Graphic Bible · Scene 7 of 7

Illustrative teaching reflection: thoughtful Hermas rests a hand beside the pale writing surface and laid-down pen while the shepherd sits attentively at right, without enacted reward or punishment.
AI-generated artwork interprets this work's literary visions and teaching, not authenticated historical events or portraits. Source and translation notes preserve the available edition's limits and review uncertainty. Illustrative teaching reflection

Historical Library · Apostolic Fathers
Shepherd of Hermas — Vision 5

The available POB edition is a partial translation, not a summary or the complete ancient work. Popular, not Scripture. Artwork interprets literary visions and teaching; it does not establish their portrayals as historical events.

Source and translation notes

The text names Hermas as its narrator. The illustrations do not identify a historical author or supply authenticated portraits.

Existing reader manuscript-image reference: Codex Sinaiticus. Working source: Lightfoot & Harmer 1891 (normalized OCR) · Greek

English witness: People's Open Bible provisional English rendering (Cartha Inc. and contributors) · CC BY 4.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ — for POB project outputs; source editions retain their original licenses

Numbered reading units are modern paragraph divisions, not ancient verse numbers. The available units follow Visions, Mandates, and Similitudes; absent passages are not reconstructed.

  • The available edition begins mid-dialogue and ends mid-sentence in Similitude 8.iv; absent passages are not supplied.
  • Reading paragraph 7 [a]: Repentance and related expressions are read in this works own context; they are not restricted to feeling sorry, and no uniform Godward formula is imposed. Use repentance for moral change while preserving the works own teaching about baptism, forgiveness, conduct and the angel of repentance; do not impose a different tradition on it.

Shepherd of Hermas 25:7

Keep What Was Heard

The Shepherd Entrusted to Hermas · Shepherd of Hermas 25

Story guide: The conclusion contrasts keeping the teaching with adding to sins, and names the Shepherd as the angel of repentance who commanded this writing.

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77. If then, having heard them, you keep them and walk in them and do them with a pure heart, you will receive from the Lord what he promised you; but if, having heard, you do not repent, but still add to your sins, you will receive from the Lord the opposite things. The Shepherd, the angel of repentance, commanded me to write all these things in this way.

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