The Shepherd of Hermas

This is a good book that ought to be read by many. It is not a perfect book, nay is it scripture but it is a good and solid book to remind the reader of what Christianity means and how it ought to be lived.

The Shepherd is a great text to have and read, give some important insight into early Christian thought and teaching. However, this typeset leaves a bit to be desired and it has a load of typos. Fortunately it was inexpensive, but a slightly more expensive printed version might have fewer mistakes.

I cannot wait to start reading this book. I hope to gain insight on why they did not include this in the canon of the Bible

Knowledge is not always easy, but must be sought after. This book is an example that is full of knowledge but must be discerned with much thought. I have enjoyed reading and learning from from this book.

Love this forgotten book removed from the scripture

If you are a Bible reader it may it help you to understand how the Bible dialogues with man and the thought pattern you need when reading the Bible. It is a dialog between angles and man explaining visions and dreams. Like the book of Revelations when the angel would explain to the Apostle John what he was seeing in his visions.

great resource

Formatting is good. Not impressed with the work itself, but if you know you want this historical work of the early church, I think you'll be satisfied with the kindle version.

The Shepherd of Hermas was probably written in about 150 CE and was popular amongst Christians for several centuries. It almost made the final cut for the New Testament but was rejected, probably because the author wasn’t a disciple or apostle (at the time it was thought that the Epistle to the Hebrews was by Paul, hence its inclusion). So far as I know it was never condemned as being heretical; indeed, it was recommended to Christians by no less an authority than Athanasius of Alexandria.As to its content, it consists of 5 visions, 12 “Mandates” or sets of instructions, and 12 parables. Others have commented on its somewhat legalistic approach to Christianity, but if the book was popular it presumably reflected the thinking of the time. It is an important work for those interested in early Christianity.The translation presented here is by J B Lightfoot (1828 – 1889) a noted scholar of early Christianity and sometime Bishop of Durham. I have no means of judging the accuracy of this translation but potential readers should note that Lightfoot’s English is in the style of the Authorised (or King James) translation of the Bible. So it is full of “shalt”s, “comest thou”s and so on. Why he chose to do this isn’t explained. There is also a general introduction and a note on the various textual sources, also by Lightfoot.My main gripe with this book, though, is with the publication itself. It is, frankly, shoddy. Each verse of the text is numbered like this: “1[38]:12” but what these numbers and the square brackets mean is not explained. Nor are the sections of the text which are in square brackets. Presumably they are phrases which are missing from the manuscripts or added to aid comprehension, but we are not told. There are no notes to the text. At one time I thought that “Mandate 5” was missing, only to find that the heading is in body text at the side instead of being centred and in a larger font as are the other headings. There are numerous typos, such as brackets which open but never close and bits of words which are missing. In one place “God” is printed as “Cod” – and this from a Christian publisher! It is also worth noting that the body text is set in a rather archaic serif font.You will find translations, including this one, free on the internet. So why bother buying this book? I like to have long documents like this in a book format and imagine others do also. So if this is all you want and you are prepared to put up with the poor presentation then perhaps this is for you. Otherwise stick with the online translations or be prepared to pay more for a decent edition. I wish I had.The publishers conclude their brief introduction by saying “If you enjoyed this edition please write a short review on Amazon. Don’t forget to mention you were reading the CrossReach Publications edition”. I didn’t enjoy this edition and the review isn’t short.

The book itself was of interest to me, as I wanted to see to what extent the teaching of the New Testament was reflected in some later Christian writings. It was considered canonical by some of the early church fathers, but it is so different to other New Testament books that I am surprised it has held this status. To give just one example, the extensive use of allegory is very much in contrast to the simple parables told by Jesus.This particular Kindle version was poor. There were lots of typographical errors in it, with God being 'Cod' on more than one occasion.

Not easy to read. Recomend you try a newer translation

Deep reading if your awakening

Just what I wanted and downloaded very quickly and easily. It helped me with some research that I needed and I will use it many times.