφαλὴ τοῦ οἴκου θλιβῇς· σοῦ γὰρ θλιβομένου ἐξ ἀνάγκης κἀκεῖνοι θλιβήσονται, εὐσταθοῦντος δὲ σοῦ οὐδεμίαν θλῖψιν δύνανται ἔχειν.
Translation
I said to him, “Sir, if they did such things as to embitter the glorious angel, what have I done?” “They cannot be afflicted otherwise,” he said, “unless you, the head of the household, are afflicted. When you are afflicted, they too will necessarily be afflicted. But when you are well, they cannot suffer any distress.”
Greek source
Ἀλλ’ ἰδού, φημί, κύριε, μετανενοήκασιν ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας αὐτῶν. Οἶδα, φησί, κἀγὼ ὅτι μετανενοήκασιν ἐξ ὅλης καρδίας αὐτῶν. τῶν οὖν μετανοούντων, φησίν, δοκεῖς τὰς ἁμαρτίας εὐθὺς ἀφίεσθαι; οὐ πάντως· ἀλλὰ δεῖ τὸν μετανοοῦντα βασανίσαι τὴν ἑαυτοῦ ψυχὴν καὶ ταπεινοφρονῆσαι ἐν ἁπάσῃ τῇ πράξει αὐτοῦ ἰσχυρῶς καὶ θλιβῆναι ἐν πολλαῖς θλίψεσι καὶ ποικίλαις· καὶ ἐὰν ὑπενέγκῃ τὰς θλίψεις τὰς ἐπερχομένας αὐτῷ, πάντως σπλαγχνισθήσεται ὁ τὰ πάντα κτίσας καὶ δυναμώσας καὶ ἴασίν τινα δώσει αὐτῷ·
Translation
“But look, sir,” I said, “they have repented with all their heart.” “I too know,” he said, “that they have repented with all their heart. Do you think,” he asked, “that the sins of those who repent are forgiven at once? Certainly not. The person who repents must afflict their own soul, show deep humility in everything they do, and be afflicted with many different distresses. If they endure the distresses that come upon them, the one who created and strengthened everything will certainly have compassion and grant them some healing.
Greek source
καὶ τοῦτο πάντως ἐὰν ἴδῃ τὴν καρδίαν τοῦ μετανοοῦντος καθαρὰν ἀπὸ παντὸς πονηροῦ πράγματος. σοὶ δὲ σύμφορόν ἐστιν καὶ τῷ οἴκῳ σου νῦν θλιβῆναι. τί δὲ πολλὰ λέγω; θλιβῆναί σε δεῖ, καθὼς προσέταξεν ὁ ἄγγελος τοῦ κυρίου ἐκεῖνος, ὁ παραδούς σε ἐμοί· καὶ τοῦτο εὐχαρίστει τῷ κυρίῳ, ὅτι ἄξιόν σε ἡγήσατο τοῦ προδηλῶσαί σοι τὴν θλῖψιν, ἵνα προγνοὺς αὐτὴν ὑπενέγκῃς ἰσχυρῶς.
Translation
“He will certainly do this if he sees that the repentant person's heart is pure of every wicked deed. It benefits you and your household to be afflicted now. Why say more? You must be afflicted, as that angel of the Lord who handed you over to me commanded. Thank the Lord for this: he considered you worthy to be told of the distress in advance, so that, knowing it beforehand, you might endure it with strength.”
Greek source
λέγω αὐτῷ· Κύριε, σὺ μετ’ ἐμοῦ γίνου, καὶ πᾶσαν θλῖψιν δυνήσομαι ὑπενέγκαι. Ἐγώ, φησίν, ἔσομαι μετὰ σοῦ· ἐρωτήσω δὲ καὶ τὸν ἄγγελον τὸν τιμωρητὴν ἵνα σε ἐλαφροτέρως θλίψῃ· ἀλλὰ ὀλίγῳ χρόνῳ θλιβήσῃ, καὶ πάλιν ἀποκατασταθήσῃ εἰς τὸν τόπον σου· μόνον παράμεινον ταπεινοφρονῶν καὶ λειτουργῶν τῷ κυρίῳ ἐν καθαρᾷ καρδίᾳ, σὺ καὶ τὰ τέκνα σου καὶ ὁ οἶκός σου, καὶ πορεύου ταῖς ἐντολαῖς μου ἅς σοι ἐντέταλμαι καὶ δυνήσεταί σου ἡ μετάνοια εἶναι ἰσχυρὰ καὶ καθαρά·
Translation
I said to him, “Sir, be with me, and I will be able to endure every distress.” “I will be with you,” he said. “I will also ask the punishing angel to afflict you more gently. You will be afflicted for a short time, and then be restored to your place. Only persevere in humility and in serving the Lord with a pure heart—you, your children, and your household. Live by the commandments I have given you, and your repentance will be able to be strong and pure.
Greek source
καὶ ἐὰν ταῦτα φυλάξῃς μετὰ τοῦ οἴκου σου, ἀποστήσεται πᾶσα θλῖψις ἀπὸ σοῦ· καὶ ἀπὸ πάντων δὲ ἀποστήσεται ἡ θλῖψις, ὃς ἂν ταῖς ἐντολαῖς μου πορεύσεται ταύταις.
Translation
“If you observe these things with your household, all distress will depart from you. Distress will also depart from everyone who lives by these commandments of mine.”
Reader’s notes
1. 6.3.4–6; 7.1–7
The author's explanation connects losses, deprivation, illness, insults, and other distress with punishment and subsequent discipline. It is retained as the ancient speaker's claim, not recast as medical guidance. In Similitude Seven Hermas's own sins and his household's sins are explicitly distinguished. The head of the household's suffering for the household, repentance, endurance, and delayed forgiveness are not rewritten as an account of individual responsibility alone.
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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