Shepherd of Hermas

Michael J. Svigel is Chair and Professor of Theological Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary. Caroline P. Buie is Director of Educational Technology and Adjunct Professor in Theological Studies and Church History at Criswell College, Dallas.

Michael Svigel and Caroline Buie bring fresh perspective to the enigmatic Shepherd of Hermas. Their review of issues is thorough and clear; their translation is alive and captivating; their illustrations are informative and precise; their conclusions are thoughtful and considered. I welcome this commentary and highly recommend it to students new to the field and scholars of patristic literature alike! Clayton N. Jefford, professor of Scripture, Saint Meinrad Seminary and School of TheologyMichael Svigel and Caroline Buie prove once again that when given the respect they deserve through close reading, early Christian writings still deliver rich rewards. With a sensitive and contemporary translation paired with commentary based in exegetical, synthetical, and historical analysis, Svigel and Buie provide a theologically helpful study guide for the Shepherd of Hermas.D. Jeffrey Bingham, Professor of Historical Theology, Southwestern Baptist Theological SeminaryThe Shepherd of Hermas is a long and sometimes winding road. Michael Svigel and Caroline Buie guide us along this road with readable translation and expert commentary. Their excurses explore the intricacies of the more complicated passages and relationships of the work. If you are working with the Shepherd of Hermas, Svigel and Buie deserve to be on your list of works to consult. Rick Brannan, Editor of The Apostolic Fathers: A New Translation

• Series PrefaceForeword by Carolyn OsiekPrefaceAcknowledgmentsList of AbbreviationsList of TablesPart I: Introductory Articles1. Introduction to the Shepherd of Hermas2. The Use of Jewish and Christian Writings in the Shepherd ofHermas3. The Theology of the Shepherd of HermasPart II: Translation and CommentaryNote on the Translation and CommentaryThe VisionsVision 1: Exposure of Hidden SinVision 2: One Year Later on the Road to CumaeExcursus 1: Eschatology of Vision 2: The Lady's Little BookVision 3: A Lofty Vision of the ChurchExcursus 2: Eschatology of Vision 3: Tossed Aside at the TowerVision 4: A Test for HermasExcursus 3: Eschatology of Vision 4: Beating the BeastVision 5: The Shepherd ArrivesTransition from the Visions to the MandatesRhetorical Analysis of Vision 5The MandatesIntroduction to the MandatesStructure of the MandatesMandate 1: Faith in the Creator GodMandate 2: Innocence and SincerityMandate 3: TruthfulnessMandate 4: Purity in Marriage and FaithOn Marital Relations and RepentancePost-Baptismal Sin in Mandate 4The Apostolic Fathers on Sin and RepentanceMandate 5: Dueling Dispositions and the Virtue of PatienceMandate 6: Two Paths and Dueling AngelsMandate 7: Reminder to Fear the LordMandate 8: The Necessity of Self-ControlMandate 9: Harmful Effects of Double-MindednessMandate 10: Grief, the Sister of Double-MindednessMandate 11: Discernment of ProphetsExcursus 4: Was Hermas a Prophet?Mandate 12: Good and Evil DesiresConclusion to the Mandates: Basic CatechesisThe SimilitudesSimilitude 1: Living between Two CitiesSimilitude 2: The Elm and the VineSimilitudes 3 & 4: Winter Trees and Summer TreesSimilitude 5: Proper Fasting and the Parable of the ServantThe Structure of Similitude 5History of Scholarship on Similitude 5Excursus 5: Trinitarianism in Shepherd of HermasSimilitude 5.1: An Incomplete FastSimilitude 5.2: The Main ParableSimilitude 5.3: First Perspective of the Main ParableSimilitude 5.4-5: A Pause to ReflectSimilitude 5.6: A Second Perspective on the ParableSimilitude 5.7: Benefits and Application of the ParableSimilitudes 6 & 7: Suffering and LuxurySimilitude 8: An Angel and a TreeSimilitude 9: A New Vision of the TowerSimilitude 10: EpilogueConclusion to the SimilitudesConclusion to the Shepherd of HermasBibliographyIndex of Selected Topics and ThemesIndex of Modern AuthorsAncient Document Index