The Shepherd of Hermas is a second-century Christian text offering visions, parables, and moral instruction to guide believers in repentance and faithfulness. It was never accepted into the New Testament canon, but it provides insight into early church thinking.
The Shepherd of Hermas was written in the mid-second century (around 140–150 AD), likely in Rome. It was addressed primarily to Christians living in the early Roman church, especially those who had recently converted or were striving to live faithfully after baptism. The text is presented as a series of visions, commandments, and parables given to Hermas, a Christian man, by an angelic figure called the Shepherd, with the purpose of instructing believers in repentance, moral living, and the care of the Church.
Although not canonical, The Shepherd of Hermas emphasizes many of the same themes as are found in Scripture. The Shepherd’s focus on repentance parallels Old Testament accounts, such as those found in Jonah and in God’s prophets warning Israel to turn back from their sin (Jeremiah 25:4-5; Ezekiel 18:21-30), and in the New Testament message of repentance and redemption through Christ (Matthew 4:17; Acts 3:19). The Shepherd also depicts the church in similar ways as Scripture. For example, the book metaphorically presents the church as a woman, echoing the symbolism of the Old Testament book of Hosea. The Shepherd presents the church as unified, which is also a key teaching of the New Testament (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). Another similarity between The Shepherd and Scripture is the presence of angels as messengers (Genesis 18:1-3; Zechariah 1:9; Luke 1). However, the angelic figure in The Shepherd seems to be an attempt to parallel Jesus, but the Bible makes it clear that believers have just One “good Shepherd” in Christ (John 10:11-14).
The Shepherd of Hermas provides insight into the early New Testament thinking, particularly the theological and ethical concerns of second-century Christians, emphasizing repentance, virtue, and the importance of maintaining the unity and purity of the Church. Still, The Shepherd of Hermas was not considered canon due to its late composition, questions about apostolic authorship, and some theological differences, particularly the view on baptism, the authority in visions and the angelic Shepherd, and the expansion of the Church as a moral “woman.” While these elements do not necessarily contradict core doctrines like Christ’s divinity or salvation by grace, they reflect post-apostolic interpretations and pastoral concerns that go beyond the canonical New Testament.
The Shepherd of Hermas is a Christian written work typically dated to the second century that relies heavily upon allegory and visions to communicate the importance of faithfulness to God. While it was not affirmed as part of the New Testament writings, it was included in one important early copy of the Greek Bible called Codex Sinaiticus. It attained some notable attention in some theological circles in early church history, though by the time of Jerome's translation of the Latin Vulgate around AD 400 he stated that the work was "almost unknown" to the Western Church.
The book itself consists largely of five visions given to a man named Hermas who is described as a freed slave. These visions are followed by a series of twelve commandments and then ten parables that express a variety of ideas consistent with other writings of the time period. The date of writing assigned to The Shepherd of Hermas is typically based on the book's seeming awareness of the Book of Revelation and its mention of Clement of Rome. The Muratorian Canon mentioned The Shepherd of Hermas at approximately AD 170, calling it a book full of mistakes. Some ancient sources attribute the work to Pius 1 (bishop of Rome from 140—155). If so, then the book would have most likely been composed during this time.
The name of the book is found in one of its visions. In it, Hermas is visited by an angel of repentance who appears as a shepherd. This shepherd also gives certain commands to Hermas to obey.
One interesting aspect of The Shepherd of Hermas is that it appears to support a premillennial understanding of the end times. In other words, this work presents the return of Jesus prior to the prophesied millennial reign. At the very least, it provides evidence that this view was discussed and popularized in writings outside of the Bible from the second century.
While The Shepherd of Hermas was popular in some churches, it is clear that as early as about AD 170 early church leaders had rejected it from the inspired New Testament writings. Its inclusion in the Codex Sinaiticus is certainly significant, yet does not mean that the scribes who copied it even agreed the writing was inspired. The twenty-seven books of the New Testament that were affirmed as authoritative and inspired were agreed upon at an early stage by church leaders, though some debate remained regarding a few books until the fourth century. Despite the ancient composition and notoriety of the book, and despite the insight it gives with Old and New Testament connections, it was never accepted, and still should not be accepted, as one of the books of the New Testament.